Chapter Fifteen

For the first time that day her muscles unclenched. Dare rested her head on Jesse’s shoulder and took a deep, albeit unsteady breath as she let the sexual bliss in her veins trickle through her system.

“God, I needed that.” Jesse sounded like Dare felt. Buzzed out on endorphins.

She let her fingers drift over his shoulders, slowly tracing the rock-firm muscles as he held her supported in midair. “Yeah, me too.”

Dare would’ve been happy with the day magically coming to a close right then. To be instantly whisked back to her place for some peace and alone time.

Unfortunately, she was all out of magic.

“Sorry I missed your meeting with my folks.” Jesse murmured the words against her neck, his tone sincere and a little sad.

“I’m still a bit pissed at you,” she admitted.

His chest moved against hers as he let out a huge sigh. “Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around.” She attempted to straighten up so she could examine his face, but he leaned against her harder. “Stay put for ten seconds, woman. We don’t have anywhere to be for a while.”

Time to recharge their batteries in private sounded great. But this position wasn’t one they could keep for much longer. “Could we at least pull up our pants?”

He chuckled softly, but separated them.

She bit back a moan at the teasing sensation as his body left hers. Her legs were shaky, and she held the gazebo for support as Jesse helped get her pants back on. Her blouse was useless, so he gave her his shirt, his hands lingered on the soft swell of her belly before he pulled back abruptly, jerking his jeans back into position as if angry.

“What’s wrong?” she demanded.

“I’m sorry.” Jesse growled the words.

Dare stared at him, confusion rushing in. “You better not be apologizing for the sex, because that was the first good thing about this entire day.” She paused. “Okay, I’m exaggerating, because Vicki turned out to be pretty nice, and your parents, and the baby, but…but what the hell are you talking about?”

He gestured toward her belly. “I shouldn’t have been so rough. It can’t be good for Buckaroo.”

Oh. Well, his concern was kind of sweet, even though it was uncalled for. “We’re okay. I think sex on a trampoline is on the banned list, but that was fine. That was awesome, in fact, and exactly what I needed.”

He led her to the bench and left her to get comfortable as he moved to the side of the fire pit and opened a small box that held supplies. He piled wood high then lit the kindling, the flames flickering steadily stronger. Dare stared at the orange and yellow flames crawling up the edge of the wood as Jesse returned to her side. She leaned her shoulder against his and they sat in silence.

Her body thrummed with lingering pleasure.

She had a special kind of situation with her family at Silver Stone. They were always around if she needed them, but with having her own place, she’d gotten used to being able to retreat and get away when she needed a moment of solitude. A moment to recharge and retreat from others’ expectations and judgment.

Dare took a quick glance at Jesse’s face.

He was watching the fire, but his expression had grown tight again. Dare debated coming right out and venting her displeasure with Blake’s high-handed dismissal.

Confusion rolled in along with her irritation—the refusal of Jesse’s generous offer had been clear, but Blake’s greeting toward her had been kind and sincere.

How was she supposed to deal with such contradictory reactions?

Jesse slipped an arm around her, tugging her against his side. “You upset with me?” He sounded tired.

“Mixed up, annoyed, confused.” Sitting side-by-side meant she couldn’t easily see his face, and maybe that was better. She stared at the logs as the fire consumed the fuel an inch at a time. “This whole trip might’ve been easier if you told me ahead of time there was something wrong between you and your brother.”

Jesse stiffened.

“I was one second away from punching him in the gut in the hospital,” she admitted.

He relaxed like a balloon losing its air. “Oh, you mean Blake.”

What the hell? Dare twisted on the spot, peering into his face as she demanded answers. “Which brother did you think I was talking about?”

He shrugged.

No way. Dare shot to her feet and planted her fists on her hips. “Look, buddy. I am one thin thread away from losing it. The only reason I came—”

She cut herself off. She didn’t need to explain herself, he did.

Jesse caught her by the hips and pulled her back into his lap, curling an arm around her shoulders so he could press her against his chest. He enveloped her like a cocoon, and it was easier to give in than to stop him.

Being held gave her a probably unfounded sensation of stability in the middle of her current life chaos.

“Blake didn’t do anything wrong.” Jesse spoke softly, the crackling wood in the fire pit punctuating his words.

Dare pushed back, ready to protest when loud greetings rose from the arbour entrance—an unfamiliar male voice followed by a female one.

“Hey, awesome. Jesse’s already got the fire going. Bring the hotdogs.”

“Warning, incoming horde.”

An extremely pregnant blonde made her way toward the benches. Behind her a couple of men marched, one of them obviously a Coleman, bags of food dangling from their hands.

In under thirty seconds, at least a dozen other people had joined her and Jesse, and her questions were lost as she scrambled to slip off his lap and make sure all her bits and pieces were in place and covered.

The blonde woman smiled invitingly. “Once I finish waddling my way over to you, you can decide if you want a hug or not. I’m Ashley.”

“Is it possible to hug you without making you pop like a tube of toothpaste?” Jesse asked, rising to his feet with his arm around Dare.

Ashley lifted her middle finger toward him and kept moving toward Dare. “That’s your one free comment about my baby belly, Jesse. Next one, you’ll find yourself out moping in the backfield with the rest of the brand-new steers.”

A low hiss escaped all the guys in the vicinity.

“Oh! I understood that one.” An older woman with long dark hair turned excitedly to the lady settling next to her on the bench. “Steers are what you call a bull after you cut off their testicles.”

Ashley rolled her eyes, but she smiled as she motioned toward the two women. “Dare, I’d like you to meet my mama, Tina, and my mom, Skyler. They’re a little excited by all the country-isms we keep tossing their way.”

“If you’d speak English, we wouldn’t have a problem,” the blonde-haired Skyler answered with a firm shake of her finger in Ashley’s direction before waving a greeting to Dare.

“Nice to meet you both,” Dare offered, glancing between the women. “Do you live in Rocky as well?”

Tina shook her head. “Just here until the baby arrives then we’re headed back to Oregon.”

“Or a month later,” Skyler added innocently. “You know, after Ashley’s back on her feet.”

Dare found herself back on the bench beside Jesse, both of them being handed long roasting sticks with hotdogs already stuck on the end.

Ashley settled on Dare’s other side. She ignored the crowd of people for a moment, leaning in closer to speak privately. “Sorry for interrupting your tête-à-tête.”

“No problem.” Dare refrained from sharing they’d probably prolonged Jesse’s life by arriving when they did. “Should I expect more Colemans to turn up?”

“Not tonight. Let me put names to the faces for you.” Ashley glanced around the circle, pointing as she spoke. “That blond one’s mine, and so is the Coleman beside him—Cassidy and Travis. Next are Daniel and Beth. Their three boys will stop running wild and settle down in a minute to start eating everything that doesn’t move, so guard your hotdog. I heard you met Mike, Marion earlier today, and those are the twins, Rebecca and Rachel. You know Vicki, and that’s Joel, so that’s the lot for now.”

Dare turned toward Joel, fascinated to see a second Jesse watching her solemnly.

The Coleman resemblance was strong between all the men—Travis and Mike were cookie cutters from different generations, but the twins…

“Whoa.” Dare attempted to seem nonchalant, but it was tough.

Vicki snickered, holding out a plate with a loaded hotdog bun, chips and salad. “Eyes back in your head, chica,” she warned softly. “You only get to keep the one you came with.”

“Mores the pity.” Ashley let out an exaggerated sigh. “Everyone should have two healthy males to keep the home fires burning, if you know what I mean.”

Dare glanced around the fire pit, shocked at the comment considering there were parents and kids present.

Ashley laughed, instantly aware of what Dare was thinking. “They’re not listening. So? Can you tell the twins apart?”

It was a little daunting to think she might not recognize the father of her baby, but a closer look was enough to reassure her it wasn’t going to be a problem. The men were identical, but…not. The tension in Jesse’s face was sharper than the cool analytical expression his twin wore, and their eyes—the way they looked at her was completely different.

Thank God. “I can tell.”

“We need to mix them up then test you—”

“We’re not playing shell games for your entertainment, Ashley,” Joel drawled.

Dare caught Vicki’s gaze, widening her eyes in astonishment. Okay, physically there were differences, but Joel’s tone and inflection were so similar to Jesse’s it was scary.

“We can put a bell on Jesse if you’d like,” Vicki offered.

“It’s okay,” Dare said quickly, remembering her manners. She rose to her feet and held out a hand to Joel. “Good to meet you.”

“And you.” He shook her hand firmly. “If you need anything while you’re here, let us know.”

She chased away dirty images as rapidly as she could—damn Ashley for making mention of threesomes. “Thanks.”

Conversation turned light. Jesse roasted her a hotdog, and she obediently ate the food on her plate, but well before the party was over, she was ready to call it a night.

She rested her head on Jesse’s shoulder, and he looped his arm around her, pulling her against his strong body. The warmth from the fire and his internal furnace meshed together until she was in a comfortable, foggy haze, voices and laughter blurring together.

Soft lips pressed to hers, and Dare blinked.

Bright blue eyes stared down at her, familiar heat in their depths as Jesse traced her face with his gaze before his lips curled up. She was lying on their bed in the small room in the trailer with him stretched over her.

He nuzzled against her neck as he whispered toward her ear. “You fell asleep.”

Damn. “That’s twice today. Your family is going to think I’m narcoleptic.”

“Everyone thought it was cute,” he insisted. “I’m ready to hit the sack too.”

She stroked her hands up his body, palms skimming over the hard bands and stripes of his muscles. “Hmmm.”

His smile twisted. “What’s that mean?”

Dare slipped under his T-shirt so she could scratch him. “Just hmmm. What do you think it means?”

He reached over his head to grasp the back of his T-shirt and strip it forward off his body. He lowered into contact with her again, miles of naked skin right there ready for her fingers to enjoy.

“Definitely means you want me.”

“I shouldn’t,” she murmured, lips coasting over his throat as he rocked against her. Pleasure rising like a heater slowly warming up. “I’m mad at you,” she reminded him.

“I’m mad at me too,” he returned. “See? Another thing we have in common. We definitely need to fuck.”

Dare snickered, the sound turning into a moan as he slid to one side and brought a hand between her legs.

Jesse covered her lips with his, swallowing the sound even as he slipped his hand under her panties and made her squirm. Fingers firm and confident as he stripped away the fabric and proceeded to stroke and tease, pleasure drifting in slow waves instead of the crash of fire and heat they’d shared by the arbour.

This felt right, though. Yes, she was a little mad that the day hadn’t turned out perfect from beginning to end like some fairy tale, but it was hardly his fault that people refused to follow the scripts she wrote in her mind…

He kissed his way along her jaw to her ear, murmuring softly how much he wanted her, and she twisted to meet his lips. Dare reached down to capture his fine ass in her hand, gripping his butt cheek under his boxers for a split second before attempting to push the elastic downward. Trying to get him all the way naked so she could pull him over her like a sexy blanket.

This time Jesse read her mind and moved eagerly, shoving his briefs away and nestling over her again, their bodies lining up perfectly. The heat of his cock rubbed her sex as he canted his hips, elbows braced on either side of her body.

Dare stroked her fingers through his hair, eyes closed as she soaked in the sensation of being under him. Being surrounded.

Being filled, as he adjusted his angle and slid them together.

“Oh, God, ye—”

Her words were cut off as he laid a hand over her mouth, bright blue eyes sparkling at her. “Shhh.”

Dare blinked then snickered as she figured out what he was warning her about. He was shy? The man who’d had her screaming his name until she was hoarse the first time they’d had sex didn’t want anyone to know what they were doing?

Jesse pulled back an inch at a time, gaze locked on hers. “Shh, or no cock for you.”

“Ha, right.” As if he was going to stop. Still, why take a chance? “I’ll be very, very quiet,” she promised.

He rocked forward, cock sinking deep. The thick length touched everywhere she needed and forced the sound from her lips.

“Ohhhh…” She glanced at his face guiltily. “Oops?”

His grin twisted, and he did it again. Slow retreat, deep press forward.

All thoughts of being worried, or mad, or…well, any thoughts, frankly, vanished as he worked his magic on her. Connected, surrounded, a team striving for the same goal.

Which in this case was the pleasure rapidly overwhelming her, the tingling sensation in her core making her sigh happily as her orgasm hit.

Jesse was the one to hum approvingly at that point, his muscles bunching under her fingers as he rocked forward a few more times, pace quickening, hand under her hip lifting her higher so he could connect every last inch.

She was still vibrating when he came, cock pulsing deep. Breath rushing past her ear in heavy pants.

Okay, so maybe the day hadn’t gone exactly how she hoped, but overall, she was pretty content to be where she was right then. In Jesse’s arms.

Perhaps that was the biggest realization of the day.

Dare didn’t need all his family to approve of her, or him, or them. She would do this thing with Buckaroo, and only people she chose to have around would be in their lives.

Right now, Jesse was a part of that—if he wanted to be.