Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

“You have plans for tonight?”

“I might have one or two.”

“What are they?”

“You have to wait and see.”

Their eyes met as they drank their wine.

Dustin was about to reach across the table for her hand when he saw Charles and his group pass their table.

Dustin raised a brow when Charles paused at their table.

“Dustin, Jackson wants to spend time alone with his parents and son. If you still want to have lunch, I have the time before I go back.”

“Tomorrow around twelve good for you?”

“Yes.”

“You have another one of those cards of yours? I’ll shoot you a text, and we can figure out where we can eat.”

Charles reached into his suit pocket, taking out the card clip and removing one to give to Dustin.

Dustin put it in his suit pocket. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Charles nodded, then hurried off to catch up with his family.

Dustin picked up his wineglass, so the waitress could set the platter down.

Jessie stared at it in dismay. “There’s no way we can eat all this and the steaks, too.”

Dustin picked up a chicken wing. “Speak for yourself. Don’t you know the best part of a big meal are the leftovers?”

“This platter alone could feed four people.”

“No, it couldn’t. Greer and I can finish one of these platters off by ourselves.” Dustin was about to take a big bite of his chicken wing when he looked toward the doorway in disappointment. “Life is just not fair.”

Jessie lifted her eyes from the platter in puzzlement. “How so?”

“Greer and Holly just came in.”

“And that’s a problem?”

“He’s going to want to share. I have a problem keeping my brothers away from my food lately.” Dustin sadly watched as Greer saw them and started steering Holly toward their table.

“Mind if we join you, brah?” Greer pulled a chair out before Dustin was given the opportunity to answer.

Holly sat down next to Jessie, giving him an apologetic glance. “I tried to talk him into eating at the diner, but it was a no-go.”

Greer slid the platter closer to himself. “What we having for dinner?”

“Jessie and I were enjoying our first date.”

Greer couldn’t care less. “Don’t mind us. We’ll just sit and eat. You won’t even know we’re here.”

Dustin reached for a potato skin, to find his hand smacked by Greer.

“That one is mine. It has the most bacon. You can have the scrawny one on the side.”

He heard Jessie giggle at his reaction.

“You won’t be laughing when that T-bone comes.”

Greer paused, the potato skin almost in his mouth. “She ordered a T-bone?”

Jessie nodded. “Dustin did, too.”

Greer sat the potato skin back down on the platter. “You can have it,” he said magnanimously. “I need to save my appetite.”

“Since when?”

“Since I learned there were T-bones involved. See, Holly? What did I tell you? Dustin doesn’t mind sharing. Dustin and I can share his, and you and Jessie can share hers.”

Dustin waved at their waitress as she finished at another table.

Greer gave him a happy grin.

“Order me a Mountain Dew, and Holly will take an unsweetened iced tea.”

“I wasn’t getting her attention to get us drinks.”

“Then what you want her for?”

“I want her to package our order to go.”

Jessie was still giggling when he pulled into her driveway.

“I thought he’d stroke out when he found out King gave you our meal for free.”

“My brother is a food whore.”

“I’ve heard that one before. I think both of you play fast and loose with your affections where food is considered.”

“There are three religions in Kentucky that all men take seriously. One is food. Two is their weed. Three is their liquor.”

“Women aren’t important?”

Dustin gave it some thought. “Okay, there are four religions—”

Jessie held up a hand to stop him. “Spare me. I don’t want to know where women are ranked.”

Dustin placed his arm across the back of her seat. “Number one, of course.”

“Dustin Porter, you’re lying through your teeth.”

His face turned serious as he cupped her cheek with his free hand. “You will always be my number one. I’m sorry my brother ruined our first date.”

Jessie relaxed back on her seat and smiled at him as it grew dark outside. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I enjoyed it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Don’t tell him, but I’m starting to like him.”

“You don’t have to worry about me telling him that. I can hear what he would say. What’s not to like?”

Jessie laughed. “Too true. Greer doesn’t have a confidence problem.”

“Like everything, Greer got in line for seconds and thirds where that’s concerned.”

“What did you get in line for?” she asked huskily, running her hands down his chest.

“You know me. I can’t let Greer outdo me.”

Pressing a kiss to the side of her mouth, he rubbed her jawline with his thumb. Then he stared down at the woman he loved, memorizing the tiny bump on her nose, the fine lines coming out of the corners of her eyes. The thing he would always remember was the light of love that was shining from her hazel eyes. He wished he could be a better man, the man she needed him to be.