RJ (HC Heroes Series Book 7)

by Donna Michaels

Who knew the tough, by-the-book sheriff had it in him?

  Apparently, Lyndsey.

  Lori chuckled and took another sip, happily noting the full pitcher their host set on the table before taking her seat.

  Another round was definitely in her future.

  “I thought it was funny, too,” Abby said, and Lori realized the women had been holding a conversation while she’d been spacing out.

  She did that a lot. Her mind rarely stayed on one subject for too long, unless she was painting or creating…or fantasizing about a certain former SEAL who’d done some amazingly wicked things to her with his mouth then walked away…well, he’d walked away after she’d made sure to reciprocate the pleasure.

  That had been over two months ago.

  There’d been no “Can I call you?” or “Can I see you again?” from him.

  Nothing.

  They still saw each other, though. Kind of hard not to, considering she rented the cottage across from his, and her sister was living with his best friend. To his credit, RJ was always nice, polite…friendly even.

  Just not interested.

  Maybe she hadn’t been as good as she’d thought.

  Truthfully, it was a new experience for Lori. She wasn’t used to men blowing her off after they’d gotten naked together. Not that she was an expert in that department. Far from it. She could count her sexual partners on one hand—and her thumb and pinky didn’t count. Still, she’d been quite active while in those relationships and had never received any complaints.

  Damn that sexy SEAL, anyway. He was the only man to make her doubt herself.

  A healthy sip of her drink was working wonders at washing away the bitter taste of disgust from her mouth.

  She needed to get a grip.

  It wasn’t like she was looking for a relationship. Hell, no. Between the new bakery and her sister’s impending blindness, she had her hands full to overflowing.

  “I think it’s sweet of Cooper to try to bake brownies for you, Abby,” Loni said, recapturing Lori’s attention. “Maybe my sister and I should hire him.”

  Lori was part owner of Champion Bakery with her identical twin, Loni. Although her sister was the award-winning baker and taste pairer, Lori could also whip up some amazing batters. But her talent—her true passion—was in the decorating. Touted by her sister as a cake artist, Lori loved sculpting and decorating anything her sister baked. Losing herself in the artistry, the pastry canvas, she loved getting into the zone. Loved transforming cakes into something as pleasing to the eye as it was on the palate.

  Together, the two of them made a great team and had the awards to prove it. Some of Lori’s favorite highlights in life had been teaming up with Loni for baking competitions.

  The travel, the challenge, time constraints, creating in real-time in front of a camera…they all formed an adrenaline rush that spoke to Lori’s risk-taking side.

  God…she missed it.

  Their last competition in June had been just that…their last. Loni had wanted to go out a winner before her eyesight became an issue and forced her to give up competing. Lori was pleased they had won and grateful her sister had survived the deranged fan who’d threatened everyone at the studio.

  That had been an adrenaline rush she could do without.

  Taking it easy and creating cakes for the locals and fans who showed up at their bakery every week was enough to keep her sister happy, which was enough for Lori.

  Things were going pretty good.

  For the past six weeks, Loni was on a new drug that seemed to have halted the progression of her disease, but there were no guarantees of how long it would last. Her sister knew this and was also learning to read in braille and planned to label every ingredient, so she’d still be able to find them on her own when her world went dark.

  Admiration filled Lori’s chest and she inhaled deeply. Her sister was the strongest, bravest, best person she knew.

  Yeah, she loved the rush that came with competing, but she loved her sister a hell of a lot more. She’d do anything for Loni, and absolutely hated that her sister had a life of darkness in her future…and that she would face it without Lori going through the same thing with her—not that she wanted the disease.

  All their lives, they’d done everything together. But not this time. Her sister was the only one with Stargardt Disease. Lori had been tested and cleared.

  She couldn’t imagine not being able to see. Not being able to decorate. And, God, she felt guilty as hell for feeling grateful she wouldn’t lose her sight, too.

  Did that make her a bad sister?

  “Absolutely not.”

  Lori blinked and focused on Abby, who was shaking her head at Loni.

  Shoot. She’d zoned out again. What had they been talking about?

  “Cooper’s the last person you want in your bakery.” The mother-to-be laughed. “I love him dearly, but have to admit, he’s not all that proficient in the kitchen. Don’t tell him I said that, though.”

  “No worries.” Loni smiled. “Dean can cook a few things, but his talents lie in other…areas.”

  “Gabe, too.” Lyndsey lifted her drink and held it out as if for a toast. “To men and their…other areas of expertise.”

  Lori lifted a brow but not her drink. Three pair of eyes glanced expectantly at her. “What?” She shrugged. “That toast doesn’t apply to me. I don’t have a guy.”

  “Of course, it applies,” Lyndsey said. “It’s a toast to men in general and their…talents.”

  A smile tugged at Lori’s lips. “Oh, well, in that case…” She lifted her glass to theirs. “I’ll definitely toast to that.”

  After the toast, Abby set her glass of water on the table and grinned at her. “And about you not having a guy…what about RJ? The way you two slow danced at my reception back in June had several people hot and bothered, including me. I mean, wow.” The woman fanned herself with her hand. “You two were entwined like a pretzel…then disappeared into the night. It was quite romantic how you just met and hit it off so well.”

  Lori swallowed a snort. “It was more physical than romantic.”

  “Nothing wrong with physical,” Lyndsey said, petting the large mastiff sitting between them, while a three-legged cat, and a one-eyed dog chased each other around the fenced-in yard. “If it wasn’t for chemistry, I never would’ve gotten involved with Gabe. And that would’ve been a damn shame.”

  The woman was outspoken and headstrong, two traits that made her such a great animal advocate and wonderful veterinary technician, not to mention a great candidate for Lori’s friend.

  “Even though he did arrest you.” Abby grinned. “I still can’t believe he did that.”

  Loni gasped, “What?”

  Abby and Lori both laughed.

  “Yes, he did,” Lyndsey replied, patting the mastiff’s large head. “Poor Buster here was chained up outside in the late summer heat and had no water. So, I took him some. The asshat owner called the sheriff to have me arrested for trespassing.”

  “And Gabe actually did it?” Loni asked.

  Lyndsey snickered. “Absolutely. It was his job. He’s all about duty. In his defense, he didn’t want to and had tried to talk the idiot out of it, but the jerk refused. Although, he was a no-show at the magistrate, so the charges were dropped.”

  “I don’t get it.” Her sister frowned. “How was giving the dog some water breaking the law?”

  “It’s because the owner had no trespassing signs posted and I ignored them to help the dog,” Lyndsey replied, still petting said dog as she glanced down at him. “And I’d do it again to help you, wouldn’t I, Buster?”

  The mastiff woofed, deep and low before licking Lyndsey’s hand.

  “That just doesn’t seem fair.” Her sister was still frowning.

  Abby nodded. “I agree. It’s like jury duty. Do you believe I received a notice last week? But because of my ‘condition,’ I was able to get out of it.”

  “Lori did jury duty a few years ag
o, back in Connecticut,” Loni said.

  It’d been right after she’d finished pastry school.

  Abby’s gaze swung to hers. “You did? How was it?”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t bad. Thankfully, I wasn’t selected for Federal. That could go on for a year or more. Mine was a drunk driving case. It only lasted about ten days.”

  Hearing the testimony and viewing the photos had been tough. Lori hadn’t been keen on passing judgment, but she understood the laws, and the drunk driver had broken several on top of paralyzing a young mother of two.

  Thank God the children hadn’t been in the car with her. It had been flattened like a pancake.

  “I was summoned two years ago,” Lyndsey said. “I was chosen for a robbery case, but it ended up settled with a plea agreement, so I was only there a day.”

  “Was it a case Gabe was involved with?”

  Lyndsey nodded. “Yes, I think it was one of his first cases. I remember thinking, damn, that man is fine but way too uptight for me.” She snickered, lifting her drink. “Turns out, I was wrong.”

  Lori snorted. “Bet Gabe would love to hear that.”

  “Yeah, but don’t you dare tell him.” Their host laughed. “He knows I adore him.”

  The sheriff knew, all right, and adored his girlfriend right back…well, his soon-to-be fiancée—provided Lyndsey said yes later.

  Gabe was righteous and immovable, and a complete pushover when it came to Lyndsey.

  It was great.

  She exchanged a quick look with her sister and fought a grin. The good sheriff had commissioned them to bake a special cake today for the occasion. It currently sat in a box inside their refrigerator at work.

  Lori would fetch it when it was time. She was so excited for her friend and equally excited to witness the proposal.

  Keeping Gabe’s secret had been tough the past week. At least she’d been able to talk about it with her sister, but only at work, and only when they were alone. The sheriff had sworn them to secrecy. He hadn’t wanted any of the guys to know either, which meant Loni couldn’t tell Dean.

  Not a problem. It was part of the job. Her sister was a professional, and great at keeping secrets. Hell, she’d kept her disease a secret from Lori until the doctor told Loni it was hereditary, and that Lori needed to get tested. She knew Loni hadn’t done it to be mean. No, her sister was a softie. She had done it to keep others from worrying.

  Lori worried anyway.

  But not today. It was a day to celebrate. At least, it would be after dinner. Nothing was going to dim her excitement.

  Buster jumped to his feet and barked at the privacy fence a second before the gate opened and Gabe and Dean walked into the yard carrying a cooler, with Chief, the sheriff’s pit bull close on his heels.

  Abby’s husband Cooper walked through the gate.

  Followed by RJ.

  Lori’s pulse leapt without her permission.

  Shoot. She stood corrected. RJ’s presence could definitely dim her excitement…or up it exponentially.

  It depended entirely on the sexy SEAL.

  Chapter Three

  “Who’s hungry?” Gabe asked.

  “I am.” Lyndsey waved her man over. “Come here and give me some sugar, sugar.”

  Lori grinned as the man immediately set his side of the cooler down and headed for his woman.

  “Oh.” Abby smiled. “I want some sugar, too, Cooper.”

  Her sister even got in on it, crooking a finger at Dean.

  While the women offered their lips to their men, Lori kept her gaze averted from the sugar-less SEAL, put her lips on her glass, and enjoyed her no-strings attached margarita.

  Delicious.

  Was it more delicious than RJ’s kisses?

  Nope. But they weren’t on the menu.

  She glanced at the guy from under her lashes. Texas seemed to be good for him.

  The handsome man appeared less gaunt than he had upon his arrival. His cheeks weren’t as angular, and his muscles were fuller…not that he hadn’t had a smokin’ hot body before. But now, he looked healthier, stronger. He even walked with more ease.

  It was her sister’s fault that she’d noticed these changes. Loni had insisted she come over for early morning coffee to watch the sun rise. Knowing how important each sunrise was to her sister, Lori had agreed. That was before she realized her sister also enjoyed a different kind of view each morning.

  Dean…running shirtless on the beach…only he wasn’t alone. No. Cooper and RJ ran by his side.

  A trio of former SEALs.

  Okay, so it wasn’t a hardship watching sunlight and shadows caressing a triple dose of muscles and ridges.

  Loni had warned her not to be fooled by the distance and safety of her back deck. The glorious view of a certain, recently transplanted SEAL could come back to bite her in the ass.

  God, she hoped so…

  Shit.

  Lori sat up and blinked. She had no business fantasizing about the guy.

  Especially since he wasn’t interested.

  Watching him run every morning was a waste of time.

  Too bad she was addicted.

  It had all started with that slow dancing Abby had mentioned. Lori’s body remembered every delicious second of pressing into all that rock-hard muscle, and then later when they were naked and touching and kissing. The man had felt warm and solid, and it was weird, but in his arms, she’d felt safe and protected.

  That wasn’t something she’d ever really looked for or required in a guy. But RJ was unique. There was something different about him.

  Yeah, his indifference to her.

  She swallowed her snort down with the last of her drink, then reached for the pitcher and refilled her glass. Deep down, she knew he had enjoyed their naked time together, but it didn’t make being around him any less awkward.

  “You taste like one of Gabe’s margaritas,” Dean told her sister, then leaned down for another kiss.

  “A’right. Save it for later, Romeo,” Gabe said, now standing next to Lyndsey’s chair. “You and Coop need to get busy cleaning the fish RJ and I caught.”

  Lori glanced at RJ and her heart rocked when a smile crossed his handsome face. Her body always overreacted when the guy smiled. And it wasn’t even aimed at her. Tell that to her body. It didn’t seem to care.

  “Roger that,” Dean said, bending down to grab the cooler again. “Where would you like it done?”

  “Behind the garage, and put a lid on the garbage can when you’re done,” Gabe replied. “Don’t let Threepio’s lack of appendage fool you. He is more than capable of retrieving scraps from inside. He doesn’t need to get into any of the bones.”

  “Ah, isn’t that cute?” Cooper grinned as he grabbed the other side of the cooler. “Papa Bear is worried about his kitty.”

  Gabe flipped the guy off. “You’re the one who is going to be a papa bear in…?” He glanced at Abby with a raised brow.

  “Ten weeks,” the mother-to-be replied, rubbing a hand over her swollen belly.

  “And don’t dally with the fish,” Gabe called to Cooper. “Your wife and child are hungry.”

  Papa Bear waved a hand as he continued toward the garage. “Roger that.”

  Gabe chuckled. “Come on, RJ. Let’s get cleaned up and grab a beer.”

  After the two men disappeared into the house, Lori found it a little easier to breathe.

  Which was stupid considering they were outside, surrounded by nothing but fresh air. She knew the reason but refused to acknowledge it.

  “I still can’t believe our little girl will be here soon.” Abby rubbed her belly again, a soft smile curving her lips.

  “That did go quickly.” Loni grinned. “Are you getting excited for your baby shower? It’s only two weeks away.”

  Abby sat up. “Yeah. I know. I can’t wait to see the cake. You two did such an amazing job with the one for our gender reveal.”

  Lyndsey sipped her drink. “That was the greatest Fo
urth of July cake I ever saw.”

  “We had a blast making it,” Lori said with a grin.

  “Ahh…I see what you did there.” Abby chuckled.

  Despite the hours and hours of meticulous decorating Lori had put into the red, white, and blue baby eagle wearing a top hat, she’d enjoyed watching the top of the cake bust away to allow pink confetti to blast into the air.

  “Yeah, that was lots of fun.” Loni grinned. “But there won’t be any explosives or special effects involved in your baby shower cake.”

  They were always one of Lori’s favorites. Sculpting a baby was special, but this one was even more special because it was for her friend.

  Just like the proposal cake for Gabe and Lyndsey. Making and decorating it, knowing her friend was on the receiving end gave it much more meaning. Excitement rushed through her veins in a wave of warmth. She wished they could skip dinner and go straight to dessert.

  A half hour later, she amended that thought. Damn, the large platter of fish Gabe set in the middle of the table smelled amazing.

  She reached for a helping at the same time as RJ.

  Somehow, the guy had ended up seated next to her on the right. Mainly because Loni had scooted over a spot, which had left the poor guy no choice but to sit by her.

  “Here, Lori, let me.” He loaded a helping of fish onto her plate before taking his own.

  She stared at him a few extra seconds, while her mind registered the fact he’d spoken to her without prompting…and used her name.

  It sounded way too good on his lips. So good that her pulse was still hiccupping.

  “Thanks,” she said after regaining some mental function.

  “Gabe’s a master griller.” He turned to her and grinned.

  And there went her burgeoning grasp on mental function.

  Needing a distraction, she shoved a forkful of fish into her mouth and sighed as it practically melted on her tongue.

  After enjoying a few more bites, she nodded. “You’re right, RJ. Gabe is a master griller. This is delicious.”

  His grin appeared again, and she spent the next ten minutes enjoying her food and actual conversation with RJ, all while enveloped in a warm fog.

  “So, tell me, Rockford James, were your parents a fan of a popular television show in the seventies staring James Garner?”