“You’re going to laugh about this,” Rhett says, catching me as soon as I walk through the doors of Dirty Dicks.

“I’m going to laugh about what?”

He shoves a beer in my hand and spins me around. I take a drink, wondering what is so amusing when I see it—or rather who. The whole gang is sitting at a round table. Cooper, Mo, Adley, Lincoln—and Tess even made it out tonight. And then there’s Claire. A smile stretches across my face until I see the man sitting next to her lean in close.

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that by the look on your face, you’ve staked a claim on Claire since the last time we talked,” Rhett says.

“I have. Who is that guy?”

“That’s what makes this so funny. You see, this is what happens when you keep things from Mo. My lovely girlfriend has taken it upon herself to parade another single, successful man in front of Claire.” I open my mouth, but Rhett continues. “Lucky for you, I had a clue as to what was going on, and I managed to keep the doctor away from your woman. But you should know that the second I got up, he moved over to my seat.”

Lifting my beer, I drain the rest in three large gulps. I’ve never had a girlfriend before—or a woman I’ve claimed as my own—so I’m not sure what the proper etiquette is for getting upset about this sort of thing. But when I look at Claire with her arms folded tight over her chest and her legs crossed, it’s clear that she’s about as far away from this doctor as she can be.

“I’m not worried. And it’s going to be fun to play with her and Mo.”

“Shit. Do you have to bring Mo into this?”

“She tried to set my woman up with another man. I thought you told me she was putting an end to this shit.”

Rhett shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair. “She said she was, but I’ve got about as much control over her as I do over you.”

“That’s not much.”

“My point exactly. Just go gentle on her, okay? I’d really like to get lucky tonight, and when she finds out I knew about you and Claire before her, she’s going to flip a lid.”

“You didn’t know about Claire and me,” I say, pulling my eyes away from Claire.

Rhett rolls his eyes. “Close enough. So, how are things going anyway?”

“Great. She’s perfect, bro.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. And I’m sorry if I ever led you to believe you weren’t good enough for her.”

I clap my brother on the shoulder. It’s on the tip of my tongue to give him shit about growing a vagina and going soft on me since he’s hooked up with Mo, but I decide against it. “Water under the bridge. Now, let’s go make things awkward.”

“Oh boy.”

Rhett falls in step beside me as we walk across the room. I stop a few times along the way to say hello to some of the regulars, and when I finally make it to the table, Claire is watching me. She looks nervous, which I find cute as hell, and I can practically hear her eyes screaming at me.

I swear to God I didn’t sit next to this guy!

Please, don’t be mad.

I’m not attracted to him; it’s you I want.

Why are you sitting next to him? Why aren’t you making him move so you can sit next to me?

What the hell are you up to, Trevor Allen?

She narrows her eyes when I sit down next to the doctor, who has taken it upon himself to scoot as close to Claire as he can.

“Who are you?” I ask.

The guy turns to me, holds his hand out, and smiles. “Everett Smith.”

I shake the dude’s hand, giving it a nice firm squeeze. “Trevor Allen.”

When he lets go, he rubs his fingers. “You help out at Animal Haven. Mo has told me a lot about you.”

“And how do you know Mo?”

“Oh…” He smiles and looks at Mo. “I’m new to town. I’ve been here for about three months, took a job at the hospital.”

“You’re a doctor.”

“I am, emergency medicine. Mo tells me you’re a full-time firefighter.”

“That’s right.”

“She also tells me you work with Rhett on your father’s ranch and help her out at Animal Haven. That’s actually how we met—I’ve started volunteering for her.”

“He’s fostering a couple of strays,” Mo interjects.

Rhett leans back in his chair, one arm draped around Mo’s shoulders as he watches the interaction.

“That’s great. And your wife, she doesn’t mind animals, I take it?”

Rhett rolls his eyes.

“I’m not married,” Everett says, glancing around the table. His eyes linger on Claire a little longer than I’d like, but he doesn’t try to touch her. She is the most beautiful woman in the room, so I’ll give him a pass.

“Well, Everett, welcome to Heaven. It’s a great place to live, and I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“Thank you.” He smiles. “I have a feeling I’m going to love it too.”

“You know, Claire just adopted her first dog.”

Claire glares at me. Mo beams.

“You did?” he asks, angling himself toward her. “Tell me about him.” Her eyes meet mine over his shoulder, promising retribution as she answers.

“Well, um, he is actually a she. Her name is Milo, and she’s a blind Pomeranian.”

“Mo told me about her,” Everett says, touching Claire’s arm.

My blood boils, and I’m seconds away from going caveman on his ass until he removes his hand.

“I’ve got Murphy and Rascal.”

“Wow, two. I’m sure your job is demanding. I don’t know how you find the time.”

“It is, but…”

I try to pay attention to what they’re saying, I swear I do, but I’m too distracted by looking at Claire. Her red hair falls in loose waves over her shoulder. She’s got a chunk of it twirling around her finger. The movement is as hypnotizing as the swells of her breasts playing peekaboo along the neckline of her blouse. Every time she laughs they sneak out, teasing me, reminding me what a lucky bastard I am. The hem of her skirt has risen up just enough to expose the silky skin of her thighs—thighs that felt damn good wrapped around my head.

Just thinking of what I did to her that night makes my mouth water and my cock swell. Swallowing hard, I look around, wondering if anyone caught me eye-fucking Claire. I think I’m in the clear until my eyes meet hers. She’s got her lip pulled between her teeth, and a quick glance down shows her thighs squeezed together about as tight as they can get.

Cocking a brow, I look up. She grins.

Releasing her lip, she pushes away from the table. “Hey, Coop, do you have any ibuprofen in your office?”

“Wait, I’ve got some Tylenol,” Tess says, reaching for her purse.

“No, I don’t like Tylenol. I need ibuprofen.”

Tess gives Claire a strange look, but doesn’t argue.

“You got a headache or something?” Coop asks.

Claire’s eyes meet mine. “I’ve definitely got an ache, and I need to get it taken care of before it gets worse.”

“Third drawer on the left,” he says. “The door should be unlocked.”

I watch Claire stride across the floor, her hips swaying from side to side, causing her ass to bounce, and that’s my cue.

Slapping my hands on my table, I scoot my chair back and stand up.

“Where are you going?” Rhett asks.

“To the bathroom. Wanna join me?”

He gives me a you’re-full-of-shit look, but I walk away before he has a chance to blow my cover. When I round the corner, I see Claire leaning against the wall. She pushes away and walks toward me.

“What was all that back there?” she asks.

“What was what?” I say, nudging her into Coop’s office.

“You, pretending to get to know Everett and asking him if he’s married.”

I shut the door and lock it. “I was just trying to get to know the guy.”

“No, you weren’t,” she says.

“You’re right. I don’t give a shit about what’s his face.” I press her against the door. “But I was jealous as fuck watching you two talk, and when he touched your arm, I about ripped his hand off.”

“Oh, God.” Claire moans when I push my thigh between her legs. “You could’ve stopped it,” she pants.

The silence stretches, causing our heavy breaths to echo in the small space.

“I could’ve.” I skim my lips down her neck, over her collarbone, and along the swells of her breasts. All I can think about is how grateful I am that we’re finally alone.

Claire reaches for my pants, but I’ve got other plans.

She’s so damn sexy. Her chest is heaving, pushing her breasts closer and closer to my face. Her cheeks are flushed, and I can feel the heat from her pussy on my thigh.

“Why didn’t you?” she breathes.

I lift Claire’s blouse, dip my finger into the top of her bra and pull down. Her breasts spill into my hands, her nipples puckering into tight peaks when I blow on them.

“What do you want me to do, Red?”

“I want you to tell me why you didn’t get between Everett and me.”

“Not exactly the answer I was looking for.” I pull a tight bud into my mouth. I suck hard, and Claire drops her head against the door.

“Trevor.” She tunnels her fingers into my hair and holds me against her body.

With one hand cupping her breast, I move the other to her outer thigh. Raw, sexual energy pulses through the air as I skim my fingers along her silky skin, dipping them below the hem of her skirt and up the inside of her thigh.

“Open.” I nudge Claire’s legs until they’re shoulder-width apart, and then I move to the other breast. I suck her nipple into my mouth just as I scoot her panties to the side and plunge two fingers into her pussy.

With each swipe of my tongue against her sensitive skin and each dip of my fingers, I push Claire closer to the edge. She squirms and thrashes in my arms as I attack the tight ball of nerves buried inside of her.

My cock is throbbing, begging for release, but I hold out, knowing what I have in store will be more than worth the wait.

“Please, Trevor.” Claire cups her breasts, holding them for me so I can feast on them and freeing up my other hand.

I release her breast with a wet pop and move back to the other side. “You’re so beautiful, Claire. I’ll never get enough of you.”

That’s all it takes. Claire’s body convulses. She screams out my name, and I don’t care if the entire bar can hear her, because nothing is as sexy as watching her come undone. I kiss my way up her neck, my fingers still sliding in and out of her, and she rides out the wave of her orgasm. She finally collapses against the door and blinks up at me, her eyes heavy and sated.

“Remember when I said anticipation is one of the strongest aphrodisiacs?”

She nods as I straighten out her clothes.

“Well, so is jealousy.”

Claire’s eyes smolder with a look so raw it leaves me stunned. I slam my lips against hers. My tongue dives deep, exploring every inch of her mouth. Her hands are everywhere, and when she gets to the button of my pants, I stop her yet again. Circling my fingers around her wrists, I pull back.

“Not yet.”

“What do you mean, not yet?”

Brushing my fingers along her cheek, I smile.

“Trevor.”

It takes every ounce of strength I have to keep myself from shoving my pants down to my ankles and burying myself in her tight, warm body. With a ragged breath, I reach around Claire and push the door open.