had seated. Or maybe it was his palpable displeasure that seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the room and take up all the available space. The lazy amusement heâd displayed a moment ago had vanished, and it was all Veronica could do to maintain eye contact beneath the hard-eyed, level look he trained on her.
Hands on his hips, he gave her a clipped nod. âFine,â he said. âYouâll have your damn key by eleven.But Iâll tell you something, Princess: Itâs a wonder to me that no oneâs ever wrung that lily-white neck of yours.â
And with a final glower, he turned on his heel and strode from the room.
Â
Coop dropped off the newly cut key at ten-thirty and left the house again without exchanging a word with little Miss Veronica. Climbing back into his car, he swore to himself that, come eleven A . M ., he wouldnât be anywhere near the Tonk to see what sheâd wanted it for. But at five minutes to the hour, he found himself driving by. Whispering curses for giving a damn when he had far more pressing matters to occupy his free time, he nevertheless found himself making a U-turn down the street and parking where he could keep an eye on the barâs front door like some cut-rate private eye from an old B movie.
He scowled as he peered down the block. What was it about this woman, anyway? Aside from that gorgeous baby skin, he supposed she was attractive enough in an uptight, bossy sort of way. She was a far cry from drop-dead gorgeous, though; she verged on skinny and lacked all but a hint of the lush ass and full breasts he usually went for. So why did she seem to be burrowing her way under his skin?
A disgruntled noise rumbled in the back of his throat and Coop reached for the ignition key to turn the car back on. Ticks burrowed under a personâs skin, too, and heâd simply have to excise Veronica Davis the same way he would any other parasite: with one swift, efficient jerk. He put the car in gear and glanced overhis shoulder at the oncoming traffic. It was time to get the hell out of here. He had things to do.
He had to wait for a step-van to drive past, and before he could pull out into the street in its wake, the vehicle eased to the curb in front of the Tonk. Coop settled back in his seat. He barely had time to read the logo, CASCADE AIR , off the rear panel doors when Veronica came out of the house, hurriedly locked it up behind her, and dodged the light flow of traffic to cross the street to the van.
Storm clouds blocked the sun as she talked with great animation to the driver, an athletically built man in blue overalls who grinned down at her and stood a lot closer than Coop thought necessary for a repairman. A moment later, Veronica let herself and the man into the Tonk.
Whatâs this? Coop climbed out of his car and strode down the street, determined to find out what she was up to. Nothing was wrong with the heating or cooling systems in the bar, so who was this guyâsome old high school flame? Was she using the Tonk for a nooner? Now, there was an appropriate use of the family biz.
And why is it any skin off your dick if she is, Blackstock? Itâs her bar . He paused with his hand on the Tonkâs doorknob, then yanked it open and stepped inside. No, dammit, it was Lizzyâs bar. And he was merely looking out for his nieceâs interests.
He thought about the little girl as he paused to let his eyes adjust to the barâs dimness. He hadnât expected to melt inside when he met her, but heâd taken one look at those big, grave eyes, and it had been like his experience with her daddy all over again. He neverhad been able to keep his distance from Eddie, no matter how hard heâd tried, and he had a feeling it was going to be the same with Lizzy.
When heâd decided to keep his identity a secret, heâd thought it would be simple to watch his niece from a distance. Not only would it cover his own butt in case Eddie
Hands on his hips, he gave her a clipped nod. âFine,â he said. âYouâll have your damn key by eleven.But Iâll tell you something, Princess: Itâs a wonder to me that no oneâs ever wrung that lily-white neck of yours.â
And with a final glower, he turned on his heel and strode from the room.
Â
Coop dropped off the newly cut key at ten-thirty and left the house again without exchanging a word with little Miss Veronica. Climbing back into his car, he swore to himself that, come eleven A . M ., he wouldnât be anywhere near the Tonk to see what sheâd wanted it for. But at five minutes to the hour, he found himself driving by. Whispering curses for giving a damn when he had far more pressing matters to occupy his free time, he nevertheless found himself making a U-turn down the street and parking where he could keep an eye on the barâs front door like some cut-rate private eye from an old B movie.
He scowled as he peered down the block. What was it about this woman, anyway? Aside from that gorgeous baby skin, he supposed she was attractive enough in an uptight, bossy sort of way. She was a far cry from drop-dead gorgeous, though; she verged on skinny and lacked all but a hint of the lush ass and full breasts he usually went for. So why did she seem to be burrowing her way under his skin?
A disgruntled noise rumbled in the back of his throat and Coop reached for the ignition key to turn the car back on. Ticks burrowed under a personâs skin, too, and heâd simply have to excise Veronica Davis the same way he would any other parasite: with one swift, efficient jerk. He put the car in gear and glanced overhis shoulder at the oncoming traffic. It was time to get the hell out of here. He had things to do.
He had to wait for a step-van to drive past, and before he could pull out into the street in its wake, the vehicle eased to the curb in front of the Tonk. Coop settled back in his seat. He barely had time to read the logo, CASCADE AIR , off the rear panel doors when Veronica came out of the house, hurriedly locked it up behind her, and dodged the light flow of traffic to cross the street to the van.
Storm clouds blocked the sun as she talked with great animation to the driver, an athletically built man in blue overalls who grinned down at her and stood a lot closer than Coop thought necessary for a repairman. A moment later, Veronica let herself and the man into the Tonk.
Whatâs this? Coop climbed out of his car and strode down the street, determined to find out what she was up to. Nothing was wrong with the heating or cooling systems in the bar, so who was this guyâsome old high school flame? Was she using the Tonk for a nooner? Now, there was an appropriate use of the family biz.
And why is it any skin off your dick if she is, Blackstock? Itâs her bar . He paused with his hand on the Tonkâs doorknob, then yanked it open and stepped inside. No, dammit, it was Lizzyâs bar. And he was merely looking out for his nieceâs interests.
He thought about the little girl as he paused to let his eyes adjust to the barâs dimness. He hadnât expected to melt inside when he met her, but heâd taken one look at those big, grave eyes, and it had been like his experience with her daddy all over again. He neverhad been able to keep his distance from Eddie, no matter how hard heâd tried, and he had a feeling it was going to be the same with Lizzy.
When heâd decided to keep his identity a secret, heâd thought it would be simple to watch his niece from a distance. Not only would it cover his own butt in case Eddie
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