Thankfully, JJ didn’t launch into some curiosity quest, choosing rather to get right to what mattered. “So, I did some more digging like I told you I would, and I came up with some information that might help us.”
Reese was grateful she was talking to Brantley and not looking at him.
“Juliet Prince, whose maiden name is Aronda, was born and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. Yes, before you freak out, it is the hometown of Britney Spears.”
Her excitement at the fun fact made Reese grin. He got the sneaking suspicion Brantley was one of the few people on earth who didn’t know who the famously infamous pop star even was.
JJ winked at him, then looked back to Brantley and continued, “Anyway. Juliet grew up in Louisiana, but her family spent a lot of time on the Mississippi shores. From what I can tell, they enjoyed vacationing there every year. It was during one of those trips that Juliet was introduced to Nicholas Prince. Seems the good businessman had been doing some vacationing himself. Which actually translates to cheating on his second wife after he stumbled upon the much younger Juliet. Who the hell knows what an eighteen-year-old girl saw in a man twice her age, but from all accounts, it was love at first sight.”
“And this means what to us?” Brantley asked, nodding for JJ to lead the way into the house.
Reese followed at a respectful distance, which worked for him, twofold. One, it allowed him to get his bearings, which were still off-kilter thanks to that mind-blowing kiss. And two, it gave him a chance to ogle Brantley from behind without anyone realizing.
He noticed the way Brantley’s big hand held open the screen door, his long fingers curled around the edge. It brought to mind the way he’d touched Reese’s cheek. It also had him thinking about what those hands would feel like on him.
Reese had to adjust himself as he walked, cursing the damn Wranglers he wore. If this kept up, he’d have to make some serious adjustments to his wardrobe.
“Her upbringing is really no concern,” JJ answered, “other than the fact that we’ve learned that Juliet loves the beach. I’d go so far as to say she’s obsessed with it. When she married Nicholas—”
“Wait.” Brantley pulled up short when he stepped into what should’ve been a dining room if it’d had a table. “You said we’ve learned.” His dark eyebrows rose. “Who’s we, JJ?”
Reese was impressed by the way she didn’t back down, holding her ground against the much larger man.
“We,” she bit out. “As in Dante and I. I needed help. He offered.”
“I thought you were gonna get Cyrus to help you.”
“I asked. He had somethin’ else to do but promised to stop by when he could.”
Curious as to the battle brewing behind Brantley’s blue-gray gaze, Reese remained at a distance, watching the pair face off with one another. For a brief moment, he thought Brantley was going to launch into a tirade. Instead, he took a deep breath, his shoulders visibly relaxing.
“Is Dante here now?”
“He is,” she answered quickly and without concern. “He’s in the barn. I came up to the house because I saw your truck pull up on the cameras. When you didn’t show up, I thought maybe you needed help.” JJ’s gaze swung around to him and she smiled brightly. “I realized quickly that you definitely did not need my help, but by then, I’d already made the trek.”
Reese felt his ears catch fire, and rather than stand there beneath her scrutiny, he marched around them into the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he turned his attention out the back door. It wasn’t until he was taking a drink to cool the heat in his throat that he realized how easily he moved around the place. Almost as though he was familiar there.
Of course, he was. More so than he probably should’ve been.
“Could you give us a few minutes?” he heard Brantley tell JJ. “Then we’ll meet you in the barn.”
There was no response from JJ, or if there was, it was too low for him to hear. A minute later, JJ crossed through his line of sight, out the back door, and headed toward the barn.
“Hey, you okay?”
Reese nodded, knowing the question was for him. He could sense Brantley standing behind him, could almost feel the concern coming off the guy.
“If you’re worried she’ll say somethin’…”
Reese set the bottle of water on the counter, then turned to face Brantley. “I’m not worried about who knows.”
Brantley held his gaze, nodding in understanding.
“I just don’t want there to be any confusion.”
He watched Brantley tilt his head back just slightly, eyes hooded as he peered down his nose. It was something he did when he was being addressed and he wasn’t exactly sure about what the point of the conversation was. Reese had seen him do it a dozen times and he found the move uniquely sexy.
