Free Big Easy Temptation by Shayla Black Lexi Blake

I teach you about a hornet’s nest?”
    Holland had to give it to her uncle. Beau Kirk could likely make anyone feel as if
     they were twelve years old again. Even though she was a grown woman with a career
     and responsibilities, when her uncle looked at her, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly
     and that Cajun drawl deepening, she would almost swear she was sitting in his big
     office at the house along the bayou, hoping she didn’t get grounded.
    After her mother had died, she’d lived with her aunt and uncle. She’d seen her dad
     when he came home on leave, but her aunt had been the steady influence in her life
     and her uncle the authority figure.
    “You taught me not to kick one,” Holland replied. “I’m not trying to cause trouble,
     Uncle Beau. I’m simply trying to give a friend some peace of mind.”
    Her uncle frowned, sitting back in his massive chair. He’d moved up the ranks of the
     NOLA PD and now occupied a large office andheaded a division of men who handled some of the city’s worst cases. “You’re talking
     about the son, right? Daxton? Isn’t he some sort of war hero?”
    Her uncle knew exactly who she was talking about, but she played along. “Yes, Captain
     Spencer is considered one of the Navy’s finest.”
    “I’m sure he was on track to follow in his daddy’s footsteps.” Commander Beauregard
     Kirk was in his mid-fifties, but he was still a powerfully built man. He wasn’t one
     to slide into middle age gracefully. He still trained with his men on a daily basis.
     “I doubt he’ll make it past captain now.”
    Holland frowned. Dax was meant for bigger and better things. He was certainly capable
     of them. The minute she’d met him, she’d known he would go far in the Navy. “What
     is that supposed to mean? He’s great at his job.”
    “Oh, the Navy will certainly move him around and give him bigger ships, but they won’t
     want the Spencer name to ever again come anywhere near the rank of admiral. Too much
     bad press.” Uncle Beau shook his head. “That story took forever to die. The Spencer
     boy has to know his career in the Navy has an invisible wall he’ll never scale now.”
    “He’s not pursuing this investigation because he wants a higher rank,” Holland tried
     to explain. “He’s doing this because he loved his father.”
    Her uncle sat back, scanning the office. He left the blinds open as though he was
     watching and waiting for something to happen. “I’m sure he does. That’s the problem
     with parents and children, though. As a child, you tend to see your parents in the
     best possible light. It’s hard to understand that they’re human like the rest of us.
     Some people can’t handle it. I remember how disappointed I was when I realized my
     father was a drunk. Growing up, I always thought he was the life of the party. A truly
     happy man. Then I realized he was happy because he didn’t have to face a thing. Momma
     did all the work and it wore herout in the end. I had to face two facts: my father was an irresponsible asshole and
     my mother let herself become a doormat.”
    Her uncle had always been terribly good at giving lectures.
    “I think his case is different,” she argued.
    He sent her a cool stare. “Yes, it’s much worse. He thought his father was a hero.
     It turns out the man was a criminal. Which is precisely why I told you to stay away
     from this investigation in the first place. You did the right thing by recusing yourself.
     Why would you go back and screw things up now?”
    She’d known she would have to endure this lecture. That’s why she’d put off seeing
     her uncle until this afternoon. But she planned to meet with Dax tomorrow and she
     wanted to have something to tell him. Otherwise, she might never have forced herself
     to come here. “This isn’t a formal investigation. This is me looking into a few questions
     for a friend.”
    “A friend or a lover?” He managed to make the question sound like an