LITMIR.BIZ

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with Roz. Livi wished that kind of thing were genetic. But search as she might, Livi couldn’t find a grain of that sort of confidence in her DNA code.

      It wasn’t just Roz’s looks, although her hair added a good six inches to the slender woman’s already impressive height. Nor was it the array of tattoos snaking down her body. Nope, it was authority. Roz exuded it like Tessa exuded sex appeal.

      Livi wondered what she exuded. Yawns, most likely.

      “Livi!”

      She winced when everyone within earshot—and given that Roz was pretty loud, that was a lot of people—turned to stare. Livi pasted on her public smile, ignored the buzzing in her ears and offered her aunt a finger-wiggling wave.

      She turned to ask Tessa what she wanted to drink before Roz got there, but her friend was plastered up against a guy wearing a toreador costume, listening as he whispered something in her ear. From the wicked grin on her face, the something was pretty naughty.

      “Livi, I didn’t think you’d make it,” Roz said as she skirted around the bar to give her niece a hug. Not an easy feat given how wide Livi’s costume was. Roz stepped back to give her a frowning once-over. “A body like yours, what the hell are you doing dressed like that?”

      “Halloween is about the fantasy,” Livi explained. “My fantasy is junk food. Since I can’t eat it, I figured I’d dress like a Twinkie and be it.”

      And then there was the cream filling. Her hard, rocking body hadn’t inspired any guys to push past her inhibitions and see what she had going on inside. But maybe tonight the subliminal message of her costume would.

      “Hey, Roz,” Tessa called over Livi’s shoulder.

      After a few minutes of small talk, her aunt said she had to get back to work. Livi looked around for a comfy barstool to perch on, but Roz had other ideas.

      “Now, you girls head to the back room,” Roz said, giving Livi a hug as she issued the order. “You can crash the private party there—tell them I sent you. It’s quieter, less crowded.”

      “But I came to see you,” Livi protested through a mouth that had gone dry at the words crash and private party.

      “You came to drool over the frogs,” Roz said dismissively, referring to the Navy combat divers who frequented her bar. “And you will see me. Later. My relief bartender gets here in twenty minutes, we’ll visit then.”

      Livi wrinkled her nose. Roz always had her pegged, which surprised them both, given that Livi had never met—or even known of—her aunt until two years ago.

      “In the meantime...” Roz reached behind them. “I need your help with a party in the back room.”

      Oh, no. Helping with a party meant facing tons of people. Strange people. Ones she’d never met before.

      “Here. Take this with you,” she said, handing Livi a foil-covered tray, then giving a second one to Tessa. “You can pretend you’re a waitress if it helps.”

      Livi reluctantly took the tray and the dismissal, even as her mind raced with excuses to get out of going.

      “I could really use the help,” Roz added. “I’m short-staffed and it’s crazy in here.”

      “I’m not crashing a party. I’ll just deliver the food then meet you back here.” Knowing the only thing Tessa disliked more than military guys was serving food, Livi gestured toward the tray in her friend’s hand. “I can take yours, too, if you want to stay here and enjoy the view.”

      “You’ll change your mind once you see the party,” Roz predicted.

      “Yummy?” Tessa asked.

      “Delicious,” Roz confirmed.

      “I’m there,” Tessa purred, proving once again she didn’t have to be interested in partaking to appreciate the view. “C’mon, Livi. Tastiness awaits.”

      This was why she was here, wasn’t it? And playing waitress was the perfect out if it was overwhelming. With that little pep talk and a deep breath, Livi maneuvered her spongy goodness toward the back and prepared to be social.

      “Stay close,” Livi instructed as she wrapped her free hand around Tessa’s so they didn’t get separated as they pushed through the crowd.

      They barely made it halfway across the room when she felt Tessa slow down. Livi glanced over to see her friend had gone into full-on flirt mode. Hair was being tossed. Her eyes were glittering and her smile had taken on a wicked glint.

      “Target spotted,” Tessa said, making as if to break away.

      “Oh, no, you don’t,” Livi said, laughing as she tugged Tessa along. She used her Twinkie bulk to push through the bodies, pulling her friend in her wake. “You’re crashing this party with me, remember? I’m sure there are plenty of men in there for you to choose from.”

      “Yeah, okay. He had a small dick, anyway,” Tessa said as they reached the hall leading to the private section of the bar.

      Her hand on the doorknob, Livi threw a frown toward Tessa’s rejected target. “How could you tell that?”

      “The way he was sitting.” Tessa tilted her head so her hair flowed in a dark wave over one bare shoulder before shimmying a little so the fabric fell across her breasts just so. Then she offered Livi a wink. “He had his legs crossed above the knee, did you notice? No guy with a dick big enough to satisfy me can cross higher than the ankle.”

      For a brief second, Livi could only goggle. Then she laughed so hard her nerves dissipated. And that, she realized, was probably why Tessa had said what she had.

      Then again, Tessa knew a lot about dicks. So maybe she was being supportive and telling the truth.

      “You know, if you were actually as oversexed as you pretend to be, you’d have dropped dead from exhaustion years ago,” Livi said, still giggling as she pushed open the door.

      They made it two steps inside before stopping.

      “Oh, boy,” Tessa murmured. “Now there’s a treat I wouldn’t mind showing a trick or two.”

      Livi mentally echoed that with a purr.

      Oh, boy, indeed.

      The room was filled with men, all so gorgeous they blurred into a yummy candy store in Livi’s mind. It was a good night when a woman could choose between a gladiator, a kilted highlander and a bare-chested fireman.

      But Livi only had eyes for the superhero.

      Deep in conversation with another guy, he might have been sitting in the corner, but he still seemed to be in command of the entire room. He had a power vibe.

      And he was a super hottie.

      His hair was as black as midnight, and it brought to mind all sorts of fun things to do at that hour. The supershort cut accentuated the shape of his face with its sharp cheekbones and strong jawline. His eyes were light, but she couldn’t tell the color from where she was standing. Livi wet her suddenly dry lips and forced her gaze lower, wondering if the rest of him lived up to the promise of that gorgeous face.

      Her heart did a slow thumpity-thump as her eyes meandered over his broad shoulders and down muscular arms encased in a tight blue shirt. She sighed her appreciation at the definition of his pecs beneath the bright letter S on his chest.

      The man of steel. She wondered if he was hard all over.

      Then he grinned at something his companion said.

      And Livi got shaky. Her knees melted, her thighs trembled and nipples sprang to attention. That was an orgasm smile. She’d heard the girls at the club talk about those during training sessions, but she’d figured strippers exaggerated everything from their bumps to their grinds.

      But now she knew.

      All

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