I bring her hand to my lips and lay a tender kiss on the inside of her wrist. She shivers.
“I won’t be able to make it through my niece’s party if you keep that up.”
I laugh. “I’ll try to be good. I want to make a good impression on my future in-laws.”
Chloe fans her hand in front of her, the glittering stone I put on her finger last night nearly blinding us. When I asked her to marry me, I told her she could take as much time as she needed to be sure that I was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. We haven’t been together very long, and I didn’t want to rush her. My proposal was open-ended because I already knew I was sure. She teased me with a doubtful look for about thirty seconds before saying yes. Sliding that ring on her finger was the sweetest moment of my life so far.
“Right here.” She points to an older, two-story home on the left. The bottom half is red brick, the top half is white siding. It’s very much like the house I grew up in upstate. I’ll take Chloe with me the next time I drive up.
A few kids play on the stoop out front when we pull up to the curb.
“Pop the trunk,” Chloe says and hands me Toby. “I put the birthday present back there while you were showering this morning.”
The kids run for us when they recognize their Aunt Chloe.
“Aunt Chloe! Aunt Chloe!” They swarm her, hugging her around the waist.
She hugs them, spins them around, talks to them, and her love for them is apparent. “I missed you guys.” She ruffles their hair. “You’ve each grown a foot since I saw you last.” She’s obviously a natural with kids, and that thought warms me inside and out. “Let’s go inside so everyone can meet my friend, Leo.” She winks at me.
“Hi, Leo,” they all shout in unison.
We step into the house and we’re assaulted with an onslaught of hugs, playful insults, and admonishments that it’s been too long since Chloe has been around. I meet Chloe’s five older sisters, Adelle, Bernadette, Danielle, Madeline, and Natalie. And damn that’s enough estrogen to make a grown man cry. I can’t imagine what it was like for Chloe’s father to raise six girls. I felt so inadequate as Ava’s parent, and I didn’t even take over that role until she was already sixteen. I give the man a lot of credit, and I’m a little in awe of him. In fact, I get just an inkling of why he may have been disappointed that he didn’t have a son to temper all the drama currently unfolding around me.
As we wade through the ocean of family, Chloe introduces me to her brothers-in-law, a few aunts and uncles, and we finally find her mom and dad at the kitchen table of her sister’s home. Chloe kisses and hugs both of them with so much affection I almost act like a little boy and tear up myself.
“Mom and Dad.” Chloe comes to my side and laces a hand around my waist. I slide my arm around her shoulder. “This is Leo. My fiancé.”
The entire house goes silent, like we’re frozen in time.
Her father, a stoic medium-built man with gray hair, stares at me over the rim of his reading glasses. Wow. I’m not prepared for Chloe to blurt the news this way. I would’ve liked to get to know her father, maybe ask for his blessing the old-fashioned way… at least learn his name first, before Chloe announces that I’m the one who will be making babies with his youngest daughter.
I know how I would feel if Ava blindsided me with news like this. I’d want to wring the guy’s neck. A thought hits me out of left field: Maybe this is why Ava never brings her dates around.
The thought of whom my sister dates is quickly banished when Chloe’s entire family erupts as if the Knicks have won the NBA championship. Toby whines and buries his snout inside my jacket.
The rest is a blur as Mr. Evers whisks me into a kitchen chair between him and Mrs. Evers. My future in-laws. My heart expands. I can withstand the grilling that Mr. Evers has already initiated if it means being part of a family again.
“Blue Moon with an orange,” Chloe’s sister, Natalie, says and sets a frosty mug in front of me. My mouth falls open. “Thank you.” I look up at her smiling face with a wondering look. She and Chloe look a lot alike. All of the Evers sisters do.
“Chloe told me,” Natalie winks. “You’re family now, and we take care of our own.” She pulls a chair over so Chloe can sit next to me. “And you, baby sister, requested a special drink.” Natalie grabs a cocktail from the island and sets it on the table in front of Chloe. My fiancée sips it while giving me a naughty smile.
The mayhem grows until I can barely hear myself think. One of the many brothers-in-law, Jim, I think is his name… hey, I need a little time because I’m new to this whole big, rowdy family thing… distracts Mr. Evers by turning on a college football game in the den.
Toby starts to lick from my mug as I tell Mr. Evers I’ll join him in the den in a minute. I place Toby on the floor, and Natalie’s apricot poodle comes running but quickly turns her nose up at Toby like he’s beneath her. She prances away and disappears into the den.
I look around to make sure no one is watching. Then I pull a small travel-size bottle of Chloe’s favorite Checkmate supercharged pheromone cologne from the inside pocket of my leather jacket. Chloe gives me a what-are-you-up-to look. “I started carrying some with me.” I waggle my eyebrows. “Never know when it might come in handy when I want to get the attention of a certain lady I know.” I sprinkle some in one palm, rub my hands together, and rub it all over Toby.
Then we sit back to watch, and bingo. A poofy apricot head peeks around the corner. The she-poodle sniffs the air, then glides over to Toby and proceeds to lick his face.
Nice. I want to give myself a pat on the back.
“A new collar and some lessons on dog park etiquette and Toby will be quite the stud,” Chloe says.
We both laugh.
Chloe leans over and waves her cocktail under my nose.
“Want a taste?” Her blue eyes sparkle with naughtiness. “It’s called Foreplay.”
“Yeah, I want a taste.” I place a lingering kiss on her, the flavor of Amaretto making her taste like dessert. “Every day for the rest of my life.”
Sneak Peek at What’s Next
Rookie Moves - Book 2 in the Checkmate Inc. Series
“Rookie? She’ll be an expert when I’m done teaching her.”
—Dex Moore
Smart guys make the best lovers. We’re curious and want to learn as much as possible, especially when it comes to women. Women are the most fascinating and complicated species on the planet, right? So when we meet a lady who piques our interest, it drives our curiosity to soaring heights. We want to study her. Figure her out.
Lucky SOB that I am, I’ve built a career on this very thing. As a founding partner of Checkmate Inc., a company that’s grown into a multimillion-dollar business, I’m a quasi-celebrity. It’s a role I never expected, and out of all three Checkmate partners I’ve somehow been labeled the jet-setting playboy.
I don’t mind the smokescreen. I can’t commit to a serious relationship while I trot around the globe to oversee our expansion, a venture that could bankrupt Checkmate if I don’t keep my eye on the prize. Besides, the only woman I’d like to study, figure out, and unlock her ear-splitting cry of ecstasy is the one woman I can’t have. And since she’s one of my closest friends and my business partner’s sister, a jet-setting playboy image is the perfect facade to hide my true feelings.
Coming Soon!
Rookie Moves - Book 2 in the Checkmate Inc. Series
Sinful Games - Book 3 in the Checkmate Inc. Series
It’s In His Arms - Book 4 in the Red River Valley Series
Acknowledgments
There are a few people I have to thank for offering so much help with this book. First, my critique partner and beta reader, Shelly Chalmers. Her input, as always, was invaluable. Also, Annette Stone and Jo Swinney are irreplaceable. I’m so thankful to have you ladies in my corner. My friend and editor, Stephanie Thompson, is my go-to girl, and I’m forever grateful to her.
About the
Author
Shelly Alexander is the author of contemporary romances that are sometimes sweet, sometimes sizzling, and always sassy. A 2014 Golden Heart® finalist, she grew up traveling the world, earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and worked in the business world for twenty-five years. With four older brothers and an older sister, she watched every Star Trek episode ever made, joined the softball team instead of ballet class, and played with G.I. Joes while the Barbie Corvette stayed tucked in her closet. When she had three sons of her own, she decided to escape her male-dominated world by reading romance novels and has been hooked ever since. Now she spends her days writing steamy contemporary romances while tending to a miniature schnauzer named Omer, a toy poodle named Mozart, and a pet boa named Zeus.
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ForePlay: A Checkmate Inc. Novel Book 1 (The Checkmate Inc. Series) Page 19