Authors: Cher Carson
“Honestly? I couldn’t care less what you think. The days of me trying to get a reaction out of you are over. From now on, I’m living to please myself and no one else.”
He took the beverage out of her hand and set it beside his on the desk. “I’m asking you not to go out with him.”
She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Huh, why should I listen to you?”
He placed his index finger under her chin, trying to ignore the shock of awareness he felt. Since when did his body start reacting this way to Jess? “Because I care about you.”
She gripped his wrist, trying to pull his hand away, but he palmed her cheek. “Stop, it’s not fair. You don’t have the right…”
She was right, but that wasn’t going to stop him. He knelt down in front of her, unable to resist the urge to finally give in to the temptation that had been plaguing him for months, maybe years. Jessica,
his
Jessica, was slipping away, and he wasn’t ready to let her go.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, following his movements as he leaned in.
He framed her face with his hands. “What does it look like I’m doing, sweetheart?”
She licked her lips. “It looks like you’re going to kiss me, but I know you wouldn’t do that because you’re not interested in me that way, right?”
“Wrong.” Her lips were so full, so soft, and tasted of raspberry lip gloss. He licked, sampled, nibbled, and then devoured. He took his time, exploring every hidden crevice in her mouth with his tongue. She tasted of sweet tea and peppermint, and he wanted more, so much more.
She moaned into his mouth as she threaded her hands through his hair.
It took everything in him not to toss the offensive flowers aside and lay her out on her desk. He wanted to hike her little skirt up and delve deep inside of her. Her voice may claim it was Noah she wanted, but Jake was willing to bet his last dollar she was wet for him right now.
She pressed her palms into his shoulders, tearing her lips away from his. Her breathing was ragged and her lips were swollen from his kisses. “Mama’s gonna be back any minute.”
Shit, her mother.
He glanced out the front window. With wall-to-wall glass lining the front of the store, they were in plain view of passersby. He’d be lucky if the mayor didn’t show up on his doorstep with a shotgun tonight. He got to his feet, slowly. He didn’t have a prayer of hiding his arousal from her; he was harder than a steel rod.
She touched her puffy lips as she looked up at him. “You want to tell me what that was all about?”
He raked a hand through his hair. “I’ll be damned if I know.”
Jessica tried to quell the ridiculous urge to flee when she saw Jake standing under the trestle that supported her mother’s prize-winning roses. He was chatting with a group of men from the neighboring fire station, a beer bottle half-way to his lips, when his eyes landed on her.
His sunglasses were perched on top of his head, so the threat in his dark eyes was evident, even from a few feet away, as he glanced at her date.
She threaded her arm through Noah’s. “Um, now would be a good time to take that walk.”
Noah patted the hand resting on his arm. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Before she could lead Noah out of harm’s way, Jake strode toward them, effectively blocking their path. “Hey, sweetheart, weren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” His smile never quite reached his eyes, but only someone who knew him well would know a storm lurked beneath the calm.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all,
Jessica thought. Noah seemed like a nice guy. He didn’t deserve to be a pawn in her plan to assert her independence.
“Noah, I’d like you to meet my brother’s best friend and right hand man, Jake McCoy.” She cringed when Jake raised an eyebrow at her impassive introduction.
Noah extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Jake sized him up before accepting the hand he offered. “Tell me, you always pick up women online?”
The color drained from Noah’s face as he shot a side-long glance at Jessica. “I, uh, no, this was a first for me.” Once he recovered from the shock of being called out, he settled his arm around Jessica’s waist and drew her to his side. “Though I can’t say I’m sorry I did it. I couldn’t be happier with the way it worked out.”
Jessica tried to take a step back, but his grip around her waist tightened. Noah had already indulged in a few beers since they arrived less than two hours ago. She was beginning to wonder how he planned to get home tonight, or
if
he planned to drive home tonight. The thought was sobering. She liked him, but she had no interest in pursuing a sexual relationship with him, now or in the foreseeable future.
“Where are y’all off to, Jess?” Jake asked, dragging his eyes from her date.
She stood stiff, trying to send Noah the message that she didn’t appreciate his public display of affection, especially not under Jake’s watchful eye. Dating someone new sounded like a good idea when she invited Noah to the party, but ever since the kiss she and Jake shared in her office, she didn’t know what to think or how to feel. She was just so confused. “We were just gonna take a walk.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” Jake glared at Noah, his meaning clear. He didn’t want her wandering off with a man she’d just met, one who was clearly under the influence.
“I guess we could stick around for a bit longer.” Jessica spotted Craig and Ava making their way toward them. Thank goodness, a reprieve.
Craig slapped Jake on the back. “Hey, buddy, what’s up?”
Jake extended his hand to Craig. “Not much. How about you, man?”
“You know, busy with the house and the wedding.” He chuckled. “My fiancée’s a real slave driver.”
Ava slapped his chest. “Quit complaining. I’m the one doing all the work.” She shot Jessica a meaningful glance after eyeing both Jake and Noah. “Hey, Jess.” She kissed her friend’s cheek, before whispering in her ear, “Jake looks pissed. Mission accomplished.”
Jessica tried to revel in achieving her not-so-hidden objective, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that she’d opened a Pandora’s Box. “Ava, Craig, I’d like you to meet my friend, Noah Keyes.”
Noah grinned, offering his hand to Ava, then Craig. “It’s nice to meet you both.” His eyes traveled over Ava, taking in the red bikini beneath the sheer cover-up. “Jessica has told me so much about you, Ava. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Craig slipped his hand through Ava’s as he glared at Noah. “Why don’t we find Merle, baby? I’d like to wish him a happy birthday.”
“Uh, yeah. That sounds like a good idea.” Ava squeezed Jessica’s arm. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
One look at Jake told Jessica he hadn’t missed the awkward exchange. Not that she was surprised. He made his living reading people, and she was certain he had Noah’s number. Unfortunately, her date’s intentions were becoming painfully clear to her as well. “Oh look, they’re bringing the food out. Perfect timing. I’m famished.”
Jake glanced at the glass of wine in her hand. “Have you had anything to eat today?”
“Uh no, I guess that’s why I’m so hungry.”
“Jess, you should know better than to drink on an empty stomach. At the best of times, two glasses of wine is enough to get you tipsy.”
He was right, she was a cheap drunk, but he didn’t have to broadcast it to the world. “This is my first and only glass of wine, so you can relax, warden.”
“If you’ll excuse me,” Noah said, “I need to use the restroom.”
Jessica thought about offering directions, but servers were working in the kitchen. He could ask one of them.
Jake wasted no time grabbing her upper arm and guiding her down the winding path toward her mother’s private oasis. It was a flower garden, shaded by mature oak trees, with several chairs in the center of the lavish floral frame. When you closed your eyes, you could hear the babbling brook that bordered the impressive property. The house and grounds had been in her mother’s family for three generations, and her parents often told her they hoped she would one day choose to raise a family there.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Jake muttered, between clenched teeth. “You bring a stranger, some dirtbag you met online, to your daddy’s birthday party?”
She shook him off, planting her hands on her hips as she turned to face him. “Don’t you lecture me, Jake McCoy. It’s none of your damn business.”
“Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
She was afraid he was calling to apologize for the impromptu kiss in her office, and she couldn’t stand to hear the remorse in his voice. It was one of the most memorable moments of her life, and she didn’t want him to sully her memory with regret. “I’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, I heard about those goddamn dance lessons. What the hell is wrong with you, girl?”
She sat down on one of the wrought iron chairs, feeling the need to put some distance between them. She was used to Jake’s indifference, but she’d rarely been on the wrong side of his temper. She couldn’t say she liked it. “What gives you, or anyone else, the right to judge me? I’m a grown woman for Christ’s sake! If I want to take pole dancing lessons and compete in that contest at Dixie’s, I will, and there’s not a damn thing you, or Tucker, or Daddy can do about it!” Letting off a little steam always made her feel better and today was no exception.
“What the fuck are you talking about? What contest?”
Uh oh. Obviously, he hadn’t heard about it. It was too late to back down now. Besides, he’d hear about it sooner or later. Brant was a small town. “Dixie is having a pole dancing contest every Friday night for the next six weeks. Patrons will vote, and the winner gets an all-expenses paid trip.” She looked up at him, scared spitless by his barely suppressed rage.
“You can put that idiotic idea right out of your head. If you think we’re gonna let you get up on that stage and act like some goddamn stripper just to win a contest…”
Tempted to throw the contents of her glass in his handsome face, she threw it back in one deep swallow. “I didn’t ask for your permission, McCoy. I’m doing it whether you like it or not.”
He shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts as he wandered around the stone patio. “You told Merle and Tucker about this? How about your Mama? Does she know what you plan to do?”
“No, I haven’t told them because I knew they’d overreact, just like you are.” She got up and bridged the gap between them. When they were toe-to-toe, she looked way, way up. Without the benefit of her strappy heels, he towered over her. “I can dance naked in front of a group of drunken cowboys or fuck Noah, or any other man I choose, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.” She pointed a finger into his solid chest. “You’re not my boyfriend… you’re not my husband… you’re not even my lover. So that gives you zero say in what I do or who I do it with, understand?”
He grabbed her by the shoulders as he glowered down at her. “You should know me better than to think you can put me in my place with a few choice words, baby.”
She swallowed, feeling much like she did the time her brother tempted her to poke a big snake with a stick. “Let me go. I’m going to check on Noah.”
“Like hell you are.” His eyes drifted to her lips. “You’re not going anywhere until you promise me you’re gonna send that horny little prick home in a cab right now and
—
”
“I don’t take orders from you.”
“Stop it!” He grabbed her face, holding her firmly between his hands. “Just stop trying to get to me. It’s working, okay? I’m pissed, I’m jealous, I’m…”
She licked her lips. “You’re what?”
“Hotter than hell right now.”
Oh, wow.
Jake was a hairsbreadth away from stripping that bikini cover-up off and fucking her under the shade of her Mama’s oak tree, in plain view of seventy of Brant County’s most conservative citizens.
“Are you saying you want me?”
He closed his eyes. Jessica was his best friend’s little sister. How the hell had he let this happen? When did he start developing these feelings for her, and what was Tucker going to say when he found out? No doubt the whole Carlton clan would want to stand in line to horse-whip him.