Presley leaned forward, giving Molly a close-up of her bruised and scabbed face, which was almost as interesting as her retro Betty Boop T-shirt. “I don’t think I can wait until lunch.”

“Me either,” Chaz said from behind Presley, propping his chin on her shoulder. “I’m starved. I’m thinking about doing Five Guys for lunch.”

Molly rolled her eyes. “Only you, Chaz, could make eating a burger sound dirty.”

He smiled. “What can I say, doll? It’s a gift.”

“While we’d love to watch you do five guys,” Presley said dryly, “aren’t you lunching with Amery today?”

“That’s right. I am so glad you’re keeping track of my schedule, honey. Thank you.” He sauntered over to Amery’s door and knocked. Only after the door closed behind him did Presley speak again.

“I’ll wait, but you’d better make it as juicy as the burgers I’m missing out on.”

•   •   •

DOWNTOWN Denver was chock-full of restaurants with outdoor seating. Even basking in the summer sun for only an hour rejuvenated Molly after staring at a computer screen all morning.

Presley hadn’t chimed in about the situation with Deacon beyond saying she was happy he appeared to be making an effort. “Do you have plans with him tonight?”

They gathered their stuff and started walking back to the office. “Deacon knows I have kickboxing class. I wish he were still teaching. Shihan Beck is all right, but he doesn’t have Deacon’s mean streak, which made me mad but also made me work harder.”

“Will you continue taking private boxing lessons with Fisher now that you and Deacon are happening?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“If Deacon hated you spending time with Fisher before you two got together, he’ll really hate it now. I just worry he’ll dictate stuff like that to you.”

“He can try. But I’m not the pushover I used to be.” And it was a moot point since Fisher had been too busy to work with her one on one in the last month.

“Good.” Presley looped her arm through Molly’s. “Speaking of dicks . . . Any idea what size he’s packing?”

Molly groaned. “That’s your segue way into discussing his penis? From dictate to dick?”

“Hey, I’m an artist, not a wordsmith. As a woman who’s been around that fine fucking specimen of manhood, I’m curious, Mol. And maybe a little jealous.”

She stopped walking and faced Presley.

“What? Now that you’ve got Deacon in the bag, I can admit he’s the one guy at Black Arts that I’d consider bagging.”

“And you’re telling me this . . . why?”

“Full disclosure. Deacon is a five-alarm-fire kind of man. The body, the tats, the chiseled face, the shaved head, the facial scruff, those blue eyes, the pissy attitude. You think it’s escaped anyone’s notice that he could be Daniel Craig’s younger, better-built brother? No. As far as looks and physique, he’s the total package. But he’s always been kind of a dick, so that lowers his stock value.”

She snorted at the phrase stock value.

“But in class he had eyes only for you. It never made sense why he stood you up after he finally asked you out. So after the shit went down in the strip club, I assumed he’d walk away when you didn’t just drop your panties for him. But he came after you. That he apologized? Hot. The way he looked at you in the gym last night? Hotter yet. I don’t have to tell you Deacon defines intense, and that’s scary.” Presley reached for Molly’s hand. “I have to ask if you can handle that about him.”

Presley had been her friend for long enough that relaying the issues from her past probably wouldn’t earn her pity. “The truth?”

“Between us? Always, Mol. You know that.”

“I grew up believing no one wanted me. After my mother died, my grandma did her duty and took me in. As I grew up, I was shy, overweight, bookish. I never rocked the boat, never shared my opinions. That made me a ready target for my bitchy cousins and everyone else. I survived. In college I became . . . me. The me I’d always wanted to be. My life is better than I’d ever imagined. But the one thing I’ve never had?” Molly met Presley’s concerned face. “I’ve never had a man look at me the way Deacon McConnell does. So no. It doesn’t scare me; it thrills me. Can I handle it? You bet your ass I can.”

“If I haven’t said it enough, I’ll say it now. You amaze me.” Then she yanked Molly against her in a fierce hug.