Deal Breakers

by Laura Lee

  Brody groans as he presses into her. “Fuck, Rainey. You’re killing me.”

  Lorraine leans into him and kisses him briefly before pulling back. “You know you love it.”

  He grabs her hips with both hands. “Honey, you know I do. You can touch my dick any time you’d like.”

  She takes one of his hands and guides it to her breast. “Mmm. I like that idea.”

  What the heck is happening right now? Oh my God, I can’t take this anymore!

  I clear my throat. “Hi, guys.”

  They break apart so fast it’d be comical if I wasn’t so freaked out right now.

  “Devyn!” Lorraine shouts nervously. “What are you doing here?”

  I lean against the island and give them a knowing look. “It’s my kitchen. What are you doing in here?”

  “Uh…” she stammers.

  Brody rips open the refrigerator door so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t fall off the hinges. “Uh…beer. We came to get beer. Right, Rainey?”

  I smirk. “It takes two of you, huh?”

  Brody looks between the two of us and apparently decides that flight is the best course of action. “Uh…I gotta go…somewhere other than here.”

  He quickly shoulders past me and steps out the back door. Lorraine tries to follow but I block her from going anywhere. “Lorraine, what did I just walk in on?”

  She blushes. Lorraine never blushes. “Depends. How long have you been standing there?”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “Long enough.”

  She rolls her eyes. “It’s nothing. We’re just having a good time.”

  “You and Brody? How long has this been going on?”

  She looks over my shoulder. “I don’t know…not long. Please don’t say anything, Dev. We don’t want to make a big deal out of nothing. We’re just scratching an itch. That’s all.”

  I look at her skeptically. “Rainey, that doesn’t sound like—”

  “Hey, sis, can I fire up the grill now? I’m fucking starving,” Drew says.

  Rainey takes his interruption as her ticket to end our conversation. She pats him on the back. “Great idea, Drew! I’ll help!”

  “Sweet!” he says. “You get started on the corn and I’ll take care of the ribs.”

  She busies herself digging through the fridge. “I’m on it.”

  “Rainey—” I start to say.

  She holds her hand up. “Not now, Dev. Drew and I have to feed the natives before they get restless. We’ll talk later.”

  “This conversation isn’t over,” I warn.

  She does an exaggerated eye roll. “Trust me; I know I’m not that lucky.”

  Lorraine and Drew cook while Brody finishes assembling the patio furniture. I smile when I see Riley and Nathan coming out to join us on the deck.

  Nathan holds out a miniature model of a jet. “Mom, look what Daddy gave me! He said I can make planes just like he does when I grow up if I wanna!”

  “He doesn’t make them,” Drew mutters. “He draws pictures of them.”

  Riley laughs. “Aircraft design is a little more involved than that, dude.”

  Drew rolls his eyes. “Whatever.” He crouches down to Nate’s level. “I thought you said you want to be a big strong fireman like your Uncle Drew when you grow up?” He flexes his ridiculously large biceps for emphasis.

  Nathan mirrors the move. “I can be a big, strong fireman and make planes!”

  Riley laughs and ruffles his hair. “You sure can, bud.”

  Nathan beams. “See Unca’ Drew? Daddy says I can!”

  Drew stands up and resumes his position at the grill. “Well, if Daddy says it, then it must be true,” he says dryly.

  I smack Drew’s chest. “Behave.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Drew mutters.

  The six of us spend the rest of the evening eating, drinking, and sharing plenty of laughter. I smile to myself as I look around. I’m so lucky to have these people in my life. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I keep a close eye on Lorraine and Brody but they’re careful not to slip up again. I find myself wondering once again what is going on between those two. Lorraine is certainly open to exploring her sexuality but she doesn’t take sex lightly. She says they’re just scratching an itch but it’s so out of character for her that I have trouble believing that. Why Brody? Why now? She’s seen him go through a string of meaningless hookups. Why would she want to get involved with someone like that?

  I catch Riley’s eye and bite my lip when I realize that he behaved exactly like Brody back in the day. And now look at him. You know that saying that the right person can make anyone change their ways? It took us far too long to figure it out but I’ve learned that it’s certainly true. At least for me and Riley. I don’t know what’s going on with Rainey and Brody—I just hope that she doesn’t get hurt. Things might get a little awkward between me and Riley if I have to remove his best friend’s testicles.

  Drew sits at the end of my lounger and nods to Riley. “Are you sure about moving in with this schmuck?”

  I roll my eyes and laugh. “I’m positive, Drew.”

  He pouts. “I’m going to miss you guys.”

  I slide down the chair and pull him into a side hug. “We’re going to miss you too. You’re always welcome here, you know.”

  He hugs me tighter. “I’m holding you to that.”

  RILEY

  NATHAN IS ASLEEP AND everyone but Rainey has gone home. I keep fingering the ring box that’s been burning a hole in my pocket, thinking about what I want to say to her. I need to make this perfect.

  Devyn walks Rainey to the door. “I mean it, Lorraine. We’re having a long talk tomorrow.”

  “Yes, mother,” Rainey replies. “Goodnight.”

  “Night.” After locking up, Devyn turns around and surveys the room. “Man, we’ll be unpacking these boxes for a while.”

  I clear my throat nervously. “Uh…yeah. Lots of boxes.”

  She gives me a strange look. “Are you okay?”

  “Come here,” I say.

  She comes closer and smiles sweetly at me. “What’s going on, Rye?”

  “I know it might seem fast,” I stammer. “But when you think about it, we’ve known each other for almost ten years. Yeah, we hit some pretty big speed bumps along the way, but we made it through. And now everything’s perfect. I have you, and Nathan…this house. We can be a family. There’s only one thing that’s missing.”

  She grabs my hand. “Everything is perfect. I couldn’t possibly ask for anything else.”

  I shake my head. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. I can think of one really important thing to ask for.”

  She crinkles her brows. “What’s that?” I drop to my knee and pull the ring out of my pocket, opening the box. “Oh,” she gasps.

  I take her hand. “Devyn, I meant it when I said that you’re it for me. There’s never going to be anyone else in this world that means more to me than you do. I’ve loved you for almost ten years, even though I was too stupid to admit it until recently. But I know, without a doubt, that we were meant to be together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to teach Nathan how to play football and drive a car. I want to make more babies with you and watch our child growing inside of you. I want to run out at two in the morning to get you pickles and ice cream or whatever other nasty shit pregnant ladies crave. I want to bounce our grandchildren on my knee and look over at you when you’re old, wrinkly, and gray and still think you’re the sexiest woman alive. I want to be there through it all with you. I want to do it all for you. For us. There’s only one thing I need from you in return.”

  She wipes a tear away. “What’s that?”

  I smile. “I need you to say yes. Devyn Summers, will you make me the happiest sonofabitch alive and be my wife?”

  She nods. “Yes.”

  I slide the two carat solitaire on her finger and stand up. “Yes? Really?”

  The tears are flowing freely now. “Really, Rye. N
ow take me to bed so we can practice making those babies.”

  I grin. “Deal.”

  Did you enjoy Deal Breakers? Please help recommend it to others by leaving a review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. They really do make a difference!

  OTHER BOOKS BY LAURA LEE

  Paranormal Romance

  Pixie Dust (Karli Lane #1)

  Vampires, Warlocks, and Exes—Oh My! (Karli Lane #2)

  Finding Faerie (Karli Lane #3)

  My Fairy Lady (Karli Lane novella)

  Contemporary Romance - coming soon!

  Deal Takers (Rainey and Brody’s story)

  Deal Makers (Drew and Charlotte’s story)

  To my husband, Tad: Your unwavering support and encouragement is invaluable. You continue to amaze me every day with all that you do for me and our children. I am truly honored to be your wife. I mean, really, who else would put up with my never-ending sarcasm and eye rolls?

  To my children, Kaitlynn and Carter: Thank you for your patience while I lock myself away to write at all hours. You both make me so proud each and every day. Mommy loves you to infinity plus infinity!

  To my brother, Mike: Thank you for getting drunk as a toddler and giving me two nephews to use as inspiration for this story.

  To my friend/critique partner/ cover designer/ interior formatter/ fellow author, Jen (JL) Durfey: Thank you once again for all of your feedback throughout the writing process and your beautiful designs at OMK Creations. I really, really, REALLY want to read some more of your stories so get back to writing them, lady!

  To Travis Frost: This story wouldn't be nearly as funny without your man-child ways and potty humor. Go shorty, it's your birfday! We gonna party like it's your birfday!

  To my beta readers, Jamie Clark-Frost and "Princess" Catania: Thank you once again for allowing me to bounce ideas off of you throughout the writing process. You're two of my favorite ladies alive and I wouldn't trade you for all the books in the world! Anyone who knows me well, knows how powerful that statement is!

  To my editor, Erin Potter: Thank you for continuing to put up with my delays, sentence flow issues, and punctuation errors. You're truly a joy to work with and I will happily endorse your services at Shamrock Editing any time!

  To all the bloggers and reviewers: Taking time out of your busy lives to share your opinions with others makes it possible for Indie authors like me to do what we love. I can't possibly articulate how valuable you are to me, but please know that I am eternally grateful for everything you do.

  Last, but NEVER least, to my readers: If you took the leap with me from paranormal to contemporary romance, thank you for putting your faith in me! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as my previous ones. If you're new here, welcome and thank you for your support! You all made it possible for me to leave a seventeen-year career to pursue writing full time. My life is infinitely better now and I cannot possibly thank you enough for that. I will forever be your fangirl!

  LAURA LEE IS THE AUTHOR of the bestselling Karli Lane series and the Dealing With Love series. She is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America focusing on paranormal, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance.

  Laura's passion has always been storytelling. She spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. She won her first writing contest at the ripe old age of nine, earning a trip to the state capital to showcase her manuscript. Thankfully for her, those early works will never see the light of day again!

  Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence. She likes her fruit smoothies filled with rum, her cupboards stocked with Cadbury's chocolate, and her music turned up loud. When she's not writing or watching HGTV, she's reading anything she can get her hands on. She's a sucker for spicy romances, especially those involving vampires or cowboys!

  For more information, check out her website at:www.lauraleebooks.com