Free Slow Burn (The Blake Boys Book 7) by Rhonda Laurel Page A

setting over the ridge. Phase three of her plan was out of the question for tonight, thinking maybe the fire was a sign she should stop her quest. Nothing had gone right this week and she was no closer to getting her questions answered. Now she had a new problem on her hands. As much as she hated to ruin the moment, there was a phone call they needed to make.
    “Tyler, wake up. We have to tell Morgan and Seth about the fire.” She brushed her lips against his stubbly cheek and ran a finger down his chest.
    “Later.” He pulled her closer.
    “No, right now. It’s the responsible thing to do. Although, you could be a sport and break the news for me.” She grimaced.
    “What’s the matter? You scared?” He raised an eyebrow.
    “As a matter of fact, I am.”
    Tyler propped himself up on his elbows. “It’s not as bad as it looks. The cleaners are coming tomorrow. I figure with a fresh coat of paint, we can have it fixed up like new. I agree, we can call them in a half hour, the boys should be finished eating by then. So we have some time to kill.”
    “Oh. We’ll need to put on something respectable so we can video chat with them.” Calling them after the boys had been fed was a good idea. Her friend was always in a good mood after her boys had diner.
    “Did I tell you how sexy you are?”
    “Yes you did, but feel free to repeat it.” Michelle threw his jeans at him.
    “Will I be handcuffed and sleeping on the couch again?” he asked.
    “No. You’ve been officially been paroled.”
    Michelle went into the bathroom and got dressed to keep away from Tyler’s wandering hands then bolted to the living room to tidy up. She was pleased Tyler finally came down the hallway barefoot, looking gorgeous in a gray sweater and jeans. He cleaned up nicely, even when he wasn’t trying. She used to think he was a devilish Seth, the resemblance between the brothers at first glance was remarkable. But the more time she spent with him, she realized they couldn’t be more different. Tyler’s eyebrows were a little thicker and his dimples were fainter. His eyes twinkled like he was always thinking of a dirty joke. She could see why his comparison to Seth or any of his brothers was annoying. It must have been hard to be in the midst of over achieving, successful superstars.
    “You ready?” He took her hand as he plopped down on the sofa.
    She nodded. “I guess.”
    As soon as her best friend appeared on the screen, Michelle relaxed. Morgan and Seth seemed to be enjoying a romantic moment while wrapping presents. She could see wine glasses on the table.
    “Morgan. Seth. How’s my favorite couple on the planet?” Michelle beamed.
    “Easy on the enthusiasm,” Tyler murmured.
    “We’re great. Morgan and I just finished wrapping some more presents. So we cracked open a bottle of chardonnay we picked up in California.” Seth held up a bottle of wine.
    “Later I’m going to give Seth an early Christmas present.” Morgan giggled as she leaned over to give Seth a kiss on the cheek but missed. Seth caught her in his arms.
    Michelle and Tyler both tried to keep a straight face.
    “Morgan honey, have you had too much wine?” Michelle smiled.
    “Just a little.”
    “So glad you’re in a good mood because we have something we have to tell you.”
    “What’s wrong?” Morgan squinted.
    “I was making a dish for my audition in the kitchen and kind of got sidetracked. The good news is the house is still intact. The bad news is the kitchen wall is scorched.” Michelle swallowed the golf ball sized lump in her throat.
    “Regency sent us an alert that the fire alarm had gone off.” Morgan took another sip of her wine.
    “So when you heard there was a fire here, you and Seth opted to drink wine instead of calling to check up on us?” Michelle folded her arms across her chest.
    “I was just happy it was a fire and not a homicide,” Morgan mused.
    Michelle stuck her tongue out. “I would have at least called to check on