Justice Is Always Ready (A Graham Family Story, 1) (12 page)

He waved that away and held her gaze.
“So the ‘it’s over’ pertains to the discussion, not us?”

Emotions swirled in her
eyes and they widened.
Finally! Some
emotion.

“
Oh. I didn’t mean
we
were over. I meant
the Arlen jealousy thing. I don’t want to end it with you, but I’ll
not give up my friends.”

He grinned and prowled closer to her.
“I like those words from your mouth. I don’t want you to feel like
you have to give up your friends for me.” When he’d backed her up
to the counter, he shifted his gaze from her gray orbs to her lips.
“How about a kiss to make up?”

A groan threatened when she moistened
her lips with her tongue.

“
Sari.”

“
Is sleeping.” He pressed
closer, tracing the shell of her ear with his fingertip. “Say yes,
beautiful.”

“
Yes,” she gasped when he
lightly nipped the pulse on the side of her neck. Her fingers dug
into his sides.

He needed no more encouragement and
kissed her. Her taste exploded along his tongue and he found
himself rubbing against her core. It wasn’t easy but he managed to
end the exchange. Her smoky eyes stared back at him, lips parted
and swollen.

Did I say I’d fallen in
love yet?

With a smoldering look, he stepped
back and allowed some space between them. His control wavered when
she licked her lips as if seeking more of his taste.

“
I… I… need to go wake
Sari up. Can you pull some apples and carrots out of the fridge for
me?” Kassidy bolted before he could say a word.

When she passed into view, tucked
securely in her left hand was Sari’s right. The child still looked
sleepy, but there lingered growing excitement. After a snack of
carrots and apples, they went to work decorating the cooled
cookies.

He and Sari continued to frost, then
while Kassidy began dinner, they switched over to coloring on
paper. From where he sat at the table, he continued to steal peeks
at the effortless way Kassidy moved. In an instant, he pictured her
there with their children around. A deep longing roared to life
inside him, almost blinding him with its intensity.

“
Does your chest hurt?”
Sari asked.

“
I’m fine. No need to
worry, little one.” He lowered his hand, not even realizing he’d
been rubbing it.

“
My daddy’s a doctor. He
can fix anything.”

Arlen’s a doctor?
Giving Sari a smile he said, “I’ll keep that in
mind, thank you.” He pointed to the picture she had drawn on her
paper. “Are you done with your dragon?”

“
You knew it was a
dragon?” she questioned.

With a brief wink at Kassidy, he
nodded. “Of course, it’s a wonderful dragon.”

Her sigh was deprecating. “Not
finished. Dragons need fire but… I don’t know how to do
it.”

“
Would you like me to help
you? I could give him some for you.”

“
Please.”

Her voice so sweet and
hopeful it made him want a little girl of his own. The doorbell
rang and he barely looked up when Kassidy said she’d be right back.
He wanted the flames to be the best any dragon had
ever
had.

“
Daddy!” Sari
squealed.

Justice glanced up to see
her jump into her father’s arms. There was such love and devotion
in the man’s gaze. The girl in his arms meant the world to
him.
Not that I blame him.

He stood when Sari hurried back to the
table. Kassidy made the introductions and after they shook hands,
he went back to finishing up the fire. Sari knelt on the chair
beside him, her hand on his shoulder.

“
I like the fire. Are we
done?” she asked.

“
Almost.” He flashed a
grin at Arlen. “I think it needs some orange in it too.”

“
Ohh yeah. Some on the
ground too.”

“
I agree.” As he worked
with Sari, he listened offhandedly to Arlen and Kassidy chat while
they finished the meal. Kassidy looked radiant to him, her smile
infectious, and her laugh contagious.

“
Okay, you two,” Kassidy
said. “Time to clear the table for dinner.”

Justice slid the completed picture to
Sari, whose gasp of pleasure made him feel on top of the world. She
kissed his cheek, then ran to show her dad. Justice removed the
drawing items from the smooth wood top.

“
You’re pretty good with
kids,” Kassidy’s velvet timbre murmured as she set a stack of
plates down before him and wiped off the table.

He slid an arm around her waist and
whispered back, “Glad you think so.” Then he focused on setting the
table. It was one of the most fun dinners he’d had in a long time.
Sari kept them all entertained with stories. By the end of the
meal, he had really begun to like Arlen, as well and had invited
them for a ride on his boat.

* * * *

Kassidy stood next to Justice and
waved as Arlen and Sari drove away in the rainy night. Back inside,
she sighed and shut the door.

“
You okay?”

“
Just worried about Arlen.
I offered to keep Sari for the night, but I don’t think he’s ready
to take that step yet. He can’t stand for her to be out of his
sight for long. I think he sleeps in the rocker in her
room.”

Not that she blamed him for it. Sari
is his last tie to Lana. His wife had been taken from him at night
and he’d been unable to work on her since it was his wife.
Something he’d never forgiven himself for.

“
He’s lucky to have a
friend like you, Kassidy.”

She relaxed into Justice’s embrace,
her cheek pressed along the hard planes of his torso. The cotton
from his shirt was soft and comforting.

“
We’re both lucky. He’s an
amazing friend as well. I just wish there was more I could do for
him.”

“
He knows you’re there for
him and Sari. That means the world to him. He’ll come to you when
he’s ready.”

“
Thanks for putting up
with Sari. I know she can be very demanding.”

He brushed his lips along the curve of
her neck. “Sari is utterly adorable.”

“
You know you can take
back having her on your boat.”

“
Nonsense,” he said
immediately. “I’m looking forward to it.”

She let it go and enjoyed being held
by him. The thunder and lightning split the sky with impressive
force. Normally loud thunder and close lightning scared her. But
not here. Not now. Not when she was with the man holding
her.

“
Question for you,
beautiful.”

“
Hmmm?” How was it when he
said that one word she felt like he meant it?

“
What are you doing on
Sunday?”

“
Nothing other than church
planned. Why?”

“
My mom and grandpa would
love for you to come to brunch.”

A brief moment of panic filled her but
it faded just as quick as it had arrived. “Sunday for
brunch?”

His hands skimmed over the curve of
her butt. “Yes.”

“
What can I
bring?”

“
Just yourself,
beautiful.”

“
No. I have to bring them
something.” An act that had been instilled in her from
childhood.

He put enough distance between them to
see her face. His thumbs stroked the corners of her mouth. “Okay.
My mom loves chocolate. My grandpa,” he paused, “I have no
idea.”

She smiled as an idea hit
her. “I know what to bring for him.”
I
hope he likes it.

“
You know you don’t have
to get him, either of them, anything, right, Kassidy?”

“
Let me do this, Justice.
Please, I’ll feel better.”

He swept her up in his
arms and carried her to the couch. When she sat tucked against him,
she closed her eyes and allowed the rhythmic
lub-dub
of his heart to soothe away
any remaining hesitation she might have. When she woke, his strong
arms held her exhausted and naked body tight to his. With a
contented yawn, she curled up closer to him.

After a full workweek passed, that
Saturday night Kassidy gathered and wrapped the gifts for Justice’s
mom and grandpa. Justice had duty and couldn’t leave the base so
she didn’t get to see him that day. She missed him; it had become
familiar and normal to spend free time in his presence.

That night she enjoyed a fun dinner
with Lucy and Ethan that helped keep her mind off the fact she
wouldn’t see Justice later in the evening. When she made it home
she got some housework done, showered, and went to bed.

Her dreams were anything but pleasant,
and when her alarm went off she felt exhausted. Head pounding, she
got Libby and left for an early service just to make sure she would
be on time for brunch. She was grateful the rain, at least, had
ceased for however long. By eleven she had begun to feel better.
There was no need to vomit and the pounding in her head had
diminished. Her nerves didn’t seem fit to take a holiday though.
The knot in her belly expanded immensely as she waited for Justice
to arrive at her door.

Although expected, the
sound of her doorbell chiming through the house made her jump and
almost spill her tea in her lap.
Crap.
Pull it together, Kas. It’s just a meal.

Justice perched against the doorframe,
his physique relaxed and casually attired. A perpetual sexy half
grin graced his face.

“
Hello,
beautiful.”

She smiled shyly, stepping back to
allow him entrance. He wore a dark green polo and khakis. She
licked her lips and struggled to say hi.

How can one man rob me of
all sense?

“
Hello, Justice. How are
you?”

“
Better now.” He pressed a
light yet extremely potent kiss to her mouth.

“
Do we need to go now or
would you care for a drink?”

He pushed the door shut and stalked
her until the wall at her back prevented her from moving farther.
His gaze smoldered and bore into hers. Her breath caught as he
positioned his arms on either side of her head and lowered his
face. A hair’s breadth away from her mouth, eyes still scorching
hot and holding hers, he exhaled gently, the warm air flowing along
her hypersensitive lips.

“
A drink would be lovely,
Kassidy.”

Justice backed away with a simple
display of coiled grace, his gaze no less hungry. She swallowed
hard before slipping away into the kitchen. The presence from him
followed her and kept her wrapped in its comforting warmth. Their
fingers brushed at the glass exchange and her belly knotted all
over for an entirely different reason than nerves.

Her stare was riveted to his throat as
he downed the crisp, cool liquid. She tried to focus on something
else, but she couldn’t. Her fingers curved into her palms in order
to keep herself from reaching out. She longed to touch. Craved to.
To skim her hands over his skin, to feel the pulse of his strong
heartbeat beneath her tongue. To taste him.

“
Keep staring at me like
that, Kassidy, and we’ll be late.” His words were raspy and
rough.

Her gaze flashed to his and found raw
lust there. “Sorry,” she whispered.

“
Don’t apologize.” He
reached around and placed the glass in the sink. “I want to kiss
you so bad, beautiful. So bad.”
Yes!
Her heart cried. “But I can’t,
I don’t have that much control.” His Adam’s Apple bobbed with his
swallow. “Let’s go.”

A few more highly charged moments of
staring at one another and she edged by him. “I’m ready,” she
informed him without looking back.

After she said goodbye to Libs,
Kassidy followed him out the door and down to his shiny, red
Corvette. She hesitated. A gorgeous boat and an awesome car. Her
fingers tightened on the string handles of the gift
bags.

“
Kassidy?”

Alex had nice things, too. Very nice
things. And he got his in a way that was far from being legal.
Walls began to shoot up around her heart even while her brain opted
for a much more rational explanation.

“
Kassidy? Are you
okay?”

The light touch of his hands on her
shoulders got her focused. “I’m fine, sorry. Lost in thought for a
minute there.”

Justice’s expression spoke of his
disbelief but thankfully he said nothing. Merely slid a hand to the
back of her neck and down to the base of her spine before guiding
her to his car. The ride was done with no words between them. The
rap on his stereo, the only noise in there. She stared at the two
bags on her lap. Simple crème-hued bags.

Please let this go
well.

The urge to sneeze hit her hard and
she couldn’t stop. Once, twice, three times, and more. Eyes
watering and short of breath, Kassidy finally regained control.
Taking a tissue from her purse she dabbed at the corner of her eyes
and noticed they were stopped in a gas station parking
lot.