AN HOUR LATER, AFTER GETTING back to the St. John house, taking care of the dog, and getting Tori into the master suite so she could curl up in bed and wait for Draegyn to call, Stephanie was wrapped so tight with nervous energy she felt like exploding. It had been a long, busy day.
Alex had performed his Big Daddy duties with calm precision; even making sure Tori had the phone within easy reach and a fresh carafe of cool water on the bedside table. Calder, on the other hand, was practically manic, asking every two minutes if Tori was alright while prowling back and forth, helping rearrange the pillows on the bed, opening the armoire for the TV and clicking through the hundreds of channels until he found a home improvement show that her daughter professed to like. Through all of this, they never made eye contact.
It had been left to Stephanie to help her daughter get ready for bed, standing guard outside the en suite door in case she needed help. She lended a hand while Tori undressed and donned a voluminous cotton nightie that looked like a costume from a Jane Austen movie. And all the while, her daughter had babbled on and on about Calder and how sweet he’d been with baby Dylan. What a shame it was that he didn’t have kids of his own, she said, comparing him non-stop to Alex. It was all like fingernails on a damn chalkboard for Stephanie.
Eventually Tori got settled and shooed everyone from the house following a round of hugs and kisses. She promised to let Stephanie know if she needed anything, so they left her alone to wait for Drae’s call and headed downstairs.
“Can I get anyone anything?” she babbled. “Coffee? Tea? Something harder?”
Alex let out a booming laugh when she said, something harder, and slung his arm possessively around Meghan’s neck. “I’d enjoy something harder but since my fiancée declared me a pussy not too long ago due to my whiskey preference, maybe it’s best I decline.”
“Thanks, Stephanie,” Meghan added with a quick laugh. “But I think the Major and I will take this disagreement someplace private where I can drink his ass under the table and prove my point.”
Alex leered at his sassy redhead as he smacked her playfully on the butt. Turning a mischievous expression on Stephanie he said, “I’d forgotten until the other night when you downed a mouthful of Maker’s Mark that you prefer the Southern delight! Did you know that Calder also has a love-hate thing going on with bourbon? Dirty Bird, isn’t that right, Unc?”
“What?” Calder muttered.
Unless she were mistaken, he’d just gotten caught totally distracted. She wondered what in the hell he’d been thinking.
“Wild Turkey,” Alex prompted with raised eyebrows and a smirk. “That’s your drink, isn’t it?”
“Oh, um…yeah. Bourbon. Neat. No bullshit.”
Fuck. My. Life. Unless she was missing the obvious hint, Alex and Meghan were setting them up to share a drink. Clearing her throat, she slapped a brittle smile on her face and politely invited Calder to hang out and have a bourbon with her to the beaming approval of the meddling Major. They were trapped. Something reflected in the the look of shock mixed with reluctance on Calder’s face.
“Oh, uh sure,” he finally choked out while jamming his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Yeah. A bourbon would be good.”
He sounded so not thrilled. Right then, Stephanie wanted to throttle Alex, but what in the hell could she do? Especially when the all too cheerful couple quickly said their good-byes, taking Raven with them, leaving her and a very uncomfortable looking Calder Dane standing by the front door with expressions that bordered on murderous.
If she didn’t want a drink to calm her frazzled nerves, she might have kicked her reluctant guest to the curb. But instead, she stalked off toward the impressive bar at the rear of the family room aware that Calder was following several steps behind.
Grabbing the bottle of Maker’s Mark from the drink tray, she slammed it on the polished wood of the bar then opened the liquor cabinet and searched for a bottle of Wild Turkey. The half-full bottle told her that either Draegyn liked bourbon or this wasn’t the first time Calder had imbibed at the St. John’s.
“This is a beautiful bar,” her guest murmured as he took a seat. “Draegyn really outdid himself.”
Pouring a couple of fingers of the fragrant beverage into a glass, she pushed it toward him then did the same for herself. Raising her glass in a toast she quipped, “Here’s to living single and drinking double.”
Stephanie was just nervous and put off enough to want to slug the entire glass down in one shot, but managed to reel herself in. She took a deep breath, silently remembering that a good bourbon was worth sipping and savoring no matter how hard one’s chains got rattled.
Looking around at the magnificent wood bar and cabinetry that bore all the hallmarks of a St. John original, she asked, “How long have you known my son-in-law?”
Calder relaxed against the seat back of the bar chair and regarded her in much the same way that Alex would have. He was deciding how much to share, gathering bits and pieces of random information.
“Well, let’s see,” he offered quietly. “Seems like forever. Long before they started the agency.”
“Really?” That came as news to Stephanie.
He was fiddling with the glass where it sat on the bar, turning it with his long fingers and staring into the amber-colored liquid.
“Yep. They used to come hang with me when they got military leave.” Calder shrugged like it was no big deal, but what he said next reminded Stephanie how complicated Draegyn’s life used to be. “Drae didn’t exactly have family so Alex always seemed to have the man in tow—one way or the other.”
Hmmmm. Poor Draegyn. He had so much, but at the same time, so little. Stephanie recalled how she’d researched the St. John’s on the Internet after Victoria turned up married to the family. What a sorry bunch of pretentious assholes they were. Drae’s father came off like a preening douchebag while the mother, holy cow. The stick up her butt and the way she seemed interested only in her own social status had infuriated Stephanie. It must have been really tough on Draegyn when he was with the Special Forces. Without the comfort of involved parents, he, of course, gravitated toward Alex.
“When you say hung out with you, what does that actually mean? Where do you live, Calder?”
She watched as he picked up his glass and rocked it until the liquid released some of its fragrance, lifted it to his nose for a quick savor, and then sipped. When his tongue swiped along his lips afterward, she almost groaned.
“At the time, I was based in southern California. Santa Barbara to be exact.” Making a wry face, he pointed at himself and comically drawled, “Surfer dude,” as he rolled his eyes. “Beach living was my thing for longer than I can remember.”
“You say that as if it’s in the past tense.”
He nodded, acknowledging her comment. “Actually, you’re correct. Back during the time when the guys were in the service, I preferred the ocean to pretty much anything else. For them, coming out of the hot, dry shithole they were in overseas, they naturally gravitated to the beach. Fresh air, blue skies, waves. Oh yeah and hot girls in tiny bathing suits,” he snickered. “Was happy to provide a change of scenery for them.”
“But…?”
He chuckled and rolled a shoulder. “Everything gets old after a while. Right about the time Alex almost got his ass blown to kingdom come, I got sucked into other things. NASA, for one. They wanted to pick my brain for Space Station stuff so basically I started bouncing back and forth between Houston and the Flight Center in Maryland. Eventually putting down roots in Colorado, of all places. Something about living on a mountaintop where I wouldn’t have to put up with other people’s bullshit if I didn’t want to appealed to me.”
Colorado? Fuck. Really? How damn small could the world actually be? “Is that where you live now? Colorado?” It had taken all her strength to sound impassive, but just the mention of the Centennial State made her insides tighten.
“Aspen.”
He was watching her. Closely. Keeping a tsunami of memories from taking her under wasn’t being helped by the alcohol she’d drunk. Sure, Aspen was a far cry from where she’d grown up—a different world altogether but she’d done everything in her power when she was younger to distance herself from the hard-scrabble life she’d endured living with her grandparents in Durango.
“The mountains must be lovely,” she murmured—quickly taking another sip and draining her glass of the bourbon that burned a path down her throat setting off a fire in her gut. She shoved the glass behind where she was standing and tried not to give too much away.
Calder finished his drink, set the empty glass none too gently on the wooden bar top then slid from his chair and rounded the bar, boxing her in so fast she barely had time to think.
“It’s you who’s lovely, Stephanie, and if you don’t kiss me right fucking now, I won’t be able to help myself.”
He’d placed his hands on either side of her head, framing her face—his thumbs gently stroking her chin. Startled, she could only stand there as an exquisite tremor slithered up and down every nerve in her body. Goosebumps erupted on her skin.
He wanted to kiss her? Really? Why? She was confused. Except for the brief interlude when they’d laughed together and choreographed their rolling chair routine, they’d done little more than take shots at each other every time they met. Most, if not all, instigated by him.
Calder didn’t take her lips right away. First, he kissed her eyes, then the tip of her nose. Each cheek and the corners of her mouth. His touch was gentle and his lips were soft but insistent. And his scent. Oh God. Why did he have to smell so damn good?
A husky whimper rolled from her chest. She put her hands on his forearms and got lost in his eyes—their steel blue coloring turned smoky and intense. When he brought her face closer to his and lowered his mouth, her eyes drifted shut in anticipation. She did absolutely nothing to stop what was about to happen.
His kiss was mesmerizing, unfolding slowly in a seductive silence that was melting her bones. She felt like a young, untried girl, shaken up by a man who knew how to enflame her senses with just his lips. Calder didn’t so much kiss her as claim ownership. Of her mouth. Her response. Her shaking body. It scared the shit out of her, but she still didn’t stop him.
His tongue fed slowly inside her mouth, swirling everywhere. Feeding on her. She answered, hesitantly at first, then with a deepening fervor that almost matched his. Almost, but not quite. Stephanie had never been kissed like this. Ever. He tasted wild and tempting, using his mouth, lips, and tongue to coax a reaction from her that surprised and frightened her.
Just when she started to unravel, he gentled the passionate invasion of her mouth and senses, slowly withdrawing his tongue before a final feast of her lips. Licking each corner of her mouth then swiping his sexy tongue across her lips one last time he drew back and groaned, “I could easily get lost in your kiss.”
He still had her face framed in those strong hands so when she opened her eyes, his were right there–looking down at her with such wonder that she moaned softly and leaned into him, desperate for another taste.
What in the hell was she doing? Stephanie didn’t know and also didn’t care after she heard him growl then release her head and grab her torso, crushing her trembling body against his.
He muttered a rumbling, lusty, “Fuck,” then slammed his mouth back to hers for a kiss that went deep. His hands were everywhere—splayed across her back pressing her into his chest, grabbing her ass with a strong grip while he ground his pelvis into her—leaving absolutely no doubt that he wanted her.
For her part, Stephanie wound her arms about his neck and let it happen. When she speared her fingers into his long hair and tugged, he grunted his approval. With his voracious tongue dueling with hers and her body crushed against his, she gave up any pretense of not liking this man and threw herself wholeheartedly into what was happening. It didn’t help that he’d pushed a sturdy thigh between her trembling legs effectively giving her the opportunity to grind and all but ride him.
No matter how old your kids get, they always seem to want you at exactly the wrong moment. From within the shroud of desire wrapped around them she heard the customized ringtone she’d put on her phone to alert her to an incoming text from Victoria. Shit. Tori must need something. Calder heard it, too, and pulled his mouth off hers with a groan.
Still dazed and shaking slightly, she hadn’t taken her hands out of his hair when the ringtone chimed again. It was Calder who slid his hand inside the pocket of her jeans to retrieve the phone. He glanced at the screen and said, “Looks like Tori needs you.”
Stephanie reluctantly let go of his hair and took the phone, but he had yet to release her from being plastered chest to knees against his body. It was more than a bit disconcerting to call Tori’s phone with Calder’s thigh pressed so intimately against her.
“Hi Sweetie, what’s up?” She listened to Tori’s request for some cookies because her tummy was growling while the man who had just driven her crazy with his mouth caressed her ass with both hands.
“Sure, no problem. Chocolate chip or oatmeal?” she asked. “Really? Both? Okay. What? Calder? Um, yeah. He’s right here. Why? No, no. We were just talking.” She glanced at his face and rolled her eyes when she found him grinning at her. “Has Draegyn called yet?”
She had to bite back a groan when Calder slipped his hands into the back pockets on her jeans and pulled her firmly into his hard body. A half-hearted scowl formed on her face that only made his grin broader.
Damn him. Rolling her hips on his thigh, she shot him a look of smug satisfaction when the physical reprisal for his teasing earned her a deep growl. Unfortunately, the movement also sent fiery need shooting from her core into every nerve ending in her body. It had been a long, long time since she’d felt such longing.
“Sure thing, honey. Give me a minute to grab what you need and I’ll be along. No, don’t worry about it. Calder was just leaving anyway. Uh huh. Okay. See you in a minute. Bye.”
The moment she pushed the end call button, Calder wrapped his big hand around her neck and tugged her forward, capturing her lips for one final incendiary kiss. Knowing it was their last for the evening she gave herself over to the mating of their mouths and gave as good as she got. They were both breathing heavily when it ended.
“Goodnight, m’lady,” he murmured, his eyes burning with regret while he stared at her lips. “Thanks for the drink.” When he swiped his thumb along her bottom lip, she wasn’t sure if he meant the bourbon or her.
“HI, BABY,” TORI PURRED WHEN Draegyn finally called. It was late in both time zones, but she didn’t care. There was no way she was sleeping until she heard his voice.
She heard the love coming over the phone when he murmured, “How’s my woman?”
“Your woman misses you. Y’know, pretty soon I’ll be able to call you Daddy. Would you like that? If I called you Daddy when we were alone?”
Draegyn’s bark of laughter made her smile. “Who are you fucking kidding?” he drawled. “You no more have a submissive bone in that little body of yours than I do. And no, Daddy doesn’t quite cut it. Lord and master, maybe. Or Sex God. We can negotiate when I come home.”
Tori giggled at his outrage and took him up on his suggestion. “I can do master. Maybe,” she joked. “If Jeannie could do it, so can I.”
Drae’s deep chuckle warmed her insides. “Hmmmm. I like the idea of you in a sexy harem outfit. Something about you on your knees saying, ‘Yes, Master,’ while you suck my dick opens up a shitload of fuckery we can get into.”
“Goddamn but I miss you,” she groaned. “Any luck with finding that kid?”
“That’s why it took me so long to call. I think Cam has him on the radar, but we’ll need to fly to Denver tomorrow.”
“Denver? What in the hell is in Denver?”
She heard her husband sigh and picked up on the unmistakable sound of liquid being poured. Imagining him making his favorite ice-cold vodka martini with three olives only made her miss him even more. It was so perfectly like her sexy 007.
“Apparently, he’s on a semester break from school and decided to hit up some stoner music festival in Colorado. Unfortunately, it looks like he’s involved himself with some questionable people, so we will probably have to rescue his stupid ass. Hopefully, we’ll be able to grab him and get back to Chicago before his father arrives. I had a terse conversation with Sharif earlier. Apparently, the King wants to see for himself that Majid is okay so he’s on his way from Dashur.”
“Eeek,” Tori muttered. “A kingly ass kicking.”
“Right?” She heard him pause to take a sip of his drink. “Serves him right for taking me away from you.”
Awww. Hearing the terse, very pissed-off bite in his voice touched Tori’s heart. Maybe him going off from time to time on agency business wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Wanting to distract her husband from the loneliness of their temporary separation, she snorted out an unladylike laugh and said, “Guess what?”
“You miss me?” Draegyn chuckled.
“Well, yes. That but something else. Never mind trying to guess,” she giggled. “That’d take all night so I’ll just tell you. Big Daddy and Irish practically threw mom and Calder together this evening. It was funny as shit, too. Was all Lacey and I could do not to crack up laughing.”
Draegyn chuckled. “Holy shit. For real? How’d Stephanie take it?”
“I thought she was going to kick Alex in the shins but she backed off. And Calder looked like he was gearing up to walk the green mile. Anyway—they all came here after movie night at Cameron’s then from what I gathered, since I was tucked in our bed and couldn’t see what happened, they all headed downstairs, Mom and Dad split with the puppy, leaving Uncle Calder behind. He stuck around for quite a while. I feel bad, though.”
“What in the hell for?”
“Oh, you know me. I watched my home flipping show then got restless and bored so I texted Mom and asked her to bring me some munchies. Apparently,” she quipped with heavy sarcasm dripping from every word, “I interrupted something.”
“Really? How’d you figure that?”
Tori laughed and rubbed her tummy telling Draegyn gleefully, “When she came up here with my snacks her lipstick was all sorts of smeared. I all but fell over laughing! I think they were making out.”
“Oh babe—that’s fucking awesome. Calder and Stephanie sitting in a tree….k-i-s-s-i-n-g,” he sang. “You okay with that? I mean, it must be kind of weird and all.”
She thought about it for a second and the intense ramifications that could come from Alex’s uncle and her mother having an affair or maybe even getting serious and was surprised to realize the notion wasn’t as off-the-wall uncomfortable as it had been at first.
“I want my mom to be happy, Draegyn. She’s been alone for a long time. And I sorta like Calder. He’s Alex in a way, only with blond hair, but with the same sexy swagger.”
“What the fuck!” her husband barked over the phone. “Did you just tell me your boss, my brother, has a sexy swagger? Goddammit, Victoria.”
She grinned ear to ear. Was there anything better for a girl’s ego than hearing her man lose his shit over an innocent comment?
“Too much information, husband?” she taunted.
“Victoria,” he growled in warning.
“Baby, you get your hot ass home as soon as possible. And wear one of those panty-dropping suits when you do. The minute we’re alone, I wanna see you tug on your cuffs and adjust your tie then I’ll show you who’s the sexiest motherfucker alive.”
“Better get yourself a harem outfit, wife—and no, I’m not kidding. Pregnant belly and all. While I’m tugging my cuffs, you’ll be stretching those pretty lips around my cock. Oh, and make sure there’s no crotch in the harem pants. Will save time.”