Deadly Ever After (Hardy Brothers Security Book 6) by Lily Harper Hart

with my sister in front of me.”
    “How is rubbing her shoulders getting fresh?” Jake was confused.
    “Because, whenever James gives Mandy a massage, it leads to sex,” Ally supplied.
    “Ally,” James growled.
    “Well, it’s true,” Ally said.
    “I promise we won’t have sex at your house,” Jake said, miming a cross on his chest and holding three fingers up in a mock salute.
    “Hey, I didn’t promise that,” Ally said.
    Sophie and Emma giggled, enjoying the show.
    “What’s going on over there?” Grady asked from his spot beside the grill. “It sounds like I’m missing the fun.”
    “James is worried that Jake and Ally are going to have sex here before he gets a chance to,” Sophie teased.
    “I am not,” James protested.
    “Whatever,” Ally said, rolling her eyes and jumping to her feet. “Are we going to eat soon? I’m starving.”
     
    TWO HOURS later, James had made the rounds and locked up the house. Everyone else had left, flirty intentions evident on their faces, suggestive whispers wafting through the wind. James had encouraged Grady and Finn with winks, and he’d ignored the situation with Jake and Ally. He was still getting used to their relationship – and he was doing it with baby steps.
    James scanned the patio, making sure nothing had been left behind that might attract scavengers. When he was sure everything was clean, he made his way to the guesthouse. He found Mandy standing in the space they’d earmarked for her studio. He stood in the doorway, happy just watching her walk around the room.
    The first time they’d had dinner together, Mandy had admitted a long-held secret: She wanted to be an artist someday. Because she was who she was, she insisted on being pragmatic about it. Even though they could afford it, she refused to leave her day job. Instead of arguing the point, James had decided to pick his battles. He figured he’d revisit the idea of her quitting her job at the county courthouse so she could pursue her artistic endeavors fulltime again in a few months. Now definitely wasn’t the time.
    “What are you thinking?”
    Mandy jumped at the sound of his voice, so lost in her reverie that she hadn’t heard him approach. “I was just … daydreaming.”
    James nodded, moving behind her and slipping his arms around her waist. “Was I part of those daydreams?”
    “You’re always part of my daydreams,” Mandy said, rubbing his joined hands at her midsection.
    “Do I have a starring role? Or am I a supporting player?” James teased.
    “Your name is before the title.”
    James kissed her temple. “Do we have a twin-billing?”
    Mandy shifted in his arms, turning so she could face him. “Someone is feeling playful.”
    “I’m always feeling playful,” James said, pulling her lithe body against his. “I might be feeling a little adventurous this evening, though.”
    “And why is that?”
    “Well, it occurs to me that we haven’t had a chance to christen the new house yet,” James admitted.
    “I thought that’s what we were going to do after the honeymoon? The honeymoon you won’t tell me anything about, mind you.”
    James ignored the pointed jab. “What if I have a compromise?”
    “And what would that compromise be?”
    “Well, I was thinking we could christen the guesthouse tonight, and leave the main house for after the honeymoon.”
    Mandy arched an eyebrow. “You want to do it here?”
    James unsnapped Mandy’s shorts and slipped his hand inside, smiling as she shifted at his insistent touch. “I want to do it here.”
    “You want to do it now?”
    James rubbed the sensitive nerve bundle at the center of her being, causing her to moan. “I want to do it now.”
    “Where?”
    James covered her mouth with his, dragging her to the floor. “Right here.”
    “You’ll get rug burn,” Mandy said, giggling as she watched him strip his shirt off.
    “I’ll survive.”
    “I’ll get rug burn on my ass,” she teased.
    “You’ll