Takin' the Reins (The Sterling Brothers #2)

by Jenika Snow

  He stepped into Richie’s office, and she smoothed her hands down her pants, hoping to seem like she wasn’t as nervous as she was.

  “Bad and good news.”

  She nodded. “Get the good out there first.”

  “Richie has no problem fixing your car.”

  “Okay, and the bad?”

  “There are a few bad things, actually.”

  She slumped her shoulders, fearing that would have been what happened. It was just her luck.

  “It’s going to take a couple of weeks just to get the parts in that he needs to fix it.”

  “And…” She knew there was more.

  “He found a few other issues with the car that need to be fixed.”

  “It was driving good, though.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, he said any day now your alternator and water pump would have gone out.”

  “Shit.” She didn’t have extra money to replace these things, but she didn’t tell him that. “I can’t go a couple of weeks without a car. I have to get to work.” Without contacting her insurance she didn’t have the extra money to rent a car for a couple of weeks. She exhaled, rubbed her forehead since a nice little twitch started right behind her eye, and tried to figure out how in the hell this was all going to work. The soft touch on her shoulder had her dropping her arm to her side and looking up into Jace’s blue eyes. He was so close, the scent of him strong, clean, like a man. She parted her lips, sucking in more air as everything inside of her tightened. Here she was, in a shitty situation, and all she could think about in this moment was the touch Jace had on her.

  “It’ll all work out. I’ll take you to work every day until your car is fixed. I’ll take you wherever you need to go until it’s done from the shop, okay?” His voice was soft but deep, and a little shiver worked up her spine.

  She licked her lips, her throat feeling like a lump was in it, making her unable to speak, unable to form any coherent words. After she cleared her throat and nodded, she knew she was acting ridiculous right now.

  “This was my fault, Lexi, and I’ll take care of you.”

  Take care of me?

  That shouldn’t have sounded as good as it did.

  “Everything will be okay, so don’t worry about it.” He gave her a half smile, and damn did it look good on him. “Now, can I buy you some lunch?”

  She had originally been on her way to the store, but going shopping didn’t sound that appealing right now. Before she could answer her stomach gave a resounding growl, making her face heat with embarrassment.

  “So, how about it? Can I buy you lunch?”

  Like she was going to say no to Jace Sterling.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  His smile grew, and for a second they just looked at each other. He led them out of the body shop and over to his truck. It was older, with peeling paint, but she did notice it was sturdy. He didn’t even have a dent from when he’d rammed into her.

  Jace opened the passenger side door for her, and she climbed in, feeling slightly weird about the whole situation, or maybe she felt this way because she never envisioned herself in this situation. Sure, her car was messed up, but here she was, with Jace Sterling, feeling like she’d fallen down a rabbit hole. The feeling of his warm breath on her bare arm had shivers racing along her body.

  Once in the seat with the door closed she watched him walk around the front of the truck and get in the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life like a beast waking up for the first time, and he looked over at her, grinning.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  I’ve never been more ready in my life.

  Thank God she hadn’t actually said those words out loud. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  At least she hoped she was, because the way she felt right now, and the fact she would be seeing a hell of a lot of Jace in the coming weeks, could make things a lot harder than they needed to be.

  Chapter Six

  The next day

  “You sure you don’t want me to take you to work?” Lexi’s father asked as he sat on the couch in her living room. He’d stopped by this morning on his way to work to drop off some casseroles her mother made for her.

  “I’ll be fine. Jace offered to take me and pick me up from work.” She tried to keep her voice even, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit seeing Jace so much this next week wasn’t exciting.

  “I still think you should have called the insurance.” Her father’s deep voice sounded annoyed.

  “Dad, my insurance would have gone up even though it wasn’t my fault. I can’t afford that, especially not with the new place. I’m just trying to get ahead of my finances.”

  He grumbled. “Staying with us would have helped in that, Lexi.”

  She looked over at her dad. He appeared relaxed, his big body sprawled out on the couch, his stained overalls showing what a hard worker he was. “Dad, I’m too old to be staying with you guys. You and Mom need your own space.” He didn’t speak, but grumbled again, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  The sound of Jace’s truck pulling into the driveway had her heart speeding up. Her father was off the couch and looking out the window faster than she could even comprehend. Lexi exhaled, knowing that although Jace was here to help¸ nothing more, her father would put on the concerned parent act.

  “Dad, please don’t embarrass me,” she said, but was searching for her purse. She faced her father again, only then realizing he’d already opened the door. Great, this should be interesting.

  ****

  Jace noticed the massive man standing in the doorway as soon as he climbed out of the driver’s side. The man, who he knew was Lexi’s father, looked ready to beat ass. Lexi was biracial, and although he’d heard rumors back in the day that Braxton and his wife had moved to Granite because of the racial issues they’d faced in their previous town, they never faced that here. Granite was accepting of everyone, no matter their race, background, or financial standing. It didn’t matter who the person was, or who they loved, as long as they were decent and were genuine with everyone around them. Braxton and his wife were that way.

  Jace made his way up to the front door. “Sir,” Jace said and nodded, but the stern look on Braxton’s face made Jace feel like he was a teenager again bringing his date home late. Braxton eyed him up and down, and although Jace assumed fathers did this kind of thing, Jace didn’t particularly care to be examined like he was about to defile Lexi.

  Even if I want to.

  “So, you’re the one that rammed into my baby girl’s car?” Braxton said, and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Yes, sir. But I’m getting it taken care of.”

  “Hmm,” Braxton said.

  “Daddy, please,” Lexi said, coming up to stand beside her father. She gave Jace a sympathetic look. “Okay, I have to get going,” Lexi said, clearly trying to cut this encounter short. “Thanks for the casseroles, and tell Mom I said the same.” Braxton gave her a kiss on the top of the head, but he kept his focus on Jace, his eyes narrowed.

  “Be careful driving my baby girl to work,” Braxton said, the threat clear.

  “God, Dad,” Lexi said, sounding embarrassed but also exaggerated. “Come on, Jace.” She shut the door, and they walked to his truck. Braxton was already in his truck and driving away before Jace even cranked the engine.

  “I am so sorry about that,” Lexi said, turned in her seat so she could look at him. “My dad has always been that way about guys in my life.” She glanced away, looking embarrassed. “I—I mean, not that you’re in my life, but just that … well, God,” she said on a breath.

  He started chuckling. “No worries, and I know what you mean.” Although, if he were being honest with himself he liked the idea of being in her life, and not just because he’d screwed up her car. She’d been on his mind for longer than he cared to admit, and the seeming obsession he had for her was only growing by the day. “And dads are like that. I’d be worried if he wasn’t concerned who was spending time with you,
especially of the male population.” Her glanced over at her, and smiled. Jace wondered what she thought about, and this male side of him, the alpha part, hoped she was feeling flustered because of him and what she felt.

  He knew a woman’s body like an artist knew their paintbrush and canvas, but that didn’t mean he knew what in the hell a woman was thinking or feeling. But with Lexi he could look on her face and see she felt something for him, even if it was just lust.

  “I hate to ask, but if you’re going to be in town for a while after I get off work, can you take me to the store? I have like no food in my house, and eating takeout, especially with the limited places in town, is kind of getting old.”

  “Of course.”

  “And, if you’re up to it, maybe I can make you dinner?” Her voice sounded tense, and she seemed a little nervous.

  “You want to cook for me?”

  God, that gets me hard.

  You’re a fucking creep.

  “I mean, if you’d like that? I would just like to show you that I appreciate your help, and making a home cooked meal for you can be my way?”

  “I was the one that fucked up, Lexi. You don’t have to repay me, although I’ll admit a home cooked meal sounds damn good.” He grinned and glanced at her, the embarrassment and pleasure both clear on her face. Maybe she was thinking of the filthy things they could do aside from eating dinner?

  He sure as fuck was.

  “I’d like to cook for you. Even though you hit my car, you’re still helping me out. A lot of people wouldn’t have bothered, Jace.”

  Damn, he liked the way she said his name.

  “Then I’d love to have you cook for me.”

  She smiled, and he swore it lit up the entire space.

  The more time he spent with her the better. Damn, he was really starting to fall for this girl, and he didn’t know shit about her.

  You can change that.

  Yeah, he could, but would she even want to?

  Chapter Seven

  “Shit,” Lexi cursed under her breath and looked down at her finger. The digit was red, but wasn’t burned too badly. It still hurt like a bitch, though. Jace was due to arrive in the next twenty minutes, and she felt like she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

  Looking at the table to make sure it was the way it should be, she noticed the bottle of wine was missing and rushed over to the fridge. Once she had it and it was set on the table, she went back to the stove and opened the oven. She was a decent cook, and she just hoped Jace enjoyed it.

  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered corn, and even homemade biscuits fresh out of the oven were all ready and waiting. It had been a long time since she actually cooked something this grand, but she was proud, and so damn nervous. Rubbing her hands on her apron because her palms were sweaty from her nerves, she felt like her pulse was beating in her throat, suffocating her and making her feel lightheaded all in the same breath.

  “Get a damn grip.” The truth was this wasn’t just about making Jace dinner because he was helping her out. This was also about her feelings for him, and how they’d never actually diminished over the years. Now that she would be seeing him more, even if for only a short time, she felt her latent feelings for him rise up, washing through her like she had when she was younger. But this wasn’t just schoolgirl emotions—a crush because Jace was older, bigger, attractive, and so strong. No, these emotions were different because she was a woman now and knew what she wanted.

  Pushing all those thoughts aside, she took the apron off and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she wiped away the little bit of flour she had on her cheek, and attempted to tame her wavy, wild hair. Her hair was long, and she didn’t take after her father with the strands being curly and coarse, but it was thick and impossible to tame most of the time. Still, Lexi always kept it long, loving the look of it even if it got more tangles than she cared to correct.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she whispered to her reflection. “This is more for you wanting him than anything else.”

  She was setting herself up for a fall, a hard one, because she knew there couldn’t be anything with Jace. There just couldn’t. But of course that didn’t stop her from hoping there would be.

  Twenty minutes later and there was a knock on her front door. Everything Lexi stilled, but then sped up. She was so nervous, but she knew there was no need to be.

  It’s just dinner.

  Is it, though?

  She shook her head.

  Not for you it isn’t.

  Taking a deep breath and telling herself this was no different from any other time she saw him was a hell of a lot easier said than done. But she walked to the front door, opened it, and prayed she looked cool and collected even though she felt like she was a wreck inside.

  And then there he was, standing on the other side of the door looking like some kind of cowboy that moonlighted as a model. His jeans were faded, broken in, but they were clean and they fit his body to perfection. His plaid shirt was tucked in, and the first few buttons were undone at the collar, showing off the white t-shirt he wore underneath it. The material didn’t obstruct his big, bulging biceps and flat, most definitely chiseled stomach, and she felt her erogenous zones become alive at the thought of what he looked like naked. And then she lifted her gaze to his face, saw the cowboy hat he sported, the slight darkness of scruff along his cheeks, and she braced a hand on the doorframe. Hell, Lexi didn’t even care at the moment if it was painfully obvious she’d been checking him out, because looking at his face showed her he was eyeing her body, as well.

  “You made it.” She winced internally at the fact she’d said that out loud. Of course he’d made it. He’d told her what time he’d be here. Stepping aside and looking away because her face felt like it was on fire, she was pleasantly assaulted by the scent of the cologne he wore. It was wild and woodsy, but clean and crisp all in the same breath.

  The arousal she felt for Jace wasn’t just on her end, not by the way she saw him looking at her, and the fact she’d seen him sporting a semi hard-on a couple of times. But even if he did want her physically, that didn’t mean he’d want anything else from her, and Lexi wasn’t the one-night stand kind of girl.

  But with Jace? I’m sure I’d make an exception.

  “No way I would have missed it.” He gave her a half smile that looked damn too tempting and sexy.

  She glanced up at him. This tingle traveled through her body, and she shut the door a lot slower than was probably normal.

  “Something smells amazing,” he said and faced her fully.

  She felt her cheeks heat, felt her pleasure that he seemed pleased wash through her, and she knew there was never going to be a man that made her feel like Jace. He didn’t even have to look her way for her to feel like she was weak-kneed. This was how it had always been, and she knew that no amount of time would change that. Lexi came to understand she’d always have a “thing” for Jace, but she did a really good job of keeping it hidden.

  Until now.

  “Thank you. I hope you like it.” She moved past him, feeling like she was some kind of awkward teenager who couldn’t look at the much older, extremely attractive man without becoming a stuttering, nervous mess. “Have a seat and I’ll serve you.” The air seemed to change after she spoke, and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

  Now standing in the kitchen and facing the stove, Lexi turned and stared at Jace. There he stood, in the doorway, his head slightly downcast, but lifted just enough that she could see his eyes under the brim of his hat. He looked dangerous, like he was a predator and she was a juicy looking piece of meat.

  Doesn’t sound so bad to be devoured by a man like him.

  Those words played through her head repeatedly, and she felt her face heat once again, knowing her embarrassment was getting out of control, but also knowing there was no trying to stop it. She’d always been this way
, and now with Jace standing in her kitchen that anxiousness was kicked up to the nth degree. But Jace still kept his cool, didn’t show any emotions, and she felt like that was the most intense, attractive thing she’d ever seen on a man.

  Licking her lips, she reached behind her and grabbed onto the kitchen counter to steady herself. “What would you like to drink?” Lexi was surprised she could even speak, let alone sound normal given how she felt.

  “Whatever you have I’ll gladly take.” His voice was deep, thick, and sexy, and the way he looked at her, the step he took toward her, told Lexi there was this underlying meaning behind them. It was then that she realized tonight she might not be able to control herself where Jace was concerned.

  Chapter Eight

  They’d finished eating half an hour ago, and for that time they’d been drinking coffee and talking. It was nice, comfortable.

  “I didn’t think it was supposed to rain tonight,” she said, her head turned toward the window as she watched the rain fall.

  Jace could stare at her all day, could get lost in her blue eyes, in the way she bit her bottom lip when she was nervous, pulling at the flesh with her straight white teeth until blood rushed just right below the surface.

  His cock was hard, and he felt like a fucking pervert because of it, because of the images in his head and the needs inside him. Shifting on the seat and trying to alleviate the pressure, what he really wanted to do was clear off the table with a sweep of his hand, stand and go over to Lexi, and toss her luscious, glorious ass on the smooth wood. He’d strip her clothes from her, not caring that he tore the material from her body, and in fact growing even more frenzied because of it.