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“I’m fine. Just a little banged up. A hot shower and some sleep is all I need.”
Her huge brown eyes searched his. Even now he knew he was squirming under her scrutiny. He’d never been great at subterfuge when it came to his friends and family. Poker tables were easy. It was a game to find a way around tics and tells when it came to strangers.
Denver Casey saw way too much.
Since the first day he’d met her, she’d called him on his bullshit. It was one of the main reasons he’d glommed on to her. He’d only kept things in the friend zone because she didn’t seem inclined to get naked with him. After a few weeks, he’d become more worried about messing up their friendship, so friend zone he stayed. Usually he could ignore the knocking of his cock against his zipper.
Most of the time.
His eyes dropped to her ass as she hiked the stairs ahead of him to the next floor. With herculean effort, he moved his gaze to her slim back and bouncing ponytail. Much safer.
He actually liked her. She made him laugh, and she seemed to need the same kind of adrenaline highs. Of course, hers were often attached to her mountain bike or sometimes a crazy hike.
It was past time he focused on those kinds of highs again himself.
Denver made it to the next landing and turned around to check on him. With her hands on her hips and chin lifted in that haughty I’m-still-mad-at-you way, she was ridiculously gorgeous. It was often the look she gave him when he wussed-out on a climb. He’d prefer a different kind of sweaty hour with her, but he’d learned to deal with what she offered.
Right now, he saw a little something different in her eyes.
Dark eyes that were just a little too big and intelligent. Everything about her was just a little too much. Her personality, her curves, her mouth—fucking A, her mouth. And right now, it was pinched with anger and worry.
“I’m good, Den. I swear it.”
She sighed. “One call and we could be on the bus, you know.”
No, there’d be questions and too many people poking at him. He wanted a few hours without the band. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d been alone.
He wrapped his fingers around the banister and the rounded balustrade wobbled and nearly came off in his hand. Yeah, this was one classy place.
He sighed and forced one foot in front of the other up the stairs that squished too much for comfort. When he got to the top, a five-foot vending machine filled the space.
She glanced over her shoulder at where his eyes tracked. “Cheetos, Hubba Bubba gum, Fruit Roll-Ups, and condoms. Full-service vending,” she quipped.
He peered around her. “Condoms?”
She met his gaze. “Want me to call one of the working girls sitting in the lobby?”
“You caught that?” He grinned.
“Only a blind person could miss it.”
“Nah, I’m good. The Cheetos do look good, but I think I’ll pass. They’re probably older than I am.”
Denver snorted. “Bet the condoms are too.”
He squinted down at the box in the twisty feeder of the machine. “Oddly enough, those seem to be new.”
“Whadya know? Safety first. Too bad they didn’t spend some of that money on the carpeting.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s squishy.”
“Right?” They both shuddered and laughed. He nodded to the machine. “They’re catering to the clientele.”
“Can’t dispute that.”
He shoved his hand into his pocket. Look at that, they didn’t find every dollar on him.
“What are you doing?”
“Buying some rubbers.” He pulled out the wrinkled five.
