I groan and close my eyes, trying to calm myself because this sure as hell isn't helping my hard-on. I take in her body-hugging skirt and white blouse. Her hair is pulled back into a matronly bun. And she's wearing glasses. Fuck. Me.
Little Miss Wild-In-The-Sack looks like a walking wet dream.
What the hell is she doing here?
11
Summer
Oh crap. I knew this was going to go badly when I was assigned this case. It's not like I had a choice. When the boss from hell tells you you're taking this case, you take it. Hell, you jump at it. Which is exactly what I did—Jace Warner or no Jace Warner.
Then the bossman threw in the real reason why. Cold filled my body. I hated getting any special treatment because of who I am. I tried to stop that from happening. I even went so far as to change my last name to my mother's maiden name. Somehow everyone always finds out. Then I either get treated like royalty or shit—in this case I think it's a bit of both.
Kennedy Caldwell. Holy crap. He is fine. His jeans loose and well-worn hug his thighs and ass with perfect definition. And that tight white tee he has on. I feel the need to fan myself—and this is before I step out of the cool air-conditioned mansion and into the hot California sun.
Kennedy looks at me with a smirk when Jace asks what I'm doing here and I can't hide the blush that creeps up my neck to my cheeks.
"She's from DCFS, man," Kennedy relays and, just like that, Jace's warm and inviting demeanor turns hard as steel.
"You're a social worker?" he asks with disbelief.
I nearly snort. What? Social workers can't have a weekend-long romp in a rockstar's bed?
"I am," I tell him with more confidence than I'm feeling.
"That sure didn't take long, did it?" he sneers, walking over to the beautiful girl playing in the pool.
"I was assigned the case this morning," I tell him awkwardly when he makes no move to step out of the pool. "This would go much easier if we could sit down somewhere and discuss—"
His eyes flash annoyance. "Nuh-uh. You came here unannounced. You came here and interrupted my time with my daughter, so, I'm sorry, honey, you're gonna wait until I'm damn good and ready to give you the time of day."
"Daddy, you sweared," the water bug scolds. Just that fast bad-boy rocker Jace Warner's whole demeanor melts. It's captivating. It's so sweet. It's sexy as hell.
He smiles at her. "I'm sorry, pumpkin. I forgot for a minute."
She nods, her long, wet ponytail slapping against her back as she does. "S'okay. Mommy forgets sometimes too."
All the air gets sucked from my lungs as I see grief, anger, and determination flit across Jace's features. The last is the Jace I know. The first two I'm positive I'll be getting more than a glimpse of soon.
"I need to go potty, Daddy," Kadence announces, already paddling her way to the stairs of the large pool.
"I can take her," Kennedy says, startling me. I forgot he was standing there, and from the way he's looking at me, he saw more than he should have. His brows furrow as I straighten my spine and lift my chin, hardening myself to the social worker I promised myself I'd be.
"I'll go with Uncle Ken-Ken," Kadence mutters as Kennedy wraps her in a large towel, drying her body and removing the floaties.
Jace blows kisses to Kadence and the little girl giggles.
"Thanks, man."
Kennedy nods.
Watching them love and care so tenderly for this little girl, I swear my ovaries are about to explode. Then—holy crap—Jace steps out of the pool in nothing but a pair of board shorts. His body exactly as I remember. Long, lean, muscled... The man is ripped! That V that goes down... I remember licking chocolate sauce off his chest. I'm starting to sweat and it's not from the California sun.
Get it together, Summer. Professional. You are a professional. You can do this.
Jace takes a seat in one of the chairs tucked beneath a patio table. He waves a hand for me to sit. "May as well get this over with."
I take a seat in the chair that's shaded by the open umbrella over the table, setting my folder and briefcase on the table.
"Look, Mr. Warner—" I begin, only to have Jace cut me off.
He stares into my eyes. “I’ve been inside you, Summer—more than once. You had my cock down your throat. I ate your pussy for breakfast. Let’s just keep it to Jace, yeah?” he mutters, more than a little annoyed.
My face flames and moisture pools between my thighs at the memory. Oh man, he was so good with that tongue, his fingers—and that gloriously endowed cock. I press my legs together and work hard not to squirm in my chair. Damn him.
So he's going to act like a dick and get defensive? Fine.
"Fine. Jace, I'm not here to cause any problems for you." He snorts and I grit my teeth. "I'm here to ensure that Kadence's transition is smooth and to be here to help you get through any events that might cause you or your daughter any discomfort or distress."
"You're here to help me? Why is it I don't believe you?"
"Because you, like everyone else, is wary of a social worker who comes into your home. You feel threatened and afraid, but I can assure you, Jace, I am not here to take your daughter from you. She has been through more than enough upheaval and it's my hope not to bring any more to her life," I tell him honestly.
"So why so formal, Summer? Why not call? I gave you my number. Do they make you go for the shock factor when you just show up at the door? Do they teach you to do that?" he asks, bitterly.
"If you'd have looked at your phone in the last twenty-four hours you'd have seen that I did, indeed, call, and that it was after business hours. I tried to give you a heads-up so keep the attitude to yourself," I bite out. I am better than this. Letting my emotions get the best of me. I sigh. "Look. I just need to see that Kadence is well and happy in her new environment. It would go much faster and smoother if you'd cooperate a little."
It's his turn to sigh. "Fine. What do you need?"
"I need you to verify that this information is correct," I tell him as I hand him a packet of paperwork regarding Sydney Julius-Warner and her directives as far as Kadence is concerned.
Kadence skips out the patio door toward us.
"And if you don't mind, I'd like Kadence to show me her new bedroom?"
He nods and starts to get up. I shake my head.
"Just me and Kadence please."
He narrows his eyes and I see the distrust. I can't say as I blame him. I wouldn't trust me either.
"I just want to get a feel for her comfort level, Jace."
The eyes are still narrowed. "Fine. Kadence, this is Summer. She's a nice lady who would like it if you would show her your bedroom."
Kadence nods enthusiastically. "It's soooo pretty. It's pink and it has ruffles and unicorns and rainbows."
I hold out my hand to the precious little beauty and she immediately takes it. She trusts her father to not put her in harm's way. It's a pretty amazing thing, too, since they've known each other for less than a week.
"Do you like living here with your daddy?" I ask.
She nods. "Yep. I wish my mommy could live here with us, but she's up in heaven with the angels."
I suck in a breath and put a calming hand over my heart. Hearing her talk about it so matter-of-factly tells me she doesn't realize the enormity of what's happened—the finality of death. That's going to bring some big problems for Jace and company.
We play with Kadence's toys and talk a lot about her mom. Kadence brings up Jace more than once citing that her mother told her about her daddy every day. I've got to give the woman credit. She taught this little girl to love her father even if he wasn't a part of her life. Why he wasn't part of her life baffles me, but that's not something we can delve into past what we already know from Sydney's final wishes.
My heart nearly beats out of my chest when Luciana Russo-Kingston and her husband, Jesse, walk into the bedroom. Holy crap. These two are a force to be reckoned with. Did Jace send them in here
or did they come on their own?
I stand from where I'd been sitting on the carpeted floor and hold out a hand. "Mr. and Mrs. Kingston. I'm Summer Stephens—"
Lucy takes my hand. "From DCFS."
I nod.
Jesse steps up behind Lucy, his front touching her back as if he can't stand the thought of them not being linked in some way. That's an intense kind of love. A scary kind of love.
"I just came in to get Kadi showered and into some dry clothes," Lucy tells me, but the look in Jesse's eyes tells me there's so much more to it.
I just nod then smile down at Kadence.
"It was lovely to meet you… and Rainbow. Maybe we can play again sometime?" I question.
Kadence nods. "Aunt Lucy, me and Summer played sliding rainbow."
Lucy makes the appropriate noises of enthusiasm but I see it in the stiffness of her shoulders. She doesn't want me here and she doesn't want me to come back. It's my damn job. I have to come back. I have to make sure this little girl isn't seeing things she shouldn't be seeing, that she isn't living the stereotypical life of the daughter of a rockstar. With the fact that there are so many single male rockstars who have the reputation of being a manwhore, I have to do my job for the well-being of this little girl.
"See you later," Kadence calls out as Lucy leads her into the bathroom.
Jesse stands there, arms crossed over his chest as he stares me down. I know he's trying to intimidate me but I hate to tell him: it isn't gonna happen. I've squared off with bigger rockstars than him and when there's a child's welfare at stake, I don't bend. Not a single millimeter.
"She's fine here," Jesse states, breaking the silence.
I nod. "She seems to be adjusting very well."
"She's fine here," he says again.
I lift a brow. "That very well may be, but until I make sure of that myself, I'll continue to check up on that sweet little girl. I didn't come here to rip her away from Jace, or any of you for that matter. My only job is to ensure the safety and well-being of Kadence. You can either accept it or get out of my way because just the thought of that little girl having to see or be part of…" I break off. "Well, that's a whole lot scarier than you are." I walk out of the room and head back toward the patio. At least I hope this is the right way.
I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the sunlight filling the room ahead of me.
"… gonna do if she gives custody to the grandpa?"
"That's not gonna fucking happen. Ever," Jace growls.
I fold my arms across my chest and lean against the doorjamb to hear what else they're going to discuss amongst themselves instead of reading the paperwork to find out that isn't even a possibility. Sydney's father has a history of alcoholism and abuse of both his wife and daughter. There's no way in hell I would ever put Kadence in his care. And as for Jace's parents? Over my dead body.
"You think she's here to stir up shit?" someone asks.
"I want to say no, but… fuck! She's a social worker, you know? How can I know for sure? What if we do or say something wrong? Is that grounds for her to take my baby girl away?" Jace asks, genuine fear shaking his voice.
"Not gonna fucking happen, man. You know Cage won't allow that," another voice tells him.
I roll my eyes. One of the worst things they can do is get a known mobster involved in that little girl's life. With all the shootings and deaths that have been happening within the Russo Famiglia, that's putting Kadence at risk. Not a good decision.
"Yeah. Christ, Ken, how did everything get so fucked up?" Jace asks.
"Dude, just breathe. It's all gonna work out."
"You can't know that."
I step forward out onto the patio. "No, he can't, but I can."
They all turn to me in surprise, then annoyance. The feeling is mutual, boys.
"You can't guarantee it," Jace says to me, narrowing his eyes.
"Nope, I can't, but from what I've seen so far, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Now, that's not to say the next time I stop over for a surprise visit that the situation will be ideal. I don’t know what goes on in this home, but it's my job to find out." I hold up a hand when Jace goes to blast me. "It's for Kadence's welfare. The last thing I want to do is take that sweet girl away from you."
He nods, his relief palpable.
I walk to the table and pick up my briefcase. "You might want to read the paperwork, Mr. Warner."
"We're back to Mr. Warner?" Jace asks with a brow raised.
I shrug a shoulder and head to the patio doors before looking back over my shoulder at Jace Warner, Kennedy Caldwell, and Xander Mackenzie—three of the hottest men alive. It's all I can do not to swoon. I want to touch the beard Xander's grown since the last time I saw him in the media circus that usually surrounds them.
"Oh, and you don't need to worry about any of the grandparents. The only way they'd get custody of Kadence is over my dead body."
With that, I sway my hips a bit more than usual, and stroll calmly out the front door. When I get to my car, I drive through the gates and after a couple of blocks, I pull over. I rest my forehead against the steering wheel.
Holy crap. This case is going to be hell on my nerves and my libido.
12
Jace
"So that was the 'weekend'?" Xander asks.
I nod. Hell yeah, she was. The fact that she's been stuck in my mind for months hasn't gone unnoticed by the fucker sitting across the table, and I just know he's about to give me shit about it.
"You've been hung up on her for months, dude. If you were waiting for a written invitation, I think you just received it," Xan tells me.
I look up at him, surprised by his serious tone instead of the taunting one I was expecting.
"Yeah, I think all chances of that happening are now gone. She's Kadi's social worker for fuck's sake," I remind him.
Kennedy leans forward. "And since when has that stopped any of us from going after what we want?"
I frown. "Yeah, I know, but I don't want any of this to come back on Kadi if it goes bad."
"You're such a fucking idiot," Xander says with a laugh. "Seriously, dude, she spelled it out in black and white that she wasn't going to hurt that girl. You heard what she said about y'all's parents."
"Over her dead body, man," Kennedy reminds me, not that I needed the reminder. I saw the glint in her eyes telling me she was dead serious.
I also saw the heat. I remember the heat.
"We'll see what happens."
The guys don't say anything more and I'm glad we're going to leave it at that. There's no way I can tell them that I'm turning into a chick remembering that weekend with her—and not just the sex. I remember breakfast in bed. I remember going to the club. Sitting in the corner booth where it was dark and secluded. Touching Summer in that booth until her body shook, on the verge of coming around my fingers. Then Summer straddling my lap and fucking me right there for anyone to see and hear—because neither of us were quiet.
Christ, she's hot.
And now I'm hard.
I'd love to get her under me, over me, beside me again. I smirk, thinking of how she never called. I'd bet my next paycheck she'd wanted to. I saw the look she gave me. I saw the heat in her eyes. She never called, but now I don't need her to.
Now, she can't avoid me.
I smirk again.
Summer Stephens, let the games begin.
I didn't see her again for another five days. It just so happens we're now on our way to the studio to start recording the next record.
"Oh," Summer says, startled at my sudden appearance at the door. She hadn't even had a chance to ring the bell. "You're heading out."
"Yeah. Just to the studio," I answer, taking in her short beige skirt and pale pink blouse. The blouse was see-through. I nearly groan aloud as I take in the lacy cups hugging her full, firm breasts. I remember taking those pink nipples into my mouth and sucking them hard, biting the tips, licking them. Fuck. I'm hard again.
&
nbsp; "I can come back," Summer tells me.
I look her over as an idea forms. "Nah. You can come with us."
Her eyes widen. "Go with you?"
I nod. "Yep. You want to see what Kadi's life is like, right?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"This is something she'll be part of so you may as well hang out and observe, ask her questions and shit," I tell her, dismissing her attempts at rescheduling.
"But—"
"Miss Summer!" Kadi shouts as she bounces up next to Summer, grabbing her hand. "Are you coming with us?"
Summer looks around uneasily while everyone else watches on, amused at my ambush. I give myself a mental pat on the back.
"I'm not sure—" Summer begins.
"Yep, Miss Summer is coming along with us. She may have some questions for you and maybe you have some for her. She wants to make sure you're as happy and safe with me as you were with your mom," I tell her honestly.
"I've got lots of happy, Miss Summer." Kadi smiles.
"I can see that." Summer looks up at me. "Are you sure that I won't be in the way?"
"Sugar, you'll be just fine, but if you want to be in someone's way, get in Jace's. I think he likes it when you're in his way," Ben answers with a smile.
Summer blushes and I bite back a grin.
"Anytime, darlin'. Anytime you want," I tell her with a wink.
We take the caravan of town cars and black SUVs to Nichols Records. The tall gold building stands out amongst the rest, bright and shiny whereas the others are unoriginal and not the least bit noteworthy.
I saw the looks on Jesse’s and Lucy’s face when Summer was at the door and I know what those looks mean. I get it. I do. But the chick has a job to do, like it or not. For me it’s definitely not—even if it’s the reason I finally got to see her again.
I don’t think Summer’s out to take Kadi from me. She doesn’t seem like the type to do something like that just for the sake of doing it.
Though, what do I know? I spent a weekend with her and we did quite a bit of talking between fucking, but it was only a weekend.