Page 122 of King of Temptation

Something smacked against Brody’s chest, and he looked down to find his menace staring up at him, amusement sparkling in her eyes. “That was mean.”

“You were the one who said we’re basically family. I was just clarifying what you meant.”

“Uh-huh. Sometimes I think you’re the one who needs to be spanked.”

“I dare you to try, menace.”

Pink slashed across her cheeks, but Goldie only tilted her nose in the air and followed her father into the house. Grinning now, Brody fell in step behind her, his nerves all but gone as he watched her hips sway beneath the flouncy floral dress.

The house was far more charming than he’d expected. A bit dated, and he realized with a jolt that Joe likely hadn’t changed anything since his wife’s death.

Brody knew the feeling well. His parents house had sat untouched for nearly five years, other than the weekly cleanings he’d paid for. Even now, he had boxes of their things he hadn’t been able to part with stashed upstairs in his attic, waiting for the day he might be strong enough to actually go through them.

Maybe he had more in common with the Sergeant than either of them realized.

“Ohhh, you made my favorite!” Rushing into the cramped kitchen, Goldie lifted the lid off a pot of creamy mashed potatoes and inhaled deeply. “Ham, peas, and potatoes! The perfect meal.”

“Thought we could all use some comfort food,” Joe said with a shrug, but there was a gleam in his eye that said he was pleased as punch with his daughter’s reaction.

“It’s perfect. Need me to set the table?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Hanging back, Brody watched as the pair moved around each other in a dance they’d clearly learned long ago. And for the first time, he saw the man in front of him not as an obstacle to be overcome, but as a man who just wanted what was best for his daughter.

On that, at least, they could agree.

As dinner progressed, the similarities between them slowly began to outweigh the differences. They both preferred minor-league baseball to pretty much any other sport, which told him where Goldie had gotten her love of the game.

When it came to movies, it turned out he and Joe shared a love of old westerns as well as a love of teasing Goldie about the bad shark movies she adored. Music, tv shows, books—though neither of them apparently took the time to read as much as they’d like these days. There were a few good-natured disagreements here and there, but overall it was fun getting to know the man who would someday be his father-in-law without the threat of an arrest or literal death hanging over their heads.

Night had long since fallen by the time he caught Goldie yawning for the fifth time in as many minutes. “All right, menace. We need to get you to bed.”

“No, no, you guys are talking.” Curling up on her side, she pillowed her head on her hands. “I’ll just close my eyes for a bit.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to chat later, babygirl. You need sleep.”

But when he rose to scoop her off the couch, Joe rose with him and cleared his throat, looking more uncomfortable than he had the first time they’d met. “Actually, Brody, could I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?”

“Go on.” Goldie waved him away without opening her eyes. “I’ll be right here. Resting my eyes.”

Resigning himself to the fact he’d be carrying her out to the car after she knocked out on the couch, Brody followed Joe into the kitchen. “I really need to get her home. It’s been a long couple of days.”

“So I’ve been told.” Arms crossed, Joe leaned back against the counter and pinned Brody with an unnervingly pointed gaze. “Heard a couple Russians went missing. You have anything to do with that?”

“Nope.” It was, in the most technical sense, the truth. While he had everything to do with their deaths, the twins were solely responsible for their disappearances. “And you wouldn’t want me to answer that question even if I had.”

Blowing out a breath, Joe nodded. “I suppose you’re right. This… This isn’t the life I would have chosen for her, if I’d had any say in it.”

“Again, we agree.”

“But I also know how stubborn she can be when she wants something. And it seems that what she wants is you.”

“The feeling is mutual. I love your daughter, Sergeant Quinn. And I know a life with me has its… concerns, but I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

“I believe you. Which is why I want you to have this.” Pushing away from the counter, Joe turned and pulled open a drawer. From the mess of contents inside it—Brody could see where his menace got her chaos from in that single glimpse—he plucked an old ring box covered in a faded red velvet.

“It was her mother’s,” Joe explained, his voice thick with a grief Brody knew would never fully fade. “I had a feeling… Seeing you two together at the store the other day, there was something different about my Goldie. Something that reminded me of her mother when we were just two scared kids prepared to jump into the deep end of life feet first. And I knew then and there you were it for her.”