Page 73 of Rough Fantasy

Rory glanced at him. “Actually, I have to say that kind of makes me hot, Zee.”

She rolled her eyes. “Go ahead. Then you can deal with Conner and explain to him why you want to beat the hell out of a man for no good reason. Or are you ready to tell him what’s going on?”

The challenge she gave them was enough to make him cool down.

“And you, Zeke, you got pissed at him two years ago for hitting on me. Get over it.”

She turned and Rory grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”

She shook her hair back. “If you must know. I drank a lot of water.” When Rory held onto her arm she rolled her eyes. “I have to pee.”

She untangled herself from his grasp and walked off. Zeke knew that it was almost too much for Rory to take. It was a bit of a challenge in front of people at the club, but most of them weren’t paying attention.

Dee slipped around them. “Being pregnant, I can understand her predicament.”

She hurried after Maura and May started to, but turned to face both men. She settled her hands on her hips. “Now, gentlemen, I see the way you look at her. Don’t blame her. I set it up and Eli is always willing to help me. Just remember how it felt to watch her with another man other than you two when the week is up.”

With that she followed after the other two women. Chambers clapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry, there, O’Brian. Our women do like to meddle. Just make sure that you don’t blame Maura too much.”

“Yeah, and knowing Evan, May won’t be trying that particular line of matchmaking after tonight,”

Chambers chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched his wife disappear into the bathroom. “And I am going to enjoy that little lesson in particular.”

thirty-two

Maura was still irritated and embarrassed by the guy’s behavior at the club. She knew part of it was her fault, but she truly didn’t think they would react the way they did. They didn’t say much as they left the club and walked to the Jeep. When they were on the road again, the only noise was the wind whipping through her hair. She had never seen Zeke so angry before. Sure he was a little possessive when they had first started dating, but that had been more about protecting her while they were on the island and on a mission than anything else. Or had it?

She had never had a man get jealous like that before. She knew that May had been trying to help so she couldn’t truly fault her, but Maura didn’t like it.

She watched as Rory downshifted and came to a halt at a light on Ala Moana.

“I don’t play games like that.” She looked over her shoulder at Zeke. “You should know better. I don’t think it’s fun to have guys who are jealous over me.”

“I didn’t say I was jealous,” Zeke said, still not looking at her.

“Really? I am kind of confused then why you rushed up to the table then. Were you just hot to have a conversation.”

She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest. Men. Seriously, he couldn’t admit he was jealous?

“You didn’t look like you were pushing him away,” Zeke said.

She gasped and turned around. “What was I supposed to do? Am I not supposed to talk to other men at all? Rory is the Dom here, so I’m not understanding why you’re going all possessive on me.”

“Well, I would have paddled your ass red in public if I had thought you were flirting with him,” Rory said.

She opened her mouth to yell at him but the image he created was too delicious. She shivered. He hadn’t been looking at her, but he laughed. Damn, he already knew her too well.

“Oh, no. We’re going to have to do something in public with you.”

“Out of the question here because of Conner,” Zeke said. He didn’t say anymore and just kept looking at the scenery as it passed by. She had a feeling he wasn’t really seeing any of it.

“Give it up, boy-o. You were ready to pounce on that cowboy faster than a tic on a dog.”

She looked at Rory and laughed. The southern kind of saying sounded odd given in his Irish accent. His lips twitched. Maura looked at Zeke who said nothing and showed no reaction.

“Zeke, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I didn’t say you did, even though you were a little too open to being flirted with. And I am emphatically denying that I was jealous,” Zeke muttered.