Free Steamed by Desiree Holt, Allie Standifer Page A

behind. Grant was very glad for all of them but enough was enough. He lounged in a corner of the big room, trying to make himself invisible and figure out how much longer her had to stay before he could make a polite exit. He had just slugged down the last of his club soda when he 6
    Steamed
    spotted a woman who had entered the room. For a sharp moment his breath caught and he wondered if he was having another heart attack.
    She couldn’t have been more than five foot five but she wore heels that gave her another four inches of height. Thick, curly black hair tumbled wildly down past her shoulders and rioted around a heart-shaped face. Unlike the stick-figured women who’d been hitting on him all evening, this one had plenty of curves and in all the right places. His palms suddenly itched and his dick stood up at rigid attention.
    Shit!
    Just what he needed. A hard-on in the middle of an engagement party.
    Grant pressed the cold glass against his cock, hoping the ice would work through the fabric of his pants to subdue some of the heat. When he felt it was safe to move, he threaded his way through the crowd to where he’d seen the luscious bit of womanhood heading. There she was, hugging the Jacobs cousins—Kendra and Kasey, the prospective brides—and exchanging kisses with them.
    Was she a friend? A relative?
    He had to get an introduction.
    Muttering, “Excuse me” five or six times as he maneuvered around people, he finally made his way to where Skyler and Reed were leaning against the bar. Both looked disgustingly self-satisfied.
    “Hey!” Skyler held out his hand. “I didn’t see you earlier and I wasn’t sure you’d actually made it. Glad you showed up.”
    That was because Grant had kept to himself as much as possible. The brothers were in the midst of a bunch of fellow cops when he arrived and his new antisocial tendencies had kicked in. He’d quietly left his presents on the gift table, gotten his glass of club soda and consigned himself to a corner. Every ten minutes he looked at his watch to see how soon it would be polite to leave.
    But now he had a mission.
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    Desiree Holt & Allie Standifer
    “Couldn’t miss seeing you guys finally bite the big one,” he joked, shaking hands first with Skyler and then with Reed. He nodded at the three women still chatting together. “I see you both picked winners.”
    “More like they picked us,” Reed said. “Thank God for that.”
    Grant couldn’t help smiling. “I never thought I’d see the Brody boys roped and tamed.”
    Reed punched him lightly on the arm. “It happens to the best of us.” Then his face sobered. “So, how’s the ticker working?”
    “Fine.” Grant wished people wouldn’t ask him about it. It made him feel as if he had a sign that read “Invalid” on his forehead. “I’m doing great. No complaints.” He plastered a smile on his face. “Enjoying my new lease on life.”
    “Not bored sitting around the condo?” Skyler wanted to know. “I can’t imagine you hanging out in front of the plasma television all day.”
    “As a matter of fact, I sold the place and bought a house.”
    Reed’s eyes widened. “No shit! You? A house?”
    Grant shrugged. “I needed a change. Everything in the housing market was upside down so I figured it was a good time to buy some real estate. Anyway, change of lifestyle, change of living space. Whole new start, right? And who knows? Maybe I’ll find a new business to go into. Something less stressful.”
    “”Yeah, making money is very stressful,” Reed laughed. “Try living without it.”
    Grant forced a smile. They’d all grown up together. The Brody boys had gone into law enforcement and Grant, fascinated with all things technical, had invented a piece of software that it seemed no police department could live without. From there things had exploded, including his body when he had his near fatal heart attack. Lying in the hospital he’d have given anything to change places with any