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Joe cringed, shaking his head. “You guys are fuckers.”
Of course, his crappy comeback had them laughing even harder. Again, he should have seen that coming. Biting back a smile, he waited for their raucous guffaws to subside.
“Hey, fellas!”
Sheila’s shrill, squeaky voice immediately killed the table’s mirth. The five men glanced at each other, then uttered awkward hellos. She didn’t seem to register their discomfort.
“Gorgeous men like you need to stay fueled,” Sheila said, treating them all to a bright smile. A large platter filled with various treats and goodies sat balanced on her palms. Leaning forward to set the platter down on the table, she gave the group a full display of her impressive cleavage. “It’s all on the house, boys.Anythingyou want is on the house.”
Joe suppressed a snort at her breathy and obvious invitation.
“Thanks, Sheila,” he said, reaching for a blueberry scone. He sure did love Roxie’s blueberries. “Are you having a good morning so far?”
“It’s a much better morning now, handsome,” she cooed, squeezing his shoulder.
He stilled, the warm blueberry scone halfway to his lips. A flicker of unease surged through him, and his appetite evaporated. Only when she let go did he relax.
The woman’s over-the-top flirting was embarrassing and, frankly, a bit unnerving. A glance at his buddies proved he wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Joe liked women. Hell, he loved women. He happily flirted with all legal ages, shapes, and sizes. It wasn’t something he consciously did. He just loved to see what made them smile.
However, there was one exception. Well, two.
Women who were catty and mean? He didn’t give them the time of day.
Women who tried too hard and reeked of desperation? That was dangerous territory that he didn’t mess with. Ever. Because flirting with desperate only got you into trouble.
Joe watched Sheila smooth her hands down Cade’s back. As much as he empathized with his friend, he was glad he wasn’t the only one in her sights.
“Now, you boys just holler if there’s anything you need.Anythingat all,” Sheila said, throwing the table a wink before heading back to the counter.
“Holy shit,” Gavin muttered when she was out of earshot. “God help the poor bastard she ends up with.”
Quinn elbowed Matt. “You could put us all out of our misery and ask her out. It’d be like community service.”
Matt choked on his coffee. He shook his head as he tried to recover. “Oh no. There’s taking one for the team and all, but hell no. I may be fucking stupid, but I’m not fucking crazy.” He reached for a muffin and paused, his lip twitching. “Literally.”
Joe laughed—the twelve-year-old in him couldn’t help it—and shook his head. “Man, we’re all going to hell. You know that, right? Here we are, eating the free food she brought out and we’re slamming her—”
“Pretty sure she’d prefer you banging her,” Gavin snickered.
“—and I’m sure she’s a very nice woman,” Joe continued, ignoring the man. “We shouldn’t be such dicks.”
Cade nodded, polishing off the last bite of his muffin. “You’re probably right, oh moral compass, but I’m not asking her out, either.” He reached for a slice of banana bread. “Damn, Roxie sure can bake. You better make a decision about joining my team, Buchanan, and you better make it fast. Because if you keep hanging out here, you’re going to turn into a fat fucker.”
Quinn looked at him. “You’re joining Cade’s team?”
Joe shrugged. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Ourteam, fuckers,” Gavin corrected.
“Wait.” Quinn’s brows turned inward. “As what?”
“A hand-to-hand instructor.”
“There he goes, being all modest and shit,” Cade mumbled over a bite of banana bread. It took him another half second to wolf down the rest of the slice. Once done, he wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach. He lifted his chin at Gavin. “We’re teaming up to do a new training program targeting law enforcement and private security folks.”
“Hand-to-hand, weapons, marksmanship,” Gavin said, nodding. “Tactical training, outdoor survival, and all that shit. We know there’s a lot of interest, but with Cade’s workload and mine, we’re looking for someone to take the lead on the program. And our favorite fed here just became unemployed at the perfect time.”
