Justice Is Always Ready (A Graham Family Story, 1) Read online

  Will she accept…or walk away leaving him with nothing more than the memory of her touch?

  Jamal “Justice” Graham is an officer in the US Coast Guard. He thought his life was perfect until one rainy day when he meets Kassidy Barrow. Unable to get her out of his mind, he pursues her with single-minded focus.

  Kassidy flies under the radar, trying to please her parents and taking pride in her work at the library. When Justice comes into her life, he kindles a fire within her she never knew was there.

  His work, her family, and life get in the way and Kassidy tries to push Justice away. He’s a man who lives the USCG motto and Justice is Always Ready. She is the world to him and he doesn’t have any plans on letting her go.

  Justice Is Always Ready

  A Graham Family Story

  by

  Aliyah Burke

  MF, AFRICAN AMERICAN ROMANCE,

  MILITARY

  Twisted E Publishing, LLC

  www.twistedepublishing.com

  A TWISTED E PUBLISHING BOOK

  Justice Is Always Ready

  A Graham Family Story

  Copyright © 2015 by Aliyah Burke

  Edited by Marie Medina & Dawn G

  First E-book Publication: June 2015, SMASHWORDS EDITION

  Cover design by K Designs

  All cover art and logo copyright © 2015, Twisted Erotica Publishing, LLC.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Dedication

  To everyone who's been such a supporter of this series. Thank you. To DH, thanks for never letting me forget how you've always got my back. To my publisher, thank you for taking a chance on my books. As always, to the men and women who serve their country— Thank you and God Bless!

  Chapter One

  As the forty-seven foot MLB, Motor Lifeboat, skipped across the waves, the salt air and sea spray washed over him. Standing on the exposed bridge, a smile came to his face. Nodding at a crewmember, he glanced to the left. The morning sun glinted off something on the horizon.

  “Bring her left, Teak!” he shouted to the woman at the wheel inside the pilothouse. He could have done it, but she was driving for the moment.

  “Sure thing, Justice,” she shouted back.

  He instinctively adjusted his stance as the boat changed direction and increased in speed. Coastal patrols were a part of the job. This was his crew and they made him damn proud. Jamal “Justice” Isaiah Graham served as a Lieutenant in the United States Coast Guard, USCG.

  He came from a long line of men who’d served their country, no matter what the sacrifice. In fact his own father had secured a place for his name on The Wall in DC, having been killed in action in Vietnam. He grew up listening to his grandfather, a World War II vet, telling stories of his experiences and ones passed down to him as well. Even his twin sister, Jasira, served in the Navy.

  As they neared a moored craft, all thoughts of family faded. He listened to Teak’s voice over the loudspeaker, asking for whoever was onboard to identify themselves. When no response reached them, Justice signaled for a boarding party to follow him. Teak radioed in their location and what they’d discovered.

  They didn’t always have the luxury of having one of the larger ships present when stumbling across a problem, so while today was a training drill, all of his crew was acting as if it were the real thing, an actual potential threat to the country they protected.

  Once the drill was over, he and his crew were once again skimming the water, all of them proud, knowing they’d done an exceptional job. Leaning against the rail, he tipped his face up. I can’t imagine my life without being out on the water.

  “Hey, Justice.”

  Opening his eyes, Justice looked to his left. His second-in-command stood there, Lieutenant Terra “Teak” Acre. He smiled and stood straight. A glance behind him identified Cruz at the helm.

  “What’s up? Great job driving today.”

  She flashed him a smile, her white teeth brilliant against her darker skin. “Can you drop me off at the museum today after work? I had to take my car in and the guy said he’d leave it there for me.”

  “Sure, not a problem.” Pushing away from the rail, he navigated his way alongside her into the pilothouse. He took over and steered them safely back into port.

  The sky was dark and thunder rumbled through the area as he pulled up to the museum. As the first few big drops fell from the sky, Teak jumped out and waved her thanks before she dashed up the stairs. Justice waved to her and began to drive on. In his peripheral vision he noticed a woman carrying a load too big and awkward for her. He was tired and wanted to get to his apartment, but his manners and upbringing wouldn’t let him ignore her. Tossing the gearshift into park, Justice turned on the hazards and climbed out. The moment he shut the door behind him, the woman dropped what she carried.

  “Oh…oh…fudge!” she complained before dropping to a crouch and frantically gathering everything in the rain.

  Fudge? Didn’t know people said fudge anymore. Justice picked up some papers by the parking block he stood on. Striding over to her, he knelt down. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you,” she said looking up at him from beneath the brim of her Pepto-Bismol pink rain hat.

  His heart skipped a few beats when he stared into her eyes. A blend of gray with a hint of green swirled within the depths. Wow! “Let me get that for you,” he managed to mutter.

  Justice took the stacks of haphazardly gathered, and now damp, papers before getting to his feet. Carefully holding them, he reached out a hand to help her up. Her hand, although slightly wet, felt warm and soft against his skin and his heart pounded faster. The rain fell harder and the thunder rolled. As one they headed toward the door of the museum.

  “Thank you so much,” she said, gesturing for him to put the pile down on the information counter. “I should have taken more than one trip, but with the rain I didn’t want to, so then I had too much and… and I’m rambling like an idiot.”

  Justice watched a delighted flush tinge her nut-brown skin. “Glad I could help.”

  She stuck her hand out, a wide and innocent smile on her face. “Kassidy Barrow. It’s a pleasure.”

  He immediately reached for her hand. “Indeed it is. Justice Graham.” The urge to draw her in close nearly floored him. Kassidy wrinkled her nose and dropped his hand seconds before she sneezed.

  “Bless you.”

  “Thank you.” She sneezed again. “Excuse me.” With a wave over her shoulder she moved off down the hall.

  Justice faced the woman going through the wet pile they’d left on the information counter; there was a huge smile on her face. “Does she work here?” he asked.

  The woman with “Lucy” on her nametag shook her head. “No, sir. But she’s here a lot. Her mom’s the curator.”

  “Thank you.” He crossed his arms and looked off in the direction she’d vanished. There had been something about her, he couldn’t put a name to it yet but it was there.

  “Have a great day,” Lucy said, putting her attention back on the mess before her.

  “You too.”

  Spinning around, Justice headed out into the downpour. Kassidy Barrow. Her face was still with him as he slid his soaked body behind the wheel of his car, turned off the hazards, and drove away.

  “Until we meet again, Kassidy.”

 
; * * * *

  Kassidy didn’t stop sneezing until she reached her mother’s office. Once the door shut behind her she sank into the nearest chair and caught her breath. Dropping the hat on the floor, she shook her head in disgust.

  “Again with the sneezing. Figures it happens when a handsome man is around. Not that I should be surprised, that’s how my luck goes.” Getting up from the seat, she moved to her mom’s desk and searched for a pen and paper to leave her a note. Chewing on her lower lip, Kassidy chuckled. “He was all kinds of fine though.”

  She jotted the message and grabbed her hat and keys. Walking down the corridor, Kassidy smiled at staff members she passed. At the front, she noticed it still rained heavily, so Kassidy paused at the information desk.

  “Hey, Lucy,” she said, sitting on an empty chair and reaching for a stack of messy pamphlets.

  “Hey again, Kassidy. You headin’ out already?”

  Kassidy looked at her friend. Lucy had a bubbly personality, a beautiful smile, and the biggest brown eyes Kassidy had ever seen. The woman stood five-foot-nothing and was nothing but curves. Her short asymmetrical hairstyle highlighted her stunning brown face.

  “Just promised mom I’d drop off the pamphlets I still had in my car. But… I think I’ll wait out this storm.”

  “Good. I haven’t talked to you in a while. Now tell me more about that tall chocolate piece of fineness who was here.” She batted her eyes. “He wanted to know if you worked here.”

  “Really?” Kassidy smiled at that bit of news.

  “Who is he? A beau?”

  “No. I just met him today, Lucy. Don’t see men like him much anymore,” Kassidy said on a sigh. “Not much at all.”

  “Amen to that,” Lucy commented.

  Kassidy fell into helping out behind the counter easily. She’d done it many times before. So in tune with what she was doing, Kassidy jumped when Lucy nudged her.

  “What?”

  “Go. The rain’s stopped.”

  Lifting her head and glancing through the glass front, Kassidy realized Lucy was right. It had. “Thanks, Lucy. I totally missed that.”

  She chuckled. “I would too if I were dreaming of that chocolate covered hunk of a man.”

  Kassidy blushed but didn’t deny it. It was true, her mind had been on him. Justice Graham. With a wave to her friend, Kassidy headed out into the humid and muggy afternoon. The sky showed definite promise of delivering more rain so she didn’t tarry. Big fat drops began to fall seconds after she shut her car door.

  With a smile, Kassidy began driving through the coastal city of Quiet Harbor, North Carolina. She loved it here. This was her town. She’d been born and raised here. Turning onto her street, Kassidy sighed contentedly when she saw her house. It wasn’t all that big, but it had been her grandmother’s and was now all hers. The front walkway sat lined by mixed carpet phlox and scarlet flame phlox, welcoming visitors with their vibrant colors. Numerous other plants were in the front yard as well: hydrangeas, azaleas, climbing roses clung to the porch, and also wisteria.

  Parking in the drive, Kassidy grabbed her purse and ran for the protection of the porch. The air was filled with the scent of the rain and the fragrance of all the flowers that were in bloom. It was with a smile that Kassidy opened the door to her home.

  “I’m home,” she announced, unnecessarily for her dog already stood there waiting. “Hey, Libby,” she said patting her affectionately.

  Libby was a standard poodle; a retired show dog that now went to work with Kassidy most days. Libby, being a trained therapy dog, was used to help children learn to read better.

  “Sorry I didn’t take you today, but I spent most of the day running errands. I’ll take you with me tomorrow.”

  Kassidy let Libby out briefly then talked to her, telling her about her day as she made some dinner. “Oh, Libby, he was something else. There was such a quiet strength about him.”

  Justice Graham was on her mind as she cleaned up from dinner and took Libby for her nightly walk. I can’t get him out of my head.

  Kassidy’s dreams were filled with flashes of him. His deep sensual voice, the way his hand felt curved around hers and the ease in which he helped her to her feet. His dark eyes were still there when she woke. The ride to work was quiet. There was no more rain and the traffic didn’t seem as bad. Inside the library, Kassidy had just gotten Libby settled on her bed when her cell phone began to ring.

  “Man, thought I shut this off.” Casting a guilty glance around, Kassidy ignored Libby’s reproachful look and answered, “Hello?”

  “Hey, woman, good morning!”

  Lucy. “What’s up? And good morning to you, too.”

  “Just wanted to see if you felt like going out with me tonight.”

  “Dinner? Or are you talking out to the club?”

  “Bar. I want you to meet my boyfriend. He’s a bartender at Billy’s.”

  Billy’s? “I haven’t been out to a bar in a while. Sure, why not. What time?”

  “Eight-thirty work?”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll see you there.”

  “Awesome. Thanks, Kassidy. See you then.” Lucy hung up and Kassidy turned off her phone.

  She kept busy. There were five reading groups scheduled throughout the day. It was more than usual and so Kassidy kept a close eye on Libby to see for the first sign of strain or stress. Libby handled it like a trooper. She did sleep on the ride home.

  Kassidy showered, dressed, and got directions to Billy’s. Leaving some treats down for Libby, Kassidy left with keys in hand. The bar seemed busy when she arrived. There were people hanging out on the deck, looking out over the ocean. Scanning the area, Kassidy smiled when her gaze picked out Lucy.

  “Hey there!” Lucy said as they briefly hugged.

  “So tell me why I haven’t met this man before?” Kassidy asked.

  Lucy’s dark skin flushed. “I wasn’t sure about introducing him to people.”

  Kassidy arched a brow. “Why?”

  “I want you to meet him,” Lucy hedged. “Come on.”

  Allowing herself to be tugged along, Kassidy questioned, “Do I at least get to know his name?”

  “Ethan.”

  Okay, she’s not giving me much here. “Ethan.” Tugging her hand, Kassidy stopped her friend. “Lucy. What gives? No last name?”

  “Ethan Amsel.”

  “Thank you. Now, let’s go get me introduced.”

  “Okay.”

  Arm in arm they walked inside the bar.

  * * * *

  Justice almost choked on the cool liquid sliding down his throat. Blinking a few times, he checked, then double-checked, to make sure it wasn’t his imagination. It wasn’t. Leaning against the bar, in tight black pants and a white halter-top stood none other than Kassidy. She had one heeled boot propped up, an elbow on the bar, and a bottle of beer dangling from her fingers as she spoke to the bartender.

  “Excuse me, guys,” he murmured as he took another drink and headed toward her. In the back of his mind he heard his friends commenting, but none of it registered. He had one thing in mind.

  Justice stepped up behind her, almost touching but not. He met the bartender’s gaze briefly, long enough to make his claim clear. Then he lowered his head, inhaled the intoxicating and alluring scent of dark amber with a hint of vanilla. Desire, lust, and something else flashed through him.

  “Good evening, Kassidy,” he whispered in her ear.

  She jumped with surprise and Justice groaned as he reached around her to help steady her drink.

  “Oh… oh… you scared me,” she stuttered, turning to face him.

  Justice forced himself not to give in and kiss her. Behave, man! It wasn’t easy. He couldn’t think of another woman who could banish all train of thought from his mind as this one could. Kassidy wore a bare minimum of makeup and his gaze lingered on her lips after her tongue snuck out to dampen them.

  “Sorry,” he apologized. Leaning against the bar he lost himself in
her gray eyes. “Do you come here often?”

  Silence fell before they both laughed.

  “Wow,” she teased, “that’s a line I haven’t heard in a while.”

  “Didn’t mean for it to sound like that. Just I don’t recall seeing you in here before.”

  “I’ve not been. Just came to meet someone.”

  Possessiveness reared up within him. “Really?” he asked, well aware he sounded all growly.

  If Kassidy noticed the surly attitude she made no mention of it. “Yes. Ethan, the bartender.”

  He snapped his gaze to the tall, dark-haired white man behind the bar. Observant blue eyes stared back at him. What the hell?

  “Ethan?” he asked again, looking between the two of them.

  “Yes. Lucy wanted me to meet her boyfriend.” Kassidy glanced over her shoulder and waved at Ethan. “He’s a very nice guy. I’m happy for them both,” she said when she met his gaze again.

  Relief swamped him. “So he’s not your man?”

  She stared at him, took a long, slow drink from the bottle. His body responded as he observed the way her lips curled around the mouth of the longneck.

  “Nope,” she finally responded.

  Justice leaned closer. “Anyone in here your man?”

  Kassidy finished eliminating the distance between them, their lips millimeters apart. “Not yet.”

  Her name was hollered over the noise, and she drew back. Justice could feel the blood pounding through his veins. A siren’s smile lifted her full, kissable lips.

  “Nice to see you again, Justice Graham. Goodbye.” She winked and slipped off through the crowd.

  He remained there and didn’t move. Fingers around his beer, Justice turned his head when a hand settled upon his shoulder. Another crewmember, Kelly Henderson.