“It’s definitely tempting,” Jesse said, flashing a smile as Mandy returned to the table. “And look, your wife made it back all on her own. You didn’t even have to go looking for her.”
“It is a good day,” James said, tickling Mandy’s ribs as she sat.
“Did you ask him?” Mandy prodded.
James scowled. “You have no tact sometimes. I did ask him, though. He’s going to think about it.”
Mandy turned to Jesse. “I think you should do it. We have a great group of friends and you would be back home. I hope you really do consider it.”
“I will,” Jesse said. “Now that I’ve met you, I’m dying to meet the other women who have tamed the unruly Hardy brothers. That’s bound to be entertaining.”
Mandy smiled. “You have no idea what you’re missing.”
7
Seven
“I’m so happy to see you,” Ally gushed the next afternoon, throwing open the front door to James and Mandy’s house and pulling Mandy in for a tight hug despite the fact that the weary blonde was still laden with luggage. “What did you bring me?”
Ally’s boyfriend Jake stood behind her and shook his head as he met James’ steady gaze. He looked exasperated … and completely enamored with his irrepressible brunette. “How was your trip?”
“It was good until we came home and found our house full of people,” James replied, dropping the suitcases he carried on the floor and relieving Mandy of her heavy bags. “Don’t smother her, Ally. I have plans for her later. She’s going to need to breathe for them.”
Ally ignored her brother as she pulled back and beamed. “I missed you.”
“Thank you,” James replied. “I guess I … kind of missed you, too.”
The corners of Ally’s mouth tipped down. “I was talking to Mandy.”
“I know,” James said, grabbing Ally’s cheek and giving it a good pinch as he grinned. “I really did miss messing with you, baby sister.”
Ally jerked her head away and slapped James’ hand for good measure. “I didn’t miss you at all,” she said, her dark eyes fiery as she scorched her brother with a defiant look. “I missed Mandy tons, though. Did you miss me?”
Mandy smiled as she watched the interplay and it took her a moment to realize Ally was talking to her. “Oh, um … .”
“That’s a no,” Grady said, chuckling as he joined everyone in the foyer. “We got steaks and Finn is out grilling them right now. We put them on the minute we saw you guys pull into the driveway.”
“How come you didn’t miss me?” Ally whined, jutting her lower lip out. “Everyone always misses me when they go out of town.”
“I did miss you,” Mandy clarified. “I just had such a good time that I didn’t really think about it. Now that I see you I totally missed you.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Ally sniffed.
“Oh, give it a rest, Ally,” James said, brushing past his sister and grabbing Mandy around the waist so he could lift her out of Ally’s orbit. “We weren’t expecting you guys until later. We’re still muddled from the plane ride. That’s a long trip.”
Ally narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you get me?”
“Nothing,” James said, smirking as Grady flicked the tip of Ally’s nose for good measure. The Hardy brothers were experts at annoying the lone female sibling in the family. “We were so caught up with each other we didn’t have time to even think about you.”
James didn’t miss the expression on Jake’s face as the man pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. Jake knew darned well that Mandy would never return to town without a gift for Ally. Still, since Jake was the one who often had to put up with Ally’s moods, he enjoyed watching her brothers mess with her.
“You … suck,” Ally muttered.
“James … .” Mandy shot him a dark look. “I bought you several gifts, Ally. They’re in the suitcases, though, and if you want them you’re going to have to wait until we have time to unpack.”
Ally brightened considerably. “I’ll unpack for you. That would save you guys time and let you rest after your long trip.”
Mandy stilled. She hated domestic tasks like dishes … and laundry … and vacuuming … and especially unpacking. “On one condition,” she cautioned. “Every gift you find in there you have to bring to me so I can dole them out. I got gifts for everyone.”
“Yay!” Ally hopped up and down. “I’ll do it while dinner is cooking.” She turned to Jake with an expectant look. “You need to carry the suitcases upstairs for me.”
Jake didn’t appear thrilled at the prospect. “Why me? I don’t care about your gifts, angel.”
“Do you want to have sex tonight?’
James groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ally!” He wasn’t unaware of his sister’s sexual relationship with Jake – and he considered the man one of his best friends – but he hated hearing about it.
“Let me grab those suitcases,” Jake said, making his decision on the spot and maneuvering around James. “You’re unpacking them yourself, though. I’m afraid of finding something … weird.”
“Like what?” Ally asked, genuinely curious.
“I don’t know,” Jake replied. “They might have weird shark porn or something for all I know. I can’t see that. I’ll be traumatized for life.”
James slung an arm around Mandy’s shoulders as they watched the couple chat during their trek up the stairs. “I’m surprised you let her do that, wife,” he said. “You know she’s going to go through everyone’s gifts, right?”
Mandy shrugged, unperturbed. “Yes, but now we don’t have to unpack which means we can go straight to the hot tub once the family leaves.”
“You’re wise and beautiful, baby. I never should’ve doubted you.”
“SO, tell me absolutely everything,” Ally prodded after dinner, admiring her loot as it rested on the outside table and everyone relaxed under the dwindling daylight. “Did you get to see Stonehenge?”
“I sent you photos,” Mandy said. “I also emailed you several updates.”
“I know,” Ally said. “You sent like a hundred photos, though, and since I wasn’t in them I lost interest after about two photos. They’re just big rocks.”
“Hey! They’re magical rocks.”
Avery Hardy gurgled on his mother’s lap as Mandy raised her voice and offered the excitable blonde a smile. He was still tiny, although he made a bevy of adorable facial expressions now and was responsible for holding his own head up. He continued to develop a unique personality all his own with every passing day.
“I think he grew a foot while we were gone,” Mandy said, smiling at the baby. “He’s getting more hair, too.”
“I think he’s a genius,” Ally said, shifting her eyes to her nephew. “I took him for a walk the other day and he pointed at a bird and mimicked it. He said ‘caw’ and everything.”
James snorted. “He probably had gas. The kid is cute, but he’s a gas factory.”
“You don’t know,” Ally said, shaking her head and causing her long brown waves to brush against the top of her shoulders. “I was there. I saw it. He’s a genius.”
“He is a genius,” Emma agreed, cuddling her son closer. “He’s going to do great things one day.”
“Yes, I’m thinking it’s going to be a ton of women,” James said, earning a playful swat from Emma. “What? He’s a Hardy man. Women are drawn to us. They can’t help it.”
“Very cute,” Mandy said, shaking her head.
“What else did you do?” Grady asked. “I can’t believe you guys finally went on a vacation and didn’t have anything horrible happen. I think it’s an anniversary miracle.”
“Well … ,” Mandy hedged, unsure how to answer.
“Uh-oh.” Sophie Lane, Grady’s girlfriend, shook her head. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“It was nothing big,” Mandy supplied hurriedly.
“What happened?” Finn
asked, shifting his arms to take Avery so Emma could get his bottle ready. “No one was kidnapped, right? You would’ve called us if something like that happened.”
“No one was kidnapped,” James said. “Someone did try to steal Mandy’s purse at the Roman Baths.”
“Oh, well, that’s not great, but it’s not the worst thing to ever happen,” Jake said. “I’m sure thieves stake out those touristy locations because they think the people there will be easier to rob. Did you catch the guy?”
“I did not,” James replied. “I was in the bathroom when it happened.”
“Oh, no,” Ally said, making a face. “Did he cuff you to him for the rest of the trip, Mandy?”
“We didn’t have much time left, but he stuck close,” Mandy replied. “Thankfully Jesse was there to fight the guy off so it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been.”
“Jesse?” Grady knit his eyebrows together. “Are you talking about Jesse Tanner?”
James bobbed his head. “We ran into him at a pub one night. He works over there. He went to Stonehenge and the Roman Baths with us.”
“Who is Jesse Tanner?” Sophie asked, sipping her wine.
“We served together overseas when I was in the military,” James answered. “I hadn’t seen him in a long time, so when I ran into him it was quite the surprise.”
“How did that go?” Finn asked. “I remember him being something of a wild man.”
“He’s still kind of wild,” James said, exchanging a quick look with Mandy. “He and Mandy didn’t exactly click right away, but they found some even footing once Jesse calmed down a little bit.”
“What does that mean?” Ally asked, making a face. “How come I’ve never heard about this guy?”
“There was never a need for you to meet him,” James explained. “I hung out with a lot of guys overseas. Jesse was one of them. He’s a good guy and he knows what he’s doing in the security field. I offered him a job if he ever wants to move back across the pond.”
Ally lifted her eyebrows, surprised. “You still haven’t answered my question,” she prodded. “How come Mandy doesn’t like him? For the record, if she doesn’t like him, I don’t either.”
James made an exaggerated face that caused his brothers to snicker and Mandy to lower her eyes. “I said they didn’t click at first. They were fine after getting to know one another.”
“That still wasn’t an answer,” Ally said, expectantly turning to Mandy. “What’s wrong with him? Is he a tool?”
“No,” Mandy answered, shaking her head. “He was merely surprised James settled down and got married. He thought James was messing with him at first.”
“Oh,” Ally said, making a face. “I’m sure when James knew him he was young, dumb, and running through women at a fantastic rate. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Oh, bite me, Ally,” James muttered. “I did have a different outlook on life back then. I explained to Jesse that things changed and I love my wife more than anything. By the end of the trip, I think he loved Mandy a little, too.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Mandy clarified. “He seemed intrigued by the idea of dating a woman more than three times, though. I think he’s probably a good guy who is simply not ready to settle down yet.”
“I can’t believe you offered him a job, though,” Ally pressed. “What did he say?”
“He said he was going to think about it, but I’m guessing it’s going to be one of those things that never comes to fruition,” James replied. “Now that we’re gone he’ll go back to his hellish life of multiple women while I bask in the euphoria of my one woman.”
“Smooth,” Jake said, chuckling.
“I try.” James brushed a kiss against Mandy’s temple. “I told him to think about it. I wouldn’t worry about it, though. The odds of him coming here are slim. I probably won’t ever see him again.”
“HURRY up, baby,” James ordered from the hot tub an hour later, reclining with his arms draped over the top walls and watching as Mandy scurried from the house with a bottle of wine in her hand. “I was starting to think you forgot about me.”
“I’m sorry,” Mandy said, setting two glasses and the wine bottle on the pavement before stripping out of her robe. She was naked and James’ eyes roamed her body as she quickly descended into the warm water. “Oh … wow.”
“I like those little sighing noises you make when you get in the water,” James said, moving forward and grabbing Mandy around the waist so he could kiss her. “They turn me on. Watching you strip outside turns me on, too.”
“I think everything turns you on.”
“Where you’re concerned, that’s definitely true,” James said, kissing her again. The steamy water felt heavenly as he pressed Mandy’s body flush against his. “I feel the need to romance you, wife.”
Mandy bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Oh, yeah? I thought you got all of that out of your system while we were in London.”
“Oh, baby, that’s never going to be out of my system,” James said, nipping at her neck. “Besides, that was vacation sex. This is welcome home sex. They’re vastly different animals.”
Mandy cocked a challenging eyebrow. “How so?”
“Vacation sex is romantic and sensual,” James answered. “Welcome home sex is … naughtier.”
Mandy giggled, enjoying his cocksure attitude. “How naughty are we talking?”
“Well … .” James sucked Mandy’s lower lip into his mouth and grabbed her rounded bottom with both hands so he could give it a good squeeze as he rotated his pelvis against her warm core. “I’m thinking pretty naughty, wife.” His whisper was sexy enough to cause chills to careen through Mandy’s body.
“Well, then I guess it’s good we’re in water,” Mandy said, moving her hands over the strong planes of James’ back before trailing them over his shoulders and running them down his chest.
James sucked in a breath when he felt her small hand wrap around his ready length. They knew each other’s bodies inside and out now and could tease and taunt each other to gasping pleasure without thinking twice about it. Mandy did just that when she dragged her fingernails over James’ erection.
“Oh, baby,” James groaned, pressing his eyes shut. “If you keep that up this isn’t going to last long.”
“Didn’t you tell me that we were going to last forever?” Mandy challenged.
“Oh, we’re lasting forever,” James said. “What’s about to happen is going to be brief and brutal if you’re not careful, though. You’re pressing every button … and you know it.”
“I’m okay with that,” Mandy said, licking James’ neck and internally crowing when she saw the goose pimples appear on his shoulders. “It’s only the first round, after all.”
“I love the way you’re mind works, baby,” James said, claiming his wife’s mouth with insistent need as she rubbed himself against her body. “Welcome home, baby.”
8
Eight
“You’re walking funny, baby,” James said the next morning, his grin triumphant as he watched Mandy shuffle from the kitchen table to the sink to dispose of her coffee mug. “Did something … happen … last night? Were you injured?”
Mandy’s expression was rueful – and a bit amused – when she turned to face her husband. “Are you fishing for compliments? Do you want me to say that we had so much sex last night that I’m sore?”
“I don’t ever want you to hurt,” James replied honestly. “Since this is only a matter of mild discomfort and it makes me look like a sexual god, though, that’s exactly what I want to hear.”
“You were a god amongst men. Are you happy?”
“Only if you repeat it a few more times,” James replied.
“You’re kind of sick sometimes,” Mandy said, shaking her head as she moved back toward the table. “You should be feeling sorry for me. I’m going to be uncomfortable all day. Instead you’re patting yourself on the back because we played naughty games well into the night.”
“Ha, ha.” Mandy playfully slapped his hands away. “I only have a few months left, James. I can’t take another big chunk of time off. It’s not fair. I have a job to do, and I’m going to do it.”
“People get sick all of the time, baby,” James said, feigning petulance. “That’s one of the few good things about your job. You have a boatload of sick days. You should use one.” He reached for Mandy’s slim waist again but she easily sidestepped him.
“You have work, too,” she reminded him. “You’ve been out of the office for almost ten days. I know you’re going to want to check the books to see what your brothers have been up to in your absence. You did leave Grady in charge, after all. He could’ve changed your whole filing system when you weren’t looking. He’s been complaining about it for months.”
James scowled. He didn’t like being reminded of real world issues when his head was in the clouds – or rather, under his wife’s skirt. “You play dirty, baby,” he said. “How about we compromise?”
“Ooh, I love a negotiation.”
“If I allow you go to work with nothing more than a kiss, you have to promise to let me take you out to dinner tonight and ravish you to my liking this evening,” James prodded.
“Can we have seafood? I’m dying for crab legs and lobster.”
“Absolutely.” James enthusiastically nodded. “I’m all for anything that we didn’t have while in London. It’s a beautiful city, but I’m happy to have more food choices now.”
“That makes two of us,” Mandy said. “I agree to your terms.” She leaned over and kissed him. “I love you.”
James cupped the back of her head to keep her close. “I love you more.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“We’ll have a competition when we get home tonight,” James said, offering her another soft kiss. “Have fun at work.”
Deadly Adventure (Hardy Brothers Security Book 19) Page 6