Chapter 6 #2
He waved me off. “He’s no competition to you. Just get Juno alone, and you’ll both get what you want.”
Well, fuck, that sounded good. But also orchestrated, and I didn’t like that.
“It has to be her choice,” I demanded. “And how do we even know that she’ll be okay with me being her….”
“Orgasm donor,” Dax chimed in.
“Good-time bringer,” Langston added.
“How the hell am I friends with you two?” I grumbled. Running a hand over my head, I sighed. “I don’t mind her using me; that’s not the issue here. But what if she doesn’t want me over this guy?”
“If you’d let me finish.” He shot me a pointed look, like I was the annoying one at the moment. “I initially stopped by to check up on him since I had never heard of the guy, but while I watched him—”
“You really have a stalking problem.” I jabbed a finger at him, which he batted away.
“I didn’t get a good vibe from him.”
Dax sat forward on the couch, full attention on Langston, while all I could do was not wrap my hands around the asshole’s neck. He didn’t like anyone until he got to know them, so his perspective on this guy wasn’t concerning.
“His name is Stew Walters he continued, “and he’s a barback at The Nest’s restaurant and Dave’s.”
I ran that name over and over, coming up blank. “Who?”
“Exactly my damn point. He’s lived in Anchor Bay for the last five years, and no one even knows his name.”
“That sounds suspect,” Dax mused. The leather groaned as he leaned back, draping one arm along the back of the couch. “Should we tell Oliver and Hudson? Maybe they can detain and question him about the missing women.”
My jaw went slack. “You can’t be serious.”
He just shrugged. “Langston here is an excellent judge of character.”
“I’m going to need Tylenol before we head out tonight.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Just because he’s an introvert or antisocial does not make him a serial killer.”
“But it is one of the checkboxes,” Dax added, as if that proved his theory.
“Besides him being shy,” I groaned, “what else made you not get a good vibe from him, Lang?”
He sealed his lips together, making me more nervous. Shit, what else did he do?
“Okay, here’s what we will not do. We will not accuse a man of being a serial killer just because we don’t know him.” I eyed Langston with suspicion. “What else happened?”
He avoided my eyes. “While he was taking out his trash, I may or may not have made sure he saw me, and I did the whole eye-point thing to let him know I’m always watching.”
My lips in a tight line, all I could do was stare at my friend in utter exasperation. At least he didn’t tie the guy up so he couldn’t go out on the date at all.
He shook his head. “None of that matters, though, because he’s not her type, and nothing will happen between them.”
I scoffed. “So now you’re a stalker and clairvoyant?”
“Careful,” he muttered with a dark look my way. The heat from earlier came roaring back to life, making my cock twitch beneath my boxer briefs. “Your Juno wouldn’t go for someone that weak.”
“My Juno?” I arched a brow.
“Are you denying it?”
“No,” I drawled. “It’s just….” I wanted to hear him say “our Juno,” but baby steps. He would get there. Eventually. Hopefully.
“She needs someone like you.” Langston shot a look at Dax. “And you need to get your fucking act together and make a move on Finley before it’s too late.”
“Whatever,” Dax grumbled. “I’ll handle my own shit; you handle yours. Fin and I have been friends for too long. Making that shift to more isn’t in the cards for us, and—”
Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by his high-pitched screech as he leapt up and bolted around the coffee table. Eyes wide, Dax gaped at the couch.
“What the fuck was that?” he panted, the burst of adrenaline having made his heart race.
Brows pulled in tight, I tried to figure out what the hell just happened when a fluffy white tail whipped out from beneath the couch. With a loud laugh, I pointed to where the tip still peeked out.
“Ah, that would be GG.”
Dax looked at me in utter confusion. “What do you mean, GG?”
I could feel Langston’s stare burning into the side of my head.
Here was the thing with Langston. He wanted everyone to think he was this tatted-up hard-ass who didn’t give a shit about anyone but himself, but that wasn’t even remotely true.
He cared about the people he considered family almost to the point of his own downfall.
Most importantly, he didn’t want anyone to know that his weakness—other than cookie dough, Mattie, me, and I guess Juno now—was his precious GG.
His fucking prissy-ass, all-white Persian cat.
Her name was Gorgeous Girl, or GG for short, though mostly because I refused to call her by her full name—it just inflamed her ego. Anchor Bay’s notorious asshole Langston Allen gave the name to the entitled feline after his sister gifted him the cat.
And like her owner, GG had a massive attitude problem and didn’t like anyone, hence Dax screaming. She’d either bitten or swiped at his ankles while he sat on the couch.
Knowing Langston wanted to keep his favorite pussy a secret, I told the lie I had used before.
“My cat,” I sighed, hating my fucking life at the moment.
Langston’s shoulders dropped from around his ears.
“She’s yours?” Dax asked. I slowly nodded. “Why do you own a demon cat? Nope, scratch that. Why do you own a cat at all?”
I shrugged, not really having the energy to come up with some elaborate lie to help conceal Langston’s furry friend. Eyeing the stuffed pack on the kitchen counter, I headed toward it, curious to see what supplies he’d actually packed.
“Binoculars?” I chuckled as I pulled the heavy Army green item free and reached inside to find more. “A big-ass knife—”
“Always be prepared,” Langston muttered, plopping back down in his chair. GG immediately slid out from beneath the couch and leapt up into his lap. Dax watched the white fluffball with suspicion, like it might attempt another attack.
I held up the roll of silver duct tape. “Seriously?”
“You never know what you’ll need while out on a mission.” GG’s back arched as Langston stroked his wide hand along her spine, and a soft smile that rarely appeared curled at his lips. The man was the epitome of pussy whipped.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to that, because the last thing I need is to bail one of you out of jail.” I slid my hard gaze to Dax. “Again.”
“I told you, that tourist was asking for it. It wasn’t my fault that we started a bar brawl. And besides, I’m different now.” He hitched his chin in the air. “More mature.”
“That was just last year,” I deadpanned.
“Exactly. People change, West.”
I just rolled my eyes and stuffed everything back into the pack.
Maybe Dax had grown up a little since then, but I wasn’t sure about that.
The man loved to fight, and he sought any opportunity to do just that.
Why, I wasn’t sure. He seemed happy-go-lucky, all jokes and carefree, especially when Finley was around, but when no one was watching and his mask dropped, you could see the simmering anger that sat just below the surface.
It was almost as if Finley was the only cure for his rage.
“We need to get going.” Back against the wall, Dax eyed GG with a mix of fear and disdain as he shifted toward the door. “Bye, devil cat.”
He jumped a foot in the air when GG hissed at him and, I swear, fake-lunged in his direction just to freak him out. I was still laughing when the door slammed shut behind him.
“Good girl,” Langston cooed as he scratched behind GG’s soft ears.
I chewed on my lip, debating how to bring up my concerns without Langston getting defensive or blowing off the effects of us following her.
“Out with it,” he groaned. “I can hear your mind working on overdrive from here.”
I pushed the thick frames back up my nose and leaned a hip against the counter.
“I feel like I actually have a shot at something happening between her and me, and I’m afraid tonight is going to fuck it up.” My dark eyes collided with his green ones. “I like her, Lang. A lot. She’s beautiful, funny, brilliant, kind—everything I never knew I needed or wanted in a woman.”
“What’s your point?” He carefully picked up GG and set her in the spot he’d just vacated. Coming to the kitchen, he paused directly in front of me. “What are you worried about?”
“That I’m going to fuck it up before I even have her.” He scanned my face, searching for what, I wasn’t sure. I sighed. “I want her. All of her, and not just for tonight.”
He adjusted his backward hat, shifting it side to side before settling it back over his dark hair. “Is that all you want?”
“You know it’s not,” I whispered. “I want us too.”
With a clipped nod, he moved to grip the counter on either side of my hips and leaned in until our noses almost touched. My breath hitched at the dark sparkle in his gaze.
“Good, because I won’t lose you, or us. I won’t fuck this up for you tonight. I’ll even go as far as helping make sure it all works out. Whatever you need from me, I’m there for you. Always.”
“Understood,” I breathed.
“Good. Now go get your other sock on and let’s go. We have your woman to stalk.”