Page 51 of Deadly Conflicts

14

Fourteen

James woketo the familiar sensation of Mandy body weight resting on his, her smooth skin pressed against his chest, and took a moment just to enjoy his life. The sun filtered in through the half-closed blinds on the window and the bed – which used to be in Mandy’s old apartment – was comfortable and friendly. They first made love on this mattress, and he was reticent to ever replace it because it held an important spot in his heart.

“What are you thinking?” Mandy murmured, her eyes remaining closed as she nestled closer. “If you want to do it again I’m going to need something with caffeine to wake me up.”

James chuckled. “I was thinking that … I am so content I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

Mandy finally wrenched her eyes open as James smoothed her tangled hair. As usual, the shark projector put her in a wild mood. They added blueberry margaritas to the mix and had a grand time of it. They were so loud he briefly wondered if his parents heard them. In the end, he didn’t care enough to take things down a notch.

“You’re content, huh?”

James nodded. “Blissful. If we spent the rest of our lives exactly like this I would die a happy man.”

Mandy propped herself up on one elbow so she could stare down at him, the sheet falling down her bare back and revealing a naked breast. James cupped it with one hand, rubbing it lovingly.

“You have a wonderfully romantic streak,” she said. “I didn’t think you did when we first got together – and I was fine with it – but you are amazing.”

“Ooh, you’re the amazing one,” James said, snaking his arm around her waist and resting it on her naked bottom. “Do you want to be amazing together before breakfast?”

Mandy giggled. “What about your parents? They’re probably wondering where we are.”

“For your information, we’re not wondering where you are,” Louis said, appearing in the doorway of the upstairs guesthouse bedroom. “We heard the ruckus last night and we’re not stupid.”

“Omigod!” Mandy shrieked as she dived under the sheet to cover herself, inadvertently kneeing James very close to his groin with her efforts.

“Careful, baby,” James instructed, fixing his father with a dark look. “What in the hell are you doing up here?”

Louis met James’ challenging gaze without flinching and tossed his son’s cell phone at him. It landed on his chest when James didn’t make a move to reach for it. “That has been going off for an hour. I figured it might be important.”

James grabbed the phone and checked the screen. “There aren’t any missed calls.”

“Yes, but Jake has been texting for an hour and he’s all worked up,” Louis said. “I didn’t mean to read the messages, but they scrolled across the screen like magic and I couldn’t help myself. You really should get better security on that thing.”

“I have a passcode,” James said.

“Mandy’s birthday.”

“There’s a backup passcode, too.”

“Your wedding day,” Louis said. “Seriously, upgrade your phone security.”

“Yes, well, I’m used to living alone with my wife and not having to worry about it,” James grumbled, thumbing to the text messages and furrowing his brow as he read them. “Um, baby?”

“Don’t talk to me,” Mandy ordered. “I’m not here … and I’m definitely not naked.”

“Don’t worry, honey,” Louis said. “I didn’t see anything … not that I was looking, of course. You’re a lucky man, son.” He offered James a teasing wink.

“How did you even get in here?” James groused. “I locked the door.”

“Yes, but I have three sons in the security business and I know how to pick a lock,” Louis said. “You should’ve set the security system before retiring. I have a feeling you had other things on your mind, though. I believe there was some horse racing going on because I kept hearing Mandy yell ‘giddyap, little sharky.’”

James fought the urge to laugh – and failed. “That’s a long story.”

“I don’t need to hear it,” Louis said. “I just wanted you to have your phone and your mother wants you to know that breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you, Dad,” James said. “I’m thrilled to hear that. We might not make it to breakfast, though.”