CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BROOK LYNN HAD the next day free—though she would be on call—her first break in forever. To be honest, she wasn’t sure what to do with herself. Also, it was odd, knowing she wouldn’t be doing any non-wife wifing unless Jase had one of those casserole emergencies he’d mentioned. Odd...and freaking awesome. But mostly awesome. And okay, a little awful. She’d spent last night squirming in bed, remembering the way he’d touched her, desperate for everything she’d been denied.
In an effort to distract herself, she spent the morning with Jessie Kay and Kenna, trying on bridesmaid dresses and finally checking another item off her fun list: drinking whiskey straight from a bottle.
“You look different today,” Kenna said as Brook Lynn moved to the dais to show off the latest gown—a floor-length lavender beauty fit for a fairy queen.
Heat pooled in Brook Lynn’s cheeks. The only thing different about her was the brief taste of satisfaction she’d experienced in Jase’s arms.
Jessie Kay emerged from the dressing room in a short red halter dress, smirking over at Brook Lynn and singing, “I know what youuuu diiiiidd. I know. I know. I really, really know.”
“You lie!” Brook Lynn said. “You know nothing.”
Kenna pointed to the whiskey. “You take another swig right this second, Miss Dillon, and then you tell me why you blush every few minutes, why you keep sighing while staring off at nothing and why you’ve got a bruise the size of my butt on your neck.”
The hickey! Crap!
Both Jessie Kay and Kenna burst into laughter as she slapped a hand over her neck. Clearly they knew what was “different” about her, but had decided to tease her.
“I’ll drink, but I’ll never tell you devious slags anything.” Eyes narrowed, she bent down and grabbed the whiskey bottle at her feet then chugged. Oh, the burn! But with the third swallow, she actually began to like it. Her skin flushed, and a drugging numbness filled her limbs. “So get this,” she heard herself say. “Jase and I made out.”
It was as if she’d just let the air out of a balloon.
“Made out?” Jessie Kay gave her a thumbs-down. “I thought you’d sealed the deal.”
“Hardly.” She faced herself in the mirror, irritated by the sudden, defeated slump in her shoulders. “He refused.”
Why had Jase denied her? Had he simply changed his mind? Men were allowed to do that, same as women—though it should be illegal for guys. Or had he not enjoyed what they were doing?
No. Definitely not that one. He’d come. Hard. Like, propel-a-rocket-grenade hard.
Men! She would never understand them.
Kenna gave her rear a smack. “Don’t look so pitiful. So what if he didn’t give it to you last night. There’s always tomorrow, right?”
Always tomorrow.
The words played in a loop in Brook Lynn’s mind. She’d only promised him a night of sex. A single night. Had he, perhaps, hoped for a second go-round? Because not actually sleeping with her left their legal and binding contract in play.
Her jaw dropped. Was that why he’d stopped? There was a good chance...yes, she thought, and someone might as well have tapped her vein and injected her with happiness. I’m still in the game!
She took another two...six swigs of whiskey before putting the bottle back on the floor and picking up her phone. Texting Jase to ask for confirmation seemed like such a good idea right now. The best! Absolutely nothing could go wrong.
But as her fingers flew over the keyboard, Do you want more from me or not? wasn’t what she typed.
Guess what? U missed out, Jase Hollister. U could have had ALL this.
She waved to encompass her entire body. Wait. He couldn’t see her. Should she send a video, too? Nah.
It’s a treasure, & I don’t go around giving it away 4 free. But U blew it, she added. Blew. It. So. Hard.
Perfect. Don’t even need to proofread. Send.
Another thought hit her. She began typing again.
Guess what else? I still owe U a nite & UR gonna get it whether U want it or not. I’M LEGALLY BOUND, REMEMBER?? So the next time we R 2gether I’m going 2 start by running my fingers down UR chest, all the way 2 UR zipper...
Send.
His reply came within seconds.
And then?
She yelped with surprise...then nearly melted into a puddle with pleasure. He really did want more!
“What are you doing?” Kenna demanded.
Brook Lynn ignored her, typing, I will lean in soooo close...
Send.
Another lightning-fast response came in.
AND THEN? Tell me, angel. I have 2 know.
Oh, I’ll tell you all right.
“Seriously,” Jessie Kay said. “What are you doing? You’re panting.”
Brook Lynn ignored her, too. She typed
And then I will whisper “I have a headache. Maybe we can try again tomorrow.”
Send.
Her phone rang a few moments later. Startled, she dropped the thing on the floor and peered down at it as if it had just begun leaking poison. Was that Jase?
With a grin, Jessie Kay swiped up the phone and handed it to her. “Answer, or I will.”
Brook Lynn tentatively placed the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Cruel, honey. Cruel.” Jase’s husky voice filtered through the implants and drifted into her head, making her shiver. “I might not survive that severe of a punishment.”
She tried for a tough tone. “Well, I’m hard-core. And you should have considered the consequences before you kicked me out.”
“Kicked you out?” He sounded as if he’d just choked on his own tongue. “You blazed out the door after I asked you to stay.”
The girls crowded around her, whispering, “What’d he say?” and “Put him on speaker. I want to hear this.”
She batted them away, got dizzy, tripped over her own feet and ended up in a puddle of silk scarves. “Jase, I need you to stop trying to place the blame on my delicate flower shoulders and come find me. This is a 911 sexergency. You have made me more frustrated than a zombie at a salad bar. Fix it!”
Behind her, Jessie Kay and Kenna burst into laughter.
“You been drinking, honey?” he asked.
“Only this much.” She pinched the fingers of her free hand to indicate a little.
“Doing your fun list, then?”
“I am. And guess what? It’s fun!” She pushed to her feet to twirl around the room...and then had to sit back down and stick her head between her legs before she passed out or threw up. “Or it was. Now it’s not.”
The phone was swiped out of her hand.
“Hey,” she protested.
“Jase,” Kenna said. “This is Kenna Starr, and I just want to assure you...” She went silent. “Yes, we are...No, no, of course not...Well, that’s a little extreme.” Her eyes widened and swung to Brook Lynn. “I would never let anything...Okay, all right.”
Curiosity poured through Brook Lynn. “What’s he saying?”
“You are...Wow,” Kenna said to him, disregarding her. “I’m going to have to refuse your oh, so generous offer...What! That’s blackmail!” A pause. “But I promised and...well, she does seem to like you...Fine! You win. I’m going to hang up before I change my mind.”
“What was that about?” Jessie Kay demanded.
“Yeah,” Brook Lynn said. “Tell me before things get ugly.”
Kenna placed a hand over her mouth as a chuckle escaped. “I’m supposed to take you home, ensuring you do not speak to any man between the ages of sixteen and fifty. Sixty, if they look like they work out. I’m also supposed to refuse to help you with any more items on your fun list—and so are you,” she said to Jessie Kay. “Jase has called dibs, and he’s willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make sure he gets what he considers his. Even creating a mess at Dane’s office that causes him to have to work late nights for the next six weeks!”
“Dibs,” Brook Lynn echoed. He wanted to help her? Had insisted on it, even scaring away the competition?
And he wanted her to avoid other men?
Was it her birthday?
“Give me that phone,” Brook Lynn said. “I need to ask him where exactly we stand, where we’re going with this and where he wants to end up.” Simple questions.
“No way,” Kenna said. “He’ll do what he threatened and come here.”
“Even better!”
“No!”
“Give me!” she demanded, lunging for her friend.
Kenna threw the flip to Jessie Kay, who dropped it and kicked it across the store. Brook Lynn crawled to her sister and grabbed her phone.
“Why don’t you play a little hard to get?” Jessie Kay gasped out.
“Why should I? I gambled, and I won. Now I want my prize. I deserve it.”
Kenna raced over and swatted Brook Lynn’s wrist until she dropped the other phone. “Did you know she would turn into a needy hobag after a few drinks?” she demanded of Jessie Kay.
“No!” Jessie Kay tried to back away, saying, “It’s as much a surprise to me as it is to you.”
Brook Lynn grabbed hold of her sister’s ankle and yanked. The girl flailed and fell, landing with a hard thud, the hem of her dress ending up bunched at her waist, revealing lacy blue panties.
Kenna tried to help Jessie Kay stand, but Brook Lynn dove on her. “I’m not needy—I’m curious. Now gimme!”
“Have we decided on a color, ladies?” The prim voice of the saleswoman echoed. “Or a design?”
The three of them froze.
“Um...still mulling things over, ma’am,” Kenna said.
“I’d like to see that little light blue number over there,” Jessie Kay said, pointing.
The saleswoman walked away, grumbling under her breath. Kenna helped Jessie Kay and Brook Lynn stand.
Steady on my feet—almost.
“Why don’t we call it a day?” Kenna said.
While she and her sister changed into their regular clothes—after Jessie Kay ruled out the blue dress she’d made the saleswoman fetch for her—Kenna gathered the fallen phones. As her friend drove her home, Brook Lynn began to lose her buzz...but not her sense of happy.
Jase wants me!
It would be smooth sailing from here. No doubt about it.
* * *
JASE NEARLY POUNCED on Brook Lynn when she showed up for work Monday morning. Spending the weekend away from her had been torture. His mind had been locked on her, unable to think of anything or anyone else. He’d wondered what she was doing and who she was doing it with. He’d wanted to know if she missed him. If she’d thought about him at all...craved him, unable to sleep, the desire in her little body too much to bear.
Her texts had been a gift from above...or a means of torment from far, far below. He wasn’t sure yet. He somehow found the strength to go out back and get to work on his own chores without hounding her with a million questions.
Have to let her do her thing during office hours.
What seemed an eternity later, she carried a glass of ice water out to him. A blush stained her cheeks. Remembering what she’d texted to him?
“Thank you.” His mouth went dry and he drained the contents—if it wasn’t the Oklahoma heat, it could only be the woman standing in front of him. “I’m still waiting to hear today’s affirmations.”
At first, she didn’t respond. Finally, though, she cleared her throat and said, “I am at one with my duality.”
Funny girl. A jab at his hot-and-cold treatment of her?
“So we’re going to act like Friday night didn’t happen and the texts Saturday stemmed only from the alcohol,” he said. “Got it.”
Silence.
Such tense silence.
But it was a blessing. One word of encouragement, and he would have picked her up and carried her straight to bed. Now that he had firsthand knowledge of the curves hidden by her clothes, the softness of her skin and the sweetness of her taste, being with her wasn’t a want—it was a need.
I’m going to start by running my fingers down your chest, all the way to your zipper...
He handed her the glass and returned to hammering new pieces of shingle into the roof, her scent surrounding him. Vanilla and sugar today. “By the way. Your phone is a POS. I want to get hold of you when I want to get hold of you. Consider this a bonus for working for me.” He pointed to the box resting beside the grill.
She picked up the device and frowned at him. “You bought me a phone?”
“Yes. And there are no take backs.”
“But—”
“No buts. It’s yours. Agree and save us an argument.”
“I... Thank you,” she said, then quietly returned to the house.
He glanced over just as she disappeared beyond the door and caught a glimpse of long blond hair swishing at the waist of her shorts, a pert little ass he’d like to sink his teeth into and the lithe legs he wanted wrapped around his head.
A moan escaped him, his body so hard he could have used it as a battering ram. Hell. He wanted to use it as a battering ram.
Not yet. And not just because of her work hours and pay. She’d tied him in knots, and those knots had to be undone first. Otherwise, there was no telling what he would allow to happen. Like, say, feeling more, deeper...wanting more.
His mind replayed two conversations that had taken place over the weekend, both of which had scared the hell out of him.
He’d spent some time in town...not looking for Brook Lynn. He’d once again felt as if he were being watched, but when he’d found no evidence of a stalker, he’d known he had to get over these little paranoias if he had any hope of staying sane. He’d soon come across an elderly woman doing her best to change a flat tire. Despite the summer heat, she wore a sweater. But his favorite thing about her? She had quintessential old-lady hair, white curls forming a ball of fluff around her face.
He was ashamed to admit he’d held an internal debate about whether or not to help her. He hadn’t wanted any of the locals thinking about him, much less talking about him, or inevitably looking him up, but in the end he hadn’t been able to leave the woman on her own. Especially since she hadn’t been working the scissor jack properly.
He’d parked in front of her, at the side of the road, and walked over.
She’d stiffened, backed a few steps away and held out her hands to stop him. “You think you’re the first stranger to approach me today? Think again. I’ve got Mace, young man, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“I’m not here to hurt you, ma’am.” He’d slowed his approach and put his own hands up, all innocence. “Just wanted to help.”
“That’s what the last guy said and he had serial killer written all over him.”
“I didn’t know serial killers were so obvious nowadays.”
She’d lifted her chin and hmphed. “You just go on now. I’ll have this tire changed on my own in another hour or two.”
“I’m Jase Hollister, friends with Lincoln West and Beck Ockley,” he’d said, and her entire demeanor had changed from suspicious to fawning in less than a heartbeat.
“I’ve met West and Beck. Beautiful boys. I’m Peggy, the event planner for the Silver Foxes. You ever heard of us?”
“Uh, no, can’t say that I have.”
“Well, we are hot mommas still going strong. We host mixers at the assisted-living center. You should come.” She’d patted his shoulder. “Look what a big strapping lad you are. And so helpful, too, stopping to take care of my needs.” A calculated gleam had entered her eyes. “Are you married, Jase?”
He’d swallowed a groan, knowing where she was about to delve. “No, and I—”
“Wonderful,” she’d said, speaking over him. “My granddaughter is single, too.”
Yup. There.
“I know you’d love her. She’s a nurse at that assisted-living center I mentioned, and let me tell you, you will never meet a girl with a better personality.”
“That’s, uh, great,” he’d replied, while thinking: I should have driven on. “But I’m kind of...seeing someone.”
As in...dating?
No, some part of him screamed. No!
“Who?” she’d asked, as if she’d had every right to know.
He’d ignored her, and she’d spent the next twenty minutes regaling him with reasons why city girls were inferior to Strawberry Valley girls, as well as stories about her granddaughter, while he’d taken care of the tire, a captive audience. By some miracle, he’d gotten away without having to relinquish his phone number.
For his trouble, Peggy had given him a Werther’s Original. Seriously.
Afterward, Jase had helped Virgil Porter carry his groceries to his beater of a truck.
“Heard you’re dating Peggy Newcomb’s granddaughter,” Virgil had said as he settled behind the wheel. “You sure that’s wise, considering you’re pinin’ for our Brook Lynn?”
He’d had to swallow a mouthful of curses.
But...was he pining? What, exactly, did he want from Brook Lynn?
Irritated with himself now, Jase worked outside for hours, even skipping lunch to avoid being around the temptation of her. Of course, after a while, she brought food to him.
She’s concerned for me. Caring for me.
Ruining me.
Stopping himself from grabbing hold of her and pulling her body against his might have been the most difficult thing he’d ever done.
When dusk finally descended, she peeked her head out the window and called, “Jase. I need you.”
Just like that, he was hard. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” When she disappeared back inside the house, he stored his tools and entered the kitchen. She bustled around between the stove and the counter, mixing ingredients.
“You need something?” he asked. Need me?
“Yeah. Answers. Did you tell Kenna you’d help me with my fun list?”
More like demanded. “Yes,” he reluctantly admitted.
“Well, then, you need to help me. I’m ready to check off another item.”
Dance for me. He cleared his throat. “How about we hustle West and Beck during a poker game tonight?”
She glanced at him, bit her lip nervously—and it was sexy as hell. “Shouldn’t I learn how to play first?”
“You’ve never played?”
Wiping her hands on a towel, she said, “Would you be able to teach me? It isn’t that hard, is it? It looks so easy and fun on TV, so I’m absolutely certain I can learn, like, superfast.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. He retrieved a deck of cards and shuffled. As her newest casserole baked, he showed her how to pull a royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair and the two least desired hands. He taught her about the flop, river and turn, and through it all, she nodded her head.
Then they played several hands. She lost. Badly.
“You’ll get better,” he said. In a few years. Maybe a few decades. “As for tonight, let’s hustle West and Beck at pool. You can play that, right?”
The lip-biting started up again. “Sure I can...if you teach me how.”
The timer on the oven went off, and right on cue the front door opened and closed. Jase had begun to suspect his friends clocked their days according to Brook Lynn’s meal preparation.
West and Beck entered the kitchen, both sniffing the air and moaning with approval.
“What’d you make this time?” West rubbed his hands together. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair a mess. Once again he smelled of alcohol.
“What?” Jase said. “No greeting for me? You just go straight to the girl with the food?”
“Yeah, I’m smart like that.” West slapped him on the shoulder. “Brook Lynn? I believe I asked you a very important question.”
She laughed with genuine amusement. “This is called Thanksgiving Dream. It’s turkey and dressing, with a mix of green beans and potatoes, and a cranberry sauce topping.”
“Rename it Heaven in a Dish.” Beck reached out to pinch a piece of the dressing. “And then you’re going to marry me right here, right now.”
Jase scowled at him.
“Bad boy.” Brook Lynn slapped at Beck’s hand before he could sample the dish. “Also, my answer is heck, no.”
“Um, I hate to break it to you,” Beck said, “but I was proposing to the casserole.”
“She says she’d rather die the death of a thousand bites,” Brook Lynn replied, deadpan.
“Oh, I’ll bite her all right,” Beck replied, equally deadpan. “And I guarantee she changes her mind. From what I hear, my mouth is pure magic.”
Brook Lynn laughed again, only to grow quiet when her gaze collided with Jase’s in a tangle of need.
I better unknot soon, he thought. Or else.
* * *
BROOK LYNN FOUGHT hard to hide the evil-overlord quality of her grin.
Hook, line, sinker.
While Beck and West took care of the dishes, Jase ushered her into the poolroom, where the mighty fine table he had never allowed her to polish or clean awaited. He helped her pick a cue. The shortest one he owned.
She pretended to pay attention when he planned the break, the first shot of the game. He told her about the scratch, when the cue ball jumped off the table, and how to continue afterward. He let her start, standing behind her to help her line up her shot, his body flush against hers.
Suddenly, fighting a grin wasn’t her biggest problem. Can’t breathe...can barely stand. Her knees wouldn’t stop trembling.
“See how the balls are laid out? The solids will be easiest to sink this game, so that’s what you’ll pick,” he said.
The connection screwed with her concentration, and missing her shot proved easy.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Even the best players miss sometimes. I rarely do, but that’s just me.”
Oh, Jase. You have no idea what’s in store for you. “But I haven’t hit a single one,” she said, turning to pout at him.
Had her uncle always had this much fun with his cons?
The thought sobered her. Shake it off. She wasn’t doing this to get something out of someone, but to have a good time with someone who liked to tease her to the edge of insanity. Huge difference.
Jase sifted a lock of her hair between his fingers. “How about we play doubles eight ball? We’ll be partners, and we’ll alternate shots. I’ll be able to set you up.”
No, no, no. But she said, “That’s so sweet of you.”
The doorbell rang. Jase frowned, and Brook Lynn pretended not to know her sister—who she’d secretly texted during dinner—had just arrived. A few minutes later, Jessie Kay strode into the game room with Beck and West trailing behind her. West now had a beer in hand, and Beck was watching him warily while Jessie Kay just looked tired.
Brook Lynn felt a flicker of unease. Jase and Jessie Kay in the same room not long after they’d seen each other naked may not be a great idea. Don’t go there. Such thoughts wouldn’t do any of them any good. She forced herself to concentrate on the situation at hand.
“Come here.” Beck turned away from West and swung an arm back to pull her sister forward. That arm remained around her waist as he rubbed his knuckle into the crown of her head.
She giggled like a freaking schoolgirl. “Stop it!”
“Only when you pee your pants,” Beck said. “You don’t call, you don’t write, and I’m just supposed to forgive you?”
West watched the interaction through narrowed eyes before draining his beer.
Something had obviously angered him, but Brook Lynn had no idea what it was.
“I came to speak with my little sis, but if y’all are playing pool, the conversation can wait.” Jessie Kay pushed away from Beck and threw her purse in the corner. Strawberries had stained her hands red. “I’m in!”
“We were fine without you,” West muttered. “You may go.”
His uncustomary rudeness surprised Brook Lynn—and ticked her off. She opened her mouth to demand an apology.
“Dude,” Beck said to his friend. “Don’t think I can’t kick you out of your own house. The lady deserves respect, and she’ll get it.”
“Seriously. What the hell is wrong with you?” Jase demanded.
“Yeah!” Jessie Kay bristled. “Clearly everyone else is happy to have me.”
“Maybe they’re just better at hiding their emotions,” West said.
“Or maybe they hope my delightful personality will make up for your crappy one.” Jessie Kay fluffed her hair. “Or are you just jealous you’re the only one who hasn’t nailed me?”
West’s nostrils flared. “The day I let you in my bed is the day I want to be smothered by a pillow.” He took a seat at the poker table in the corner, cut off the end of a cigar and began to smoke.
Wow. What had gotten into him?
If Brook Lynn allowed herself to dwell on it, she might unleash the viper’s tongue she’d been known to use...or actually physically hurt him.
What the heck? Why not both? “Talk to my sister like that again, West, and I will rip out your intestines and use them as a jump rope.”
All three men gaped at her.
Jessie Kay gave her a thumbs-up.
“Sorry, Jessie Kay,” West mumbled.
“Now that that’s settled.” Brook Lynn cleared her throat. “Let’s move on.”
As soon as the boys turned away, Brook Lynn flashed her sister the signal her uncle had taught them, and it was odd, doing so without being forced. As she flashed back to childhood times she’d resented, she felt no remaining animosity, just satisfaction that she possessed the skill.
Amazing what a change of perspective could do.
“We’re playing something called doubles eights,” she said. “Ever heard of it?”
“Maybe from a movie?” Jessie Kay shrugged. “Either way, you’ll be my partner, Brook Lynn. Of course. And I’m just certain we’ll figure out the rules together.”
“No,” Jase said, shaking his head. “Brook Lynn is with me.”
Jessie Kay bit her bottom lip the way they’d been taught. “But I came here after a long, hard day of work, and all I want to do is play with my sister. Or should I go home? Yeah, I probably should. Just like West said. I don’t like to cry in public.”
Jase’s eyes narrowed, and he glanced between them suspiciously.
Can’t laugh. Really can’t laugh. “Oh, Jessie Kay. Please don’t cry. I’d love to play with you. Beck? West? Which one of you will be Jase’s partner?”
“I’ll do it.” Beck selected a cue. “Word of warning. I never let my opponent win.”
“I’m glad, because we’re going to wipe the floor with your face,” Brook Lynn said, giving trash talk a try.
“I’ll kick us off, then,” Jase said tightly.
Poor guy. His plan to help her hustle his friends had failed—and he had no idea Brook Lynn had been hustling him all along.
“How about we put cash on this game?” Jessie Kay said. “I could use the cash.”
“No money,” Jase said. A sudden gleam in his eyes as he focused on Brook Lynn. “But we can play for favors.”
“What kind of favors?” she asked, doing her best to sound nervous. He’d stopped trying to help her and now saw this as an opportunity to win something from her. Sneaky devil. At least the new prize had doused his suspicions.
“Open ended,” he said. “To be named at a later date.”
“I don’t know,” she hedged.
“Yeah. What if you ask us to count our own hair or lick our own elbows?” Jessie Kay said. When everyone gaped at her, she added, “What? Someone asked me to do that just this morning.”
“Nothing impossible,” Jase said. “Nothing illegal.”
What about...sexual? Brook Lynn gave a faux-reluctant nod. “Okay. We’re agreed. One non-illegal favor for every game won. So go ahead. Kick us off.”
What should she ask for? Because this game? In the bag.
Radiating fierce determination, Jase racked and broke the balls. He sank a stripe in the right pocket and then another in the left. But he missed his third shot—thanks to Brook Lynn “accidentally” dropping her new phone and bending down to pick it up.
Now she aimed her cue, choosing the most difficult shot, and met Jase’s gaze. With a grin slowly blooming to megawatt, she sank the ball with expert precision.
He blinked in surprise. And when she did it a second time, he unleashed a stream of curses. Jessie Kay giggled.
“Dude,” Beck said. Clearly fighting a grin, he patted Jessie Kay on the shoulder. “You girls are hard-core.”
As she preened under the attention, West muttered another curse, his eyes never leaving Jessie Kay.
Jase leaned against his cue. “I just got hustled, didn’t I?”
“Prepare to owe me a bunch of favors, Jase Hollister,” Brook Lynn said and sank another shot.