He sat on the opposite couch chatting with his parents. As if he felt her eyes on him, he gave her a wink and a smile before going back to his conversation.

Mackayla ran over and climbed onto Embry’s lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. “Isn’t Embee so pretty, Mommy?”

“She is,” Lori agreed. Then she smiled at Embry. “If you have the seal of approval from this one”—she nodded at her daughter—”then it’s a done deal.”

Embry wrapped her arm around Mackayla’s back and looked down into her big brown eyes. “You’re very pretty too, Mackayla.”

“I know. My mommy and daddy tell me all the time.”

Embry chuckled, and Lori rolled her eyes at her daughter’s lack of modesty.

They gathered around the table for dinner a while later. Lori and Caroline had prepared a feast.

“This looks wonderful, Mrs. Brody,” Embry said as Luke’s mother set the ham on the table.

“Call me Caroline, please,” she said, as she took a seat at the head of the table, next to Embry. Luke’s mother wore a tweed pantsuit that Embry had instantly recognized as Chanel. Her fading strawberry-blond hair was styled around her shoulders, and it was easy to see where Luke got his baby blues. His mother’s eyes were just as remarkable.

“Okay, Caroline,” Embry said, smiling shyly. Luke reached under the table and squeezed her knee in encouragement. Whether he could tell or not, she was still a nervous wreck, and his touch soothed her.

“So,” Camden said, looking from Luke to Embry. He was tall and broad like Luke. He had lighter hair and hazel eyes, but he had that “Brody” look for sure. He was extremely handsome although, in Embry’s eyes, he didn’t hold a candle to his younger brother. “How did you two crazy kids meet?”

Luke squeezed Embry’s leg again, and she knew to let him do the talking. They wanted to be honest with Luke’s family that Embry was a student, but being that she was no longer his student, they were just going to leave that part out all together.

“Embry was working on a research project with a colleague of mine,” Luke said.

Embry thought that being vague would invite more questions, but he knew his family better than she did. She would follow his lead.

“Anything interesting?” Camden asked.

“Probably not to you,” Luke joked.

Camden shot a glare at Luke before turning and smiling at Embry. “What my baby brother probably failed to mention to you is that I, also, went to law school.”

Hearing Luke referred to as a baby made Embry laugh. “You’re right, he never mentioned it.”

“I thought so,” Camden said. “My brother just loves being the only lawyer in the family.”

Embry eyed Luke. “Is that true?”

Luke smirked. “Cam dropped out after one semester. Law wasn’t his thing.”

“Nope. Turns out running a million-dollar company was,” Camden shot back. Clearly sibling rivalry was alive and well between the Brody boys.

Mr. Brody cleared his throat, interrupting Camden’s gloating. “And whose company would that be that you’re running?” he asked and raised an eyebrow just like Luke would.

That shut Camden right up.

“Thought so,” Mr. Brody said, smiling. He turned his attention to Embry. Other than his hazel eyes, which were identical to Camden’s, looking at Mr. Brody was like seeing Luke thirty years down the road. His dark hair was peppered with gray, but he had the same nose and strong jaw that Luke inherited. “So where did you study law, Embry?”

The question took her by surprise. “Oh, um …”

“She’s studying at Whitman,” Luke jumped in.

“Studying? As in presently?” his father asked.

Embry heard the disapproval in his words, and her cheeks heated as everyone’s attention fell on her.

“Yes, presently,” Luke answered, giving nothing away.

“Lucas,” his mother said, her tone making Embry cringe, “are you her professor?”

“I—”

“No,” Embry cut in. “He’s not.” Technically it wasn’t a lie, but she wasn’t sure where her courage had come from to interrupt like that.

“Embry and I would never have met if she wasn’t working on legal research for one of my colleagues,” Luke added.

His mother nodded and went back to her food. Luke’s entire family became strangely quiet. Embry had expected more of a reaction, but suddenly they all looked very busy with their dinners.

Except Mackayla, who took that opportunity to add to the already awkward situation. “I want Uncle Luke to be my professor one day!”

Dinner continued in silence until Camden started in with a topic that distracted them from the recent conversation. “Where did you do your undergrad, Embry?” he asked, innocently. He had a glint in his eye though, and she had a feeling Luke had already given him the answer to that question.

She looked at Luke, and he grinned at her. “Your funeral,” he whispered.

Embry rolled her eyes at him and looked back to Camden. “I went to the University of Florida.”

Forks dropped around the table as Luke’s family stared at Embry.

“You do realize, sweetheart,” Luke’s father said with a broad smile, “that you’re in a house full of Bulldogs, right?”

“You all went to UGA?” Embry asked.

“Each and every one of us,” Luke’s mother answered. “William and I met there; so did Cam and Lori.”

“I’m gonna be a Dawg someday, too!” Mackayla chirped.

Luke pulled Embry toward him and planted a kiss on the side of her head. “Looks like you’re outnumbered, baby.”

Everyone broke out into laughter. For the next hour, Embry put up with all manner of obnoxious Florida Gator jokes, but she couldn’t be mad about it. It had broken the ice and taken the focus off of her and Luke’s relationship.

Embry tossed and turned as a loud pounding echoed in her ears. Luke’s arm came around her, pulling her naked body against his.

“Ignore it,” he said in her ear, his voice thick with sleep.

She nuzzled into his chest and did just that, until a too-high voice accompanied the pounding. “Uncle Lukey! Wake up! Wake up! Santa is here!”

Luke groaned and grabbed the comforter, pulling it over their heads. “Make it stop.”

“She’s your niece. You make it stop,” Embry said back, snuggling closer to his warm chest.

Then they heard the door handle jiggle, and Embry shot upright, tearing the covers off of them both. “Did you lock that door?”

He rolled onto his back in all of his naked glory, his erection thick and long against his belly. “Yes, baby. But if I hadn’t, I’m pretty sure that ripping the covers off of us is a surefire way to traumatize my niece.”

Embry glared at him and fell back against the pillows.

“I can hear you talking in there! Santa won’t wait forever!” Mackayla yelled.

Luke ignored the racket outside their bedroom and rolled onto Embry, his warm body covering hers and heating her right up. His hand came up to massage her breast and his fingers teased her nipple as he kissed and nipped at her lips. He groaned against her mouth as his hard cock nudged her entrance.

Embry planted a kiss on his lips and pushed him away. “I am not having sex with you when your niece is on the other side of that door. You know how hard a time I have being quiet.”

“She’ll give up, I promise.”

His lips traveled down her neck and sent a shiver of pleasure up her spine. He made his way down to her breasts, his lips encircling her nipple as he teased her with his teeth. Embry let out a soft moan in response.

“Hear that, baby?” he asked.

“What? I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly,” he said as he went back to work on her breast.

His hand traveled between them, his fingers slipping through her wetness and easily finding their way inside of her. She arched her back, pushing against his hand. And then it was gone. He pulled his fingers from Embry and brought them to his mouth, tasting her.