Page 96 of Operation K-9 Brothers

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“When’s the baby due?”

Nichole blinked at Jack’s grandmother.“What baby?”

“The one you’re going to give me before I die.”

Jack sighed as he poured syrup over his pancakes.“Grammie, you’re not going to die.At least, not soon.Besides, she hasn’t asked me to marry her yet, so first things first.”

Nichole choked on the coffee she was swallowing, getting an amused glance from Jack.Only three days had passed since he’d brought up living together, and they so weren’t ready for marriage or babies.

“Well, what are you waiting for, dear?Ask him.”

Over pancakes with his Grammie watching?So not happening.“Ah...”

“Next you’re going to want to watch us make a baby,” Jack said, narrowing his eyes at his grandmother.

“Don’t be silly, Jackie.You can just tell me when the deed is done.”

Grammie—what she’d ordered Nichole to call her—looked at Nichole and winked.The woman loved messing with her grandson, and it was amusing to see.Nichole grinned.Grammie and her cohorts in crime, especially Mary, were a hoot as long as their attention wasn’t on her.

This morning Grammie and Mary had given her and Jack each a copy of theKama Sutra.Nichole had heard of the book detailing sex techniques, and when she’d flipped through it with the two ladies watching, she’d slammed it closed, hoping her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.

“You didn’t look inside yours,” she’d said to Jack.

He snorted.“Word of advice, never ever open anything those two give you until you’re alone.”

She’d definitely remember that for all future presents from Grammie and Mary.Embarrassing or not, though, they sure made life interesting.She’d have to learn to take them in stride, or at least pretend to and not turn beet red like she had with theKama Sutrabook.

“I can’t believe you did this,” Nichole said, glancing at Jack, who was wearing a pleased-with-himself-smile.Three weeks had passed since he’d brought up living together, and he hadn’t mentioned it since.She’d begun to think he’d changed his mind.

“I want you to live with me, and to do that, you need a studio, so I built you one.”

She snapped her fingers.“Just like that?”

“For you, baby, I’ll move mountains.”

His words made her feel all warm and gooey inside.“Don’t mind me.I’m just going to melt in a puddle at your feet.”

“I’d rather you stayed a person.Hard to do this to a puddle.”

He cupped her face, lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her with such loving tenderness that she was sure she was going to melt anyway.No man in her life had treated her with so much respect and care before, and she loved him for it.

“I can’t believe you built this so fast.”The room had been added to the back of his garage and was bigger than her studio.She loved the windows that let in light, which she’d always missed in her garage studio.

“Had some help.Deke and a few of his cop buddies pitched in.He also knew someone that fast-tracked getting a permit.”He moved behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and rested his head on hers.“I thought you’d want to decide on where you wanted shelves and stuff, so we didn’t do anything to the inside other than the sink and counter.”

“Oh, boy.”Excited, she clapped her hands.“I’m going to have so much fun doing that.When I set up my garage for a studio, it was when I was first starting, and I really didn’t know what I was doing.Now I do.”

He chuckled.“I guess I know what we’re going to be doing this weekend.”

“Hell, yeah!”

“Right after you move in with me,” he added.

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

“Then let me remind you.”He backed her to the wall, and did he ever remind her.