Page 69 of Recipe for Temptation

His father came up beside him. “You sure everything’s okay?”

Michael ran a towel over his head. “I’m fine, pops.”

“You don’t seem fine.” Quentin sat on the bench and leaned back, his eyes glinting with mischief. “How’s Reese?”

Manning glanced up from his phone. “Who’s Reese?”

Quentin grinned at him. “Oh, that’s right. You were on vacation and missed all the action.”

“What action?” Manning looked from Quentin to Michael, cocking one amused brow. “What happened?”

“And who’s Reese?” Magnum and Mason chimed in.

Michael frowned. He wasn’t in the mood for an interrogation.

“It’s getting late,” he muttered, starting for the exit. “We should probably?—”

“Nah, we’ve got time. Dinner reservations aren’t until seven.” Uncle Stan hooked an arm around Michael’s shoulders, thwarting his escape attempt with a big grin. “What’s going on, nephew? Who’s the young lady that had you playing like a maniac?”

“For real,” the others laughed.

“Her name’s Reese St. James,” Marcus answered for Michael. “She’s his new apprentice.”

“And she’s fine as hell. That face and body?” Quentin kissed his fingertips. “Chef’s kiss.”

Montana grinned. “Our resident chef looks hella frustrated, so I’m guessing he ain’t been getting too many kisses.”

Michael scowled as the group cracked up laughing. Even his old man chuckled.

Mason drained his Gatorade and gestured to Quentin with the empty bottle. “Which celebrity does Reese remind you of? I need visuals.”

“Hmm, let’s see,” Quentin ruminated, stretching his long arms across the back of the bench. “If Tika Sumpter, Justine Skye and Kelly Rowland had a sister with a bangin’ body, that would be Reese.”

“Gotdamn.” Mason staggered back a few steps, clutching his chest as if he’d been shot with one of Cupid’s arrows. “I’m in love and I haven’t even met her yet.”

More laughter erupted.

“Uh-oh.” Catching Michael’s narrowed eyes, Stan warned his lastborn, “Don’t get yourself killed today, Mase. Your mama would never forgive me.”

Everyone chortled.

Stroking his manicured beard, Maddox drawled, “Reese does sound like a baddie, though.”

“Oh, she’s gorgeous,” Marcus confirmed. “Not only that, she’s smart as hell.”

“Yessir. She’s a doctor,” Quentin said with a lecherous grin. “Baby girl can lay those healing hands on me anytime, anyplace, anyhow.”

This triggered another round of rowdy laughter.

Chuckling, Stan squeezed Michael’s tense shoulder and patted him on the chest. “We’re just having fun with you, nephew. Call it payback for the way you embarrassed us on the court today.”

Manning rolled his eyes. “The only reason he outscored me was because I was already tired before the game.”

Michael raised a mocking brow at him. “You just came back from a ten-day cruise. Shouldn’t you be well rested and relaxed?”

“Oh, I’m very relaxed. The ‘well rested’ part is a different story,” Manning said, grinning. “Tay couldn’t keep her hands off me the whole vacation. Those pregnancy hormones ain’t no joke, but I have no complaints whatsoever.”

A collective groan went up.

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