Mercury took another sip of his beer. Had it been anyone other than Jaye, he would have told them he didn’t have to explain a damn thing. But with Jaye he did.

  “I guess I’ll start from the beginning. My version and not Jonas’s.”

  “All right.”

  It took him longer than he’d expected to cover everything with Jaye, only because Nancy Ormond showed up trying to get his attention, which he refused to give her. They’d been involved a few months ago, but he had immediately dropped her after she began hinting that her biological clock was ticking. As far as he’d been concerned, that wasn’t his problem, and he’d quickly removed himself from the situation before she got any ideas about him being some baby daddy.

  “So, let me get this straight,” Jaye said, when Mercury had finally finished. “Drew told you to fix the problem, one you didn’t make, I might add...and you figured the solution was to lay cash on her, buy her a car and put her in an apartment?”

  Mercury knew that sounded kind of crazy, but Jaye was right. “The money in her account is a loan, and because she doesn’t have any established credit, I had to put the car and apartment in my name.”

  “Does she know that?”

  “Heck no. She would have had a holy cow, but putting them in my name was the only way she could have gotten them. She’ll be paying me back for the car and the loan, and the apartment will transfer to her name after six months.”

  He took a swig of his beer, then added, “When I heard Sloan’s mother talking to her that way, demanding she marry some prick she didn’t even like—who has a woman he wants as his mistress, I might add—I knew I had to do something.”

  “Why?”

  Mercury’s brows arched. “Why what?”

  “Why did you feel you had to do something?”

  Mercury rolled his eyes. “Did you not hear anything I said? Were you not listening? The woman was in one messy situation.”

  Jaye shrugged. “And that was your problem how?”

  Mercury stared at Jaye. His friend was not some uncaring ass, which meant he was asking him the question for a reason. He had a feeling Jaye wanted him to think through what he’d done. Jaye was late because Mercury had thought things through and was convinced, no matter how it looked to others, helping Sloan out the way he had was the right thing to do. “I told you, Dad told me to handle it.”

  Jaye leaned back in his chair. “Be careful, Mercury. From what I saw today, it’s obvious Sloan Donahue has a problem with depending on others.”

  “That might be the case, but when you don’t have a penny to your name, you have to start somewhere and accept help when offered.” Mercury didn’t say anything for a minute. Then he asked, “Is there a reason for the lecture, Jaye?”

  Jaye took a swallow of his beer. “Yes. I don’t want you to make the same mistake with Sloan Donahue that I made with Velvet.”

  Mercury noted that Jaye hadn’t mentioned Velvet in months, not since she’d moved away last year without telling Jaye where she’d gone. Jaye had been warned that one day Velvet would get tired of being his bedmate instead of becoming his wife.

  “Whoa, no comparison. You loved Velvet, although you never admitted you did. I don’t do women to fall in love. I do women for sex.”

  “If you recall, that was once my attitude as well, Mercury.”

  “No, you never did women, at least not after meeting Velvet. I knew you loved her, Jaye, and if you recall,” he said, repeating Jaye’s earlier words, “I told you that you loved her. But you refused to believe me. For three years you dated Velvet exclusively and still you honestly thought it was only about the sex.”

  “Hell, Mercury, I realize my mistake and will rectify the problem. Soon.”

  Mercury lifted a brow. “Soon? Just how are you planning to do that when you have no idea where she is?”

  “I do now. A few months ago, I hired a PI to find her. I got a call from him before leaving the office to let me know he’s found her.”

  Mercury sat up in his chair. He’d always liked Velvet, and although falling in love was not his thing, he’d known Jaye had cared for Velvet Spencer deeply, but refused to acknowledge that he had. Hell, everyone had known but Jaye. He’d discovered his feelings too late. “So, where is she?”

  Jaye met his gaze. “She’s living in a coastal town in Louisiana, an hour away from New Orleans. A place called Catalina Cove.”

  Mercury didn’t say anything for a minute. “I take it you’re going to come up with a plan to get her back.”

  A determined look appeared on Jaye’s features. “Yes, and it has to be a good one.”

  “I agree, man. She gave you plenty of chances and you blew each one.”

  “Don’t remind me.” Jaye then glanced at his watch. “It’s Thursday night. Aren’t you going over to your folks’ for dinner?”

  Mercury knew this was Jaye’s way of changing the subject. “Yes, I’m going.”

  There was no need to tell Jaye that because Mercury knew Sloan would be there, he wasn’t in any hurry to get there. There was something about being around her that made him feel vulnerable for the first time since Cherae had left and he didn’t like it one damn bit.

  Even now he remembered Sloan’s kisses. There were too many when there should not have been any. Yet the way her body felt pressed to his, the way her firm breasts and stiff nipples poked him in the chest and the way her tongue would mate with his were torments he couldn’t let go of. And to see her again meant not only remembering, but also being tempted for a repeat performance.

  “Mercury?”

  He glanced over at Jaye. “Yes?”

  “Did you hear what I just said?”

  No, Mercury inwardly admitted, he hadn’t heard. There was no need to lie about it. “Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. What did you say?”

  Normally Jaye would have given him a look that said he knew where Mercury’s mind was...which was usually on bedding some woman or another. Instead the look he saw on his best friend’s face was one of purposeful resolve.

  “I asked if you think you will ever fall in love again.”

  “No.” Mercury’s attitude about love might be confusing to some, but it shouldn’t be to Jaye. “If you recall, I was the first of my brothers to fall in love and you know what Cherae did. Once you’ve been burned you have a tendency to stay away from the fire.”

  “That’s what you’ve been doing all these years? Staying away from the fire?”

  “Yes, pretty much.”

  “Then would you like to explain your attraction to Sloan Donahue? I watched you and it’s quite obvious that you’re taken with her, although you’re trying hard not to be.”

  Mercury didn’t like that Jaye was so damn observant. No need to deny anything. “I’ll be okay once I get a handle on things.”

  “If you say so, but I’m finding that hard to believe. You’ve only known her for two days, yet...”

  “Yet what?”

  “You seem smitten.”

  Smitten? Mercury frowned. “And I think you’ve lost your mind.”

  “Possibly, but what I saw today and how you were looking at her when you thought no one was noticing says a lot.”

  In all honesty, that said more than a lot, Mercury thought. That said too damn much. If Jaye could pick up on how attracted he was to Sloan, then his brothers would, too. Hell, he had a good mind not to show up at his parents’ place for dinner tonight. But not doing so meant he would be allowing her to get next to him in a way he couldn’t control, and he refused to let that happen.

  “I’m leaving,” he said, standing and glancing at his watch. There were a couple of stops he had to make, as well as going home to change clothes.

  “Okay. Take care.”

  “And, Jaye?”

  His friend looked over at him. “Yes?”

  “I’m glad you found Velvet.”

  Jaye smiled. “Me, too, Mercury. Me, too.”

  * * *

  Sloan stared up at the five men standing in front of her. One she knew from yesterday, but the others she did not. The one thing she did know was that they were Mercury’s brothers. Four were the husbands of the very friendly women she’d met earlier—Brittany, Stacey, Nicole, who was married to Jonas, and Hunter—who’d arrived early to help Eden with dinner.

  For a minute, Sloan had felt like an intruder when the women had shown up, but they, along with Eden, had made her feel right at home. And Eden and Drew’s grandkids were to die for. The twins were simply adorable, just like Galen had said they were, and the youngest grand, Stacey and Eli’s son, had stolen her heart immediately.

  Now Sloan was eyeing the green-eyed men standing in front of her. Their eyes might have come from Eden, but their features belonged to Drew. They were the former “Bad News Steeles” minus one. Namely Mercury, who hadn’t arrived yet.

  “Sloan, let me introduce my brothers,” Galen said, smiling. “In order of ages, this is Tyson, Eli, Jonas and Gannon. Missing is Mercury, but you know him already. He fits between Jonas and Gannon.”

  Sloan smiled brightly as her gaze moved from one brother to the other. Four of them might be happily married now, but she bet they’d all been pistols before marriage. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

  “The pleasure is ours,” the one named Jonas said. “We heard about your misfortunes and we’re glad the folks were here to help.”

  “Thanks, and Mercury helped, too,” she quickly said. “If it hadn’t been for him, I would not have met your parents.”

  Eli smiled. “Then we need to commend our brother for acting the part of a hero for once in his life.”

  As far as Sloan was concerned, Mercury was a hero.

  “Speaking of Mercury, where is he?” Gannon asked, glancing down at his watch.

  “He’s late and Mom doesn’t like us to show up late. Then she thinks you only come for the meal,” Tyson tacked on, grinning.

  “Someone’s looking for me?” a deep voice said behind Sloan.

  She not only recognized the husky tone, but a sudden jolt of sexual energy in the atmosphere had announced his presence. She turned and saw him. He’d changed from the business suit he’d been wearing earlier and was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt. He looked relaxed and handsome. In the jeans and shirt, his body was hard and muscular, and she was fully aware of the length of him. All his brothers were tall, but he was taller. Only Gannon, the youngest brother, was a wee bit taller.

  “Yes, we were looking for you. We said you played the role of hero for Sloan and that was good,” Tyson said.

  “Only after I reminded him that Mom expected us to treat ladies with the utmost respect, and if there’s ever one in need, we’re there for the rescue,” Galen said.

  “Whatever.” Mercury switched his gaze to her. “Good evening, Sloan. I hope my brothers aren’t boring you to tears.”

  She chuckled. “No, I’m enjoying their company.”

  “In fact, I was just about to ask her if she’d like to take a stroll in Mom’s courtyard so I can show her all the different types of flowers she has growing there,” his brother Gannon said, smiling.

  Mercury came to stand by Sloan’s side. “No need. I gave Sloan a tour of the courtyard yesterday.” He then turned to her. “I need to talk to her about something.”

  “What about?” Gannon asked, like he had every right to know.

  “None of your business.”

  Sloan was enjoying this playful camaraderie between the brothers. She missed out on this sort of thing by being an only child. It was obvious the six had a fondness for each other, even when they were annoyed.

  “Mercury probably has to tell me something about my new car,” she said.

  Eli lifted a brow. “You got a new car?”

  She couldn’t help but beam all over the place. “Yes. Hopefully, I’ll be picking it up this Friday when I move into my apartment.”

  “Apartment? You have an apartment?” Tyson asked.

  “Yes. I signed a lease as well today, thanks to Mercury.”

  “Yes, that Mercury is such a nice guy,” Galen said, giving his brother a look Sloan couldn’t decipher.

  “Of course I am. Just like you said, Mom raised us well. Respect and rescue, right?” Mercury said, giving his brother a huge smile.

  “I’ll be glad to help you move into your apartment,” Gannon offered, taking a sip of his before-dinner drink.

  “No need—I’m taking care of Sloan.”

  She wasn’t sure she liked the implications of that, but knew Mercury hadn’t meant it the way it sounded and she figured his brothers probably knew that, as well.

  “We’ll see you guys in the dining room in a minute. Like I said, I have something to discuss with Sloan,” Mercury said before presenting his arm to her.

  She took it and he escorted her toward his mother’s office. The same one where they’d shared a kiss last night. He didn’t say anything until he’d closed the door behind him.

  “What’s going on, Mercury?” she asked him.

  After that kiss they’d shared last night and the two they’d shared today, she was somewhat nervous about being alone with him. He had a tendency to make her body feel things.

  “I need to give you this,” he said, reaching into his jeans pocket and pulling out a phone. “It’s a burner. We didn’t have time to pick one up today, so I made a stop by the store on my way here.”

  Getting one had been on her list of things to do. “Thanks. I appreciate you doing that for me. Please be sure to add the cost to the amount I owe you already. It seems I’m getting further and further into your debt, Mercury,” she said, sliding the phone into the pocket of her skirt.

  “No, you’re not. And here’s the number to it,” he said, handing that to her, as well. “And there’s something else you need to know.”

  She lifted a brow. “What?”

  “Your ex-fiancé is in town.”

  Of all the things she had expected him to say, that hadn’t been it. Harold had told her he was coming to Phoenix, but she hadn’t believed him. “How do you know?”

  “I have a friend connected to Homeland Security. As a favor, I asked her to let me know the moment his plane landed.”

  Sloan tried ignoring the fact this particular friend of his was a female. “How did you know he’d planned to come here?”

  “I overheard that part of your phone conversation with your mother. I figured that meant he knew where you were.”

  “Only because my father told him.” Anger tore into Sloan. Did Harold have no shame? “I’ve told him countless times that I won’t marry him, so coming here was a waste of his time.”

  “That might be the case, but he may need to hear it again.”

  “It won’t do any good—trust me. He has it in his head that he can do whatever the hell he wants to do where I’m concerned because he has my parents’ blessing.”

  “Sounds like you have a problem, Sloan. In that case, I’m going to give you the same advice my father always gave his sons while growing up and even after we became men.”

  “Which is?”

  “When there’s a problem, first up is to find a solution.”

  She didn’t say anything as she tried to digest his words. Good advice for anyone other than herself. She’d never had to come up with a solution to anything because her parents had always fixed her problems. Instead of helping her, she now saw they’d only been hindering her.

  “But what if the solution I come up with is not well-thought-out? And ends up causing more harm than good?” she asked, seriously needing to know. She knew what he’d said was true. Her parents were her problem and she needed to take ownership of how to deal with them.

  “It’s fine if that happens, Sloan. We’re human. We make mistakes. On the other hand, we can go back to the drawing board and start over, make new decisions, find new solutions.”

  She studied him for a minute. “Was there ever a very important problem you had to find a solution for?” For some reason she had a feeling there was.

  He broke eye contact with her to look out a single French door that led outside to his mother’s courtyard. Moments later, he glanced back at her. “Yes, there was. Finding the solution was difficult, but I did it and I’m glad I did. Taking ownership of the problem fell on me and I’m glad I made the decision that I did.”

  She nodded, wondering what had been the problem and the solution. It wasn’t any of her business and he wasn’t sharing any details. “What if my decision is impulsive?”

  He chuckled smoothly. “It can happen that way. I call them temporary fixers. But even coming up with something temporary is better than not doing anything. Never let anyone know how intimidated you might be. No matter who they are. Stand your ground. Let them see you as a strong individual, even when your knees might be shaking. Have confidence in yourself even in the face of not feeling confident. Fake it. Who’s to know?”

  She tilted her head up and looked at him, studied his features. Handsome? Yes, but there was something else she was seeing. That realization made her smile. “You mentor a lot, don’t you?”

  She could tell by his expression that her question surprised him, caught him off guard. “What makes you say that?” he asked, leaning back against his mother’s desk.

  In a way, she wished he hadn’t done that. His stance made his jeans stretch tight across a pair of muscular thighs. The same thighs that had rubbed against her today when they’d kissed. Both times. Deep feminine appreciation flowed through her. Her attraction to Mercury was becoming so intense that he could and would be placed on her problematic list. He’d become a distraction as well as a temptation. She didn’t need either. As one of her problems, she would have to find a solution to deal with him, as well.