heard the other man curse, Galen looked up and managed to focus his bleary gaze. Immediately, he regretted his renewed vision because sitting not five feet away was Regin Neff, happily munching on a bowl of popcorn and sipping a beer.
Earlier he would have sworn on a stack of bibles that Damon and she were lovers, but the emotion behind the other man’s terse statement and strong right hook called him a liar. He usually didn’t let personal feelings get in the way of a job, but seeing Regin launch herself half naked into Damon’s waiting arms had shot his objectivity to hell.
“Don’t stop on my account,” she chirped. “I was just getting into it. Too bad I don’t have someone to place bets with.” She threw a handful of popcorn in the air and attempted to catch it with her mouth, missing every kernel. “Of course if you really want to make it good,” she continued without missing a beat, “you could both strip, jump in the pond, and wrestle in the mud for a while. I’ll keep score.”
“Duchess.” Damon said, getting slowly to his feet. “Don’t push your luck or you’ll be the one jumping into the pond.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Galen sat and watched him with a bemused expression.
They had both proven their points and no animosity remained between them. “In fact, I have a very strong feeling Mr. Matthews would be more than delighted to help me.”
Galen was quick to catch on, even if it was with a man he’d been doing his best to beat the crap out of five minutes earlier. The honor of men was at stake as he stood and took several deliberate steps toward Regin. Her eyes widened in comprehension.
“Oh no,” she said, jumping to her feet and stepping quickly away from him, not seeing Damon side step and come up behind her. She pivoted away and ran straight into Damon’s chest.
“Damon!” she warned. “Don’t you dare. I didn’t start the pissing contest that made you two goofballs fight. I just took advantage of the free entertainment. You two could have peed on a tree and saved yourselves the pain.”
She turned away from Damon and backed straight into Galen’s arms. In one smooth move, he lifted her over his shoulder and walked toward the pond. Regin wiggled like a worm, but she was no match for Galen’s hold.
“Ah...Damon a little help here, please,” she pleaded.
Damon grinned as he sauntered beside them. “You got yourself into this one, Duchess, now you have to get yourself out.” He shook his finger and continued after them. “Maybe you should remember that in case you decide to make another nude mud wrestling joke.”
Her body continued to bob up and down in rhythm to Galen’s slow, deliberate walk. Pleading, bribing, and threatening her friend wasn’t working. Damon trailed beside them, smiling.
Galen stopped beside the pond, swung Regin over his shoulder and dropped her butt first into the murky water.
Cold water rushed over her body, and she had just enough warning to draw in a breath and close her mouth before she swallowed any of the nasty stuff. The icy moisture penetrated her thin workout shorts and top. Why hadn’t she just sat on the porch and kept her mouth shut? Then she wouldn’t be in water over her head with the most insufferable and sexy man she’d ever met waiting to drown her. Damon she could handle. She was used to him. He might have done the same thing. She couldn’t guess what Galen would do or how far he would go.
Getting drenched wasn’t peachy, but was well worth watching two perfect specimens of manhood sweat and whack each other’s pumped muscles. True, she might have gone a bit over the line by suggesting the mud wrestling. Perhaps the peeing on the tree comment pushed them over the edge.
With revenge on her mind and her lungs bursting, she kicked her legs, pushing herself further down the pond and then up. When her head broke the surface, both men were looking at the place water she’d been thrown in.
Hmmm, she
Earlier he would have sworn on a stack of bibles that Damon and she were lovers, but the emotion behind the other man’s terse statement and strong right hook called him a liar. He usually didn’t let personal feelings get in the way of a job, but seeing Regin launch herself half naked into Damon’s waiting arms had shot his objectivity to hell.
“Don’t stop on my account,” she chirped. “I was just getting into it. Too bad I don’t have someone to place bets with.” She threw a handful of popcorn in the air and attempted to catch it with her mouth, missing every kernel. “Of course if you really want to make it good,” she continued without missing a beat, “you could both strip, jump in the pond, and wrestle in the mud for a while. I’ll keep score.”
“Duchess.” Damon said, getting slowly to his feet. “Don’t push your luck or you’ll be the one jumping into the pond.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Galen sat and watched him with a bemused expression.
They had both proven their points and no animosity remained between them. “In fact, I have a very strong feeling Mr. Matthews would be more than delighted to help me.”
Galen was quick to catch on, even if it was with a man he’d been doing his best to beat the crap out of five minutes earlier. The honor of men was at stake as he stood and took several deliberate steps toward Regin. Her eyes widened in comprehension.
“Oh no,” she said, jumping to her feet and stepping quickly away from him, not seeing Damon side step and come up behind her. She pivoted away and ran straight into Damon’s chest.
“Damon!” she warned. “Don’t you dare. I didn’t start the pissing contest that made you two goofballs fight. I just took advantage of the free entertainment. You two could have peed on a tree and saved yourselves the pain.”
She turned away from Damon and backed straight into Galen’s arms. In one smooth move, he lifted her over his shoulder and walked toward the pond. Regin wiggled like a worm, but she was no match for Galen’s hold.
“Ah...Damon a little help here, please,” she pleaded.
Damon grinned as he sauntered beside them. “You got yourself into this one, Duchess, now you have to get yourself out.” He shook his finger and continued after them. “Maybe you should remember that in case you decide to make another nude mud wrestling joke.”
Her body continued to bob up and down in rhythm to Galen’s slow, deliberate walk. Pleading, bribing, and threatening her friend wasn’t working. Damon trailed beside them, smiling.
Galen stopped beside the pond, swung Regin over his shoulder and dropped her butt first into the murky water.
Cold water rushed over her body, and she had just enough warning to draw in a breath and close her mouth before she swallowed any of the nasty stuff. The icy moisture penetrated her thin workout shorts and top. Why hadn’t she just sat on the porch and kept her mouth shut? Then she wouldn’t be in water over her head with the most insufferable and sexy man she’d ever met waiting to drown her. Damon she could handle. She was used to him. He might have done the same thing. She couldn’t guess what Galen would do or how far he would go.
Getting drenched wasn’t peachy, but was well worth watching two perfect specimens of manhood sweat and whack each other’s pumped muscles. True, she might have gone a bit over the line by suggesting the mud wrestling. Perhaps the peeing on the tree comment pushed them over the edge.
With revenge on her mind and her lungs bursting, she kicked her legs, pushing herself further down the pond and then up. When her head broke the surface, both men were looking at the place water she’d been thrown in.
Hmmm, she
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