Close Cover (Masters and Mercenaries #16)(68)

That had been a fun family night.

Remy wasn’t having it. “It is a con if Marcelle is pretending to whammy people so you can charge to fix them. That is the exact definition of a con. Where is Zep?”

Delphine waved a hand. “Zep is a young man. He’s out exploring the world of possibilities waiting for him. He’s like the wind he’s named after, Remy.”

“What’s the stripper’s name?” Remy asked.

Sera shrugged. “He goes through them too fast for me to catch their names. He didn’t come because he thought you would be more comfortable here without him. I tried to tell him things change.”

“Oh, but Zep doesn’t change.” He seemed to catch sight of the toddler. He stopped, his whole face softening. “But there’s something that did. Luc? Buddy, how did you get so big?”

She stood there as she finished off her drink, listening to the family reunion and going twelve kinds of gooey because no one could resist a superhot alpha male with a baby in his arms.



Red Solo Cup #3



“I’m the king of the world!”

Yeah, that was just what she said when she rode Ferris wheels. Five times in a row.



Red Solo Cup #4



Lisa twirled around the dance floor, the music lifting her higher and higher. Or maybe it was the wine. She was already on the tipsy side. She’d met the mayor, who had a big hug for Remy and the offer to sit down over breakfast one day this week and talk about how to deal with their mommas and their new short con plans…er, business plans. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Remy having some intimate brunch with the lovely mayor, but it wasn’t like she had a choice.

Although he had been a gentleman all night. He’d brought her wine and cotton candy and made sure she ate some shrimp. Shrimp here meant life. Shrimping was a way of life.

And more than once she’d heard someone called ma crevette. It wasn’t some insult. It was a term of affection and endearment.

The wine was really strong. She promised this was her last glass. She’d danced with the mayor’s brother and the man who owned the hardware store. She’d been twirled around by the local priest, who was an excellent dancer and apparently also was good with moonshine. But dancing with Remy was the best. The song turned slow and suddenly he was there. He let her current partner know she would be unavailable for all slow dances and then took her in his arms and started to sway.

“Magical,” she said with a smile, looking up at him. “The whole place is magical.”

He held her closer. “You might feel different in the morning when the sugar high has worn off and the alcohol turns into a hangover. Did I mention he makes that himself and it probably has a higher volume alcohol than you’re used to when it comes to wine? You don’t drink a lot and that particular wine can really sneak up on you. I should know. Most of my youthful indiscretions were because of that wine.”

She shook her head. He was not taking her red Solo cup. Her red Solo cup was her friend. Her red Solo cup let her relax and not be worried or upset. Everyone made mistakes. Not everyone had piercing blue eyes and made love like a superhero. Those were very important things. “You will pry this cup out of my cold, dead fingers.”

And he could dance.

“You also might feel differently when we get out to the wharf,” he admitted. “It’s not what you’re used to. The apartment is a bit on the utilitarian side. We have a kitchen and a bedroom and living area. The bathroom isn’t bad, but it’s only a shower. I used to live out at my momma’s, but I thought that might be weird, to say the least.”

“Weird?”

“I don’t want to share a room with my brother. He’s a slob.”

She had to laugh at the thought. “Well, I’ll make sure I stay tidy.”

He swayed and she followed. It felt so right to be in his arms.

“Thank you for tonight,” he whispered.

“I didn’t do anything except eat a ton of food.” Such good food. If they did this kind of thing often, she was going to gain a bunch of weight.

“You made tonight special for me.” He sighed and she could feel his body relax against hers. “I didn’t think I would come home. I sure didn’t think I would come home like this. If you hadn’t been with me, I would have gone on to the wharf. I don’t know how to deal with this.”

“With people who care about you?” It was the easiest thing in the world to lay her head on his chest and just be. Between the music and the starry night and the man who held her, life seemed pretty perfect.

“It’s a lot.” His hand smoothed down her back. “I guess I’ve gotten more used to keeping my mouth shut and throwing myself in front of bullets. I used to be fairly good at dealing with people. I used to be able to negotiate and debate my way around things. Now the whole thought makes me tired. I guess I thought I would be happier.”

She could understand that. “I get it. I worked super hard for my MBA and I was miserable at my first job. All I did was look at numbers. I’m good with numbers, but I need something more. I think you’ll feel better when you get to the actual work. You enjoyed it when you were a kid, right?”

“I loved that place more than anything,” he admitted. “I would run from the school bus straight to the wharf. My momma would yell at me, but I wanted to be there so bad. I didn’t want to miss anything.”