"I'm taking him fishing, and I want to bring Harley." He shifted his gaze toward Graham and clenched his fists.
"Absolutely not," Graham said.
"You don't have a say in my son's life." Cullen glared.
"I'm sorry, but no." Tamara folded her arms. "We've talked about this, and my answer is the same."
"Harley's done nothing wrong." Cullen wiggled his fingers.
Juniper had seen that before. She'd done it herself, when she was trying to behave.
"It's not fair that you get to parade anyone you want and I have to grovel at your feet to even have a co-worker be around my child."
"That's not true," Tamara said.
"I don't want Tyler around this guy. But what I want doesn't seem to matter."
Graham put a hand at the small of Tamara's back. "You say Harley did nothing wrong, but we both know that's not true. Same goes for you. As for me, well, I actually didn't do anything. Hence the difference."
"I wasn't talking to you," Cullen said. "What he said was rude, unfair, and all I want is for my friend to come fishing with me and my boy."
Graham pulled Tamara closer, squeezing her hip. "It's been settled."
Juniper didn't like that.
She liked even less how tight both of Cullen's fists were.
Sterling stepped in, calm, a hand light on his friend's shoulder. "Let it go for now. You can discuss it tomorrow."
"I'll make it simple," Graham said. "Harley doesn't come near that boy. And honestly, mate? Neither should the drama." He tipped his head, almost apologetic. "If you can't keep things calm, you're going to make this real hard on yourself. That's not a threat. That's just where it's headed."
Cullen took a step. Just one. Sterling's hand tightened on his shoulder, and he didn't take a second.
"Tell your boss," Royce said, "if he wants the contract, that man goes." He pointed at Cullen the way you'd point at a horsethat needed putting down. "Otherwise, I've got other options." He pushed opened the door and waited for his son and Tamara to shuffle out. "Good night." Then the door swung behind them.
"Motherfucking asshole." Cullen turned, kicked a chair, and marched off across the room.
Harley was one step behind him.
"Better a piece of furniture than one of them," Juniper mumbled.
"Agreed." Sterling inched closer, taking her into his arms. "But that's a volcano waiting to erupt, and I'm not always going to be around to stop it."
She patted his chest. "I think Cullen was in total control the entire time."
"Mostly. But he's not just fighting to see his son. He's fighting for the woman he's falling in love with, and the woman he used to love. He's terrified that Graham's gonna beat the shit out of Tamara, and I'm kinda with him on that one." Sterling cupped her face. "Not the most romantic of moments, but I really want to kiss you right now."
"I'm not going to stop you." Instead of waiting, she raised up on tiptoe and leaned into him, pressing her lips against his mouth.
He tasted like warm honey, and she melted into his arms. The sounds of the Everglades faded in the distance. The assignment disappeared into the murky water. All that was left was this moment, and she wasn't going to let go. It was about the only real thing she had in the world.
Even if it was built on lies.
Chapter Ten
Sterling drove with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the console, close enough to hers that his fingers kept finding hers. Juvenile, or maybe youthful, and frankly, a whole lot of fun. But that didn't help his inability to form words. He had thoughts. Lots of them, but he couldn't express them.
"Look at that moon," Juniper said. "It's nearly full and so bright. The stars are dancing around it like they’re in a ballroom."
