Deception (Southern Comfort) Read Online Free PDF Page A

blood heat, eyebrows slamming together as he glared at Declan.
    “What,” Murphy asked, all innocence.  “Hell, Harding, I’m not getting married.  Don’t tell me you’re opposed to everyone getting lucky?”
    “What makes you think that woman would consider it lucky to have men just assume she wants to have sex with them?”  The wolf whistles echoed shrilly around the room as the stripper turned her back and knelt so that Clay could help her with the skirt’s zipper.
    One eye on the action, one eye on Josh, Declan rubbed his finger around in his ear as if to clear it.  “Either my hearing’s gone bad, or you’re starting to take your serve and protect oath way too seriously, Harding.  Didn’t any of those bullets knock the stick out of your ass?  She’s a stripper, Josh.  Not some paragon of virtue you need to defend.”
    One small part of Josh’s brain told him that Declan was at least partially right, but another, entirely irrational section made his testosterone seem to gather in his fists.  There must have been something in the air tonight, because he wanted desperately to lay the man out.  There’d been some low-level contention between them ever since they’d met, but for whatever reason it was coming to a head right now.  And damned if he knew why, but the catalyst seemed to be the stripper.  Calling himself all kinds of fool, Josh sucked back his anger and tried to be reasonable.  He didn’t know this woman, had no right to feel… what the hell was he feeling?  Protective?  Jealous?  The whole thing made no sense.  In fact, he was tempted to apologize to Murphy when the woman in question stood up and playfully slid out of her skirt. 
    Stepping out of the garment, she bent over at the waist to pick it up with one finger, twirling it around overhead before flinging it onto Clay’s lap.  Then she reached behind her, unhooked the clasp of the ineffective bra, and draped the garment over the hat on Clay’s head.  Laughing good naturedly, Clay applauded the woman’s efforts as she did a little shimmy in front of him when the music’s crescendo indicated the end to her routine.  She was left wearing only her boots, a tiny little sequined G-string and a couple of tasseled pasties. As she executed a three-sixty Josh got his first really good look at her unclothed body.  Without a doubt, it was the most perfect body he’d ever seen.  In fact, he’d only ever seen one body that even came close.
    Sucking in a breath, heat washed over Josh in a rush, causing sweat to break out all over his body. His eyes darted to the area just above the woman’s left hip.  From this distance he couldn’t be entirely sure, but he thought he spied…
    She turned and he got a much better view, leaving no doubt about it.
    There was a small butterfly tattooed on her left hip.
    “Damn, that is just about the finest piece of ass I’ve ever –”
    Josh’s fist flew out before he knew what he was doing.
    “Harding.  What the hell?”  Declan was on his ass, rubbing his jaw, staring at Josh with first confusion and then a growing lust for blood.  Josh saw it through the red haze which had formed in front of his own eyes, as behind him he heard a feminine shriek and then some very male cursing.  The men gathered near him and Declan were watching them both with confusion, and as Declan gained his feet and made a move for Josh, several scrambled out of the way.  A couple of guys – toasted past reason – started chanting “fight, fight, fight” like this was some junior high schoolyard and they were the lunchtime entertainment, but luckily a few others had more sense and stepped in to intervene.  The best man put himself in front of Declan before the man could launch himself forward, and Josh’s arms were suddenly pinned from behind as Clay made a surprisingly quick and agile move considering the amount of alcohol in his bloodstream.
    “What are you doing, friend?”  Clay asked calmly,