Page 29 of Operation K-9 Brothers

Jack laughed.“Dude, let go of your wife long enough for me to introduce you two to someone.”

“Is he still here?”the man said.

His wife chuckled.“He’s a stubborn one.You might as well talk to him.”She pushed her husband away and smiled at them.

Jack slid onto the chair across from them, pulling her down next to him.“Deke, Heather, this is Nichole.Nichole, Heather’s my physical therapist, and this ugly thing is her husband.Deke’s a cop, so don’t tell him about that joint you have in your purse.”

“Ido nothave a joint in my purse.”She raised her hand.“I swear, Officer.”

“Mmm, maybe I should frisk you to make sure,” Jack said, his gaze traveling over her.

Deke snorted.“Nichole, what’s a nice girl like you doing with a bonehead like Jack?”

“Hey.”Jack slapped a hand over his heart.“You wound me, bro.”

“Ignore these two clowns,” Heather said.“It’s nice to meet you, Nichole, but you look familiar.Are you sure we’ve never met?”

“Have you ever been to the River Arts District?I have a pottery booth there where you might have seen me.”

Heather squealed.“Yes!I even have some of your pottery.”She grabbed Deke’s arm.“She made that beautiful bowl on our coffee table.”

“You made that?”At her nod, Deke said, “I think my wife loves that bowl more than me.”

Jack laughed.“Understandable.”

“Harsh, man,” Deke said.

They talked and joked for another thirty minutes, and Nichole really liked Jack’s friends.She was pleased when they made plans to get together for dinner on Saturday night.She and Jack stood to leave.

“I’ll give you a call tomorrow,” Jack said to Deke.“There’s something I want to talk to you about.”He glanced at Heather.“And I’ll see you Wednesday for my torture session.”

“It was great meeting you both,” Nichole said.

As they walked out, Jack put his hand on her back and smiled down at her as he stroked his fingers up her bare spine.Can we have his baby?her ovaries pleaded.The place was crowded, and he shifted so that he was a little in front of her, clearing a path to the exit.He didn’t push anyone out of the way.It was more that his presence radiated some kind of power that had people moving aside, and that was just hot.

He’d left her wanting on the night they’d enacted the scene fromGhost, but tonight he was hers, even if she had to tie him up so he couldn’t get away.

“What’s that smile for?”he said as he opened the car door for her.

“Just wondering if I have any rope at home.”

“Huh?”

She patted his arm.“Nothing for you to worry about.”

“Not sure that’s a comfort, darlin’.”He slipped his hand to the back of her neck and lowered his mouth to hers.After kissing her senseless, he said, “But you won’t have to tie me up tonight to have your way with me.”He winked.

Not only was he sexy as all get-out, but he was a mind reader, too.“Are you sure you want to stop for pancakes?”

“That craving has passed.Now all I want is a taste of you.”He tuned the radio to a station playing love songs, and then held her hand on the ride home.Her body hummed with anticipation in a way it never had for another man.Then they turned onto her street, and her gaze narrowed on the car parked in her driveway.

“Crap.Not tonight,” she said at seeing her brother sitting on her porch steps.