Page 4 of Triplet Tease

I pushed the covers away from my face onceagain. This news gave me a reason to get up. “Go ahead and makearrangements. We can call Eton; he won’t have gone far.” I swungmy legs around and sat up on the side of the bed. “Derry runs a petsupplies business, is that right?”

“Correct. He doesn’t sell animals, butboasts that he can introduce us to someone who can get us anycreature we want. I don’t know whether that makes him innocent, ora collaborator or co-conspirator. I’m sure the police won’t beinterested in him if they haven’t got a real smuggler.”

I nodded. “Got it. I’ll grab a shower. Haveyou had one?” You couldn’t tell by looking at Harry. He wasalways the wild man among us, even before all this.

“No worries, bro. There are three showers inthis place, remember? And unlimited hot water.” Harry got to hisfeet and made a move toward the door. “Oh, yeah. And we shoulddecide what we’re going to do about food. There’s none at all,just a pile of take-out menus.”

“We’ll sort out food easily enough; it’severywhere. The main thing is, we’re only here for a few days. Dadarrives tomorrow, and we’ve got criminals to catch before he getshere.”

CHAPTER THREE

ETON

Thebeautiful redhead caught my attention when she wandered across thesquaretoward me.

There was something about the naturalself-confidence of her gait, her delicate bone structure, and hermilky pale skin, which was at odds with all the fake tans in thistown.

She didn’t intentionally move toward me, ofcourse. She’d approached the ornamental fountain in the square, andthere she lingered to gaze at the lively water. By chance, she’dcome to stand only a few feet from me.

What reason did she have to linger in thesquare? Where was she going?

While I’d watched her, she’d appearedpreoccupied.

Entranced by her beauty, I wanted to approachher and strike up a conversation, but without any idea of what tosay, I remained frozen in place.

She never glanced in my direction, but remainedoblivious of my attention and how her appearance captivated me.

After many long months without flirting ordating, I’d forgotten how to strike up a conversation with a woman.When I saw the scarf drop to the floor, it was as if fate intervenedto connect us.

“Excuse me,” I called while scooping thesheer blue fabric from the ground. My focus stayed fixed on thebeautiful redhead; I didn’t want to lose sight of her as shewandered away.

She kept on strolling. Looking all about, shetook in the sights as a tourist would, and if she’d heard my call,she didn’t realize it was aimed at her. Fortunately, she ambled ata snail’s pace.

I quickly caught up with her and tapped on hershoulder.

Startled, she swung around to face me.

“You dropped this.” I held the scarf uphigh between us.

Her expression softened as her gaze settled onthe almost-lost item.

“Oh, thank you.” She smiled.

“My pleasure.” And I meant it. Returning adropped scarf gave me a genuine reason to speak to her that didn’tseem contrived. I hoped to make an excellent first impression ratherthan coming across as a lecherous creep.

She took hold of the scarf. “It’s forkeeping the sun off my shoulders.”

“You’re wise.” I flashed a smile. Ishould have had some witty banter to follow up with, but I hadnothing.

As she draped the blue fabric over hershoulders, the beautiful redhead smiled right back at me. “I know,right? I don’t do sun, usually. I go for the pale and interestinglook. Consider me almost a vampire.”

I swear the attention of such a beautiful womanhad my temperature rising more than the hot sun.

“Don’t bite me.” I held my hands up indramatic mock fear. “Or, you can if you want, I’m defenseless. Ican’t stop you.” I dropped my hands again and hoped my flirtingdidn’t come across as too strong or too desperate. Too much, toosoon.

Luckily, she laughed. “I don’t bite in fullsunlight. The heat drains me of my powers.”

“That’s good for me. Would you nibble myneck if we were in the shade?” Her eyes widened. I realized thatmight have sounded more suggestive than I’d intended. “I mean,will I be in mortal danger if I invite you to go somewhere moreshaded?”

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