“How’d you meet her?”
Dean rested a hand on my thigh during Dylan’s launch into his story of meeting Brieya at a coffee shop, where she’d approached him and eventually scribbled a phone number on his paper cup. When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Dean gave me a pinch before leaving to go answer it. Dylan and I joined in time to watch a young girl barreling forward from the stoop and into Dean’s arms.
“Uncle Dean!” she squealed.
Dean gave a mock cry as he caught her, then tottered to the floor with her in his arms. “I’ve been hit! Katie, I surrender!”
Okay, that might have been the cutest thing ever, and not at all what I expected from Dean. I’d seen him playful one hundred times over, but a softy like this with his niece? I bit my lip, trying to contain the beam on my face that matched the patter of my heart. Meanwhile, none of his brothers seemed to give it a thought. Dean and Katie crawled up from the floor, and I waved at the man I presumed to be Dean’s other brother coming into the house.
“Hi. I’m Maya.”
“Hey. I’m Evan.” He shook my hand. I’d gathered from conversations with Dean that Evan was only a few years younger, but like Dean, he’d played caretaker for Luka and Dylan when they were kids. Unlike Dean, Evan had a rough go through his twenties that showed in his face and a spray of gray hairs along his temple.
“Good to see you, man,” Dean said. They shared a loose hug with heavy pounds of each other’s backs.
“Uncle Dean?”
Dean glanced down at Katie, who’d started patting his leg while looking at me with the biggest brown eyes. She had her sandy-brown hair pulled up in a side ponytail that curled its way down to her shoulder, and her Rudolph sweater had me grinning. I didn’t tend to fawn over children, but Katie might’ve been the cutest little girl on the planet.
She pointed at me. “Who’s that?”
Dean kneeled down, the size of him beside her and the look on his face damn adorable. “Katie, that’s my girlfriend. Her name is Maya.”
The noise of the TV was the only sound as everyone watched Dean in silent amusement for what felt like a solid minute. My heart skipped a beat.
Then it melted once Katie stepped forward to hug my leg. “Hi, Maya. You’re pretty.”
“Oh.” I bent down to greet her, and Dean smiled. “You’re quite pretty too, young lady.”
Katie beamed at this, and I couldn’t help but blush with the number of eyes on me. But Katie bolted into the living room as soon as she’d gotten this sorted, first smothering Dylan with hugs and kisses, then Luka and Sam right after. Dean stood to curve an arm around my waist.
“She’s adorable,” I said.
Evan set a mini pink backpack by the door. “Thank you, but be careful. You might end up on Go Fish duty.”
Dean said, “It’s a serious job.”
I laughed.
“Sorry I’m late. Katie. Toys. Backpack... Ahh.”
“It’s all good. We’ve got a while till dinner.”
“Ansel show up?” Evan asked. Earlier, Dean had listed off names of those who’d be in attendance, but I hadn’t heard that one.
His eyes seemed to narrow at the mention, but the look passed a second later and I figured I’d imagined it. “No. I did invite him, though.”
“Sweet,” Evan said.
Dean pointed at the couch. “Relax. Take a load off. Want a beer?”
Evan bobbed his head and looked at me. “Having fun yet?”
“Always.”
“That’s good.” Evan ruffled his hair and stuck a hand in his pocket. Dean kissed my cheek, heading back into the kitchen before his brother said, “Okay, I think I’m going to sit down. I’ve been running all morning with Katie.”
“No worries. Glad to meet you.”
“You too.”
After Evan had taken a spot on the couch between Dylan and Max, and Luka and Sam played with Katie, I opted to steal a moment with Dean. He’d shut the fridge, Evan’s beer in hand, but I sidled up behind him to snake my arms around his waist. “I like your family already. Thank you for inviting me.”
“My pleasure.” Dean set down the bottle and grabbed my hands. He swung me fast around him, catching my body between the counter and his torso to draw a gasp from me. It’d been too long, and being close like this, his delicious, manly smell filling my nose, sped up my pulse. He lowered his lips near mine and whispered, “I like having you here.”
I relaxed into Dean as he circled my shoulders and held me tight, his kiss endearing and slow, his tongue rolling in lazy, loving sweeps with mine. We’d made such a habit of seeing each other almost every week that, though we’d been busy, I’d craved his touch. Kissing him like this, his wide, strong chest against me and the pressure of his hips reminding me of what magic could happen later, almost curbed the ache. I felt the weight of Dean’s eyes on me a second later, and when I opened mine, he trapped my bottom lip between his teeth. I pulled coyly away. “Dean Sova. Are you seducing me with children around?”
He arched up his pelvis, wedging me into the counter and making my temperature rise. The fact that he could do this with barely any effort never ceased to amaze me, as did the tone of his voice while he strummed a fingertip along my cheek. “I wouldn’t, if you weren’t so irresistible. Thank God she’s in the other room.”
“Who’s naughty now?” I said, giggling. Dean backed away, his lips turned up at the corner. “So, I know who your brothers are. Sam now, too. Max is your employee...?”
“Yeah. Good guy.” He flipped on the oven light to peek inside.
“And Ansel, was it? I don’t remember hearing his name. Who is he?”
Dean straightened, and I could swear I made out a brief pinch of his lips before he spoke. “He’s an old friend. Mostly Evan’s friend. He used to...sail with us. I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
“I see.” I got the sense there was more there than he was sharing, which was odd, since we’d shared everything over the last few months. The story of my past had opened the door between us to talk more easily about all sorts of things. Though he had his mysterious moments still—usually when he was plotting some sexy challenge to put me through—they weren’t over casual things like this.
But before I could ask any more questions, Dean grabbed Evan’s beer and held it up. “Tell you what,” he said, “Evan’s probably overdue for this after his day. Do you mind bringing it out to him? I’ve got some serious cooking to finish.” When I took the bottle, he grinned. “You should go hang with the boys anyway. And Katie. I can tell she’ll be fond of you in no time.” He popped the side of my hip with his palm. The light tap was enough to remind me of the decision I’d come to on the way over. “What’s that grin about?”
I shrugged. Dean tilted his head to survey me while I backed away with Evan’s beer in hand.
He said, “Troublemaker.”
“Yes, sir. I am.”
The smile on his face widened when I left for the living room, and once there, I got to know the group. Max was indeed the quiet one, exchanging no more than two sentences in agreement with Dylan about work. Katie sprawled out on the living room floor with her coloring books, and Evan told me more about the sailing school he worked at in the Oakland Marina between Sam and Luka’s exhilarating tales of San Francisco nightlife. They were by far the most outspoken, Sam proudly sharing stories of his circus work and Luka boasting about how inspiring he was to watch in the air, since Luka had plenty of experience with this during his many bartending gigs on the ground. By the time Katie asked me to join in her coloring endeavor—patiently perched against the couch while Sam and Luka invited me to a show and dancing in the Castro—the energy between the two of them was infectious, and I decided I’d have to take them up on both offers.
Dean popped into the room. “Dinner in thir
ty. Okay?”
“Sounds good!” Luka said. The rest of us agreed.
Katie slipped her fingers over mine. “Maya, will you, please? Before dinner?”
“Of course.”
Evan chuckled before I let Katie pull me off the couch to her pile of crayons and books on the floor, and after I stretched out on my stomach opposite her, she regaled me with stories of the characters we colored as the men on the couch continued bantering. They were so consumed with their antics that when the doorbell rang about ten minutes later, I brushed Katie’s arm. “Be right back, okay? I’m going to get the door.” She remained caught up in the unicorn she’d deemed worthy of rainbow stripes, so I shouted, “I’ll get it!” toward the kitchen. Dean was buried in the last strides of his cooking, but Evan thanked me when I passed behind the couch. I felt a burst of warmth at this whole event as I opened the door.
Hello.
Tall, built and grinning one hell of a smile was the man I took to be Evan’s friend, Ansel. “Hey there. You must be Maya.”
I had no idea how he knew my name, but I was more surprised by the thick grip of his huge hand around mine once I stuck it out to meet his, never mind his deep, inquisitive stare that gave me pause while he stepped in the entryway and towered above me. My hand was lost in his rough hold a second later, and a definitive sparkle filled his eyes.
Before Dean—sexy, dominant and just rugged enough Dean—I’d had a thing for a particular type of man: muscular, tatted, outwardly wild and rough, and a touch on the cocky side in a way that boldly suggested a damn good time lay ahead.
This was exactly the type of man who stood before me now.
“You’re Ansel?” I muttered.
He lifted his head in affirmation and took back his hand, his entire muscled arm lined with tattoos and flexing beneath the sleeve of his body-hugging T-shirt. His dirty blond hair was messy thanks to the humidity in the air, and his bright green eyes weren’t ceasing their respectful yet curious pore over me. “That’s me. Nice to meet you.”
A chorus of hellos came from the couch. Evan jumped up and gave Ansel a hug and pat on the back. “Good to see you, man. Long time.”
“No joke! Glad you and Dean called.”
I stepped back as Dean hollered a greeting from the kitchen, but when I glanced over to see him, he seemed to be watching the entryway closely with what this far away appeared to be a pensive look on his face. His quiet on Ansel’s identity earlier came back to me. I frowned.
Was there something between these two I should know about?
Chapter Six
I’d barely turned back to another curious smile from Ansel when Katie called out, “Maya! Come back!”
I stuck my fingertips into the back pockets of my jeans and left the bustle of Ansel and Evan talking it up in the entryway, debating if I’d imagined the brooding in Dean’s face since he’d gone right back to cooking the second he saw me watching him. On the floor with Katie, and from a distance, I could observe more easily. All the brothers struck me as familiar with Ansel, Dean coming out for a few minutes for a proper, lighter hello, and Dylan and Luka somewhat joining in on the laughter of good old pals until Dean cut it short.
“Okay. Now that everyone’s here, it’s dinner time.”
Katie shouted, “Yay!” She ran straight for Dean and used her tiny body to steer him back to the kitchen, with Evan following not far behind.
He set her up at the table, and I walked behind the group to take a seat. From there, everything was an utter delight. Dishes of rosemary roast, twice-baked potatoes, squash gratin, spinach salad, dressing, bread, gravy and green bean casserole got passed around.
Luka rose to open a couple of bottles of red wine that he brought to the table with a boisterous, “Let’s at least pretend to be classy in front of Maya, guys,” much to my amusement.
Then we all dug in to eat, a slew of comments thrown around about the holiday, food, jobs, sailing, vacation and life in general. Everyone was uplifted and part of the conversation, Katie even contributing her thoughts when she could. Somewhere near the middle of our meal, I noticed Ansel eyeing me from across the table. A sudden flush hit me before I turned to Dean with a slip of my hand over his back.
“Hey. How are you doing?” he asked.
“Good.” I smiled. He leaned in for a kiss and slid his hand under the tablecloth to caress my thigh, the weight of it solid and hot through my jeans. When he peeled back to stare into my face, I whispered, “I like this. A lot.”
“Me too.” Dean pinched my chin affectionately, his gaze steady despite the noise of plates, food and family beyond us.
“Oh...my... God!”
We broke our stare to turn toward the sound of Luka’s voice. He held his wine glass in the air.
“Are you all seeing these two?” He pointed at Dean and me. “We need a toast, people. This is, like, the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Right?” Evan perked up and lifted his glass. “Dean, with a girlfriend. Haven’t seen that in a while. Go figure.”
In a while? That was odd. In all our conversations, Dean hadn’t mentioned a serious girlfriend. Endless flings and years spent as a player, sure, but no girlfriend to speak of.
I’d rarely seen a blush on his cheeks in all our time together, either, but there was a definite hint of color there. Was there something he wasn’t telling me, or was he embarrassed? Or both?
Luka said, “And mushy. That’s the kicker, isn’t it?”
“Okay, guys.” Dean waved his hand around to stop them. Ansel lifted his glass, though, his eyes so heavy on me my throat grew parched. I was picking up interest. Lots of interest. I wouldn’t say I minded; I just couldn’t figure out what was between him and Dean.
But after Ansel peered between us, his cavalier smile finally settled on me. “Congratulations, Maya. You’ve tamed the beast. You must be one special woman.”
Dylan thumbed his wine glass, and Evan tilted his head in Dean’s direction. Now I really had the feeling I was missing something.
“Very funny.” The edge in Dean’s voice surprised me when he eyed both Ansel and Evan.
Luka jumped in. “Okay, okay. Really, though. It’s cool to see you bringing someone home, Dean. And—” he held his glass in my direction, “—I think I can say for all of us that we find her positively charming.”
My cheeks flushed again. “Thanks.”
“Hear, hear!” Sam said.
Everyone clanged their glasses. Katie lifted hers, then sucked down a few sips of juice.
“Your family is a hoot, Dean,” Max muttered.
Dean and I glanced at one another before Luka rubbed Sam’s back, and he pitched toward Dylan on his other side. “You ever think of bringing Brieya over?”
“Um, after this? Never.”
The entire table erupted in laughter.
From there, the conversation continued at a dull roar. Dean soon brought out pumpkin and apple pies for everyone to gorge out on. Katie’s small sliver of each with a dollop of whipped cream inspired her to run around the dining area, skipping and singing songs about how much she loved her daddy and uncles and pie. Dean, Luka and Evan cleared the table and started the dishes, then packed up leftovers for everyone to take home. The ease between them warmed my heart, as did Dylan carrying Katie to the couch, where he tucked her under a blanket for a story after she suffered a sugar crash. Max, Sam and Ansel, meanwhile, talked about windsurfing—which was Ansel’s favorite pastime—so I bounced between helping out in the kitchen and the conversation at the table.
Once the stack of dishes vanished, Dylan returned from the living room and took his seat. “Katie’s out cold.”
“Thanks, man.” Evan put away the last serving dish he’d dried, and Dean finished wiping the counters before they all headed back out to the dining
area.
Max stood up. “Sorry, guys. This has been cool, but I should probably head out.”
The brothers, standing, took turns shaking his hand.
“Going to see Kylie?” Dean asked.
Max nodded, his smile the first real expression I’d seen on him all night. “Yeah. She’s been with her parents, but we’re getting together later.”
“That’s cool. Thanks for coming,” Dean said.
“Thanks! Great dinner. See you Monday.” He gave the rest of us handshakes before heading out, careful when he shut the door since Katie slept not ten feet away from it.
After it closed, Luka said, “He doesn’t talk much.”
Dean took his seat. “I guess he had a lot of family shit going on, and his girlfriend, Kylie, wasn’t inviting him for some reason. He’s real quiet on everything, but I thought he might like to join.”
“What about you?” Luka shifted in his chair to face me. “What do you normally do for Christmas?”
“Most years, I head over to my best friend Selby’s house.”
“Selby, of Alex and Selby,” Dean said.
“I’ve met Alex,” Dylan said to me. “He’s nice.”
“He is. And with them getting married, he’s kind of turning into my other brother.” At Luka and Dylan’s nods, I continued, “Selby lives close, and we’ve been friends since we were kids. We’re practically sisters. It’s become our own family dinner, I suppose. Her family is in Fresno, and mine is on the East Coast and up in Seattle.”
“Wow. That’s far,” Dylan said.
“Musician family.”
“Ah, cool.”
Dean had told me Dylan played guitar, so I figured he might get it. “Anyway, as close as I am with my own family, their distance makes both Alex and Selby my real family, if that makes sense.”
The Discipline Page 6
