None of the “children” were happy about their dad’s second marriage. For starters, stepmom Eloise was more about the almighty dollar than anything else. Nevertheless, they had all supported their father and, of course, their new little brother and baby sister. Family stuck together, no matter their differences—and this clan had a few. But if anyone was in trouble, there was no question, no pause. They closed ranks, now more than ever before.
Jacob was crossing to the suite’s phone extension. “I’ll order up champagne.”
“Actually, I’m good with juice or water.”
Without missing a beat, he veered toward the bar’s long, gleaming counter. “I’ll whip something up.”
While eyeing some side shelves, Jacob removed his tie then unfastened the shirt buttons at his throat. Teagan caught a tantalizing glimpse of upper chest. It took her back to their time on the dance floor...to sensations of grazing the hard length of his body and soaking in all that delicious masculine heat.
As he shucked off his jacket, Teagan drifted closer. Beneath the white dress shirt, his chest was strong and chiseled. He folded each sleeve back, revealing two powerful, summer-tanned forearms, then turned to the refrigerator to check out the contents. Teagan told herself not to ogle the lines of his tailored pants then went right ahead and did it anyway.
Long, solid legs.
Even better buns.
Grabbing a stool, Teagan cleared her throat.
“I usually stay clear of alcohol,” she said. “The last time I had champagne was at my brother’s wedding.”
Jacob turned back around and slid a container of chilled berries over the counter toward her. “Nice day?”
“The ceremony was beautiful.” It had been a smallish affair held on the estate grounds in a marquee. “Not quite as glam as this one, of course.”
His chuckle was a deep rumble. “Of course.”
No need to go into how that day had ended—with an actual bomb going off. That incident had been the latest in a string of attacks targeting their father. While the authorities were on the case, the madman responsible was still at large.
Nothing you can do about it, so deep breath. Focus on the good stuff.
“I caught up with a friend there,” she said, selecting a cold berry. “Our families holidayed together one Christmas. Grace Munroe and I became pen pals, but we lost touch over the years. When I found out she was dating my brother, I almost fell off my chair.”
“You mean the brother who got married?”
“Another one,” she said, and popped the berry in her mouth.
“So, you have two brothers?”
“My parents had four children, me and three older boys. When my father remarried, he had two more—another son and a girl.”
“Did your mom remarry, too?”
“She passed away.”
Jacob stopped laying drink ingredients on the counter. “I’m sorry.”
Teagan nodded. Thanks. So am I.
“My friend and brother got engaged Christmas Day,” she said, getting back to the main thread while Jacob found two chilled martini glasses. “Funny because when we were young, those two hated each other.”
Seeing them together now, those two were so obviously in love—so meant to be. Teagan knew Grace and Wynn were destined to grow old together, with gray hair and stooped backs, blissfully content, surrounded by a clutch of grandkids. She was happy for them. Envious, in fact. Commitment, marriage, children...everyone seemed to be doing it. But Teagan couldn’t see that kind of scenario in her own future. It simply wasn’t in the cards.
Jacob found pineapple juice, vanilla syrup, crushed ice and a shiny silver shaker while Teagan drank in the show. Watching this man move made the nerve endings under her skin quiver and snap alive. And he was just getting started. After tipping in an ounce of syrup, he flipped the shaker into the air and caught it in the same hand—behind his back. Not a single drop spilled.
She laughed. “Hey! Good party trick.”
“Bartending paid the bills through law school.”
Teagan sat straighter. Interesting. He came from money—earlier he had mentioned inheriting a law firm—but he hadn’t necessarily relied on it. Maybe Jacob Stone was more her type than she’d thought.
Unlike her older brothers who had accepted jobs with the family company, Teagan had decided to go it alone. The boys had dubbed her The Wild Child, but there was more to her opting out than that. Lately, however, she’d thought about going back. Everyone was on tenterhooks waiting for the next attack. She should be there for her family now.
Jacob was pouring juice into that shaker like a pro.
“Working and studying full-time was a challenge,” he said. “But I loved every minute. Passing the New York State Bar was always my dream.”
“Do you have a specialty?” Remembering the situation back home in Australia, Teagan leaned closer. “Like criminal law?”
“I deal in reputations. Defamation. Libel.”
“Oh, like that case in the news a while back.” She recalled the details. “A big-name movie director sued a magazine after they claimed he had indecently assaulted someone.”
“The magazine lost.” He smacked the juice bottle down like a gavel. “We won.”
Get outta here. “That was your case?”
“Done and dusted, Your Honor.”
Congratulations were in order. But there was a downside. “The amount that director wanted was insane. The magazine worried it would ruin them. That people would lose their jobs.”
Jacob studied her before adding a scoop of ice to the shaker. “Not my responsibility.”
“Meaning, you’d done your job.” Had brought down the kill.
“Meaning, if you turn your back on the truth, spread malicious lies, and you come up against me—prepare to pay the price.”
Jacob didn’t seem agitated. Rather, he looked determined, like Teagan’s oldest brother Cole when he was stuck in commander in chief mode. Wynn could be the same way. Focused, Grace called it. Even Dex, the chilled middle brother, could switch on that don’t mess with me trait when need be.
Frankly, the entire family—and their goliath media and news corporation—was known for keeping its eye on the target. Never letting a prize get away. Way too intense for The Wild Child, even if Teagan’s father reminded her every chance he got that she shared the same name. That the same blood ran through her veins. He’d said that she couldn’t hide from who she was. DNA didn’t lie.
While Jacob screwed on the shaker’s lid, Teagan joined him behind the bar. “Mind if I try?”
He handed it over. “Be my guest.”
She gave the shaker a few slow rotations before going to town. As ice clinked and liquid swished at warp speed, Jacob’s eyes widened.
“I’m all about protein shakes, not cocktails.” She put a hand on her heart. “I swear.”
After she poured the mixture into their glasses, he proposed a fitting toast. “To the truth, the whole truth.”
Teagan touched her glass to his. “So help me, God.”
She sipped then sighed. Fresh and light and...yeah...
About that toast.
“I