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Seemed wrong to sit without her. “I’ll wait.”
She nodded and moved away.
Inside, the rectangular runway of a room had to be three thousand square feet. Multiple smaller side tables, with seating for two or four or six, flanked the walls. A thick-legged wooden beast of a table that could seat at least forty dominated the room.
Above this fortress of a table, old wood beams crossed a fifty-foot vaulted ceiling. A gleaming row of mismatched crystal chandeliers hung from the central beam and ran the length of the Goliath table.
Thick, hand-carved chairs abutted the table, which was dressed with crystal glasses and yellow roses and gold-edged plates.
Mukta and Leland were already here, walking around the table, addressing children here and there, directing others to take certain seats. They then took their own places, two seats at the head of the table. How very royal of them.
Girls of varying ages, and one out-of-place teen boy, slipped past Sandesh like he was a rock in a stream.
He watched as the groups, what Justice had told him were units, automatically sat together. No one acknowledged him. He felt almost unwelcome, standing at the doorway of a banquet room with heavy chandeliers and ceremony and community.
A warm arm slipped around his waist.
The heat that shot through him was answer enough, but he looked down anyway.
She wore an apple-red, juicy-as-sin, off-the-shoulder, like-a-second-skin dress. Damn memory was so inadequate when it came to this woman. His arm went around her, drew her to his side.
Justice rose up and whispered hot into his ear, “Hungry?”
The message delivered within the waves of heat milking his body had nothing to do with food and everything to do with the feeding of his lips against her skin.
Yes. Starved. His eyes feasted on the pert, juicy curves. He swallowed. “Where do I sit?”
She winked at him, winked at him with lashes so lush they seemed made of silk and sleep. Looking into her eyes reminded him of the dark. Of the dark covering bodies. Of the dark covering their intertwined bodies.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him after her. “Keep looking at me like that and we’ll never make it through dinner.”
Chapter 49
Justice tugged Sandesh, who still wore his yummy blue suit, through the room. She explained the seating arrangements to him as they walked.
“We have five units here tonight. Mine.” She pointed toward the head of the table near Momma and Leland. She leaned closer to him, close enough to whisper. “We’ll sit across from them. Concentrate on Bridget.”
He nodded. Justice slid to a halt as a child raced by. “That would be Bella. She’s one of the two members of the Lollipop Guild.”
“You think more will be added?”
“Oh, definitely. And unfortunately, the youngest unit always sits near Momma, gives the nannies a break, so you’ll get plenty of time to become acquainted with Bella.”
The Troublemakers’ Guild, capital T for Trouble, caught Justice’s attention. They had already scored some vino. She introduced them to Sandesh. They waved hello, almost like normal people, but as she and Sandesh walked away, she saw the trio eyeing Sandesh’s backside appreciatively. Cue eye roll.
She introduced the teens of Vampire Academy and the tweens of Lost in Translation—not a one of them had spoken English or even the same language when they’d come here—before leading him to the head of the table.
Momma welcomed Sandesh. He greeted her and Leland coolly. Still some anger there.
Justice pulled out a chair for him directly across from Tony.
Looking amused as she held out his chair, Sandesh sat and said hi to the munchkin on his left, Bella, and nodded to Tony and Bridget across from him.
Justice slid into her seat beside him. He leaned all his beautiful, blond self toward her. Her heart approved by doing a yeehaw high kick followed by a hot-damn jig in her chest.
“Is it rude of me to ask—”
She leaned closer to him, inhaled. “Let’s hope so.”
He laughed and brushed the hair from her bare shoulder. He seemed unaware of how intimate the gesture was. She wasn’t.
Maybe Bridget had been right. And Tony. Should she make it clear she was never leaving the League?
He waved at the large dining table with its usual mix of loud and louder. “How do you keep everyone straight?”
Her turn to smile. Not twenty minutes ago, she’d called one of her siblings by the wrong name. “Sometimes it’s confusing. But mostly it’s like keeping your extended family’s names straight.”
He didn’t look convinced. “My extended family isn’t that big.” He took a sip of water from a gold-ringed crystal goblet. “What about getting to know them all?”
“Yeah. That’s harder than remembering names. Dinners like this help. It’s expected for each unit, if in the area, to show up once a week.”
“Unit? You said that had to do with when you were born not adopted, right?”
“Yep. It’s an age range. Kids from birth to seven. Eight to twelve. Thirteen to eighteen. Like that. They share a bathroom. Share a floor. Share a tutor.”
Share covert training.
“So Gracie was in your unit? Who else?”
He knew who else. He was asking to get a better feel for the potential traitor and so they could engage with the people across the table from them. She could use the help. Right now, it seemed like it could be anyone.
“I was raised with Dada and Gracie.” She looked around. Gracie never came, but where was Dada?
“Hey, Tone.” He looked up from his seat across from them. “Where’s Dada?”
“Sick.”
Again?
She pointed at Tony. “Tony and Dada are the oldest in my class at thirty-four. Say hi, old man.”
Tony’s eyes swept over the two of them. They stopped on Sandesh. For a moment, Justice thought Tony would say something embarrassing. Like, Dude, she’s using you. She transmitted a warning to him through slit-serious eyes. Tony smiled, nodded at Sandesh. “Hey.”
Sandesh acknowledged him with a return nod.
Phew. She pointed to Bridget, next to Tony. “Bridget’s the middle kid. And our local yogi.” Who apparently had super mind powers.
Bridget waved.
“But of course, you already know the best.”
Sandesh leaned into her, brushed his lips against her ear.
Oh. Yes. That. Felt. Great.
“Is it Gracie?”
She covered her mouth and smothered her laugh. What. The. Hell? She wasn’t a girl who covered her mouth. Or giggled at a guy. But she’d done just that. Hadn’t she?
He smiled along with her, and the heat in his eyes was as playful as it was deadly serious. She could feel Tony and Bridget gaping at her. Good. Let them feel off-balance. Maybe it would shake something loose.
“Are you in love, Justice?”
Holy shit!
The midget sitting next to Sandesh had asked the most embarrassing question known to big sisters everywhere. The five-year-old Russian with big, brown eyes and a long, evil grin jumped up and down in her seat.
Turned out the younger kids’ group name was dead-on. Like the Lollipop Guild from The Wizard of Oz, they should’ve been cute, but they were scary as hell. And so was her newest sister. She’d have to make a point to get to know the evil monster better.
And teach her some manners.
“For a little whiles anyways,” Tony said and grinned at Justice.
Gawd. Tony and all his South Philly.
Sandesh didn’t look the slightest bit concerned. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying himself. “Love takes time, Bella. But I hope Justice and I can spend as long as it takes.” He winked at Justice. “And then some.”
Aw, seriously, that mi
ght be the cutest answer ever. And her own damn heart told her she didn’t need even one more minute. What was that about?
Sandesh dipped down to Bella’s level. He stage-whispered, “How long do you think it’s going to take me?”
And…that was it. The room erupted with speculation.
Chapter 50
Outside after dinner, the night was cool and the air smelled of the rain shower that had just passed. Sandesh followed the motion of Justice’s hand as she buttoned up her jacket, outlining the soft curves and the dress that made him swallow hard.
They descended the stone steps and walked down the driveway, past his truck and the row of cars gathered there. He tucked his hands inside the pockets of his slacks.
