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His grin is slow and dangerous, the kind that makes me forget how to breathe for a second. Naturally, my face heats as I think about how fast and how hard he made me come.

“I’m shocked that noodle didn’t want to stay precisely where it was between your thighs. If that had been me, you’d never get me to leave. Especially with the way you were riding it. I’ll have to remember that for later.”

Our eyes catch, the heat between us shifting from playful to something thicker, something that makes me squirm with butterflies tickling my insides. His fingers slip through the water, brushing mine deliberately before trailing up my arm to my shoulder, leaving a trail of water and goose bumps as he goes. He pulls on the strap of my top, dragging me in, his eyes onmine with a look I’ve never seen. Now my heart is getting in on the action, beating so fast I bet he can hear it when Fen slaps the water, splashing us like he’s trying to chaperone us from his tiny turtle float.

Right. There’s a baby in the pool. Thanks for the reminder.

I adjust my waterproof brace and glance at Loomis from under my lashes but change the subject back to cocks. The safe ones, at least. “You think Reginald would let me cut a deal?”

Loomis’s voice drops lower, smooth and lazy. “Depends on what you’re after.”

I tilt my head, sliding the noodle back under me and moving in closer to him. Close enough that his knees brush against my breasts under the water. His breath catches, just barely, but I hear it.

“Protection from rival bird gangs,” I murmur. “Access to the pool’s prime shade territory. Maybe an eight a.m. wake-up instead of five.”

His eyes flicker to my mouth. “He might want unlimited access to the henhouse.”

“I’m willing to negotiate that. Maybe if you throw in a margarita and remove your shirt, we might have ourselves a deal. I mean, since you’re acting as their consigliere and brokering my deal and all.”

Loomis’s fingers wrap around my good wrist under the water. The touch is featherlight but enough to send a ripple of heat through me. His thumb skims over the inside of my wrist, and my nipples harden. Damn, I’m such a hussy for him, I don’t even stand a chance.

“You drive a hard bargain, Dr. Fritz,” he murmurs, eyes still locked on mine.

“What can I say? I’m very persuasive.”

His head dips in. “I’ve noticed.” He grins. “We’ve mucked this rooster gangster thing all up.”

My chin tilts up, and I inch in to kiss him. “I don’t care.”

Fen barks out, “Dada. Oh no,” as his float spins in a slow circle, a rare scowl on his face, clearly offended that this is happening in his presence.

The rooster under the bush lets out a crow. A short, sharp noise as if he’s signaling the others or, more likely, telling us that kissing in front of an infant is inappropriate.

“Think we’ve got time to sneak this in before the coup?”

“Barely,” Loomis husks, fingers tightening around my wrist. “Better make it count.”

I lean in just enough to make our lips brush and for him to swallow hard. I do it a second time, wondering how this is suddenly our new norm, when Fen slaps the water again, completely killing the mood.

Loomis groans under his breath, his forehead tipping against mine. “He’s a natural-born cockblock.”

I laugh against his mouth. “Pun intended?”

“If only.”

“I think we’ll have to keep pool time PG-rated.”

“Not if I get you naked in it after he’s gone to bed.”

“True. Then we can rate that triple-X. But for now…” I trail off and nod toward the kid splashing in his floaty.

Fen forms a spit bubble. The roosters watch from the bushes. Loomis’s eyes darken like he’s already planning how to get me alone later. A girl could get used to this. Which is why maybe a bit of distance right now is the prudent thing.

I need to go get some work done anyway. I haven’t written a word all day, and given what happened this afternoon, I want to go write it. Like now. Loomis may not know it, but he’s turning into perfect vampire material for me.

I pull the noodle out—which sounds awesomely indecent—and climb out of the pool, earning a frown from Loomis.

“Where are you off to?”