I finally looked up, sneaking a glance.
“He's DEA,” I murmured, not taking my eyes off the two of them. I couldn’t decide which one I thought was hotter. They weren’t in their uniforms any longer. Plain clothes or uniform—either way, they looked good. Good enough to eat. And at my front door earlier, they’d definitely been looking at me like they were hungry.
Regardless of my attraction, Sheriff Cooke was the asshole my dad had told me about. The one who’d harassed him last year over the wolf issue. The one my dad had yelled at me to steer clear of.
I got that wolves were protected, but I also knew how much it sucked to have a wolf picking off the herd. I’d seen that happen a few times. I totally understood why it made ranchers go berserk, especially on a ranch the size of ours, since the livestock couldn’t be watched or protected all the time.
“So you already know?” Melissa asked with a sly smile. “Hell, they're both gorgeous, so let's go over there and talk to them. The sheriff’s single, at least. I wouldn't mind a little law enforcement action.” She waggled her blonde eyebrows to match her grin.
“Too bad I’m taken,” Trina said, waving her left hand to make her engagement ring sparkle in the bar lighting.
For some reason, the idea of Melissa and me going over there and maybe pairing off with one of these guys each put my teeth on edge. As if I wanted both of them, and didn’t want to share with Melissa—or anyone, and that made absolutely no sense. Interested in two guys? Two guys who seemed to be friends? Maybe I only wanted first pick so I could make up my mind. Of course, I didn’t want both for myself. That would be absurd.
Still…
I shook my head. “No, they may be hot—” total understatement of the century, “—but they were out on my ranch today, insinuating we were part of some meth problem. My father hates their guts, pretty much. Which means they’re jerks, for sure.”
Jerks I couldn’t take my eyes off. Jerks who protected endangered wolves. Who showed up on angry people’s doorsteps mentioning drugs.
“Meth?” Trina asked, staring at me as if I’d changed languages all of a sudden.
“Meth,” I confirmed.
Melissa frowned. “Yeah. Isn’t that part of the appeal, though? Showing up about some dangerous and nefarious issue?”
Trina laughed. “Nefarious?”
“Whatever,” Melissa countered, clearly not concerned about meth in their hometown. “Those two are alpha males through and through. I think the testosterone is pumping off of them in waves.” She tapped her finger to her chin. “Maybe they have handcuffs in the car…”
“You don’t have to like them to fuck one of them, Al,” Trina reminded me.
“And I’ll take the other!” Melissa added, way too chirpily.
God, I was normally more than willing to share anything with friends—clothes, knowledge, contacts.
Just not men, I guessed.
I hopped from the stool. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go give them a piece of my mind, not sleep with either of them.”
Fortunately, Melissa took the hint and didn’t get up. “Sure you don’t need help?”
“I’m sure.” I finished my Jack and ginger, and stomped my way to the back where the two men were sitting. The DEA guy saw me coming and said something to his partner. Both men stood when I got there, like gentlemen. Like this was a date, and not me giving them a piece of my mind.
“Officers,” I said coolly. I was tall for a woman, but they still had a few inches on me.
The sheriff pulled out a chair between them in clear invitation. I looked at it. I’d had no plan to sit down between them, but his assumption that I would made it a tiny bit appealing.
“Ali,” Agent Decker rumbled, remembering my name. Once again, his expression was hungry.
It made my nipples stand up inside my bra, and heat travel from my center all the way down the insides of my legs.
“Sheriff.” I nodded the brim of my cowgirl hat at him without a smile.
“You can call me Holt. This is Theo. Please, have a seat. Can I get you a drink?” he asked, his voice deep and smooth.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t need a drink and I don’t need a seat,” I said, trying to remember the tirade I’d rehearsed on my way over. “I’m just wondering why in the hell you two were knocking on my door today. Maybe you don’t know this—” I looked pointedly at Theo, the out-of-town DEA agent, “—but my family has had that ranch for over a hundred years. We’re the oldest ranching family in the state. We’re running a million dollar business out there.”
“We are both aware,” Theo said. Both men remained standing. Calm. Focused. On me.
Far from showing any defensive posturing like I’d expected, they were angled toward me, standing a bit too close, like we were friends. Good friends.
“I’m from West Springs originally, as well,” Theo added.
I tried not to lose myself in his ocean blue eyes. This guy. He’d be the one I’d pick. Too bad he didn’t live here. Maybe that was a good thing. Like Trina had said, I didn’t have to like him to fuck him.
Well, I did. I liked sex, but I had to have some kind of connection, besides anger.
“Well, then you should know you’re barking up the wrong tree,” I countered, lifting my chin a touch higher. “My family is not a bunch of meth heads working out of some dilapidated house.” I fixed Holt with a challenging look. “We have far more important and lucrative business endeavors, Sheriff.”
“Of course, you do,” he soothed. “But remember, there are two sides to every story.”
Meaning what? That my father was wrong?
He winked. Winked! How could he be playful when I was angry?
Except it was hard to be angry at a guy who was flat-out gorgeous, with his dark ruffled hair and two deep dimples.
“Holt.” He pointed at his black t-shirt, which was snug over his sturdy frame and thick muscles. “You can skip the sheriff. Not on duty now.” Instead of addressing my concerns, he tipped his head toward the dartboard on the wall. “You play darts?”
I frowned. They were agreeing with me? Darts? “Um…”
Both men closed in, but not in a threatening way. More… eager.
“I might have been a DEA agent on your doorstep, but right here, right now, I’m Theo.” He touched my arm so lightly, it couldn’t be construed as anything but friendly.
“Theo,” I repeated.
“Darts?” Holt asked again.
I blinked. “Well, sure,” I said, swallowing hard at how good they smelled. “I play.”
I was rewarded with a pair of smiles that could melt all the panties in the bar. I stole a glance over at my friends. Of course they were watching. Melissa waved but didn't look mad that I had essentially claimed two guys for myself instead of sharing with her. Although sharing meant we’d be abandoning Trina, so I figured Melissa was the bigger person all around tonight. Right?
“I’ll get the darts,” Theo offered. “What are you drinking?”
“Just a soda,” I said, because I’d already had one drink, and something about these men made me not trust myself. I needed a clear head with them.