Tempting Fate (The Blake Boys Book 9)

by Rhonda Laurel

  “Mr. Blake, what a pleasure to meet with you and your niece Avery today,” Dean Drake said.

  “Thank you for taking the time. I had no idea you’d be giving us special treatment,” Channing drawled and shot a look at Xander, who was staring at Avery.

  “When I heard a Blake was visiting the campus, I had to make sure we rolled out the red carpet. We almost recruited your brother Seth way back when.”

  “You’re Seth Blake’s brother?” Xander blurted out.

  “Yes, I am.” You horny idiot. “Avery is our niece and the apple of our eye.”

  Dean Drake cleared his throat. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

  The four of them walked the campus. Xander walked ahead a bit with Avery. Channing tried to keep his ear on their conversation while he listened to the dean drone on about his wonderful school. He’d done some research, and they had an excellent graduation ratio and a great variety of classes, but what he wanted to know was how Avery would benefit from all of it.

  They stopped to have lunch in the dining hall. Xander was the perfect gentleman until he suggested he and Avery eat at a separate table.

  “I’d like to hear your thoughts on campus life, Xander,” Channing murmured. He knew the boy had to be on his best behavior for the dean.

  Xander gave him a tight smile. “Sure.”

  Avery nibbled on her burger and listened attentively to Xander. He remembered being Xander’s age and trying to ditch the adults to be with a girl. He hoped karma wouldn’t bite him on the ass for all the things he’d done as a kid when it was his turn to be the adult.

  Dean Drake droned on about the school. Xander and Avery cleared the trays, so he couldn’t hear what they were saying as they emptied them into the trash cans.

  “So, Mr. Blake, Avery will have a plenty of time to chart her course and declare a major. We have attentive counselors who can help her navigate. I peeked at her transcripts, and they are excellent. Let’s go back to my office so I can finish the hard sell.” Dean Drake herded them back to the golf cart.

  They got back to the dean’s office to wrap up the visit. Even though his job was over, Xander lingered in the hallway.

  “If there’s anything you need, just call my secretary,” the dean said. “I can fast track things if Avery decides she wants to attend the school.”

  Channing shook his hand. “Thank you. Avery is a bright young lady with many choices, but I appreciate the personal touch with the tour.”

  Xander drove them back to the car.

  “It was nice to meet you, sir.” Xander extended his hand. “You have a very nice car.”

  “Nice to meet you too.” Channing noticed he didn’t try that macho handshake again.

  “Avery, I really hope you’ll want to attend. Maybe you can check out one of my games if you come back to Texas soon.” Xander caressed her hand before he handed her the tour gift bag.

  She blushed. “Thanks. I’d like to see you play sometime.”

  Channing hustled her off before Xander could think of a reason she’d need his number. They got on the road, and Avery chatted about the tour while texting her parents about the school. When she was done, she put her phone in her purse.

  “That was a cool campus. It looked like a mini city.” She reached into the bag and flipped through the brochure.

  He made a note to look through it when they got home in case Mr. Football had jotted down his number on one of the pamphlets.

  “You’ll see a lot of nice schools; just concentrate on choosing an institution that fits all your needs.” He smiled.

  “There’s another school I’d like to visit tomorrow. Think you could take me?”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  “Really? Thank you!” She grabbed his neck and gave him a tight squeeze.

  * * *

  They stopped for lunch and talked about her other school prospects. She was also interested in schools in California and Michigan and was looking forward to visiting them. Channing found her optimism about the future infectious it got him to thinking about the next phase of his life. He’d accomplished his scholastic goals and was working for Blake Enterprises—what was on the horizon?

  His brothers made a good case for domestic life as they were busy loving great women and starting families, but he thanked his nephews for keeping him from prematurely pressing some fatherhood button before it’s time.

  Right now he wanted to focus on what was good in his life. He loved being with Cassidy. After those years of liking her from afar, he was delighted to find they had a real connection. They had similar tastes and liked to laugh. She preferred staying at home, instead of going out into the DC nightlife. She’d opened up more about the cancer and the side effects. She didn’t want him to take her low libido as a sign she wasn’t attracted to him; there were still a lot of things she was working through. There was no rush; he wasn’t going anywhere. When they eventually made love, he was sure it would only deepen their bond.

  By the time they got home Channing was exhausted. Avery spread out the materials on the kitchen table for John Jacob and Teri-Lyn and gushed about the school. His brothers were on a double date tonight with their wives, so his parents were babysitting Matt and Jack. It was too tempting not to play with them. Channing sat on the couch and started chatting to the newest members of the family.

  “Hey, boys. Get into any trouble today? Do your uncle a favor and try not to catch up to your cousins for a while. They’re on the fast track to becoming juvenile delinquents.”

  The babies seemed to get a kick out of that. They were smiling and trying to move around in their seats. He slipped Curly’s sock back on his foot; the infant had a knack for taking them off.

  “C.J., can you watch the boys for a minute? I have to go to the cabin and get Matt’s blanket. Your daddy and Avery are in the yard barbequing dinner.”

  “Sure thing, Mama.” Cassidy’s ring tone sounded in his pocket. The moment her beautiful face came on screen, he smiled. He’d been thinking about her all day. “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Hey yourself.”

  The boys were making noises like they wanted to be part of the conversation, so Channing propped the phone against the candy dish on the table to give Cassidy a good view of them. “I’d like to introduce you to the newest members of my family. This is Curly, Tate and Isabelle’s son. And this is Jack, J.J. and Sam’s son. Boys, this is my very special friend, Cassidy.”

  “Hi, guys.” She waved. “They are so adorable!”

  “They don’t smell so adorable.” Channing scrunched his nose.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “One of the boys just took a wicked number two. By the goofy look on Jack’s face, I think he’s the culprit.” Channing laid a blanket on the couch, put his nephew on it, and grabbed his diaper bag.

  “You’re pretty good at that.”

  “I have three more nephews. I’m an old pro at this.” He winked at her. Jack didn’t put up too much of a fuss during the changing. Channing re-dressed him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and put him back in his carrier.

  “How was your day?” she asked as she nibbled on some grapes.

  “I took my niece Avery to scout out a college and had to keep an eye on a young jock trying to impress her. But you look terrific.”

  “Thank you for saying that with a straight face.” She laughed. “I didn’t know you had a teenaged niece.”

  “Avery is Seth’s wife’s niece. She’ll be starting college in the fall, so we’re on a rotation of vetting schools.”

  “Tell me about the tour.”

  “So they give us this muscle bound jock for the tour who’s drooling all over Avery the entire time. I wanted to choke that snot nosed kid.”

  “Hmm… I seem to remember someone who volunteered to be the museum ambassador for two years. I do believe your job was to get cougars to open their wallets and make hefty donations.” She gave him a knowing look.

  He snorted. “You know how many bottom
pinches and crotch grabs I had to deflect in the name of culture?”

  “My point is, you always lead with your best asset when you’re trying to reel in a big fish.” She batted her eyelashes at him.

  “Well, she’ll go to that school the day Mr. Happy Pants gets expelled. It can be arranged.” He huffed.

  “You do know guys like that are a dime a dozen on college campuses?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “We’ll watch her in shifts.” He folded his arms over his chest. “She’s going to get an education, not get hit on by some horny football player.”

  “Wow. Someone probably said the same thing about you when you were tootling around your college campus.”

  “I was not that bad.” He thought about his college days and winced. “OK, maybe I was that bad.”

  She giggled. “I’m sure the men in the family will school her on horny boys.”

  “Damn right. How was your day?” She looked tired, but man, she was still beautiful. He wanted to be with her in the worst way.

  “I’m a little tired. I had to shop for groceries and do some laundry. Are you coming up next weekend? There are a lot of great events happening around town.”

  “How about you come here? I’d love to show you the ranch.”

  “I thought you said no one visits the ranch? You said it was a family haven.” She gulped.

  “You’re not everybody. I’d even go as far as to say you’re someone very special to me. So what do you say?”

  She didn’t a get chance to answer. Teri-Lyn came into the living room to retrieve the boys so he had to put Cassidy on hold. That didn’t stop Teri-Lyn from wanting an introduction.

  He took Cassidy off hold. “Mama, this is Cassidy.” He hugged his mother. “Cassidy, this is Teri-Lyn Blake.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Blake. The mystery of Channing’s red hair has been solved.” Cassidy laughed.

  The Blake men were all born with a variation of their mama’s fiery red hair, but it normally darkened around age two. Channing was the only one whose hair was more red than black.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you too. C.J. talks about you all the time. I can see why he’s always racing to DC to spend time with you.”

  Channing coughed. “I hate to cut this short, but I’m retiring to the guesthouse. I just changed Jack, and Curly kept his socks on.”

  “Thanks, baby. Grab something to eat from your daddy on the way out.” She kissed him on the cheek.

  Channing couldn’t escape introducing Cassidy to his father and Avery when he went out to get a steak and roasted potatoes. He finally made it into the guesthouse kitchen and perched the phone on its stand. He got a beer out of the fridge then leaned against the counter.

  “So what do you say to a visit?” He didn’t know how to sound casual about bringing it up again, so he just went for it.

  When she didn’t answer immediately, he regretted asking the question. They’d been dating for two months and had a great time when they were together, but maybe it was too soon.

  “It’s kind of short notice to book a flight.”

  “I’ll have my private plane pick you up.”

  “Well, well.”

  He slapped his hand against his forehead. “Did that sound obnoxious?”

  “No, I think the insinuation that your family is loaded was pretty smooth. Will the paparazzi be there to take my picture as I’m whisked away to the ranch?” She laughed.

  “No, people don’t pay too much attention to us down here. Besides, my brothers get enough press for the entire family.”

  “You’re southern royalty. Which makes me wonder why you chose such a low-key career.”

  “I didn’t realize being a corporate attorney was now a humble profession. My, how things have changed.” He chuckled.

  “Well, your day job may be pedestrian, but your personal conquests get coverage in the media. I saw a story on you last year in one of those tabloid magazines. Did you have a one night stand with a reality star in Vegas?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised, Ms. Shaw. I didn’t think a sophisticated, educated woman like you read those rags.”

  “You were in a tabloid rag, so you can lower the condemning eyebrow. And you didn’t answer my question.”

  “That was all blown out of proportion.” He sipped his beer.

  “As these things usually are. Continue.” She folded her hands over her chest.

  “I said hi to her at the pool, and next thing I know the media is saying we’re hooking up.”

  “Ah, so that’s why there were no photos, just an unnamed source close to the reality star who claimed to see you two together.” Cassidy giggled.

  “My sister-in-law Sam is head of security for the family. She made the problem go away. When she wants something, not even the devil gets in her way. By the way, that tabloid rag didn’t even mention my name. They said ‘Seth Blake’s little brother.’ What total disrespect.”

  “Suffice it to say, I knew it was you.”

  “How so?”

  “I quote, ‘the one with the deep dimples and red hair.’” She giggled. “What I wouldn’t give to have all those problems. Someone following you around with a camera while you party all the time must be exhausting.”

  “Well, when you come down here I’m going to show you how we’re so normal it’s frightening. I still do ranch work. No one’s exempt.”

  “I’d love to see that. Do you take your shirt off?”

  “Woman, you just want to objectify me.” He shook his head.

  “Old habits die hard.” She flashed him a cheesy grin.

  “So what do you say?”

  “Yes. I’ll see if I can get Thursday and Friday off and make a long weekend of it?”

  “Four days isn’t long enough to see Texas, but that may cover the ranch. I’ll call you tomorrow with the flight details.”

  * * *

  Channing had his hand on the phone to call Cassidy when Anna Beth called. Emma was there to see him.

  What on earth was she doing here? He sent her multiple texts suggesting they meet for dinner and talk. When he wouldn’t engage in flirty banter, she shut down on him. Still, the words needed to be said so he wouldn’t feel like he was hiding something from Cassidy. When he got to the administrative assistant’s desk, J.J. and Bo were chatting with her. They excused themselves to go to a meeting and gave Channing a we-want-details look as soon as she left.

  “Emma. What are you doing here?”

  “I was in the area for a job interview and thought I’d drop by. You don’t look happy to see me.” She pouted.

  “Well, you didn’t get back to me about meeting for dinner. Let’s go in my office.”

  Once inside, Emma walked around, inspecting the décor.

  “So how goes the job search?” He took a seat in his chair.

  “Pretty good. I’ve had three offers so far.”

  “Congratulations. Sounds like things are working out for you. But I’m not surprised. When you set your mind to something there’s no stopping you.”

  Emma came over and sat on the edge of desk. “It works with everything except you.”

  “Can we talk? I mean really talk?” He stood up.

  “Why are you so serious all the time? You used to be so much fun. Didn’t you enjoy our time together at the hospital?” She caressed his cheek and went in for a kiss.

  Channing pulled away. “Yes, I did. It’s precisely the problem. It’s not enough.”

  “But it was OK to sleep with me?”

  “No, it wasn’t. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “You Blake men are all the same.” She marched out of his office and slammed the door so hard, the glass shelves on the wall rattled.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Channing sipped his drink in the airport bar trying to get a handle on his nerves. When he got the text from Cassidy that she’d boarded the plane in DC, he was both overjoyed and terrified. This weekend could be a turning point for their re
lationship.

  “I thought you were a beer man.”

  Channing turned around to see Cassidy standing behind him. “Hello, there, Ms. Shaw. That depends on my mood.”

  Cassidy sniffed the glass. “Scotch.”

  He knocked back his drink and stood. “How was your flight?”

  She took a deep breath. “I would love to say something really classy and clever right now, but friggin’ awesome are the only words that come to mind. You have a very nice jet.”

  “It’s a family jet.”

  “So you’re just a partial spoiled brat.” She grinned. “I don’t know where my bags are; someone greeted me at the door and brought me in here.”

  “They’re being loaded into my car. We’re going to have a great time.” Channing reached for her with the intention of a kiss, but at the last minute he decided on a full hug.

  “Visiting Texas has always been on my bucket list.”

  “And?” He took her bag from her shoulder and led her out of the bar.

  “And I must admit I was little intrigued about your description of the Twelve Horseshoes Ranch. I know not many people get to see it.”

  “And?” He stopped at his car.

  “Nice car.” She whistled.

  “And?” He lifted her chin with his finger.

  “I missed seeing those dimples. I think you’re—”

  Channing didn’t wait for her to finish. He pulled her close and kissed her.

  If she had to board the plane right now and return home, it still would have been worth the trip. When he stood up at the airport bar, she took a deep breath, taking in the earthy man before her. He looked sexy and rugged, like he was ready for anything. He looked delicious in a blue button-down shirt, jeans, and cowboy boots, and it was definitely a look she could get used to. She’d had a naughty dream about him riding a bronco, which had turned a lot more erotic than she’d expected. The black Stetson he wore did nothing to conceal that reddish hair of his, and those damn dimples. She’d bet good money she could do a shot of tequila out of those dimples. He’d awakened her libido after a long slumber, and it felt nice to have sexual feelings for someone again.