Caged(20)

"I have to prove to Maddox she's not a distraction. Besides, it's not like she'll be working with Fish-dick anymore. And I won't be fucking her in the dojo either."

Knox didn't say a word. But his smirk said everything.

"It never bothered you when I caught you and Shi-Shi sneaking out of the damn supply closet? Ronin and Amery weren't any better, slipping into the Crow's Nest for a quickie. They couldn't keep their clothes on until they got to the penthouse?" He shook his head. "You all are the reason it won't happen there for us."

"Guess we'll see how that plays out, huh?"

Deacon looked at the clock and stood. "I gotta get. Uh, thanks for . . ."

"Being a friend?" Knox supplied. Then the jackass started singing the theme song from Friends and woke up his baby.

Served him right.





CHAPTER SIX



MOLLY had a dozen things on her mind when she walked into Hardwick Designs Tuesday morning.

Presley jumped her first thing. "What the ever-lovin' fuck, Molly? You and Deacon? Seriously? Everything you ranted about Saturday night just vanished when he showed up yesterday looking hot and horny?"

"What? No."

"So you just tripped and fell onto his mouth when you were chewing his ass?" Her gaze zoomed to Molly's neck. "You suck at hiding hickeys."

"Because I haven't any practice at it." Molly sent a quick glance to Amery's closed office door. "We'll talk about it later."

Presley leaned forward, giving Molly a close-up of her bruised and scabbed face, which was almost as interesting as her retro Betty Boop T-shirt. "I don't think I can wait until lunch."

"Me either," Chaz said from behind Presley, propping his chin on her shoulder. "I'm starved. I'm thinking about doing Five Guys for lunch."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Only you, Chaz, could make eating a burger sound dirty."

He smiled. "What can I say, doll? It's a gift."

"While we'd love to watch you do five guys," Presley said dryly, "aren't you lunching with Amery today?"

"That's right. I am so glad you're keeping track of my schedule, honey. Thank you." He sauntered over to Amery's door and knocked. Only after the door closed behind him did Presley speak again.

"I'll wait, but you'd better make it as juicy as the burgers I'm missing out on."

• • •

DOWNTOWN Denver was chock-full of restaurants with outdoor seating. Even basking in the summer sun for only an hour rejuvenated Molly after staring at a computer screen all morning.

Presley hadn't chimed in about the situation with Deacon beyond saying she was happy he appeared to be making an effort. "Do you have plans with him tonight?"

They gathered their stuff and started walking back to the office. "Deacon knows I have kickboxing class. I wish he were still teaching. Shihan Beck is all right, but he doesn't have Deacon's mean streak, which made me mad but also made me work harder."

"Will you continue taking private boxing lessons with Fisher now that you and Deacon are happening?"



       
         
       
        

"I don't know. Why?"

"If Deacon hated you spending time with Fisher before you two got together, he'll really hate it now. I just worry he'll dictate stuff like that to you."

"He can try. But I'm not the pushover I used to be." And it was a moot point since Fisher had been too busy to work with her one on one in the last month.

"Good." Presley looped her arm through Molly's. "Speaking of dicks . . . Any idea what size he's packing?"

Molly groaned. "That's your segue way into discussing his penis? From dictate to dick?"

"Hey, I'm an artist, not a wordsmith. As a woman who's been around that fine fucking specimen of manhood, I'm curious, Mol. And maybe a little jealous."

She stopped walking and faced Presley.

"What? Now that you've got Deacon in the bag, I can admit he's the one guy at Black Arts that I'd consider bagging."

"And you're telling me this . . . why?"

"Full disclosure. Deacon is a five-alarm-fire kind of man. The body, the tats, the chiseled face, the shaved head, the facial scruff, those blue eyes, the pissy attitude. You think it's escaped anyone's notice that he could be Daniel Craig's younger, better-built brother? No. As far as looks and physique, he's the total package. But he's always been kind of a dick, so that lowers his stock value."

She snorted at the phrase stock value.

"But in class he had eyes only for you. It never made sense why he stood you up after he finally asked you out. So after the shit went down in the strip club, I assumed he'd walk away when you didn't just drop your panties for him. But he came after you. That he apologized? Hot. The way he looked at you in the gym last night? Hotter yet. I don't have to tell you Deacon defines intense, and that's scary." Presley reached for Molly's hand. "I have to ask if you can handle that about him."