“I was wearin’ a vest. They were armor-piercing bul ets.” I gaped at him.
“Aren’t those il egal?”
“It wasn’t exactly a law-abidin’ citizen who shot me.” After he said that, his eyes dropped to my legs and I realized Shamus was sitting on my feet and I was absently stroking his head.
“The dog’s claimed you,” Luke said.
“He’s a friendly dog, he likes everyone,” I told him.
“He isn’t sittin’ on my feet.”
This was true, he wasn’t.
I looked down at Shamus. Shamus looked up at me. I gave him a ful head rub with both hands. He licked my wrist then leaned into my legs.
When I straightened and looked at Luke, he had on one of his half-grins.
“What?”
“Hank doesn’t stand a chance.”
“What does that mean?”
“Not that he’d want to,” Luke went on as if I hadn’t spoken.
“Excuse me?”
Luke pushed away from the counter and came at me.
I braced, not knowing what to expect.
He got in my space, reached around me, opened a cupboard and pul ed down a mug. He set it on the counter beside me and tilted his head down to look at me.
I was holding my breath.
“You can go to bed,” he said.
“I can?”
“Yeah.”
“But what about you? What are you going to do?” No answer.
I went into good hostess mode.
“I can’t go to bed with you awake and forced to hang around. That’l be boring.”
“I’m used to it,” he told me.
“Stil ,” I replied.
“Go to bed,” he commanded. Definitely commanded, no other way to put it.
I wasn’t the kind of girl who listened to a command.
“I’l keep you company,” I offered.
“Babe,” he said, his eyelids lowering again. “Hank’s got no worries with me movin’ in while things are good between you two. I don’t move on another man’s woman.” Wel , that was good to hear.