Free Their Ex's Redrock Three by Shirl Anders Page B

pleased at the “sweet, hot” comment. “How could you possibly know?”
    “Made it my business to train my eye after mine went frigid.”
    Tess sat forward. This sounded interesting. “So the lady on the end, red dress, mid twenty’s, what about her screams … well, I’m not calling her that.”
    “See,” he responded with a gleam in his eyes. “Fucking, sweet.” Then he tilted his head to the red dress as Tess experience warmth from head to toe. “Her, she’s trying too hard. Desperate. I bet she gives it out but cuts it off even before the ring’s on her finger.”
    Tess shook her head. “Babe, that does not say how you know she is like that.”
    Finn’s gaze jetted to her, with his look zeroing in on her mouth. “Called me babe.”
    “What?” she questioned.
    He looked up to her eyes. “You. Called me babe.”
    Tess did blush then. “No I didn’t,” she lied.
    “Did,” he uttered. “Going to get you to do it again, too.”
    Then he let her off the hook by looking back to the woman in the red dress. What was the matter with her? Flirting with Finn during the day and going to bed with Vincent at night. Not tonight , a little devil in her mind reminded her.
    “Red’s been making eye contact with about three guys in here. Still, she’s not picked one to center on. Makes me think she’s flighty. How could a woman like the looks of me, then that trucker over there, and last the professor in the back?” Finn turned back to her, while she was seriously impressed. “Too different, all of us. Desperate, see?”
    Impulsively, Tess grabbed his hand from the top of the table and held it. “Just hoping you’re not jaded by your situation.”
    His hand curled over hers. “Might have been, but sweetness came along.”
    He meant it. He really meant it. God, she shouldn’t be doing this, because she was getting divorced and she didn’t know what was happening with Vincent.
    She opened her mouth to tell him that, when a man’s voice over Finn’s shoulder barked, “Wise guy, get your fucking hands off her. That’s Navarro’s woman.”
    Finn dropped her hand. Tess heard the chair he was sitting scrape hard on the floor as her heart started pounding. She jerked her gaze upward to see the voice behind the harsh words was Victor Torenni. He was one of the bad men her husband hung out with and she knew he was bad because he’d helped beat up that guy who tried to flirt with her, just because Steven complained.
    Finn surged to his feet nearly toppling over his chair, and Tess realized Finn might be going to defend her. She stood too, exclaiming, “Finn, don’t.” Then toward Torenni, she exclaimed, “I’m getting a divorce, and what I do is none of your business.”
    Torenni and Finn were squared off, nose to nose, both with black hair but there the similarities ended. Both totally ignoring her comments.
    “You think this is any of your business, Victor?” Finn uttered, with barely suppressed ferocity.
    Finn knew Victor, Tess thought looking between them. How else would Finn know Victor’s name.
    Victor leaned in with a fierce scowl toward Finn’s ear, a totally threatening gesture. “I think our boss has an interest in her you better be finding out about.”
    Their. Boss? Oh god, well she’d known Finn was living on the edge. She’d been ignoring what that could be. She’d thought the rumors must be wrong. And, who the hell was Victor’s boss and what interest did he have in her? Finn looked as if he wanted to climb down Torenni’s throat. Tess scooted next to him and grasped his bicep. He was tensed like steel. She glared up at Torenni, as she whispered Finn’s name.
    “You got a man,” Torenni said stubbornly to her, as if it was his freaking business. “You’s shouldn’t be touching another.”
    Finn backed up carrying her, with her hand still attached, with him several steps.
    “ You need to get out of my business,” she hissed at Torenni. Then she felt Finn unlatching her hand