Page 51 of Lawson & Jill

Chapter 16

You done good.

Law’s arm froze in mid-stroke as he cleared the condensation from the bathroom mirror. He waited to see if his brother would say anything else, but Xavier always was a man of few words. Law finished wiping down the mirror and grinned when he smeared the new shaving cream that Jill had given him onto his face.

He took a deep breath as he made the first swipe of the razor along his neck. He and Asher had finally had a long talk about Xavier. It had been a long time coming. Turned out, Law and Maman weren’t the only ones who occasionally suffered from auditory hallucinations. Of course, if anyone was ever going to be tough and stubborn enough to make themselves known from beyond the grave, it would be their big brother.

He heard Xavier laugh.

“Who laughed? Are you on the phone?” Jill asked as she came up behind him.

“You look gorgeous, and you packed the night before. Is it any wonder I’m in love?”

Jill stood up on her tiptoes and looked over his shoulder so she could meet his eyes in the mirror as she watched him shave. “I thought you loved me for my cookies and the sexual favors I provide.”

This time, Law chuckled. “Your cookies come in a sad, sad third, that’s for damn sure.”

“Third?” She kissed his bare shoulder. “Sex is first, cookies are third, so what’s second?”

He wiped his face clean and turned around.

“Uh-uh. You got it wrong. Your kind and beautiful heart is number one. It always has been and it always will be.” He liked the way her eyes went soft and dreamy. He didn’t like the way she then bit her lip.

He pulled it loose and gave her a long, slow kiss. She tempted Law to do a lot more, but if he did, they’d be late getting to the airport. With the way security was these days, that could be a real problem with an international flight, and he still had one more thing planned before leaving.

“What’s got your tail in a knot?” he asked.

“Can’t a girl be worried about meeting her guy’s mom?”

“You’ve already met my mom,” he teased. “Zoom and Skype count. After all, you met Angela’s Rancher Man via Zoom and gave her a thumbs-up.”

Jill rolled her eyes. “So not the same thing. I’ve been on the phone with her probably three times a week for the last two months since the Battle of the Van.”

“Hey. We discussed that.” Law knew his voice was sharp, but he couldn’t help it.

Jill giggled. “Sorry, but what else can I call it? The name is perfect.”

He still had nightmares of that day.

Law went into the bedroom and he shook his head. “You better not have taken any of the suitcases out to the truck.”

“Just out to the living room. I needed the bedroom cleared out so I could make sure I hadn’t missed anything.”

“We’re only going to be in Belgium for ten days and you’re packing four suitcases. How in the hell could you be missing anything?” He went to the closet, got dressed, and grabbed what he needed out of his dresser drawer, then he watched as she sat on the bed and pulled on her socks.

“Hey, two of those suitcases are yours,” Jill protested.

“Yes. And those two are filled with mostly your stuff.”

Jill glanced over her shoulder at him as she tugged on a boot. “You know, a lot of men would be upset, but the weird thing is, you’re not.”

He sat down next to her. “I like that you know that.” He kissed her temple. “I like that you know me.”

She leaned into him and sighed.

“Getting to know you has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, Lawson Jacob Thorne.”

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