by S M Olivier
“Who says they don’t already have it?” Drake asked quietly.
“Do you think they do?” I asked in surprise.
“We’ve been having issues with a lot of cyber attacks,” Jace admitted with a frown. “Darren, Gavin, and the team have caught several of them before they could do any major damage or obtain too much data, but whoever's been doing this is good, really good. We don’t know what they're looking for or what they’ve already seen.”
I felt nauseous at the thought. I wondered why I was just now hearing about this. Suddenly an idea struck me. “Before Jemmy started to struggle with her connection, Gavin hinted at the fact that she was able to manipulate computers. Why haven’t they been training her? With the right training, can’t she learn how to trace their activities?”
Drake smiled at me. “That’s a brilliant idea, Blake! She should probably get started on that right away.”
Chapter 26
“Wanna take a shower with me?” Noah asked with a wagged of his eyebrows.
I laughed. “I just straightened my hair.”
I rubbed some lotion onto my smooth legs. I knew some girls went into hibernation during the winter in the sense that they didn’t shave as much, but I didn’t have the luxury. After all, I didn’t have just one guy that might poke fun at me; I had at least three of them that would. Maybe when I got more comfortable in our relationships, I wouldn’t care as much, but I needed to put some effort into it, especially since they were.
“Then you can wash my back.” Noah grinned as he took his t-shirt off. He made his pectoral muscles bounce up and down, and I laughed, even though it was kinda sexy.
I mock pouted. “I wish I could, but I also have to go down to the new conference room. Drake asked me if I wanted to go with him. I guess they made little improvements to the new ones and added a kitchen for them.”
The original conference rooms and offices were still in repair from our attack. The new ones were definitely an improvement.
“So you much rather cook then take a shower with me?” Noah griped with a smile.
“No, dear,” I stood up in my towel and advanced towards him. “I would much rather shower with you, but I already promised to meet Megan and Sierra with Drake. I guess a few more people were added to the guest list, and there’s no way Megan and Sierra can do it on their own, and I’m already late.”
I stood on my tiptoes and brought his lips down to mine. I knew the name of his game the moment he lightly nipped my bottom lip. His tongue entwined with mine, and I ran my fingers through his auburn waves.
He moaned deep in his throat. “Can I share your bed tonight?” he asked when our lips parted, his breathing ragged.
I smiled up at him. “Yes, it feels like it’s been forever.”
“It has been,” he grumbled. “Between helping Harry, which I’m not complaining about, and our lives, it’s been at least two weeks.”
“When I get back from Greg and Miranda’s apartment, I’ll come to meet you in my bed,” I promised him before giving him another quick kiss.
“Hey, Blake?” Drake came into the room. “Oops sorry. I thought you were almost ready.”
I laughed at his expression. “I am. Noah was just trying to distract me. Let me slip on some clothing real quick.”
I patted Noah’s chest before spinning to my closet. I opened it up and began to shift through my clothing. I didn’t want to bum it. Lately, I’ve been rocking the sweats and tanks entirely too much.
“Can you wear that red dress that Anna made and your black leather jacket?” Noah requested.
I laughed. “You know it’s just family and friends at dinner, not a night out, right?”
“It was.” Drake gave me an impish smile. “I just sent Jemmy a text and suggested that she dress up and let the other girls know. I’ll go change my shirt.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “I expected that underhanded behavior from Noah, Jaxson, or Troy. Not you.” I pointed an accusatory finger at him.
Drake gave me a playful smile. “What? I wanted to see you in that red dress, too.” He shrugged.
“So who’s idea was it to dress up?” Megan asked as she chopped some onions.
“Drake’s,” I said immediately as I removed my leather jacket and tied on my apron.
I had to admit to myself that I secretly enjoyed dressing up tonight. The halter dress nearly fit me like a second skin but was light enough to give me freedom of movement. The hemline fell about three inches above my knees, so I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable bending over.
“Whoa, bus driver,” Drake teased before kissing my cheek. “I thought you girls loved any reason to dress up.”
“We do,” Sierra smiled.
I noticed that she was wearing Anna’s yellow high waisted skirt with large black buttons running down the middle. She paired it with a black off-the-shoulder top and a bright yellow headband. In short, she looked hot.
“Tell me what you want me to do, Master Chef,” I teased Megan.
“Can you peel and devein the shrimp?” Megan asked. “You too, Drake.”
“Sure… give us the tedious job,” Drake teased. “You know they sell peeled and deveined shrimp at the market.”
“True,” Megan stated with a shrug. “But they weren’t on sale, and when you’re feeding as many people as we are it’s good to look for the sales.”
“You do realize that Dad has a lot of money and you really didn’t need to shop in the sale section, right?” Jaxson remarked as he came into the room, strolled over to a free counter, and jumped onto it.
Megan sighed. “I have money, too, but that’s beside the point. We never know how long that money lasts or if that money can be used elsewhere.”
“Umm, I think that extra ten dollars you saved wouldn’t have been missed,” Jaxson joked. He grabbed a lemon and started tossing in the air and catching it.
“Blake, honey,” Megan turned to look at me. “When or if Jaxson ever makes it big in the NFL make sure you keep him grounded. He’ll be just another sports player cautionary tale. He’ll get that first check and buy the mansion in a high cost of living area and cars for every day of the week.”
Jaxson paused from his game of catch and looked over at Megan. “How did you know?”
“Jaxson James.” Megan paused in her cutting. “You haven’t changed much, you know that. You were always over the top in everything you did. Right now your father has been able to curb your spending, but once those checks start rolling in, I have a feeling you’re gonna lose control.”
“Don’t worry, Megan, I’ll keep him line,” I reassured her with a mischievous smile.
“You’re the only one who could,” Drake stated with a snort.
“True story,” Jaxson said with no shame.
“Are we eating here or are we going out?” Jace asked as he came into the kitchen. “Not that I’m complaining because you ladies look nice, but this seems a little unexpected. You, my dear, look hot,” he kissed my cheek and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Thank you,” I smiled up at him. “Noah and Drake decided they wanted me to wear one of Anna’s creations so…here we are.”
“Nice, man,” Jace looked over at Drake.
“How was music class?” I asked Jace.
“Great. Micah and Ella are outstanding. It must be something in your genes because they are constantly growing in leaps and bounds,” Jace smiled. “Ben’s been working with Micah on his guitar, and I think he has a better knack for it then the piano. Ben lets him borrow one of his guitars for now, but I think its about time we invested in one for him.”
“I’ll order one for him,” I said with a smile.
Jace chuckled. “I kind of already did.”
I stopped and looked up at him, and I felt tears threaten. How did I get so lucky? My brother was going to have a birthday party almost every kid in America would want. All of them had been spoiled beyond belief for Christmas. They never wanted for everything, and I would bet every penn
y in my bank account that Micah hadn’t asked for the guitar either. He never asked for anything.
“I love you,” I whispered to him.
“I love you more,” he whispered back, kissing me before he straightened. “Now I’m going to shower and get dressed. I’ll see what I can rustle up to wear.”
“Did you guys seriously make shrimp and grits?” Gavin asked coming into the kitchen, peering over Sierra’s shoulder.
“We did.” Sierra smiled at him. “Megan remembered your request.”
“Thanks, Ma!” Gavin exclaimed before leaving a loud resounding kiss on Megan’s cheek.
She laughingly pushed him away. “Knock it off. Who would have thought a childless mother would have so many children?”
I thought on that for a moment. “If you could have children, would you?”
“If there was a safe way without the same repercussions as Hazel’s experiment…?” Megan asked before she slowly nodded. “Yes, and not because I’m not happy about all of you. You know the hardest decision in my life was leaving Jaxson and Jace. But as a child, Alison and I were night and day. She was boy crazy for as long as I could remember. First, she was the tomboy and then she was all about the boys. I was the one that always played with baby dolls.
“I’m not ashamed to admit that I didn’t want a career. I wanted to get married and have children. When we started to show signs that our gifts were coming in, my parents finally sat us down and told us about the possibility of us having issues with children. Alison didn’t care, but I was devastated. I was hoping for a large family. Then she ended up with not one beautiful child but two.” She smiled and waved her hand. “Anyway, enough about me. Let’s plate up this food and get it out there.”
“Let’s,” I agreed, knowing she had revealed more to us then I think she wanted to.
Drake efficiently directed us like we were his kitchen staff. “Jaxson, line up those large bowls on the long prep table. I’ll put the grits in the bowls. Sierra, can you put the sausage and vegetables in the middle of the grits? Blake, can you line the shrimps on the inside rim of the bowls? And, Gavin, you bring out the cornbread. Megan, you go relax.”
“Yes, sir,” Jaxson teased.
“Thanks, Drake,” Megan smiled at him before removing her apron, revealing a black sleeveless dress.
She really was a beautiful woman, with her long dark hair and bright blue eyes. She didn’t look old enough to be in her early forties. Not that that was old, but I’ve seen forty on a lot of people, and it didn’t look nearly as good on them.
“We’re getting fancy, huh?” I teased Drake before slapping his butt.
“Keep that up, kitten, and I’ll make us both late for dinner,” Drake suggestively whispered me in the ear. “Plus, you eat with your eyes first. We really can’t serve shrimp and grits buffet style as the norm in our household.”
I laughed as I grabbed the shrimp. “Promises, promises,” I teased him. “Sometimes I forget you’re the greatest chef ever.”
“I brought dessert,” Dawn stated as she came into the room carrying a large box of cupcakes. “I hope three dozen is enough,” she joked.
I peered into the box. “Is this from the bakery in town? Why have I not been to this bakery?”
“Because you don’t like shopping like we do,” Rachel joked before reaching into the cupboards for some glasses. “We hit it up every time we go into town. They have over forty combinations of cupcakes, and every one we’ve tried have been amazing!”
“Well can you blame the girl?”’ Dawn said with an innocent look. “If I had seven men, I don’t think I would have the free time to go shopping. In fact, most days would be spent on my back.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” I feigned annoyance as I rolled my eyes. “You’re lucky I have my hands full.”
“You do still have your gift,” Gavin reminded me. “I want to see a Jaxson inspired prank.”
“I think that’s a brilliant idea.” I grinned at him before I gave Dawn a pointed look.
“Blake Thomas, you better not,” Dawn looked worried for a moment there.
“Are you done teasing me—” I began before Rachel let out a loud laugh, “—for the night?” I added. “I know it’s impossible to expect that much.”
“Done,” Dawn held her hands up.
“Do you need a hand with anything?” Lincoln asked coming into the room.
“Can you start carrying some dishes out?” Drake asked. “Thanks, man.”
“No problem,” Lincoln said before he entered the room and stopped short when he saw me, his eyes slowly perusing my body. I saw the hunger in his eyes briefly before his eyes were hooded back over. “Are these ready?” he asked grabbing a couple of finished bowls.
“Yes, they’re ready,” Drake said before putting more grits in a bowl.
“I’ll help bring out the drinks,” Dawn told Rachel. “I feel like a waitress, again,” she sighed dramatically. “Those were the days.”
“You were a waitress?” I asked in surprise.
“That’s a story for another day.” Dawn winked, and I came to the realization I didn’t know that much about her. I knew she grew up with a sister, and that her parents, as well as her sister, were Nons. She didn’t really talk about much else, though.
“Sounds like a girl’s night of movies, snacks, and wine,” Rachel said hopefully. “Will it be weird if we watch Lincoln’s new movie and salivate over his body like we used to?”
I groaned. I had entirely forgotten that Lincoln’s new movie came out on DVD this past Tuesday. He didn’t even mention it. Which surprised me. Not that we did much small talk, in fact, I wondered who he turned to nowadays. I knew he hung out with Megan in the mornings and trained with us in the afternoon. I rarely saw him just casually talking to anyone.
“Well, you have to admit that we’re the lucky ones to have him in person,” Dawn said wickedly. “Maybe we can ask him to reenact some of our favorite scenes. This is supposed to be an action romance.”
“I think I’ll have two girls doing a reenactment of that scene from Dirty Dancing for the entertainment tonight during dessert,” I said smugly. “What’s that scene where Jennifer Grey goes crawling across the floor towards Patrick Swayze? You know, the song that the girls knew every word to?”
“Oh Lover Boy,” Sierra supplied with a giggle.
“Not fair, Blake!” Rachel squealed. “You’re bringing a gun to a knife fight.”
“You made me,” I insisted. “Can we not talk about one of my connections like he’s a piece of meat to satisfy your fantasies?”
“Well, if they would have asked nicely, I may have done one reenactment for them,” Lincoln said in amusement in the doorway.
I didn’t know who was redder; the girls or me.
I was surprised to see Dr. Wong, Kirk, Ford, Darren, and one of the SC team members sitting at the table. Everyone was sitting as we passed out plates. I couldn’t help but notice that Lincoln, Pops, and Greg had their heads bent towards each other and seemed to be in a deep conversation as everyone was served and drinks were poured.
It looked slightly posh out here. It was almost like we were sitting in a five-star restaurant with our perfectly prepared plates. There were goblets filled with water and glasses of wine. Large salads and baskets of cornbread were in the middle of the table for us to serve ourselves.
I was dishing out some of my salad when Harry climbed down from his chair and made his way to my side of the table.
“Up?” he asked.
“Harry, come sit and eat your meal,” Greg gave me an apologetic smile.
“It’s fine with me, if it’s fine with you.” I waved him off.
Miranda and Greg exchanged a look before Greg nodded. “If you’re sure, that’s fine.”
“Come on, Harry.” I pulled him up.
“Eat.” he pointed towards my food.
I laughed. “How am I not surprised?” I blew on a spoonful of grits before I held it up to his mouth.
“This food is amazing, Megan,” Kirk stated. “Thanks for inviting us.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” Megan smiled. “I had a lot of help. Drake, Sierra, and Blake were by my side the whole time. In fact, Drake and Blake did the hard part of peeling and deveining the shrimp.”
“Following your recipe,” Drake demurred.
“I have yet to have one disappointing meal from the Bell kitchen,” Paul stated as he wiped his mouth.
“Maybe someone can teach me,” Miranda piped up from the end of the table.
“We do have cooking classes three days a week,” Drake offered with a smile.
“Count me in.” Miranda laughed.
“Me, too,” Jemmy stated on the other side of Gavin.
I had to say I was surprised to see how attentive she was being to Gavin. The air around them was a lot more peaceful. The tension wasn’t there, and it felt calmer.
“Time out,” Jaxson cried out. “Did I hear Jemmy Bell state that she’s going to learn how to cook?”
Jemmy gave him a sweet smile seconds before Jaxson yelped. He stood up and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He threw it on the floor, and I could see the sparks coming off of it. Jaxson looked shocked for a moment before he looked up and grinned.
“Jaxson James!” Will called out in warning, but it was already too late.
Terrance was on the other side of Jemmy where he had been chuckling in his food when he suddenly became a six-foot-five clown complete with white face paint, creepy red grin outlined in blue and black, and a red nose. He even had a crazy multi-colored wig.
Terrance called Jaxson’s name out in warning just as Jemmy screeched and her chair came tumbling to the ground. The whole table was laughing by then, even Harry. Only Will was half-heartedly trying to control the chaos.
“I imagine raising six gifted boys and one gifted girl had to make life interesting in your house, Will.” Kirk smirked.