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Chapter One
“TYLER, are you aware that all the girls at Sexy Sirens have nicknamed you Cockzilla?”
He laughed That rich, deep sound Delaney Catalano hadn’t heard for two long years sang in the hu her heart clench After all the trials and miles—and lately, the bullets—she never believed she’d hear Tyler Murphy’s fa it in BFE, Louisiana, as she hid in the shadows of his back patio like soirls had given him a moniker about his sexual prowess Wole Tyler liked it that way
Once upon a tih—until Delaney had experienced hiood he’d been She pushed the thought aside
Peeking around the corner, she saw Tyler’s broad shoulders and upper back encased in a charcoal gray T-shirt His blond hair had been cut brutally short, exposing the strong colued in a chair, his forear bronzed, heavily veined, and vital under the patio lights Around a table, he was surrounded by a virtual harem: two redheads, a platinum blonde, a Latina brunette, and an auburn-haired eous
Soe Not that it should matter to her He’d been her friend first and foremost And he’d never been hers to lose
“And that’s a bad nickna blonde beside hi s
As the other wo like hell that she hadn’t been followed She breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that she was alone How nice would it be if herproblem were others’ opinions? How nice would it be if someone didn’t want her dead?
“Ladies” the blonde’s voice warned “This is not funny Remember the plan?”
“Alyssa is right,” said the brunette with sinful curves “We’re worried about you ”
“That’s very sweet, Kata, but acting like you care isn’t going to persuade ht movie with you ”
“You liked it,” Kata accused
Tyler snorted “You wish ”
He probably had liked it h-testosterone thrillers, but he’d admitted under the influence of Señor Cuervo that he kinda liked chick flicks, too Once upon a time, he’d been Delaney’s buddy of choice to curl up on the couch with and rent movies, she remembered with a wistful smile Then reality crashed back in
“Focus ” Alyssa snapped “This is an intervention The girls and I all agree that you need help ”
“C’er to myself or others ”
“Wrong You’re dangerous to womankind,” the auburn-haired beauty cut in “Can you ? Our guess is no ”
Delaney grimaced Yep, same old Tyler He’d always liked wo ain, it wasn’t his flirting that had been her downfall
“Ouch, Kimber You wound me ” Tyler slapped a hand dramatically over his chest
“Cut the crap,” she demanded “You can’t make it a whole day, can you?”
“Sure, I could But why tortureto stave off the loneliness ”
“I don’t need any ht,” Alyssa chiain
“No catfights at a strip club? You’re kidding me? Your patrons loved the action Better than Jell-O wrestling Got a rise out of me ”
The wo an intervention, and he wasn’t taking it seriously Delaney wasn’t really surprised He would always be Mr Good-Time What did surprise her, however, was that none of the wo over him Yet, anyway
“Wait Are you here to tell me that you’re suddenly available and want eous blonde “You know I’m all over that ”
“We all know ” Another wo, but seriously, a stiff wind could get a rise out of you ”
The lovely redhead with the sultry brown eyes wore a wedding ring Then again, bands of gold had never stopped Tyler before She ought to know
“You noticed, Tara? I’m touched ”
“Don’t givereally serious We all are ”
“Really? It’s not a joke?” With a sigh, Tyler turned back to the blonde “Okay What’s up, boss lady?”
“I can’t have girls fighting and quitting because you’re too busy playingto lose every ti mess that I don’t have time to clean up I hired Jessi to replace Krystal, who left because she didn’t like being last on your booty-call list Tyler, Jessi has been with me for three days Three! I found out this afternoon that you’ve already tapped that, more than once ”
He fidgeted in his seat “After her first shift, she asked for an escort to her car The parking lot was dark and empty I helped her out ”
“By nailing her in the backseat?”
“There’s more room in a Civic than you’d think ”
“Tyler, I know you like to keep things light, but please be serious for awith frustration “Jessi ca roo Do I need to enact a strict no-anal-sex policy at the club?”
“I didn’t ht she knew the score I’ll talk to her ” He frowned “I’ I’ve bounced there for alirls has never bothered you before What is this really about?”
There was a long pause, and Delaney watched a few of the wolasses of wine and sip nervously
The other redhead, the one with the baby bump, clutched a water bottle and shifted in the seat “We think it’s time you settled down ”
“Morgan” he warned “Don’t try spreading your matrimonial joy on aet there ”
So the redhead’s baby bu? Never mind It’s irrelevant Focus
“You’re going to have to grow up,” Morgan pointed out
Alyssa wagged a finger in his face “Skylar just turned twenty-two You’re, what, a decade older?”
Actually, Tyler was thirty-four Delaney re happier times, back when she and Eric—