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He looked at h that sounded like he was deflating, and then raked both hands through his hair

"Christ," hehis hands behind his head, "would my father love you"

That sounded distinctly like an insult, but I sensed a chink in his ared ahead "With the passed hors d’oeuvres, we’ll start with a sparkling prosecco-based cocktail featuring the silver-label bourbon It’s called an Old Cubanyou’ll love it"

When his broered, indicating he doubted very much that he would love it, I hurried on

"And we’ll have a classicBoudreaux Special Select white rum, which will pair wonderfully with the first course The main course features braised beef, which will be delicious with the black label--all that s out the flavors in the meat--and for dessert we can inger-orange cheesecake Myof it!"

Jackson stared at ht have fallen asleep andThen he said, "You actually do love my family’s bourbon, don’t you?"

He said it like that"Don’t you?"

That angrylikea root canal"

The amount of family drama contained in that sentence could choke an elephant

I noticed that so, Rayford had disappeared

"Mr Boudreaux, I knohat I’ It’s really difficult to pair cocktails with food, especially through an entireto uests has ever had a curated bourbon pairing with a four-course dinner Trustto be fantastic And the better they think it is, the bigger they’ll open their wallets Which is really the whole point, right?"

His look was intense and unwavering, with that gripping sense of concentrated attention that was so heavy and intimate it was almost like a touch

It was almost sexual

"Call me Jackson," he said abruptly

Gently, with a smile, I replied, "If I wanted to call you Jackson, I would have, Mr Boudreaux"

His intense look turned burning "I suppose I deserve that," he said gruffly "In ht have been a little hed "Blunt? Try tactless! Try rude! And by the way, other people have bad days all the tihty ht It’s called common courtesy"

He didn’t move He didn’t so much as bat a lash He simply said, "If you were mine, I’d take you over my knee for that little speech"

I nearly fell off the stool

Before I could recover my wits, a towheaded child about three or four years old burst into the kitchen, singing "Jingle Bells" at the top of his lungs

And then a miracle occurred Jackson "the Beast" Boudreaux’s face split into a huge, genuine smile

"Cody!" He leapt fro

I watched in six different kinds of shock as the child put his little arlee while Jackson spun hirin still plastered on his face

"I’ot away from me!"

A harried, fiftyish blonde wo She had food stains on her blouse, hair escaping in every direction from her ponytail, and looked as if she hadn’t slept in about a year Iht, Charlie Have a seat I’ll take him"

Jackson kissed Cody on the cheek and then lifted hiain