Page 29 of Damaged Protector
“You too. I’ve been hearing about all of you, and it’s nice to finally put faces with names.”
She introduced me to the rest of her family, and I received a handshake from Tank and a hug from Gram. She smelled like roses and lemon. Amelia graced me with a shy smile before hiding her face in her father’s thick neck.
Bristol kissed her baby and husband once more before climbing into the back of the vehicle with me.
“Good luck, Mallori,” Tank said. “Hope you survive shopping with these three.”
Why did everyone keep saying things like that?
Four hours later, I had my answer. Bristol and Gram were shopping machines.
“I love those two, but they wear me out,” Shiloh said, collapsing onto the chair beside me after placing our order at the ramen restaurant inside the mall’s food court. Bris was still at the counter.
“Is it sad that I ran out of steam before Gram?” I asked, tilting my head back and staring at the recessed lighting on the ceiling.
“No,” Shiloh said with a laugh. “She’s next level when it comes to shopping.”
“She’s a bad influence. I bought way too much.”
“Talking about Gram?” Bristol asked, striding up and taking the seat across from me, and we both nodded. “You have to hydrate before going to the mall with her. Where is she? Bathroom?”
I jerked my head up, and we all glanced around for the oldest member of our group. Panic swelled in my chest. What if we lost Tank’s grandmother?
“I thought she was with you. Do we need to call security or—” I started but was interrupted when Shiloh pointed behind me.
“Here she comes. Looks like she went to the daiquiri shop.”
“Ah, hell,” Bristol groaned, peeking around me. “Gram came to party.”
The older woman wobbled up and set a drink tray on the table, laden with four frothy beverages in plastic cups.
“Time for refreshments, ladies,” she sang. “The banana daiquiris are fantastic, but I didn’t know if everyone liked bananas, so I got two strawberry ones too.”
“Thanks, Gram,” we all chorused before selecting our drinks. I didn’t really care, so I ended up with a strawberry one.
“Mallori, I really like that robe you got,” Bristol informed me. “It’s sexy as hell.”
Practically choking on the tangy sweetness of the drink, I shook my head and emitted a cough. “S-sexy? That’s not what I was… no!”
The other women laughed, and Shy elbowed me. “She didn’t mean it like that. It was just really pretty on you. The aqua color makes your eyes pop.”
“And your legs,” Bristol said, doubling down. “Definitely sexy.”
I’d never thought of myself as sexy. If I had to classify myself, I’d probably say I was in the realm of cute. Blonde. Petite. Small, delicate facial features.
Of course, I couldn’t deny that my body was in fantastic shape with toned muscles and legs that were long for my height.
I wonder if Hawk thinks I’m sexy.
Whoa! Where the hell did that thought come from? That’s the last damn thing I needed to be thinking about, so I loaded up that notion and shot it from my brain like a cannonball. Nope. Not going there.
“I just wanted something cooler because it’s so hot here. I only have a thick, fuzzy one, and I didn’t really want to walk around the house in just my pajamas.”
“I’m sure Cam and Shiloh wouldn’t mind,” Gram said. “Unless you walk around in slutty lingerie.”
I’d just sucked up a drink of my daiquiri when she said that, and it went directly up my nasal passage when I snorted in surprise. Shiloh patted me on the back as Bristol explained.
“There was a toilet incident at the Fitz home, so Mallori is staying with Hawk until it gets fixed.”