Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17) (7 page)

“I should’ve bought interactive sharks for you a long time ago,” James said, smiling when he felt Mandy giggle beneath him. “You were ready for that one, huh?”

“I was ready for all of it,” Mandy said, meeting James’ gaze when he tipped his chin so he could get a glimpse of her face. “I love you.”

She was so earnest James almost gave in and promised her a pet shark for the pool. “Baby, you’re my heart. I couldn’t possibly love anything more than you.”

“That’s good,” Mandy said, pressing his head down on her chest and wrapping her arms around his sweat soaked back. “You have five minutes to rest and then we’re doing that again. Can we pick the type of sharks we see with that remote, by the way? I would like to see some carnage for our next round.”

“
W
hat are
you going to paint on the wall?” James asked an hour later, another gritty round behind them. He was famished and yet breakfast gladly took a backseat to Mandy’s robust urges. She was so happy and content he would forego food for the rest of his life if it meant she stayed this way.

“I don’t know,” Mandy said, shifting so could rest her chin on his chest and study the wall in question. “There are a lot of options.”

“I think you should paint the scene in
Jaws 2
where the shark takes down the helicopter,” James suggested. “That’s my favorite. It’s so implausible … and it totally gets your motor running.”

“I think we’ve proven I don’t need the mural to get my motor running.”

“I’m going to find a way to add shark attack scenes from your favorite movies to the projector,” James said. “There has to be a way to do it. I’m sure Maverick can figure it out.” Maverick was Hardy Brothers Security’s resident technology guru. He was also unabashedly horny, so Mandy had no doubt he’d be willing to help James get laid more often.

“Thank you for all of this,” Mandy said.

James appreciatively squeezed her bare bottom. “Thank you for being my wife.”

“Oh, puh-leez,” Mandy scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You had my heart when I was fourteen and we both know it.”

“That doesn’t mean you’re not my favorite person in the world,” James said, laughing as Mandy wriggled on top of him. He hadn’t felt this good in weeks and he was in no hurry to let the moment go.

“I’m hungry,” Mandy announced, her stomach growling at that precise right moment and making both of them dissolve into laughter.

“I’m hungry, too,” James said, brushing Mandy’s hair away from her face. “I don’t want to leave yet, though.”

“We’re not leaving,” Mandy clarified. “We’re going to the house to get food and then coming back to do it again.”

“I see you’ve decided neither one of us needs to walk tomorrow,” James said. “I’m honestly torn. I’ve never been this comfortable and yet I want to fill you full of food energy so we can come back out here. Decisions, decisions.”

“I want pancakes,” Mandy sang out.

“Then you need to get those rooster and hen things so I can make you dirty pancakes,” James said, gripping her hips and rubbing himself against her. “If you get them, I promise to do whatever you make the dirty birds do when we get back here.”

Mandy laughed so hard she took James by surprise. “Whatever I want?”

“Absolutely,” James replied, growling as he dragged Mandy’s mouth to his. “The filthier the better. I … .”

Mandy and James jolted when the Orca’s door opened. For a moment, they were blinded, both forgetting that the darkness and interactive sharks muted their vision. A figure stood in the doorway, the sun backlighting it. Then a second figure moved in behind the first.

“Omigod!” Madeline covered her eyes and shrieked when she realized what was going on inside of the guesthouse.

For his part, Grady bent over at the waist and belted out a hysterical laugh when he managed to focus on the couch.

“What is going on?” Madeline screeched. “I … is this a brothel?”

James jerked his boxer shorts off the ground so he could cover Mandy’s rear end. “It will be once you get out of here.”

“I have never … this is unbelievable … I mean … what is wrong with you people?” Madeline stomped her foot on the ground. “I’m a business associate.”

“And this is my home,” James shot back. “It’s Sunday.”

“Naked Sunday,” Grady interjected. “I told her and she didn’t believe me.”

“I hired you for a job,” Madeline said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“And yet it’s the weekend and the only thing I’m doing today is my wife,” James said. “Get the hell out of here!”

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Madeline spat. “I deserve some respect.”

“Get out!” James roared.

Grady pulled the door shut after Madeline flounced out, but Mandy and James could still hear him laughing through the thick door. Madeline raved about something as Grady guffawed, but James tuned her out.

“I hate that woman,” James muttered.

“The good news is now we can eat.”

“Get dressed, baby,” James said, kissing her cheek. “I’ll get rid of Madeline while you find the pancake things. I’m not joking about doing whatever you want.”

“That’s why you’re a good husband.” Mandy pinched his cheek and jiggled it.

“I’m going to kill Grady for bringing her here,” James grumbled, slipping out from beneath Mandy and sliding into his boxer shorts. “He knew what we were doing and he brought her anyway.”

“I think he did that on purpose.”

The statement surprised James. “Why?”

“Because he wanted Madeline to see us together,” Mandy answered. “He’s worried she’s still after you and wanted to send a message. My guess is that she called him and demanded to see you so he set this up as payback.”

“That’s an interesting theory, baby,” James said, leaning over to kiss Mandy’s forehead – and use his index finger to look down her tank top for good measure. “Do you have a sweatshirt or something in your studio to cover yourself up?”

Mandy nodded.

“Put it on,” James ordered. “I’m sending Grady up to talk to you while I deal with Madeline. I don’t want him seeing your goods.”

Mandy giggled. “My goods?”

“You know what I mean,” James said. “That tank top doesn’t hide anything. That’s why it’s my favorite item of clothing you own.”

“And that’s why I wore it today,” Mandy said, pushing herself up from the couch. “I’ll get the pancake molds and cover my goods. Get Madeline out of here as quickly as possible. I’m starving.”

“You’re not upset about this, right?” James asked, grabbing the waist of Mandy’s shorts so she couldn’t wander away. “You don’t blame me for her showing up, do you?”

“James, I’ve been unreasonable where Madeline is concerned,” Mandy said, licking her lips. “I trust you. If I gave you the impression I don’t … well … that was mean. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around some things and I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair.”

“Life isn’t fair, baby,” James said, cupping the back of her head. “I would never cheat on you. I wouldn’t want to cheat on you. There’s no other woman who would get so turned on by sharks that she had to jump me in the middle of an underwater feeding frenzy. You’re unique … and you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Right back at you,” Mandy said, smacking her lips against his. “Things are only going to get better when I find those chicken things.”

“Go nuts,” James said, patting her rear end. “I’ll get rid of the wicked witch while you get ready for me to give you a magical afternoon. That sounds just about perfect to me.”

“Me, too.”

“
H
EY
,”
Grady said, his voice full of faux brightness as he watched James walk out of the guesthouse.

James checked his boxer shorts to make sure everything was in place and then regarded his brother with a dark look. “Hey? You’ve got some nerve showing up here unannounced on a Sunday.”

“She called and claimed it was important that she see you,” Grady said. “I tried calling, but you guys didn’t answer.”

“Our cell phones are in the house,” James said, tugging his hand through his hair. “I forgot about that. I’m sorry. We got distracted.”

“I noticed,” Grady said, grinning. “I see Mandy finally got up the courage to go back to the guesthouse. Did you take my advice and carry her in there?”

“She went on her own,” James replied. “I did follow her like a lost puppy dog, though. She loves what you did with the space, by the way. She almost cried.”

“I don’t want her to cry,” Grady protested. “That’s supposed to be a happy place.”

“Oh, it’s a happy place.” James’ smile was sly. “It was a happy place twice already today.”

Grady snorted. “What was her favorite part?”

“It’s hard to say,” James said. “She loved that shark head you found with the scuba tank. She jumped me when I showed her the shark videos I put in, though.”

“I’m glad she’s happy,” Grady said, sobering. “She deserves a little happiness.”

“She’s going to get even more once I take care of the Madeline situation,” James said, glancing around the patio. “Where did she go?”

“She headed inside,” Grady said. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“No. I want you to and help Mandy find the pancake molds she’s looking for. I think she wants to thank you in private for what you did to the guesthouse. This is the perfect opportunity.”

“You want me to keep her busy so Madeline doesn’t say anything mean, right?”

James nodded. “I’m this close to ending our little business arrangement,” he said, lifting his pinched fingers for emphasis. “We both know why she insisted on seeing me. She was pretty obvious at the festival yesterday.”

“I didn’t even know she was at the festival yesterday,” Grady admitted. “What did she say?”

“She showed up in the booth across from us when Mandy was looking at art prints and then when I got back to the picnic table with our lunch she was sitting with Mandy and made a point of asking if Mandy forced me to go to art fairs with her,” James replied. “I’m sick of her. I shouldn’t have taken the job. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were thinking you needed a distraction to keep your mind off Mandy,” Grady supplied. “It sounds like Mandy is almost back to her old self, though. I don’t think you need a distraction any longer.”

“She’s almost back to her old self,” James agreed. “Now I just have to get her to hold the baby.”

“You won’t hold the baby.”

“I won’t hold the baby for different reasons,” James clarified. “She still sees blood on her hands and she doesn’t want to hold the baby with tainted hands. I hate that. She rid the world of an animal and she feels guilty about it. I don’t know how to fix it, but today was a good start.”

“I’ll check on Mandy,” Grady said, patting his brother’s shoulder. “Wait … she’s dressed, right? I’m afraid to see her naked.”

“You make me want to beat you,” James muttered, turning toward the house.

“
W
HAT’S
up
, kid?” Grady asked, appearing in the doorway to Mandy’s studio a few minutes later. “I hear you need help looking for pancake molds.”

“I found them,” Mandy said, waving the package gripped in her hand as she stood. “I was just checking my paint supplies to see if I needed to buy anything before doing the mural downstairs. Thank you for that, by the way. You have no idea how much you’ve … touched me.”

Grady pressed his lips together, conflicted. “Don’t tell my brother I touched you without a little bit of context,” he said finally, going for levity. “He’ll kill me.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it,” Mandy said, taking a step toward him. “Thank you for what you did.”

“I didn’t do anything, Mandy,” Grady said, chafing under her earnest stare. “I thought the family hero deserved to have a fun place to hang out.”

“You did a lot and you know it,” Mandy countered. “I know you’re not keen on taking credit or accolades – or affection, for that matter – but I love you, Grady.”

Mandy surprised Grady when she leaned in to give him a hug. Grady returned the embrace and then snagged the pancake molds so he had something to focus on other than the lump in his throat.

“These are chickens,” Grady said.

“They are.”

“Why are you making pancakes that look like chickens?”

“Because we’re going to put them in dirty situations and then reenact said dirty situations after breakfast,” Mandy answered.

Grady barked out a laugh and slung an arm around Mandy’s shoulders as they moved toward the stairs. “I love that you and James are absolutely filthy and never fail to admit it.”

“I love that, too.”

“
W
HAT
do
you think you’re doing showing up at my house on a Sunday?” James asked, barreling into the kitchen. He opted to be on the offensive from the start. He didn’t want to give Madeline any wiggle room.

“I wanted to talk to you about upgrading the lights in the parking lot,” Madeline replied, resting her hands on her hips and taking up a defiant stance. “I don’t think the ones you picked are bright enough.”

“The ones we picked work with the cameras,” James shot back. “If you pick something brighter you’ll get a glare on the video feeds and that could obscure identification. You need to decide if the cameras or lights are more important.”

“Oh, well, maybe we should sit down and talk about it.” Madeline sounded reasonable, and yet James knew exactly what she as doing.

“No.” James shook his head. “It’s Sunday. I’m spending the entire day with my wife.”

“You’re going to do it again?” Madeline was scandalized. “Are you guys animals?”

“Sharks, actually.”

“I don’t know what kinky thing you’ve got going on with your precious wife, but I would think business is more important.”

“Then you don’t know me at all,” James said. “My wife is the most important thing in the world to me. We’re spending the day together. If I thought I could talk her into calling in sick to work tomorrow, we’d extend our weekend. She’s too diligent for that, though.

“I’m not an idiot, Madeline,” he continued. “I know why you were at the festival yesterday. I know you were following us. The only thing you have going for you is that I don’t think Mandy realizes what was going on.”

“I was not following you!”

“Don’t push me,” James warned. “I know what you were doing. Jake is in charge of your job. I will text him and have him set up a meeting with you about the lights. Don’t ever come to my house again. While you’re at it, don’t ever approach my wife again either. I don’t like the way you talk to her and I definitely don’t like the way you look at her.”

“And what way is that?” Madeline challenged.

“Like she’s competition,” James replied, not missing a beat. “She’s not competition, though. She’s already won. You lost before you tried to join the game. I could never love you. That was true before I met Mandy and it’s definitely true now. Stay away from my wife.”