“He was an only child, working his way through law school. We met. Fell in love, got married, and the rest, as they say, is history. Victoria came along pretty quickly and within a couple of years we’d moved to Atlanta where Daniel was offered a prestigious partnership at a firm specializing in international law.”
Meghan was half-reclining beside Stephanie, listening avidly with her elbow on the chaise and her head resting on the palm of her hand. “Is she very much like her father?” she asked.
Stephanie snorted a laugh. “Are you kidding? Think about it a second,” she teased with a crooked smile. “Her daddy argued for a living. You know my sweet little waif. All gentle and squishy. Not!” she cried with delight.
Alex and Meghan immediately started bellowing with happy laughter. Calder knew Tori was known for being a smart-mouthed, ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners kind of a gal. The only kind who could take down the notorious Draegyn St. John. He got the joke.
“Of course, Daniel loved her feisty nature. He gave Tori her fighting spirit. Oh, and her boundless and inexhaustible catalog of swear words, inappropriate humor, and dirty comments.”
Calder wanted to say something instead of just sitting there with his listening hat on. Careful to avoid sounding rude, he asked in a quiet, respectful voice, “Was it hard? I mean, losing your husband so young and then figuring it all out, the parenting thing—on your own?”
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken place,” she murmured.
Calder nodded. “Hemingway.”
A man could lose his way gazing into eyes that told so much with just a simple look. She didn’t hate him. A sensation that felt an awful lot like elation built inside him.
Stephanie Bennett was still a mystery. She always would be and maybe that was the way it was supposed to be when you met your match. But the very idea, no matter how small and in its infancy, that there was even the slightest chance that he could start again with this incredible woman got his insides awake and churning.
Meghan sat up and stretched, resting the back of her hand against her mouth as she let out an exaggerated yawn. “I admire you, Stephanie. Tori is a fantastic person. I can never repay her for what she did for me.” The lovely redhead locked eyes with his nephew. “And for the Major.”
Alex grunted in agreement. “You already know I think she’s the tits and the balls. Woman has mad computer skills and what she does with numbers is just downright scary.”
Meghan nodded like Alex was sharing the gospel. “No, seriously scary!”
“She just saved us a gajillion dollars on that damn yoga studio I’m being forced to build.” He reached across the space between them and took his fiancée’s hand. “Took one look at an inventory printout then handed the contractor his over-inflated ass on a stick.”
Calder snickered. “She’s wicked, that one. Tried to convince me that Drae would fuck shit up if I did anything to mess with you while you take a step back. As if!”
Alex stood and used the grip he had on Meghan’s hand to haul her from the chaise. “Oh Unc, more like it’ll be her that fucks shit up if you mess with that husband of hers in any way!”
Even Stephanie laughed at Alex’s jest. It was true. There was something intrinsically funny about the way the little woman with the enormous pregnant belly stood her ground where any of the Justice boys were concerned. Not just Draegyn. These people were her family, and like her mother, she was strong in the most unlikely of ways.
“Okay, listen you two,” Alex drawled. “The fire is burning down and it’s getting late. If we’re past the ignoring each other and realizing the error of one’s ways portion of our program, “ he taunted with a direct raised eyebrow at Calder, “we’re going to clear out and let you two play nice with each other. Don’t make me come back and referee. Seriously. I love you both and I think, and Meghan agrees, that you two have more in common than you think. Comprende?”
THINGS HAD GOTTEN WEIRD AS soon as Alex and Meghan took their leave. Maybe it was them boldly stating that they should get their shit together that brought the wobble. Crap. Was it hot out here? Stephanie wanted to fan herself from the sudden heat that was creeping up her spine.
They were standing by the big fireplace, and Calder somehow seemed taller, broader. His size felt like it was engulfing her. Had he always been so damn big? Wishing she’d worn heels, even though the height advantage would be slight, it seemed to her as if the closer she got to him, the more vulnerable, small, and fragile she felt. These were shocking feelings since she couldn’t remember ever thinking she was any of those things.
“I think you deserve an apology, Ms. Bennett. One that I humbly offer at your feet…”
Okay, so seriously…what in the hell kind of cologne is he wearing? It was driving her crazy and had been for days. The vanilla with touches of sandalwood and musk also held a hint of patchouli. And something else. Maybe amber. Whatever it was, the combination of scents was sensual and rich. Seductively masculine, her senses got lost imagining him in his Aspen retreat, surrounded by dark wood, with magnificent fabrics and finishes.
Would his bed pick up that scent? What would it be like to huddle under warm covers on a cold winter morning, drowning in that sublime smell? Did he wash with it, too? A scintillating vision of a steam-fogged shower with the heady aroma of a bodywash that matched the cologne set her blood pulsing.
And that hair. Good God. Longer than most, and a bit on the shaggy, don’t-give-a-shit side, she couldn’t believe the look was so exciting and sexy. Maybe it was the perfectly manicured, not a hair out of place, Italian suited men who drifted through her world with their practiced habits and manners that made this guy stand out.
While she had little doubt he’d be a panty-creamer in a nice suit, there was something about the laidback California beach style that intrigued her. The jeans. The well-worn t-shirts. The boots and the plain button down chambray shirts. He also wore a watch—one of the ridiculously expensive kind that men seem to love. It was the only thing about his outward appearance that hinted at the real man.
The Tag Heuer looked rather old-fashioned with its leather strap and plain face, but she knew a little bit about these things. The watch was thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars, what looked like a plain strap was actually alligator and the case was made of eighteen-karat rose gold. Perfect for a big man with his coloring.
She’d joked around plenty that she’d give her eyeteeth for an older version of Alex Marquez. She hadn’t counted on there actually being one.
When he looked at her with those steel blue eyes, Stephanie knew what it was like to feel her breath catch in her chest. He had what some would call an old soul vibe. He put out a calm self-assurance that stopped an nth of a degree short of outright arrogance. It was as if he knew the answers to questions nobody had thought to ask yet. A part of her she didn’t recognize wanted to curl up at his feet and surrender everything. What would it be like to let such a man take care of her?
It was his mouth that eventually claimed what was left of any coherent thoughts she clung to. What they shared had been provocative. He’d conquered her without even trying. Having never, ever been kissed like that before in her life, she kept reliving those moments over and over.
She and Daniel had enjoyed an active sex life. But they were young, foolish, in love, and in the end, together for the blink of an eye. The long years she’d been widowed far outnumbered the total of her married life. Who was to say that they wouldn’t have struggled and encountered a mid-life crisis? When a person died young, they remained—forever and always—frozen in a moment in time.
The way Calder had laid claim to her mouth was like nothing she’d ever known or even dreamed of. It was like a movie kiss with special effects. The slow motion beginning. The loud sound of blood rushing to her head as he inhaled her breath then flicked his tongue gently to the corners of her mouth. His hands cupping her face. Her lips pulsed with need—a need he answered. Masterfully
so.
God. She wanted to touch him. Wanted to reach her hand out and let her fingers drift tenderly from cheek to jawbone. What would his stubble feel like? Would it be coarse and scratchy? Or would it be softer to the touch? Like his lips. Oh, those lips. The ones she couldn’t stop thinking about.
A wild throb of super-heated excitement ripped through her body—from her toes to the crown of her head—when she created a delicious scenario in her mind’s eye of Calder kissing her, only this time not quite so seductively. This time she saw wildness—a raw, lustful need that demanded.
Her senses circled round to the observation that started this scorching reverie, that he was just so damn big and that she felt vulnerable, small, and fragile. Right at that moment, if he’d opened his arms, she would willingly walk into them.
Hell, the idea of curling up in his big lap and simply gorging on his mouth sent heat shooting through her limbs.
Stephanie was completely lost in her private musings, uncharacteristically oblivious to what was happening around her. Calder had overtaken her thoughts. She looked at him, blinked a few times and tried to focus, but that sexy mouth and those making-me-go-weak-at-the-knees eyes were messing with her head.
“And so really, what I’m trying to say is…”
Oh shit. Had he been talking this whole time? And how long exactly was this whole time? Crud. She’d been drifting in her own little world. It was so unlike her to check out mentally and even more unlike her to be caught fantasizing about things that she knew damn well would be opening a can of worms she might not be able to handle.
“So. What do you think?”
Is this the part where you hope for an earthquake or a zombie attack to deflect attention away from how far afield you were from what was actually happening?
Calder wasn’t quite sure what the fuck was going on. Throughout his entire monologue, the one he burbled on about with the finesse of a fourth grader, he thought she’d been paying attention. He certainly had her undivided attention.
After all but offering to wash her car weekly for the next year if she would just give him a chance to make amends for his sexist pig behavior, he hoped some headway had been made. Until he noticed that she was a million miles away. It was in her eyes. She might be looking at him, but he wasn’t altogether sure what she was seeing.
And what the fuck, man? Did he have spinach in his teeth or something? The way she kept looking at his mouth made him question his dental habits.
Then he in earnest became the hormonally challenged idiot boy that forever lurked inside every grown man. Words continued erupting from his mouth, but all he could focus on was the goddamn sweater the woman was wearing. There was something seductive about the way the knitted garment draped around her breasts. Far from being immodest, the cream-colored pullover showed little skin. Its provocative quality lay in how the clothing enfolded her body. And that scarf. It was nothing. Just a length of gauzy material wrapped around her delicate neck that was surely meant to drive him insane.
He could have been reciting a chapter from a tech manual for all the sense he was making and frankly didn’t give a hot damn. The nonsense he was spewing was just so she’d stay where she was—where he could see her and imagine all sorts of things.
Like wrapping an arm about her torso, up high—almost under her arms and gently tugging forward. Encouraging her to come to him. It was what he wanted. For her to come willingly. To surrender. And then he’d set about demonstrating other ways she could come. For him. Under him. On top of him. On her hands and knees with that sexy-as-fuck ass in the air. In the shower. On the bed. In his office chair. Out in the desert. The possibilities were endless.
He was going to have her at some point—it was inevitable. And he wasn’t going to just fuck her. Nope. Some other, stronger force was pulsing through him. Calder was sure that being with this woman would take physical intimacy to a new level and challenge him in ways he couldn’t avoid.
And then they both became silent. He stopped babbling nonsensical rubbish, and she started to come back from wherever she’d drifted.
Hoping to rescue the odd moment he muttered, “So. What do you think?” When she didn’t answer and only stood there mute, staring at him, he asked quietly, “Stephanie?”
She shook her head, her face showing confusion. He knew the feeling.
“Uh, what do I think?” she croaked in a strangled voice. Clearing her throat with a quick cough, the lady squinted at him as if seeing him for the first time. He watched her eyes drop to his feet then continue on a leisurely inspection that stole his breath until her gaze returned to his.
An expression filled with conflicting emotions claimed her face. What in the hell was she thinking? God, please let him figure her out, he prayed. And then she spoke and everything changed.
“What do I think? I want you to kiss me that’s what I think.”
He tugged her forward, arm about her upper back. She hesitated, then gave up and simply melted into his arms. Fisting a hand into her scarf, he used it to yank her closer. It was a possessive action, one he hadn’t thought about until he did it. They were barely even friends, but she was so far under his skin and inside his thoughts that Calder stopped questioning what he was doing.
In some weird way, this woman belonged to him. Hope and faith told him she was out there—somewhere. He’d been waiting a long time. Messing this up a second time wasn’t an option. Time to stake a claim.
“Stephanie,” he murmured thickly. “Kissing you would be my pleasure….”
So he did.
“THAT WENT SORT OF WELL, don’t you think?”
Alex reefed the polo shirt he’d worn over his head, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it across the wardrobe into a hamper. When it sank into the basket, he laughed and pointed. “I want ten points for that shot!”
She had to laugh. Boys will always be boys, no matter the age. They could be discussing a matter of global importance, but if something even remotely sports-like happened or if the standings on some imaginary lifetime scoreboard were at stake, point spreads and questionable skill levels always won.
Of course, the moment his broad, muscular chest was revealed, she had her own internal dialogue going on. Yeah, she hoped they were doing the right thing where Calder and Stephanie were concerned, but at the moment, her fingers were itching to get at Alex’s impressive masculine physique. Seriously. The man was one damn fine specimen of hotness.
Caught ogling his body, he grabbed her about the waist and swung her close—until her hips collided with his and she was left with little doubt what was on his mind. Keeping her banded tight against him, her hunky lover leaned in and swiftly tongued her earlobe.
“Went well? Yes. But that’s it. I’m done helping him pull his head out of his ass. If my uncle can’t figure out how to act like an adult, it’s his fucking problem.”
Meghan looped her arms around his neck and shimmied—chest to chest. She had on a loose silk camisole with a delicate and flimsy bra beneath and a pair of matching panties that she wouldn’t miss when they got torn off.
Kissing his neck, she left a trail of tiny nips and licks along his jawline. “I love Tori. She’s the sister I never had, and Lacey, too. Stephanie did an amazing job all on her own. I hope Calder steps up.”
“Me too, love.”
“Alex?”
“Mmmmm?”
“I’ve been thinking…”
He instantly pulled back and searched her face. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes. I’m fine. I’ve just been thinking about something and…”
Alex swatted her playfully on the ass, earning him a surprised squeal and her a jolt of pure pleasure that zapped straight to her core.
“No thinking right now, Ms. O’Brien. All your thinking is done for the day. Now’s the time to feel. Just put yourself in my hands and let everything else go.”
“But…”
“No. Give your head a rest, sweetheart. Let me love you, Meghan.
Forget all that other noise. Just you and me. I need you, baby.”
Now what was a good girl supposed to say to such a sweet command? Forget the noise? Let me love you? Goddamn. He was so perfect. She had something she wanted to talk about, but it could wait. The right time would present itself. Besides, when he got that husky timbre in his voice and she felt where her body pressed to his that he was bent on one thing, she folded pretty quickly. And easily. Nothing compared to Alexander Valleja-Marquez when he was moved by pure emotion. Nobody did it better.
Yesterday he’d asked if she knew he loved her and she’d taunted him that he’d said it that way because he was about to handle her in a way that love had little to do with it.
But this. Well, this was what usually followed after he’d been particularly demanding or had challenged her limits. One moment—fierce, savage, primitive. Next—slow, seductive, and intense.
Wrapping his arms around her tight, Meghan sighed and relaxed into the embrace. “No fucking tonight, my Goddess. We make love. I need you in here,” he murmured as he took her fingers and pressed them on the skin above his heart.
The glittering diamond ring he’d slid onto her hand when he asked her to marry him twinkled in the lamplight. She loved this man more than she thought it possible to love another.
Once he got started, she wouldn’t be able to speak, so she had to act quickly if there was anything worth saying. And oh hell yeah—there was. About a month ago, she’d had the delicate, engraved charms from the bracelet that had been his gift of contrition after they’d been apart put on a long chain that hung between her breasts. There, resting near her heart, nestled in the soft heat of her flesh were the twin hearts that said Mine and Yours. She wore the chain all the time. Liked the reminder touching her skin.
“I love you,” she murmured softly, her hands having found their way into his hair. Scraping her fingers on his scalp, she grabbed on tight for emphasis. “I love YOU,” she added forcefully. “You. My wonderful, sexy Major. My wickedly raunchy Thunder Cock. I love you.”
Always (Family Justice Book 1) Page 27