by J. L. Drake
“Ah,” Daniel laughed, “smart answer.”
Mark shoved the martini he held in my hand and made a show of waiting with bated breath for me to give it a try.
I took a small sip, then another larger one. “Okay, this is fantastic.”
“My job here is done.” He winked and snatched a baby from an older woman who hurried by. “Hello-rou wittle one.” His voice rose about three octaves. “Yes, you love your daddy, don’t you? Yeah, you do.”
“Oh, she’s yours?” My heart melted as the toddler giggled in his arms.
“Nope, he rents these kids and uses them to pick up chicks,” the small one chimed in with a shit-eating grin. “Name’s Davie.”
“Nice to meet you, Davie.”
“Trust me, the pleasure, I can assure you, is all mine.”
“Come on, Sloane,” Frank appeared out of thin air and pulled me away, “you should meet the girls. You’ll need some protection around here.”
“Savi. June. This is Sloane.” The lady who Mark stole the baby from had a lovely smile and looked a lot like Abby, then one of the prettiest women I had ever laid eyes on welcomed me with a warm smile. Then she looked down, and her mouth dropped open as she nearly cried over my boots.
“It is possible to have an orgasm over footwear? Because I think I just did.”
June burst into laughter and ran a hand down the smooth material of my boots.
“All right, then,” Frank covered his ears, “that’s my cue to get the hell out.”
“Hey, babe.” Cole came in, and Frank turned him around.
“Trust me, just don’t.”
Cole didn’t even look back. This place was pretty friggin’ hilarious.
“So,” Savi pulled me over to a stool where I could sit while she finished making a salad, “tell me about yourself.”
June waited until I was done with my martini before she replaced it with a deep-red wine. I took a sip and appreciated the smooth, velvety liquid as I swirled it around my tongue. Their booze collection was something else.
“I have a little brother who has three amazing sons, and they are my world. However, they’re moving to North Dakota soon because of my sister-in-law’s job.”
“That sucks.” Savi made a sad face.
“Yeah, it really does.”
“What drew you to become a lawyer?” June asked as she washed her hands free of the rosemary.
I shrugged. “When I was only sixteen, I watched a family friend get destroyed in court when all the evidence proved he was innocent. The prosecutor just ate his lawyer for lunch. It took everything in me to not jump in and state the facts that I knew were true.”
“When you were sixteen?” June asked through a laugh.
“I know it’s young, but my older cousin is a lawyer and always took me to court with her when she was studying for the bar. I ate it up and begged her to take me whenever she could. We would watch together. It fascinated me, and the challenge of digging for the real facts thrilled me. I couldn’t wait to be what I knew I was born for, to get at the truth of things. I don’t know, I think something clicked in me that I wanted to help those who couldn’t.”
“That’s very badass of you.” Savi clicked her glass to mine, and I was happy that my story impressed them. Normally, the spotlight wasn’t on me. “What about your parents?”
I skirted around the question. “Both my parents were in the military, but I didn’t want to be a JAG. I wanted something that was mine.”
“Were you up on the peak again?” I heard from behind me and turned to see who it was. It took me a moment, but then I saw a little of Frank in the woman and realized it was Mia. She was still just as pretty as I remembered.
“No,” John said as he walked toward us from the direction of the kitchen, looking completely different then earlier. He was in a dark gray dress shirt, unbuttoned at the neck with rolled sleeves. His jeans were dark, which complemented his shirt nicely. “My niece gave me shit for looking too Army while we had a lady guest in the house.” He smiled at me. “So, I showered and changed.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. He was wonderfully open and confident.
“Mia,” Savi stepped in, “this is Sloane. She is working with our district attorney for Blackstone.”
“Oh,” she flushed with a squeal, “the last time I saw you, we were ripping the heads off your brother’s GI Joes.” She laughed as she came in for a hug. “It’s really great to see you again, Sloane.”
“You too.” I smiled, happy that they didn’t hide who they were in front of me. It was incredibly refreshing. John gave me a sexy, lopsided grin before he made his way to the fridge to fetch a beer. A tiny ping of something hit my stomach, and I tried to push back the feeling. I knew with my situation, I shouldn’t even go there, but if I was honest with myself, John was very attractive.
“You two know one another?” Savi asked.
I shot Mia a small plea to keep what she knew quiet.
“Sloane is an old family friend.” She brushed off the question, but I could tell Savi caught it, and to my surprise, she let it go. She came around to my side of the island and leaned down to my level.
“Does John remind you of anyone?”
“Savi,” he growled with his back to us.
I played along because she was right. He did. Since the moment I first laid eyes on him in the house, he’d reminded me of someone. I wasn’t good with famous people, mainly because I always had my head in a book or a laptop digging up dirt on people, but John was painfully sexy, and I was surprised I didn’t drop my entire stack of papers when he spoke to me earlier today. “Yeah, but I can’t place him.”
“I’ll give you a hint.” June joined in. “Like father, like son.”
I chewed my lip while I raced through my mind. “Celebrity?”
“Mmhm…” Savi beamed.
“John?” I called over just to add to the shit they were giving him. “Would you mind turning back around?” To my surprise, he did, glaring at Savannah the whole time, but she seemed completely unfazed by his look of death.
Then it hit me like a hot need that worked its way through the center of my stomach. I willed my blush to leave, but it didn’t listen. It shamelessly stayed right where it was.
“Oh…my…God.” Each word fell slowly from my lips.
“Yeah,” Savi stood, “she sees it too.”
“Who does he look like?” Mark kissed Mia and looked around the room, thoroughly entertained.
“Crazy cat lady.” John stuck his finger at Mark.
“I’m just sorry I missed the moment.” Mark hooted in laugher at some inside joke they must have had. “Anyway, who does Black look like?” he repeated without missing a beat.
“Scott Eastwood,” Savi and I said at the same time.
“Who?”
“Clint Eastwood’s son,” I explained.
“Mark, remember the movie right before my water broke? You and I both made the connection.”
“What?” He pulled his phone free and started to search the name.
I glanced over at John. He was watching me. His light blond stubble intensified his jaw, and his straight eyebrows rose slightly when I held his stare. I was just happy I was sitting, because my knees went tingly.
“Oh, yeah,” Mark snickered, “that was the guy from the movie you were all gushing about that day too. You watch that movie a lot.”
“Yup,” Mia grabbed the phone, “because of the way he rode that bull.”
“Right!” Savi moaned, and Mark dipped low to whisper in Mia’s ear.
“Pff,” Mia scoffed, “the last time that happened,” she pointed to the baby in the other room, “that happened.”
We all laughed while Mark shook his head.
“So, I guess the question is,” I waited for the noise to settle, “John, can you ride a horse?”
“I can.” He nodded.
“A bull?”
“Perhaps.”
“Interesting.”
Savannah looked at the both of us with a sparkle in her eye that snapped us out of our moment. “And as much fun as this is, it’s time for dinner.”
“So, Sloane,” Mark wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked over to the table, “I’m not one for being subtle, so I figured I should just dive in. I notice your left is naked.”
“What?” I laughed as he pulled back a chair for me while John slid into the chair to my right.
“Married? Engaged, boyfriend, ex-husband, widowed?”
“Mark!” Mia elbowed him in the arm. “Really?”
“What? That’s a normal question,” he shot back.
“I’m sorry, Sloane.” Mia looked mortified. “He doesn’t have a filter.”
I shrugged. “It’s refreshing, actually.” Mark shot her a look, and she rolled her eyes. “No, no, it’s complicated, no, and no.”
“Complicated how?” This time Mark was ready for Mia’s hit and grabbed her hand as it came at him. Damn, he was a charmer.
“Sloane,” Frank stepped in for the rescue, “I leave tomorrow but will be back in a few days. Is there anything you need before I go?”
“Actually, there is.” John handed me the mashed potatoes, and as I took the heavy plate, he was ready for me to struggle, so he kept his hands on it. “Heavy and hot.” He chuckled and moved it to sit in front of me.
“Thanks.” Having him so close made my mind foggy. I stumbled to remember what I was talking about. “Ah, I would like to interview Brick from the Devil’s Reach.”
The table went quiet, and I wondered what the deal was with this club.
“I can pack a bag and make day trip out of it. I just have some questions.”
Frank glanced at Cole uneasily. “When does Irons return?”
“Not sure yet. He and Keith are finishing up the paperwork.”
“I don’t need an escort, Frank,” I interrupted before Cole could say anything else. “You know what and who I’ve been up against before. A motorcycle club doesn’t scare me.”
Frank’s lips pressed together like he wanted to say something, but the room was full, so I didn’t push it further.
Suddenly, a stampede could be heard, and a door slamming brought a chorus of groans from around the room.
“Hey,” Mark grabbed one of the little boys by the shirttail as he attempted to scoot by and wrangled him to his side, “Liam, meet Sloane. She’s going to be here for a while.”
“I know, Dad.” He rolled his eyes. “We already met.”
All eyes swung over to me, so I stuck up my pinky and pointer finger and screamed through a whisper, “Call of Duty!”
“Mark!” Mia hit his arm. “I told you they are too young to play that game.”
“I can’t help it if they find my games. Just be glad they don’t find my porn or your toys.”
“Oh, my God, I can’t.” She gave a pleading look to Savi, who was still staring at me with a smirk.
“Call of Duty!” Liam returned my hand gestures before he escaped his father’s hold and raced away yelling, “See ya tonight, Sloane.”
Cole was the first to laugh, breaking the moment.
“I think I’m a little turned on right now,” John joked as he sent me an interesting look, one I couldn’t quite interpret.
“You and me both.” Mark let out a loud laugh before Mia shook her head. “So, you’re kinda single?” Mark suddenly flipped topics again, and I started to laugh—so hard in, fact, that I teared up. He was relentless.
“At least she thinks I’m funny.” He pointed a finger at Mia.
“Excuse me, Uncle John?” a young voice rang out, and a small version of Savi in a sweet black and white dress approached. A bright red ribbon was tied in her hair, and she wore shiny black shoes with a silver buckle on the side.
“Yes, little lady.” He reached out and brushed the back of his finger down her cheek.
She leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
“I see.” He nodded, and she continued to softly chat in his ear.
“That might be a Daddy question.”
She gave a quick glance over to Cole before she spoke out loud. “Oh, Uncle John, you know what he’ll say.”
“What would I say?” Cole asked.
“Daddy, it’s rude to come into a conversation that you’re not a part of.”
Cole turned to Savi. “Whoa, who does that sound like?” Savi covered her mouth to stop her smile while she pointed at herself.
“If you’re talking about me, shouldn’t I be in it?”
“No,” they both answered without looking at him.
“Ah ha,” Cole huffed and tried to hide his amusement.
“I think it’s fine, Livi.” John wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Will you join me later?”
“I’ll try.” She reached up and gave him a hug before she hurried off downstairs.
“Pssst,” Savi whispered to John, who made a motion like he was playing the piano. “Oh, okay.”
I stayed quiet through the rest of dinner in order to observe the men and their families. A few things were for sure. They all loved and respected one another. Shit and insults were tossed out constantly, but there was always a line they never crossed, and when Livi returned a while later and sat on her father’s lap, the tone at the table lowered and the topic was immediately changed to kid-friendly things.
I’d heard many stories over the years about the great team Blackstone, but I never thought I would be here at their massive dinner table surrounded by their stories and laughter.
“Thank you so much, Savi. Dinner was amazing.” I threaded my arms through the sleeves of my jacket.
“I’m really glad you joined us. Breakfast is normally around eight, but if you sleep in, as I’m sure you must be tired after your travels today, you’re welcome to anything in the kitchen. Our house is yours. Oh, and here.” She handed me a basket. “Just a few things you might need and want down at Tin House.”
I thought it was sweet they called it that. “That’s very thoughtful.” I leaned in and hugged the woman who felt more like a sister in one night than my best friend had ever been.
John appeared with his coat and took the basket from my arms.
“I’ll walk you back down to the house.”
“Oh,” I wasn’t excepting that, “okay.”
“Have a good night.” Savi closed the door behind us with a devilish grin.
Once again, my heels tried to find their way through the gravel, and my balance was slightly tested.
“I get women love heels, and so do I, but those are not Montana boots.”
“Are you more of a four-inch heel guy, or do you go big and do six?” I teased.
“Six,” he responded, deadpan.
“Now, that I’d like to see.” I laughed. “Listen, I spend a lot of time either in a book or a courtroom, so any chance I have to wear my boots or high heels like these, I do.”
“I’m not complaining, just pointing out the simple fact that you’re,” I stumbled, and he caught my arm, “going to break your ankle.”
“Yeah, but what a way to go.”
He smirked, and I couldn’t help but stare.
“What?”
“You just really looked like an Eastwood.”
“I hate Savi.”
“Why?” I started to move again. “How is that not a compliment? I would love for someone to say I looked like a sexy celebrity.”
“Are you calling me sexy?”
“I…” This time, I stumbled over my own words. “I’m just saying…” A loud panting noise caught my attention, and I froze. “Do,” my words froze in my throat, “you hear that?”
Suddenly, John stood straighter and stepped next to me then shouted in a big, booming voice, “Stop!”
In a blur, a giant German shepherd came to a screaming halt in front of us, his tongue lolling out of his mouth while he waited for his next command.
“Oh!” I loved dogs. “Who is
this big fella?” I bent down and held my hand out toward him.
“Okay,” John ordered, and the dog wagged his huge tail and licked my hand. “This is Tripper.”
“Hi, Tripper. Nice to meet you.” I rubbed his ears as he pushed his head into my stomach. “Oh, my, you’re a big baby, aren’t you?”
“Not normally.” John chuckled. “Normally, he will get in between me and whoever is with me.”
“It’s because you know I wouldn’t hurt a fly.” I addressed the dog and kissed the side of his face. His happy noise told me he liked it. “Oh, someone likes kisses, doesn’t he? You’re a big flirt.” If a dog could look deliriously happy, his face was a picture of it.
“Seriously, Tripper?” John shook his head. “Compose yourself.”
“Don’t listen to him.” I let him kiss my face. “I love a dog that loves to be loved.”
“This dog has taken down more men than I can count. I’m not exactly sure what’s happening right now.” Tripper was now on his back, paws in the air, waiting for a belly scratch. John looked mortified. “He’s like a big baby with you.”
I stood, and John stared at me. “What?”
“Nothing.” He gently took my arm and walked me toward the little house with Tripper glued to my side, only stopping when we reached the door.
“So, the twins convinced you to play their game?” He gave me a sideways glance.
“Actually, I asked to play. Liam couldn’t get past level one, so I offered some tips.”
“Impressive.” He nodded.
“Yes, my video game skills are widely talked about.”
John opened the door with a chuckle, set the basket on the table, and went in to turn on the fireplace and a few lights.
“It will take a few moments, but the place will warm up.”
“I don’t mind the cold.”
“Good, because winter is coming in fast this year.”
We both stood by the door as Tripper pushed inside and crawled up on the couch.
“No, Tripper, you can’t stay here.”
“Can he?” I interrupted. “I mean, I don’t know if he stays with you, but I’d love the company.”
John eyed the fur ball on the couch and looked back at me. “Well, all right, I guess. But just so you know, the grounds are protected twenty-four-seven. No one can get in or out without someone knowing.”