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"Of course I don't mind," Willow reassured him, her gaze going from suspicious to sympathetic in a heartbeat. Raith had to bite back a snort when she hurried to Taggart and took the knife out of his hand so she could clean it and slice the pieces off herself. "How's she feeling?" she asked, opening a drawer to pull out a roll of plastic wrap.
Taggart shook his head and wiped at his tired eyes. "Pregnant," he grumbled.
Raith couldn't hold in the incredulous sound he made. He folded his arms and leaned against the refrigerator. "Please, God, don't tell me you're reproducing."
Taggart whipped around as if he'd forgotten Raith was still present. He speared a look of loathing across the kitchen, but didn't comment.
As she wrapped a chunk of bread for Taggart, DeVane glanced over her shoulder. Catching the look that passed between the two men, she said, "I take it you two know each other."
"Sure," Raith answer easily with a leer toward her guest. "Taggart and I go way back. He used to break the law, and I'd arrest him. The next night, we'd do it all over again. Isn't that right?" he asked, arching a smirk toward Taggart.
The man actually flushed before his jaw hardened and his eyes narrowed with a wave of contempt. "That was a long time ago."
Be that as it may, Raith had worked in law enforcement for too many years to be anything but a cynic. "Leopards don't change their spots," he felt inclined to retort.
In his blissful youth, he'd tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, only to turn around and get kicked in the nuts. These days, he didn't buy it. Once a scumbag, always a scumbag.
Taggart's face flamed again, and he took an ominous step Raith's way. Raith merely lifted an eyebrow as if to say, see what I mean. But Willow quickly reached for the arm of her cousin's husband. And to Raith's utter shock, Taggart calmed immediately. He sucked in a breath and sent her an apologetic look.
But Willow was too busy scowling to notice. And she was scowling at Raith. "Don't you dare pretend you know anything about Dylan. He's not some defiant teenager any longer. He's grown up and become a very exceptional veterinarian, in fact."
Raith didn't comment. He stared into her icy cold gaze, realizing he'd just worn out his welcome. The panicky thought struck him he'd never get to see her naked again. He actually had to swallow back the urge to apologize.
God, what was he thinking? He didn't want to apologize. He didn't want to give pain-in-the-ass Willow DeVane any reason to think he might actually care what she thought of him.
Pushing away from the refrigerator, he met her look with a solemn nod. Turning away, he strode from the room.
~ * ~
Willow watched Malloy march cockily from the kitchen and bit her lip to keep from calling him back. Man, he looked good in nothing but a pair of denim jeans. Barefoot, no shirt, hair a complete mess. He should never wear anything else in his entire life. Though, actually he looked pretty good in a uniform too, all bulky and—
Crap, what was she thinking?
He had attacked poor, sweet Dylan. It didn't matter what he looked like or how good he was in the sack. No one went after her best friend's significant other. Dylan was a wonderful man, and he treated her cousin like a queen.
"Holy God, Willow," he breathed beside her. "What in the hell are you doing with that guy?"
Willow let out a long sigh. "Good question," she murmured and hopped up onto her counter to sit with her legs dangling down. "I don't know. I just... it seemed like a good idea at the time."
At the time? Ha. It still seemed like a good idea to sleep with Malloy. He was one sensuous man. He knew how to touch. How to kiss. How to—
She winced when she caught Dylan giving her a "disapproving father" look.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but... have you completely lost your mind?"
For a split second, she wanted to hiss at Dylan and defend Malloy. Then sanity returned and she realized tonight had most likely meant a lot more to her than it had to him. Her shoulders sagged. "Probably."
Her friend sighed sadly. "I owe you my life for the way you helped me and Camy get together. So I'm going to give you some helpful advice. Stay as far away from Malloy as you can."
Willow straightened, a little alarmed by Dylan's conviction. "Why?"
"Let me put it this way. I spit on him once when he arrested me, and he knocked the shit out of me for it."
Willow waited for him to say more, but when he didn't, she grinned. "I hate to break it to you, honey, but if you ever spit on me, I'll knock the shit out of you too."
Dylan shook his head at her humor, but then grew serious. "All I'm saying is he could've handled the situation a little more... diplomatically."
Willow shrugged. "If you telling me he's got a bad attitude, I already know that."
