Scott had been fairly quiet all night, but as he placed his empty plate on the table, he said, “I thought Mum was coming.”
“Yeah, she is, but she said she’d be late,” I reminded him.
Frowning, he said, “We’ve just had dessert…that seems way past late.”
I shrugged, confident she’d turn up soon. We’d grown closer since Dad’s death so I had no reason to doubt her. “She’ll come.”
“And where the hell is Griff?” Nash asked.
“I don’t know. He said he’d come, and it’s unlike him not to do what he says,” I replied, disappointed he hadn’t turned up.
Scott leaned back in his chair, putting his arm around Harlow’s shoulders, and said, “Griff always has a solid reason for doing something. He wouldn’t just blow this off.”
Nash narrowed his eyes on Scott. “Is something going down we don’t know about?”
Scott didn’t rush to answer him, and I knew from the look in his eyes, he was considering whether to share something or not. “He texted me earlier to say he might not make it due to personal reasons; nothing to do with the club.”
Still so much we didn’t know about Griff. I wondered if we ever would.
I was lost in my thoughts about Griff when Brooke spoke up. “Thanks for inviting me today, Madison. This party is just what I needed after a long couple of months.”
Smiling at my sister-in-law, I agreed, “Yeah, it’s what we all needed.”
Her eyes twinkled as she looked at J for a moment. “I know J’s been looking forward to this party. I bet he’s already planning next year’s in his mind.”
J shifted in his chair next to me and muttered, “Jesus, I’m surrounded by women who like to push my buttons. The only party I’m planning is the one I’ll be having later tonight.”
As everyone laughed, I leant into him and murmured, “I love you.”
He put his arm around me and pulled my face closer so he could kiss me. “I love you, too, baby, but no more parties for awhile, okay? I need you to myself. I’ve got plans I’m working on where you’re concerned.”
Baby plans.
“You said we’d reassess in three months, J, and I’m holding you to that.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t work on getting you to change your mind sooner,” he replied, his voice full of determination.
He’s deadly serious about this.
“I’m not changing my mind.”
I’m deadly serious, too.
He settled back into his chair, the determination gone from his face, replaced by a casual expression. Too casual, in my opinion. He shrugged. “We’ll see, sweetheart.”
His attitude of we’ll see concerned me. “Jesus, J, you can’t backtrack on an agreement,” I complained, knowing full well that when J had decided on something, he’d decided, and convincing him to change his mind was almost impossible.
His gaze met mine, and the heat I saw there caused butterflies in my tummy. “You get your way with me most of the time, Madison. It’s my turn to get my way.” His deep, assertive voice snaked through me, sending desire to every corner of my body.
I sucked in a long breath, fighting like hell to ignore the want his words had caused. I didn’t want what he wanted, however, I loved it when J took charge like this. His bossy ways turned me on like nothing else, and sitting here, listening to the commanding tone in his voice and seeing the take-charge expression
on his face, I wanted more.
Damn, maybe this cat and mouse game would be fun.
J and I sat engrossed in each other for another couple of moments, until I heard my mother’s voice. Dragging my attention from him, I turned to find her standing in front of us with Blade’s mother next to her. Stella held a container in her arms and shifted nervously on the spot.
Pushing my chair back, I went to Mum and embraced her and then gave Stella a hug. Smiling at her, I said, “I’m glad you came.”