Not Just Friends (Hot in the City #3) - T. Gephart Page 0,24

devil. Hey, Tibbs, isn’t that your sister?” Evan’s tipped his head to the road, the woman in question striding up the street in possibly the sexiest skirt and jacket combo I’d ever seen.

I couldn’t even blink, my eyes wide-open absorbing every inch of her like it had been a month since I’d last gotten the chance. And what I was seeing, I was definitely liking. Dressed more conservative than she usually did for the club, she was all business, her sexy dark brown curls tamed into a ponytail that swung a little with each of her stilettoed steps.

“Yeah,” he checked his watch, noticing it was almost two. “Guess she must have a meeting out here.”

Not really able to miss two engines and a congregation of firemen in the middle of her path, it was no surprise when she stopped. “Guess it’s only fair I visit you at your work since you visit me at mine.” Her beautiful pink lips edged into a smile. “Everyone get out okay?”

I didn’t even care who she was addressing, convinced that smile had been for me. “Yep, everyone is fine.” Which was mostly true, unless you counted the weird tempo my pulse was keeping. “We’re just heading back.”

“Just think, if I’d gotten here any earlier, I’d have been able to see you all in action. North, how many women tried to hit on you while you were evacuating, be honest?” She turned to North who didn’t even have the decency to blush.

“Presley, you know I wouldn’t have even noticed if they’d tried,” the bastard laughed. “But I was on a line with Rev, your brother and Leighton were handling the door-to-door.”

Her eyes swung back to me, then moved to her brother who’d yet to speak. “Well then, guess the answer would be none.”

Tibbs—my friend and not the woman I’d slept with—rolled his eyes and flipped her off. “You live in that delusion, Pres. I can’t go one block without attention. Don’t be jealous that I’m the one in the family who got the looks.”

“Dude, have you even seen your sister,” Evans unwisely scoffed, saying what every single one of us was thinking but no one dared vocalize. “If there’s anyone with your last name that can’t go a block, it’s her. You’re gorgeous.” His eyes left no mistake about what he was thinking.

Oh, Rookie.

And to think he’d gone to all that trouble to talk to Chief this morning about his upcoming future. Pity all that promise was about to be undone by that big fucking mouth.

Before I could either punch the asshole for looking at Presley in a way I didn’t like, or yell at him for being disrespectful, she laughed. Her bright eyes lit up, enjoying the trouble a statement like that was going to cause, as she gently—seriously, could it get any worse—touched his arm. “Evans, you’re adorable.”

“He’s going to be dead in a minute,” Tibbs straightened, the glare he was throwing crystal clear. “Don’t get any ideas, Rookie.”

North slapped Tibbs on the back, getting his attention. “Relax, Tibbs. Evans was merely making an observation that Presley, is in fact, the better-looking Tibbs. Now as a married man, you know I have no skin in the game. But I have to say, I do agree with him.” He tipped his head to Presley and grinned. “Evans was correct, you’re gorgeous. And since that’s on record, he doesn’t need to say it anymore, do you, Champ?” The hand that had slapped Tibbs moved to Evans, his heavy palm landing hard on the rookie’s shoulder.

“Really?” Presley narrowed her eyes at North before moving to Tibbs. She didn’t spare me a sideways glance either, waiting to see if I had something to say. “Well, it’s been fun. I’ll leave you alone to grunt and slap each other around like Neanderthals. Bye.”

She turned, giving us a wave as she continued to wherever the hell she’d been heading in the first place. Tibbs elbowed me, trying to telepathically communicate whatever was pissing him off at that moment.

It should have been me instead of North setting Evans straight?

We need to beat him up anyway for even thinking it, let alone saying it?

Presley isn’t gorgeous?

Little Timmy was trapped in a well?

“What?” I coughed out, hoping his dodgy telepathy only went one way, and he couldn’t read my thoughts.

“Go tell her you’re calling her later. This is the perfect opening,” he huffed under his breath, making absolutely zero sense.

“She’s going somewhere,” I pointed, trying not to notice how amazing her ass