“Yes,” I replied.
“I’m in Lubbock, sittin’ outside a titty bar where my boy is havin’ himself a good time. He’s about to get a lap dance that isn’t gonna end too good for him. Even though I’m takin’ him down, time I get to Denver, get him processed, return Thyne’s SUV I had to borrow and get home, Neeta could wreak havoc. Deke’s in South Dakota. Wood needs to cover you. I’ll be home early tomorrow, latest.”
“Okay,” I said quietly then asked curiously, “He’s in a titty bar at 10:30 a.m.?”
“Ace, he ain’t a member of the Rotary,” Tate answered and I gave a short giggle.
Then I asked, “Titty bars are open at ten thirty?”
“This one is,” Tate replied.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“Question, babe,” he stated.
“Yeah?”
“When I’m pissed as shit at Neeta, why am I sittin’ in a borrowed SUV smilin’ every time I hear you say the words ‘titty bar’?”
“I don’t know,” I answered.
I listened to a moment of silence.
“Shoulda never started it with you,” he muttered and I felt my breath stop coming.
I still managed to force out a, “What?”
“Not feelin’ happy vibes that my good girl is usin’ the words ‘titty bar’ ‘cause I’m sittin’ outside one and that she’s gotta count on Wood to keep her safe from my fuckin’ ex when I’m not there. High-class good girl like you should live a life untouched by that kinda shit and a man like me should know better than to bring it on her.”
“I lived a life untouched by that kinda shit, Tate, and I’d never been unhappier because there was worse shit in it and it had nothing to do with talking about titty bars,” I whispered.
He was silent a moment as if contemplating this.
Then he demanded, “You sleep in one of my tees.”
“Sorry?” I asked.
“Wood’s in the house while you’re in my bed. Only claim I can stake since I’m fuckin’ three states away and I’m stakin’ it. You sleep in one of my tees.”
“Tate, that’s unnecessary.”
“Babe. Sleep. In. One. Of. My. Tees,” he said slowly and with waning patience.
“Oh all right,” I muttered.
More silence then a soft and sweet, “There’s my good girl.”
My breath caught and I opened my mouth to say something but he’d disconnected.
I touched the button and put my cell on the counter.
Then I turned to Wood and asked, “You want coffee?”
Wood crossed his arms on his chest and his eyes dropped to my bare, tan legs exposed by my cutoff jeans shorts. I’d cut off the legs of some of my old, fat jeans so the shorts hung on my hips but even I thought they looked kind of sweet, however, now, I was considering changing them.
Wood’s gaze came back to mine, he grinned slow, it was no less sexy than the times I’d seen it before and he answered, “Yeah.”
I went to get him coffee and I decided I was definitely wearing Tate’s tee to bed.
*
At 3:30 a.m. in the morning, I stood uncertainly in Tate’s living room watching Wood nab the remote.
“Do you need more pillows?” I asked.
“I’m all right, Laurie,” Wood answered, moving his body to lounge on the couch where I’d put the two sham covered pillows from Tate’s bed with the blanket from the couch.
“Um… I need to –” I started.
Wood flicked on the TV, turned the volume low and his eyes came to me.
“Baby, go to bed,” he said gently.
I nodded and his phone on the end table by the couch rang. He reached for it, looked at the display, grinned huge, flipped it open and put it to his ear.
“Tate,” he said, his voice vibrating with the chuckle he was suffocating and I bit my lip and decided to listen to the conversation.
“Yeah, she’s home safe and sound. No Neeta. Though, some guy named Brad turned up at Bubba’s.”
I could swear I heard Tate roar, “What the fuck?”
Or maybe that was in my head.
Wood burst out laughing.
Nope. It wasn’t in my head.
I closed my eyes but opened them again when Wood started talking.
“Yeah man, you meet this fuckin’ guy?” he asked, his voice amused. “I know. Total dick,” Wood agreed. “Bar was jammed. Saturday night but more. Word was out Neeta was in town. Half the folks came to see the faceoff; other half came to take Laurie’s back. Ned and Betty were there, both of ‘em. All the waitresses were there, even the ones who weren’t on including fuckin’ Jonelle. Krystal, Bubba and Dalton were all mannin’ the bar. Stella, Holly, Tyler that trainer and that gay guy who owns the salon showed. Even those two fuckin’ hippies were there, the guy still wearin’ those fuckin’ glasses even though it was night, purple this time.”