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"Come on," Garrett presses us "Yes, we all have our women at home, but our poor buddy Ryker doesn't Let's take hiht"

"As much as I hate to burst your bubble," I tell Garrett with a sideways look, "I have plans tonight"

"With who?" he throws right back at me

And for the life of oes blank What do I say?

I' the look of panic on my face, because he leans closer and says, "OhRyker has someone he hasn't told us about"

I hear Zack cough behind ht now "I only ht," I say smoothly, and hope that sounds credible

"Whatever," Garrett says, and then chucks a french fry atout with a woman I can tell by the look on your face Or asome action"

Alex and Zack are snickering over the way Garrett goads e in your fantasies, but if a tea party with two little girls is getting soht"

Doubt now creeps onto Garrett's face, and he is right on the verge of believing me I think I have disaster averted as I keep ivesIt's set to vibrate so it rattles along the knobby wooden bar top and both o down to it at the same time

And fuck

It's Gray calling

And if it's not bad enough that he can see the words Gray Brannon on my caller ID, her picture takes up my entire screen It's one I snapped of her while I straddled her inher and her face was flushed and her eyes glazed fro so hard, but her hair was all spread out and she looked so beautiful as she smiled up at me I had to take a picture

And as Garrett stares at it, there is noon

"Fuck," I rab the phone to answer it

Garrett's eyes are huge and he says, "No fucking way"

"What?" Alex exclaims, and tries to look around Garrett to me

I answer the phone with a terse, "Hang on just a second"

Covering the phone with my hand, I say to Garrett, "Not a word about this"

I turn to Zack and say, "Might as well fill them in"

Zack nods and I pull the phone up totoward a more private place to talk "Sorry about that," I tell Gray "Just getting some privacy"

"Who are you with?" she asks curiously

"Alex, Zack, and Garrett"

"Now that sounds like a party" She gives a soft laugh and I have a brief moment of exquisite ache for her

"How did it go with Amedee?" I ask as I step outside the door of Houlihan's It's relatively ives me the best privacy

Gray sighs into the phone and she sounds weary "It did not go well at all"

"Want to talk about it?"

"Tonight When you co bottle of wine because I'll need it," she says She pauses a moment, and then murmurs, "I miss you"

Heart swells, thumps hard Beats madly for this woman

"I miss you too I'll see you at six With a bottle of wine"

"We'll grill soood?"

"Sounds fantastic," I tell her as I glance at my watch Only three more hours I can contain myself until then

I head back into Houlihan's after I disconnect from Gray and find Alex and Garrett both turned in their stools and staring at rins as I walk up

"Dudebanging the general er," Garrett says with awe "You are a stud"

Alex grins and claps me on the back "You kno to pick 'em"