Page 4 of Bronco

She wiggles her breasts at me. “Read ’em and weep.”

My eyes drop and my dick stirs at the same time. I almost glance down at my wood and say, ‘Bad boy!’ But I refrain.I can’t be having thoughts about Amber. She’s the only friend I have that isn’t a big dumb ass.

Titan glances up, realizes I’m not talking about him, and flops back down again, heaving another sigh like he’s hard done by.

“So much for a guard dog,” Amber laughs. “I think he’s missing the killer instinct.”

I laugh, too. “You should see him around kids, though. He’s like their own personal protector.”

I smile when I think about the day Ella; Hawk and Jas’s kid, Lexi; Hawk’s niece, and Kai; Harlem’s boy, were all over for a playdate and Titan sat outside watching them play basketball, not letting anyone get on the court who didn’t belong there. It leads me even further to believe my dog is just misunderstood.

“Oh, I can imagine.”

“So what’s his name?”

“My date?” She starts to unbox the drinks.

“Who else?”

Her eyes flick to mine. “Ben.”

“Ben?”

“Yes, that’s his name.”

“Benjamin?” I draw out the syllables like I’m five years old.

“Yep.”

“He sounds like a weirdo who wears corduroy, has a five dollar haircut and lives in his mom’s basement because he’s addicted to online gaming, or porn.”

“You got allthatfrom Ben?”

“Just make sure you take that pepper spray I got you.”

“You know, you’re worse than my grandpa,” she says, indulging me with another roll of her eyes. “He used to guard us with a shotgun when we were little.”_

“I’ll wear that badge with honor then.” I give her a lopsided smile. “And if your date sucks ass and you want an excuse to leave, I’ll call half an hour into the game and pretend that I’m one of your girlfriends whose boyfriend just left them or somethin’. I’ll be a hysterical mess and need you immediately.”

She laughs out loud. “You’d really do that for me?”

“Of course I would, dummy.”

“Huh, well, in that case, I’m gonna think about hooking you up with one of my friends,” she says.

My eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, yeah?” I don’t know why that doesn’t feel as good as it should. All of Amber’s friends are pretty and smart like her. Any guy would be happy to get a potential date with one of them. But for some reason, all I can focus on is this fucking Ben dude and what he’s all about. Does he even have a job? I just don’t have a good feeling about this.

“You don’t have to sound so enthusiastic,” she mocks. “Or are you really taking a break from the ladies like you keep professing?”

I can’t lie to her, and I won’t, but I run the risk of sounding like a complete loser in the process by being totally honest, so I use work as an excuse. “I’ve been so busy at the shop ever since we opened, I’m workin’ twelve to fourteen hour days, seven days a week. Last thing I’ve got time for is a date.” I bang my knucklesdown on the bar. “But I’d make an exception if it’s that Katie chick.”

I know full well Katie is dating some hot-shot lawyer and I’d never stand a chance, but it’ll throw her off the scent of the real reason why I’m not wanting to spread my wings and fly from our little nest. The real reason being I don’t want hook ups anymore. They’re old and boring and have been for a while. And if I’m honest, even if things aren’t romantic with me and Amber, I still like having her all to myself. Ben can go fuck himself, but one thing he won’t be doing is fucking her. Not if I can help it.

“She has a boyfriend.”

I rub the scruff on my chin. “She does, huh? That’s too bad.”

She narrows her pretty eyes. “You know Katie’s not single. Are you trying to dodge my matchmaking skills on purpose? I have nice friends and I’ll have you know I have a hundred percent success rate.”

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