“Then you’ll talk?”
He slid his arms around her and tugged her to his body, then devoured her lips until she was breathless. “I can think of way better things to do than talking.”
He kissed her again, enjoying the sweet feel of her soft lips against his, the delicate fragrance of herbal shampoo from her hair, and the intoxicating sensation of her pebbling nibbles pushing into his chest.
He grinned at her. “Now, how about that beer?”
She blinked, then stroked his cheek with her soft hand, her delicate tender touch reaching a place deep inside him.
She smiled. “You’re not insisting on naked this time?”
An instant replay of Tuesday night’s request to bring him a beer naked flashed through his brain, making his cock swell.
“Not this time. I need to keep you on your toes. Anyway, we’d never get to dinner, and I’m hungry. How about you?”
“Oh yeah. I’m hungry all right.” Her eyes filled with a simmering sexual hunger that mirrored his own.
But he didn’t want to act on it yet. Not in his current frame of mind.
“Okay, that’s it. Off with you, you vamp. Go get that beer.” He lifted her by the waist and set her on her feet, then patted her firm round behind.
She laughed, then sauntered toward the kitchen with an exaggerated wiggle of her hips.
He watched as she disappeared into the kitchen. Sweet, loving, intensely sexy Marie. A woman he was sure he could fall for completely.
He remembered Ty’s protest when he realized Zeke was here to see Marie. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted Zeke anywhere near her. In fact, given Ty’s possessive reaction, Zeke suspected Ty had a thing for her. How could he not? The woman was beautiful, sweet, sensual. The whole package.
Ty had been his best friend, and at a time when he’d needed a friend badly. Ty had saved Zeke’s butt more than once.
Damn, Zeke knew he’d give up anything to mend the rift between him and Ty.
But would he be able to give up Marie?
* * *
Marie opened the fridge and pulled out a tall brown bottle of beer. She set it on the granite counter and opened the drawer, then rifled through for the bottle opener. Jade leapt onto the counter to see what Marie was doing. She picked up the cat, snuggled her close, then put her back on the floor.
What was the deal with Ty and Zeke?
She couldn’t believe they knew each other. They were totally different types. Of course, knowing each other didn’t mean they’d been friends. Might Zeke have been the school bully, leaving hard feelings between him and Ty? But despite his tough-guy nature, she didn’t believe Zeke to be the bullying type.
She’d love to talk to Ty about this and find out what happened between them, but she suspected Ty would be just as tight-lipped as Zeke.
She found the opener and flicked the metal cap off the bottle. The frosty brown glass and the yeasty smell made her mouth water. She grabbed another bottle from the fridge and opened it for herself. In her short time with Zeke, she found she was acquiring a taste for beer. She smiled. Especially when running her tongue past his full sensual lips into his hot mouth.
She wrapped her hand around the cold bottle and took a sip, the bubbles dancing across her tongue with potent flavor. But despite the delicious eye candy sitting in the next room, she couldn’t stop her mind from returning to the scene in the hall. She was sure she’d heard Ty swearing, which was totally unlike him. There were definitely hard feelings between these two men, though more on Ty’s side than Zeke’s, judging from Zeke’s reaction. Now how to get it out of them …
* * *
Zeke glanced away from the sports report on the news as Marie walked into the room, a beer bottle in each hand. She held one out to him and he took it and sipped deeply as she sat down beside him. He stared at her thoughtfully.
“So, I’ve been wondering … why are you attracted to a guy like me? I assume I’m not the usual type you go out with.”
“True. I usually go out with … you know … the Mr.-Nice-Guy types. Like Ty.”
His eyebrows jolted upward. “Mr. Nice Guy? Ty?”
Man, if she only knew. Ty had been one of the toughest guys in the old neighborhood. A real badass. Which is why they had been such great friends.