Justice by Piper Davenport Page B

now.”
    “Well, then sixty or so is probably low.”
    He ran his knuckles down her cheek. “Bimbos number eighteen and nineteen lasted all of five minutes, Bimbo number nineteen losing her shit because I kept canceling on her to be at your beck and call.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Seriously. And yes, I did it for you, because I knew that one day, I’d have you in that tub. And I do mean have you.” He leaned down and kissed her. “But that part will come later. Tonight, you’re going to soak in that cast iron monstrosity and I’m going to ply you with wine until you’re drunk enough to let me hold you all night long.”
    “As the last few days have proved, you don’t have to get me drunk to do that,” she said. “But I’ll still take the wine.”
    “You got it.” He chuckled and kissed her quickly before opening the car door, waiting until she was seated before closing it and jogging to the driver’s side.
    * * *
    Dallas drove her home so she could grab some clothes, and then they took off for his house. He lived about twenty minutes from her in a mid-century ranch with a basement in North Portland. He’d essentially gutted the home when he bought it and redid the entire thing. He now had a kick-ass kitchen, living room, plus three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the main floor, along with a media room and bathroom in the basement.
    Macey loved his home. The neutral tones and dark wood gave it a masculine feel, but the frosted glass fixtures and soft throw pillows kept it comfortable. She and her friends had watched many movies sprawled out across the large overstuffed sectional downstairs.
    Dallas laid his gun on the table and pointed to it. “Pick it up, Mase.”
    She rolled her eyes, but picked it up without argument. They’d gone twice to the gun range the week before and she was less and less leery of guns the more she handled them.
    “What are the rules?” he asked.
    “I’m to assume g uns are always loaded. I never let the muzzle cover anything I’m not willing to annihilate. I keep my finger off the trigger until my eyes are on the target, and I must always know what my target is and what’s beyond it.”
    “Yes.” He stood behind her and repositioned her body. “You know where the safety is, yeah?”
    “Right here. And this is how you make it not safe.”
    He chuckled. “Good job, honey. That’s perfect. Once you’re used to handling this, I’ll show you how to clean it and put it back together.”
    She laid the gun back on the table, pointing away from them. “Do we need to go through all of that?”
    “It’s important.”
    “But I have you to do it for me,” she said, running a finger down his chest.
    “Yes, you do, but you need to learn.”
    “Fine.”
    He chuckled, leaning down to kiss her quickly. “I’ll go fill the tub.”
    “Thank you.”
    Dallas reholstered his gun and took it to the bedroom with him, and Macey opened a bottle of wine, letting it breathe while she grabbed two glasses. She slid a stack of papers Dallas had dumped on the island to the side to make room, and the one on top caught her interest. She knew it was none of her business, but the letterhead held her building’s dark blue logo, so she snuck a peek. As she stared at the bill for homeowner’s dues, her stomach roiled.
    She picked it up and stalked back to the bathroom. He wasn’t there, so she headed to his bedroom. “Dallas?”
    “Yeah, babe?”
    She stalled at the sight of him shirtless and shoeless standing in the middle of his room.
    “Mase? You okay?” he asked, granting her a sexy smile.
    She got hold of herself and waved the paper in the air. “What’s this?”
    “What’s what?”
    Macey handed it to him.
    “Ah, it’s a bill.”
    “Yes, for homeowner’s dues in my apartment building, noting my apartment number. What I want to know is why you have it.”
    “Ah…" Dallas stared at her, fuelling Macey’s anger.
    She shook her head. “ No . You didn’t.”
    “Are you going to