Jacqui had the sinking feeling that her inner voice wasn’t getting through to her conscious mind as well as it had just a few days before.
* * * *
“I never even associated you three with Lusty.” Will shook his head even as all three of the new arrivals laughed and shook his hand.
“Well you didn’t grow up here in Lusty the way we did. We should have connected you to the families,” Paul Jessop said.
“That place ate into our brains,” his brother Lucas laughed.
“That’s our story,” Wesley Jessop said, “and we’re sticking to it.”
His cousin returned with their date, and Norm introduced Jacqui to the Three Valentinos—the moniker that some of the gossip rags had given the screenwriting triplets named Jessop.
Will knew they weren’t the playboys the tabloids had painted them. Like so much else connected to the film industry on the west coast, the truth was that impression trumped reality nearly every damn time.
He shut down his mental ramblings, and reached for Jacqui’s hand. Just that easily the restless thoughts that had moments ago threatened to swamp his good mood evaporated.
Norm caught his attention and lifted one eyebrow. Then he looked down at Jacqui and met his gaze again. Will grinned, and the nod he gave his cousin in return was barely perceptible.
Norm ran his hand down Jacqui’s back, and then walked away. Her attention was on Will, and the conversation he was having with the triplets.
She didn’t even notice Norm make his way over to the DJ’s table.
“So you’re the two lecherous Lotharios we’re supposed to help protect from the innocent young maiden,” Paul said.
“Um…brother…I think you’ve got that backward,” Nancy said. Sitting on the lap of her husband, Eli, Nancy’s laughter sounded just a bit forced. Will focused on Paul Jessop and saw what he’d missed just moments before.
Paul Jessop wore an edge he’d never noticed on the man before.
“Probably not,” Paul said to his sister. “Appearances can be deceiving.”
“Come on, big brother, let’s grab a beer and scope out the action.” Wesley literally dragged his brother toward the bar.
Paul stopped after two steps. He turned and shot a sheepish look at Jacqui. “Sorry. That really wasn’t directed at you.”
Jacqui waved off his apology. “No worries. I know what that’s like.”
When Paul was out of earshot, Will looked at Lucas. Of the three brothers, Lucas was the one Will had the best rapport with.
He wouldn’t say that they were close friends, more friendly acquaintances. Friendly acquaintances who are cousins, apparently. Discovering the screenwriters were a part of the Lusty Jessops—he tried not to snicker at the mental pun—had been quite a surprise.
“What the hell?” he said.
Lucas shook his head. “He’ll tell you that he’s suffering from a broken heart. Wes and I think it’s more wounded pride than anything else.”
“Pardon me for venturing an opinion.” Jacqui kept her voice low, likely so their conversation didn’t go beyond just the three of them. “But some people feel things more acutely than others.”
“You’re entitled to an opinion since Paul insulted you. And you’re right,” Lucas said. “Some people do. But you’d think if that was the case, he’d have been less eager to jump to conclusions than he proved to be.”
Will wasn’t certain he was following the conversation but Jacqui seemed to understand something of what Lucas Jessop said.
“You would. Unless the fear of being proved wrong was greater than the fear of being forced to take an irrevocable step.”
“Huh. I never once thought of that. And I should have. We both should have, damn it. Excuse me, please.”
He watched Lucas head off to find his brothers, and then he turned his attention back to Jacqui.
“I have no idea what that was all about.”
“Neither do I, really. But I do know that sometimes what one person sees isn’t the same thing as another one does.”
Will wondered how many drinks he’d have to have to fully understand this vibrant woman.
Norm joined them, a slight grin on his face.
“Are you all right, Nance?” Jacqui’s attention had been diverted to her friend. Will focused on the young woman who was still sitting on her husband’s lap.
“Yes, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
“Just relax, cupcake, close your eyes if you want.” Eli adjusted his hold of her. Jeremiah had gone off to get refills. He set the can of ginger ale in front of his wife, and gave one of the beers he carried to Eli.
Out of the corner of his eye, Will watched Jacqui watching Nancy. Or more to the point, perhaps, the way Nancy’s husbands focused their attention on her. Eli snuggled the woman more securely onto his lap, and when she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, he kissed the top of her forehead.
He’d never seen Jacqui’s look go that soft—as if what she was seeing was to her the most precious sight in the world.
Will put his attention on the men, and understood in one clear moment the likely meaning behind the indulgently proud looks they wore.
The place sure as hell is living up to its name.
“We have a special request going out to a certain young lady…the gentlemen would like to live this night all over again. Here’s Rascal Flats and ‘Rewind.’”
Will reached for her left hand, while Norm took her right.
He didn’t even have to ponder over the words. They weren’t the smoothest he’d ever spoken, but they were among the most heartfelt. “They’re playing our song, Jacqui. Come and dance with us.”
Chapter 7
Jacqui had thought she knew what this moment would be like. She’d seen a lot of triads dancing like this, first at Holly’s ceremony and then all night tonight.
She’d been so focused on how it looked, and how she thought she’d move that she’d forgotten to anticipate the way it would feel. Now she knew that being the filling for a man sandwich on the dance floor felt sexy as hell.
Her hormones shimmered and shook and then joined together to sing the “The Happy Song.” Delicious excitement sped through her body, awakening every single nerve ending she possessed.
Masculine scent—clean, a little yeasty from the beer and a whole lot appetizing—filled her lungs until she knew she was breathing them into every fiber of her being. The heat from their bodies warmed her, comforted her, and made her feel tucked in and cosseted when she hadn’t known that was what she needed all along.
I am in such deep, deep trouble, here. Jacqui’s heart thudded as the reality of what she’d allowed to happen right here on the dance floor went ahead and slammed her consciousness into a full-out red alert.
And then that entire mental security system of hers blew a circuit, and she realized it was far too late to worry about any of this.
Somehow, she’d allowed William and Norman Kendall to get close, and every bit of the emotional barricades she’d built up over the last few years crumbled into just so much dust.
“It’s going to be all right, sugar plum,” Will said. “We’ll take it one day at a time. Right here and now, we’re only dancing with you.”
Jacqui looked up and met his gaze. She didn’t even question that he would be so tuned into her that he sensed the turmoil within her. “If you believe that, then we’re lying to each other—or worse, we’re lying to ourselves.”
His mouth turned up at one side, a cute little half smile that did funny things to her emotions. She wondered what that grin would taste like under her tongue. Behind her, Norm kept her moving to the beat of the music. The singer’s words about enjoying the night so much he just wanted to go back and do it all over again resonated deep inside her.
“It’s all right for us to lie to ourselves for a little while, sweetheart. We’re all three of us too honest to let it go on for very long.” Norm followed that statement with moving his hand
s down to her hips. His touch was more than a caress, less than a grab. The heat of his fingers pulsed into her body and raced to her nipples and then slid down to her clit.
She didn’t have to wonder if the men knew she was aroused. She could see that knowledge in Will’s eyes and feel it in the erection that now pressed against her bottom.
“You’re so damn responsive.” Will lifted her chin with his finger, and added a slight pressure from his thumb to hold her in place. And then, as Rascal Flats sang about doing it one more time, Will Kendall kissed her for the first time.
His mouth covered hers, his kiss hot and wet and carnal. Jacqui wondered if the rubbing of his lips on hers and the glide of his tongue as he tasted her was enough to give her an orgasm.
He lifted his head and used his thumb to rub his kiss into her lips. Unable to stop herself, she parted her lips, and let her tongue slide out to caress his thumb. His smile, slow sweet and sexy, did amazing things to her girl parts.
He released her, and then gently turned her around. She looked up into Norman’s glittering gaze. His blue eyes held her captive as his head began to lower.
“My turn.” His words brushed her lips a heartbeat before his mouth settled on hers. His flavor combined with Will’s on her tongue, and just like that, she knew she was addicted. Wet and wild, and oh so wonderful, Norm Kendall, with one covering of his lips and sweep of his tongue, proved that with his cousin, he owned her mouth.
Norm raised his head as the last strains of the song dropped away. Both men had eased her in closer and she thought between them they generated enough heat to combust. She also understood that when Norm had told her earlier they’d both be hard, he hadn’t been kidding.
“I think your aunt is staring at us,” Will said. “We should go back and…cool down just a little.”
Jacqui sighed. She laid her head back, rubbing her hair against him for just a moment, and then straightened. She took a tiny step away from them.
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“This will be just a little time out, sweetheart, not a full-fledged retreat.” Norm lifted her hand to his lips one more time.
They walked back toward the table, hand-in-hand-in-hand. Jacqui nodded. “A part of me wants to do just that.” She’d told herself the day before that she was no coward. Maybe she never should have agreed to this date, but she had. And now that she had, she understood there would be no going back. She had only two choices. She could walk away forever, or do as Will suggested and move forward, one day at a time.
That was really no choice at all. “No, not a full-fledged retreat.” She couldn’t go back and she really didn’t want to walk away. But she didn’t have to plunge ahead at light speed, either. They were likely going to end up rolling on the sheets, and if she was to be honest with herself, she was looking forward to that.
But it didn’t have to be tonight.
As they came back to the table, Nancy stirred, yawned, and looked around. “What did I miss?”
“Will and Norm conducted a very intense tonsil inspection of our girl Jacqui, here,” Chloe Jessop said.
“Well, hell, that’s why we’re all here, to prevent that sort of thing.” Nancy looked so disgruntled that Jacqui laughed.
One of the cell phones on the table vibrated, and Eli nodded to Will. “You might want to get that. That’s about the sixth time it’s gone off in the last five minutes.”
“And when yours wasn’t ringing,” Jeremiah said, “Norm’s was.”
Will scooped his phone just as it stopped ringing. He looked at the display screen. Frowning, looked over at Norm who’d picked up his phone and checked his missed calls.
“Who is Monique Havens?”
“Shit. Cheryl’s mother. Something must be wrong.” Norm said. His phone rang and he answered it immediately.
“Who’s Cheryl?” Jacqui asked.
“Our office admin, back in New York. She’s been holding down the fort for us…” Then Will’s voice fell away as they listened to Norm’s side of the conversation.
Jacqui moved in closer to Will, but her attention was on Norm, whose worry clearly showed on his face.
“Please let us know if there’s anything you need, and please keep us informed.” He said a few more words that Jacqui didn’t catch. Then he hung up his phone and looked at Will.
“Cheryl was assaulted earlier today. She’s in the hospital. They’ve got her sedated now and her mother’s with her. But she spoke to the police and told them who’d attacked her. Will, it was Rick Wilde.”
* * * *
“I’ve spoken to a Detective Cruz of the NYPD.” Adam settled himself down at the dining room table. Jacqui had insisted on staying. As Will focused on his cousin, Adam, he could admit to himself he was glad she’d decided not to leave.
Jacqui had made a pot of coffee. She poured out cups, and then sat between him and Norm.
“Apparently Wilde had appeared at your office on Friday looking for you, and had been quite agitated and verbally abusive. Cheryl told him y’all were away on vacation, and while at first she thought he was going to be a problem—she’d recognized him but pretended she hadn’t—he left after a few minutes. She called down to security and they were able to report to her that he’d left the building.
“She forgot about him, figuring he’d just go on his way.”
“And instead, he what? Stalked her?”
“Apparently. Her condition has been upgraded to satisfactory, and she’ll likely be released from hospital in a couple of days.”
“We want her someplace safe. We have a beach house in the Hamptons,” Will said.
“Dad was going to head to the hospital today,” Norm said. “He has the keys to the place and he’ll see to it she and her mother are settled and taken care of. She’ll be available to the police if they need her, but that house—very few people know we own it.”
“That’s good. But I don’t think she’ll be in any more danger,” Adam said. “What we need to discuss is the fact that she told him where y’all are.”
Will looked over at Norm. He nodded.
“We can be gone tomorrow.”
“Don’t make me call you a coward, cousin,” Adam said. “I wasn’t even thinking that we wanted y’all to leave. Running from trouble? That’s not how Kendalls do things.”
Will felt his face color. He’d heard that motto on his visits here, and occasionally, at home, all the years he’d been growing up. “No,” he said. “That’s not how Kendalls do things.”
“Aside from the police dragnet that has already been activated, there’s a bounty hunter on his tail, too. What we have to do is figure out how he’s going to come at you, and be ready for him.”
Despite his agreement of moments before, Will’s emotions took over his mouth. “There’s no way on God’s green earth that we want anyone else to fall victim to this son of a bitch. Damn it to hell, the last thing we ever wanted to do was bring trouble down on all of you.”
Adam laughed. “As much as Lusty is a sanctuary for those of us who live a certain life style, she’s shown that her other side is being a magnet to trouble.”
“You should hear some of the stories,” Jacqui said. “Do you know at one point, in recent times, there was a Mexican drug lord here in town?” She smiled and Will had to wonder at the sideways look she sent the sheriff. “Apparently the women anticipated his appearance at the clinic and they nabbed him. I heard Ginny even had a piece of that action.”
Adam shuddered. “Please don’t remind me. I had nightmares about that—about her kicking that gun out of his hand as he prepared to shoot her.” Adam closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. “But Jacqui’s point is valid. No one would ask you to leave, and everyone will stand behind you. So we’ll learn all we can about this asshole who thinks it’s acceptable to beat on a woman, and then we’ll figure out the best way to neutralize him.”
Will ran a hand through his hair. He’d known, deep down, that the people
of Lusty had a unique take on the concept of family. But until tonight, he hadn’t realized how deep and…well, good that take was.
“Jake and Uncle Preston already have a file on him,” Will said.
“Shortly after we went into business, Uncle Preston suggested we add a morality clause to our contracts—to give us an out if any of our clients turned into flaming assholes,” Norm said.
“Sounds like something that particular Dad would suggest,” Adam said.
“Rick Wilde shot to the top of the A list a few years back with his first feature-film starring role,” Norm said.
“I saw that movie,” Jacqui said. “Razor’s Edge. He played a character victimized by the mob, who finally grew a pair and fought back.”
“Right. There was the inevitable sequel, of course, and some Oscar buzz.” Will sighed. “But you could say success came too fast and easy for Rick. He hit the party scene, and then he slid into the booze and then the drugs.”
“In other words,” Adam said, “he turned into a flaming asshole.”
“Yeah, pretty much. There were some arrests, for DUI and then the charge of providing drugs to a minor, and having sex with a minor. That pretty much killed his career, even though he beat the charges. But he was used to living fast and loose, and when there was no more money to buy the drugs outright, he began to sell them, and got busted for that.”
“But we’d already severed our association,” Norm said, “citing the charges involving a minor—the wording in our contracts allowed for that.”
“Then, just before we left New York to come here, the idiot sued us—or tried to. He hired some schmuck of a lawyer who thought he could make a name for himself by vindicating the poor misunderstood actor against the big bad Hollywood machine.”
Will let Adam see just how disgusted he was by that idea.
“The thing is, Ricky Wilde wasn’t all that bright to begin with.” Norm sat forward, and folded his hands around his coffee cup. “And I think the drugs have just made him even more stupid than he already was.”
Love Under Two Extroverts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7