Jada smiled, leaning back into Reiner’s chest. They were on their way back to his family house, and he’d insisted on her riding in front of him on his horse, Midnight. Sammy trailed along beside them as he guided them. She nuzzled her head, taking a deep breath of his scent.
No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t keep her smile from forming on her lips.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked, pressing her closer to him.
“Nothing.” She leaned back so that she could see him from underneath the brim of her hat.
“No regrets?” he asked, pushing the brim of his hat back.
She thought about the past few hours and knew that she had no regrets whatsoever. She had gifted herself to Reiner, and he’d left her body deliciously sore and tingling all over.
“None.” She smiled at him.
Their bodies swayed together with Sammy trotting alongside them. They traveled in a comfortable silence. She basked in the feeling of him cradling her to him as they drew closer to his family home.
“So what else do you have planned for today?” she asked.
Reiner had ensured that she had worked off their small lunch they had consumed. Her stomach was starting to protest. She wrapped her arm around him to hold on since she sat side saddle.
“I was thinking of taking this hot little thang out to my favorite steak house in Waco.”
“Really? A hot little thang?” She mocked his drawl. “Who might that be?”
“I think you might know her. She’s a short, sexy vixen who ravaged my body out by the lake this afternoon.”
“Where’d she go?” she asked, playfully looking around.
“Don’t know who I’m talking about, do you?” he asked, his fingers tickling her sides.
She squealed as they came around the bend. She laughed and held on for dear life to keep from falling off the horse. He slowed Midnight and Sammy down once they drew close to the stables.
She felt his body stiffen as Midnight took a few more steps before drawing to a halt. She turned and saw a dark SUV parked next to Reiner’s pickup truck in the driveway.
“Who is that?” she asked, feeling the tension in his body.
“My parents,” he replied.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, unsure why his body would go tense if it was just his parents.
A couple exited the vehicle with another male getting out the back of the truck.
“Who is that with them?”
“My brother.”
His brother jogged toward them, and Reiner’s body slowly relaxed. His parents glanced their way before going to the back of the SUV where the trunk opened automatically.
“Reiner!” his brother called.
Reiner dismounted from Midnight first then reached up for her. He took her by the waist and helped her down. She could instantly see the resemblance between brothers.
“Andre.” A grin broke out on Reiner’s face when he embraced his brother.
Jada watched the brothers slap each other on the back, greeting each other.
“Who is this?” Andre turned his attention to her.
She instantly smiled as Reiner drew her into his side.
“Andre, this is my girl, Jada Dalton. Jada, this is my ugly little brother, Andre.” Reiner motioned to them, introducing them to each other.
“Hi.” She shyly reached her hand out to take Andre’s.
“Bro, you have definitely been holding out.” Andre offered her a wide, genuine smile. “My brother may have to watch his back. One slip up, and I might have to scoop you up myself.”
“Hey,” Reiner growled.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at their playful banter.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Reiner said.
“Here, I’ll tend to the horses while you go introduce Jada to Mom and Pop,” Andre offered, gathering the reins of Midnight and Sammy.
“What happened? Why ya’ll come back today? I thought ya’ll were coming back tomorrow,” Reiner asked.
“Pop and Uncle Tim went at it as they always do. I swear those two can argue about the color of the sky.” Andre shook his head. “Don’t know why they thought they would be able to be around each other for forty-eight hours.”
“Pop and Tim are the biggest competitors in the family. The media always tries to put Andre and me against each other. Who they need to spotlight on Monday Night Football is Pop and Uncle Tim.” Reiner chuckled.
“Amen to that. But that’s okay. This season me and my team will kick you and the Knights’ ass,” Andre threw over his shoulder, walking away with the two horses trailing behind him.
“Not a chance,” Reiner yelled, grabbing hold of Jada’s hand. “Come on, so you can meet the folks.”
Jada turned and waved at Andre before Reiner tugged her behind him. A flutter filled her stomach at the thought of meeting Reiner’s parents.
“Why did you stiffen up when you saw their truck?” she asked, strolling beside him toward the house.
“It’s nothing.” He offered her a small smile but didn’t answer the question.
They walked around the front porch as a tall woman with salt-and-pepper hair brushing her shoulders appeared. Her eyes were the same as Reiner’s. The smile faltered on her lips, and Jada’s stomach bottomed out.
“Hey, Mom.” Reiner pushed Jada up the few stairs. He let Jada’s hand go and enclosed his mother in a tight hug.
Jada’s nerves flooded her. She took the time to study his mother before she pulled back from Reiner.
“And who do we have here?” Mrs. Strickland asked, curiosity filling her face as she tilted her head to the side.
Reiner reached for Jada and pulled her forward to his side. He entwined their fingers together, and Jada watched how Mrs. Strickland’s eyes flickered to their hands before her eyes met Jada’s.
“Mom, this is Jada Dalton. Jada, this is my mother, Erna Strickland.”
“Hello, ma’am. You have a beautiful ranch.” Jada extended her hand to Reiner’s mother.
“Thank you, my dear.” Erna took Jada’s hand in a shake then she turned to Reiner. “I didn’t know you would be bringing a guest. I will have Rosa ready the guest room.”
“There’s no need,” Reiner announced.
His mother turned to him sharply, and Jada tried to hold back her cringe but failed.
“That’s okay. The guest room will be fine, Mrs. Strickland,” Jada assured Reiner’s mother.
Erna’s eyes flickered to them both before she nodded and went back inside the house. The cold look that was cast by Mrs. Strickland had Jada wondering if she were truly welcomed in the house.
“What do you mean the guest room will be fine?” Reiner asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. He leaned back against the wide pillar on the porch and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in place against his body. “I want you with me.”
“Did you see the look she gave us? I don’t want to make a wrong first impression.” She glanced toward the door and nervously chewed on her bottom lip.
There was something about Reiner’s mother that she couldn’t put her finger on.
“Don’t worry about my mother. It’s just rare that I bring a woman home to the ranch,” he clarified. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it.
“Still. I don’t want her to get the wrong impression of me,” she insisted.
“What? Like how you lured me out to the lake with the intent to take advantage of my body?” He grinned.
“I’m trying to be serious.” She swatted his chest, her hand connecting with solid muscle. “Ow!”
She shook her hand, not really feeling pain but putting on an Oscar-worthy performance. She stepped back from Reiner to examine her hand.
“You didn’t hit me that hard.” He chuckled, pushing off the pillar. “Fine. If you want to sleep in the guest room, we’ll sleep in the guest room.”
“Reiner!”
He stood in front of her with determination brimming in his eyes. She shook her head, unsure what to do with him. He was one stubborn man who was used to getting his way.
“I meant what I said. You. Belong. To. Me.” He cradled her jaw in his hand, tilting her head back so that he could gaze down into her eyes.
“But, Reiner. Your parents will hear us—”
“No sex tonight. I don’t want to hurt you. I promise, we’ll just sleep tonight.” He brushed her bottom lip with his thumb.
His gray eyes captivated her as she stared up at him. She knew that she was falling fast for him. There was no way she could deny it. She would have to learn to protect herself. She didn’t want to be hurt by him and knew that whatever this was between them was different than any other relationship she’d had in the past.
“Okay—”
She was rudely interrupted by his lips covering hers. Yes, she’d have to learn to protect herself, because Reiner Strickland was a man who could totally destroy her.
Reiner headed toward the kitchen after introducing his father to Jada. He knew that he could count on Andre to ensure their father behaved himself. Not that his father would be rude or ill-willed toward Jada. No, he didn’t want his father scaring Jada away with whatever quarrel he’d had with his brother. Usually, when his father argued with his brother, they heard about the fight for days on end.
Reiner arrived in the kitchen to find his mother chopping vegetables. He leaned against the doorjamb at first, not saying anything. As if sensing his presence, she stopped what she as doing and laid her knife down on the counter.
“So, you brought her here,” she said without looking up.
“Is her being here a problem?” he asked quietly, narrowing his eyes on her. He honestly couldn’t believe they were about to have this type of conversation. The way Erna had looked at Jada hadn’t escaped his attention.
“Of course not. I would never turn away your guest. I just thought that you would heed my warnings.” She turned around and leaned back against the counter. Her eyes held a bit of concern that led him to believe that she truly felt she was thinking of what was best for him.
But she didn’t need to.
He was grown and could make his own decisions.
He was never one to be concerned of what others thought of him.
Jada was like a breath of fresh air in his life. She was genuine and not fake like the other women who came and went throughout his life. He could be himself with her.
She made him laugh.
That was one of her sexist traits.
He wanted to be able to get to know her even better. See where this thing between them went. Discover what made her laugh.
Just the memory of the sound of her giggles brought a smile to his face.
“She makes me happy,” he announced as he walked toward his mother.
Erna Strickland took pride in her kitchen. She always told them that the kitchen was the heart of the home. She had spent much time preparing meals for their family. He knew it to be her favorite room in the house. A few years ago, he and Andre had the kitchen renovated to a professional-grade kitchen.
So it wasn’t any surprise that he would find her putzing around in her favorite room in the house while everyone else was in the family room.
He approached her. She couldn’t look him in the eye.
“You’ve worked so hard for your career. I just don’t want anyone to take that from you.”
“Who I date won’t make me lose everything that I’ve accomplished. Dating her doesn’t violate any of the moral clauses that are on my contracts for football or my endorsements. I do it for me. I want to be with her.” He narrowed his eyes on her again as she fiddled with her apron.
“But I just don’t want people to—”
“If there are those who consider themselves my friends who may have a problem with who I date, then I don’t need them in my life.”
Her eyes flew to his as he backed away from her. He turned to walk out of the kitchen before he said something he would later regret.
“Reiner—”
“We’re going out for dinner. No need for you to cook for us,” he announced, making his way from the kitchen. He paused in the hallway, needing to get his emotions under control before he returned to Jada.