“If you open your mouth to agree or disagree with what I am going to be doing with my time during my drama, it will be me who’s cranky.”
“You’re a dork, a klutz, a menace with your mouth and unbelievably cute,” Mag responded.
Part of that was true, part of that was mortifying (the mouth part) and part of that made me feel warm and happy.
I ignored all of it, and since none of it actually was a response to my statement, I asked, “Is there a purpose to you saying all of that?”
“Fortnum’s is watched 24/7 by Nightingale Investigations, which means it’s covered,” he stated, then jerked his head to ZZ Top Guy. “Tex may look like he lives in a cabin with no plumbing or electric but lots of explosives, but he’d step in front of a bullet for you. Duke would do the same. You gotta make a statement to the cops and I gotta get to work. And I don’t like you having to sort through that mess that’s your apartment. It’s too much too fast. So it’s your life, your time, your drama, but my advice is, go with Tex’s plan.”
I was 100 percent unsurprised booming ZZ Top Guy had a cool name like Tex.
And as bizarre as it was to admit, I was 100 percent unsurprised he would step in front of a bullet aimed at a woman he did not know.
What could I say?
He just gave off that vibe.
“I kinda need to get into my apartment and see what’s what, Danny,” I said softly.
He instantly turned his head to our company. “You gonna help sorting her pad?”
“No,” the brunette said. “I got shit on today.”
Mag looked back at me. “Ally’s not there, my advice is, be close to Tex and Duke with Nightingale eyes on you. They’ll be cool with your stuff. You can trust them.”
I got closer to him and whispered, “I don’t know any of these people but Lottie. I can’t ask them to help.”
For a moment, as he held my gaze, he seemed to be pondering this.
Deeply.
And then he spoke.
“More advice, the Rock Chicks want to adopt you, as crazy as they are, let yourself be adopted.”
I felt, having this conversation as we were, in front of them, was highly awkward.
So, I curled closer to him and dropped my voice so much lower, he had to dip down to hear it.
And him dipping down the way he did reminded me that he did, indeed, do that when he kissed me, which reminded certain parts of my anatomy how much I liked it when he did, all of which I had to ignore or this conversation would become even more awkward.
“I don’t know, Danny. Lottie’s my friend and I like her a lot. And this situation is intense. You don’t take advantage of friends like—”
He wrapped his other arm around me, pulled me to his front and gave me a squeeze with both of his arms to cut off my words.
Then he spoke his own.
And he did this with an odd light in his bright-blue eyes.
One I’d never seen on him or on anyone.
I read it as happiness.
Even…
Joy.
And then my world would never be the same when he said what he had to say, words that explained that light.
“Baby, you are about to learn that you should expect more from the people in your life than remembering you need a toothbrush. A lot more. And I’m all kinds of down with that.”
I looked at his face.
I felt that light shine down at me.
I felt his arms around me, the strength of his body pressed to mine.
I even still tasted him in my mouth.
And having all of that, I knew precisely what I had to do.
For now.
And for later.
So, for now, I nodded.
Mag smiled.
Man, he wasn’t handsome.
He was straight-up beautiful.
And I was right.
I knew exactly what I had to do.
So, for now, I smiled back.
“Right, then,” I heard from behind me. It was the African American lady’s voice, “we’re gonna need a whole lot more toast and bacon than that to feed this crew.”
“I’m on toast,” someone else said.
“I’m on bacon,” another voice came.
Mag rolled me to his side and did not excuse himself to put on his shirt or whisper in my ear maybe I should throw on some jeans.
He tossed his arm around my shoulders, tucked me to his side, and appeared for all the world to be settling in to allow the Rock Chicks to make breakfast at his place.
For everyone.
Lottie had clearly lost her pique and was grinning at us.
“Ally, deliver her to Fortnum’s, I gotta go make coffees,” Tex ordered.
“Got it,” Ally, the brunette, replied.
“I think someone needs to pop out for more bacon,” the redhead, who was surveying the contents of the fridge, said. “A lot more.”
“I’m on that,” Roxie replied, and she exited behind Tex.