“He’s talking to the woman who broke his heart,” Royal said loudly. “And she’s about to get her ass kicked.”
Before Royal could scoot around my body like I knew she was intending to do, I hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her front up to my back, pressing her in deep and not letting go.
I knew that my belt was likely digging uncomfortably into her belly, but I wasn’t really wanting to deal with Natalie’s shit tonight. She was the type to hold a grudge.
“I’m not sure why you’re here,” I said. “But I think it’s time to go. Royal and I are heading to my parents’ tomorrow, and I really don’t want to get into this tonight. We have to get up early, and Royal gets a little ticky when she gets riled.”
Royal pinched me. On the ass.
I barely kept my mouth from twitching.
“Are y’all new?” Natalie all but snarled.
Royal pressed her forehead into the muscles between my shoulder blade and rocked her forehead back and forth.
“No,” I said.
We weren’t even started.
That wasn’t really a lie, was it?
Not that I didn’t want it to be something.
At this point, I was fairly sure I would do just about anything to have her in my bed—and not just to sleep. I didn’t care what moral boundaries it crossed.
“We’ve known each other for months,” Royal suddenly said. “We’re new, but we’re not that new, if you know what I mean.”
“We’ve been broken up for six months,” Natalie said. “I wouldn’t think that you would’ve moved on so fast if you’d actually cared for me like you’d said.”
That was when Lock decided he’d had enough.
“As interesting as this is,” Lock drawled. “I’m thinking you need to head out. This is incredibly uncomfortable, and I’m not even involved directly.”
Natalie turned a sneer to him, and I knew in that moment that she stopped with the nice act.
“I don’t know who you are,” she said. “But…”
“And that’s the problem,” Lock countered. “You don’t know who I am. But I know who you are. I guess I didn’t put Justice’s ex, Natalie, together with the Natalie I’d heard about all over the station. But I’m putting two and two together now, and I’m coming up with badge bunny.”
That was news to me.
“You…what?” Natalie asked.
Royal snickered into my shoulder blades.
“You have a thing for cops,” Lock said. “I heard from a few of my dad’s friends about you. How you’re always coming into the main station and filing police reports and reporting crimes, just so you can get into the station. My dad said they take bets on which rookie will and won’t sleep with you.”
Shit.
That was news to me, too.
“I…what?” Natalie was flustered.
That was when I knew that he was right.
She was exactly like that.
What in the absolute hell had I been thinking?
“Time to go, sweet cheeks.” Lock shooed her with his hand.
Royal started to giggle behind me, her small body shaking so hard in suppressed laughter that it was making my chest rattle.
Natalie, unperturbed, turned back to me.
“You’re just going to let him talk to me like this?” she asked. “That’s not the Justice I know.”
I turned my hard eyes on her. “Natalie,” I sighed. “I obviously didn’t know you at all. And you obviously didn’t take the time to get to know me, or you’d realize that what we have is really over. Has been since I walked in on you talking to your ex about breaking up with me and making your old relationship new again. Trust me when I say, I’m no longer interested. I’ve moved on with my life.”
That was when Natalie sighed. “You’ll miss me and come back.”
“No,” I disagreed. “I won’t.”
She opened her mouth to say something when Royal finally had enough.
“Here, talk to your mother,” Royal said. “I have to deal with a varmint.”
I was so surprised by her abruptness that I took the phone and put it to my ear.
My mother was laughing.
“Ma,” I said. “What are you laughing about?”
“Your Royal.” She snickered, sounding like she was wheezing. “I like her.”
I liked her, too.
“Me, too,” I admitted. “A lot.”
“If you don’t marry this one, I’ll be severely disappointed in you,” she declared.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Mom, we’re not even dating yet.”
Lock started laughing.
Natalie, who’d gone down the stairs and rushed to her car, hadn’t heard.
But Royal had.
“Yet?” she asked, turning to me fully.
“Yet,” I confirmed.
“All right, baby,” she said. “I have Royal’s allergies. I’ll make sure to not cook anything with shellfish. So we’re good there. See you tomorrow. Drive safe. Don’t forget your daddy’s beer. I love you!”
Then she was gone, leaving me staring at Royal with the phone pressed to my ear.
I dropped the phone and shoved it into my pocket, all the while Royal’s eyes were full of expression.
“I’m just going to go,” Lock said. “I’ll be here in the morning to ride with you.”