BLINDING SUNSHINE AND THE DRY desert climate of a glorious autumn day greeted Stephanie Bennett as the front hatch opened and the steps to exit the aircraft were deployed. It certainly had been a pleasure and a half to have the entire Gulfstream to herself as she flew from her home in Atlanta to southwest Arizona.
Stooping to grab a new Vuitton travel bag, she couldn’t help her crooked grin and gleeful snicker. It was taking some getting used to—this display of wealth—that apparently came along with being a St. John. Or at least that was how her clever daughter, the new Mrs. Draegyn St. John, explained away the private jet, the lavish gifts, and the first class, white glove treatment she’d been enjoying on this trip.
Anxious to see Tori and assess for herself just exactly what in blue blazes was going on, Stephanie hurried to the exit where she saw the co-pilot patiently standing by to help her disembark.
“Ms. Bennett,” he said smiling broadly. “I hope you had a pleasant flight. Here, let me help you with that,” he added hurriedly as he reached out and politely took control of the carry-all and the cashmere wrap she was traveling with, leaving her with nothing but a small purse. “Captain Sawyer is at the foot of the stairs, ma’am,” he muttered as she navigated the steps.
Pushing a pair of sunglasses on, she took a second before descending to admire the beautiful scenery. Atlanta was a bustling, vibrant city that she’d been calling home for twenty plus years. She enjoyed the Southern charms of her Georgia lifestyle, but there was no denying the desert Southwest was a sight to behold. It wasn’t a surprise that Tori rambled on and on about the place.
“Why, Stephanie Bennett,” she heard a deep, highly amused male voice bark. “Looking spectacular, as ever.”
Alexander Marquez. Oh, my heavens. That man was a looker. Even though she’d spent many an anxious hour with him knee-deep in talks about security services for the pageants she coordinated, it was always a shock to the system when she saw him in the flesh. Skipping the rest of the way down the steps, she took the hand he extended and leaned in for an affectionate hug with the big man.
“Alex! I’m surprised to see you,” she drawled with all the Southern belle charm she could muster.
“I hope a good surprised and not an oh, my God, what’s he doing here surprised,” he chuckled.
She tossed her head back and laughed with delight. Stephanie adored Alex Marquez. He was a straight shooter with steely integrity and a badass reputation that would make a lady of any age sit up and take notice. Why, if he were just fifteen years older, she’d be turning the Bennett flirtation meter to medium high. As it was, though, she owed the man a serious personal debt of gratitude. It was Alex who offered Tori a chance to start over when her daughter desperately needed a course correction. Come to think of it, she snorted, it was Alex’s damn fault that her sensible only child got swept off her feet by a sexy secret agent, ended up married, and had a baby on the way. Humph.
“I was expecting my son-in-law but will settle for you, Major,” she cooed teasingly. “Until you’re officially married, you’re still fair game.”
Putting her hand through Alex’s arm, she turned a wide smile on Captain Sawyer, who’d been quietly motioning behind them to the crew unloading the baggage.
“Thank you for a wonderful flight, Captain,” she complimented the impeccably uniformed officer with a heartfelt smile.
“Was my pleasure, ma’am,” he saluted. Turning to Alex, he nodded and said, “Mr. Marquez. I’m going to go close the flight plan now, sir. My crew will see to Ms. Bennett’s baggage.”
“Thanks, Captain. Ms. Bennett and I will wait in the car. Oh and Sawyer? Give my best to your wife.”
“Will do, sir.” Touching his cap politely, the captain smiled warmly at Stephanie, “Ma’am,” then ambled slowly away with the co-pilot in tow. The co-pilot managed to look over his shoulder at her twice with an appreciative gleam in his eye.
She heard Alex’s soft chuckle as he pulled on her arm to get her moving in the direction of the waiting car. “Ms. Bennett,” he drawled, “on the trouble scale, your feisty daughter doesn’t even come close to the amount of drooling fuckery your presence at the Villa is going to cause!”
Stephanie laughed. He was so right. She’d learned a long time ago to put that Southern belle charm out ahead of her at all times. Not only was it endlessly amusing to watch the males she directed her good ol’ beauty queen charms on stumble and get tongue-tied, it covered a lot, too. Like the fact that she was frustrated, restless, and maybe even a tiny bit bored.
In a few months, she’d be rounding up on the big five-oh. The number didn’t bother her as much as it freaked others out. Sweet Lord, what was the big deal anyway? You couldn’t stay young forever, and after all, who’d want to? She liked who she was. Felt comfortable in her skin. That her one true experience with romance and lasting love had ended tragically, when she was only thirty-two made her somewhat of a sad figure, but there were bright spots, too.
She’d risen from the emotionally overwhelming ashes of a fairy-tale marriage, after losing her beloved Daniel to a horrifying illness. She single-handedly raised their daughter Victoria, while managing to forge a career in the rock ‘em sock ‘em world of beauty pageants. She was damn good at what she did, too. Next to college football titles, churning out beauty queens was what the South did best. With her organizing skills and panache for the flamboyant, Stephanie had risen to the top of her field.
Life was good. She owned her home, had a retirement account, and even took one or two nice vacations every year. Now that Tori was married, there was the added bonus of a grandchild on the way. Fifty was going to be a very good year. She should be happy and fulfilled, but she wasn’t. In a nutshell, she, Stephanie Bennett, was fricking lonely.
Hugging Alex’s arm close, she playfully teased, “I can’t help it, Major Marquez, if men are simpletons when it comes to women.”
Opening the car door, he shooed her into the cool, dark interior and boomed with laughter. “Simpletons, hmmmm? I don’t suppose those killer heels you’re wearing have anything at all to do with that.”
“Oh, shush now, Major. Shoes are a smart woman’s best weapon. Don’t tell me you’d rather everyone be walking around in sneakers or flip-flops all the time? I seem to recall a certain fiancée of yours being rather fond of the um… ladylike qualities of some leg and a pair of heels.”
Alex snickered at her description of his beautiful bride-to-be. Stephanie had met her briefly when they’d been introduced at the Cameron baby’s christening last month. She’d been in Texas for a particularly stressful pageant and decided on a moment’s notice to visit Victoria and Draegyn for a few days. The christening had been a lovely, quaint family affair. Tori seemed blissfully happy at the time. Alex’s fiancée stuck out because she was suddenly thrust into the role of hostess for the Villa by virtue of her relationship to the hunky Major. Meghan O’Brien came across as a serious force to be reckoned with. Alex Marquez was a handful on his best day, so it hadn’t come as much of a surprise to see he’d found someone quite special to take him on.
“How is your beautiful bride-in-waiting? Tori seems awfully keen on the wedding you’re planning. March, is it?”
Alex winced and shot her a crooked grin. “Yeah, I suppose. Mostly, I just do what I’m told. If Meghan says wear a tuxedo next Tuesday, I’m there.” He chuckled. “Weddings are a mystery to most guys. When we got engaged, it was all, like—hurry up and do this. Then the next thing I know, we’re waiting till January so Tori has a chance to recover and get used to being a new mommy. Then February was nixed because Cam and Lacey will be celebrating their first anniversary. So yeah, it looks like end of March or early April. Luckily, we managed to steer the actual date away from ending up an Irish St. Patrick’s Day affair and decided closer to spring break.”
Stephanie couldn’t help the giggle that shot from her mouth at the vision of a St. Patrick’s Day wedding in a Boston cathedral. Her estimation of Meghan went up a few notches. Smart girl. By moving the big day to coincide with the traditional break from school, the bride’s many friends would be able to attend. And Alex’s Spanish leaning family wouldn’t feel like spectators at an Irish bacchanal.
“I’m looking forward to your big day, Alex. I can’t believe that in so short a time, all of the Justice Brothers have found women to make honest men of them.”
Alex adjusted the airflow in the vents and smiled one of his trademark grins. “We’ve all been incredibly lucky, Stephanie.”
She didn’t miss the heavy meaning in his words. “I envy your parents an actual wedding,” she murmured testily. It still annoyed the bejeebers out of her that Victoria and Draegyn had married secretly, thereby robbing her of that mother-of-the-bride moment. Stephanie would never admit this to her daughter, but envisioning Tori’s wedding was something she had done with her dying husband. He’d even given his wife a special message for his only child that her mom hoped to whisper once she got down the aisle. Only that never happened. And try as she might to get over the disappointment, it still irked her.
“Has he given her a wedding ring yet?” she snapped. Pursing her lips with displeasure, she was aware of the sudden tightening of her posture. Whenever she thought about Draegyn St. John, she struggled. Big time. He was so different from who she’d envisioned her daughter falling for, and while that was her problem and her problem alone, she had yet to give Draegyn his due as a son-in-law, or husband, for that matter. He hadn’t proved himself yet, and the egregious lack of bridal jewelry rankled her Southern belle point-of-view.
“Now, Stephanie,” Alex murmured. “Give Drae a chance. Those two love each other, and you know it. Tori’s ecstatic, Drae too. Yeah, they had a rocky start, but sometimes that can be a good thing.”
She almost changed the subject but thought better of it. She’d known Alex Marquez for years. He was the real deal when it came to integrity and old-world charm. She knew he wasn’t just sticking up for a buddy. Draegyn really was his brother in every way that mattered. If she wanted answers, Alex was her best bet.
Shifting slightly to her side, she turned all her attention on the big man staring her down. “Alex, I know my daughter. That girl could start an argument in an empty room. But it’s disconcerting when those two go at each other. It’s so…oh Lord, I don’t know what word fits,” she shrugged. “Visceral, maybe. I guess I just don’t understand how two people who are so completely opposite of each other can expect to find a middle ground.”
“Drae adores Tori. Completely. And I would know,” he assured her.
“Something’s up with them and don’t you go trying to convince me I’m imagining things. And why no wedding ring? What is wrong with him?” she bristled.
Alex sighed. “They’re an unconventional couple; I’ll give you that. Has it ever occurred to you that Tori doesn’t care about such things?”
She snorted derisively and shook her head. “Alex. For heaven’s sake. She’s pregnant. The least he could do is give her a dang ring, so everyone knows she’s married. And as for caring about such things—she’s a woman, dammit. Of course, she cares. She also has a serious case of baby brain. Has it ever occurred to you that she’s accepting less than what she deserves in order to keep the peace?”
She saw him wince, though he tried to cover it quickly up. Damn. She’d hit a nerve. “Talk to me, Alex. Tell me what’s really going on.”
He didn’t fidget so much as he sat immobile, but the nervous energy coming off the man was bouncing around the interior of the car.
“Stephanie. They love each other. Truly.” Then he took one of her hands and held it like she was a child in need of reassurance. “Look—Tori isn’t having the easiest pregnancy. Drae is beside himself with concern. It’s a recipe for disaster. She’s trying to make things easy for him, and he’s trying to keep things stress-free for her. Are they missing the boat? Yes, I won’t pretend otherwise, but things will calm down after the baby comes. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. They’re solid—totally in sync with the whole becoming parents thing, but their relationship has taken a couple of beatings. She can’t survive without him, and he’s clueless without her. All we can do is support them, and let them know everything’s gonna be okay.”
She thought about this snippet of insider information long and hard. She wanted to trust Draegyn. Wanted to embrace him as Tori’s partner and protector. Daniel would want that. Maybe she’d try to soften her approach toward him. She wasn’t kidding about Tori. The girl was a firecracker and being pregnant was probably testing her and him in ways Stephanie could only imagine.
Looking around the inside of the big Mercedes limo, Stephanie thought once again about the trappings that came along with being the wife of a successful, wealthy man. Gazing impassively at the white Gulfstream parked on the tarmac and the impeccably appointed luxury of the fancy car, she worried for the millionth time that Draegyn was too much of a spoiled trust fund kid to take Victoria’s needs seriously.
“This is new, isn’t it?” she asked. “The limo, I mean.”
Alex shrugged, and she was surprised to see twin slashes of color infuse his cheeks at her observation. Really? He didn’t strike her as the type to golly-gosh his expensive toys.
“Yeah. New. A wedding present from my bride. Apparently,” he laughed, “she has money to burn. Go figure,” he joshed. “She wanted something fancy to impress our visitors and guests.”
Stephanie enjoyed the teasing lilt in his voice. Of course, the way his hand stroked the leather upholstery gave her an entirely different picture of why Meghan wanted the agency to have a limo.
ALEX WAS HAVING A HARD time keeping his mind out of the gutter. Or his fiancée’s knickers. The limo was most certainly a new acquisition, but not because anyone cared a fig about their visitors. Nope. This little beaut found its way to the agency fleet because his wanton bride-to-be had an insatiable appetite when it came to the pleasures of the flesh. His flesh. After a recent jaunt into Flagstaff, with Ben behind the wheel, they were ensconced in the back of a huge SUV when Meghan got all pissy and out-of-sorts because she couldn’t jump his bones with someone else right there.
They were like two randy kids, never getting enough of each other, and pretty much christening every surface, room, and space—whether suitable or not—for their sizzling play times. So, when his sexy Irish goddess wanted to fuck him in the car? Boom! Next thing he knew, she was obsessed with acquiring a sleek, sexy limo.
Alex shifted uncomfortably in his seat, thinking about how many times in just the past two weeks they’d shut the privacy partition and gotten naked in the moving vehicle. Suddenly, he and Meghan had urgent business in town or across the way that required a car and driver. Assuming everyone was getting a good laugh behind their backs, Alex bit off a groan at how obvious they were being. He was going to have to whip something pretty awesome out of his ass for Ben this Christmas. Although he never said a word, Alex didn’t imagine for a second that the good-natured jack-of-all-trades, who managed the Villa and saw to the Justice fleet, was unaware of the fuckery taking place in that backseat.
Yanking his thoughts into safer territory, some place he could squash the sound of his naughty fiancée purring ecstatically as he pounded her gorgeous body into sweet submission, Alex tried to refocus on the woman beside him.
Stephanie Bennett was a Southern powerhouse. Luckily he’d known her long enough not to get sucked into thinking that sweet Atlanta twang meant she was a pushover. Fuck. The lady had brass ones—she might appear unfailingly polite, but she had scarily menacing cojones.
Plus, she was on Drae’s case morning, noon, and night. He and Meghan had talked things over and agreed that Stephanie required special handling during her extended visit. Getting the mother-in-law in sync with her daughter’s husband was critical for everyone’s peace of mind.
It wasn’t like Drae had done anything in particular to piss the lady off. Okay, maybe knocking up her daughter then marrying her on a drunken tear during a trip to Vegas hadn’t been all that smart. Or respectable. Nor had his running away to New York or foolishly acting like a shit-headed dick when he came home. Tori had bolted. Drae had freaked. It was quite the drama. No wonder Stephanie was reluctant to give the man a break.
And now, making matters worse was the way the two were behaving as Tori’s pregnancy moved into the final weeks. Shit was a mess, and he was getting more and more anxious to get things settled. He didn’t like the St. John marital fuckery casting any sort of pall over Meghan’s happiness.
The holidays were approaching with Thanksgiving just ten days away. The very idea that from here on out he’d have Meghan by his side forever was making Alex think, and frankly behave, like a kid set loose in a candy factory.
Overnight, he’d become completely housebroken and totally domesticated. The ironic hilarity of the transformation was not going unnoticed within Family Justice. Meghan had a hard-on for QVC and would order the most random shit imaginable for everyone at the Villa. It was amusing at first then somehow he’d gotten entangled in the process. Next thing you know, he’s spending the evenings pouring through catalogs for inflatable holiday decorations and a million strands of twinkle lights. His fiancée liked to joke around that it was her inner teacher coming out that compelled her to throw everything into disarray for every cultural observance and holiday on the calendar, but he knew the truth. Meghan was a homebody. She wanted for nothing more than the ordinary—house, husband, dogs, kids, mini-vans. The whole enchilada. Giving her complete charge of the hacienda to decorate and outfit as she saw fit was turning into quite the tour de force. Halloween had been nothing short of over-the-top. She loved every second of it, and he didn’t want anything causing shadows. Period.
With Cam, Lacey, and baby Dylan completely wrapped up in their own little love bubble, the vibe coming from the St. John household stuck out like a sore thumb. Drae and Tori were forced to deal with a difficult pregnancy during a time when their relationship was still new. Alex knew what the issues were but was loathe sticking his toe into what was becoming an ice-cold pond.
Stephanie showing up with her already less-than-accepting behavior toward Drae was going to make things worse. He had to get her on his side. He had to help her recognize that some of those loud and sometimes raucous altercations the two newlyweds engaged in were some sort of weird mating call. Draegyn St. John and Victoria Bennett, when they came together, were a force, rather like a particle accelerator for smashing atoms, even more powerful than the Large Hadron Collider. It was their dynamic, and while entertaining for the rest of the family, right now it was pecking away at their daily life.