By the Numbers by Chris Owen and Tory Temple Read Free Book Online

scene, thank Christ. Some guys never do." Trey paused and looked stricken for a moment. "I mean, that's cool if you still like to party."
    "Oh, yeah, that's me. I'm huge into the scene." Deuce had no idea where the scene was. Or what it was. "Nah, I'm kind of a homebody. My dirty little secret is that I stay up really late at night reading sometimes."
    Trey laughed. "Right, I forgot for a minute you were a computer nerd. What do you read? Probably not those wizard books. I don't think Lacey reads those yet, anyway."
    "I love those. I've read them all more than once." Deuce nodded. "I have all the DVDs, too. Mostly I read thrillers, though. Or mysteries, or literature, or bestsellers. A lot of fiction. Biographies." Deuce grinned, pulled out his wallet, and produced a card. "My library card has a wear mark on it."
    "Wow. A real library card. I've heard of those." Trey reached out and snatched it from Deuce's hand with a twinkle in his eye. "I'm holding it for ransom."
    Deuce bit back half a dozen inappropriate responses. There were so many ways he could take the discussion into territory that Trey was probably not ready for -- and then he'd have to find a new place to live before he'd even packed a bag. He did roll to his knees and crawl toward his library card, making a grab for the one puppy that was still awake. "And what," he asked, "is the cost for its safe return? It means a great deal to me, you evil kidnapper."
    Trey seemed to make an effort to hold the card up and away from Deuce, but not too far. "Come over for dinner before you move in. Check the place out; make sure you like it. I'll keep your card till you do."
    "Jeez, you better mean soon -- I only have one more book to go before I'm due for a trip there." Deuce made a play for the card and neatly fell across Trey's legs. Very smooth, one of his better loser moves. "Damn it." He hadn't even gotten near the card.
    To his credit, Trey didn't pull away. "I mean tomorrow. I don't work until Saturday."
    "Sweet." Deuce righted himself. "That'll be perfect timing, then." He gave Trey his very best 'I totally meant to do that move that made me look dumb' smile. "I'll bring wine."
    "Damn, you're fancy." Trey laughed and didn't look in the least concerned that Deuce had been sprawled across his lower body. "I drink wine when I go to my parents'. Or when Holly used to order it for me. Do you know the wine thing, too?"
    "What wine thing?"
    "Like what wine goes with what food. The ones that have an oaky flavor with undertones of sweet cherry or white grape." Trey made a face. "I never tasted anything but wine. My palate is clearly untrained."
    "I'm better at telling you what beer has more hops than the next, honestly, but I do have a favorite white and a favorite red. I'll bring both and we'll figure out from there which one goes best with the food." Deuce wasn't above a little social lubrication. In fact, he was a big fan of lubrication.
    Trey appeared to be considering it. "All right," he consented. "As long as you don't make fun of me if I choose the wrong one to go with whatever I make. Oh, any allergies or anything?"
    "No allergies and I like just about everything. I'm not very fussy when it comes to food." He was fussy about time, the state of the bathroom, and his laundry, but not food.
    "That's a good thing," Trey laughed. "I'm not the world's fanciest cook. Firehouse food is probably what you'll get."
    "Chili, pasta, or pizza?"
    "Heh. On nights when I don't want to make an effort. But hey, we eat better than that at work. Some of our guys know their way around the kitchen. When you move in, I'll call you if we're having something good and you can come down for dinner."
    Deuce raised his eyebrows. "You can do that? Just have company for supper?"
    "Yeah, all the time. It's a busy station, though. You run the risk of having to sit there with guys you don't know if my engine gets a call."
    "Let me think. Sitting at a table with a bunch of firefighters in uniform. I think