Down and Dirty(3)

He waited, brows raised, for her to continue, but she pursed her lips, silently daring him to ask about her breaking hearts again. She’d been getting a lot of flak for her inability to commit lately, so him putting her on blast in front of the two people leading the charge? Made her want to stomp on his foot. She refrained, but it was a close thing.

Light and friendly.

“You planning to stay for the whole weekend?” she asked, trying not to look too interested in his answer. Due to his job, Shane rarely stayed in one place for long. Maybe this was just a quick drive-by show of support for Galen and tomorrow, he’d be on his way again. Please, God, and thank you.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get away today until the last minute, so I don’t even have a room yet. But no, I’m going to leave tomorrow afternoon.” Relief rushed through her, but he continued, “Then I’m actually going to be staying in Rhode Island for a while.”

Fuck.

Cat’s heart thudded and she could feel Lacey—the only other person who knew about her and Shane’s little hookup—staring at her, searching for a reaction. Determined not to give her one, she took a slow, measured sip of her beer.

“You’re coming home?” Galen crowed, the delight plain on his face.

Shane nodded, casually snagging one of the stools from the next table and folding his big body onto it. “For a month. It’s been a while, and the last couple times I’ve only managed long weekends, so I took a leave. My parents’ thirtieth anniversary is coming up, and Mom’s been hounding me about spending more time with the Reign of Terror. I had a ton of unused vacation days, so it seemed like a good time to do it.”

The nickname Shane had given his twin five-year-old nieces was a perfect fit. Despite their plump cheeks and wide blue eyes that perpetually avowed innocence, they were a handful. Shane’s sister and brother-in-law were awesome parents to the precocious pair, but most days, it was no easy task.

She conjured up her brightest smile and leveled it at Shane. “Yeah, I agree with your mom. More time with the twins is exactly what you need.”

Lacey shook her head at Cat and muttered, “You’re so bad.” She reclaimed her seat across from Cat and turned her attention back to Shane. “So we get to keep you for a while! It’s going to be wonderful having you back.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

A flicker of something on Shane’s face caught Cat’s attention. Was there something more to this leave of absence than he was letting on? Maybe there was, but it was none of her business. She needed to focus on staying out of his way for the next month. It wouldn’t be so bad. She’d run into him around town and probably a couple times at Galen and Lacey’s, but she could use work as an excuse to stay scarce until he was safely back in California.

“And we’re really glad you were able to make it for the fight. I know it goes without saying, but if they don’t have any rooms left tonight, you can bunk with us,” Lacey offered with a smile.

“That’s okay,” Shane said. “If not here, they’ll have one at Caesar’s or something. No worries.”

Galen gave him two thumbs up paired with a grin that was all male. “Thanks, buddy.”

Lacey smacked his arm and blushed. “You’re going to make him feel unwelcome.”

“Babe, I’ve followed the prefight no-sex regimen for ten days now. I’m pretty sure something’s going to pop if I have to go another night. We can make him feel welcome tomorrow. Or,” he glanced at his watch-free wrist, “in like fourteen minutes if we go up and start now.”

“Be still my heart,” Lacey said, face still flaming.

Cat rolled her eyes and Shane barked out a laugh.

“Seriously, though, if you can’t find a place…” Galen’s expression was sincere. In spite of his razzing, Cat knew—hell, they all knew—he would give his friend the shirt off his back if Shane needed it. They were like family, and family took care of one another.

Guilt pricked at her. Her brother had just won the last fight of his career. A career that Cat wasn’t certain he was truly ready to give up. Surely he deserved to spend a little quality time alone with his fiancée to celebrate?

Lacey cleared her throat, eying her pointedly, and Cat glared back.

All right, all right. “Let’s not get all in a tizz,” Cat said, the world’s fakest smile stretching her lips. “First, let’s see if we can get him a room.” She shot off another unspoken prayer, this one complete with mental gesticulation for good measure, and continued. “If not, I have two queen beds in mine. He can stay with me. No big deal.”