Joke’s on You by Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,79

I use it to dry them off after baths. Sometimes they chew on it when they’re done,” she teased.

I nodded, tucking the towel under my arm.

“I need to go. Thank you again,” I said.

“You know, you could just ride with me,” she said. “It makes sense since we’re going to the same place.”

She was technically correct.

But I just couldn’t stay in the same car with her, smelling her unique scent in a confined space. Even if the drive over was only ten minutes.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But if I get a SWAT call, I’ll need to be able to leave.”

She pursed her lips. “You could just take my car. But I heard you talking with Booth earlier. He said that y’all were just on call to be on call, correct?”

Yes, technically, she was correct.

Our SWAT team was split into two teams. Unless something big that a team of six couldn’t handle and required all twelve of us, we normally switched nights being on call. Today was my night to be on call to being on call.

“Then drive with me. That way you won’t get your tux wet,” she offered.

I wish I could’ve found a better excuse, but I’d fucking used the best one that I had.

“Okay,” I said. “Fine.”

She rolled her eyes, and I wanted to kiss her smart mouth.

“Don’t make me pull your leg or anything. If you want to ride and get wet, fine, do it. I’m just thinking of all those wedding pictures you’ll be in with your dirty pants,” she said.

She was right.

Dammit.

I gestured toward the door. “Are you ready?”

She hustled into the living room, bent over the back of the couch, and I damn near had a heart attack.

She had on black underwear.

Lacy black underwear.

And goddamn garters.

Son of a bitch.

Goddamn garters.

What did I do to deserve this?

I swear to God.

I just couldn’t deal.

I couldn’t.

I was on the verge of saying that I was taking my motorcycle when she said, “Can you drive? I don’t want to take my heels off. And I’m not quite sure I can do a six-speed in these.”

I gritted my teeth and held my hand out for her keys.

She tossed them my way instead of handing them to me, and I licked my dry lips before saying, “Yeah.”

We walked out of the house seconds later, me stopping to make sure the front door was locked securely before heading to her Jeep.

Delanie drove a newish Jeep Wrangler four-door. It was bright red and always struck me as flashy as fuck.

I’d never drive something so bright or eye-catching.

Mostly because I drove fast, and when I drove fast, I didn’t want the color of my car to bring a cop’s attention to me.

Which was funny, seeing as I was a cop.

“Hey, Mr. July!”

I looked up to find Delanie’s neighbor, my little fucking sister Priscilla, waving at me.

I flipped her off.

Priscilla laughed and went back into her house.

“She only does it because it drives you insane,” she teased.

“I know,” I rumbled as I walked to her door and held it open for her.

She used the running board to get inside, and I once again had a flash of lacy garters.

My dick went hard, and I mentally berated myself for looking.

My brother’s baby mama.

My brother’s baby mama.

“Thanks,” she said as I backed away and closed the door.

Rounding the Jeep’s front bumper, I got in seconds later and started it up.

My sister’s front blinds went open again, and I made sure to flip her off again for good measure.

“You’re just as bad as she is,” she said.

I chuckled as I put the Jeep into gear and started to let off the clutch.

“My sister is annoying and too young to be living on her own,” I said. “She’s only eighteen, and she should still be at home. Not living in the country in her ex-boyfriend’s grandmother’s house.”

There was a long moment of silence.

“I never did hear how that happened,” she admitted. “I used to see the two of them over at the grandmother’s house before she died. I’m not sure how it went bad, though.”

“Priscilla and Gadron dated for a year, I think. They broke up, but Gadron’s grandmother, Beverly, really liked her. And since the grandson got himself hooked on drugs, Beverly had no one to leave her stuff to. So she left it all to Priscilla. I swear to God, at dinner last week when she said that she was moving out, I thought that my mother and father were going to lose their shit,” I admitted as I shifted into second, followed closely by third.

“Booth hasn’t said much,” she admitted.

“Booth thinks it’s a great idea. He was gone at nineteen. Priscilla is very mature, and he likes the idea of someone being close to you and Asa, so of course he’s going to be happy that this happened,” I admitted.

She made an understanding sound in the back of her throat.

“That makes sense,” she said. “Asa loves having Priscilla there, too. In between you showing up out of the blue, him getting to spend more time with Booth since I’m traveling so much, and Dillan? He’s a really lucky kid.”

That wasn’t luck.

At least, not in my opinion.

It was what a family should be like. Asa should have caring aunts and uncles that loved him. He should have a mom and dad that he meant the world to.

Dillan and Delanie were the unlucky ones.

Their dad was a piece of shit.

A real piece of work that never ceased to piss me off each time that I had the chance to see him.

I dodged a downed tree in the road, and Delanie craned her neck to look over her shoulder at the large branch that was overhanging the road.

“Do you think they know that’s there?” she asked curiously.

Just as I was about to say ‘I have no idea’ a cop came around the corner, going slow.

“They know,” I said. “He’s probably heading there now to mark it so drivers know to slow down.”

The branch was too big to move.

It’d be staying there until the highway crews could come out and remove it.

The rest of the five-minute drive took us no time, and when I pulled into the parking lot, I was surprised to see it completely full. We were likely one of the lasts guests to arrive.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said. “I really don’t like driving in the rain.”

I knew she didn’t. Any time that there was rain, either Booth or I went to pick Asa up from her if it was Booth’s weekend.

Neither one of us minded.

If she was uncomfortable, we weren’t going to be upset for wanting to keep her child safe.

“I know it does,” I rumbled softly. “You need help out?”

In answer, she slid out of the seat, and I once again got an up-close and personal view of her backside.

Was she doing this to me on purpose?

I really thought she might be.

And if she wasn’t, then goddamn, I would hate to see what it was like when she was trying.