Page 7 of Not Part of the Plan
For whatever reason, Emma was insistent on putting him in his place, and that place was as far away from her as possible. He couldn’t wait to find out why.
He felt the weight of a gaze on him and found Summer eyeing him expectantly as if she’d already asked him a question.
“What?”
She shrugged delicately, her shoulders moving beneath the silk of her blouse, and smiled. “Just wondering when you’re going to come clean about what you’re doing here.”
“I’m visiting my overly suspicious friend and her family.”
“Are you on the lam?” she asked conspiratorially over her wineglass. “Did you murder a model?”
“No,” he said dryly.
“Get caught in bed with a married woman?”
He felt the energy of the space change and looked up to spot Emma standing within earshot. She held a plate of wings, and the chilly smile on her lips told him Summer was confirming what Emma had already believed about him.
And for the second time that day, he felt everything else lose a few shades of vibrancy as his attention focused solely on her. She leaned over him to slide the wings onto the table, and he caught the hints of citrus and vanilla on her skin. She’d pinned her wild curls back in a low twist, showing off a delicate bone structure and the sensual line of her neck. Her skin was a lovely ivory, and he couldn’t tell if the flush on those high cheekbones was skillfully applied makeup or a natural glow.
She was enchanting, like some sort of magical fairy, yet she moved with the determined energy of a general marching into battle.
He brought himself back to the conversation that was currently giving Emma the wrong idea about him.
“The only married woman who’s been in my bed is you when you passed out in it this afternoon,” he reminded Summer loud enough that Emma would hear.
“Slept for two whole hours,” she announced proudly. “I feel like a new woman. Also, remind me to get you a new pillow since I drooled all over yours.”
She leaned over to pick up the pea-encrusted spoon Jonathan had flung to the floor. The baby’s toothy smile meant he’d be pitching the spoon overboard again next chance he got.
Summer dumped a fistful of organic puffy treats on the table in front of Jonathan and expertly tossed the container to Carter who repeated the move for Meadow.
“Seriously, though,” she began again. “You look sad. And while that lonesome, Russian cowboy thing will probably get you a million dates, I get the feeling it’s not just an act geared toward luring in the ladies.”
Niko glanced up at Emma who made solid, smug eye contact with him before leaning down to put Evan and Aurora in headlocks.
“How are my favorite niece and nephew?” she asked as they both tried to wriggle free.
“Aren’t you supposed to be so absorbed in motherhood you forget all about your big city friends?” Niko asked, changing the subject.
“No one could forget about you, Niko.” Summer fluttered her eyelashes at him. He watched as Emma blew her father a kiss and headed back downstairs without another glance in his direction.
“If that’s how you flirt, you’re lucky you locked down Carter. You’d scare the guys off with that eye action,” Niko teased.
“She doing her creepy eye flutter?” Carter asked, leaning in to snag a fried green bean from his wife’s plate and dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“It’s not creepy,” Summer insisted. “It’s highly effective.” Summer hooked her fingers into the opening of her husband’s Henley and pulled him down for a kiss.
Carter grinned down at her and winked before shifting his attention to Joey. “You hire any more help yet, Joey?”
The brunette’s spine stiffened to the snapping point. Joey’s hair, which was pulled back in a serviceable ponytail, quivered with rage.
“Oh, so now you’re siccing your brother on me?” she demanded, jutting her chin out at Jax.
Jax raised his hands defensively. “Hang on to your bitch fest, Brunhilda.”
The table “oohed.”
“I didn’t sic anyone on you. But maybe you should take the opinions of your partners into consideration instead of going into your vacuum of stubbornness.”
