the woman they had embraced as one of their own was a careful homebody, not the adventure seeker he knew her to be. It was clear that they adored her just as she was, but Zev had no doubt that as Carly’s old self rose to the surface, her friends would love those parts, too.
“What can I get you, pretty boy?” Billie asked teasingly.
Zev had learned that Billie and her sister, Bobbie, ran the bar, which was owned by their father, Manny, another Dark Knight. “Two ice waters, please.” He and Carly had been furtively touching and taunting each other under the table, and it had been hell trying to keep a straight face. He hoped the ice water would help cool him down.
Billie set the glasses on the bar and said, “That was quite a show you put on. Not many men will stand up to Cowboy.”
“Then they’re not really men, are they?” He glanced at Carly and said, “I’ve learned not to let fear stand in my way, especially when it comes to that woman right there. I’ve learned to fight demons, and they are a hell of a lot tougher than a mechanical bull.” He picked up the glasses and said, “Thanks for these.”
As Zev made his way back to the table, another round of laughter rang out. He liked Carly’s friends, and he fit in with them despite their rocky start. He had been alone for so many years he’d forgotten what it was like to belong with a group of people other than his family and his dive crew. But in the same way that he had never connected with another woman, he’d also never found his place among bigger groups of would-be friends. Something had always been missing. And that something was currently joking around with the others, her sweet, unforgettable laughter drawing him in.
He set the glasses down and sat beside Carly, trying not to disrupt Quinn while she told a story about her brother, who was away visiting friends for the next several weeks.
Carly leaned closer and whispered, “I missed you.”
Those three words hit him right in the center of his chest. “I’ll fill up all your lonely parts later, when we’re alone.” Her cheeks pinked up, and he pressed his lips to hers.
“Are you ever going to tell me what your powwow with Birdie and Cutter was about when I was dancing with Quinn?” she asked quietly.
“Shh.” He pointed to his ear, then to Quinn, as if he wanted to hear what she was saying. But in truth, he didn’t want to tell Carly that Birdie and Cutter were helping him with a little surprise.
“That spells freedom to me, Quinny,” Birdie said. “I can’t get rid of my brothers for a week, much less several. Zev, you said you only go home a couple times a year. Don’t you miss your family?”
“Sure, but we keep in touch by phone and video chat. And if they’re traveling and the timing works out, sometimes we meet up wherever they are.” He had become adept at explaining himself without going into detail about how painful it was to go back to Pleasant Hill. He wondered if it would be easier to go home now that he and Carly had reconnected. He imagined it would, since everything seemed better with her by his side. But he knew he was getting ahead of himself. Even though he believed they’d figure out a way to make things work, he knew careful Carly needed more time to trust him not to take off again.
“Gosh, I don’t think I could do that.” A shimmer of mischief rose in Birdie’s eyes, and she said, “I mean, my brothers are a pain sometimes, but I don’t think they could live without me.”
“You, we’d miss.” Cowboy pointed at Dare and said, “But this guy? Him, we can spare.”
Dare chuckled. “You’d be lost without me.”
“Like hell we would,” Cowboy said.
“The women around here sure would be,” Quinn chimed in. “Dare’s the best dancer around.”
Cowboy scoffed. “Hardly. I’ve got moves. I just like to show them off in the bedroom.” He fist-bumped Zev and they both laughed.
Quinn rolled her eyes. “No one dances as well as Dare.”
Zev looked at Dare, who was eating up Quinn’s praise, and said, “You’re that good, huh?”
“A wise man once said there’s usually more to people than meets the eye.” Dare nodded and took a drink of his beer.
“He doesn’t just dance,” Quinn said. “He dances on the bar.”