“Sure, sure,” Meghan assured him. “The Major thought Raven would be good company for Tori while Drae was gone, so I was just dropping her off.”
Stephanie took in how well behaved the blond seven-month-old Labrador seemed at the moment. Quite the change from the rambunctious, overactive puppy she’d seen just yesterday. Zeus nosed the puppy and licked her head like she was encouraging the dog, then let out a muffled woof. Raven thumped her tail on the wood floor then trotted off with a backward glance at Zeus and went to Victoria’s side. Well, that was certainly interesting, she thought. Looked to her as if Zeus just gave her puppy friend the four-one-one where Tori was concerned. How cute was that?
“Hi sweetie,” Tori cooed as she struggled to bend over her big belly and give the adorable puppy a smooch. “Mommy missed you.” Raven’s tail thumped on the floor as she sat meekly next to Tori’s chair.
“What are you going to do while I’m with Carmen,” Stephanie asked.
Victoria sighed and rubbed her tummy. “Actually, I was going to try and nap. Didn’t get much sleep last night and we made an early start of it at the airport.”
Calder offered to wheel her to the elevator so she could go upstairs to the master suite, but Tori nixed the suggestion, saying she preferred to cuddle up with Raven in the den on the big sectional sofa—maybe watch some TV and vegetate.
Stephanie went to her daughter’s side, cupped her face in both hands, and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “You good by yourself for a few hours?” she asked quietly. Swiping her thumbs across her daughter’s cheeks, she smiled into her upturned eyes. Tori put a hand on one of hers and smiled back. It was hard not to comment on the sadness she found in her expression. Tori’s love for and need to have her husband at her side tore at Stephanie’s heart. “Maybe I should stay with you,” she murmured.
“I can hang out for a while,” Meghan interjected. “Calder can drive himself back to the house with Zeus so I can stay until you get back, Stephanie.”
Great idea, Stephanie thought, but Tori was having none of it.
“I’m fine, you guys. Really.” She patted Raven on the head and said, “Besides, I have my little girlfriend here to keep me company.”
Stephanie wasn’t so sure. Tori always did play the capable and in control card whenever she could.
Calder, who had been quietly standing off to the side, cleared his throat and motioned to her with his head. Something about his expression gave Stephanie pause. It was as if he was trying to tell her not to hover and smother her daughter. Maybe he saw something in this situation that she didn’t or couldn’t because she was too close to it.
“Why don’t we all give Victoria some privacy?” he suggested smoothly. “ It’s a quick flight into Chicago so the agency plane will be on the ground soon, and I’m sure Draegyn will check in with his wife when they land.”
Oh yeah, right. Her daughter was a married woman with a husband who would occasionally have to go out of town on business. The two needed to figure out how to best handle the strain this reality would bring to their relationship without interference.
Lacey spoke up. “Captain Sawyer will send me a text after the plane lands. I’ll have a heads up before they get to the hotel and Cameron will call the second he can with an update.”
As a mother, she was conflicted. Wasn’t that always the way? Wanting nothing more than to wave a magic wand and make her daughter’s life perfect and stress-free, Stephanie was having a hard time letting this moment pass. But she needed to. It was one thing to help Tori find her way and another altogether to take over.
Meghan saved the day. One more way that she was absolutely perfect for Alex because just like her fiancé, she knew exactly what to say and do.
“Listen up everyone—here’s what’s going to happen,” the tactful redhead announced. Pointing in her direction while she issued instructions just like a teacher organizing her students, she told Stephanie, “You go ahead and freshen up for your outing.” Turning with a nod at Lacey, she said, “We’ll get Tori settled in the den and,” she added with an arched eyebrow at Calder, “you take the dogs for a quick run around the yard. Make sure Raven takes care of any puppy business outside the house, okay?”
Twenty minutes later, Tori was comfortable in the den with her feet up, the TV was on and a remote control nearby with Raven nestled comfortably atop a squishy throw blanket between her legs and the back of the sofa.
“Have all the fun, Mom,” she called out as Stephanie grabbed her bag and did a last-second mirror check. Blowing her daughter a kiss, she waved her cellphone in the air with a quick reminder to text if she needed anything, and then headed for the front porch.
It wasn’t a surprise to find Lacey and Meghan talking quietly in the driveway while Calder sat on the stoop scratching Zeus behind the ears. Everyone looked up when Stephanie came through the door, even the dog.
“Think she’ll be okay by herself?” she worried aloud.
Lacey came, put her arm through hers, and gave her a reassuring tug. “She’ll be fine, Mom. Tori’s a strong woman, and even though she’s struggling now, I don’t think she’d appreciate all of us trying to chew her food for her. Let’s give her some space and let her decide if she wants or needs any help, okay?”
They climbed aboard the Peach-Mobile while Calder got Zeus settled in the back of Meghan’s John Deere cart for the ride back to the main house. Meghan came to her side and touched Stephanie on the arm.
“Have a good time with Carmen and don’t worry so much.”
“Thanks,” Stephanie mumbled with a sigh. “I know she’s fine, but a mother always worries. Right, Lacey?” she asked.
Lacey made a face and pretended to fan herself. “Are you kidding? Dylan’s two months old and just being away from him for a couple of hours has me practically hyperventilating. Let’s go! Ta Ta for now, Irish,” she hooted, then looked over her shoulder at Calder and waved.
As Meghan walked back to her cart, Stephanie made eye contact with Calder, who was looking at her with those blue eyes that seemed to cut through all her defenses. He slid on a pair of sunglasses and grinned at her just before Meghan pressed the ignition button.
“Later, Queenie,” he proclaimed with amusement in his voice as the other cart zipped out of the driveway before them and whizzed toward the main house.
As they drove toward the Justice cabin, she heard Lacey murmur, “My God but he’s hot when he smiles, huh?”
Huh, indeed.
“ALL EYES ON CAPTAIN OBVIOUS,” Meghan chirped in a silly voice when Alex came strolling toward her from the tech cave. She was sitting at the piano playing a quiet melody with Zeus wrapped protectively around her ankles.
“Uh oh,” he quipped as he neared. “Sounds like your fiancé did something dumb. Care to elaborate?”
Taking a seat next to her on the piano bench, he shoved her butt with his thighs so she’d scoot over to make room for him.
She kept on playing but gave him some coquettish side-eye and grinned. “Kiss me, sir, and I’ll think about telling you.”
Alex murmured a husky, “Mmm,” as he wrapped his big hand around her neck and tugged her mouth close to his. “Sir kisses. My favorite.”
The piano playing instantly halted, and one deeply ravenous and very wet kiss later, he sat back and leered at her while his thumb wiped some stray saliva away from the corner of her mouth.
“It’s been hours since I was inside you.”
Meghan squirmed as his words stoked the fire burning inside her to a triple alarm blaze. Her Major took enormous delight in saying things like that at every opportunity. Didn’t matter if anyone was around, either. If they weren’t alone, he simply lowered his voice so only she could hear what he was saying but always, always left little doubt what he was thinking or how much he wanted her naked and underneath him. She sighed. The feeling was entirely mutual.
There really was only one thing to do. Shifting, she put her hands on his broad shoulders, slu
ng a thigh over his legs and settled onto his lap with a naughty wiggle. Her butt hit the keys on the piano making them clang, bringing a snorting laugh from each of them.
Spearing hungry fingers into his hair, Meghan pressed closer until she was plastered to him, kissing his ear, neck, jaw and any other patch of skin she could find. Licking his neck, she groaned and told him, “You taste so good.”
A hoarse grunt came from Alex. “You have one minute to tell me what the Captain Obvious comment was for. And then I’m taking you to our bedroom, stripping that pretty dress off your spectacular body, and making love to you until you can’t walk. Understand?”
She quivered as his hand slid up a thigh and reached underneath her dress moving with unerring accuracy straight to her satin covered mound. He could have continued on and slipped his big hand inside her panties but instead he found the perfect spot to rotate his thumb until she started to tremble and shake.
In a husky voice she told him, “You sent Calder down to Drae’s because you knew Stephanie would be alone, didn’t you?”
“Mmmm hmmm,” he admitted, his thumb making wicked circles on her swollen clit. “Has he found a way inside her beauty queen gown yet?”
“No,” she groaned when he started nibbling on her neck. “But they aren’t ready to call a duel at dawn anymore.”
“Good enough. He’s on his fucking own from here.”
Meghan whimpered and ground against the erection Alex did nothing to hide. “How did you know?”
He reared back and looked at her but never stopped stroking the nub begging for his full attention.
“Know what?” His voice was harsh and sounded like a man overtaken with desire.
She leaned in and licked the shell of his ear, then swirled her tongue inside before sucking his earlobe into her mouth for a quick nip.
“Know that he’d be interested in her.”
Alex took his hand out from under her dress, reached around, grabbed onto her curvaceous butt, and hauled her against him. Meghan shook from head to toe, enjoying the way his hardened sex pressed into her flesh and how his muscular chest felt against her breasts. Even through clothes, he was absolutely the sexiest damn motherfucker on the planet. And he was hers.
“Frankly, my dear,” he drawled in his very best Rhett Butler-ish tone, “the morning they met, old Uncle Calder was very much leading with his dick. If you know what I mean.”
“Why, Major Marquez,” she mimed in her fake Scarlett O’Hara voice, “I do declare you are a very bad man.”
When he squeezed her ass with both hands, she gasped and sought his eyes. “Let me take you upstairs, my Irish fuck Goddess, and demonstrate for you just how bad.”
“Hurry,” she moaned and that, as they say, was all they wrote.
DRAE HAD CALLED VICTORIA THE moment he and Cam checked into their hotel. He was more than just a little relieved when she’d answered in a groggy voice, purring sweetly as they talked briefly, and letting him know she was napping with the puppy in the den while her mom went out. Knowing everything was okay at home meant he could focus on other things.
After getting Cam started on the computer doing whatever the fuck he did when he was in tracking mode, Drae left the hotel as he’d vowed earlier. He headed straight for a high-end jeweler, where he proceeded to set his exclusive black credit card on fire. The driver of the car he’d hired drove him to an area called the Magnificent Mile and dropped him at the door to Cartier. The perfect choice.
First things first, he spent a ridiculous amount of time with a diamond expert picking out a bridal set that was delicate and feminine just like the woman who would wear it. It had so many diamonds set in platinum that he lost count. Basically, he told the man to make sure there were as many stones as humanly possible. He never hesitated when asked if he required a man’s ring to accompany the bridal set, choosing a simple platinum band that he absolutely refused to try on. The only way he’d wear that ring was if Victoria put it on him. Plain and simple. She’d missed out on so much where all that stuff was concerned that he needed to make the exchange of rings a special moment that she’d always remember .
Next, he went a little overboard after deciding that amethysts were perfect for his petite brown-haired wife—adding a magnificent pear-shaped drop necklace, two delicate bracelets, and a pair of heart-shaped earrings that he had boxed up immediately. The other purchases would be shipped by special courier to the Villa, where Alex could put everything in the safe until the time was right.
Had he spent an insane sum of money? Absolutely. Did he fucking care even a little bit? Not in the least. Being a St. John came along with a staggering trust fund that had been untouched and growing for years. Since leaving the military, he’d made more money than he would ever need—all of his Justice Brothers had. They weren’t the best because they charged basement dollar rates.
Back at the hotel, he heard the best news possible the moment he got through to Cam’s room.
“I think I’ve got a lead on Majid. Did you know he was completely on his own? No bodyguard—nothing. The kid was probably bound to run at some point. Plus, Sharif’s people must be dumb as fucking dirt if they couldn’t track the kid down. Like seriously, dude.”
Drae laughed. Cam always did cut right to the chase when he was on to something. “How easy was it, then?”
“Well, it’s not as if he’s leaving breadcrumbs or anything but five minutes searching his college email account and I found the log-in shit he uses in an online game. Plus, I found his girlfriend’s name, where he likes to eat, and even a cheat sheet for a Psych 101 test. This kid may be a Crown Prince, but he’s just like every other dumbass nineteen-year-old college student on the planet.”
“How long till you pin him down, Cam? I’d like to be done with this. Like yesterday, if possible.”
“Yeah, fuck. I hear that. First time I’ve been away from Lacey and the baby and between you and me, I might be crying some very uncool dude tears tonight.”
Drae bellowed with laughter. “I see your man-tears and up you one very expensive trip to Cartier’s.”
“About damn time,” Cam muttered. “My wife was seriously considering giving you a stern talking to.”
The notion that Lacey Cameron could give anyone a stern talking to, let alone him, made Drae smile. The lady was so damn sweet and gentle that she needed her own Wikipedia entry to define how awesome she is.
“I blame you,” Drae chuckled. Sapphires and twenty-four karat gold? Dude. You’ve gone soft in the head.”
Booming laughter shot through the phone. “Soft? Nah. More hard than soft if you catch my drift.”
Breaking out a perfectly nuanced Jersey accent, Drae taunted, “Eh, I got your hard right here,” while he gripped his crotch.
“Fuck you, St. John,” Cam snickered. “Back to the business at hand, bro. I got a warm bed and a hot wife waiting for me at home, so let’s just do this thing and get the hell outta here.”
“Copy that,” he drawled while checking his watch. “Look, let me take a shower and stuff my face with some room service. I’ll wander down to your room after that and we can make a plan for tomorrow. Sound good?”
“It’s a plan. Hey,” he barked before Drae could disconnect, “you check in with Tori?”
“Yeah. All good.”
“Great. I’ll see you in a bit.”
AS FAR AS LUNCHES WITH gal pals went, the one Stephanie experienced with Carmen was one of the strangest. The always effervescent Carmen was her usual charmingly funny self, but there was something lurking in the background of their conversation that niggled at Stephanie all afternoon. What in the heck was all that about, she wondered.
They’d chatted about all the usual things, including poor Gus and his apparent reluctance to put up or shut up. Carmen had made it clear that she was open to a more, um…vibrant relationship, but so far, the complex, quiet man hadn’t made but a few false starts. They’d agreed that the next step was most definitely up to Carmen if she wa
nted to move things along.
It was the odd questions that her friend asked, though, that got Stephanie’s brain ticking. What had Victoria been like as a child? What was her favorite food, color, toy? Did she have a security blanket or a special stuffed animal? What dolls did she play with? She even asked if there were pictures of a young Tori—maybe on Stephanie’s Facebook page. Seriously! What in the hell? By the time she’d returned to the house, she was all talked out and more than a bit suspicious.
Finding Tori in the kitchen, she was scooting merrily with Raven curled up quietly in her doggie bed by the patio door. She’d been happily surprised to discover that her daughter had not only napped, but spoken briefly with her husband and decided to bake cookies to stay busy. Tori was always a surprising little creature—never doing what was expected and always, always dancing to her own tune. If cookie baking was what made her happy, well so be it.
Dinner was easy since Ria had stocked the freezer with every imaginable meal known to man. Stephanie enjoyed puttering around her pregnant and scooter-happy daughter as they shared salad-making tasks and discussed everything except politics and the current state of the world. It was a pleasant way to while away the early evening.
It also seemed as though the entire compound was focused solely on making sure Tori was taking it easy—a thought that warmed Stephanie’s heart. Her daughter really had found a wonderful home amidst loving people who clearly cared and supported her.
To help keep her mind off the fact that Draegyn was away, all the ladies had jumped on board for a movie night at Lacey’s place. So right after dinner, they nestled Raven between them in the Peach-Mobile and puttered up the road to the cabin. Meghan was waiting for them in the driveway—looking a little bit like someone nursing a huge secret—while Ria, Carmen, Betty, and Lacey were busy making popcorn and gathering throw blankets and pillows for the theater room. When Tori went on and on about how her husband had designed and personally overseen the construction of the ‘entertainment’ addition, Stephanie was forced yet again to see her son-in-law through different eyes. Yeah, he was an arrogant, privileged snot at times, but he was also deeply loyal to those he was close to. He was also unusually talented with his hands and more sentimental and emotional than outward appearance would suggest.
Always (Family Justice Book 1) Page 15