by Tonya Brooks
“You only dress like that for bike rallies,” her sister insisted.
God, Easy wished she’d kept her big mouth shut. Folding her arms over her chest, she stated firmly, “The point is I’m not the woman he needs and he knows it.”
“Luke doesn’t think Easy is wife material,” her sister volunteered and received the evil eye for it.
“He said that?” Desi gasped and received a nod from Dizzy in confirmation.
“I am so going to kick his ass.” Harley growled and was absolutely furious with her brother-in-law.
“It’s my own fault.” Easy admitted and sat back down at the table. “Men have always pursued my sisters and I because of our political connections. They don’t bother to look past the image to discover the person we are inside because it isn’t important to them. We’re simply a means to further their own aspirations.”
“That’s terrible.” Desi said sympathetically. The Baker women had already discovered that Dizzy’s first husband had married her because of her prestige as an Ambassador’s daughter. Needless to say, as the son of a major Columbian drug lord, he had been seriously disappointed to learn that she no longer had diplomatic immunity and would not have been able to smuggle drugs for him as he had hoped.
“It is and I’m tired of being used,” Easy admitted. “I don’t want to be seen as Dora Grayson, Ambassador’s daughter. I’m not a pawn. I’m a woman with hopes and dreams and I want a man who can look past whatever image I’m projecting and see the real me.”
“Luke would never use you like that.” Harley denied and felt compelled to defend her brother-in-law’s character even if she was pissed at him. “He has too much integrity.”
“I agree.” Easy freely admitted. “But he can’t see past the wild biker chick image and even though he’s attracted to me, it scares the hell out of him.”
“Then tell him the truth,” her sister encouraged.
She shook her head solemnly.
“Why not?” Desi asked with a frown.
“Remi Gerrard.” Dizzy sighed.
“The prince?” Desi queried and wondered what the playboy prince of Moldavia had to do with this.
“You know him?” Harley asked in shock. Jesus, there wasn’t a woman alive who hadn’t noticed his handsome face staring at her from the cover of a tabloid while waiting in line at the grocery store. The man was simply gorgeous and was always shown with some model or celebrity on his arm.
“She was engaged to him,” her sister pointed out and saw their mouths drop open in shock.
“What happened?” Desi asked wide eyed.
“He flipped out and called it off when he saw me leathered up and ready to ride my bike,” Easy said without inflection but the hurt shown in her expressive sea green eyes. “That’s when I discovered that he didn’t love me. He was only marrying me because his father thought it was an advantageous alliance with the US.”
“What a jerk.” Harley retorted with feeling.
“Yeah, but it taught me a valuable lesson,” she admitted. “I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
“I still don’t understand what that has to do with you telling Luke the truth.” Desi said in confusion.
“Remi saw the real me and decided I wasn’t good enough to bear his heirs,” she informed them. “Luke came to the same conclusion the night we met. If he can’t see who I really am then he doesn’t deserve me.”
“Damn straight.” Harley readily agreed.
“So, we’ll have a hotter than hell fling and when it’s over, it’s over,” she said and then smiled wickedly, “But I am sooo gonna enjoy it while it lasts.”
~~~~
“So, what’s going on with you and Easy?” Matt asked curiously when his brother stopped by the garage at lunch to gas up the Hummer.
“Nothing, why?” Luke asked with a straight face.
“Don’t give me that innocent look,” the eldest replied. “I know damn well she stayed with you this weekend.”
Luke blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t want that spread all over town.”
“What difference does it make?” he queried. “You’re free to date anyone you want.”
“We’re not dating,” he denied.
Matt frowned at that. “Then what the hell are you doing?”
“It’s just sex, okay.”
“Just sex,” was repeated.
“Yeah, no strings.”
His eyebrows rose at that revelation because Luke preferred having a relationship as opposed to the one night stands the rest of the brothers had indulged in. “Whose idea was this?”
“Easy’s,” he bit out.
“And you’re good with that?” Matt asked because Luke did not look happy about it.
“What man wouldn’t be?” Luke shrugged.
“A man who actually cared about the woman he was sleeping with,” was the dry reply.
“I can’t afford to care,” he growled and wondered how the hell this conversation had gotten started.
“Why not?” Matt pressed.
“You have seen her, right?” he questioned. “Hot as hell, dressed in leather, rides a bike?”
“Yeah, not your usual type, but hey, like you said, it’s just sex.” That comment earned him a glare that brought a smile to his lips. Yeah, Luke cared alright. “And it doesn’t explain why you can’t care about her.”
“Jesus, Matt. Easy is not interested in a relationship. All she wants is casual sex.” Luke admitted and raked a hand through his hair in agitation. “Why the hell would I set myself up for heartache when it’s over?”
Matt stared at his younger brother long and hard before he said, “I lost fifteen years with Harley because I let bullshit get in the way. Don’t be a fool, little brother. If you care about the woman, hang onto her with everything you have. If you don’t, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Luke was afraid that Matt just might be right.
~~~~
Luke still didn’t know what the hell the woman wanted when he arrived at the Walker’s that night. Dinner with friends was a couple’s thing and had nothing to do with the one and done ritual of casual sex. Needless to say, he’d been surprised when Easy had called him that afternoon and issued the invitation. Did this mean that she was willing to take their association to the next level and try to have a relationship?
He was still sitting there in a state of confusion when Brett pulled in the driveway and parked behind him. When the chief got out of the jeep carrying take-out bags from Speakeasy, he couldn’t help laughing. “One of you has got to learn to cook,” he pointed out since the couple lived off of frozen food and take out.
“Nah. This is so much easier.” Brett denied. “Besides, nothing we could conjure up would be as good as Desi’s cooking. Mark struck gold when he found her.”
“No doubt,” Luke agreed and not just because of her cooking. Both of his older brothers had found a woman who was perfect for them and Luke envied them. He wanted a relationship like that, but the chance of it happening was looking slimmer by the minute since Easy was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. “Need a hand?”
“Grab the door for me.” Brett instructed as they climbed the steps and Luke opened the front door. Smoke hung heavy in the foyer and the smoke alarm was blaring a warning loudly. The men rushed down the hall and stopped dead in their tracks when they entered the kitchen. Easy was laughing and fanning a newspaper at the smoke alarm while Dizzy held a smoking pot of black sticky goo and looked completely disgusted.
“What’s that?” Brett asked and wrinkled his nose at the burnt odor.
“It was supposed to be Jello,” his wife sighed in defeat and dropped the pot in the trash can.
Easy managed to stop laughing long enough to point out, “D, you don’t cook Jello. You boil the water and then pour the powder in.”
“Yeah, but you always have this little bit of grit left in the bottom that doesn’t dissolve,�
�� she complained. “I thought if I boiled it with the water it would melt.”
“So what happened?” Luke just had to ask since it seemed like a logical solution.
“I started writing a scenario for the new book and forgot about it until the smoke alarm went off.” Dizzy confessed. “By then all the water had boiled out and the Jello was burned to the bottom of the pot. So much for desert.”
Brett placed the bags on the table and pulled his wife into his arms for a searing kiss. “Don’t worry about it, Sweetheart. I had Desi include a cheesecake with the order.”
Locking her arms around his neck, Dizzy gave her husband a brilliant smile. “See why I love this man? He’s perfect.” Brett leaned down to whisper in her ear and she giggled like a teenager.
Yeah, Luke wanted what they shared and the woman he wanted that relationship with was looking at him as if she could eat him alive. Without a thought to the consequences of his actions, he covered the few feet that separated them, pulled her into his arms and devoured Easy’s mouth with a hunger that had no end.
“Wow,” Easy breathed when Luke let her come up for air. Her knees were so weak she had to lean on him or melt in a puddle at his feet.
“Hey,” Luke sighed as he rested his forehead against hers.
“Hey,” she sighed back and knew she was wearing the same sappy smile that she’d envied a few days ago. “I missed you.”
“Me, too,” he admitted and kissed her nose before sliding an arm around her waist and turning to face their hosts. Brett and Dizzy were watching them with amused expressions. Yeah, he was gonna catch hell for that little display if the devilish gleam in the other mans eyes was any indicator.
Just a fling, my ass, Dizzy thought with glee. It was obvious that Luke was as crazy about her sister as Easy was about him. Brett was thinking the same thing. Hell, he’d never seen the other man display any type of affection for a woman before, but he’d practically melted the paint right off the walls with that kiss. Yeah, Luke had it bad.
“Since its so smoky inside, why don’t we eat on the porch?” Dizzy suggested.
“Sounds good,” Brett agreed and grabbed a couple of beer from the fridge and passed one to Luke.
“Go sit and relax,” Easy suggested. “We’ll bring everything out in a minute.”
The two men walked onto the screened porch and sat down at the table. Brett couldn’t resist saying, “Thought you didn’t need trouble.”
“Don’t start.” Luke warned and flashed his bad boy grin when his friend started laughing. “What can I say?” he shrugged. “She’s perfect for me.”
Okay, now that shocked the hell out of Brett. “What?” he asked in surprise because Luke and Easy were like oil and water.
Now it was Luke’s turn to laugh at the other mans stunned expression. The women joined them and saved him from having to explain, but all through dinner Brett kept giving him speculative looks like Luke was a puzzle that he just couldn’t figure out.
“Got an interesting phone call today,” Luke mentioned while they were all sitting around and relaxing after an excellent meal.
“Ooh, let me guess. Sexy Fashions wants you to be their new underwear model.” Easy teased from where she was curled against his side.
“No,” he laughed and was getting used to her outrageous comments.
“Well why the hell not?” she demanded in mock indignation. “You certainly meet the criteria to be a male model.” Man, did he. Luke was breathtaking dressed or undressed.
Brett snorted his disgust of that idea. “Some of the ads for Sexy border on pornography.”
“Sex sells,” his wife pointed out with a wink at her sister and the two women shared a devilish laugh.
“Back to the phone call,” Luke persisted. He really wanted to get his friends thoughts on the idea and see how Easy reacted. “It was from the Governor’s office.”
Brett sat forward alertly. “They’re not giving you flack about that biker case, are they?”
“Just the opposite,” he denied. “Since the case made the national news and the state was forced to intervene with a ruling, the Governor knew about it. He was seriously impressed with the way I handled it and he’d like to discuss the possibility of me running for our districts Senate seat next term.”
“Are you serious?” Brett asked in amazement.
“Oh, my gosh!” Dizzy exclaimed.
“How cool is that?” Easy asked in genuine excitement and hugged him fiercely. “You’d make a great Senator. God knows we need some men in office with integrity.”
“So what did you tell him?” Brett asked.
“That I’d think about it. We’re gonna discuss it more when he visits on Thursday.” Luke admitted. “I’m taking him to dinner at Speakeasy.”
“Luke, this is so exciting.” Easy enthused and was thrilled for him. “I had no idea you were interested in a career in politics.”
“I’ll admit I’ve given it a lot of consideration, but I thought I’d start out with something local and then work my way up from there,” he confessed.
“Hey, if the opportunity presents itself and it’s something you want, go for it,” she encouraged wholeheartedly.
“I agree,” Dizzy nodded. “You can’t pass up a chance like this and not regret it.”
“Well, you know you’ve got Lakeside’s vote.” Brett assured him. “How hard can it be to charm the rest of the state?”
“I’m gonna do it,” he decided and Easy hugged him so tight he thought she’d crack a rib.
“We need to celebrate.” Dizzy said as she stood. “I’ll get the champagne.”
“I’ll get the glasses,” her sister volunteered as the two women hurried into the house.
Brett knew the other man well and he could tell that something was bothering him. “Tell me why you have doubts about this,” he encouraged.
Luke could sum it up in one word. “Easy.”
“What about her?” he frowned and was not making the connection.
“Our... association could ruin my chances,” he said heavily.
Alright, Brett was really confused now. “I thought this was just a fling.”
Luke scowled at that. “Her idea, not mine,” he all but growled. “Everything hinges on whether I can convince her to give us a real shot. If she will, I can kiss the senate seat goodbye.”
Now he was beginning to get the picture. A political candidate with a biker chick girlfriend wasn’t going to inspire the voters. He leaned back in his seat and asked, “You’re sure that’s what you want?”
“At this point, I’m not sure of anything,” he confessed heavily.
Chapter Six
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
“Should’ve known I’d find you with your head buried in a law book,” an amused voice said.
Luke looked up and grinned at his old classmate from Harvard. “Should’ve known you were here when I heard my law clerk giggling like a teenager,” he shot back good naturedly as he rose from his desk. Tony the Tiger attracted women like flies to honey and he loved every minute of it.
“Wild man,” Tony Terranova greeted cheerfully as he and Luke exchanged a brotherly hug. The two men had been as close as brothers during their law school days and had been privy to each other’s secrets on several drunken occasions. Even though they lived in neighboring towns, they were both so focused on their careers that they rarely saw each other now.
“What brings you to my humble abode?” he queried curiously.
“Had to make an appearance before old hang ‘em high Marsden.” He grinned at the nickname they had given one of the toughest judges in the county. “Bad bust. You know how much he loves those. So the case got thrown out and I thought I’d see if you were free for lunch.”
“Sounds good,” he readily agreed since he was starving. Having a wild woman in his bed did wonders for all of his appetites. “How about Ted’s?”
Tony groaned. He had known his friend would suggest the diner since he ate there
practically every day. “Bro, you have got to get out of this rut and cut loose for a change. You might like it.”
Luke’s smile became devilish since he had already done that and dammed if he wasn’t more than happy with the decision. “Speakeasy it is,” he decided.
“That’s the place your clerk suggested.” Tony agreed. “She said it was new.”
“Mark’s wife is the chef.” He explained. “You’re gonna love it.”
An hour later the two men had finished a superb meal and were still seated at a table discussing the possibility of Luke running for the senate when Tony looked up and did a double take. “Whoa, mama,” he breathed in genuine admiration.
Luke turned to see who had caught his attention, because he knew it had to be a woman, and damn near fell out of his chair. Easy was bent at the waist, leaning over the reception desk as she talked to the hostess. That firm rear end encased in form hugging leather shorts that barely covered her cheeks was on prominent display. A growl of primal possession rose in his throat because he knew every damn man in the room was staring at her ass.
Easy felt the look from across the room and she slowly rose and turned around, her eyes scanning the lunch crowd for one face in particular. And there he was. She met the heat in Luke’s stare and felt her pulse begin to race. God, the effect that man had on her. One look and she was wet and ready for his total possession. She licked her lips in anticipation.
“Don’t recall the women in Lakeside being this damn hot.” Tony said as he looked her over in sheer masculine appreciation. Then he noticed the look she was sharing with Luke. “Bro, you’ve been holding out on me,” he accused. “Who is she?”
“Who?” Luke asked absently and forced his gaze away from the woman who consumed his every waking thought as well as his dreams.
“The temptress in leather that just stripped you naked with her eyes,” he prompted and didn’t even try to hide his amusement.
“She’s, uh… a friend of the family.”
Tony took a sip of tea and shook his head. “Try again.”
