turn around?»
She smelled of peaches and cigarette smoke. «Actually, be a good girl and get me another beer from the kitchen.» He hefted her to her feet and gave her tight ass a pat. «I need to rebuild my strength or I’ll never be able to keep up with a woman as talented and beautiful as you.»
The action startled her, and she yelped, then threw a narrowed glance over her shoulder. «Beer?»
«Yeah, and sometime tonight,» he prompted, not wanting to give her time to question him further. «That’s a sweet girl.»
«Grab me one, too, sweetness,» Paris called. «Don’t pop the lid, though, all right?»
With a huff, she flounced inside. The kitchen sat right next to the patio, the glass doors allowing him to watch her as she dug into the fridge, turned and stalked back out. By the time she reached him, she had calmed down.
When she tried to sit back on his lap, he confiscated the beers and gave her a little push toward the pool. «Watching you swim is about the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Show me that swan dive again, and transport me right back to heaven.»
«But I thought you wanted… If you’re sure you don’t…»
«I’m sure. I’m practically drooling just thinking about how graceful you are.»
Her shoulders squared proudly, and she raced off to do just that. Strider tossed Paris his beer.
«I just had the best idea ever,» William said the moment they were alone. Well, as alone as three guys could be with a backyard filled with strippers. He grinned evilly. «Let’s give Maddox a ring.»
Paris had dumped a baggie of ambrosia in the new bottle and had just taken a swig. The liquid caught in his throat, choking him. After banging a fist into his sternum, he regained his breath and said, «You mean
Rolling his eyes, William withdrew Paris’s cell phone from the pocket of the swim trunks he’d borrowed. «I mean call him, you idiot. What’s with you tonight? Permanent brain damage? We’ll breathe heavily and ask him what he’s wearing. I bet no one’s phone sexed him before.»
«Hey!» Paris frowned as he eyed the small black device. «I had that stashed in my bedroom.»
«I know. That’s where I found it when I was snooping through your things.» As always, William was unrepentant about his sins. «So who has the titanium balls to actually do it, huh?»
Defeat raised his arm like a schoolboy, the only kid in class who knew the answer to the seemingly impossible mathematical equation on the board.
«Why Maddox?» Strider asked. If anyone could kick his ass over the phone, it was the keeper of Violence. The warrior would probably find a way to reach through the line and strangle him the moment he started describing all the naughty things he supposedly planned to do to him.
William flashed his perfect white teeth. «Because he’ll curse the most, and that’ll make me laugh the hardest. Now, are you in or not?»
«Give me that effing phone,» Strider grumbled, opening his palm and waving his fingers.
«Effing?» William laughed with genuine amusement. «You ever realize how polite you get when you’re hammered? And you know what they say. A man’s true character is revealed when he’s toasted. So you gotta face facts, man. You’re a closet gentleman.» He shuddered. «Loser!»
«The heck I am!»
Even Paris laughed at that.
Strider snatched the phone out of William’s hand and started dialing. Yeah, Maddox — like every other warrior — was on speed dial, but Strider didn’t know the order Paris had them listed and he didn’t want to ask. If Strider wasn’t first, he didn’t want to challenge the bastard to fix the mistake.
A few seconds later, Strider realized he’d dialed the wrong number because some dumb kid answered with a «What’s up, yo?»
Strider quickly hung up and tried again, carefully pecking at the keys. After the first ring, he switched to speaker.
Maddox answered a few seconds later, his voice raspy with the force of his panting. «Something wrong, Paris?»
William and Paris were on the edges of their seats, peering over at Strider with utter glee. He hadn’t seen either warrior that happy or relaxed in a long time, and he realized they had needed this vacation as much as he had.
Strider blew into the mouthpiece, then moaned as if he were buried deep inside a woman’s body. He tried not to grin.
«Paris?» Maddox asked, confused. «You there? You okay?»
Both warriors tried to cut off their laughs, smashing their knuckles into their mouths, but snorts managed to escape.
«You naked, big boy?» Strider asked in his best imitation of an aroused female. «Because I am.»
More snorting followed his words.
«Strider? And don’t try to deny it. I recognize your voice. What the hell are you doing with Paris’s phone? I thought you were in Rome. And furthermore, what the hell does it matter if I’m naked or not? You have exactly two seconds to explain or I’m going to reach through the line, rip your tongue out of your mouth and—'
There was a pause, static, a muttered, «Give me that,» by an indignant female. Then the normally quiet and reserved Ashlyn was demanding, «Did you just drunk dial my husband?»
«Yes, ma’am,» Strider said, and the other two finally burst into laughter, falling back in their chairs, their bodies shaking with the force of their mirth. «A guy’s gotta have some fun. Even if it’s the fun he puts in his own funeral. So is he? Naked, I mean.»
«No, for your information, he is not. He’s working out. I, uh, kind of incited him to rage so he’s beating the crap out of a brick wall.»
The laughter continued for several minutes, until even Ashlyn was chortling. «You boys are incorrigible. This isn’t funny! He’ll probably destroy the other wall when we hang up.»
«Good. He needed to get out of bed and finally do something besides—' Strider stopped himself before he said something else Maddox would rage over.
«Besides pleasuring me?» Ashlyn finished for him, anyway. «You’ll change your mind when you next see him. Lately, he’s a nervous wreck about the babies. He’s picking fights with everyone he meets and has even been arrested. Twice. We’re going to make our way back to the fortress in the next week or so. He needs you guys. Because, and please don’t laugh when I tell you this, if we’re alone much longer I’m going to murder him in his sleep.»
Strider chuckled. «Bet you’re wishing you hadn’t saved him from his death curse.» Once upon a time, Reyes had been forced to murder Maddox every night and Lucien had been forced to escort his soul to hell. Ashlyn managed to reverse the curse, sparing them all.
«A little peace and quiet isn’t too much to ask for, you know?» she said loudly. Then, in a softer tone, she added, «So everyone’s good?»
«Don’t be nice to them,» Maddox barked in the background. «You need your rest, and they interrupted.»
«Oh, hush,» she replied. «If you had your way, I’d be resting every minute of every day. And like I can really rest while we’re outside, in the middle of town, while you destroy another building. Besides, I miss them and want to talk to them.»
That shut Maddox up. He could deny his precious Ashlyn nothing.
«We’re great. Me, Willie and Paris are on vacation. Together,» Strider added. He relaxed against his lounge, his free hand anchored under his head, wondering if he’d ever have such an easy relationship with a woman. «
«Besides Maddox’s temper? Not even a hint of it.»
He didn’t ask where they were or what, exactly, they were doing. Besides destroying public property. He didn’t want to know. Ignorance was bliss. Besides that, if Hunters ever managed to pull their heads out of their
