Strong, Sleek and Sinful - By Lorie O'Clare Page 0,37

probably over,” she said when she approached him. “And it should have ended long before now,” she added, grinning easily as she stared up at him with soft blue eyes.

“Looks like it.” Perry shook his head, watching the men help each other up and then laugh at how they weren’t as young as they used to be. “I’d say I showed up at the right time. I’m the only man standing upright.”

“They don’t hold a flame to you no matter how they stand,” Natalie said under her breath. Over the past few months she’d started flirting openly with him. Rumor was that she’d recently broken up with her boyfriend and was on the prowl for a new man.

Perry wasn’t going to be that man, but he didn’t mind humoring her. “Flattery will get you everywhere,” he drawled, and then walked into the backyard, reaching down to grab the football that had rolled away from the guys.

“Flynn. If you’d showed up forty-five minutes ago . . .,” Marty said, breathing heavily as he pressed against his lower back. “Carl, I’m going to have to head out, man. The wife will be home from shopping soon and we’re supposed to go to her mom’s tonight.”

“Fun, fun,” Carl said, rolling his eyes and slapping Marty on the back. “Tell her you threw your back out trying to beat me at football and so can’t go.”

“She wouldn’t believe me.” Marty winked at Natalie and then started toward the path between the duplexes.

“What brings you over this way?” Carl asked, catching the ball when Perry tossed it to him. “Seems a weekend for company.”

“Anyone else shown up from the station?” Perry asked, trying to sound indifferent.

“Yeah, actually. The Chief, if you can believe that.”

Perry met Carl’s gaze and his expression hardened, appearing almost wary. “Oh, really,” Perry said, trying to sound curious when he ached to grab Carl by the arm and force him to a more private location. Something wasn’t right, but worse yet, Perry sensed things were worse than he thought.

“I’m heading down to Lucy’s for a drink and to stare at the big screen in the company of strangers,” Natalie said, wrapping her arm around Perry’s. “Dare to join me?”

He hadn’t been to Lucy’s in ages but had dared enter the club since taking Natalie there on their date. He smiled down at her knowingly. “Sounds like a challenge.”

“Never,” she said, looking shocked. “Just more fun to zone out on the boob tube with a crowd around than alone in my apartment, unless I know that company will be showing up soon.”

“I hear you,” he said, deciding not to fall for the bait.

“I might head down to Lucy’s after a shower,” Carl offered.

Natalie turned the same welcoming smile to Carl. Possibly she was simply looking for company during drinks and watching the prime-time lineup. Or maybe she was horny and didn’t care who she took home with her as long as he fell into her criteria of “decent.” Either way, Carl’s offer was good enough for Natalie.

“Both of you come down. I’ll see you there.” She let go of Perry and took off around the duplex toward the parking lot.

Carl tossed the football into the air a couple feet and then caught it, heading toward his back door. “You going to head down there?”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Perry told him honestly. “I really showed up here to talk to you for a few.”

“No problem. Come on in.” Carl pulled his screen door open and held it, allowing Perry to enter first. “You want a beer?”

“Sounds good.”

“Rad come pay you a social call, too?” Carl pulled a couple cans out of his refrigerator and handed one to Perry. “Are we being written up on some bullshit or something?”

“I doubt it.” Perry followed Carl into his living room and reclined on the comfortable couch, relaxing into the corner and watching Carl do the same on the other end, kicking his shoes off before resting his sock-covered feet on his coffee table. Perry felt like doing anything but relaxing. “Something’s going on, though. If he came to see you and me, I’m betting he visited a few other cops on the force as well.”

“What the fuck for?” Carl gulped down a fair bit of his beer and belched.

“What exactly did he say to you?” Perry decided to ask the question before Carl could. He would rather form his conclusions after hearing what was said, and knowing nothing Carl told him would be altered based on