“Should we shake on it?”

She shifted the pool cue to her left hand and then offered me her right. As we shook hands, I couldn’t help shuddering at the soft feel of her skin against mine. When we were done, Sam said, “I guess it’s my turn again?”

“This game is bullshit.”

Samantha snorted. “Yeah, well, it’s your bullshit, since you came up with it.”

I tossed my cue onto the table and crossed my arms over my chest. “Then as the creator of this game, I say it’s all bullshit, and we should answer each other’s questions without earning them.”

Samantha laughed. “I never pegged you for a quitter.”

“I’m not a quitter. Just curious about you.”

Tilting her head at me, Samantha asked, “Why?”

“Because I find you very interesting.”

“You find me interesting or you find my tits and ass interesting?”

My jaw dropped at her audacity. Not wanting to let her get the upper hand, I replied, “If I had to answer truthfully, I would have to say it’s a toss-up between you and your assets.”

“An honest man. How refreshing,” she mused.

“Admit it. You’ve enjoyed getting to know me and my emotional shit.”

Samantha grinned. “Yes, I have. But there could be even more under the surface. Like how you’re so in touch with your feelings that you cry at sad movies.”

I wagged a finger at her. “Actually, it’s that sad-as-hell ASPCA commercial with the pitiful-looking dogs and cats that gets me crying.” Jesus, did I actually just admit that? This woman could make me sing like a canary if she wanted to.

Samantha’s dark eyes widened. “Really? I cry at that, too. I have to change the channel the minute I hear the depressing piano music.”

“I guess it’s safe to say that one thing we have in common is a love for animals.”

“That’s right.”

“Next time you come here, I’ll have to take you to see Poe.”

“Who is Poe?” Samantha asked curiously.

“He’s a deer that Rev and his wife, Annabel, raised after his mother was killed.”

“That is too crazy.”

“Yep. He’s an adult now, but he’s so spoiled he still comes around to get attention . . . and some ground corn.”

Samantha laughed. “I would love to see him.”

“Then it’s a date.”

Just as Samantha stared at me in surprise, Marley asked, “What’s a date?”

I whirled around to see he had finally returned from getting the keg with Joe. “Oh, Samantha wanted to see my brother’s pet deer.”

Marley grinned. “No shit. A pet deer? For real?”

“Yeah, for real.”

“You need to count me in, too.”

“Then it’s a double date,” I said. A double date? What the hell are you thinking, you douche?

“That would be more like a threesome than a double date, wouldn’t it?” Samantha asked. When my gaze snapped to hers, a tantalizing look twinkled in her eyes. It was the kind of look that had the ability to make me feel like a fumbling teenage boy instead of a very experienced man.

After clearing my throat, I replied, “I guess so.”

Marley chuckled. “Leave it to my Sam to say something inappropriate.” He then slid his arm around Sam’s waist and drew her closer to him. “My girl is something else, isn’t she?”

I felt the heat of Samantha’s gaze on me as I replied, “Yeah, she is.”

“I’m glad. I hoped you would get along.”

Samantha smiled up at him. “You have nothing to worry about, babe, because Bishop and I get along really well.” She pinned me with her dark eyes. “Don’t we?”

“Yeah, we do.” With my mouth feeling unusually dry, I said, “Why don’t we go try out the new keg?”

“Sure,” Marley replied.

We ambled over to the bar, and Joe quickly filled us three foamy beers. Holding his glass up, Marley said, “Here’s a toast to new friends.”

Samantha snickered. “You can be such a lame ass sometimes.”

“But you like me anyway,” Marley countered.

The word “like” surprised me. I wondered why he hadn’t said “love” instead. Maybe their relationship wasn’t as serious as I thought it was. Of course that still didn’t give me the right to be lusting after Samantha.

“True,” she said as she raised her glass.

When I brought my mug up to clink with theirs, a feeling of dread pricked its way over my skin. Deep down, I knew this friendship would bring nothing but trouble and heartache. But in spite of all that, I drank to it.

FIVE

SAMANTHA

The ride back from the Raiders clubhouse held an entirely different sense of anxiousness than I had felt earlier in the night. Part of my job was always preparing for the unexpected—to have a plan B and C to execute in case plan A failed. But after all the research and all the profiling, Bishop Malloy had been the epitome of unexpected, and that fact unnerved me completely.

As I held tight to Gavin’s well-defined abs, I pictured Bishop’s toned muscles flexing as he took a shot at the pool table. Although he was quite a sight to behold, it wasn’t Bishop’s physical attributes that had my mind reeling. It was discovering that he had a deeply caring side. As sergeant at arms in the Raiders, he was called upon to deliver punishment from the club, I knew. While his body was built for being an executioner, his eyes had held such kindness and compassion as we spoke. And that was not at all what I had been expecting or prepared for.