Chapter 5 Dean
FIVE
DEAN
Ihum a Christmas song under my breath and plate up a stack of pancakes for each of us, scrounging through Anna’s fridge in search of fresh berries and whipped cream on the side.
There’s no music to dance to, none except for the tunes I hear in my head, but I bop and prepare our breakfast, swinging my hips and, every now and then, I catch Anna’s delicious dark eyes locked onto my body.
She can’t help herself.
And the fact she can’t is hella entertaining.
“What’s all that?” I use my bad arm, even though I’m not supposed to, and arrange blueberries in the shape of a smiley face on top of Anna’s pancake stack.
Tipping my chin toward the file box she unpacks on the counter, I spy words.
Names. Big, important people with big, important crimes they’d like not to be sent to prison for.
Probably. “What kind of law do you practice, anyway?”
“My office handles myriad cases.” She pulls out a stool, dragging the metal legs along her tile floor. Plopping her ass on top, she nibbles on her pinky nail and scours her paperwork.
Nice non-answer, Counselor. They teach you how to do that at band camp?
“You had no belongings with you last night. No backpack. No spare clothes.” She hits me with a bored stare. “You claim you’re traveling for a work thing, but you have no luggage?”
Chuckling, I shake the can of cream and give her pancake man a thick mane of hair. “I rarely carry luggage when I’m jogging, Your Honor. No further questions.” Setting the can down, I slide her plate across the counter and grin. “Eat.”
“Where were you headed?” She ignores her breakfast and goes back to scouring paperwork. “What town is this supposed tournament taking place?”
“Can’t tell you that.” I drizzle syrup onto my pancakes, then squeeze a line of cream on top of that.
I don’t bother with the fruit or presentation.
Instead, I roll the topmost pancake into a tube and take a hefty bite.
“Tournament folks had us sign forms prohibiting us from divulging such information.” I cock my hip against the counter and swipe cream from the corner of my lips.
“As a lawyer, I’m certain you respect the importance of an ironclad NDA. ”
Narrowing her eyes, she brings her fiery stare back across and burns me where I stand. “You wanna stay in my home? I demand to know where you were going.”
“Objection.” I take another bite and flash a messy, food-filled smile. “Sustained. All the words. Do I make them as sexy as you do, Counselor?”
“Listen, Dean—”
Tires crackle across gravel and come to a stop outside her home, then an engine cuts out and a car door creaks open. Closed.
Anxious, Anna’s eyes swing toward the front of her house. Then back to me.
I dart through her kitchen and stride into the living room, the sound of a crashing stool echoing around to tap my back.
“Dean!” She chases me on frantic feet, skids past me on the smooth wood floors, then crashes against the door, plastering her back to the solid wood. “Stop,” she pants, her chest lifting and falling after her twenty-foot sprint. “Don’t you dare.”
“But, Sissy! You have a guest.” I hip-bump her aside and wrench the door open, revealing Detective Dipstick on the other side.
He’s too smiley. Too happy. Too fucking comfortable.
Until his eyes meet mine, that is. Then his happiness falters and his hand lowers to his hip.
It’s a reflex, after all.
“Detective James.” I palm Anna’s face and push her back so she can’t greet the prick before I get a chance. “Damn, dude. You watch every neighborhood this closely, or is my baby sister just lucky like that?”
“Uh…” His eyes sink to my exposed chest. My stomach. My low-hung jeans. “I was here to talk to Anna, actually.” Displeased with what he sees, his brows pinch into a mean scowl. “I have a little sister, too, ya know?”
“Yeah?” I brace my hand on the doorframe and lift my foot, gently pressing it to Anna’s belly to hold her back. From Detective Dum Dum’s point of view, I probably just appear… wiggly. “Are you offering, or…?”
His knuckles glow white, his digits wrapped around his gun like he’s gonna start popping a motherfucker.
I guess he’s not offering.
“Just thinking about how I don’t hang around her living room without a shirt.” Drawing a deep breath, he works through the departmentally assigned shrink’s advice of calming the fuck down before his roid rage gets him in trouble. “You and Anna are pretty close, huh?”
“Not as close as I’d like to be.” I drop my foot and catch her against my side, wrapping my good arm around her shoulders and pressing a noisy, obnoxious kiss against the top of her angry red head.
“Sissy.” I set my fingers under her jaw and tilt until I’m treated to an unobstructed view of her fiery eyes.
“Your friend has come back to visit. Isn’t that nice? ”
Her breath races. Her heart thrums. Her entire body works hard after our one-sided sparring session. But like Detective Dipstick, she fills her lungs and claws her psyche back from the ledge of rage. Finally, she brings her focus across to Carter and forces a fake smile. “Hi. You’re back?”
“Yeah… I was hoping to talk to you.” Nervous, he drops his gaze and toes the old wooden porch. He’s a pussy. “Alone.”
“My sister and I are basically best friends, Detective.” I give her an extra squeeze, just tight enough to piss her off. “We tell each other everything. So, feel free to say whatever you’ve gotta say.”
“O-okay.” He gulps.
Lawd, I kinda wanna bring him along to my tournament and toss him in the cage for funsies. It would be a bloodbath of the best kind, and wildly entertaining.
For me, anyway.
Scratching the back of his neck, fidgety and awkward, the poor fuck’s face turns beet-red.
“What is it, Carter?” Anna slips out from under my arm and manages a whole step forward before I grab her shoulder and pull her back against my chest.
Why?
I dunno.
She’s pretty, Carter wants her, and she has no interest in returning his affections. That’s all I need to know.
“Is something wrong?” She rasps. “Has something happened?”
“No.” Dropping his hand, he searches her eyes as rosy splotches bloom on his cheeks. “I have this charity dinner thing coming up for work. It’s a fundraiser for youth sports in the inner city, and I was wondering… I… uh…”
Come on, little buddy. Commit. You can do it.
“Well… d-did you wanna go?” he stammers. “It’s a formal event, so I’d be wearing a suit, and you would wear a gown. It’s a fun night out, and I know you don’t really make a lot of plans the week leading into Christmas, so—”
“I’m sorry.” Anna cruelly shakes her head. “I can’t—”
“We would love to go!” I wrap my hand around her hip and drag her firmly against my chest. “Anna was just saying how she wished she had an opportunity to practice pretty hair and makeup before the wedding, and I’m all about youth sports.
It’s literally my job.” I ignore Anna’s burning glare and smile for the prick whose blush transforms into something a little more ghostly.
“I know you technically only invited her, but since I’m her brother, and I’m only in town for a short while, I bet you could get a ticket for me too, right? ”
“Uh…” Mayday! Mayday! “Well… It might be a bit tricky, since this event is so soon.”
“Dang. That really sucks.” Clicking my tongue, I scoot around to Anna’s left and drape my arm over her shoulder.
“I guess that means we’re both out, huh, sis?
We get so little time together, and there’s no way you’d wanna spend most of a day wrapped up in this other stuff with Detective James while I’m at home all al—”
“I can ask my buddy,” Detective Desperate cuts in. “He has two tickets, but he and his girl broke up a few weeks ago. Technically, I guess that means we have a spare.”
“Perfect! I can’t wait.” Squeezing Anna extra tight, I drag her back a step and break Detective Decompose’s heart. “We should head inside now. Gotta find her a dress. And I’ll need a suit. Do you think I should get a haircut, Sissy?”