Quinn Family Romance Collection Read online

  Her two men were standing up front, with a whole slew of brothers to Ryder’s right side. Tate saw her and punched his fist in the air. “Yes! That’s my Bree!”

  Bree wondered if he’d ever call her mama, but she also loved hearing “my Bree.”

  Everyone laughed, and Bree smiled, waving at him. Her eyes met Ryder’s, and the world seemed to disappear. His gaze was so full of love and longing she almost tripped on her heels. Luckily, Jasmine held her up and muttered, “Come on, sis. He’s cute, but no man’s worth tripping over.”

  Bree simply smiled, hoping someday Jasmine would find a man she wanted to trip for. Ryder was more than cute, and she’d do a face plant on her wedding march for him. He and Tate were worth everything to her.

  Finally, they made it up the aisle, and Jasmine gave Ryder Bree’s hand.

  “Be good to her, or I’ll kill you in your sleep,” Jasmine muttered to Ryder with a beautiful smile on her face.

  Ryder sort of choked and laughed at the same time. “I’ll remember that.”

  Kaleb, the country singer, stared at Jasmine. “Who do you think you are?” he asked so quietly Bree almost missed it.

  “I’m Wonder Woman.” She smiled prettily at him. “And no matter how famous you are, I can kill you in your sleep too. So don’t mess with me.”

  Kaleb’s eyebrows lifted. “I’d like to see you try.”

  “Kaleb,” Griff whispered harshly. “Stand down.”

  “At least your bro knows who he’s messing with.” Jasmine winked at Kaleb. “Sadly, fun times like killing you in your sleep might have to be put on hold until after the ceremony.” Jasmine patted his cheek condescendingly.

  Kaleb looked like he might explode.

  “Kaleb Quinn, you step down right now, son,” Ryder’s mama said from her front row seat, giving him a hard glare.

  Kaleb bowed his head obediently, not looking at all like a famous country singer. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Jasmine grinned at Ryder’s mama. “I like this lady.” She gave Bree a hug.

  “Love you, sis.” Bree had to clear her throat and blink fast so she didn’t cry. Jasmine was here, and Bree was marrying the man of her dreams.

  Jasmine smiled but didn’t repeat the sentiment. That was okay. At least she was here. She stepped around to stand by Navy.

  Ryder squeezed Bree’s hand, a knowing grin on his face. “We won’t invite Kaleb to any more family parties,” he whispered.

  “I kind of like the threats and banter,” Bree whispered back.

  The preacher was looking at all of them like they were nuts. He cleared his throat and said loudly, “Ladies and gentlemen …”

  Ryder squeezed both of her hands and whispered roughly, “You’re so beautiful.”

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said back.

  The preacher kept talking, and Bree tried to focus on his words, but there were too many wonders happening right now. She stared at Ryder in his tailored tux, and happy butterflies filled up her stomach. Tate leaned against her side, and she caught Ryder’s parents’ approving looks, and again, there was the fact that Jasmine was here. She could keep listing happy thoughts, but it all boiled down to Ryder and Tate. She loved them, and she had a family of her own now.

  The ceremony finally finished, and Ryder pulled her in close. He tenderly kissed her and whispered, “Thank you for making me so happy.”

  “Thank you for being mine,” she whispered back.

  He kissed her more firmly, and the crowd roared in approval.

  Tate tugged on their arms. Ryder leaned back and said, “What, buddy?”

  “My turn to kiss my Bree!”

  Ryder chuckled and swooped him off the ground. Tate leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Love you!”

  “I love you.”

  Ryder kept Tate in his right arm, encircled Bree’s lower back with his left arm, and escorted her down the aisle. They were greeted by friends and his family. She liked Navy and all of his brothers and especially his feisty mom and kind father. These were her people now, and it felt amazing.

  Kaleb greeted them, and it was kind of surreal to have a famous country singer be her brother-in-law, but then her husband was famous too, so she’d have to get used to all the pomp.

  “Where did your sister go?” Kaleb asked after he congratulated them.

  Bree blinked and glanced around. “I don’t know.”

  “She’s … maddening.”

  Bree laughed. “Oh, you have no idea.” She looked him over. Was this renowned star interested in her sister? “There’s no possible way to get ahold of her. I don’t even have her number.”

  He stepped back, and a mask fell over his handsome face. “That’s fine. She’s just an interesting person.”

  Ryder’s arm tightened around Bree. “Are you done talking to my wife?” he asked his brother. “I was hoping you could take Tate for some food so we could make-out a little.”

  Kaleb laughed and grabbed Tate. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go eat junk food.”

  Ryder turned Bree toward him.

  “Ry,” she said in a low voice, “there are still guests waiting to greet us.”

  Ryder looked at the line, who were watching them with amusement. “Can you all wait a minute? I need to kiss this beautiful wife of mine immediately.”

  Several people laughed, and others nodded. “Kiss away,” an older lady hollered.

  “Thank you.” Ryder ran his hands along her back while tenderly tasting her lips. “I love you,” he murmured.

  Bree didn’t have time to say it back as his warm lips and strong hands destroyed any logical thoughts in her brain, but she was pretty sure he got the message by the way she returned his urgent kisses. Having a home and her own people had never tasted so good.

  The Conflicted Warrior

  Chapter One

  Jasmine Peters sauntered down the aisle with her arm linked through her sister’s. Bree was the most beautiful person Jasmine had ever been around—from her huge, black, curly hair to her shining, deep brown eyes—she radiated light, kindness, and happiness. All that sparkle and shine seemed to be amped up today. Bree was marrying the man she loved, Ryder Quinn, a famous Titans’ football player.

  Love and marriage. Nice concepts. Happily ever after was perfect for someone like Bree. Nothing Jasmine would experience in her life. Her eyes flickered over the line of brothers next to Ryder. Five boys. Their mother was obviously a saint, or glutton for punishment; Jasmine would hold her judgment until later. She knew Griff Quinn too well; he was a former Navy SEAL who worked for her boss and savior Sutton Smith. Griff had saved her life and was a good guy, as far as buff, military guys who lacked social skills went.

  Her gaze caught and held on the brother closest to Ryder—Kaleb Quinn. Deep blue eyes, dark hair, and that clean-shaven, sculpted jaw. Yum. Famous country singer and the most beautiful man in America, in Jasmine’s opinion anyway. His songs touched her heart in ways she’d never thought possible. Not that she’d ever admit that to anyone. With her spunk and background she pretended to listen to rap.

  They reached the men, the preacher, and Ryder’s sister Navy, who stood on the other side as the second bridesmaid.

  Jasmine leaned close, smiled, and whispered to her sister’s future husband, “Be good to her or I’ll kill you in your sleep.” Even though he’d seen her fight multiple men and win, Ryder might think it was an idle threat. Griff would probably explain to him at some point that it wasn’t.

  Ryder sort of choked and laughed at the same time. “I’ll remember that.”

  Kaleb sidled in closer as well and suddenly Jasmine was having a hard time breathing. “Who do you think you are?”

  “I’m Wonder Woman.” She gave him the smile men claimed they couldn’t resist. “And no matter how famous you are, I can kill you in your sleep too, so don’t mess with me.”

  Kaleb’s eyebrows lifted, though he looked intrigued by her. “I’d like to see you try.”

  Ooh,
she liked this interaction. She’d fallen in love with Kaleb last year through his music. It was one of those ridiculous, I’m in love with a famous guy crushes. She couldn’t let it become any more, no matter how appealing and flawless he seemed to her.

  “Kaleb,” Griff whispered harshly. “Stand down.”

  It was for the best that one of these brothers knew who she really was under this pretty face and dress.

  “At least your bro knows who he’s messing with.” Jasmine winked at Kaleb. “Sadly, fun times like killing you in your sleep might have to be put on hold until after the ceremony.” Jasmine patted his cheek in what she hoped was a condescending manner. Touching Kaleb Quinn was a rush unlike anything she’d felt before and she pulled back her hand quickly.

  Kaleb simply stared at her, a muscle working in his jaw, as if he didn’t know what to make of her or quite how to respond to her sarcasm.

  “Kaleb Quinn, you step down right now, son,” Ryder’s mama said from her front row seat, giving him a hard glare.

  Kaleb bowed his head obediently, not looking at all like the famous country singer. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Jasmine grinned at the Quinn’s mama. Her initial assessment had been right. The lady was tough and could handle these five good-looking men with her eyes closed. “I like this lady.” She gave Bree a hug and stepped back.

  “Love you, sis,” Bree said.

  Jasmine’s smile deepened and she squeezed Bree’s hand quickly. Sadly she couldn’t repeat those words, not even to the sister she adored, with this entire crowd watching and waiting expectantly for her to say them. She’d loved Bree her entire life, but soft words like that simply weren’t in her vocabulary. She’d never heard those words from anyone but Bree, and stupid men who were trying to push boundaries until she knocked them down.

  She moved over next to Navy and focused on the beautiful ceremony. Kaleb kept catching her eye and giving her these conflicted glares. If she was reading it right, he was intrigued, attracted, and annoyed by her. Perfect. Let him be as frustrated by her as she was by him. Dang man had no right making her feel something with his music. She’d caught herself fantasizing about Kaleb Quinn far too often and that brought crazy ideas—as if all these warm feelings rushing through her meant love at first sight was possible. She didn’t have head space for things like emotion and sap and she didn’t have a life designed for love.

  The ceremony finally finished and Ryder pulled Bree in close. He tenderly kissed her and whispered something gooey, Jasmine was sure of it. He kissed her more firmly and the crowd roared their approval. Jasmine cheered along with everybody else. The sister she had longed to see again for the past fourteen years was truly happy. That was all that mattered. Too bad Jasmine couldn’t be part of their lives.

  Tate tugged on his dad’s arm. Ryder leaned back and said, “What buddy?”

  “My turn to kiss my Bree!”

  Ryder chuckled and swooped him off the ground. Tate leaned in and gave Bree a kiss on the cheek. “Love you!”

  “I love you.”

  All this love. So sickeningly sweet, yet Jasmine was happy because it was Bree being loved and her sister deserved the best.

  Ryder kept Tate in his right arm, encircling Bree’s lower back with his left arm and escorting her down the aisle. They were greeted by friends and his family. Both deserted when Jasmine was born and their teenage mother decided she couldn’t handle two babies, she and Bree had no family beyond the two of them.

  Jasmine faded into the crowd, searching carefully for weapons or anyone who showed indications of uneasiness or aggression. Her boss, Sutton Smith, had checked on Ryder’s security detail and they were decent, but this was her sister. Jasmine had been trained from eight years old how to be the threat. Now working on the right side—ever since Sutton Smith and Griff Quinn took her down and gave her a chance to change her life two years ago—she had a unique ability to see threats as she used to create and instigate them.

  Sometimes it was hard to switch her mindset from what she’d been brainwashed to believe by her adopted family—everyone was her enemy, no one cared about her, and the only way to survive was to hate and fight. She caught sight of Ryder’s tall frame and Jasmine’s big hair. Peace washed over her. There were good people in the world. People who, crazily enough, wanted to associate with her. She wanted that too, but her life just wasn’t destined for relationships and family.

  * * *

  Kaleb Quinn yanked his eyes from his new sister-in-law’s gorgeous sister and watched Ryder and Bree float down the aisle. They were so in love. He wrote about love, believed in love, but true love was hard to find when everyone but your immediate family seemed to have an agenda where you were concerned.

  He searched for the bronze skin, long, dark hair, and exquisite face of Bree’s sister, Jasmine. He’d never sung about love at first sight. Never thought it was possible until he looked into Jasmine’s deep brown eyes and felt like he was being swept away. Truthfully, she’d ticked him off with her quips at the wedding ceremony. But he liked her spunk and he couldn’t push the feelings she’d stirred when she touched his cheek out of his mind. He needed to know her story, know how she ticked. From the little Ryder had revealed, she and Bree had been separated as children and recently reunited. Ryder thought Jasmine was some sort of security personnel. Kaleb smiled. She didn’t look big enough to fight off a threat, but he’d let her try to protect him anytime. Maybe he could get her alone and see if she needed a job.

  He searched for her pale blue dress and dark hair but couldn’t find her anywhere. Striding down the aisle, he reached Ryder and Bree, congratulating them.

  “Where did your sister go?” he asked, probably too quickly, it had to be obvious he was interested in her. Hopefully they wouldn’t realize the depth of his interest. Bree would probably simply write it off as another man smitten by her sister’s gorgeous face, but it was much more than that for him.

  Bree blinked and glanced around. “I don’t know.”

  “She’s … maddening.”

  Bree laughed. “Oh, you have no idea.” She looked him over as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. It couldn’t have been a shock to her; both sisters had faces that could make a man forget every other woman in the world. They probably had men after them all the time. “There’s no possible way to get ahold of her,” she said. “I don’t even have her number.”

  He stepped back and forced himself to look nonchalant, though he wanted to push through the crowds, find Jasmine, and take her somewhere they could talk for hours. “That’s fine. She’s just an interesting person.”

  Ryder’s arm tightened around Bree. “Are you done talking to my wife? I was hoping you could take Tate for some food, so we could make-out a little.”

  Kaleb shook his head and grabbed Tate. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go eat junk food.”

  “Yay!” Tate cheered.

  It was still a bit of a shock every time Tate spoke as he had clammed up after his mom died a year ago. Ryder gave Bree all the credit for his son speaking again and Tate seemed to love his new mom as much as his dad did. Kaleb loved his brother and nephew, and as happy as they appeared to be with Bree, he knew he would love her also.

  Kaleb carried Tate to the buffet table and a flash of pale blue dress and shiny, dark hair caught his eye. Kaleb strode around the table.

  “I want food,” Tate demanded.

  “Let’s go say hi to Aunt Jasmine first.”

  Tate’s blue eyes lit up. “Okay.”

  Kaleb approached Jasmine. His breath caught at her beauty, but he’d been around a lot of beautiful women. Whatever was tugging him toward Jasmine had more to do with her interesting attitude and something hidden in her deep brown eyes. Those eyes were darting around. She acknowledged him with a brief glance and a tilt of her chin then continued her perusal of the wedding party.

  “Searching for shady characters?” he asked, sidling up next to her.

  “Always.” She focused on Tate. “Hi, buddy.
”

  She didn’t reach for Tate, which Kaleb found odd, most women couldn’t resist the adorable little man.

  “You gonna stay and play with us, Aunt Jazzy?” Tate asked.

  Jasmine smiled, but it seemed forced. She ruffled Tate’s curls then went back to searching the crowd, standing in an attractive but coiled pose, like she was ready to spring and fight at any second. “Not today, buddy, but I promised Bree I’d come visit soon.”

  Tate’s lips drooped. “Okay.”

  Kaleb’s sister, Navy, strode up to them. She was one of the top fitness experts in the nation but could still nail the annoying, older sister role when she wanted. Her blue eyes grew interested and calculating as she saw them together. She tossed her long, blonde hair and opened her arms. “Come on, Taters, I’m supposed to get you food since Uncle Kaleb is so obviously distracted.”

  Kaleb grunted but had no rebuttal. Jasmine smiled knowingly but didn’t respond either.

  “Bye, Aunt Jazzy, Uncle Kaleb.” Tate waved.

  “Bye,” they echoed together.

  Navy pumped her eyebrows at Kaleb but didn’t take another shot as she strode away. He’d be prepared for torturous teasing later.

  The smile was still on Jasmine’s lips and it bothered him. She obviously knew how gorgeous she was and men probably fell all over themselves trying to get her attention; but he wasn’t just some loser who couldn’t get a date. He was a world-renowned musician, a billionaire, and a highly-sought after man. Maybe he needed to inform her of all of those things and tell her he’d never been drawn to a woman like he was to her. Yeah, that would go over well.

  “How could you treat Tate so coldly?” he asked, instead of begging to know how she could treat him so coldly.

  Her delicate eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

  “He asked you to play and you gave him some bull line about ‘coming to see him soon’. What kind of an aunt does that?”