A Little Dare - Brenda Jackson [33]
Her breath caught and she felt her nipples tingle as she again thought about the kiss they had shared. Once more she prayed for the strength and fortitude to deal with Alisdare Julian Westmoreland.
Seven
“D ad, Mom, I’d like you to meet, AJ. He’s Shelly’s boy.” Dare knew his father wouldn’t give anything away, but he wasn’t so convinced about his mother as he saw the play of emotions that crossed her features. She was looking into the face of a grandson she hadn’t known she’d had; a grandson she was very eager to claim.
Luckily for Dare, his father understood the strategy that he and Shelly were using with AJ and spoke up before his wife had a chance to react to the emotions she was trying to hold inside. “You’re a fine-looking young man, but I would expect no less coming from Shelly.” He reached out and touched AJ’s shoulder and smiled. “I’m glad you’re joining us for dinner. How’s your mother?”
“She’s fine,” AJ said quietly, bowing his head and studying his shoes.
Dare wondered what kind of docile act the kid was performing, but then another part of him wondered if when taken out of his comfort zone, AJ had a tendency to feel uneasy around people he didn’t know. Dare recalled a conversation he’d had with Shelly about AJ not being all that outgoing.
When Dare saw Thorn enter the restaurant he beckoned him over saying, “Thorn, I’d like you to meet someone. From what I gather, he’s a big fan of yours.”
AJ’s mouth literally fell open and the size of his eyes increased. He tilted his head back to gaze up at the man towering over him. “Wow! You’re Thorn Westmoreland!”
Thorn gave a slow grin. “Yes, I’m Thorn Westmoreland. Now who might you be?”
To Dare’s surprise, AJ grinned right back. It was the first look of happiness he’d seen on his son’s face, and a part of him regretted he hadn’t been the one to put it there.
“I’m AJ Brockman.”
Thorn tapped his chin with his finger a couple of times as if thinking about something. “Brockman. Brockman. I used to know a Shelly Brockman some years ago. In fact she used to be Dare’s girlfriend. Are you related to that Brockman?”
“Yes, I’m her son.”
Thorn chuckled. “Well, I’ll be,” he said, pretending he didn’t already know that fact. “And how’s your mother?”
“She’s fine.”
At that moment Dare looked up and saw his other brothers enter. More introductions were made, and, just like Thorn, they pretended they were surprised to see AJ, and no one gave anything away about knowing he was Dare’s son.
When they all sat down to eat, with AJ sitting between Thorn and Dare, it was obvious to anyone who cared to notice that the boy was definitely a Westmoreland.
Shelly put aside the novel she’d been reading when she heard the doorbell ring. A glance out the peephole confirmed it was AJ, but he wasn’t alone. Dare had walked him to the door, and with good reason. AJ was half asleep and barely standing on his feet.
She quickly opened the door to AJ’s mumblings. “I told you I could walk to the door myself without your help,” he was saying none too happily.
“Yeah, and I would have watched you fall on your face, too,” was Dare’s response Shelly stepped aside and let them both enter. “How was dinner?” she asked, closing the door behind them.
AJ didn’t answer, instead he continued walking and headed for the stairs. She gave a quick glance to Dare, who was watching AJ as he tried maneuvering the stairs. “That kid is so sleepy he can’t think straight,” he said. “You might want to help him before he falls and breaks his neck. I would do it, but I think he’s had enough of me for one evening.”
Shelly nodded, then quickly provided AJ a shoulder to lean on while he climbed the stairs.
Dare moved to stand at the foot of the stairs and watched Shelly and AJ until they were no longer in sight. He sighed deeply, thinking how his adrenaline had pumped up when Shelly had opened the door. She’d been wearing the same outfit she’d worn to his office that evening, and his gaze had been glued to her backside all the while she’d moved up the stairs, totally appreciating the sway of