"His car broke down?" she asked.
And, well, apparently Fee had been looking at Savea whose gaze went downward. "No?" Fee asked her. "His car didn't break down."
"It broke down," she said, trying to make up for her too-expressive face.
But goddamn Helen with her eagle eyes and mama-bear-wisdom was on top of it.
"It wasn't a car," she said, eyes going to me.
And I knew she knew.
And, in a moment, so would they all.
"Sorry," a male voice said from behind me, making me jolt slightly. "I am not interrupting," Kingston added. "I just need to pick up something from Charlie."
"What is that!" Savea asked in a weird voice I couldn't place, making me turn around to face King.
Who, of course, looked as stupidly hot as ever.
Even me, clearly hung up on Sugar, could appreciate that.
And the that to which poor Savvs was referring?
Yeah, that was a puppy.
A cute as all hell... puppy.
In his arm.
I reached out, pulling her to my side, wrapping my arm around her hips. "Are your ovaries okay? Or do we need the bomb squad?"
She made a low, whimpering sound, leaning the side of her head against my shoulder.
Not only did she have a crush on King, but... well... now he checked off all of her boxes by getting a puppy. That she could play with. Since she couldn't have her own.
"Hey Savvs," he said, giving her a smile that clearly melted her panties on sight. The poor, celibate thing. She had no defenses against him. "I have to stop by your store to pick up some treats for him. When is the next time you're working?"
"Tomorrow," she said in this strained, quiet voice. "What's his name?" she asked, clearly not able to help herself.
"Doesn't have one yet. There was some adoption fair in town this morning. The lady practically threw him at me."
And herself, I was sure.
"He's cute," she said as King moved closer, holding him out so she could pet him.
"Maybe you could help me with a name too," he suggested. "I have nothing."
I looked over at Autumn, both of us sharing a smile that communicated a lifetime of sisterly secrets. Like how the two of us had been rooting for Savvs to end up with a Rivers, to officially become a part of the family too. Her crush on the lot of them was just too cute not to be fulfilled.
"Did I hear King..." Charlie started, coming into the kitchen. "There you are," he said, making Savea's hands fall from the puppy so Kingston could move away.
"Completely exploded, right?" I asked as she took a deep, steadying breath.
"I no longer have ovaries," she agreed, moving toward the sink to wash her hands as the men moved back out of the kitchen.
I thought it would be enough.
Savea nearly crying over a puppy.
And puppy-dog-eyeing King.
But no.
Oh, no.
Savea's crushes were old news.
Mine was brand-spanking new.
"It was a bike," Lea guessed, looking at me.
"Here we go," Jamie said under her breath, just barely loud enough for me to hear.
"A bike in Navesink Bank," Fee said, clearly catching on if the way her lips were twitching were anything to go by.
"You're dating a Henchmen?" Autumn asked, tone hushed, clearly afraid that the men one room over might hear.
"Wait wait," Lea said, shaking her head. "Which one?"
"Well, what ones are left on the market?" Fee asked, thinking out loud. "That one that looks like some kind of wild animal..."
"Roan," Lea supplied. "But he's not her type."
"This is painful," I admitted quietly to Jamie who, bless her, just topped off my wine again.
"That little puppy dog is free too," Fee went on. "Roderick. And the stupidly hot black guy. I could see her with him. What do they call him?"
"Virgin," I supplied without thinking, making them all turn to look at me. "I am not fucking Virgin," I added, shaking my head.
"That guy with the hot, weird accent," Lea mused.
"It's Sugar, isn't it?" Autumn guessed, looking right at me.
"How do you even know Sugar?" Fee asked, brows drawn together.
"Eli was talking to Jstorm and Wolf a couple weeks back. And this other guy came up who they called Sugar. He's your type," she added, nodding.
"I don't have a type," I objected, rolling my eyes. "I am equal-opportunity."
That was true too.
No two men I had shared my time with were alike. Black, white, Middle Eastern, rich guys, street guys, blue-collar guys. All that mattered was the chemistry. Chemistry transcended racial, cultural, and lifestyle lines.
"Not looks-wise," Autumn agreed. "But you always date guys like him."
"Guys like him," I scoffed. "You met him for two minutes."
"Yep. And he was that cocky-confident with a hint of dangerous. And wrapped up with a banging body and an accent to boot. He checks off all your boxes."
"Speaking of boxes," Fee said, always up for a good sexual innuendo - one of the many reasons to love her. "I'm assuming he got all up in yours already, right?"