“ANYTHING STRIKE YOU as odd?” Angie asked Parker.
He looked up from the plate of onion rings he was devouring and glanced around. “Nope. Same shit. Different day.”
“Pfft,” she answered with a shake of her head. “You need glasses, old man.”
Wiping his mouth on a napkin, he didn’t respond right away. Then, when he was good and ready, he sat back, draped his arm over the back of her chair, and yanked until it scooted closer to his.
“Did that bench come with restraints or do I have to search through boxes to find enough rope to tie your smartass up?”
Grinning at him, she thought, I knew he’d like the bench!
“Why do you keep assuming it’s gonna be me on that bench?”
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked. Hard. “No topping.”
It would be so much fun to continue playing with him, but too many people were around. Shame, though. She liked where this line of conversation had the potential to go. Angie wasn’t kidding about Parker’s caveman behavior turning her on. Hadn’t taken long to figure out all she needed to do was attempt to call the shots, and he’d get all chest-thumpy and growly with her.
Meeting his lusty gaze, she bit down on her lip and fought the urge to giggle when she told him, “I don’t have any panties on.”
Letting go of her hair, he muttered, “Oh, my god,” and fell forward, smacking his forehead repeatedly on the wood table. “Why do you do this to me?”
Picking up her purse, she reached inside, found the modest scrap of fabric, squished it into a small ball, and held it beneath the table where no one else could see. Reaching for his pocket, Angie stuffed the pale blue silk down deep. When she was finished and withdrew her hand, she went on a leisurely path across a thick thigh until her fingers found and caressed the evidence of her lover’s desire.
Things were just getting good when she abruptly ended the dick massage and instead slapped him repeatedly on the leg.
“Look, look, look,” she quietly muttered. “Watch Finn. He’s up to something.”
Parker grabbed her hand and growled. “If that shithead punk just cost me a happy ending, the only thing he’ll be up to is having my foot removed from his ass.”
“Oh, stop growling, Chewie.” Whispering to him as his mouth quirked with amusement, she met his eyes and drawled, “I thought we’d sneak into the storage room for a quickie, but if you’d rather wait till we’re in the car, I can work up some enthusiasm for a happy ending.”
His gaze traveled over her face and settled on her neck. Aching for his touch, she shivered at the lusty promise in his eyes.
“Baby girl.” His voice was low and edged with possessiveness. “I will fuck you anytime, anyplace, anywhere.”
“Oh, my god. There he goes again!” she cried out when over Parker’s shoulder she spied Finn heading into the kitchen.
He gave her a sidelong smirk of complete disbelief. “Seriously? Cockblocked again by Finn O’Brien?”
Quickly pressing a kiss to his lips, she wound an arm around his neck, moved onto his lap, and wiggled for emphasis.
“Think of it as anticipation. Not a cockblock.”
He groaned and repositioned her on his lap. “All right, you witch. Explain what the hell is running around in that crazy head.”
Permission granted, she launched into a tirade, telling Parker what she’d been noticing.
“Okay, so, I’ve been watching Finn. Surprisingly,” she teased, “despite your dislike of the guy, he has no trouble schmoozing with everyone. Yes, he avoids you, Drae, and Calder like the plague, but with the rest of the family? He’s almost master of ceremony. I mean did you check out how Bella took to him?”
He grumped, and she felt a warmth flow through her. No doubt about it. Parker’s caveman turned her on.
“She’d be standing on her head for me too if I showed up making balloon animals. Magician my ass. Revolting douchebag.”
“Aw,” she simpered. “Did he make you jealous?”
“Jealous? Fuck no. Stop trying to jack me up, Angel.”
Continuing to poke at him for the sake of a response would be fun, but she was truly curious as to what Finn was doing.
Tossing her hair back over a shoulder, she patted his chest and looked him in the eye. “All kidding aside, Counselor. I’m dead serious. Just watch for a few minutes and you’ll see what I mean. He’s in and out of the kitchen. And it looks to me like he and Barry have some kind of unspoken signal going on. And where the hell is Pete? He never passes up an opportunity to drop in when we’re here. I’m picking up some weird vibes. And don’t even get me started on the black cloud hanging over Remy’s head. I’ve only dealt with her in person a couple of times, but I’m pretty sure she wasn’t half as uptight and brittle as she is tonight.”
His eyes swung to Remy sitting across from them at the end of the table. She was picking a roll apart with her fingers and making a pile on a plate. Betty sat to her right, engaging in a lively conversation with Ben. On her other side, Carmen was ignoring everyone by tapping away on a phone. The second the kitchen doors swung wide, Remy looked up and instantly scowled when Finn appeared.
“See?”
Parker grunted but said nothing.
“Now, watch carefully.”
Just like the dozen other times she’d seen him do it, Finn walked to the end of the bar, conferred with Barry, and then headed to their long line of tables. As he passed near Remy, the girl stiffened, and unless she was hallucinating, he swaggered deliberately and even went so far as to brush up against her as he passed by, as if by accident, but who the hell were those two trying to kid?
“Aw, fuck,” he muttered. “Are those two doing it?”
Snickering with mockery, she cut off his train of thought. “One track mind much—hmm?”
He looked around. Drae was at the end of the tables, Daniel in his arms, looking like a serious discussion was happening between him, Tori, her mother, and Calder. It was apparent they were wrapped up in something and not paying attention to the rest of the group.
Angie sensed Parker’s uncertainty. The long months of playing sheriff to the Justice crew were wearing on him. Being thrown together with Drae so much only managed to tear open a fissure in their already competitive relationship. And Calder, well, he wasn’t much help. Not really. And that was probably as it should be since he and Stephanie were still basking in the glow of their new engagement. But with Cam gone, that left all the nitty gritty in Parker’s lap, and he wasn’t happy about it. At all.
As if on cue, Finn was just feet away as he made the rounds, so Angie took the opportunity to get in his face.
“Finnegan!” she hooted. “How’s the Arizona sun treating our newest Boston refugee?”
He stopped to talk with them. Kind of had to, but she read the unease on his face as he eyed the man on whose lap she was perched.
“Brought a tube of Leprechaun sunscreen with me. SPF Pot o’ Gold. Seems to be doing the job,” he offered with a friendly chuckle.
Parker and Finn eyed each other. She sensed the animosity rolling off each man in waves. Jesus lord. Really? Parker’s behavior surprised her. He wasn’t normally so transparent. Since he was obviously not going to be any help whatsoever, she dug her nails into the back of his neck to let him know she wasn’t oblivious to his shitty attitude. And then she tried the direct approach with Meghan’s little brother.
“What’s going on in the kitchen, Finn? You seem awfully keen on sticking your nose into Pete’s grease pit. There a problem in the back we should know about?”
She offered him a smile and hoped it was enough to get him talking. When he began to explain, what he shared floored her.
Sneering, he made a slashing gesture over his chest and drawled, “Cross my heart. No E. coli served as a side.” He shrugged dismissively. “Pete asked me to take a look at the food service and see if I found any ways to improve it.”
Upon learning that Pete had asked for Finn’s help, Parker swiftly engaged. “Why would he ask you?”
Angie tried not to sigh but couldn’t help it. For a lawyer with years of courtroom experience, he certainly wasn’t showing much civil diplomacy at the moment.
Finn’s angry glare made her uncomfortable. She understood what it meant to be the youngest sibling. People tended to be dismissive for no reason—as though the older kids had used up all the interest and support. Maybe everyone was viewing Meghan’s troublemaking brother through jaundiced eyes.
Parker was such an exhausting alpha at times, but young Finn gave as good as he got. The two men stared each other down, and she had to admit, it was impressive to witness. Her opinion of the younger guy increased because not many men had the balls to challenge her boyfriend.
“When you write your report,” Finn sarcastically spat out, “you can add that, lo and behold, the little brother has actual skills. Pete asked me, you obnoxious prick, because I have a couple of years of firehouse cooking under my belt. Only Ria has more direct experience in an industrial kitchen than I do. Satisfied?”
“You snarky son-of-a-bitch,” Parker snapped as he tried to dump her off his lap and stand up.
Holding up both hands—one at Parker and one at Finn—she barked, “Stop it! Now!”
Stupid Finn didn’t heed the warning. “Whatareyougonnado?” he yelled as tempers flared. “Plan on punching me, Sullivan? Need a lawsuit, do you?”
What the hell was wrong with these two? Before she found an answer, Parker really did send her flying off his lap as he hastily stood up, shoved her behind him, and grabbed Finn by the shirt.
“You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since you got here. What the fuck is your problem, dude?”
Within seconds, the entire male component of Family Justice converged on them in a tight semi-circle. Drae with an angry expression. Calder looking like he just wanted to slug somebody. Anybody. Brody’s fierce expression promised a heavyweight match-up. Even Ben, normally calm Ben. He too wore an expression that didn’t bode well for Mr. Finn O’Brien.
There was an explosion of testosterone as people started shouting. Lacey and Tori had expressions of pure shock on their faces, and Heather resembled a fish out of water as she stood there with her mouth opening and closing.
What the hell was it about this guy that got the men so fired up? She didn’t get it.
Well, fuck. Now what should she do?
Angie joined the group of astonished faces when Remy calmly stepped right into the middle of the alpha fracas, put two fingers in her mouth, and made a shrill whistle that stopped everyone in their tracks.
“Okay, gentlemen. Timeout. Children are present, so how about you not re-enact North versus South?”
Angie knew she and the quirky woman were going to be great friends when Remy crossed her arms, glared at the men who were now hanging their heads and shuffling their feet, and tsk’d like a den mother.
A bunch of exasperated mumbling followed. Words like punk, asshole, and prick floated around, but nobody engaged beyond some verbal shit talking.
“Ladies,” Remy called out. “Come claim your men.”
One by one, each of them stepped forward and led their growling alpha away. It was truly funny the way the men stomped back to their seats.
With everyone settling down, only Finn remained odd man out. Until Remy walked up to him, whispered something that made his eyes flare, and then walked away.
‘Go after her,’ the romantic inside Angie urged. She watched him as he glared at Remy’s back, and then like a switch was thrown, he nodded twice and followed in her wake.
“What the fuck is your problem, Beantown? That chip on your shoulder so big you have to provoke everyone into wanting to knock it off and you down?”
Never had she ever been happier to be a girl because, honest to god, men in a group demonstrated the skillset of chimpanzees arguing over a single banana.
And it was exhausting.
The explosion building around Finn and the way the Justice principals reacted to his presence had been all sorts of fun to watch right up until it got aggressive. One look at the worried frown Brody’s kid wore, and she knew it was time to step in.
“Me?” Finn barked. “Why the hell do you think I have the attitude? These guys are the biggest group of motherfuckers I’ve ever met. They’ve been lined up against me from the moment I got here. What the fuck am I supposed to do? Roll over and take it?”
He had a good point, but she wasn’t about to let him know it. Even being a newb, it hadn’t taken her long to figure out that all the Justice head honchos regarded the Major’s new brother-in-law as a huge pain in the ass. And that was before he even arrived, so yeah. The deck had been stacked against him from day one. But the dude needed to learn some damn people skills if he wanted to get past the bad attitudes.
“Nobody is asking you to roll over and take it, Finn O’Brien. But how ‘bout you start with showing some damn respect? These are not the guys to tangle with, and I don’t mean to imply you’re a pussy. All I’m saying is maybe it’d be a real good idea for you to find out who these people are before you hang them without a jury trial.”
“There you go again. They’re good people. They’re being judged. They’re just misunderstood. Do you hear yourself when you talk?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she bit off a sharp retort. “Fuck you, ya big baby. I’d say the exact same thing to all of them about you, so stop being such a wuss and grow up.”
His tall, jeans-clad figure stiffened. She didn’t as much as flinch. He was in for a serious surprise if he thought she was going to cower. She drew back in self-defense once before and paid a heavy price for it.
“Where’s your little boyfriend? You leave him at home doing the dishes in his French maid’s uniform?”
As far as digs went, that one was pretty lame. She was sorely tempted to throw it back in his face but held her tongue. Let him dig the hole even deeper. Would serve him right once he realized what a butt-fuck he was being.
“Why do you always lead with an insult? Lack of confidence? Irish stick shoved up your ass? Or …”
His eyes flared. That was the only warning she got. Next thing she knew, he had her pinned against a wall with a sturdy thigh shoved between her legs in a way that felt like she was balancing on a ridge of muscle.
Crushing her against the unyielding stucco at her back, he claimed her lips in a boldly arrogant kiss that stole her breath. His mouth dominating hers, she sensed a strength and hardness in his lips that Remy found more persuasive and exhilarating than she was happy to admit.
When he raised his mouth from hers and gazed into her eyes, she whimpered with dismay. Finn O’Brien was obnoxious and conceited. The last thing she expected was to feel regret when he stopped kissing her.
This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
They stared at each other in stunned silence. Neither of them moved a muscle. She didn’t know what to do, and he wasn’t making any effort to speak, so eventually, the shock of their actions melted into the awkward quiet.
Separating, he stepped back, and she threaded some of her hair behind an ear while her eyes darted around taking note of where they were. A dimly lit hallway. The noisy dining room was behind them, and it looked to her like they were standing next to an office door. Private but public. Anyone could have seen them.
A thousand defensive insults crowded her thoughts—all of them wanting the first crack at Finn. Cocky bastard. Who the hell did he think he was kissing her like that? Why she oughta …
And then Remy noticed the expression on his face. Horrified was the first word that sprang to mind. Repulsed, the second.
That sound? It was every ounce of self-confidence she had being sucked right out of her.
A cacophony of painful memories turned up the volume inside her.
You fly better than you kiss.
Kissing you is like tonguing a statue.
A warm, sweaty hand covering her mouth. Her screams as she choked on them.
Never again. Never, ever again. Sidestepping her present-day tormentor, Remy mentally lowered an iron door inside her that slammed shut with an ominous clang and took off for the safety of the crowded dining room.