California Dreaming by Shawn Lane

Author:Shawn Lane [Lane, Shawn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2018-11-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Raine’s guests didn’t really start arriving until an hour after the shower I’d shared with Zach. We’d both dressed leisurely when we got out, sharing a few heated kisses here and there.

I tried not to analyze them and make them into more than they probably were. But both my nature and job as a lawyer made my forced indifference difficult.

“Do we have to dress up for this?” Zach asked from the closet. He still wore only his boxer briefs and a sleeveless T-shirt. “You know, like a suit?”

“No. Nice slacks and a shirt should be okay. Kind of like business casual.”

Zach nodded and pulled out a turquoise dress shirt that I happened to know went fantastic with his dark hair and eyes. He paired it with oyster-gray slacks.

For my part I went with brown pants and an ivory dress shirt, opened at the throat a bit, since without a tie I hated shirts buttoned to the collar.

Zach leaned against the wall next to the bathroom after he finished dressing. “Are we expecting drama?”

“Maybe.” I buttoned the cuffs of my shirt. “Raine told me something today at breakfast.”

“Oh?” He arched a brow.

“Not sure I’m supposed to tell anyone.”

“So you’re going to drop that right there and not tell me what it is?” Zach mock pouted. “We tell each other everything.”

Which was true. I sighed. “Things weren’t perfect. In fact, Raine had an affair with a neighbor.”

“Oh. Interesting. I would assume the neighbor isn’t coming.”

“Gah. I hope not. Lord, sometimes the shit you think.”

Zach shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s just the first thought I had. And Joe? He didn’t take it well?”

“Would you?”

Zach had a strange glint in his eyes I couldn’t quite figure out. “This isn’t about me. Did Joe?”

“Sure didn’t. Wanted a divorce. Raine said she talked him out of it. So, really? I don’t know what to expect tonight. Some of Joe’s family is coming. People I haven’t seen in years. And I have no idea if Joe told them about Raine or not.”

Zach straightened from his perch and came to where I was fussing in front of the mirror. He slipped his hands under my collar and pulled me in for a kiss. I closed my eyes as his mouth covered mine, soft and demanding. All too soon he pulled back, though not far. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”

I found myself flushing at the compliment. There’d been many times over the years Zach had commented on my appearance in a positive way, but those times it hadn’t come from the guy I was involved with. Sort of. He kissed me briefly again and this time stepped away. “Ready? Let’s go downstairs.”

I nodded and followed him out of the bedroom.

* * * *

The first person I ran into was Joe’s sister, Jodie. She was standing not far from the foot of the stairs, arms wrapped around herself, wearing a black sheath dress. Her gaze lit on me with such precision and speed, I wondered if she had been waiting for me.

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