Page 104 of Perfect Vengeance

“What are you grinning at?” Kinsey asked, her gaze following Gina’s. “Oh. I see.” She hip-bumped Elaina and laughed. “I must say, Mrs. G, you’ve sired the most handsome brood of men I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you, dear.” Elaina patted Kinsey’s shoulder. “I think so too. And please, call me Elaina.”

“Sadly,” Kinsey continued, shaking her head, “I don’t think any of them are available. Jack is most definitely taken. Deke is never without a woman”—as if on cue, the little blonde he’d been dating for three weeks latched onto his arm like an octopus, as if she knew her time with him was fleeting—“and from the looks of things never will be. And Kyle just doesn’t seem interested.”

“It’s not you, Kins. Trust me.” Gina patted her friend’s arm.

To say Kyle was a man of few words who didn’t open up to anyone was an understatement. Yet there was a lot going on behind those intriguing golden eyes. Only last month, Jack had fed her a few more tidbits about his brother’s past. The man was grieving. Anyone would after going through something like he had. But it wasn’t her story to tell.

Laughter from the kids playing Frisbee mingled with the party music Jack had set up to play from a speaker perched on one of the tables.

As if he could feel her eyes on him, Jack turned his head, pinning Gina from across the yard. A slow smile, followed by a sexy wink, sent her mind wandering back to that morning. Carnal images involving his naked beautiful body and, what he could with said body, danced in her thoughts. But, she admitted, winking back, there were so many other things she adored about him.

That unbelievably sexy smile. The easy way he made her laugh. All the snarky banter that had set her on edge during their first meetings was now one of many things she looked forward to. Most of all, she loved that he loved her and showed her just how much every day. It could be something small, like when he and his brothers had been watching a heated football game on TV, and he would send her a look that told her everything she needed to know: she was special to him.

How she could have fallen so far and so completely for the last man on earth she should have, and one with a chocolate allergy, no less, she’d never know. But if someone told her she had to give up chocolate or kissing Jack, she would give up chocolate. Because he loved her, he would never make her do that. Common sense, however, dictated he was never without an EpiPen in his pocket. Just in case.

A sigh escaped her lips, one full of more contentment than she’d thought possible. “You’re right about Jack, Kins.” She let her gaze linger on his handsome face, then lower down the blue T-shirt to his khaki shorts and muscular legs. “He’s definitely taken.” And he’s all mine. Today. Tomorrow. And, she hoped, every day after that. Only time would tell.

“Hmm.” Elaina tapped a finger on her chin and narrowed her eyes on Kinsey. “You should meet my youngest.” She grabbed her phone from the table and began scrolling through the images, searching, Gina knew, for the photo of Lance he’d texted her only last week. A photo with the geocoding turned off, of course. None of them—not even Jack—had any clue what agency he worked for or where he was at any given moment. “The next time he’s in town, I’ll have you over for dinner.”

When Elaina handed over her phone, Kinsey’s eyes went as wide as the golf ball-size truffles Gina occasionally treated herself to from the Godiva shop in Rockefeller Center.

“Oh. My.” Kinsey put a hand to her chest. “Feel my heart aflutter. Unfortunately, it looks as if I’ll be leaving for Kenya soon.”

“Really?” Gina couldn’t keep the worry from her tone. Kinsey’s family dynamics were strained at best, and the last time she’d gone home to Kenya she’d been gone nearly a year. “You didn’t say anything about that.”

“I just found out last night.” Kinsey’s expression darkened, something it rarely did. “My father is sick, and my mother doesn’t know if she can run the cacao plantation alone.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She gave Kinsey’s shoulder a squeeze, as did Margo and Annabelle.

“That’s a shame, dear,” Elaina said. “I sincerely hope he’ll be okay.”

“Thank you.” Kinsey’s eyes glittered with unshed tears. “Me too.”

Gina’s heart filled with so much love for her friend—and heaviness too. Losing a parent was never easy. At any age. “We’re here for you. All of us.”

Truer words were never spoken. The bond they shared was as strong as any blood bond.

“Excuse me. I need to freshen my drink.” Gina headed for the pitcher of margaritas, blinking back the tears.

Life had thrown her a curveball yet again. Thankfully, this time, the ball had curved in the right direction. She’d lost one family but had eventually found a new one. Never again would she be alone. Despite the losses she’d suffered as a teenager, she now considered herself the luckiest woman on the planet.

Jack’s deep voice drifted over the music, drawing her attention back to where he and his brothers were still in heated discussion with their boss. Even at this distance, he could make her heart flutter and her pulse race. There was no other man in the world for her.

Before topping off her drink, she tilted her head back and looked up at the sky. Two lone fluffy clouds drifted overhead in a slow-motion dance, and the truth of the moment inserted itself with brilliant clarity.

“Mom, Dad,” she whispered, this time letting the tears fall. “I’m going to be okay.” For the first time since losing her parents, she actually believed it.

* * *

Jack kept one ear on what his boss was saying about the Bratva—the Russian mafia—and one eye on the sweet curves of Gina’s backside as she looked up at the sky. The red shorts and matching halter top she wore were sexier than if she’d been strutting around the yard buck naked.

Blood shot directly to his groin. No matter how many times they made love, he’d never tire of it. Maybe when they got home they should dig out Gina’s skintight catsuit from the closet and play a little game of cops and robbers. With handcuffs.

“Jack, you getting this?” Deke elbowed him in the ribs.

“Um, yeah.” He cleared his throat, doing his best to pay attention to what his SAC was saying.