Thinking about him with someone else made her chest tighten. “What does that have to do with me?”
“I’m just looking out for you. Youaremy baby.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Dad, but I’ve got this. Anyway, I’m headed out of town to track down the woman in the video.”
“With The Fixer?”
Her pulse quickened. “Yeah, with The Fixer.”
“I’d tell you to behave, but you’re a little too old for one of my dad lectures.”
“There’s nothing you could say that you haven’t already told me a zillion times. ‘Don’t get into a stranger’s car, don’t have sex with a stranger, especially at his place, always use a condom, make sure a man asks first’.” She smiled at her dad. “You want me to keep going?”
“How ‘bout this?” He pushed out of his chair. “When you turn fifty, I’ll stop worrying about you.”
She barked out a laugh. “I don’t think you’ll ever stop worrying about me.”
“Probably not.”
“I’ve got this, I promise.” After hugging him goodbye, she shrugged into her coat and headed outside.
No way do I have this. How could I? I’m headed to a kink club with my former kink partner. I’m so far from having this, I wouldn’t know where to begin.
* * *
Sin dropped the Ping-Pong paddle on the table and high-fived his younger sister. “Desiree and I retain our long-standing title as Christmas champs.”
Desiree threw her arms up in victory. “We are still the team to beat.” She eyed Hudson across the table. “Wanna play a singles game with me?”
“Sure,” Hudson said before turning to Maverick. “We always say we’ll practice, but we never find time. This is like the fifth year in a row they’ve beaten us.”
“Don’t tell Sin, but I let them win,” Maverick replied. “His delicate ego bruises too easily if I don’t.”
Sin laughed as he and Maverick headed back upstairs. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”
Their Ping-Pong battles had been a Christmas tradition ever since middle school, when Sin was adopted by the Hott family. The day Warren Hott brought him into his home had been life changing, and Sin adored this family with everything he had.
They found Carly sitting at the kitchen table talking with her father-in-law, Warren Hott. Maverick kissed his wife’s cheek. “What did we miss?”
“Shop talk.”
Maverick and Carly’s puppy lifted his head from the kitchen floor, then flopped back down.
“Either we’ve completely exhausted him or he’s guarding the leftovers, hoping we’ll continue feeding him,” Maverick said.
Warren started cleaning up while Carly stacked dishes. “Why don’t you three head into the sunroom? I’ll call you if I need help.”
“Are you sure?” Carly asked.
Warren smiled. “Go on. I’m fine.”
Carly topped off their wine glasses, and the three of them moseyed into the sunroom. Though darkness surrounded them, the lit Christmas tree brightened the room.
Maverick and Carly sat beside each other on the sofa while Sin stood at the wall of windows staring into the night.
“I’m working with Evangeline Worthington,” Sin said.
“I can’t believe she got thrown into the middle of that scandal,” Carly said. “I’m glad you’re helping her out.”
