Too Tempting (The Lewis Cousins 1)

Annabeth gave me a small smile and placed her hand over mine at the bar.

“I can appreciate that, honey. Now what can I get for you?”

“Can I have a red wine? Oh, and Gabe wants a beer, but he didn’t say what kind.”

“I know what he likes.”

“Of course.”

When she went off to get our drinks, I turned to Reardon and said, “She can be pretty intimidating.”

“You have no idea,” he replied wryly, then added, “But you did right, standing up for your sister. There’s nothing as important to Aunt Annabeth as family, and she’ll respect that you want to protect yours.”

I turned my attention fully to Reardon, taking in his well-styled blond hair and strong face.

“How come you’re not in a relationship, Reardon? A tall, strong Viking like yourself, you must be beating off the ladies.”

Reardon let out a sharp laugh and asked, “Viking?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought when I first met you. I thought you looked like a Viking and Gabe looked like Superman. It was like winning the hot guy lottery.”

He fully laughed at that, and when Annabeth set down my wine, I said “Thanks,” then took a sip.

“I’m no Viking. Vikings are

ruthless, dangerous criminals. I’m just a nice guy lawyer living in a small town. I’ve had girlfriends, but ultimately, either they don’t want to settle in Cherry Springs and live the small-town life, they run when they find out I’m a lawyer, or I get the ‘you’re a nice guy, but…’ talk.”

“Really? I can’t believe that. A hot lawyer who’s a nice guy? You don’t find those everywhere. You just haven’t met the right girl yet.”

“Maybe I need to get a motorcycle?” he said thoughtfully, causing me to laugh.

“Did you just say my cousin’s a hot lawyer?” Gabe asked, his arms coming around me.

“Yeah, bro, looks like she finally realized she picked the wrong guy,” Reardon said jokingly.

“In your dreams,” Gabe responded, then reached over me to pick up his beer.

“You’re not lying,” Reardon responded softly.

“She’s out there,” I said confidently. “You just haven’t met her yet.”

“I thought I had,” he replied, looking off into the distance, caught in a memory. “Turned out I was wrong.”

Chapter Forty-One ~ Gabe

I thought having Zoey in my town, meeting my parents and seeing where I grew up, was going to be the pinnacle of this visit home for me. I was wrong. It was having Zoey in my house.

After having a drink at the bar, we’d left Reardon there to nurse his beer, then went back to my parents to pick up Chloe and Chris and bring them back to my house, where we’d be staying for the rest of the trip.

Chris had gone up to his room to break in the new Xbox One and face time his friends, and Chloe had disappeared into the guest room to lay down, the excitement of the day so far obviously weighing on her.

That left me and Zoey to fend for ourselves, which I had to admit, didn’t bother me in the slightest.

I was showing her around my four-bedroom, ranch-style home on five acres. It was a lot of house for one man, but when I’d found it for sale I’d snatched it up and had it renovated. My family used it for parties and such, and I loved knowing it was there and ready for me to start a family.

Now, having them all here with me, I knew what that looked like, and I really liked it.

“This is gorgeous,” Zoey was saying as she looked out into the expanse of my yard. “Is that a barn out there?”