Buck and Harris both cackled at the way she tried to change the subject.
Ethan wouldn’t let it go. “What do you mean, you’ve seen? You two have been down there watching?”
Buck nodded. “Hell of a show.” He and Harris clicked glasses.
Flustered, Rosie smacked them both in the back of the head. “Now you two just quit it. And you, Ethan. You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Why, Riley’s the one teaching me the moves and he doesn’t laugh about it.”
She glanced up in time to see Riley wipe the grin off his face. “All right, that’s it. Forget dessert. You can all go home now.”
Immediate apologies followed, along with a lot of schmoozing hugs and entreaties. Rosie could barely catch her breath, they were all talking so fast and squeezing her so much.
“Enough already! All right, you can stay.” Her eyes narrowed. “But no more razzing on my lessons. Understood?”
After they’d all dutifully nodded, Ethan stood. “I’ll get the ice cream. One of you lazy slugs get the bowls.”
Together, the men managed to serve themselves since Rosie was still peeved and it showed in the way she crossed her arms tight and kept her mouth flat.
The bowls were no sooner filled than the phone rang. Glad for something to do, Rosie answered it on her kitchen wall phone, but then excused herself from the guys to take the call in private. No one seemed to mind that except Ethan, who scowled and asked, “Who is it?”
“A client, nosy.” She started to tell them not to wait for her, then saw that Buck already had his mouth full and Harris was soon to follow. “You’re all social misfits, do you know that?”
They shrugged. Rosie shook her head and walked out.
The interruption was timely, in her opinion. She needed a few minutes to form her next plan of attack. Bringing up home and hearth hadn’t worked, so she’d have to hit Ethan on a more basic level.
Damn it all, she was going to have to seduce him.
* * *
THE SECOND ROSIE was out of hearing, Ethan said, “Finish up and get out of here. I want to talk to Rosie alone.”
Riley bit his upper lip, but refrained from saying anything. Buck wasn’t so subtle. “You two hooked up now?”
“No, we’re not ‘hooked up.’ What the hell’s wrong with you? Rosie is a friend and you know it.”
Harris rolled his eyes. “A female friend, and that’s all the distinction she needs far as I’m concerned.”
“That’s about it,” Buck agreed.
Riley set his spoon aside. “Have any of you ever thought of Rosie in a...you know, sexual way?” He saluted the air with two fingers, giving the first admission, and Harris and Buck quickly lifted their hands, too.
Ethan gawked at them. “You can damn well stop thinking of her that way right now!”
“Impossible.”
“No way.”
“Sorry.”
Ethan shoved his chair back. “You’re all...”
“Normal? Healthy?” Riley laughed. “Gifted with perfect eyesight?”
Buck added, “Male.”
And Harris tacked on, “Single.”
“I don’t believe this.”
Unconcerned with Ethan’s escalating temper, Riley took another bite of ice cream. “You know, Ethan, you’re thumping your chest over nothing. Rosie has always treated us as just pals.” He pointed his spoon at him. “’Cept for you.”
“Lucky bastard,” Harris mumbled with feigned but good-natured envy.
Stone-faced, Ethan paced away. Damn it, he was losing his mind. Ever since he’d awakened with Rosie draped over him, he’d been unable to stop thinking about her. But for the most part he’d forcefully kept those thoughts chaste, not carnal. For the most part.
But now, with his best friends putting thoughts in his head, well, how the hell was he supposed to not think about it? The woman was plain hot and that was all there was to it.
Rosie didn’t help any, prancing around in those Daisy Duke cutoffs with her rounded ass and long legs on display. Oh, yeah, he’d noticed the other guys stealing a peek every few minutes. Course, they did that to all females. But still— This wasn’t just any female. This was Rosie.
His Rosie, damn it.
Riley dropped his spoon into his empty bowl with a resounding clink, catching Ethan’s notice. “She seems a little different since this morning, huh?”
Emotions roiling, Ethan asked through his teeth, “What do you mean?”
“It’s like she’s on the make or something. The way she’s watching you—her body language.”
His throat constricting, his eyes burning, Ethan repeated, “Body language?”
“Yeah.” Riley turned to his cohorts. “You two’ve seen it, haven’t you?”
“Yep.” Buck gave a decisive nod. “She wants him.”
“Bad.”
“Stop it!” Ethan paced again, more furiously this time. But he couldn’t outrun his own thoughts. It was too late. Their words were already bouncing around in his brain, making him sweat, causing his muscles to cramp. Last night he’d done...something with her. This morning she’d been so warm and soft and his bed still smelled like her, sexy and female and utterly Rosie.
He breathed hard, walking faster ’round her kitchen, the three stooges looking on. He couldn’t banish the images of Rosie seducing him, touching him, kissing him...
“That’s it.” Ethan grabbed up their bowls and put them in the sink. “Go home. Go away. Just go.”
Harris made no effort to hide his laughter. Buck had to quickly grab for a napkin as Ethan shoved him toward the doorway.
Riley hung back, grinning like a fool. “One thing, Ethan.”
“What?” Ethan could barely breathe and seriously doubted he could manage a chat with Riley.
Somber now, Riley crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Ethan. “Don’t do anything to hurt her. Remember that she is my friend and I care about her.”
Ethan struggled for control. More than anything he wanted to knock Riley on his ass. How dare he act territorial now when seconds before he’d been all but throwing Rosie at him? He looked at Harris and Buck and they nodded, too, equally protective, equally serious about it.
Riley wasn’t done. “She’s a real nice woman, Ethan, with a huge heart. Don’t use what her brother did against her. She had no part in that.”
“Goddamn it,” Ethan exploded, infuriated that Riley thought such a warning was necessary. He would never hurt Rosie and Riley should have damn well known it. “How dare you bring that up?”
Rosie stepped around the corner, the disconnected phone held loosely in her hand. She frowned in worry, her gaze darting back and forth between the men. “Bring what up? What’s going on?”
Refusing to back down, Riley continued to watch Ethan. Harris and Buck moved to flank Rosie—as if she needed protection.
From him.
“Leave,” Ethan said to all three of them. “Or I will.”
Rosie bit her bottom lip. “Ethan? What’s going on?”
Riley stepped away from Ethan.