“Sir my ass. Now get back to work.” With a wink, he headed across the room, slowing to drop a kiss on the top of Tracey’s head, then talking with Dixie for a few minutes. His and Red’s kindness reminded Diesel of his mother. She’d had a heart of gold, too, and enough love to blanket the state. Even all these years later, the pain of losing her still cut like a knife. But Diesel had become an expert at ignoring that pain. He pushed it down deep, then beat the fucker into submission as Tracey approached the bar, eyeing Moon, who was busy serving a group of guys.

With a reluctant sigh, she headed over to Diesel, tilted her too-fucking-pretty face up at him, and her eyes went soft. Christ, that was sexy.

“You okay, there, Unleaded? You look like you want to kill someone.”

He didn’t respond, as he didn’t to most nonsensical questions that people didn’t want real answers to.

Tracey went up on her toes and leaned across the bar, beckoning him closer with a crook of her index finger, giving him an eyeful of cleavage as he leaned in. When they were nose to nose, her eyes darkened, the air between them sizzling and crackling. She probably thought he didn’t notice the slight widening of her eyes, as if the heat shocked her every time it ignited, or the way her eyes then narrowed with determination. This sweet little miss had something to prove, and man, he wanted to tear her clothes off with his teeth and let her use his body to make her point.

She whispered, “Didn’t your mama ever teach you that you attract more bees with honey?”

She was going to keep testing his resolve, throwing that sexy-as-sin innocence and newfound bravado his way, if he didn’t put a stop to it. He had to nip this in the bud. “Why would I want bees, when I like lappin’ honey?” He threw in a lewd tongue gesture for good measure.

“Ugh.” She pushed away from the bar with a look of disgust.

This was too much fun. He couldn’t resist pushing her buttons. “Jealous, baby girl?”

“In your dreams. You’re a pig. I can’t believe you get any women at all.”

“Oh yeah, sparky. Jealousy looks mighty good on you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Give me a pitcher of Coors and two Jack and Cokes.”

When she stalked off with the order, Moon sidled up to him. “You’d better stop that shit, D. You two are liable to make this whole place go up in flames.”

Yeah, he was pretty well fucked. “You know what they say. It’s best to go out in a blaze of glory.”

Chapter Three