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But he wouldn’t let that juicy tidbit drop, yet. He needed to catch the duo red-handed; apprehend them while they were attempting to kill him. Then he’d haul their asses into custody to scare the crap out of them…or more. Where Mike took things from there really depended on what he thought was best for the kids.
“Great…Sport,” Mike finally replied, if a little condescendingly. “I hope this one holds your interest.”
Mellie looked pissed at that backhanded comment, but what could she say? Her beau didn’t have the greatest track record.
“So what are you two doing for fun these days?” Mike asked, skewing the conversation around to meet his agenda. As long as he had the pair here, Mike was going to drop them the set-up he’d hoped the kids would spill. There was no need to depend on happenstance now. He’d lay the groundwork himself.
“Oh, you know,” Mellie immediately replied because she loved talking about herself. “We hang out with friends. Go to the lake. Eat out a lot. The kind of stuff that gets us out of the house.”
Yeah. Mel had never liked being a homebody. Another thing she’d blamed on Mike; his long-standing suggestions that she either stay at home more or include the family in her frequent outings.
Fat lot of good that had done. She’d chosen to exit-stage-right, instead.
“Yeah? Well, I was out at the quarries with the team last weekend,” Mike planted, watching for a twitch from either of them.
Blinkity-blink.
Mike held back a snort. How about from both of them? It took all he had to continue, straight-faced.
“…and I realized it’s been too long since I took a good, challenging hike. So, I’ve convinced Elle to join me to do Baxter Peak this coming Sunday.”
Melanie’s mouth fell open, but there was also a contemplative glint in her eyes that Mike didn’t miss. “That’s like, uh, nine miles. Do you think your waitress friend has the stamina for that one? That she won’t do a half mile and give up?”
Could Mike say…fishing? Because, yup. He’d hooked a big one.
Mike shrugged. “She’s in extraordinarily great shape.” He rubbed that in a little. “But if she wants to call it quits after three or four hours,” he emphasized, “I’m good with that.”
“I won’t be quitting, sugar,” Joe’s sweet southern twang hit his ears again like music. He might have to ask her to use that drawl more. Every now and then. Just for him. “You know I’m no quitter where physical activities are concerned,” she added. This time while talking, she sidled up to his thigh as she put their drinks on the table, making completely inappropriate contact between his ribs and her ass.
Well, shit. His cock twitched.
Two could play at this game.
“Oh, I’m aware of that,” he taunted before deliberately running his hand up under the back of her skirt to grab a healthy handful of one ass cheek.
Joe turned bright crimson from her collarbone to her hairline, but she didn’t back off. Instead, she bent further into his touch, sending his hand slipping toward the gusset of her panties, where Mike found a wetness he couldn’t ignore.
“Elle,” he growled.
She groaned in answer. “Yup. I sure am thinking about later on tonight,” she admitted breathlessly. “Can you tell?”
She wiggled a little into his touch, then stepped sideways so his hand fell away.
“Uh, huh,” Mike let his fingers fall, bereft, back into his lap, answering with what little of his brain hadn’t descended to his cock. “Later.”
Elle winked and walked away.
“Oh, please,” Melanie grimaced. “The two of you are just pathetic. And disgusting.” She looked around the now packed bar. “If there were anyplace else to sit…”
“Yoohoo. Mikey,” a female voice rang out from the table of friendly women who’d clearly been taking the whole thing in. “We have a chair for you if you’d like to join us?”
Mike didn’t hesitate, although he would be having words with them about what he was to be called. He stood up, grabbed his glass of water, and didn’t look back as he joined the grinning ladies.
“Thanks for that,” he told them as he took the offered seat.
“No probs,” one of them giggled. “But you owe us. What do you say? Will you and your server friend be our new besties?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE