Always (Family Justice Book 1) (21 page)

Feeling a blush crawling up her neck and try as she might to keep it together, Stephanie couldn’t hold back the girlish giggle that shot from her mouth. Well, crap on a cracker.

It was Stephanie’s turn to be surprised when her daughter cracked up giggling. “Oooh, Mom! Sweet idea. Maybe you can get a routine into your next pageant!”

Smiling, she ignored the enormous shit-eating grin on Calder’s face and turned to Lacey hoping to interject a distraction. “Where’s that adorable son of yours? You didn’t take him along to the airport to say good-bye to Daddy?”

Lacey shook her head vehemently. “Good heavens, no. He’s an active little bugger in the mornings, so I left him in Carmen’s capable hands. I called her on the way back, and she reported that after a bit of tummy time and a bottle, he drifted back to sleep. Ben dropped us off here so I could get Tori settled. Since you and Carmen are going out, I figured you could drive me down to the house in your Peach-Mobile and pick Carmen up for your outing.”

Before Stephanie could say anything, there was a bit of a ruckus at the front door that turned out to be Meghan letting herself in with two dogs at her side.

“Oh look,” she laughed. “Gang’s all here. The guys get off okay?” she asked with an assessing look in Tori’s direction.

“Everything’s good,” Lacey chimed in. Stephanie didn’t miss the undercurrent of concern that swept back and forth between Meghan and Cam’s wife.

“Calder,” Meghan drawled lazily. “Didn’t expect to find you here.”

The lone man in their midst stood and approached his soon-to-be niece-in-law, pressing a friendly kiss to her cheek. “Alex asked me to check up on Mrs. St. John,” he muttered as he glanced back in Victoria’s direction.

“Did he now?” Meghan challenged with a smirk.

Lacey cleared her throat, although it sounded suspiciously as if she’d been swallowing a giggle, and she and Tori exchanged a strange look that made Stephanie wonder what she was missing.

Patting Zeus on the head where the dog sat plastered against Meghan’s side Calder asked, “Will you be heading back to the main house? I walked down here earlier so maybe you can give me a lift.”

“Sure, sure,” Meghan assured him. “The Major thought Raven would be good company for Tori while Drae was gone, so I was just dropping her off.”

Stephanie took in how well behaved the blond seven-month-old Labrador seemed at the moment. Quite the change from the rambunctious, overactive puppy she’d seen just yesterday. Zeus nosed the puppy and licked her head like she was encouraging the dog, then let out a muffled woof. Raven thumped her tail on the wood floor then trotted off with a backward glance at Zeus and went to Victoria’s side.
Well, that was certainly interesting,
she thought. Looked to her as if Zeus just gave her puppy friend the four-one-one where Tori was concerned. How cute was that?

“Hi sweetie,” Tori cooed as she struggled to bend over her big belly and give the adorable puppy a smooch. “Mommy missed you.” Raven’s tail thumped on the floor as she sat meekly next to Tori’s chair.

“What are you going to do while I’m with Carmen,” Stephanie asked.

Victoria sighed and rubbed her tummy. “Actually, I was going to try and nap. Didn’t get much sleep last night and we made an early start of it at the airport.”

Calder offered to wheel her to the elevator so she could go upstairs to the master suite, but Tori nixed the suggestion, saying she preferred to cuddle up with Raven in the den on the big sectional sofa—maybe watch some TV and vegetate.

Stephanie went to her daughter’s side, cupped her face in both hands, and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. “You good by yourself for a few hours?” she asked quietly. Swiping her thumbs across her daughter’s cheeks, she smiled into her upturned eyes. Tori put a hand on one of hers and smiled back. It was hard not to comment on the sadness she found in her expression. Tori’s love for and need to have her husband at her side tore at Stephanie’s heart. “Maybe I should stay with you,” she murmured.

“I can hang out for a while,” Meghan interjected. “Calder can drive himself back to the house with Zeus so I can stay until you get back, Stephanie.”

Great idea
, Stephanie thought, but Tori was having none of it.

“I’m fine, you guys. Really.” She patted Raven on the head and said, “Besides, I have my little girlfriend here to keep me company.”

Stephanie wasn’t so sure. Tori always did play the capable and in control card whenever she could.

Calder, who had been quietly standing off to the side, cleared his throat and motioned to her with his head. Something about his expression gave Stephanie pause. It was as if he was trying to tell her not to hover and smother her daughter. Maybe he saw something in this situation that she didn’t or couldn’t because she was too close to it.

“Why don’t we all give Victoria some privacy?” he suggested smoothly. “ It’s a quick flight into Chicago so the agency plane will be on the ground soon, and I’m sure Draegyn will check in with his wife when they land.”

Oh yeah, right
. Her daughter was a married woman with a husband who would occasionally have to go out of town on business. The two needed to figure out how to best handle the strain this reality would bring to their relationship without interference.

Lacey spoke up. “Captain Sawyer will send me a text after the plane lands. I’ll have a heads up before they get to the hotel and Cameron will call the second he can with an update.”

As a mother, she was conflicted. Wasn’t that always the way? Wanting nothing more than to wave a magic wand and make her daughter’s life perfect and stress-free, Stephanie was having a hard time letting this moment pass. But she needed to. It was one thing to help Tori find her way and another altogether to take over.

Meghan saved the day. One more way that she was absolutely perfect for Alex because just like her fiancé, she knew exactly what to say and do.

“Listen up everyone—here’s what’s going to happen,” the tactful redhead announced. Pointing in her direction while she issued instructions just like a teacher organizing her students, she told Stephanie, “You go ahead and freshen up for your outing.” Turning with a nod at Lacey, she said, “We’ll get Tori settled in the den and,” she added with an arched eyebrow at Calder, “you take the dogs for a quick run around the yard. Make sure Raven takes care of any puppy business outside the house, okay?”

Twenty minutes later, Tori was comfortable in the den with her feet up, the TV was on and a remote control nearby with Raven nestled comfortably atop a squishy throw blanket between her legs and the back of the sofa.

“Have all the fun, Mom,” she called out as Stephanie grabbed her bag and did a last-second mirror check. Blowing her daughter a kiss, she waved her cellphone in the air with a quick reminder to text if she needed anything, and then headed for the front porch.

It wasn’t a surprise to find Lacey and Meghan talking quietly in the driveway while Calder sat on the stoop scratching Zeus behind the ears. Everyone looked up when Stephanie came through the door, even the dog.

“Think she’ll be okay by herself?” she worried aloud.

Lacey came, put her arm through hers, and gave her a reassuring tug. “She’ll be fine, Mom. Tori’s a strong woman, and even though she’s struggling now, I don’t think she’d appreciate all of us trying to chew her food for her. Let’s give her some space and let her decide if she wants or needs any help, okay?”

They climbed aboard the Peach-Mobile while Calder got Zeus settled in the back of Meghan’s John Deere cart for the ride back to the main house. Meghan came to her side and touched Stephanie on the arm.

“Have a good time with Carmen and don’t worry so much.”

“Thanks,” Stephanie mumbled with a sigh. “I know she’s fine, but a mother always worries. Right, Lacey?” she asked.

Lacey made a face and pretended to fan herself. “Are you kidding? Dylan’s two months old and just being away from him for a couple of hours has me practically hyperventilating. Let’s go!
Ta Ta
for now, Irish,” she hooted, then looked over her shoulder at Calder and waved.

As Meghan walked back to her cart, Stephanie made eye contact with Calder, who was looking at her with those blue eyes that seemed to cut through all her defenses. He slid on a pair of sunglasses and grinned at her just before Meghan pressed the ignition button.

“Later, Queenie,” he proclaimed with amusement in his voice as the other cart zipped out of the driveway before them and whizzed toward the main house.

As they drove toward the Justice cabin, she heard Lacey murmur, “My God but he’s hot when he smiles, huh?”

Huh, indeed.

“ALL EYES ON CAPTAIN OBVIOUS,” Meghan chirped in a silly voice when Alex came strolling toward her from the tech cave. She was sitting at the piano playing a quiet melody with Zeus wrapped protectively around her ankles.

“Uh oh,” he quipped as he neared. “Sounds like your fiancé did something dumb. Care to elaborate?”

Taking a seat next to her on the piano bench, he shoved her butt with his thighs so she’d scoot over to make room for him.

She kept on playing but gave him some coquettish side-eye and grinned. “Kiss me, sir, and I’ll think about telling you.”

Alex murmured a husky, “Mmm,” as he wrapped his big hand around her neck and tugged her mouth close to his. “Sir kisses. My favorite.”

The piano playing instantly halted, and one deeply ravenous and very wet kiss later, he sat back and leered at her while his thumb wiped some stray saliva away from the corner of her mouth.

“It’s been hours since I was inside you.”

Meghan squirmed as his words stoked the fire burning inside her to a triple alarm blaze. Her Major took enormous delight in saying things like that at every opportunity. Didn’t matter if anyone was around, either. If they weren’t alone, he simply lowered his voice so only she could hear what he was saying but always,
always
left little doubt what he was thinking or how much he wanted her naked and underneath him. She sighed. The feeling was entirely mutual.

There really was only one thing to do. Shifting, she put her hands on his broad shoulders, slung a thigh over his legs and settled onto his lap with a naughty wiggle. Her butt hit the keys on the piano making them clang, bringing a snorting laugh from each of them.

Spearing hungry fingers into his hair, Meghan pressed closer until she was plastered to him, kissing his ear, neck, jaw and any other patch of skin she could find. Licking his neck, she groaned and told him, “You taste so good.”

A hoarse grunt came from Alex. “You have one minute to tell me what the Captain Obvious comment was for. And then I’m taking you to our bedroom, stripping that pretty dress off your spectacular body, and making love to you until you can’t walk. Understand?”

She quivered as his hand slid up a thigh and reached underneath her dress moving with unerring accuracy straight to her satin covered mound. He could have continued on and slipped his big hand inside her panties but instead he found the perfect spot to rotate his thumb until she started to tremble and shake.

In a husky voice she told him, “You sent Calder down to Drae’s because you knew Stephanie would be alone, didn’t you?”

“Mmmm hmmm,” he admitted, his thumb making wicked circles on her swollen clit. “Has he found a way inside her beauty queen gown yet?”

“No,” she groaned when he started nibbling on her neck. “But they aren’t ready to call a duel at dawn anymore.”

“Good enough. He’s on his fucking own from here.”

Meghan whimpered and ground against the erection Alex did nothing to hide. “How did you know?”

He reared back and looked at her but never stopped stroking the nub begging for his full attention.

“Know what?” His voice was harsh and sounded like a man overtaken with desire.

She leaned in and licked the shell of his ear, then swirled her tongue inside before sucking his earlobe into her mouth for a quick nip.

“Know that he’d be interested in her.”

Alex took his hand out from under her dress, reached around, grabbed onto her curvaceous butt, and hauled her against him. Meghan shook from head to toe, enjoying the way his hardened sex pressed into her flesh and how his muscular chest felt against her breasts. Even through clothes, he was absolutely the sexiest damn motherfucker on the planet. And he was hers.

“Frankly, my dear,” he drawled in his very best Rhett Butler-ish tone, “the morning they met, old Uncle Calder was very much leading with his dick. If you know what I mean.”

“Why, Major Marquez,” she mimed in her fake Scarlett O’Hara voice, “I do declare you are a very bad man.”

When he squeezed her ass with both hands, she gasped and sought his eyes. “Let me take you upstairs, my Irish fuck Goddess, and demonstrate for you just
how
bad.”

“Hurry,” she moaned and that, as they say, was all they wrote.