Rockin' the Heart (Hot Wired) by Gracen Miller Page A

steals more than a kiss from you, and while Derr’s knocking his teeth down his throat, I’ll bust his kneecaps.”
    “ And by kneecaps you really mean balls?”
    “ No, but I like the way you think, so consider that my intention hereafter.” Keys swung her pool stick around, offering it to her, grip first. “Re-rack them. I lose… I get a kiss to cheer me up.”
    There was no question he ’d lose. She palmed the staff and set it aside. “If I thought you were serious, I’d nail you in the crotch with this.” She waggled the stick at him.
    “ Ouch.” He whined dramatically and cupped his privates. “You’re heartless, Boo. Heart. Less. Stay like that. Rack them so I can cheer you up by letting you beat me. And, Sam….” He waited until she gave him her attention before he finished whatever he wanted to say. “I am serious about Fang’s”—he made quoting motions with his fingers—“ kneecaps .”
    “ I can take care of myself.” She’d learned how to defend herself thanks to them. At their insistence, she’d even received private self-defense lessons. “If either of you interfere in any way with my fake-relationship with Heath, I’ll bust both of your kneecaps.”
    “ It’s not the fake relationship I’m worried about.” Derringer said as Keys rolled the balls down the felt so she could bracket them in the triangle frame. “I’m trying to figure out why a kiss now.” The bass guitarist poured a splash of scotch. “What’s the point in a private kiss when you’re faking it?”
    “ That’s what I said. You busting or am I?” She peered at Keys.
    “ You.” He chalked the stick he’d retrieved. “Pour me one of those.”
    Sam lined up her aim with the cue ball and set it in motion with a hard whack. It struck the grouping, and they flew apart. She met Derr’s calculating gaze. “Heath said the fans would want us to kiss. Didn’t want our first to be in front of an audience.”
    “ Was tongue involved?” Expecting a leer on Keys’ face, she was surprised to witness his straight-faced expression. His fingers were wrapped around the pool stick with enough grip he could choke someone to death.
    “ How is that any of your business?”
    “ That’s a yes, Derr. We might need to rough Fang up a bit as a warning.”
    They had to be kidding? But Keys looked way too somber for her peace of mind. Where was the teasing man she adored?
    Sam put the tip of the pool stick beneath the ball and it popped up . The spherical object flew mid-air across the table and nailed Keys in the gut. Grunting loud, he clutched his belly and bent over gasping.
    “ Both of you nix the exaggerated protective brother routine. I missed your dick only because I wanted, Keys.” She pointed her stick at them both. “This is Heath for goodness’ sake. Not some shady guy off the street. Give him some credit to play his part like the good guy he is.”
    “ That was a low-blow, Boo.” Keys winced as he struggled to stand upright.
    “ Man up, that was a sweet shot. I thought about hitting you lower.” She indicated the pool table. “Two solids went in. Are we still playing?”
    “ As soon as I can breathe,” he wheezed out.
    She rolled her eyes at his performance. “Good. I’ll take the stripes, and I’ll shoot them in number order to give you a handicap.”
    “ You’ll need that handicap,” Derringer remarked dryly as he returned to the billiard table and slid Keys a glass of Scotch. He set the bottle on the ledge.
    “ For the record,” Keys grimaced as he shifted his stance to retrieve the glass. “I should’ve given Fang more credit than I have. That was a smooth line he fed you, and you fell for it.”
    She glowered at him, hoping he’d get the hint to drop the subject.
    “ You can give me that killer-glare all you want, but the truth’s the truth. You’ve been played.” He downed his liquor and shot at his first color. He managed to disarrange the ball’s alignment with the pocket.
    “