by Roxie Ray
The next morning, my mind came back to reality with my body in Jace’s arms. Stretching, I took an assessment of the delicious aches all over my body.
They made me smile lazily.
“Don’t be smug,” Jace mumbled.
Laughing, I pressed a kiss to his jaw.
“How are you feeling?” He squeezed me closer.
“Strange,” I admitted. “But it’s a good strange.”
“Actually, me too.”
I thought about everything we did last night and replayed some of the best moments. “Do you even realize how hot your body is?” Now he looked smug. I slapped his chest lightly. “I meant your skin. It gets extremely hot to the touch.”
He tensed for a moment before adjusting and pressing a kiss to my hair. “I’m aware of it. Did it give you any discomfort or anything?”
I shook my head. “It’ll come in handy during the winter.” I paused because I made a clear indication. I saw him in my life further down the line. But that didn’t mean he did. “I’m sorry, I—”
He cut me off. “No.” He moved and seconds later I was underneath him. He stared deep into my eyes.
“I fully intend to keep you warm for many nights for many winters. As many as you’ll let me.”
My breath caught in my throat as he smiled.
“Do I need to make my intentions clearer?”
I didn’t say anything, just looked at his lips.
With a growl, he buried his face in my neck and licked a spot on my shoulder. “You were made for me. One day, you’ll be mine totally and completely.”
Damn. Smooth.
16
Jace
“Sir?”
I wiped down the bar with my head in the clouds.
“Sir?”
All I could think about was putting my head between Bri’s legs again. But I had to cover shifts at the bar at least sometimes, and tonight was my night. And then she’d have Hayden back tomorrow night for school on Monday.
“Sir!” I jerked out of my thoughts to see a customer I didn’t know standing in front of the bar with her eyebrows raised.
“Yes, what can I get you? We close soon,” I cautioned.
“I know. I’d like one more round for my table.” She pointed to the only full table left in the room, where four platinum-blonde women sat looking a few shots past tipsy.
“Do you have a safe drive home?” I asked. They looked like tourists, but I wouldn’t let them drive out of my parking lot.
“Yes, we’re at the hotel at the end of the road.”
I nodded and pulled out the bottle of top-shelf whiskey they’d been periodically shooting all night. “It’s a pretty safe town, but still, make sure you stay together and keep your phones out. I can see if one of our officers is nearby to drive up and down the streets a few times.” I’d never offered to do that for anyone, but I couldn't help but think of Briana and her girlfriends walking over to Skye’s dad’s place or down to Kaylee’s apartment, with Damon possibly out there stalking Briana. These women were likely someone else’s Briana.
Her face melted. “That’s so sweet.”
I grinned and grabbed my phone out of my pocket. It had been sweet of me. I was turning into a regular father figure.
She leaned across the bar and tried to grab my phone. Instinctively, I pulled it back out of her reach. As the woman drew her hand back, she pouted. “I was going to give you my number.”
“Ah, thanks, I’m flattered, but I’m with someone.”
She shrugged. “You seemed so nice, I assumed you were flirting.”
“Sorry. I’m new to being nice without being flirty.”
She burst out laughing. “You sure you don’t want my number?”
I nodded. “But I’ll call the PD and see about a drive-through in about ten minutes, and I’ll have your drinks right over.”
She left with a smile on her face, so I must’ve done the nice but not flirty thing okay. After calling the non-emergency number and being assured they could have an officer hang out between my bar and the big hotel at the end of Main, I dropped off their shots and thanked them for their visit. When they left, a hundred-dollar bill was sitting on the table with a note. Good job being nice.
Well. Cool. I dropped it in our tip-sharing jar, then thought better of putting a bill that large in there. Instead, I wrote a note for it and put that in there and put the bill in the bag to go to the bank in the morning.
Just after I closed up, my phone buzzed. It was Anthony. What in the world was he doing calling me at two in the morning?
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Nothing. I’ve got newborns, remember?”
“Whew,” I said, relieved. “You doing the feeding tonight? I thought they breastfed.”
“She gets up and feeds them, but then sometimes they don’t go right to sleep. I take over until I can get them down, but Sean is babbling and wide awake tonight. Anyway, I realized I hadn’t told you I called a clan weekend.”
Oh, I loved clan weekends. “Nice. Who all is coming?”
“Tennessee, Canada, and Chicago.”
I nodded, then realized he couldn’t see me. Rolling my eyes, I put the phone on the bar on speaker and started cleaning up. “It’s been a while since we had one. Should be fun.”
My brother’s face popped into my head. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you, too.”
“Go for it.”
“I have a brother.”
Anthony didn’t respond for a full count of five. “What?”
“Yeah, that was my response too. He showed up the other day and has pictures to prove it. Plus, he looks like my father. He’s from the California clan and has been hanging out. I’d like to invite him to fly with us, if you’re okay with it.”
“He should’ve checked in with me, but I’m cool with him coming Friday evening. Can you get the bar covered?”
I stepped into the kitchen and checked the schedule. “I should be able to get my Saturday shift covered so I can stay all weekend, but I can’t be there Sunday.” I’d planned something really special for Hayden on Sunday and wouldn’t cancel it even for a clan meet.
“That’s better than nothing,” he said. “Can you bring drinks?”
“Sure. That gives me time to order everything. The usual?”
“Perfect, thanks, man. See you Friday.” I’d provide alcohol, beer, and various non-alcoholic drinks for self-serve at cost, and the clans chipped in to pay for everything equally after the meet was over. All the local families would cook all week and bring enough food to host the neighboring clans’ dragons, and they’d stay at various clan members’ houses. I’d let Anthony know tomorrow that I could pull out the air mattress and host two in the living room and two or three in my spare bedroom. It was up to him to figure out where all the guests would stay. Good luck to him on that job.
I finished closing up with a grin on my face. I had a wonderful weekend coming up. It was too bad I couldn’t spend Friday and Saturday in Bri’s arms again, but I had the rest of my life for that. Clan meets only happened every once in a while and were always a lot of fun. I wondered if Skye knew what she was in for, but her mother-in-law was sure to get her ready for it. They’d bonded well since the twins’ birth.
By Tuesday, I was totally keyed up about the weekend. Porter and I had a dinner meetup planned. When he arrived at my apartment, I had burgers and fries ready. He held up a six-pack of beer. “This okay?”
“Perfect, man, come in.”
Neither of us had been totally sure how to go about this whole getting to know one another thing, so we figured we’d treat it like we were friends who had just met and wanted to form a brotherly bond. How else when we didn’t grow up together?
“Are you planning to stay through the weekend?” I asked.
Porter shrugged. “I’ve been working on some cases remotely, and it’s working out at the moment, but I’ll have to go back eventually. I’ve just been playi
ng it by ear.”
“Well, we’re having a clan meet this weekend. I’d love for you to join us. I talked to my alpha and he’d like to meet you as well. He’s also my best friend.”
Porter raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad to meet him then. Have you been friends for a long time?”
“Since we were both small children.” I laid the burger trimmings on the table.
“Good, then he can tell me all about you as a child. And the good stories since then.”
I snorted. “That’ll take more than a weekend.” We joked around and got to know each other better, then watched a couple of movies before he went back to the hotel. It occurred to me I could’ve offered for him to stay here, but maybe that would’ve been a step too far, too fast.
I thought about Mom and Porter crossing paths at the meeting, but the meetings tended to get a little wild. Mom usually stayed with Aunt Missy and their friends, and ignored me. She didn’t like seeing what I got up to, I didn’t think.
This year would be different. Anthony was back for the first time in decades, but he wouldn’t be wilding out. He’d be all about showing off the babies.
Since I knew I couldn’t see Bri all weekend, I surprised her and Hayden Friday afternoon. I’d warned Briana the first thing that I had family coming into town for the weekend and would be with them Friday and Saturday night, but I’d asked her to keep her Sunday free.
When they walked out of the elementary school Friday afternoon, I was waiting in front of my truck. Hayden squealed when she saw me and took off running.
Crouching, I caught her up in my arms and swung the sweet girl around in a circle. “Hey, bud!” I exclaimed.
“Jace, I missed you! What are you doing here?”
“Yeah,” Briana said as she walked up. “What are you doing here?”
“Depends. Are you free tonight?”
She nodded. “I was just going to take Hayden home to have a Mommy-Hay weekend.”
“Can I crash for a couple of hours?” I asked. “I was thinking we would grab a pizza and picnic at the park and let Hayden play. I have to go meet my family around seven, but that gives us a few hours.”
I hoped she’d be amenable.
Briana beamed from ear to ear. “That sounds perfect.”
Hayden and I cheered. I followed Briana to her place, then got in her car since Hayden’s booster seat was already in it. We grabbed a pizza and sat at one of the picnic tables at the park. The weather was turning warmer. As the afternoon wore on, Briana took off her sweater and basked in the sun in her under-tank. I could barely take my eyes off of her.
My phone beeped a little while later, and I was dismayed to see it was already six. “I’ve got to go,” I said. “I can take the trail to your place, if you’re not ready to leave.”
Briana grinned. “If you can get Hayden in the car, we’ll drive you back, but otherwise it might be faster to walk.”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. I wanted to claim her mouth and leave her thinking about me all weekend, but it wouldn’t have been the best idea in the busy park full of children.
“See you Sunday,” I whispered against her hair. “I’ll be thinking about you.”
“You won’t tell me where we’re going?” She squinted up at me when I stood.
“You’ll see.”
“Enjoy your family time,” she called. I grinned and headed toward the jungle gym to say goodbye to Hayden, then jogged down the trail to my truck. I had to get to the bar and get the delivery of booze for the weekend. If I didn’t hurry, I’d be late.
I was right. My mind was entirely distracted all weekend by Hayden and Briana. I wished I could’ve had her here with me, meeting my distant cousins and friends, people I’d known all my life.
The clan meet was full of exciting energy. We flew, drank, ate, and then did it all over again on Saturday. I was shocked when a few female dragons tried to hit on me, even when I was on the porch with Anthony and Skye, holding babies and rocking.
“Hello.” A woman’s voice interrupted me from gliding in the porch swing, putting little Sean to sleep.
“Hi.” I looked up and smiled at her. She was attractive, with long blonde hair and bright green eyes. They were so vivid they looked almost fake. Maybe contacts. “Can I help you? Do you need anything?”
“I just wanted to see the baby.” She sat in the swing beside me smoothly. It didn’t even interrupt my glide.
“Is he yours?” she put a hand on my arm, and when I looked at her, she fluttered her eyelashes at me.
Oh, okay. I understood now. “No, he belongs to my best friend, the clan alpha and his mate.” I wasn’t sure where Anthony and Skye had disappeared to, but I wished they’d show back up. “My mate isn’t here today, though.”
She pulled her hand back slowly. “I see. Well, he’s gorgeous. Tell your friend congratulations.”
“What’s your name?” I asked as she stood.
“Carmen.”
“Carmen, my brother is new in town, and he’s feeling a bit shy.” Nodding my head toward the picnic table where I’d just noticed Porter had sat, alone. I winked at her. “Mind talking to him? Keep him a little company?”
She winked back. “You got it.”
I watched her toss her hair back and roll her hips as she walked toward Porter. I hoped it would keep him busy a good long while. Mom had gone home, not one for big parties, but it had been a chore keeping Porter out of her line of sight. He looked too much like my father to let her see him like that.
I still hadn’t figured out how to tell her. If I’d said something right away, it would’ve been easier than this, but now I’d waited so long I didn’t know how to even broach the subject.
Another woman walked up the porch steps. She smiled prettily. “Hello.”
Apparently, holding babies was a chick magnet. She wasn’t the last lady to approach me while I rocked Sean. I proudly told them all I was taken and kept redirecting them toward my brother, which suited both of us fine. His demeanor changed in a hurry, from lonely and kind of sad to laughing and boisterous.
After Anthony came back outside and took Sean in for his nap, I waved Porter over. When my alpha and friend returned, I clapped him on the shoulder. “Come meet my brother?”
“Of course.” He followed me to the picnic table Porter sat at, surrounded by women.
“Brother, a moment of your time?”
Porter looked around at the ladies and grinned big. “Back in a moment.”
He walked away with us, through the woods toward the cliff and water. “I gotta say, your parties are pretty cool.”
Anthony snorted. “You must be the brother.”
“Porter.” He held out his hand. “And you’re the alpha.”
“Anthony. Nice to meet you.” They shook and did all that back-clapping shit while I watched. I had to admit, it was a nice feeling, my brother meeting my best friend.
By the time I left Saturday night, it was with high emotions. My clan was the best it had ever been, and I was about to surprise my girls with a day that was sure to get me some gigantic brownie points.
I couldn’t wait.
17
Bri
“Wakey-wakey,” I crooned. “Eggs and bakery.”
Hayden giggled. “What’s going on?” she asked groggily.
“Jace has a surprise for us today,” I whispered. “I let you sleep as late as I could.”
This kid. She was going to be a nightmare as a teenager. At seven, she would’ve slept until noon if I’d let her. “We have about an hour before Jace will be here.”
Her eyes flew open. “What is the surprise?”
I laughed and pulled her hot pink blanket back. “No idea. But come eat.”
Breakfast was a little healthier now that we were home. I still let her have pancakes, but only two small ones, and instead of syrup, she got whipped cream and a bunch of fruit. She’d never complained, so I didn’t fuss about the higher-sugar option she often ate a
t my mother’s table. Grandparents were for spoiling their grandkids, after all.
I’d gotten up early to give myself plenty of time to get ready. After Hayden ate, I texted Jace. What should we wear?
He responded quickly. Comfortable. We’ll be inside and outside, but it’s supposed to be warm and sunny.
Okay. I laid out an outfit for Hayden while she brushed her teeth, then went and changed my clothes to something a little more casual.
In a small backpack, I put a small first aid kit, a couple of packs of peanut butter crackers, and some sunscreen. By the time I finished, my doorbell rang.
“I got it!” Hayden screeched.
“Ask who it is,” I called.
“Duh!” As she thundered down the stairs, I laughed and followed at a more sedate pace, then watched as she pressed her ear to the door. “Who is it?”
“The surprise fairy,” Jace’s deep voice replied.
Hayden squealed and she unlocked the door. I’d already undone the chain, knowing darn well she’d want to let Jace in.
Jace grinned at me when he walked in. “Ready? Need any time?”
I shook my head. “We had breakfast, are you hungry?”
“Oh, I was going to take you out to breakfast. That’s okay, I’ll grab something on the way.” He tweaked Hayden’s nose. “Think you’ve got room for a donut?”
She stared up at him seriously. “I’ve always got room for a donut.”
I had a good idea of where we were going, once he’d said inside and outside. But I played along and held out my car keys. “My car or yours? You can drive if you’d like.”
He grabbed them and grinned. “Only because I don’t think Hayden would be as comfortable riding for an hour in my truck.”
Ah-ha. An hour’s drive. I knew exactly where we were going. “Hay, run and grab your tablet. You’ll get bored in the car.” Probably she should’ve been able to go an hour without entertainment, but she loved to read and would do so on her little cheap tablet her grandmother had gotten her.
