It was a miracle he’d never been arrested. They’d never let someone with a criminal record join the Marine Raiders, and making the Marine’s special forces division was the best thing that ever happened to Jay. Until he met his fiancée, Cate.
Now that Jay and Cate were engaged, being single was just another way I differed from my brothers.
Chapter 2
Matt
Iwalked into Sheppard & Sons Investigations with my head held high and my hands full.
I carried a box with nine individual coffees from Grannie’s. Ordering a box and letting people pour their own wasn’t acceptable for the ‘new guy gets the coffee’ hazing ritual at SSI. A bag with a dozen pastries hung from my arm.
John’s early morning email said to report to the conference room at nine. Jack, who was taking a couple of hours out of his paternity leave to attend, would be here.
“Morning, Eva.” I greeted the receptionist filling in during Meg’s maternity leave. “Iced mocha with extra whip, right?”
Eva Winchester wasn’t a Sheppard, but she was a relative.The youngest daughter of Mary’s oldest brother, if memory serves.
She smiled. “Thanks.” Eva unwrapped the straw and scooped up a blob of whipped cream before inserting the straw. “The J-Squad is upstairs.”
She’d taken to referring to her Uncle John and cousins as the J-Squad to save herself time when talking about the four Sheppards. I’d expected John and Jamie to shut it down, but they embraced Eva’s artistic quirkiness and ran with it.
Jay loved the nickname, so did Meg, who said she’d keep using it after her leave ended.
“Am I the last in?” I handed her the bag of pastries and nodded that she should take what she wanted.
“No, AJ and Nathan haven’t arrived yet.” She grabbed a cinnamon bun covered in sugary frosting.
Good. I didn’t want to be the last to arrive on our first day back. Especially since I had a target on my back.
Because I had a one-night stand with Madi.
She wasn’t the first. I didn’t do relationships. I wore my playboy reputation like armor, protecting my heart from the inevitable loss that came with loving someone. I’d made it my life’s mission to play the field.
Imagine my surprise when I learned that Lynn, the gorgeous woman I slept with in Spain, was none other than Madi Sheppard.
Shane’s voice echoed in my head.Be careful. When they hired you, you didn’t know about Madi, but you do now, so tread carefully.
I intended to do just that.
“Thanks.”
“Thank you,” she said around a mouthful.
I climbed the stairs to the second-floor conference room two at a time.
Madi and I did nothing wrong, no matter how much her father or brothers disapproved. We were sober, consenting adults who’d used protection and set a safe word.
The memory of Madi’s wrists wrapped in her red scarf sent all my blood south. Before reaching the glass windows of the upstairs conference room, I paused and pictured her father’s face.
Erection deflation tactics at their finest.
“Morning,” I greeted everyone as soon as I pushed the door open with my hip. “Coffee and pastries.”
“Thanks,” John said. “I’m ready for a refill.”
Almost everyone at SSI drank their coffee black, so Mary and Beth had only marked the unique cups. Jay and Cate’s both had a splash of cream. Usually we’d doctor them here, but I thought it’d be a point in my favor to have them ready to drink.
I handed the bag to John, gave Jay and Cate their drinks and sat next to Doug, intentionally avoiding the open seat next to Jack.
