| |
Raegan
NORMALLY, TANYA TOOK her brood home before five in the afternoon. However, I knew they would stick around longer because of the light in her eyes when I asked for a red dress.
She had bopped over to her house for the dress, came back within twenty minutes, and insisted I try it on, but wouldn’t hear of me not giving her and Mom a sneak peek of it.
I wandered into the living room in the dress with my feet bare.
Jared looked up from his toy cars. “Miss Raegan, you look pretty.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” I murmured.
“That’s not what Clint’s gonna say,” Tanya muttered.
“Only if she finds the right shoes,” Mom said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure my black sandals will work.”
“Not those flip-flop looking shoes,” Mom said.
“No, Mom. The pointy-heeled shoes.”
Mom nodded her approval. Tanya settled into the couch like she was right at home.
Now, it was closing in on five-thirty and I overheard Tanya asking Mom what was for dinner.
“I don’t know, dear. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be low in sodium, which means low on taste.”
I shook my head. “It’s not that bad, Mom.”
She barked a humorless laugh. “I haven’t seen you eat much of it, missy.”
Tanya grinned at me. “When is Clint picking you up?”
I tilted my head a smidge. “He said before seven.”
Her grin became a beaming smile. “I should do you hair!”
My brows furrowed. “That really isn’t necessary, Tanya. I appreciate it, but it’s just a date. Not anything—”
“Bullshit,” Mom snapped.
My mouth dropped open for the briefest moment. “Mom! Jared doesn’t need to learn that word from you, and it certainly doesn’t need to be the first word Marcus utters.”
Tanya scoffed. “Puh-leeze! I say far worse than that when driving I-4. And you need to listen to the words of your Momma!”
I gave her my dead-eyed dirty look. “Been listening to Michael Franti much?”
She grinned. “You know it!”
I shook my head. “This isn’t—”
“Then why did you need a red dress, Raegan Anne?” Mom asked snidely.
I pursed my lips and looked to the side.
“Exactly,” Mom said.
Tanya twisted her wrist and her Apple Watch lit up with the time. “All righty, seems I have just over an hour to get your gorgeous red hair in tip-top shape. Let’s go, woman.”
I shook my head while I followed her to the bathroom.
Half an hour later, I was dolled-up and dressed-up in a red velvet long-sleeve dress. Clint was likely to lose his mind because this was not a dress I would buy for myself. It featured a deep-V, to the point I had to lose my bra, because I was bustier than Tanya was before having kids. I usually went out of my way to blend in and not draw attention, but the sequins set on top of the velvet meant everybody would notice me. Luckily, the dress was short and had ruching at the waist, which hid my belly pooch. The dress was tight, but the off-center slit allowed me wiggle-room to walk in my stilettos.
When I came out of my room, the doorbell rang. Gabe stood at the front door with a large pizza box in hand.
I opened the door and his eyes widened. “Damn. Clint said he was taking you out, but I got a feeling he’s gonna rethink that.”
I smiled. “Thank you, I think. That’s the most round-about compliment I’ve ever received, if that’s what you were getting at.”
Gabe came inside, closed and locked the door and faced me again. “Yeah. You sure you want to go out in that?”
I laughed. “I don’t have many other options for dancing, since he refused for me to go out in jeans.”
He shook his head and walked further into the house.
“Pizza!” Jared yelled.
Gabe pointed a finger gun at Jared. “You got that right, little man. But I’m not sure if you’re gonna like it.”
As I entered the living room, Mom gave me a long assessing look which shone with approval after a moment. Then she asked, “Where’s Clint find these boys?”
“He’s Brock’s brother, Mom,” I reminded her.
“Well, that’s plain to see, dear.”
“Okay, well, do you want to eat at the table, or should I bring a plate to you?”
She semi-glowered at me. “I can get up and move, dear. It’ll do me some good anyway.”
A knock came at the door, and I thought it might be Clint, but Tanya said, “I bet that’s Kyle. I told him to bring a cheese pizza with him. Had no idea Gabe would be here with Hawaiian pizza.”
Mom gasped and I stifled a groan. “Enjoy it while you can, Mom.”
“Bet your ass, I will. We got any beer?”
Gabe bounded to the kitchen doorway and nearly collided with Kyle. “I knew I forgot something! Sorry, man, but warm beer is criminal.”
“Damn right,” Kyle muttered.
Mom grinned at me. “I owe Clint a big kiss.”
“One beer, Mom. Or I’ll owe him a piece of my mind.”
Gabe returned carrying a twelve-pack of Blue Moon Lite Sky. I looked down the hallway and watched Clint sauntering in.
His lips set in a firm line. “Thought I told you not to go shopping.”
“She shopped from the House of Lorden, which is to say, my closet, Clint,” Tanya said from her perch on the couch, where she was giving Marcus a bottle.
Clint turned his head, but I still heard him mutter, “Fuck.”
“Don’t you like it? And her hair is fabulous, even if I do say so myself.”
He sent a fake smile Tanya’s way. “It’s a stunning dress, Tanya. Problem is, it’s a little too eye-catching and —”
“She isn’t changing,” Mom called from the kitchen, a can of beer in hand.
Clint narrowed his eyes at Mom. “You want her in this get-up, or do you want her to be able to get up in the morning, Penny? And seriously, Sullivan? You gave Penny beer?”
Gabe looked abashed. “What? Raegan said she could have one. I’ll keep her to just one.”
Mom turned her head toward Gabe, muttering, “As far as they know.”
Clint scowled at me like it was my fault Mom had a house full of people and a beer in her hand. He cleared his throat, and even though he turned his body to be subtle, I noticed he adjusted his pants.
He turned back to me, a questioning look on his face. “You ready?”
I grabbed my purse and a small overnight bag from under the end table. “Sure am.”
***
Clint
AFTER I CLIMBED IN my SUV, I adjusted in my seat and I saw Raegan smirk. “You pleased with yourself?”
Her brown eyes held sympathy. “No. I can go change if you—”
“No,” I clipped out. “Does Tanya want that dress back?”
She shrugged, and I couldn’t keep myself from glancing at her chest. I didn’t know if it was because I knew her body so well or what, but I knew she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“That didn’t come up in conversation, Clint.”
I started the engine. “Text her. Find out.”
“Why?” she asked, rummaging through her purse.
I glanced her way before I put the vehicle in gear. “Because if she doesn’t, I’m rippin’ the fuckin’ thing off you the first chance I get.”
She turned her head and exhaled sharply. “Still a Neanderthal,” she muttered to the window.
I put my hand on her thigh and slipped it under her dress. “Still a man who doesn’t want other men looking at what’s mine.”
Her defiant eyes met mine. While neither one of us could read minds, I saw it plain as day she wanted to ask if she was mine again, but she held back. Her lips twisted in an almost skeptical way before she faced forward. Reluctantly, I pulled my hand free of her dress and looked back to the road, but I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. She knew she was mine, and that knowledge made my dick harder than seeing her in that dress did.
And that was what made me a Neanderthal.
“How much did you look into me?” she asked in a low voice.
I debated putting this off but knew that wouldn’t fly with her. “Not as much as you think. I knew you were married, that got around to Mamá from your mother’s stylist. However, when Penny wrote me, I had to know if you were still married or if you had children.”
I felt her eyes on me. “You couldn’t just ask Mom that?”
My lips pressed together of their own volition. I unpressed them to say, “I’m not someone who shows his weaknesses. Plus, I didn’t want to put Penny in the middle.”
From the corner of my eyes I saw her chin dip. “How would you put Mom ‘in the middle?’”
My chest jerked with my silent chuckle. “Penny ever say she thought of Trey as the son she never had?”
I glanced at her, and those brown eyes were even wider than I thought they’d be.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
She sighed and looked out the windshield.
I rubbed her leg with my hand. “That’s the last we’re going to talk about the past. For tonight anyway.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
I pulled up at a stop light, leaned over to grab her chin and gently guided her face toward mine. With an inch between our lips, I said, “You look fucking gorgeous, Rae. I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up in a fist fight, where we’re headed after dinner.”
Her lips quirked a little before she shook her head. “No, Clint. You’re wrong. I’m not that sexy in this dress. Especially since it highlights my—”
“You say anything derogatory about your luscious curves, I’m gonna spank you.”
She rolled her eyes. I wanted to chastise her for that, but I kissed her instead. Since we were at a traffic light, I had to keep it short, but I loved kissing her now more than ever.
***
RAEGAN SLID HER ARM around my waist after I put my arm around her shoulders when we left the Kres Chophouse. Then she leaned into me as we walked, just like she used to do, and I smiled.
“So, the PI business must pay well. You’re living not far from Mom’s neighborhood and you can take a girl to a fancy chop house.”
I stopped walking and looked down at her until her eyes met mine. “I bought a rare foreclosure and spent five years fixing it up. The dinner didn’t cost as much as you think it did because I had a gift card.”
She pulled her head back from me. “Really? You fixed up a foreclosure?”
I dipped my chin in a slight nod. “Really. Had my eye on that house for a long damn time, and it pissed me off when it started falling to shit during the recession. I knew it’d be up on the market at some point, I just prayed the owners wouldn’t put any effort into it so I could get it for a steal.”
I guided us toward the parking garage, signaling the conversation was done.
We were on her side of SUV when she said, “Thanks for dinner, Clint. It was fantastic.”
I shifted so her back was to the door. With my hands framing her face, I leaned toward her. “You’re more than welcome, mi reina.”
Her face softened at my words. I kissed her slow and sweet, only pulling away when her hands started moving on my chest with more purpose. Her eyes held a hint of annoyance at the kiss ending, but otherwise she looked dazed yet aroused.
“Time to salsa, Rae.”
Her lips pulled to the side. “We could skip the dancing, honey.”
I grinned. “Get in the truck, babe.”
Ten minutes later, I parked in a small lot while Raegan looked bewildered.
“Where’s the club, Clint? There isn’t even a building that looks like a club.”
I squeezed her bicep.
“There is.” I nodded to the warehouse in front of us.
“It’s a warehouse.”
“It’s been converted. And the cover is steep, but the music is on fire.”