He scoffed. “You don’t have to say that, Red. I know she was pissed that I wouldn’t agree to get up on that stage.”
“Well, yes, but that’s because she’s competitive with herself, and she was determined to get the best men around in on this. Dixie doesn’t like to lose.” She waved to the crowd. “Can you believe she pulled this off? When she gets something in her head, she’s like a dog with a bone. Between you and me, while my boys are all impressive in their own rights, my girl’s the brains behind most good things that happen to this family. Anyway, I assume you’re here to support Jared? He’s over there by the bachelor table.”
She pointed through a gap in the crowd. Jared was talking with Nick and Jax Braden, and too-cocky-for-his-own-good Dr. Jon Butterscotch. Quincy Gritt was sitting at a table with a number of Dark Knights and a few guys Jace didn’t recognize, but he assumed they were also being auctioned off.
“Actually, I’d like to find Dixie before things get underway. Have you seen her?”
“She’s in demand tonight. I saw her by the buffet table on the other side of the crowd a little while ago.” She looked into the crowd, bobbing to peer around people. “There she is, with Dr. Rhys. Now, there’s an eligible bachelor for you, and he’s got eyes for my girl.”
Jace followed her gaze, and Dixie’s flame-red hair came into view. She clutched a clipboard to her chest, her tempting mouth curved up in a radiant smile, her gorgeous eyes trained on…a fucking movie star. The dark-haired, clean-cut dude was pretty. Christ, was that the kind of guy she was into? A sharp, annoying streak of jealousy sliced through Jace’s chest.
Dixie lowered the clipboard, and fucking hell…Heat scorched through him as he drank in the draped neckline of her too damn short sparkly black dress, which clung to her curves. The neckline draped elegantly between her breasts, almost all the way to her belly button. The shimmery black dress was held up by a thin silver chain hooked to a tiny strip of material above each breast. The chain wrapped around her neck several times, tight as a choker, and also looser, lying in seductive layers against her creamy skin. Jace’s cock twitched greedily, and his eyes shifted to the dude again. His hands curled into fists. Jace didn’t do jealousy, and the unfamiliar sensation burning up his spine pissed him off, but he couldn’t shake it any more than he could tear his eyes away from Dixie.
Red patted his arm and said, “Stick around. My baby girl is going to surprise everyone tonight, and you’re not going to want to miss it.” She winked and disappeared into the crowd.
Jace was laser focused on Dixie as he strode forward, parting the crowd with his sheer size. He reminded himself he wasn’t there to stake claim to Dixie, but the closer he got to her, the more possessive his thoughts became. How had this happened? What kind of vortex had opened that he could no longer shove those thoughts away?
Someone grabbed his arm, and he whipped his head to the side. “What the hell—”
“You came!” Jillian bounced on the toes of her sky-high heels, her eyes dancing with excitement. “Sit with us!” She waved to the table, around which were a number of her cousins from Peaceful Harbor.
“How’s it going, Stone?” Sam Braden, an old friend who owned an adventure company, stood to shake his hand. He and his wife, Faith, had recently welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Raeanne. “It’s been too long, man. Good to see you.”
“It sure has.” Jace nodded a hello to Faith, and then looked at Dixie again. His gut clenched as she leaned closer to the pretty boy.
“Why aren’t you on the auction block tonight?” Sam asked as he sat down beside Faith. “Afraid you can’t measure up to the Bradens?”
“Hardly,” Jace said absently, his attention going right back to Dixie.
Jillian was still holding his arm, chatting up a storm. “We’re all here to support Nick and Jax! And Jared is looking hot. I can’t wait to see…”
Her voice turned to white noise as Dixie glanced in his direction, and their eyes caught. The look of shock on her face was unsettling.
Jillian smacked him in the chest. “Jace!”
“Jesus, Jilly,” he said, meeting her annoyed expression.
“You weren’t even listening to me!”
“I was,” he lied. He heard Sam and his brothers chuckle and knew he’d been caught.
“Oh really?” Jillian said with a hand on her hip. “I said I was going to win Jared, take him to a hotel, and tie him to a bed to do dirty things to him.”
Jace gritted his teeth. “The fuck you are.”
She smirked, her slim brows lifting. “See? You didn’t hear a word I said. But I get it. Go get Dixie before Dr. Rhys, the hottest obstetrician around, plants his own baby in her pretty little belly.”
Her words sent fire through his veins. He took Jillian by the shoulder and guided her into her seat. He set a serious stare on Sam and said, “Do not let her bid on Jared. My brother would eat her alive.”
“Good to know,” Jillian said with a happy little shoulder wiggle.
Sam and his other brothers glowered at her. With Jillian’s virtue taken care of, Jace went to protect Dixie’s. As he approached, her eyes flicked nervously toward him, turning dark and heated. She must have realized how much she was giving away, because those telling eyes moved to the dreamy doctor, where they remained.
“Thanks again, Dix,” Dr. Rhys said. “I need to catch up with Wayne before you feed us to the animals.” A boyish smile appeared on his too-pretty face, exposing straight, winter-white teeth, and then he headed for Bones.
Bones was Wayne Whiskey’s biker name, just as Bullet and Bear were Dixie’s other brothers’ biker names. Jace found himself wondering again if Dixie was her real name or her biker name. He had a feeling it was her real name. He simply couldn’t imagine her going by any other name. Except maybe Kitten.
Jon Butterscotch appeared out of nowhere, crowding in on Dixie. Dixie took a step back as he said, “You got enough cash to win me tonight, gorgeous?”
Jace gritted his teeth. At this rate he was going to break them before the night was over. Jon’s short-sleeved white button-down made his year-round tan seem even darker. Chicks thought he had it all going on. A well-respected doctor and adrenaline junkie who ran, biked, and swam in races whenever he got the chance and drove a motorcycle. But Jace had seen him in action and knew he was also a player. He wasn’t about to let Jon get his paws on Dixie.
Dixie rolled her eyes. “Why would I pay for what any woman in Peaceful Harbor can get for free?”
Jace put a hand on Dixie’s lower back, glad she knew the truth. He lowered his chin, holding Jon’s gaze, and said, “Beat it, Butterscotch.”
Confusion rose in Jon’s eyes as they darted between Dixie and Jace, but he was a smart man. He put his hands up in surrender and backed away, heading over to his business partner, Sam’s brother Cole.
“Hand, Stone. Move it,” Dixie said sternly.
Why did her fierceness turn him on?
He knew damn well why. Because now that he’d actually allowed himself to deal with her on a one-on-one level, as capable adults, she was no longer the Dixie Whiskey who was locked firmly in the off-limits little-sister department. She was Dixie Whiskey, a challenging woman who could handle herself like a strong woman should.
And that was dangerous.
He followed the path of skin down the center of her body and caught a quick glimpse of her stiletto heels, black with silver spikes all over them, sexy red toenails peeking out from the open front. He wasn’t a guy who needed to jump off a building to see if he could fly. That kind of danger didn’t appeal to him. But danger of the Dixie Whiskey kind? A woman who would test his patience, his boundaries, and match him point for point? Hell yes, baby. He fucking loved that.
“Jace, I already gave you my answer, and I don’t have time to argue with you. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got an event to manage.”
He wasn’t the man Dixie needed, but as guys gawked at her long, lean legs and deep,
delicious cleavage, his protective urges surged. Like a king lion protecting the queen of the pride, he stepped closer so she had no choice but to look into his eyes and said, “I’m not here to get you to change your mind.”
She set her jaw, her eyes narrowing as she cocked a brow.
“I’m here because you were right. There is a difference between donating money and giving my time. I somehow missed that error in my ways, and I appreciate the kick in the ass. I’m better than just a money guy—you’ll see.”
Her gaze softened a little and her lips parted, but she didn’t say a word.
“But I can’t say I’m sorry for not agreeing to get on that stage,” he said gruffly.
Annoyance clamped her jaw tight again.
He put a hand on her hip, loving the way her softness filled his palm. The air around them sizzled despite her annoyance as he said, “There’s only one woman in Peaceful Harbor worthy of my time, and she’s busy wrangling men for a good cause.”
She inhaled sharply, her feminine scent drawing him even closer.
He lowered his voice for her ears only and said, “You look gorgeous tonight, kitten.”
THE AIR RUSHED from Dixie’s lungs as Jace strode casually up to the bar, accepting a manly embrace from her father and a handshake from Bullet as if he hadn’t just set her entire body aflame and left her wondering what the hell was happening. She needed to move, to stop staring at him, but for the first time in her life, Dixie felt completely discombobulated. Her legs were as wobbly as a newborn foal’s, and her heart was racing.
Her mother came to her side and followed her gaze up to the bar. “Look at your daddy, so handsome in his leather vest, doing what he does best. Taking care of family. Even after all these years, that man still takes my breath away.”
“Uh-huh,” Dixie said, trying to breathe deep enough to fill her lungs.
“Seems like a certain someone has the same effect on you, sweetheart.”
“What?” Dixie snapped, tearing her eyes from Jace and meeting her mother’s amused expression. “No he does not. He’s infuriating and arrogant.”
Dixie’s eyes moved traitorously back to Jace as he climbed onto a barstool with his back to the bar. He locked those piercing eyes on her, knocking her legs out from under her again. She groaned and spun on her heels, slamming right into Quincy with an oomph.
“Whoa, sorry, Dix,” Quincy said, his clear blue eyes wide and alert, so different from the strung-out kid he’d been when he’d first reconnected with Truman. His light brown hair had gotten blonder from the sun, and he’d brushed it away from his face. “Hey, you okay? You look a little frazzled…or drunk.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped, feeling so far from fine she couldn’t even remember how to spell the word.
Her mother chuckled and said, “We’re starting in ten minutes, sweetheart. If you need to do a shot to calm those nerves, get it quick.”
“I’m not going anywhere near that bar,” Dixie grumbled.
“Suit yourself.” Her mother walked away.
“What’s going on with you?” Quincy asked. He looked at the bar, scanning the people around it, and said, “Is someone bugging you? Need me to take care of it?”
It was all Dixie could do to laugh incredulously. “Unless you have one of those mind wipers from Men in Black, then no, you can’t take care of it.”
“Hey, I’ve got connections.” He waggled his brows. “Stress getting to you? You nailed the event. I heard people saying they were ready to bid a thousand bucks.”
“I hope Penny made lots of tips today,” Dixie said, chancing a look around the room while avoiding the bar area completely. It didn’t help. Energy radiated off Jace like flames, taking up residence in the very air she breathed.
“I see lots of familiar ladies who frequent the bookstore. I’d say she’d better have had a good month.”
Quincy crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze skating around the room. When he was only thirteen years old, he’d killed a man for raping his mother. Truman, who was nine years older than Quincy and had always taken care of him since their drugged-out mother never could, had confessed to the crime he hadn’t committed and served six years in prison. To say Quincy had demons was an understatement. Like so many of the men there tonight, he wore the ghosts of his past in the ink decorating his arms. But Quincy was a good man and a brilliant mathematician. He’d filled in for Dixie last fall when she’d taken a road trip, and he’d done a phenomenal job handling the administrative duties and payroll for the shop and the bar.
“Just promise me one thing,” Dixie said. “If you’re won by Miss America tonight and you two get all hot and heavy, you’ll still fill in for me while I’m at the Cape the week after next?”
“I have it on my calendar. Wednesday through Sunday. I’d never let you down, Dix. Not even for a great piece of ass.” He nodded toward Finlay, Izzy, and the rest of the girls making their way toward them. “Looks like the cavalry is coming. I think I’ll go give the bookstore ladies a peek at the stallion before the ponies take the stage. I wouldn’t want them to waste their money.”
He strutted off, and a moment later Izzy looped her hand through one of Dixie’s arms. Crystal did the same on her other side. The rest of the girls crowded around her as they dragged her toward the ladies’ room.
“Let’s go, Dixie Lee. It’s time to get you ready for your big debut,” Crystal said excitedly.
She’d been so sidetracked by Jace, she had completely forgotten she was being auctioned off. Quincy might not have those mind-wiping powers she needed, but Jace sure did. Unfortunately, he was erasing all the wrong thoughts.
“We’ve got to make sure you earn more than all the guys combined,” Izzy said. “Go big or go home, right, girls?”
“Yes!” they cheered in unison.
“I cannot wait to see everyone’s faces.” Gemma winced and said, “You guys, I almost made a mistake and said something to Tru about it last night.”
Josie gasped. “I almost spilled the beans to Jed, too!”
Dixie was getting more nervous by the second. Her nerves flamed as her mother fell into step with them.
“Are we ready?” Red said in a hushed tone.
“I’m not,” Sarah said as they crowded into the ladies’ room. “I’m a nervous wreck. I hate keeping secrets, especially from Bones. I had a dream last night that when he found out I knew about Dixie being auctioned off, he canceled our engagement!”
“What?” Finlay said loudly. “He’d never do that.”
“Bones adores you,” Gemma said.
“The man proudly drives the Bones Mobile around town with the kids. He’s yours for life,” Crystal pointed out. Bear had built a special vehicle so Bones could drive his kids around in something that resembled a motorcycle. The Bones Mobile had the front end of a motorcycle and the back end of a sports car, with sides and a roof protecting three back seats with five-point harnesses.
Red took Sarah’s hand, smiling warmly. “Honey, my son waited his whole life to find you and the kids. He’s not going to let you go for anything, especially not for helping Dixie break free of the chains that bind her. Don’t you ever worry about that. He’ll understand.”
The worry cleared from Sarah’s eyes. “You’re right. I’m just overtired and worrying over every little thing. Maggie Rose hasn’t been sleeping very well lately. I think she’s starting to teethe.”
“Or maybe you and your hot-doc hubby-to-be are keeping her up at night.” Crystal nudged Finlay and said, “Bet you and Bullet will need to keep your kids in the garage so you don’t wake them up at night with your wild mattress wrestling.”
Finlay blushed and covered her face.
“They’re my brothers,” Dixie reminded Crystal.
Everyone else cracked up.
“Okay, ladies, let’s focus before the guys come in here to get us,” Red said, moving closer to Dixie. She looked her daughter up and down, ran her fingers through the ends of Dixie’s long hai
r, and sighed. “You’re perfect just as you are.”
“Jace sure thinks so,” Tracey said from behind Red, and all eyes turned toward her. “What? He’s been staring at her since he came in.”
“Along with most of the other guys in this place,” Izzy said, giving Dixie an I’ve-got-your-back look. “Can you blame them? Dixie’s got it all going on.”
“Damn right I do.” Dixie turned toward the mirror, and the girls crowded around, primping her hair, smoothing her dress, and fixing the slinky silver chains around her neck. “God, I love this dress. Jilly is amazing, isn’t she?”
“It’s stunning,” Gemma said, “But you make everything look amazing. I’d give anything to have your legs.”
“I want her boobs,” Tracey said, grabbing her own tiny breasts.
Josie nodded emphatically. “Me too!”
Sarah said, “I’ll take her cute butt.”
Dixie laughed. “You guys are all gorgeous. I’m tall and gangly! I’d love to have any of your figures.”
“Even mine?” Crystal rubbed her baby bump, fluttering her lashes.
“Definitely not,” Dixie said. “But when Cubbie is born, I’ll gladly love him or her up as often as you and Bear will let me.”
Red hiked a thumb over her shoulder and said, “Get in the back of the line, Dix. That baby’s mine.”
A loud rap, rap, rap on the bathroom door startled them, and they squealed, huddling together.
“Hen party’s over!” Bullet’s gruff voice came through the closed door.
“Coming!” Red called out. She turned to the girls with a mischievous look in her eyes and said, “Ready to pull off the greatest Whiskey feat yet?”
Everyone cheered, “Yes!” Even Dixie, although she wasn’t nearly ready.
She was suddenly scared shitless. She hadn’t thought this through. What if her brothers caused a huge scene? What if nobody bid on her and she made a fool of herself? She gripped the clipboard so tight her fingers shook as they pushed through the door in a whispering huddle. Dixie felt Jace’s eyes on her, but she refused to look anywhere but at her friends as the girls hurriedly took their seats with their significant others, and Tracey and Izzy joined them at their table. Diesel strode over and stood guard beside Tracey. Tracey’s shoulders rounded forward, and she whispered something to Crystal, her discomfort palpable. As the scene unfolded, Dixie realized her own discomfort was probably just as evident. Jace had messed with her head so badly, he’d knocked her off her game.
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