Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(37)

“Will, I’ve been open and honest with her about how long I’m going to be in town and what I can offer her while I’m here,” Remy said quietly. “I’ve been attracted to your sister, well, since the moment I saw her. I stayed away because I didn’t think I was good for her, but we sat down and talked and I can give her something for these weeks. I can give her my full attention and my full promise to be present every second I have to spend with her. We’ve signed a contract with an end date, and we’re both going into this knowing that it will end and agreeing to be friends afterward.”

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Will said. “A contract with an end date. Who does that?”

Bridget’s eyes went wide, like supervillain, she-could-kill-you-with-lasers-from-her-irises wide, and everyone took a step back. Even Remy seemed to know Hurricane Bridget was about to get her storm on. Remy’s arms went around Lisa as though he could protect her from the coming winds.

Will had the good sense to turn a bit pale. “Now, baby, I wasn’t talking about us. That was a totally different thing. Totally.”

Bridget pointed a finger his way. “Signing a contract with an end date is stupid? Is it, Will? Is it? Because you’re calling the mother of your babies stupid, mister ‘I don’t know what the word love means so let’s take it real slow.’ Oh, hey wait, the sex is pretty good. We can go another month but stop using that love word.”

“I love you, baby,” Will said. “I love you so much. See how trainable I was? Am. You recognized that in me right away. Trainable. I don’t think he’s trainable.”

“Trainable, my ass,” Bridget shot back before she looked over at Remy. “If you hurt her, I will skin you alive and then I’ll sew the skin back on and let it heal and skin you again for the fun of it. Do I make myself clear?”

“In a very intense way, Mrs. Daley,” Remy said from behind her. “I have no intention of hurting Lisa. I genuinely care about her. I intend to protect her and take care of her until I have to go home to my family.”

Bridget studied him for a moment and then looked over at Laurel, and the two seemed to come to some kind of decision.

“He’s just a dumbass,” they said at the same time.

Laurel gave him a grin. “It’s all right. We both married dumbasses. Dumbassery can be cured.”

Mitch put a hand on Remy’s arm. “Usually with pregnancy. You want to keep your dumbassery, wear a condom, brother.”

“I thought we were sticking together as the men of this family.” Will sent his best friend a dirty look.

Mitch slung an arm around Laurel. “I think the ladies are right. He thinks this is going to go one way, but it’s going to swerve, brother. It’s going to swerve hard, and that’s when you wake up and suddenly there’s a kid in your arms and she’s got this ring on her finger and you kind of scratch your head and wonder how you got there, but then you figure out there is really fucking nice. There is warm and happy and good. And suddenly all those reasons you limited the contract in the first place seem fuzzy and vague and you kind of give in. I give him three weeks.”

Will’s eyes had narrowed, seeming to fixate on that place where Remy’s hands touched her. “I’ll take that. He looks even more dumbassy than you did. Five weeks before they elope.”

They’d changed tactics on her. Assholes. “We’re not eloping, guys. It’s not going to happen.”

“I have to go home. I’m buying my family’s business back,” Remy said, as flustered as she’d ever heard him.

Yet he held on to her. “It’s okay, babe. They’re trying to scare you. They figured out they couldn’t make me back down so now they’re working on you.”

Will seemed to have settled, his shoulders finally dropping from around his ears. “No. No, I think Mitch and the girls are right. I’ve played this whole thing out before. A long time ago, I signed a short-term contract with a woman I thought I could get out of my system. Turns out she was a necessary part of my system.”

Mitch smiled. “And I didn’t use a condom.”

Laurel huffed and slapped her husband gently on his six-pack.

Mitch laughed and cuddled her close. “I wouldn’t go back for anything. I would throw all my condoms away, baby.”

“Hey, do we have an over/under yet?” Taggart yelled across the room. Charlotte was grinning in his arms.

Will nodded. “Yeah, let the betting begin.” He moved over to Lisa. “If he hurts you, I’ll let Bridget do all the horrible things she likes. In addition to the pregnancy cravings, she also gets a wee bit violent when she’s gestating. I love you, sister.” He kissed her forehead. “Now please put on some clothes. You, too, Laurel. I thought we had a deal.”

“All bets are off now. If Lisa gets to play any night she wants, I do, too.” Laurel winked her way. “We get dibs on the office space. I’m his horny secretary tonight.”

“And any night you want to be, baby,” Mitch said with a smirk.

“Well, I call privacy room where I don’t have to see my sisters play,” Will said. He smiled down at Bridget. “And I already had the room stocked with snacks and massage oil and hot cocoa, and my iPad is full of Grey’s Anatomy, the season you missed while breastfeeding.” Will sighed. “Sometimes kink comes in weird packages around here. I’ll be watching you, Guidry.”