“And I’ve decided my love language is physical touch. And maybe since everyone out here is busy and Libby winked at me and started playing with Rosie like she knows what I’m thinking …” Her hands slip over my shoulders and onto my chest. “Maybe we could run inside and—”
“Say no more.” I grin wickedly. “Let’s go inside and get naked. I’m going to bend you over the—”
“Boone!”
My forehead falls to Jaxi’s.
“Again?” I ask. “How does she do that?”
Jaxi giggles. “At least she sleeps in her bed now.”
“Excellent point.” I kiss my fiancée on the lips before looking up. “What’s up, Rosie?”
“The puppy licked my watch!”
Jaxi makes a face at me. The light in her eyes, the happiness there, makes everything worth it.
“I got this,” she says, patting me on the stomach as she walks away. “I’m coming, Rosie.”
I lean against the fence.
The sun is shining. My family is gathered. There is a ton of food that, thankfully, Jaxi did not fix.
This is what life’s about.
I still don’t really understand my brothers’ love of spreadsheets. I don’t get off on numbers, and I don’t spend nearly as many hours at the office as they do.
But I get it. I get it now.
It’s not about the work or the reports or the success at the end of the day. It’s knowing that you showed up for your family. You contributed to the cause. You put your time and effort into something that will benefit the whole team. And I’m a part of that. I contribute to that. I have my part to play.
My brothers show up the same way to life—their individual lives, my life, each other’s lives. They’re all in. They’re as committed to my happiness as they are their own.
And that’s what life’s about.
So, yeah, I get it now.
I push off the fence to find Jaxi.
In the spirit of family, I should try to expand ours. And there’s no better time to start that than now.
What happened to Oliver? Read RELENTLESS, coming July 22nd. Preorder now.
Notes from the Author
Notes from the Author
What should you do now?
I’m glad you asked!
The two best places to stay up-to-date with me are via my Locke List newsletter and my Facebook Group, Books by Adriana Locke. (Join us! It’s fun!)
What should you read now?
Holt Mason’s book is live now. Read Restraint.
Boone Mason’s book is live now. Read Reputation.
Oliver Mason’s book is coming on July 22nd. Preorder Relentless.
Wade Mason’s book is coming on October 22nd. Preorder Resolution.
I think you would enjoy my book, Sway, too. You can purchase that HERE. But, I’ll tell you what—I’ll give you the first chapter right now. Keep reading.
Chapter One: Sway
Sway
Landry Family Series #1
Chapter One
Alison
“This is a single girl’s paradise.”
“No,” I grimace, blotting the spilled cheese sauce from my shirt. “Paradise would be a tropical island with a hot cabana boy at my beck and call ... and an endless supply of mojitos.”
Lola laughs, the sound barely heard over the chaos of the kitchen. Chefs shouting instructions, event planners panicking, plates being dropped—the world of catering is a noisy endeavor.
I step to the side to allow Isaac, a fellow server and Lola’s gorgeous friend with benefits, to scamper to the ballroom a few feet away. He’s tall with a head full of dark curls and a laugh that makes you involuntarily smile. Lola is crazy for keeping him at arm’s length, but that’s how she operates. He has little money; she has limited interest.
“Cabana boys may have hot bodies and virility, Alison, but they lack two very important qualities: fame and fortune.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you’d take a limp dick over a hard one? Interesting,” I say, rolling my eyes and tossing the sauce-soaked rag into the linen bin.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying, smart ass. I’m saying I’d take a solid bank account over a solid cock. Think about it—with all that money, he could never fuck me at all and I wouldn’t care.”
“If that’s the case,” I retort, grabbing another tray of drinks, “there are tons of opportunities out there to not get fucked.”
I laugh at the dreamy look on her face, partly because it’s hilarious and partly because I know she’s not kidding.
Lola and I are a lot alike. We both come from meager backgrounds and Luxor Foods is our second job. There’s no doubt we both would rather not be here because serving rich bitches can be a very humbling experience. But they are also the best parties to work because they tip. Very well. Of course it’s so they can feel above us most times, but we’ll take it. It’s money in our pockets, and if they get off on it in the process, good for them.
That being said, Lo took this job to afford her manicures, pedicures, and eyelash extensions. I do it to take care of my son, Huxley. Lola’s first job is working at a salon and her career goals include marrying up in the world. I, on the other hand, work at Hillary’s House restaurant during the day and go to school for journalism in hopes to one day write pieces that might inspire someone.
“Speaking of fucking,” she says, her eyes aglow, “did you see Mayor Landry?”
“I love how you segued into that,” I laugh.
“It’s a linear comparison. Tell me that fucking isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of him, and I’ll call you a liar.”
Of course it’s the truth. It’s the first thing that comes to mind … and maybe the second and third too.
Thoughts of the recently crowned Most Eligible Bachelor make me a swoony mess. Barrett Landry’s thick, sandy brown hair that always looks perfectly coiffed, his broad, friendly smile that makes you feel like you could tell him your darkest secrets without judgment, his tanned skin, tight body, wide shoulders—the list goes on. But it all leads, as Lo so candidly pointed out, to thoughts of him stripped down and wearing only his charismatic grin.
I shiver at the thought.
“See?” she grins, waggling her finger in my face. “Linear comparison.”
“I’ll give you that. He’s so seriously fine.”
“Have you had a chance to get close to him? To breathe him in?”
“Breathe him in?” My laughter catches the attention of our boss, Mr. Pickner. He twists his burly body our way, letting us know we’d better get to work.
“I haven’t,” I say, turning back to Lola. “Even though I’ve been around men like Landry before—well, not quite like him, but as close as a mortal can be—I don’t think I could handle it, Lo. He scrambles my brain. I’d probably fall face first into him and dump the drinks in his lap. Then we’d both be wet.”
She swipes a tray off the table and shoots a wink at Isaac as he walks back in. “It would so be worth it if you played your cards right. You could probably get away with running your hands through his hair and maybe even licking his stubbled jaw. A kiss would probably be over the top, but his Southern roots would keep him from causing a scene and asking for security.”