LITMIR.BIZ

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darkened her eyes. Stubborn side engaged. “By the way, I never heard from you, so I didn’t know which of us needed to deduct the money. I just took a guess at how much I owed you.” She stretched out her hand. In her palm rested three crisp one hundred dollar bills.

      He jolted back as if she’d just offered nuclear waste, wondering how long she’d had to save for so little. “Hell, no. That’s way too much.” A single penny was too much, he decided. “The lamp was ugly, so you did me a favor. I should probably pay you for getting rid of it. And the nightstand has a crack, nothing more. It’s no big deal.”

      Brook Lynn breathed a sigh of relief as she stuffed the money in her purse. “If you’re sure...”

      “I am. Now, how much do I owe you for the implants?” he asked.

      She shifted from one foot to the other. “They...weren’t cheap.”

      “That’s fine.”

      “Like, over two thousand dollars not cheap.” She whispered the amount, as if scandalized. “If your furniture cost something similar—”

      “No.” He didn’t blink. “I’ll bring the money to Rhinestone Cowgirl tomorrow. The full amount.”

      She looked taken aback. “You know where I work? Never mind. Everyone knows. I don’t...I can’t accept so much...I—”

      “Just say thank you and save us the trouble of arguing. You won’t win.”

      She rubbed at her temples in a clear effort to ward off an oncoming ache. “Thank you.”

      Better.

      “And now,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “I guess there’s nothing more for us to say.”

      He hated himself and his weakness for her, but he wasn’t ready to be parted from her, even though he knew better than to try to hang on to anything. The longer you had it, the more it hurt when it was taken away—and it was always taken away. “I’ll walk you out.”

      “No need,” she said, turning on her heels. “I’ll be okay on my own.”

      “Okay or not, I’m still walking you out.” He would not be like the double-douches at the restaurant and leave her on her own.

      She’d definitely gotten the implants fixed. Without reading his lips, she had a ready reply. “If your goal is to make sure I make it to my car, feel free to watch me through the window. You do like it when women walk away from you, do you not?” She disappeared through the doorway.

      “Poor Jase. Denied and burned at the same time,” Beck said, shaking his head with mock sympathy.

      West grinned. “Would you like some aloe vera for your soul, Jason?”

      He flipped both of them off, choosing levity over man-pouting, and raced after Brook Lynn.

      The moon seemed to have withered into a small hook, its golden glow hidden by clouds. The air was fragrant with the sweet scent of the magnolias, roses and strawberries growing along the edges of the house, turning what should have been a creepy night into a time for lovers. His hands curled into fists.

      Brook Lynn stiffened as he came up alongside her, but said nothing to rebuke him.

      “Pepper spray,” he said, noticing she carried her weapon, at least. “That’s good.”

      “Oh, this isn’t pepper spray.” She held up a tube of hand sanitizer. “I don’t want to hurt people, just germs.”

      This is a joke. Has to be. “So if a mugger leaves you bleeding on the street, at least you won’t contract a case of the sniffles. Is that it?”

      “A mugger?” She scoffed at him. “Where do you think we are? The city? There hasn’t been a mugging in Strawberry Valley since Wanda Potts decided to role-play with her husband and steal his virtue.”

      “I don’t care what’s happened in the past. I want you armed for the future.”

      “Hello. I am armed.” She waved the sanitizer in his face. “The world is going to spiral into a zombie apocalypse one day...unless we get proactive and do something. It’s called germ warfare. Look it up. I’m doing my part.”

      “That’s not what germ— Never mind. You fear zombies?”

      “Fear? No. That’s Kenna. I’m actually looking forward to battling the undead. I plan to collect their heads like trophies.”

      Why was that so damn sexy?

      Hint: everything about her was sexy. Even the fact that she was clearly a hot mess. He’d never actually met someone who believed zombies were a real possibility.

      His legs were longer than hers, his stride faster, so he reached her car first and opened the door for her. She didn’t get in right away, pausing to blink up at him. Confused by the gesture? Did she not expect the men in her life to be nice to her—or did she not expect Jase to be nice?

      Either answer would have annoyed him, he was sure, so he didn’t bother asking.

      “You’re headed home, right?” Knowing her—and as much time as he’d spent watching her, he was beginning to learn—there was a chance she had a third and fourth job.

      “No. I have to find my sister. She and I are due to have a chat.”

      Wait. He shifted, blocking Brook Lynn from sliding into the car. “You have no idea where she is. How do you know where to start looking?”

      “I feel like you should already know the answer to that,” she said, a little sass to her tone. “Did you or did you not sleep with her?”

      He glared, not appreciating the reminder.

      “Fine.” She held up her hands, all innocence. “I’ll be starting with the bars.”

      “And you’re going to...what? Go inside every one you come across between here and the city?”

      He expected her to deny it. Wanted her to deny it. Instead, she softly announced, “Yes. But don’t worry. This won’t be the first time. Everyone pretty much knows me now and leaves me alone.”

      Oh, hell, no. This delicate female had no idea how to protect herself from predators. Zombie or otherwise. He would stake his life on it. And yet she planned to trek through seas of drunken men who were only looking to score? Who may not take kindly to being rejected?

      “I’m going with you.” The moment the statement registered, he cursed. He couldn’t help her the way she needed without finding himself in a whole lot of trouble she wouldn’t understand. He added, “West and Beck are going with us.” Problem, meet Solution.

      Her surprise was immediate. Not used to anyone doing anything to help her with her sister? The idea alone made his chest throb, and he couldn’t blame coincidence this time. For some reason, this woman affected him in a way no one else ever had.

      Would Daphne affect him even more deeply, now that they were adults?

      “I couldn’t ask—” she began.

      “You didn’t ask. I’m telling.”

      Her eyes narrowed, her golden lashes nearly fusing together. She opened her mouth to snap a sharp reply, he was sure, before her shoulders sagged with defeat. “All right. Thank you.”

      Determination could only carry a person so far, and she’d reached the end of hers.

      He called for his friends, explained the situation; they didn’t hesitate.

      “We’ll find her, no problem,” Beck said.

      “Grab your keys,” Jase said to West. “We can reschedule pool time.”

      “You don’t have to reschedule—” Brook Lynn began, but Jase gave her a withering glare, and she changed

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