Shift’s End
Page 21
“Thanks for your concern, Detective, but I’m not in any danger from Alex. He was just joking. He’s a friend.”
Dante didn’t seem to hear him. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he shifted forward onto the balls of his feet like he was spoiling for a fight.
Some things never changed.
Luke took one deep breath then another, forcing blood back into his head and out of his groin.
Damn it.
Maybe his foster brother hadn’t changed, but Luke wasn’t the same kid who’d fallen hard when Dante moved into the room next door. He was a grown man who knew the difference between a hard-on and true love.
Especially when it came to someone like Dante.
His surging libido crashed back down to earth as he recalled the look Dante had given him when he’d brought a date to his police academy graduation. The storm clouds on Dante’s face had made it clear exactly what he thought about Luke’s relationship with another guy. He’d ignored them both all night long.
Worse, he’d been avoiding Luke ever since. They’d grown up together, damn it. They weren’t best friends, but they were family. It was a bond that couldn’t be broken. Right up until Dante tossed him away like so much trash in an alley. Their father said it wasn’t Dante’s fault that he didn’t come around anymore. He was working double shifts or going undercover, fighting the good fight, but that didn’t make it hurt any less to see the empty chair across the table at family dinner.
Going mano a mano with the other man was a bad idea. He’d lost enough wrestling matches as a kid to know that, but he wasn’t afraid to fight dirty.
His lifestyle made Dante uncomfortable?
Too damn bad.
The handsome detective was in Luke’s world now. Smoke & Bullets might not be one of the gay bars in the Village with their pounding music, pulsing lights, and twinks eager to grind against him on the dance floor but plenty of cops and firefighters were gay, bi, or questioning.
Luke’s lips tipped up into a smile.
Time to get his flirt on.
Starting with the sexy blond standing a step to Dante’s right.
Don’t miss Broken Protocol by A.R. Barley.
Available wherever Carina Press ebooks are sold.
www.CarinaPress.com
Copyright © 2018 by Aleah Barley
About the Author
A.R. Barley has been a book lover since day one. She has a to-be-read list a mile long and an e-book addiction she’s failing to hide from her loved ones. She wrote her first book—a drama about a family of balloons—in kindergarten and hasn’t stopped writing since. She also writes under the name Aleah Barley.
A.R. Barley writes funny, heartfelt romance for everyone while living in Detroit, Michigan, and exploring everything it has to offer. She has a husband who supports her in everything she does, a Labrador who sleeps at her feet, and a cat who is plotting to take over the world.
You can find out more about her—and upcoming books—at @AleahBarley, Facebook.com/aleahrbarley, and arbarley.com.
Also available from A.R. Barley and Carina Press
In the Boundaries Series
Out of Bounds
Against the Rules
Outside the Lines
In the Smoke & Bullets Series
On Duty
Broken Protocol
Also available from A.R. Barley
The Shore Thing
Chasing His Cottontail
Talk Bunny to Me
The Badge & The Bunny
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ISBN-13: 9781488080692
Shift’s End
Copyright © 2018 by Aleah Barley
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All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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