Force of Temptation (The Mercury Pack 2)

Nick gave them both an exasperated look and tugged on one of his daughter’s curls. “Enough, you two. Apologize to Jesse.”

The pups both turned to him, eyes still gleaming, and said in unison, “Sorry, Jesse.”

He snorted. “No, you’re not.”

They giggled and, predictably, resumed their food fight.

Harley looked up as Kim and an unfamiliar brunette entered. A hush fell, as if everyone was waiting to see how this would play out.

Thin and gaunt, the brunette stared down at Harley, an ugly twist to her mouth. “So Kim was right. And here I was thinking that Jesse would never betray his sister’s memory that way.”

Harley turned to Jesse. “Who’s that?”

The woman’s eyes flared. “Who’s that?”

“Bracken’s mom,” said Jesse, stifling a smile. But he could see that Harley didn’t remember her any more than she remembered Kim. Of course, he’d known Bracken’s mother would have a few things to say about Harley’s presence. The woman wasn’t cruel or blinkered, but she was very opinionated. If she had something to say on a matter, you were going to hear about it. It meant she could come across as harsh at times and tended to rub most people the wrong way.

“This is my mom, Nat, and my sister Kim,” Bracken told Harley as they took their seats. “I take it I don’t need to introduce Harley.”

Nat opened her mouth, no doubt ready to spout off something offensive, and Ally quickly suggested, “Maybe someone should take the pups to the play area now that they’re done with breakfast.” Both pups had sensed the tension and were staring at Nat, wide-eyed.

Nick rose to his feet. “Eli and I will.” Switching from wary to excited in a heartbeat, the pups scrambled out of the room with the males close behind them.

Jesse arched a brow at Nat when she started to speak. “No. I’m not interested in hearing bullshit, and I won’t tolerate you insulting my mate.”

Eyes bulging, Kim glared at Jesse. “You’ve claimed her?”

Looking a little off balance, Nat stroked a hand over her perfectly coifed hair. “Jesse . . . I’m without words.”

“Well, that’s a first,” muttered Bracken, earning himself a scowl from his mother.

“I just don’t understand,” said Kim, shaking her head.

Harley picked up her mug. “We don’t require you to.” Kim shot her a glare.

“You’ve all made your point,” clipped Jesse. “Back off.”

“Now that the pups are gone, we can all discuss the plans for Cassidy’s surprise party,” said Shaya, trying to defuse the tension. “What do we have left to do?”

“I saved my to-do list on my phone,” said Ally, whipping out her cell and swiping her thumb across the screen. “Right, here we go. Balloons . . . check. Costumes . . . check. Cake . . . I have all the ingredients. Themed decorations . . . well, we have most of them. The fake vines and camouflage fabric still aren’t here. Why aren’t they here?”

“They’re due to be delivered sometime tomorrow,” said Shaya.

“Vines?” echoed Harley. “What’s the theme?”

“Safari,” replied Shaya. “Cassidy is determined that she will one day go on a safari in Africa. Maybe it’s something to do with the Disney Madagascar movie; I don’t know. We’re planning to decorate the play area so it looks like a jungle. We made little pretend passports; the kids will have to hand them over before they can enter the jungle.”

Harley raised her brows. “That sounds seriously cool. When is the party?”

“Saturday,” replied Jesse, tracing the shell of her ear. “We need—” He cut off at the sound of a cell chiming. “I think that’s yours, baby.”

Digging it out of her pocket, Harley sighed at the name flashing on the screen. Lily only ever contacted Harley when she wanted money—money she could use to buy booze or drugs. Of course, Harley had no intention of funding her habits or any desire to listen to the “I’m sober and planning to turn my life around, I just need money for groceries” speech.

She could ignore the call, but that would be the mature thing to do. Harley found “mature” a little boring. Harley answered in a robotic voice, “The person you are calling is currently unavailable. To speak to someone who has time for your drama, press one. To be beamed up to the mother ship, press two. To talk more about your codependent issues, have someone press three for you. Alternatively—”

“Oh, Harley!” whined Lily. Then the line went dead, and Harley smiled. Returning her cell to her pocket, she became aware that everyone was staring at her.

“Who was that?” asked Kent.

“Someone who makes it difficult for others to like her.” Harley frowned when Kathy snatched her empty plate with a loud huff. “I see you’re another one of those people.”

Kathy narrowed her eyes. “I’m difficult to like? That’s rich, coming from a Vincent.”

Nat placed her palms flat on the table. “It was wrong of you to accept Jesse’s claim. You and I know that you won’t be happy here. Your maternal family is wealthy. You’re used to china plates, crystal glasses, and expensive champagnes. You won’t find any of that here.”

“Mom,” drawled Bracken. “It’s not your business.”

Ignoring that, Nat appealed to Jesse with a look. “You have to know deep down that she’s not a good choice for a mate. Maybe that’s why you want her—some males are drawn to forbidden fruit, and she’s definitely an apple to stay clear of.”