Surrendering Series Box Set

“Look, I know you two are just about to have a night full of crazy sex that Rory will regale me with later, but I came with a peace offering.” She held out the bottle in both hands and bowed over it, as if she was giving us a precious gift. “It’s the last bottle of ’96 Dom a client sent me. I saved it special for you. And I also wanted to tell you that I will, from here on out, give you your space. Another gift from me to you.” I took the bottle from her and went to find a bottle opener. I’d had to pretty much re-buy every utensil in my kitchen, because most of them had been Sloane’s and she’d kept them in our old place.

“What’s up, Ginger?” Lucah ignored her and went to the cabinet to get glasses, but he brought three down. He might complain about her interrupting us, but he was always kind to her. Yet another reason I loved him. I couldn’t say the same for Sloane, but I loved her anyway.

“Not a whole lot, what’s new with you?” He was fishing to see if she’d had any contact with his brother. Sparks had nearly ignited the building when they’d met a few weeks ago when Ryder came to help Lucah and me move down the hall.

I’d warned Lucah about it, and he’d been skeptical until he’d seen them in action. Sloane had even tried to get me to invite him to the company Ball, but I put my foot down on that one. Since then, I hadn’t heard any mention of his name, and Lucah said that Ryder hadn’t said anything to him either.

“Nothing. Just swamped with work. I have some new things I was thinking that our girl could wear.” Lucah’s eyes lit up. This was one thing that Lucah and Sloane saw eye-to-eye on. Me wearing her sexy lingerie.

I popped the cork on the champagne and poured us all glasses. My stomach rumbled, but I’d have to deal with it. As if reading my mind, Sloane went to the fridge, pulled out some cheese and then got some crackers and a plate. When it came to food, she did most of the grocery shopping for herself and then for Lucah and me. Things would just appear in my fridge that I didn’t buy, and she would plead innocence. Pretty sure she thought that if she didn’t monitor my eating, I would be reduced to starving, or eating chips because I couldn’t function without her.

“Thanks,” I said as she handed me a cracker sandwich.

“I’m making steak skewers with aioli and an arugula salad with grilled pears and crème fraiche over at my place. It should be done in a few minutes.” She said the whole thing with a smirk.

“What do you want?” I said, taking a swallow of the champagne. It was crisp and delicious. I knew the significance of the vintage, and they hadn’t been lying. I wanted to just grab the bottle and drink the rest of it myself.

“I don’t want a thing,” she said, popping a cube of cheese into her mouth. “I just . . . have a proposition for you. And for you, actually.” She turned to Lucah, and he raised one eyebrow. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I had the feeling I wasn’t going to like it, and neither was Lucah.

“So, your brother needs a job, correct?” That was all she needed to say for me to know what she wanted.

“No,” I said and Lucah shook his head and swallowed some of the champagne.

“No to what? You haven’t even heard my idea!”

“I can pretty much figure out your idea, and the answer is no,” I said. I glanced at Lucah. Back me up here.

“I don’t need your permission,” she said, draining the glass of champagne.

“No, you don’t, Sloane. But that’s not the way to get what you want,” Lucah finally said.

“How do you know what I want? Can you read my mind?” Sloane snapped, pouring more of the champagne. Oh, crap. This was not going to end well. Sloane liked to get her way.

“No, but I know the effect my brother can have. I’ve seen it many times, and I’ve seen what happens when that initial spark dies out. He’s not very nice, my brother, and he needs to figure his shit out. This is not the solution.” His speech was met with silence from Sloane.

“It was just a suggestion.” She acted like a pouty teenager, and it was completely out of character for her. I wondered if this had anything to do with the conversation we’d had not that long ago about her being afraid that she was going to end up alone. I also had the suspicion that Lucah and me moving in together had something to do with her extremely petulant and childish behavior. Just a hunch.

“I have to go check on dinner,” she said and left, taking her champagne glass with her.

“That went well,” I said, finishing my glass and pouring some more. The bottle was almost empty. So much for savoring the vintage.

“It’ll be for the best, in the long run. He’d break her, and I couldn’t stand to see that happen. She’s too good for him.” It wasn’t that Lucah had such a low opinion of his brother. Ryder’s track record spoke for itself. Lucah had filled me in on more of the dirty details, and most of the stories were shocking.

Ryder had done it all. Sex, drugs and rock and roll, leaving a trail of heartbroken women in his wake. One had even killed herself when he’d broken up with her. She’d been severely depressed and on drugs at the time. Drugs he’d sold her. And there was more. So much more.

It would be so much easier of Sloane was a teenager and I was her mother. Then I could lock her in her room. But maybe I could lock her in her apartment . . .

“But if she’s determined to have him, in whatever sense, there is nothing we can do about it. God, I wish I could ship him off to military school,” Lucah said.

This had been happening increasingly more often. I would think something and then he would say nearly the same thing out loud. Sometimes I wondered if Lucah and I were absorbing each other and someday we’d wake up and we’d be attached at the hip. Literally. That wouldn’t be so bad.

“I know, but she’s an adult and she has to make her own decisions.” He held out his arms and I leaned into them while he pulled my hair out of its low ponytail and ran his fingers through it.

“We could always tell her he has herpes.” That made me smile.

“I love you.”

“I love you, Sunshine.” Love made you feel fluttery even when your boyfriend mentioned herpes.