Rastor (Lawton Rastor Book 2) (24 page)

Ten minutes later, we were seated around a long, oval table in their formal dining room. Chloe's dad was at one end, and Loretta was at the other. As for me, I was seated between Josh and Lauren Jane, who had dragged her chair so close that our elbows were touching.

I looked up, catching Chloe's eye across the table. She gave me a shaky smile that went straight to my heart. She looked nervous. I wasn't. Whatever might happen today, I knew I was in the right place, because it meant that Chloe wasn't here alone, and neither was her brother.

At the foot of the table, Loretta shook out a cloth napkin and settled it over her lap. She gave Chloe a stiff smile and said, "We're all
so
glad you could make it, Chloe."

Right. Because nothing says "welcome," like locking someone out.

With a little laugh, Loretta glanced around the table and added, "We were just about to send out the cavalry." She looked to Chloe's dad and said, "Weren't we, Dick?"

Dick. Yeah, the name fit.

Within five minutes of walking in the door, I had Chloe's dad pegged for the loser that he was. From what I'd seen so far, he was a pompous blowhard who liked to pretend he was someone important. Too bad he wasn't. The way I saw it, any guy who treated his daughter like garbage was a nobody, no matter where he lived or how much money he made.

As for Loretta, she'd apparently decided that I was the real deal and worth sucking up to. Already, my ass had been kissed so many times, it was a miracle I could sit at all.

At the head of the table, Chloe's dad was nodding like his wife had just said something brilliant. In a big, booming voice, he said, "Anything for our little Chloe." He gave me a man-to-man smile and said, "It sure wouldn't be a family dinner without her."

What an asshole.

Just ten minutes earlier, he'd been willing to lock out his daughter for being one minute late. And now, he was acting like dad-of-the-year? I wasn't buying it. But I couldn’t exactly call him on it, so I kept my thoughts to myself and hoped like hell that the look on my face didn't match what I was thinking. 

Next to me, Lauren Jane reached out and ran a finger along my forearm. "I like your tattoos," she said. "Do you have more?"

Yeah. But she wasn't gonna see them.

I was spared the trouble of answering when Chloe jumped up and blurted out, "Who's ready for salad?"

The table was packed with plates, bowls and silverware, but no actual food. Apparently, we were eating the meal in courses. What those courses were, I had no idea, because everything edible was laid out on a sideboard against the dining room wall.

Each dish was covered with a big silver lid. It was like hotel room service, without the wheeled cart. I glanced over at Loretta, wondering if she'd be expecting a tip for this.

I
had a tip for her.
Stop being shitty to your step-kids.

Chloe hurried to the sideboard and snagged the salad. She carried the bowl over to Loretta and held it out, as if waiting for Loretta to serve herself some.

Loretta was frowning. "Where's the rest of it?"

Chloe bit her lip. "Well, you see, on the way here–"

"I ate it," I said.

Loretta turned toward me and said, "Pardon?"

"I thought it was a snack." I shrugged. "Sorry."

Loretta's gaze narrowed. Chloe was still holding the bowl. Loretta looked up and asked Chloe, "Is that true?"

But it wasn't Chloe who answered. It was Lauren Jane who said, "Oh Mom, of course it's true." When I turned to look, Lauren Jane was licking her lips. "I mean," she continued, "just look at this guy."

She gave me a long, lingering look that started at my pecs and ended at my abs. Probably, it would've gone lower if it weren't for the tablecloth that hid most of my lap. She licked her lips again and said, "You don't get a body like that on cheeseburgers."

Chloe choked back a laugh. I knew why. As far as I was concerned, cheeseburgers were one of the three basic food groups, right between steak and French fries.

Loretta gave Chloe an annoyed look. "Is something funny?"

Chloe shook her head. "Nope. Sorry."

With a little sniff, Loretta finally took the bowl from Chloe's hands and started serving herself some salad. She nodded toward Chloe's chair and said, "Sit. Please." With a stiff smile, Loretta added, "We'll just pass the courses around, family style." She looked around and said, "Now, isn't this nice?"

I felt a warm hand on my bicep. "Mmm…it sure is," Lauren Jane said in a low, husky voice. I'd been taking a drink of my wine, and had to stop in mid-motion to keep from spilling it. Lauren Jane tightened her grip. "You must work out like crazy. Just how much
can
you lift, anyway?"

On the other side of me, Josh spoke up. "Wait, I know this. Three-hundred pounds."

Everyone turned to look.

Josh shrugged. "I read it on the internet."

Chloe was still standing in the same spot as before. She glanced from me to Lauren Jane, whose hand was still squeezing my bicep.

Well, at least it wasn't my cock. Yet.

"Chloe dear," Loretta said, "will you be taking your seat any time soon?"

Chloe looked around the table. As if shaking off a distraction, she returned to her seat and watched the salad making its rounds. When the bowl got to Lauren Jane, she finally let go of my arm and grabbed the salad bowl with both hands.

She dumped most of the remaining lettuce onto her salad plate, leaving almost nothing for anyone else. That was fine by me. It's not like I was a huge fan of the stuff. When she passed the nearly empty bowl to me, I passed it to Josh without taking any.

"You don't want any?" Josh asked.

"Nah. I'm good," I told him. "Since I already ate half on the way." I lowered my voice. "Don't tell anyone, but there was also this chocolate cake."

Josh's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," I said. "And a side of beef, couple of hams." I shrugged. "A pie. A dozen donuts. After that, I lost track."

"Oh, you," Lauren Jane said with a playful swat to my arm. "Stop teasing that boy. He'll believe anything."

"No I won't," Josh said.

"Josh," Loretta said, "don't sass your sister. It's not polite."

Josh looked to his plate. "Sorry."

I felt my blood pressure rise. Polite? What would Loretta know about it? Looking to make Josh smile again, I leaned toward him and spoke so low that only he could hear, "Don't tell, but there was a slab of bacon, too. But eh, your sister snagged it first."

Josh was looking happier until his step-mother's voice cut across the table. "Lawton? Care to share with the rest of us?"

Nope. I sure as hell didn't.

I put on my clueless face and said, "You mean salad?" I looked down at my empty salad plate. "Sorry, I didn't take any." I turned to Lauren Jane, whose plate was overflowing. "How about you? Got any spare salad for your mom?"

She gave her plate a worried look. "There's not that much here."

Hey, there's more on my floor mat. Want me to get it, so you can really make an ass of yourself?

Loretta spoke up, sounding irritated as hell. "That's not necessary. I wasn't referring to–" She made a little huffing sound. "Oh, never mind."

When the salad reached Chloe, she took two small pieces of lettuce and stood to return the bowl to the sideboard. Now
that
was the girl I loved. I leaned closer to Josh and said, "You know, your sister's pretty awesome."

On the other side of me, Lauren Jane spoke up. "Thanks. I think
you're
awesome, too." She pressed her knee closer to mine and whispered, "And just so you know, my bikini's
really
skimpy."

What bikini? Oh yeah, the one she mentioned when we first showed up. Like I cared.

"Bummer," I said. "You should get that looked at."

She gave me a confused look. "Huh?"

It wasn't
supposed
to make sense. It was supposed to distract her so I could focus on the sister who
was
awesome. I watched as Chloe returned to her seat. She looked good in that dress. When she leaned forward to retrieve her napkin, I saw a hint of cleavage that made me swallow.

I couldn’t help but wonder, what kind of bra was she wearing today? She had great taste in bras, sweet and sexy, just like everything else about her. Undressing her was like unwrapping a present. And back when she'd been mine, it was like every day was my birthday.

Somehow, by the end of the day, I'd win her back. She loved me. And I loved her. The other stuff was just bullshit, and whatever it took, we'd work it out. Watching her across the table, I wanted to smile.

Now
Chloe
in a bikini, that was something I
did
care about. She had this yellow one that drove me crazy when it got wet. It wasn't even that skimpy, but the way it hugged her curves when it was weighted down with water, well, it was something that I liked a lot.

I wanted to smile. The last time she'd worn it, I'd taken it off with my teeth and kissed her in all the spots it had been covering. At the memory, I felt an embarrassing tightness in my jeans.

Great. Because nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a good old-fashioned boner.

Suddenly, I felt a hand grip my thigh. I looked across the table. Unless Chloe's arms had tripled in length, the hand
wasn't
hers.

I looked over at Lauren Jane, who was attacking her salad with one hand, and yup, sure enough, attacking my thigh with the other.

I pretended not to notice. If nothing else, she'd solved my boner problem.

Thanks Lauren Jane, you lettuce-loving psycho.

I looked up, and caught Chloe watching me. Thanks to the long tablecloth, she'd have no idea what Lauren Jane was doing. And I didn't
want
her to know, because she sure as hell didn't need one more thing to worry about.

Looking to make her smile, I grinned over at her. When she smiled back, I wanted to lean across the table and kiss away all the bullshit, including her sorry excuse for a family – well, except for Josh. And as far as him, he deserved better, too.

I was just thinking of what I could do to help when Chloe's dad boomed across the table. "So I hear you're some kind of fighter."

Shit. Unless he was referring to Lauren Jane and her epic battle with the salad, he must be talking to me. Slowly, I turned to look at him. He was giving me another man-to-man smile.

I didn't smile back. "Yup."

His smile faltered. "You're not gonna try any of those fancy punches on me now, are you?"

"Nope." And then, I
did
smile, but not in a friendly way. "At least not 'til dessert."

His eyebrows furrowed, and then he laughed, a big booming sound that sounded fake as hell. "Hah!" He shot me with both index fingers. "You got me there."

Next to me, Lauren Jane giggled. She leaned her head close to mine and said, "You're so funny." She turned to Chloe's dad and called out, "You'd better watch it, Daddy, or he's gonna get you."

Yeah. Maybe I would.

Lauren Jane turned her attention back to me. "Speaking of funny things," she said, leaning closer, "did you notice that
your
name begins with an 'L' and
my
name begins with an 'L'?"

Yeah. Just like lettuce begins with an "L". Big deal.

Lauren Jane glanced across the table and said in a snotty voice, "Sorry, Chloe. I guess you're not in the club."

From the look on Chloe's face, she'd like a club alright, but not the kind you joined.

Chloe's dad spoke up. "Uh-oh.
My
gal's name begins with an 'L', too." With a big chuckle, he shook his index finger at me. "But you don't be stealing my Loretta."

Reluctantly, I shifted my gaze to Loretta. Shit. The way it looked, she was giving it some thought. Nice. More boner-prevention.

Across from me, Chloe jumped up from her seat and blurted out, "Want me to get the turkey?"

Loretta's mouth tightened. She gave Chloe a cold look. "Are
you
the hostess?"

Chloe froze. "No. But I'm happy to help." She hesitated. "Unless you'd rather do it?"

With a sigh, Loretta pushed back her chair and stood. "So much for a relaxing dinner. Chloe, will you please sit? You're making everyone nervous."

When Chloe sat back down, Loretta – with all the dignity of an English butler – started delivering the covered platters to the table. One by one, she lifted each silver lid and told us what we were looking at. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and more platters to come.

As for everyone else, they were busy too, telling Loretta how great everything looked, or smelled, or whatever.

For Chloe's sake, I played along with the rest of them. Funny, if this were someplace else, I might be having a great time. But there was something about this whole scene that just wasn't right.

I started wondering if we could invite Josh over to spend the night at my place, and conveniently forget to return him.

I might not look it, but I was good with kids. And I liked Chloe's brother. More to the point, I loved his sister, and I could tell she was worried about him. It would be nice to change that.

Loretta was still delivering platters. Across from me, Chloe's gaze kept drifting to the mashed potatoes. She was biting her lip again, and I knew why. With mashed potatoes, there was usually gravy. But today was Thanksgiving, and there was a turkey right there in front of us. That meant we'd be having
turkey
gravy.

Not oyster gravy. Not shit-in-a bowl gravy. And no other weird-ass gravy that Loretta might dream up.

Next to me, Josh had grown still and quiet. I didn't want to look, because I didn't want to make the kid uncomfortable. But with every dish, the tension around the table was growing. I could feel it in the air in spite of all the compliments that were still flowing Loretta's way.

The only one who seemed oblivious was Lauren Jane who started blathering on about a recent trip to Cancun. I pretended to listen while I watched Loretta bring out the final platter, a small one with a tall silver lid. She lifted the lid, and there it was, a small gravy boat filled to the rim.

But what kind of gravy was it? I couldn’t tell. And from the look on Chloe's face, neither could she.

"And then," Lauren Jane said with a giggle, "we got totally drunk and stole his sombrero."

Screw the sombrero. I looked to Loretta, waiting to see what she'd say next. What kind of gravy was it?

For fuck's sake, just tell us already.

"And finally," Loretta said, "my very own holiday specialty." She gave Chloe a thin smile. "Oyster gravy."

Fuck.

And this is when Lauren Jane went for my cock.