Saxon's Savior (Protect and Serve #3) - Pandora Pine Page 0,15

the same thing myself. “Dallas brought me back here. I assumed he’d explain it all to me, but you saw how he acted out there.” He acted like an asshole. I was going to tell him that very thing when he got back from the call he didn’t let me go on. Fucker. Dirty fucking…fucker.

“Christ, man!” Quentin started to laugh. His dark eyes danced, and he was completely transformed in those seconds.

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Now would be the perfect time for a giant hole to open up so I could hurl myself into it.

“Yeah, you did. Don’t worry about it. If I had a nickel for every time I called one of my brothers a fucker, I’d own a Ferrari.”

Laughing along with him hurt my tender melon, but I wasn’t stopping.

“You got any family?” Quentin asked.

My laughter died in my throat. Quentin and the McCoys weren’t the only ones with family drama in their past. “Yeah, I’ve got a brother in Arizona and a sister who lives up in Salisbury with my nieces. Our parents passed about ten years ago.” I could see Quentin sizing me up and doing the math in his head. I’d become an orphan at the tender age of twenty. “Broke up the family,” I muttered, more to myself than to him. “My brother took off west, and my sister fell into men and drugs. I took what little insurance money there was and enrolled at the fire academy.”

Quentin was nodding along with my story. I was sure it was one he’d heard from the dozens of foster kids who’d come through the McCoy household over the years. He took my empty plate and turned to set it in the sink, along with the dishes he’d used to prep the meal. “Look, I don’t know you very well, but I do know Dallas and Ozzy.” A wistful look came into his dark eyes.

I knew this was where Quentin would tell me what amazing men his brothers were and to just give them a chance before judging them too harshly. It was too late for that. I’d been judged by them. It was only fair to return the favor.

“My brothers are assholes. All of them.” Quentin wore a serious look.

“What?” I burst out laughing. I wasn’t expecting Quentin to say any of those words, and certainly not in his chosen order.

“It’s true. Kennedy is a bossy son of a bitch. Oz is a grumpy bastard. Dallas has a wall built around himself, and Hennessey…” Quentin paused. “He’s got some ghosts to deal with. Don’t get me wrong. I love my brothers more than anything, but that’s not to say they’re perfect. When I lived with the McCoy’s, Kennedy was security, Ozzy was the muscle, and Dallas was the suspicious one. It’s carried through to adulthood for him. He wouldn’t trust Henry Cavill if the man walked through the door dressed as Superman.”

“Well, I would!” Damn, if Dallas didn’t want that hunk of a man, I’d take him. Again and again. Shit, the dirty, dirty things I’d do to that man. I’d fuck him blue.

Quentin snorted. “How exactly does one fuck a man blue?”

“Christ, I said that out loud too.” I’d just outed myself to a complete stranger. One with ties to my boss and the captain. This just wasn’t my day.

“You sure did.” Quentin took a deep breath. “Listen, here’s some free advice. You didn’t ask for it, but I wouldn’t be Mandy McCoy’s son if I didn’t stick my nose into this situation.”

“I’m listening.” I was going to have to work with Dallas come hell or high water. Any advice on how to smooth the way between us professionally was worth taking.

“I know Dallas is an asshole but give him a chance. He’s a tough nut to crack, but once you break through, I promise you won’t find a more loyal friend. Same with Ozzy.”

“There’s this rumor…” Shit, I didn’t want to go down this rabbit hole, but Quentin deserved to hear the whole truth.

“You mean the one put out by that dick, Toby? Please, everyone knows what he says isn’t worth the powder to blow him to hell. Been pulling that shit for years to get back at former lovers.”

“You?” I couldn’t believe a man like Quentin would fall prey to Toby fucking Whitmer.

“Fuck, no. I’ve got better taste in men.” Quentin blushed. “He wouldn’t touch me with a ten-foot pole because of…” He trailed off, looking down at his left