by Lauren Dane
“Out here!” Erin called back.
“Well, we really should be going and let you guys get back to your day.”
“Elise and Rennie. Just the ladies I wanted to see.” Brody walked out the open gate, and Elise saw quite the crowd gathered back there.
She waved, but Rennie hobbled over on her skates to give Brody a hug before starting to chatter. Brody, to his credit, appeared to be listening and nodded in all the appropriate places.
When Rennie finally slowed down, Brody looked up and caught Elise’s attention. “You two busy today? We’re having a barbecue. Adrian just went triple platinum, so we thought we should celebrate. We’ve got burgers, dogs, salmon and even veggie burgers if you’re so inclined. Cream soda and ice cream for later too.”
He was just so, gah, she shouldn’t let herself be so attracted to him, but that pull, that draw they both clearly felt, zinged between them.
“Ice cream? Momma, can we?”
“I don’t want to intrude on your family celebration.”
Erin took her hand and squeezed it. “We’d love to have you. There are a few other kiddos back there for Rennie to play with too.”
“It’s a ragtag group. They’ll fall out of their chairs when you come through. So pretty.” Adrian winked at her, and Brody moved closer, bumping his brother with his body.
“You wouldn’t be intruding. I was headed over to invite you two anyway. I would have come by earlier, but I didn’t know I was having a barbecue today until Erin showed up.” He shot his sister a look and she simply shrugged.
Erin grinned, appearing totally unrepentant. “Your backyard is big. It’s a nice day. Adrian’s place doesn’t have all the parking yours does. Plus, you know you love it.”
He snorted and looked back to Elise. “So?”
“Okay. Okay. But you can’t complain when she gets hopped up on sugar and starts talking a mile a minute.”
Brody tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear and she nearly melted on the spot. “All right.”
“Can I bring anything? I mean, I can toss something together.” Great, her voice went all breathy and his sister totally noticed.
“Just you and Rennie will be fine.”
“We just need to take off our skates and stuff. We’ll be right back!” Rennie pulled on Elise’s arm, so she followed her daughter.
“Just come through the back gate when you’re ready,” he called as they left.
“She’s very pretty.” Erin looked at her older brother as they headed into the backyard.
“And nice. Great kid.” Adrian was so helpful.
“A girl would have to be blind or dead not to see the way you looked at each other. When did that start?” That her brother had never actually looked at a woman that way interested Erin greatly. When he’d tucked her hair back, so gentle and sweet, Erin had seen the chemistry between them written all over their body language.
Brody paused, looked at her and gave up. “About a month. She’s got a business to build up, I have a business to keep afloat, she has a kid. We . . . It’s very casual. I like her. She’s a friend and we have chemistry. Like wicked crazy chemistry. She pushes my buttons in a big way. I gotta tell you, it’s really good to be me right about now. It’s not so much a secret, but we’re keeping it mellow around the kid. She’s a good kid.”
“Reminds me a lot of you.” Adrian pulled Erin’s hair.
“This is exclusive?” Erin looked to Raven, who sat on the other side of the yard. Raven wasn’t Brody’s girlfriend, hadn’t been for years, but they occasionally slept together, or had in the past, and Erin wondered how strong Brody’s feelings still were for their friend. This brewing thing between him and the lovely lady from across the street had a lot of potential. Erin loved Raven like a sister, but Raven left lovesick men and women in her wake, and Erin didn’t much like it that Brody had been one.
“We’re not dating. Not really. But we agreed to not have sex with anyone else. It’s not too much to ask.” He shrugged.
“I didn’t say it was and I agree. I was just thinking you might want to, you know, keep some space from Raven if Elise is here. Elise may not be familiar with Raven’s type and get the wrong idea.”
“There are kids here, Raven’ll behave.”
Zing. Point went right over Brody’s head like the dumb man he was. Brody having women he slept with was one thing. Raven wouldn’t care about that. But Erin wondered how Raven would react to seeing her brother totally into another woman emotionally.
She looked to Todd, who sent her a shrug of his own. Men.
Rennie bounced ahead of her mother and Elise kept an eye out as she tried not to be nervous. Brody’s backyard was filled with people, and true to Erin’s claim, there were at least five other kids, all around Rennie’s age, running around back there.
“Hi again, come on in,” Brody called from his place up on the deck. Several people looked up to take her in. Erin waved and came over, grinning, holding hands with two kids.
“Hi, Nina!” Rennie began to chatter with the other little girl, and the boy bounced off.
“Rennie is in my class,” Nina looked up to exclaim. “Come on, we’re getting ready to play soccer.”
“Bye, Momma!” Rennie scampered off, and Elise felt a tug in her chest where the other half of her heart lived. As lovely as it was to see her daughter make friends and like her new life, she was growing up at what seemed to Elise to be an alarming rate. “They’re good kids. Brody’s yard is secure. Nina and Mase belong to Arvin, he’s the manager of Brody’s shop. He and his wife live just two blocks over. The others, heck, Rennie probably knows a few more, as many of us live within a mile or so. Wow, you’re a ballerina. That’s awesome.” Erin finally wound down, and Elise couldn’t help but be charmed.
“Not as awesome as being a rock star.”
An extremely handsome man came up to them, handed Erin a bottle of cream soda, kissed her gently and grinned at Elise. “Hi there, I’m Todd, Erin’s husband. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Elise. Um, sure. One of those would be good, thanks.” She indicated the cream soda and he moved away to grab her one. “He’s pretty.”
Erin laughed. “He is. I have two of them, so I hope you’re not offended.”
“Two of what?”
“Todd is my husband, but Ben . . .” She paused, looking around until she smiled again and pointed out another man, this one bigger than Todd but just as ridiculously good-looking. “Ben is ours too. Our husband but without the paperwork.”
Was this a test? “Lucky you.” Elise shrugged. “That one is pretty too.”
Erin seemed to relax a bit. “I am lucky. They’re both . . . Well, to find one person to love is special enough, but to find two and to be loved just as much in return, it’s pretty amazing.”
“Hello? Why are you bogarting my guest?” Brody called out, and Elise craned her neck to see him better. He grinned, a very close approximation of the smile his sister had worn just a few minutes before. “What can I get you? A dog? Burger? Salmon?”
Todd returned and handed her a cream soda. She thanked him before heading up the steps to where Brody stood behind a fancyschmancy grill.
“Any recommendations?” She looked over his arm to see the grill. “Swank.”
He laughed. “Try the salmon. It has a miso glaze. Erin makes it.”
“Some people have to hog up being good at stuff.” She took the plate he handed her, a rush of sensation sliding over her when their fingers brushed. A taste of the fish only made it better. “Oh, this is good.” She looked out over the yard to find Rennie running with the pack of kids, kicking a ball around. “I’d see if she was hungry, but I think she’s a bit busy.”
“I should have thought to introduce her to Nina and Mase this summer when you guys first moved in. She looks pretty happy.”
Somehow, the way he looked at her daughter and smiled made her all warm. Good lord, she should not be having these little internal moments.
“Yeah, she does. Thanks for inviting us. Can I help? Get out of your way?”
He stepped very close. “You look so good. If Rennie wasn’t here, I’d clear away that bit of cream soda from the corner of your mouth.”
“You’re not fair. I’m not sure my bra can hide how hard my nipples are,” she murmured back. The up and down slide of his Adam’s apple, the bead of sweat on his neck, the scent of his soap, all of it tested her control.
“I don’t want to be fair. I want to put my hands on you. I want to put my mouth on your pussy and lick until you come.”
She looked up at him as her skin tingled with awareness. He flipped her switch on such a primal level it was sort of scary. She thought about fucking him pretty much all the time. He set her on fire, had pushed her system into sexual hyperdrive, and she had to admit, she sort of dug it. She’d never been so hungry to be fucked in her life. It made her feel so alive! Sexy and desirable as a woman. It was liberating really.
“You keep looking at me like that, and I’m going to toss you over my shoulder and take you into the pantry.” His voice was low, but she had to close her eyes a moment as the idea of what they’d do in the dark of the pantry flashed through her brain.
“If you want, I can take her off your hands. Since the burgers need turning and all.”
Surprised, Elise turned and nearly smacked into someone. A very good-looking someone. Christamighty, where did all these hot people come from?
Brody put one hand on her shoulder while he flipped the burgers with the other one. “Yeah, I think not. Cope, this is Elise. Elise, this is Ben’s brother, Cope.”
“Ben is that one there, holding Erin’s hand,” he said, responding to her confused look.
At least the hotness made sense if he was related to that one.
“Ah, yes. Okay, Erin told me about him earlier, but I haven’t met him yet.”
“We’re getting ready to play cards. Do you play cards?” Cope flashed a smile, complete with a dimple. This guy was a real bad boy. His grin was pure sex and he knew it. It charmed her.
That’s when she saw the lush brunette approach. “Don’t do it unless you’re good. They’re a very cutthroat bunch.” Elise wondered just who this woman was, given the way Brody’s body had tightened and he’d actually stepped closer to Elise.
“I spent a lot of time touring and waiting around backstage. I’m pretty good at cards and pool.” She held out a hand after wiping the condensation from the bottle on her pants leg. “I’m Elise.”
They shook hands and it was fine, but Elise’s internal radar was flashing red. This was a woman who’d meant something to him once. Still did, if her presence meant anything, and she had no reason to doubt that. The people there were close-knit. They knew each other, this group. She got the feeling Brody Brown didn’t do the important things halfway. He might come off as laid back to the extreme, but Elise saw his focus, saw the way he interacted with people. He’d be the type to take care of the things he valued. And the people. One of these days, he’d make some woman an exceptional husband and co-parent.
“I’m Raven.”
The woman had a smile on her face, but if Elise wasn’t mistaken, an air of challenge lurked there. Great, probably an ex- or not so ex-girlfriend.
“Elise and her little girl live across the street. She’s the one who helped him when he got hit,” Erin explained as she came up with Ben. “I saved us a table right there.” Erin pointed.
Cope leaned back against a nearby ledge and sipped a beer. “Pool, huh? We play every other Friday at the pub just around the corner from the shop. You should come along sometime.”
“Thanks for the invite. I don’t have a lot of Friday nights free. I have a little girl, so I stick around home a lot.” She didn’t have the free time they did, but it was still nice to be asked.
“When she’s not working in her studio. You should see her dance. It’s pretty freaking amazing.” Brody touched the small of her back. Just a casual touch, but it relaxed her a bit.
“Momma! I’m hungry. Can we eat?” Rennie led the charge of the pack of children she’d been playing with.
“I’ve got a platter of burgers and dogs right here,” Brody called out to a cheer.
“I’ll get that.” She took it and looked over to the kids. “Why don’t you all come over here to this table where the plates are so you can grab something?”
In the midst of the chaos of grabbing hands and pleased sounds from the kids, another woman came to help. “I’m Maggie, Arvin’s wife. Those two are mine.” She pointed out her kids.
“Elise.” She motioned to Rennie. “That one is mine.”
“I’ve seen you dropping her off at school in the mornings. If you ever want to take a morning off, or if you need to trade off, let me know. I teach at the school. Fourth grade. So I’m there anyway.”
The two women, along with another mom and a dad, got the kids situated, and it wasn’t until she’d moved back, standing in the autumn sunshine, that Elise realized it had been four years since she’d had a barbecue with friends, two since she’d really had close friends of any type.
Rennie and Nina had become fast friends in the way only girls their age could. A year ago, Rennie had been prone to nightmares about losing her mother. And now she could be in a backyard, eating freshly cooked burgers and giggling with a girlfriend. Elise had done the right thing to leave and move west.
“Here, you forgot this.” Brody handed her the plate with her salmon, and he’d added some pasta salad on the side. “You’ll waste away if you don’t eat.”
She looked up at him, knowing the smile on her face made it pretty obvious there was more between them than just being friends. But he made her happy and she genuinely liked him. Judging by his return smile and the way he squeezed her hand, he wasn’t feeling too shabby either.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay, but I can’t turn down lunch.” She let him lead her to a table nearby where the kids had settled, and they both sat along with Erin and her two men. Two. Awesome.
“This is a great yard.”
“Thanks. It’s been a project for the last several years. I take something big each season and do it. The most recent thing was the water feature near the back corner. I like working with my hands.”
Gah, she really wished she could control her blushes better. She may as well wear a sign that said, Yes, we totally did it.
Erin changed the subject. “I looked you up online. I admit it. I love dancing and I got curious when Brody had said you danced with NBT. I watched several clips of you on YouTube. I’m really impressed. You’re an amazing dancer. You did Giselle several times, that’s a big deal.”
“It is? Why?” Brody leaned in for her answer.
Pleasure and pride flushed through her. “It’s a plum role. The role you go up through school dreaming of dancing. Very dramatic story. Love, heartbreak, death, revenge, forgiveness. You’re not only dancing but you’re acting too. Technically it’s very difficult, so many of the greatest dancers have taken up the role. To be among those names is a hope of many a young woman coming into ballet. It was most certainly mine.”
“I’m so glad you got to live that dream. It’s amazing, isn’t it? To stand up on the stage and actually be doing what you’d fantasized about and worked for your whole life?”
Their gazes locked briefly and Elise realized Erin Keenan had a lot of depth.
“I don’t know a lot about ballet, but I was so struck by the intensity of your grace and poise when you’re dancing. It would have been wonderful to see you perform live.”
“I’ve seen a bit, she’s pretty amazing.” Brody spoke in an offhand manner. Totally casual. And she melted a bit inside at the pride in his voice.
Erin’s eyes widened, and then she sent Brody a decidedly teasing grin. Elise thought about her brother, thought about how much fun he’d been as they’d grown up. Erin still had that and Elise envied her.
“Thank you. I love to dance, I hav
e for as long as I could remember. I’m not one of those people who was forced into lessons or whatever. I would have spent all my time dancing if I could have. But when your dad is a professor, you can’t blow off school.”
“Do you miss it?”
Elise paused. “Yes. But I’m getting older and I got hurt. Some things you can’t come back from. So teaching is the next best thing.” She needed to have that tattooed on herself. Some things you’ll never come back from. But you can survive them and that’s what she did.
Brody watched her in his yard, with his friends and family, and found that he liked her there. He had his circle, and they meant everything to him, so it meant more than he could really grasp to have her there and feel like she was meant to be there. Rennie fit in great with the other kids. Elise made friends in her own way, but she was sort of irresistible, this huge force of nature in such a deceptively pretty package.
He took some of the larger trays into the kitchen and began to clean them up as Todd packed up the leftovers.
“So what’s that story?” Raven brought a tray inside and began to dry as he rinsed.
“Story?”
“Very tiny blonde lady in your backyard with the kid? Hello? I know you noticed her because you haven’t taken your eyes off her for more than three minutes at a time. You’ve been stuck to her like glue and even gave Cope the stink eye when he started that game of cards and invited her to play.”
He smiled at her, wondered what it was that had turned him so upside down those years before. When he looked at Raven now, he certainly found beauty; you’d have to be blind not to. But he saw so much more. Too much to ignore and continue to love her, but enough that he’d always hold her in a special place.
“She’s a very pretty blonde lady who helped me out when I got hit by a car, and we struck up a friendship. I like her. I like her company. And as much as I’d get Cope’s back in a brawl any day, I don’t want anyone else to like her the way I’m currently liking her. Which is all I’m going to say about it right now.”
Todd, who’d been ferrying things inside and back into the fridge, overheard and barked out a laugh. “You’ve got his number, but like Raven said, we’d all have to be blind not to have seen the way you two have been with each other all afternoon. Cope is a man whore, as Erin would say, but he’s got ethics. He wouldn’t poach anyone else’s anything.”