snarl coming from his mouth. Their bodies came together, bones and muscles thudding, fingers gripping for purchase. Sully had one thought—get Declan on his back, make him show his vulnerable belly and throat.
And get him to admit that he’d ruined Sully’s life.
Sully drew back his fist and slammed it into Declan’s jaw. The other man’s head snapped back, but he charged right back, his own fist flying toward Sully’s face.
Sully ducked the blow and rammed his shoulder into Declan’s belly, taking both of them to the floor. He ignored the pain in his knees as they smashed onto the hard tile.
Dimly he heard Pelicia’s voice, vaguely saw her skirt around them to the patio doors, which she shoved open. Over the sounds of night creatures he heard the dryness in her voice as she muttered, “I meant for you to take it outside.” A slight pause, then a disgruntled, “Werewolves.”
Sully had no interest in stopping the fight long enough to be civilized and move it outdoors. If he ended up trashing Declan’s house, so much the better, since Declan had trashed Sully’s life.
He grunted as Declan slammed his fist into Sully’s side. Another fist to his face, snapping his teeth together. Sully growled and mashed his fist into Declan’s face. He winced at the pain of bone meeting bone, but when blood welled from Declan’s split lower lip, raw, savage satisfaction rippled through Sully. He rolled off his friend, getting to his feet in one fluid move.
“You sure you wanna go here, boyo?” Declan stood.Reaching up, he wiped blood from his split lip. When he looked at Sully, his eyes still held flecks of amber, though the wildness of before was muted. “It isn’t going to change a damn thing.”
“Might make me feel better,” Sully muttered. He flexed his right hand, feeling the sting of battered knuckles already fading. That still surprised him. He and Declan could go ten rounds this way, and still be able to go ten more. Twenty, even.
“Gettin’ that sour puss of yours pounded would make you feel better?” Declan’s tone suggested he was surprised by the notion. Even as Sully watched, the wound on Declan’s lip knit closed. Declan held up his hands in a boxer’s stance. “Well, I’m more than willin’ to oblige. Let’s go.”
Sully let out a sigh. “You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?”
“Aye, I’ve heard it said before.” He bounced around a bit, shuffling his feet and punching his fists toward Sully. “Come on, then.”
“You’re also an arse.” Sully sighed again and plopped down on the sofa.
“I’ve heard that said before, too.” Declan punched the air a few more times, eyebrows raised with a “Sure you don’t wanna go again?” look, then shrugged and sat down in an armchair. “Well, that was highly…unsatisfying. I hope you did better with the woman out in the desert.”
“Fuck you.” Sully slouched down and leaned his head against the back on the sofa.
“Get in line.”
There was silence between them for a few moments. Then Pelicia walked into the room. “Are you done? Or should I leave the doors open so even more bugs can get into the house?”
Declan got up with a grin. He closed the patio doors and went over to his fiancée. Enfolding her in a hug, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “She has a thing about bugs,” he said to Sully.
“And wrongheaded men, too.” She shot Sully a look. There was much less sympathy there than had been before. It appeared her patience with his whinging was nearing an end.
He couldn’t blame her. There wasn’t anything he hated more than a man who sat around pissing and moaning over the hand fate had dealt him. If you couldn’t change what happened then you just handled it as best you could.
He hadn’t done a very good job of handling it so far.
He’d have to do better.
The next morning, Olivia took her place in line at a small coffee shop near O’Connell’s and tuned in on the conversation taking
And get him to admit that he’d ruined Sully’s life.
Sully drew back his fist and slammed it into Declan’s jaw. The other man’s head snapped back, but he charged right back, his own fist flying toward Sully’s face.
Sully ducked the blow and rammed his shoulder into Declan’s belly, taking both of them to the floor. He ignored the pain in his knees as they smashed onto the hard tile.
Dimly he heard Pelicia’s voice, vaguely saw her skirt around them to the patio doors, which she shoved open. Over the sounds of night creatures he heard the dryness in her voice as she muttered, “I meant for you to take it outside.” A slight pause, then a disgruntled, “Werewolves.”
Sully had no interest in stopping the fight long enough to be civilized and move it outdoors. If he ended up trashing Declan’s house, so much the better, since Declan had trashed Sully’s life.
He grunted as Declan slammed his fist into Sully’s side. Another fist to his face, snapping his teeth together. Sully growled and mashed his fist into Declan’s face. He winced at the pain of bone meeting bone, but when blood welled from Declan’s split lower lip, raw, savage satisfaction rippled through Sully. He rolled off his friend, getting to his feet in one fluid move.
“You sure you wanna go here, boyo?” Declan stood.Reaching up, he wiped blood from his split lip. When he looked at Sully, his eyes still held flecks of amber, though the wildness of before was muted. “It isn’t going to change a damn thing.”
“Might make me feel better,” Sully muttered. He flexed his right hand, feeling the sting of battered knuckles already fading. That still surprised him. He and Declan could go ten rounds this way, and still be able to go ten more. Twenty, even.
“Gettin’ that sour puss of yours pounded would make you feel better?” Declan’s tone suggested he was surprised by the notion. Even as Sully watched, the wound on Declan’s lip knit closed. Declan held up his hands in a boxer’s stance. “Well, I’m more than willin’ to oblige. Let’s go.”
Sully let out a sigh. “You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?”
“Aye, I’ve heard it said before.” He bounced around a bit, shuffling his feet and punching his fists toward Sully. “Come on, then.”
“You’re also an arse.” Sully sighed again and plopped down on the sofa.
“I’ve heard that said before, too.” Declan punched the air a few more times, eyebrows raised with a “Sure you don’t wanna go again?” look, then shrugged and sat down in an armchair. “Well, that was highly…unsatisfying. I hope you did better with the woman out in the desert.”
“Fuck you.” Sully slouched down and leaned his head against the back on the sofa.
“Get in line.”
There was silence between them for a few moments. Then Pelicia walked into the room. “Are you done? Or should I leave the doors open so even more bugs can get into the house?”
Declan got up with a grin. He closed the patio doors and went over to his fiancée. Enfolding her in a hug, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “She has a thing about bugs,” he said to Sully.
“And wrongheaded men, too.” She shot Sully a look. There was much less sympathy there than had been before. It appeared her patience with his whinging was nearing an end.
He couldn’t blame her. There wasn’t anything he hated more than a man who sat around pissing and moaning over the hand fate had dealt him. If you couldn’t change what happened then you just handled it as best you could.
He hadn’t done a very good job of handling it so far.
He’d have to do better.
The next morning, Olivia took her place in line at a small coffee shop near O’Connell’s and tuned in on the conversation taking
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