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Ugh. Typically, Jace wasn’t one to ruminate over things, preferring to tackle issues head on and see what’s what, but for the first time since Evan had moved in, he was damn nervous.
“Hey, what are you doing up so early?”
Jace turned around as Andre entered the living room and yawned. Jace set down the gloves and knit caps he’d pulled out of the closet. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Andre’s dark eyes tracked down to the open suitcases. An eyebrow lifted. “Leaving us in the cover of night? Did you finally kill your ex-wife or something?”
Jace snorted. “I would definitely not rot in jail on Diana’s behalf. Plus, last I heard, her boyfriend gambled away the money she blackmailed out of me. I don’t need to worry about her when karma is such a ruthless bitch.”
Andre stepped closer and nodded toward the suitcases. “So what’s with the bags then? Ranch weekend?”
Jace frowned. So much for surprises. But trying to keep anything from Andre was an exercise in futility anyway. The cop in him could sniff out bullshit from miles away. “We’re going to Lake Tahoe for the week. We have a flight in a few hours.”
Andre lifted his head. “Wait, what? I can’t just—”
“I already called the station and talked to Rosenblatt. He said he has the cases you two are working under control and to tell you to have a good time. Finn is going to take care of the stuff Evan needed to finish up for the week. And I’ve got managers to cover any issues that pop up with the stores for me.” He grabbed the gloves he’d set down on the back of the couch and tossed them into one of the bags. “All I want for the week is the two of you, no phones, no laptops, and a quiet mountain cabin fully equipped by the devious Grant Waters.”
“Whoa, Grant’s cabin? I’ve heard that place is swank.”
“At this point, I don’t even care. If I have you and Evan there, preferably naked most of the time, I’m good to go.”
Andre chuckled under his breath. “The practical side of me wants to protest because I know I’m leaving Rosenblatt with a plate full of crap to handle, but the image you just painted is way too enticing to turn down. Snow, mountains, and kinky sex with our girl? I’m so in.”
“Good.” Jace cocked his head toward the hallway. “Then you can help me sneak around the bedroom to get Evan’s stuff before she wakes up. I don’t want to give her a chance to talk her way out of this one.”
“She’s gonna try.”
“Yeah, well, she’ll have to safe word her way out if she’s that against it. Otherwise, I’m not giving her the option.”
Andre smirked. “Well, mock abduction worked with her the last time.”
Hmm. Jace leaned forward, bracing his hands on the back of the couch, an idea blooming in his head at that. A really, really delicious idea. His lips curved. “I like how you think, Dre.”
“That’s because I’m brilliant.”
“Uh-huh. Let me make a quick call, and you start gathering clothes together for Evan. I’ll be in there in a minute to help.”
Andre eyed him for a moment longer but didn’t ask any more questions. Once he’d disappeared back down the hallway, Jace went into the kitchen to grab his cell phone. He scrolled through the numbers until he found the one he wanted.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” his brother, Wyatt, said by way of greeting.
“Why does something have to be wrong?” Jace asked, leaning against the counter.
“Because it’s five A.M. No one calls this early to shoot the shit. And you don’t call this early ever.”
That’s because the only time Jace wanted to see five A.M. was if he was just coming home. A morning person, he was not. But lucky for him, his older brother Wyatt was like a damn rooster with his schedule. “Nothing’s wrong, but I am calling for a favor.”
In the past, Wyatt would’ve groaned, made a comment about Jace always needing something. But the two of them had grown tight over the last year or two, so, thankfully, all Wyatt said was, “Sure, what do you need?”
And within ten minutes, Jace had everything in place.
Oh, this was going to be even more fun than he’d planned.
He just hoped to God it worked.
***
Evan rolled onto her back, warm and lethargic beneath the covers, as she hovered in that dreamy space between sleep and wakefulness. Mmm. The smell of dark roast coffee filtered through her senses, calling her toward the land of the living, but the soft, stroking sensations moving over her body made her want to hang on to whatever dream she was having. Head. Thighs. Back. Breasts. The touch seemed to be everywhere all at once, and she sighed into the feel of the hands moving over her. Maybe she didn’t need to open her eyes after all.
