Fast Break (Brooklyn Monarchs 1)

“Don’t thank me. I’ve only agreed to think about it.” DeMarcus returned to the range, breaking the spell Jaclyn had cast over him. “Dinner’s ready. You and my father can wait in the dining room. I’ll bring the food out.”

“Oh, but—”

He looked

over his shoulder. “Aren’t you staying for dinner?”

Jaclyn’s eyes shifted between him and the pots on the range. Her consternation disappeared and she smiled again. “I’d love to. Thank you.”

DeMarcus watched her walk out of the kitchen. His gaze slipped over the flow of her long, slender figure, the sway of her firm, rounded hips. Somehow he had to find a way to resist the Lady Assassin’s lure or risk losing his focus on what mattered most.

5

DeMarcus hadn’t heard his father laugh this much in almost three years. Not since his mother’s sudden death. For this, he could thank the woman sitting across the table from him, on his father’s right.

Jaclyn was still grinning at a comment Julian had made. Her riot of dark brown curls framed her face and cascaded around her shoulders. She looked like an angel in her cream two-piece outfit. Where was the avenger who’d stormed his office in a blood red business suit? Angel or avenger? Which was the real Jaclyn Jones? He needed to find out.

Jaclyn scooped coucous with her fork and smiled at him. “The meal’s delicious. Where did you learn to cook like this?”

DeMarcus’s shrug masked his pleasure at her words. “It’s a hobby. Cooking relaxes me.”

From his seat at the head of the table, Julian grunted. “If only he could bake.”

DeMarcus arched a brow. “Pop, if you want pastries, you can make them.”

Jaclyn drank more iced tea. “My cooking skills aren’t in your league, but I would like to try baking.”

Julian winked at her. “You can try your recipes on us.”

DeMarcus sipped his iced tea. “Be careful. Pop has a sweet tooth.”

Julian sobered. “Why did you leave the WNBA to practice law?”

Her smile had a trace of mystery. “Judges don’t penalize you if you argue in court.”

DeMarcus’s laughter joined Julian’s. There was more to the Lady Assassin’s reason for retiring from the game she loved. He was sure of it.

Julian returned to his dinner. “The Monarchs have an impressive past.”

DeMarcus selected a juicy chunk of curried chicken. “You’ve got Pop on a roll, talking about one of his favorite subjects.”

“Your father and I have that in common. Basketball is one of my favorite topics, too, especially the Monarchs.” Jaclyn filled her fork with couscous. “We have ten players and three coaches in the NBA Hall of Fame, but we’ve never won a championship.”

DeMarcus shrugged. “A championship would be nice, but not everyone can achieve it.”

“So speaks the three-time MVP who has two championship rings.” Jaclyn’s smile teased him.

DeMarcus winked at her. “There are thirty teams playing for one ring. Those are tough odds.”

Jaclyn nodded. “Yet teams like the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers have multiple rings from back-to-back titles.”

DeMarcus gestured toward her. “You have a championship ring of your own from your years in the WNBA.” And still she’d retired. Why?

Jaclyn sighed. “I want the Monarchs to bring home the ring.”

Julian gestured toward her with a forkful of chickpeas. “Even without a championship, the Monarchs have a storied history of a team and a community. As the team grew, so did the community because of the money the franchise brought in.”

DeMarcus swallowed a mouthful of couscous. “You can’t live in the past. You have to build for the future.”