Rock Hard (Rock Kiss #2)(50)

His smile creased his cheeks. “Those have been ordered.” Rubbing his hand over her lower back, he said, “You good? I’m going to grab a beer.”

“Yes, I want to go look outside.” Joining the girls, she just soaked in the view as the stadium began to fill, an excited buzz in the air.

“Charlotte.” Joseph patted the seat next to him in the front row. “Come talk to me.”

It was odd; her father had been physically slight, had worn glasses like Charlotte. Gabriel’s stepfather was an ex-rugby player with twenty-twenty eyesight, a full-sleeve tattoo that she could see now he’d taken off his coat, and had a voice like a bullhorn. Yet she felt the same sense of comfort with him that she had with her father. Before she knew it, she had her coat off too and they were debating the finer points of last weekend’s game.




SAILOR TOOK A SIP of his beer, his blue eyes gleaming. “She’s a bit bite-sized for you, isn’t she, bro?”

Gabriel imagined taking little bites of Charlotte and felt his lips curve. “Good things. Small packages,” he said, enjoying watching her mobile face, her bright, intelligent eyes as she spoke to his father.

Leaning back against the bar, Sailor followed Gabriel’s gaze. “You think I should tell her she’s the first woman you’ve ever brought to a game with us?”

“Sure. If you want a black eye.” Charlotte wasn’t yet ready for the pressure the knowledge would put on her.

“ísalind won’t let you hurt me.” Sailor blew a kiss to his wife.

Dimpling, ísa blew one back before returning to her conversation with their mom.

“Anyway, you sure you won’t break her?” Sailor asked, a dubious look on his face. “Remember that magazine called you a sexy brute.”

“Keep it up and I’ll break you.” He knew damn well Sailor was needling him in revenge for all the teasing he’d endured after falling so hard for his English-teacher wife that he’d actually read poetry for chrissakes. As if his siblings weren’t going to rag on him when that came out.

“Daddy!” Esme tugged on Jake’s hand. “My shoelace is all messy.”

Putting his beer on the bar, Jake bent down to fix the knotted-up lace after tapping his daughter playfully on the cheek. Jake had become a father at eighteen and it had fundamentally changed him. Gone was the boy who’d spent all his money on parts for his souped-up car, and in his place was a stable single dad whose daughter adored him.

“You talk to Danny?” Gabriel asked Sailor, at once proud of Jake and worried about him—the kid had become too serious at too young an age.

“This afternoon,” Sailor said, his eyes connecting with Gabriel’s in a silent understanding about Jake. “He’s pumped.”

Shoelace issue fixed, their second-youngest brother rose to pick up his beer. “You talking about Danny?”

Gabriel nodded. “If they win this game, they’re on their way to the top of the table.”

“Cakewalk as long as they watch their passes, don’t allow intercepts.” Jake took a drink of his beer.

Eating a piece of cheese in a single bite, Sailor returned his attention to Gabriel. “Getting back to your girl, I want to say I’m happy for you, man. I thought for sure you’d end up a sad and lonely old man I’d have to bring meals on wheels.”

“I’m touched,” Gabriel said as Jake grinned and high-fived Sailor. “I would’ve expected you to leave me to starve.”

“Naw, the girls like you too much.”

They talked, tried to piss each other off, let Esme and Emmaline raid the food when the girls ran over. Kickoff though, everyone had their eyes on the pitch. Grabbing a seat in the last row after stealing Charlotte away from his dad, Gabriel put his arm along the back of her seat and gave her a plate of cheese and crackers and grapes. “I grabbed that for you before the horde could demolish it.”

Esme, who’d chosen to sit next to Charlotte, giggled. “Can I have some, Uncle Gabe?”

“Only if you come give me a kiss.”

Small arms wrapped around his neck seconds later as she reached up on her toes to plant an enthusiastic kiss on his cheek. Seating her on his lap afterward, he returned his other arm to behind Charlotte. That was how they watched the start of the game. Ten minutes in, Esme wiggled off and went to play with Emmaline, their parents having brought toys for them.

Gabriel turned to tease Charlotte about the effectiveness of tiny chaperones and found her eyes riveted to the pitch. He followed her gaze, saw what had her transfixed.





20


BEING PETTED BY A T-REX CAN BE A DELICIOUS EXPERIENCE





DANNY HAD THE BALL in one hand, was barreling down the field, avoiding opponents with some seriously fancy footwork that made him seem much smaller than the six foot three, two hundred and twenty pounds of muscle that he was.

“Come on, come on.”

Gabriel caught the fierce words, realized they came from Charlotte. Heart in his throat as he saw a defender heading to tackle Danny, he willed his youngest brother to pass. Danny’s weakness on the field was his tunnel vision—he sometimes didn’t see the teammates he had in support.

“Pass, Danny, pass!” Sailor was on his feet, yelling at their brother.