Chapter 11
CROW
“Okay, what gives?”
“The rest of us can’t hear the voices in your head, Hawk. You’re gonna have to give me some context before I can answer that.”
“See what I mean? You’ve been downright grumpy for a month now, and I’m about fucking sick of it.”
“So, do something about it,” I challenged.
“I can’t fix the problem, buddy. That’s on you,” Hawk said, not giving me the reaction I wanted.
I wasn’t interested in having a discussion about what was bothering me. I wanted a nice long brawl to help me work out some of the aggression I was feeling right now. Yes, I knew it was sexual frustration making me crazy, but I didn’t know what in the hell to do about it.
When Darcy told me she wasn’t going to date for a year, I sort of took it as a challenge.
But the more I got to know her, the more I realized it wasn’t the thrill of the chase that was driving me, it was Darcy herself.
At first, I didn’t have to look for ways to spend time with her because she was all in helping me take care of the puppies.
But when Yakko, Wacko, and Dot started thriving, that excuse went out the window.
However, Darcy seemed just as eager to hang out with me as I was to have her by my side, so it worked out. I got to be with her even if I wasn’t with her the way I really wanted to be.
“They’re dating, they’re just not sleeping together yet,” Phoenix announced.
“It’s been more than a month, hasn’t it?” Hawk asked.
“At least.”
“I’ve known Darcy for six weeks, and we’re just friends.” I felt like I said that so much I should have it printed on a T-shirt. I couldn’t help but add, “Dammit.”
“You need to figure out how to bust out of the friend zone before she starts scheduling pedicure appointments and shopping trips.”
“Fuck you.”
“Have you ever had a pedicure?” Hawk asked.
When Phoenix and I shook our heads, he said, “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. I could sit there and let them rub my feet and legs for hours, man. I go every chance I get.” When Nix and I just stared at him, Hawk shrugged and said, “I’m not ashamed.
Once a month, I get to sit in a massage chair and have all my troubles melt away while they make my feet so soft and supple that —”
“Shut up! That word makes me want to vomit,” I said before I shuddered. “I don’t like it at all.”
“Supple. Moist.”
“Hawk,” I said, the tone of my voice more of a warning than any words could manage.
Of course, Phoenix had to pile on to my discomfort by adding, “Phlegm. Pustule.”
“Don’t fucking start with me!”
“Bulbous.”
“Orifice.”
“I’m gonna beat the shit out of both of you until things start leaking out of your bodies.”
“Such violence!” Phoenix chided with a laugh.
“At the rate he’s going, he’s gonna end up in jail if he doesn't put an end to this soon,” Hawk chimed in.
Phoenix laughed before he said, “And I doubt the court system will let him use blue balls as a defense.”
“You guys just don’t understand,” I grumbled.
“I don’t understand? Really?” Hawk asked incredulously. “Try going years without sex, and then get back to me.”
“No thanks!”
I tuned out their banter as I stared at the fire, glad that the summer heat had finally faded and the nights were cool enough for me to sit on my patio again.
This was especially good since staring at the flames seemed to be calming when all I wanted to do was jump up out of my chair and bash my brothers’ heads together.
I was pulled from my thoughts of bloodshed when Griffin came outside and said, “Crow, there’s someone at the door.”
“I didn’t hear the doorbell,” I said as I got out of my chair. “Who is it?”
“It’s a lady. She didn’t ring the bell because she saw me through the window and tried to get me to open the door.”
“And you don’t know her?” Hawk asked.
“If I knew her, I wouldn’t have said she was some lady, and I probably would have opened the door,” Griffin retorted.
“And you’d probably get your ass handed to you for it. You might anyway for that attitude,” Hawk warned.
“Sorry,” Griffin mumbled. I was walking toward the patio door when Griff announced, “Darcy went to answer it since Mom’s fingernails are wet.”
“Maybe you should ask Darcy if she wants to paint your nails,” Phoenix suggested as he picked Dot up and held her close to his chest. “I think a nice fall color would look good on you.”
“You could have her decorate them for Halloween,” Griffin suggested.
“That would be so cool,” Hawk chimed in with a huge grin.
“Go home!” I ordered.
Hawk glanced over at the house he shared with Brighten, which shared a yard with mine, and said, “Technically, I am home.”
I was still muttering when I walked inside and slid the glass door shut before flipping my brothers off with both hands. I didn’t really care who was at the door right now. I didn’t want to greet a visitor. I wanted to beat the shit out of the men who were sitting by the fire laughing at me.
All thoughts of them vanished when I heard a voice I thought I’d never hear again and turned around to find Darcy with a look of confusion on her face as my best friend glared daggers at my unwanted houseguest.
Fuck!
◆◆◆
DARCY
“I love this color!” I carefully put the top coat on Brighten’s pinky as she held her other hand under the light. “As soon as it dries, I’ll do yours.”
“Good. I hate that I can always make my left hand look like it was done by a professional, but my right hand looks like someone painted it with a broom.”
“What I hate is having to pay out the ass to get them done,” Brighten grumbled. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t want to change my color so often, but I get bored after a few days.”
“Me too. Plus, I work with my hands so much that I have to wash them constantly, so my manicures don’t last long enough to even consider that expense.”
What I didn’t say was that I refused to consider using my sister’s money to go to the salon. I hated that Tansy and I were still dependent on her and would be for a while until our business started making a larger profit. All of the money we made was going right back into the business.
It was bad enough that Clancy was paying our mortgage and utilities, but she had even footed the bill when I was going out all the time, of which I kept track of every dollar spent and was going to pay her back with interest as soon as my trust fund became available to me.
As if she’d read my mind, Brighten asked, “How are things going with your parents?”
“Since the judge in Denver denied their case, they filed a motion here in Rojo. Marcus said that nothing will come of it and we shouldn’t worry, but that seems to be all I can do.”
“If Marcus said it’s okay, then it’s really going to be okay,” Brighten assured me. “He doesn’t play around when it comes to things like that, and he’s never been one to blow smoke up someone’s ass.”
“I can tell,” I replied with a grin as I twisted the top back on the polish bottle. “I just love that man.”
“Reagan too.”
“Of course. What’s not to love? I thought Marcus was gruff and tough the first time we met, with his take-no-prisoners attitude and that frown he wears when he’s discussing our case. Then I saw him and Reagan together and realized he’s just a big sweetie.”
“He was instrumental in helping Hawk get home,” Brighten said with a sad smile.
“I hope you don’t mind, but Crow told me about, well, all of that.”
Brighten laughed before she replied, “I bet our history was a lot to take in, especially so early in your relationship, but I’m sure he explained that he and I have never been anything more than friends.”
“That’s what Crow and I are.”
“Of course. That’s the best way to start something that’s going to be able to last is by being friends first.”
“No, I mean that we’re not dating.”
“No!” Brighten scoffed before she said, “Do you mean to tell me that the first woman he’s shown actual interest in for years has relegated him to the friend zone?”
“Everybody assumes we’re dating because we spend so much time together, but we’re just friends.”
“What the hell is wrong with that man?” Brighten asked incredulously.
“Nothing. Hell, he’s almost too perfect. He’s a gentleman, which I’m sure sucks considering how bad it sucks for me, but —”
“You mean you put him in the friend zone on purpose? Please tell me you’re trying to figure out how to jump over that line into something more!”
I frowned as I leaned back in my seat and said, “I made a decision to give up relationships for a year, and I’m doing my best to stick to it.”
“Why?”
“Because I made a vow.”
“No, I mean why would you do that?”
“I have the absolute worst taste in men.”
“No, sweetie, you had the worst taste in men. Crow is top tier, the greatest partner imaginable. Scientists should clone him so that other women can be as happy as he’ll make the woman who finally steals his heart.”
“Didn’t you threaten to poison his food while we were eating earlier?”
“Yep, and at the time, I probably meant it, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. He’s like a brother that you want to kill most of the time, but when push comes to shove, you’d actually kill for him.”
“I’ve never been around a man who treats me like he does, almost like I’m made of glass but strong enough that he respects my decisions, if that makes any sense.”
“You’re welcome.”
I laughed before I asked, “What does that mean?”
“Summer started training him at birth with Bird’s help, but for almost ten years, it was all me, so you’re welcome.”
“But we’re not dating.”
“Honey, we haven’t known each other very long, but you understand that blunt honesty is something the people we surround ourselves with appreciate, right?”
“Of course.”
“And you’re one of those people whether you’re ready to admit it or not, right?’
“Yes.”
“So I’m gonna be real blunt here: you’re being a fucking idiot.”
I couldn’t argue with that because why would I make this vow ten damn seconds before I met the man of my dreams? Only I would do something so ridiculous.