Chapter Nine
Monday, July 4, 2022
Logan sat back in his chair andstared out at the swimming pool.
His brother was throwing his annual Fourth of July party, complete with barbecue, beer, and swimming. At the moment, kids and adults alike were splashing around, laughing, and having a good time.
Sierra and Sam were in the pool, floating on rafts, while the kids took turns doing cannonballs to see who could splash them more. Logan loved hearing his wife’s laugh as she played along with them. His gaze shifted to Elijah, who was perched on the deck rail, deep in conversation with Xander and Alex about the pros and cons of electric-powered vehicles. Logan found his gaze straying that way every so often to see the animated expression on Elijah’s face as the man fought to win them over to his side. He figured by the end of the day, someone would be ordering a Tesla.
“The water’s not toxic, you know,” Luke said, joining him as he passed over another beer. “You can get in.”
He accepted the handoff with a sincere “Thanks,” then glanced over at his brother. “It’s more enjoyable this way. I don’t seeyourass in the pool.”
Luke lifted a spatula. “Cookin’.”
Logan laughed. “I thought Cole was cooking?”
“He who wields the spatula does the cooking,” Luke said mockingly.
“Uh-huh. And how hard did you have to fight to get that away from him?”
“Cole doesn’t fight me.” Luke’s grin was wicked. “He knows better.”
Logan rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to touch that.
“So, how’s work?” Luke inquired.
“It’s work. You?”
“Same.”
“Do you two ever have conversations that involve lengthy sentences? Or is it mostly the one- or two-word non-starters?”
Logan looked back when he heard the familiar voice to see Dylan Thomas and his wife, Sara, joining them.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Logan said, getting to his feet and pulling Dylan in for a back-slapping hug. “How the hell are you, man?”
“We’re good.” Dylan offered a beaming smile as he drew Sara closer to his side, his free hand coming down to rest on the baby bump protruding from her stomach. “Damn good.”
“It’s about time someone else popped out a kid around here,” Luke grumbled, offering Dylan and Sara both a hug. “We need some little critters around. These”—he motioned toward the kids in the pool—“are all grown up. Gettin’ ready to head off to college.”
Laughter erupted, but Logan knew his brother was only partially teasing. Luke’s kids were getting older, but they were far from college age. Not that anyone could tell Luke that. He wanted his kids to stay little forever.
“How’s the club?” Logan inquired.
“Goin’ strong,” Dylan confirmed. “I hear Trent’s thinkin’ about opening another one. Miami, maybe?”
Trent Ramsey, the world-famous Oscar-winning actor, was also a fetish club owner. Not only was he a silent partner in Devotion, Luke’s infamous fetish club, he’d also created Dichotomy, one of the most profitable and well-known BDSM clubs in the country. Knowing Trent, before it was all said and done, he would have a location in every major city in the US. Now that he thought about it, that was likely Trent’s goal. The man did not like to be outdone.
“We’re glad you made it.” Luke looked down at Sara. “I know my wife’s eager to shower you with love and hand-me-downs.”
“I won’t say no to either,” she said sweetly, glancing past them.
“Go on, then,” Dylan urged his wife. “Go dip your feet in the pool. I’ll bring you a drink in just a minute.”
“Lemonade?”
“I made some fresh this morning,” Luke said, deadpan.
