Page 1 of Deadly Forever

1

One

“There’s my little hen.”

James Hardy grinned as he dropped a kiss on his wife’s forehead upon entering their house. It was the thick of summer, so he expected to find her floating in their pool – bathing suit optional, of course – but instead she was fully dressed and fluttering around the kitchen counter. Since he left work early with the intention of playing a few water games, her demeanor didn’t bode well for his plans.

For her part, Mandy Avery-Hardy merely rolled her eyes as she checked the contents of her purse. “If I’m a hen, does that make you a rooster?”

“That depends,” James answered, moving closer and exhaling on the sensitive ridge of his wife’s ear. “Do you want to go upstairs and let me crow?”

Mandy involuntarily shuddered at his sexy tone even as she steeled herself for a litany of complaints. She knew James came home expecting a little afternoon delight. He was going to have to find it with himself, though.

“You can crow to me later,” Mandy offered, disengaging herself from James’ hands as they drifted over her hips. “In fact, you can crow multiple times if you want.”

James stilled, narrowing one eye as he looked his wife up and down. She was a beautiful woman on a normal day, but she appeared especially pretty today. Er, to be fair, she seemed to be working overtime to be pretty today. James found his wife irresistible when she wore no makeup and dressed down. He didn’t mind it when she applied makeup, but he thought she was prettier in her natural state. Today she was all made up for … something. He couldn’t remember what, though.

“Oh, don’t blow a gasket,” Mandy chided, shaking her blond head. “I can see your mind working from here. You’re asking yourself if we had plans and you forgot them or something.”

“I am not,” James protested, making a face. That was exactly what he’d been doing, but he’d been married long enough to know that it was dangerous to admit anything of the sort. “I remember exactly what we’re doing.”

Mandy crossed her arms over her chest and locked gazes with her husband. “What are we doing?”

James licked his lips. He shouldn’t have made such an erroneous boast. She was going to catch him in a lie, and no matter how minor, he was going to look like an idiot when this was all said and done. He had no doubt about that. “We’re ... going out to a special seafood dinner.”

James played a hunch. Mandy loved seafood and they enjoyed romantic dinners together. They went out at least twice a week. It was a safe bet.

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Mandy intoned, patting his arm. “It’s noon, though, and we usually go out to dinner after five.”

“Oh.” James owned Hardy Brothers Security, a security business in Southeastern Michigan, so he was understandably embarrassed by his guess. He should’ve realized it was far too early in the day for them to fixate on dinner. They were a very food-oriented couple, though. He was simply playing the odds. “Do we have a lunch date?”

Mandy pressed her lips together as she tilted her head to the side. She loved her husband beyond reason, but she was well aware she was about to irritate him. “I don’t have a date with you at all,” she replied, choosing her words carefully. “I have a date with someone else.”

James made an annoyed growling sound in the back of his throat and stared at Mandy, practically daring her to say she was going out with another man. He wasn’t overtly territorial – okay, he was, but not in an oppressive way – but he could tell his wife was about to spring something irksome on him. “Who are you going out with?”

“I’m going out with four someones.”

James rubbed his hand over his chin and then the corners of his mouth tipped up. “You’re going wedding dress shopping with Ally, Sophie, and Emma, aren’t you?”

Mandy matched him grin for grin and nodded. “We’re doing final dress fittings today,” she explained. “As the matron of honor for all three of them, I have a special dress, too. I even got to pick it out myself. I think you’re going to like it.”

“I like it best when you’re naked,” James said, guileless. “Can you be naked to do this important job?”

Mandy made an annoyed “well, duh” face that caused James’ heart to flip. He wanted to kiss her senseless and that’s exactly what he was moving to do when his wife slipped away from him.

“No way,” Mandy chided, wagging a finger as James scowled. “If you kiss me you’ll somehow convince me that going upstairs is a good idea and we’ll get naked.”

James wasn’t about to be dissuaded by his wife’s stern face. “You say that like it’s a bad thing, baby.”

Mandy loved his hangdog expression but she had no intention of letting him manipulate her. “You’re the one who suggested we do a triple wedding,” she reminded him. “We’ve got three grooms and three brides and instead of handling three separate shindigs, you’re the one who suggested one massive event. This is your fault.”

James shrugged. He couldn’t really argue with the assessment. His brothers Finn and Grady both got engaged to their girlfriends at the same time his co-worker and friend Jake Harrison proposed to his sister Ally. Since the idea of three weddings in short succession made James want to punch someone – or at least run away to a sandy beach until all of the planning was over – he suggested uniting the events.

At first there was a lot of complaining. Sophie Lane, Grady’s fiancée, didn’t want a big wedding. Emma Pritchard, Finn’s fiancée, didn’t have a lot of friends so she wanted an intimate affair. Ally Hardy, on the other hand, wanted to be viewed as a princess and wear an actual tiara. When James pointed out that he would be willing to foot the bill for a triple wedding, though, everyone jumped on board. Now the incredibly tight family was only days away from the big event – and it was starting to fray everyone’s nerves.

“I didn’t hear you complaining when I came up with the idea,” James pointed out. “You thought it was awesome because you’re the matron of honor for everyone and you didn’t want to go through three ceremonies any more than I did.”

“You came up with the idea to save yourself from being the best man three times,” Mandy countered. “Don’t deny that.”