Page 42 of Mother Clucker

Heather leaned close and said, “I don’t think it’s about the coffee. I think they want to be alone.”

I was pretty sure she was right, and that was fine with me, because under the guise of giving Drew space to be alone with Lucy, I had an excuse to be alone with Heather.

One kiss was definitely not enough. One taste and I wanted more.

“You know, I stopped drinking an hour ago. I’m fine. If you wanted me to take you home,” I offered.

“It’s kind of far,” she said.

Did she really think distance was a consideration? The only distance I cared about was how far her chair was from mine. And that she was in it to begin with rather than on my lap.

“I drove from Texas to get here. Don’t think you live that far, do you?”

She smiled. “No.”

Her chest rose and fell with a quick, deep breath. I tried, I really did, but my gaze dropped to her cleavage before I could wrestle it back up.

Damn low cut neckline was like a flashing neon sign that said LOOK DOWN.

So of course, I looked. What can I say? I was a weak man. Not usually, but around her I sure seemed to be.

I wasn’t sure that was a good thing. She was the kind of woman who could break a man’s heart.

She definitely wasn’t the kind you could take to bed and forget the next day. This woman was going to stick with me, good and long. And it had nothing to do with that damn cleavage of hers. Or the sexy sway of those hips when she’d first walked across the bar toward me.

It had everything to do with how she’d take me on when she felt I was wrong—even if I wasn’t. And how she gave me a chance and listened to me explain what had happened at the company last year even when I could see her mind had already been half made up against me.

And that video . . . Fuck, I was half way to tears watching it.

If I’d been alone I might have let a few spill. It almost felt as if she saw my company more clearly than I did. And she had the talent to do something about it.

Heather turned to me. “We should probably get moving before Lucy and Drew start at it right here.”

Kind of like we had on the dance floor . . . But now, as she’d said, it was time to go.

She hadn’t said I could take her home so I guess the plan was that Heather and Lucy would both come back to Drew’s.

We’d all sit around the table having coffee together at two in the freaking morning, chatting, killing more time, and then when they left I could be up the rest of the night. Caffeinated. Frustrated.

“Yup.” I stood, resigned.

“So how are we going to do this?” she asked. “If you drive me in my car to my place you’ll be stuck there with no vehicle.”

My ears perked up immediately. Being stuck at her place sounded just fine to me. I glanced at Drew and saw even with the distraction of Lucy, he’d heard Heather’s question.

“Leave your car here,” Drew said to Heather. “He can drive you to your place in my truck, and I’ll drive Lucy in her car back to my place . . . for, uh, some coffee. David and I will get your car back to you first thing in the morning. Simple.”

Nothing about that convoluted plan sounded simple, but it did give Drew the whole house to himself with Lucy, which I was sure was a huge part of his motivation. Since it also put me alone with Heather at her place, I shouldn’t argue.

Sometimes, I didn’t do what was best for me. I cocked a brow high. “You’re letting me take your brand new truck?” I teased Drew.

That truck was his baby. Lucy and the promise of pussy must have had a hell of a hold on him.

He passed his keys to me and widened his eyes. “Be careful.”

The warning only made me laugh. “I’ll try.”

His brow furrowed and added to my amusement. Then I remembered I was going home with Heather and all amusement fled.

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