Page 31 of Duty

“Oh, you do, huh?”

“You could use some fun, couldn’t you?” he asked.

“I definitely could.” She glanced at Snaps who was still wiggling his backside that rested on the ground. “Is he coming?”

“Snaps usually follows me along everywhere. Someone is always willing to keep an eye on him, or take him for a walk. You know, as long as he hasn’t bitten them yet.”

“That’s a joke, right?”

Andino flashed a grin she thought was predatory.

And entirely sexy.

“Not particularly,” he murmured.

Well, then.

“Would this be like a date?” she asked.

Andino shrugged. “Call it whatever you want. Care to join me?”

“Yes, I think I would.”

He gestured at a black Lexus across the lot. “Then, allow me. Ladies first.”

FIVE

“Here we are,” Andino said, pulling his Lexus to a smooth stop in front of the club’s entrance. Despite Snaps jumping forward to rest his big ass body on the middle section between their seats—he always got excited whenever he was able to come to one of the clubs—Andino still saw Haven’s eyes widen. “Something wrong?”

“That line, I guess.”

Ah, yeah.

The line of still-waiting people—despite the time, they were always itching to get a look inside the popular nightclub—stretched halfway down the block.

“I can’t believe you think we’ll actually get in with a line that long,” Haven said, shaking her head. “The sun will be rising before we get in.”

Andino chuckled loudly. “I don’t wait in lines.”

Ever.

Saying nothing else, Andino cut the engine, and opened the driver’s door. He waited as Snaps quietly followed behind his owner, and his metal collar clinked with every step of his paws. Haven glanced back at Andino with a furrowed brow before she finally got out of the car, too. He’d drop his keys with the security at the front, and they would park his car. Simple.

Dragging the tips of his fingers along the short, stiff hair of Snaps’ head, Andino joined Haven’s side. She said nothing even as he put a hand to the small of her back, and gestured at the club waiting in front of them.

“Ladies first,” he urged.

Haven peered over at him with a sly smile. “Who owns this place, anyway?”

“Me, actually.”

“I wish I was surprised.”

Andino grinned sinfully. “What gave it away?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Different things.”

“Mmhmm. Does that change things, then?”