by Kaliana Cole
“No. They were somewhere on the rung between cockroaches and pond scum,” she admitted. “You truly don’t mind that I make things like this? Mark would have had a heart attack.”
Jory knew that Mark was an insecure moron, but he refrained from mentioning it. “Hell, no. I’m waiting to see what else you come up with. Is there a market for this kind of stuff?”
“A small but surprisingly profitable one. This piece would have had a tag on it for twelve hundred bucks.”
Jory blinked. “How many do you make?”
“A couple each week. It depends on the size. You don’t have to worry about supporting me, Jory. I can probably keep you in the manner in which you would like to be accustomed,” she joked. “Do you think Casey would like it?”
“I haven’t met her yet, but from what I have heard so far, she will love it.”
From what he had heard, Casey Buckley had left the Marshall brothers at a total loss for words in the supermarket the other day. Anyone who could do that to Luke and Brody was a wrecking ball in human guise. He couldn’t wait to meet the woman who had upset their perfect little world.
“I can’t wait to meet Emma. She has got to be some woman to hold on to those three.”
“Do I detect a little admiration of the Whelans there?” Jory was amused. He knew she had never had serious eyes for anyone but him in Liberty Springs, much to his earlier disappointment.
“I have ovaries and two functioning ocular devices—of course I admire them. Colby and Zach are sex on a goddamn stick, and Ty’s got that hulking, silent thing going.” She shuddered deliciously.
Sometimes he could hope she was a little less honest.
“I suggest you try and control yourself around them tonight. Emma is a touch protective of her men,” he said dryly.
“I heard about it on the news. She sure doesn’t muck about.” She gave him a teasing smile. “I don’t care, because I have got the man I want anyway. You just make sure you don’t start drooling over any other woman tonight, or you’ll find out how much I don’t muck around either.”
“Jealous much?”
“Only where you’re concerned.”
Jory reveled in her possessiveness. He normally cut a sub loose at the first sign of it, but with Bailey it warmed his heart. “I’ll try to restrict my drooling to you,” he promised, laughter staining his voice.
He pulled up at the front of Casey’s house. It looked like all the parking area down the back was full of heavy machinery. He recognized a few of the other cars along the roadside, though there weren’t that many there. Emma said she was being a little selective about who got introduced to her little sister. He guessed Cal and Conner hadn’t rated an invite, nor would Jack and Danny from the garage. But if he had a baby sister, he sure as hell wouldn’t want those two anywhere near her either.
Bailey had already exited the Jeep by the time he got around to her side. She didn’t give a man many opportunities for gallantry, that was for certain. She did, however, entwine her fingers with his when he offered his hand. The R-rated doormat was tucked under her other arm.
He was genuinely looking forward to seeing what else the little deviant came up with. Besides her irreverent sense of fun, it was excellent workmanship in the piece. For some reason the idea of Bailey wielding a welding rod made his cock stir. He pushed the mental picture away quickly. It wouldn’t do to meet Emma’s little sister with a hard-on looking for a way out of his jeans.
“What is going through your head, Jory? You’re blushing.”
There was indisputable amusement in her accusation. Jory took a deep breath and ignored her.
Colby was hovering on the front porch. Jory shook the younger man’s hand. “Why are you hiding out here?”
“Emma mentioned that someone needs to clean the grill, so I made myself suitably scarce.” He smiled down at Bailey. “Jory’s brat came back. You’re looking finer than ever, Bailey.”
“Just remember the ‘Jory’s’ part, Colb.” Jory couldn’t help but warn, but Bailey elbowed him in the side.
“Give me a hug, you big lug. Congratulations, I hope she makes you happy.”
Colby put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight. “At least as happy as that grumpy old guy makes you. Congratulations to you, too.”
Jory was quick to reclaim her, tugging her tight to his side. Neither Bailey nor Colby missed the significance of it, either. Colby laughed. “Come on, it should be safe to go back in now. I can’t wait ’til everyone sees this.” He held the door wide and ushered them in.
* * * *
Bailey tried to conceal her satisfaction, but she knew she looked like the cat that got the cream. She had expected Jory to keep his distance at the party, not publicly stamp her as his. His body touched hers in a long line as she was introduced to Emma. She smiled to see Ty standing in an identical position behind the curvy blonde woman, and looking like there was nowhere else he would prefer to be.
Emma’s sister was a stark contrast. She was tall, lean, and strong, with flaming red hair. She looked a couple of years younger than Emma, but they were both quick to laugh and both looked like they would be quick to anger. Bailey held her present out gingerly, hoping it would be well received.
Casey gave her the obligatory “oh you shouldn’t have” and unveiled the gift. Absolute silence reigned for five full seconds.
“Oh, yes you should have!” A wide grin split Casey’s face, turning her from handsome to stunningly beautiful. “This is absolutely perfect, Bailey. I can’t wait to stomp my muddy work boots all over this.” Apparently Casey had cause to be bitter with the male population, too.
“Shoo, Ty! Take Bailey’s attachment with you, too. It’s girl time. Go and do the caveman routine around the grill or something. And find Colby, he’s got to be hiding somewhere.” Emma dismissed the men from the kitchen.
Jory gave Bailey a “what am I supposed to do” look and followed Ty’s bulk out the door.
“Thank God! We can finally breathe in here. Ty’s hovering like an anxious old woman. Too many of them in one room make me feel short.” Bailey could understand her complaint. “Fruit punch, ladies?” Emma lifted a bowl from the fridge. “Don’t worry. There’s enough vodka in here to bring a Russian to his knees.”
“I’ll be in that! What does it do for stubborn-ass deputies who wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit them on the butt?”
“Marley!” Bailey embraced her longtime friend as she came through the door. “What’s Andy done now?”
“Can you believe he pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket on the way here? I couldn’t have been going more than five miles over the limit.”
“Ouch! That is nasty.”
“I’m glad you’re back, Bailey. You know what it’s like to want something you can’t have.” Bailey knew she blushed as she looked down guiltily. “Oh, you haven’t. You didn’t.”
“I did.”
“Oh, that’s so wrong. I bet it was so good.”
Casey put her hands over her ears and started to hum, loudly. Emma smiled. “Sorry, girls. Casey is having a little trouble adjusting to the openness about relationships in this town.”
“There is such thing as too much sharing, Em. I sure as hell don’t need to know what you do with those three studs that puts such a big smile on your face, that is for sure and certain.” Casey was adamant. “Now dish some of that punch out before I do something drastic, like drive the Bobcat straight through the house next door.”
Bailey was curious. Most women fell over themselves trying to impress the Marshalls. You usually had to know them really well to have such a high level of animosity. “What have Luke and Brody done now?” She didn’t catch the frantic cut-off signs Emma was making behind her sister’s back until it was too late.
“Arrogant, conceited assholes. They shouldn’t be allowed to look at a blow-up doll, let alone talk to a woman. They think they’re god’s gift…”
“Here, drink this and shut up.�
� Emma rudely interrupted her sister’s rant, shoving a large glass of punch in her hand. “Everyone do me a favor. Don’t mention the neighbors again or I will lock you in a room with her and you will have to listen to the complete three-fuckin’-hour-long, unabridged version of the whole sorry saga. Do we understand?”
Both Bailey and Marley smiled at the drill sergeant voice coming from the distinctly feminine blonde. “Good. Now let’s fill up those glasses and see if Colby has managed to set the grill on fire yet.”
Bailey lifted her glass in salute and followed her outside. Boy, Emma was woman enough and more to handle the Whelans.
She felt the touch of Jory’s gaze the moment she stepped out onto the large deck. He was standing next to Ty, who was just the person she wanted to see. She walked straight up to them, and was surprised when Jory’s arm curled possessively around her waist. Ty didn’t say anything, but she did see his lips quirk.
“Congratulations, big guy.” She ignored Jory’s disapproving tug at her waist and gave Ty a hug. “I’m glad you found someone to keep you all happy. Emma is a special lady.”
“And nearly as jealous as the man shooting daggers at me right now,” Ty whispered in her ear, the grin plain to hear. “I’m happy for you, kiddo. Give him hell.”
“I will.” She smiled and stepped back into Jory’s space, feeling his arm wrap her once more. “Where’s Zach?”
Jory groaned. “Feeling the need to molest more men, are you?”
Ty smiled but ignored the remark. “Down in the shed measuring something up with Pete. They should be back directly.”
“That’s two she is going to jump all over.” Jory groaned some more.
Bailey poked him in his flat stomach. “I won’t jump on Zach. He only gets a friendly hug. But Pete is a different story. Him I am gonna jump on.”
Jory only rolled his eyes. Bailey didn’t care. Pete Walker was the one who had taught her to weld and work steel. It was thanks to his laid-back teaching of a bored teenage girl that she was able to support herself now.
“Brace yourself, old man.” Ty’s muttered warning hardly reached her ears as she leapt at the silver-haired man that walked around the corner.
“Bailey, darlin’! You look pretty as a picture. What’s put that glow in your cheeks, girl?” Pete’s arms were around her waist as he spun her around the same way he had done ever since she could remember.
She saw him glance over at Ty and Jory. “He finally gave in, did he?” His smile said he fully approved. “I knew you would wear him down someday, darlin’. Good things come to those who wait.”
“I got sick of waiting.”
“That’s the girl.” He lowered her to the ground, a smile crinkling his face into a gorgeous Sam Elliot lookalike. “God, I love it. All these young bucks get so touchy about an old man like me giving their woman a hug. It makes me feel young again.”
“Hey, brat.” Zach kissed her temple on the way past, deliberately looking at Jory as he did. “Doesn’t he get jealous? Oh, shit! Colby, don’t let her cook.” Zach went to save the steaks from Emma.
“Finished making a spectacle of yourself?” Jory asked, pulling her close. She could hear the amusement behind the words.
“I think I’m all done, but you doing this is making a bigger one.”
“Really? How about this then?” He lowered his head and kissed her thoroughly. He didn’t lift his head until her knees threatened to buckle. The smile told her he had achieved his desire, to show her just who she belonged to.
“Lord Almighty, Jory Raines! Leave that girl alone.” Beth came barreling over like a steamroller. “Bailey, it is so good to see you home.” Bailey returned the older woman’s embrace. She didn’t know any other woman whose hugs felt like home. Her own mother felt like a stranger to her, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten anything more than a perfunctory air-kiss from Grace.
For the first time in forever, Bailey felt comfortable. These were her people. The people she had grown up around and the people who now loved them. Everyone fitted. There was no judgment or censure.
The meal was a relaxed affair. Delicious steaks were plated up and there were self-serve salads from the buffet-style bar. There was plenty of laughter to go with the great food and better company.
Latecomers turned up and welcomed Casey to the town, and eventually made their way over to welcome back the “brat.” Bailey had forgotten how many others called her by Jory’s pet name, but she ended up with more hugs and pecks on the cheek than she had ever had in her life. Every male acquaintance was looking to rattle the unshakable Jory Raines’s tree. He was standing with his arms crossed, his beer forgotten, held negligently by a finger around the bottleneck.
“I’m sorry, grump. The novelty will wear off soon.” Bailey wound her arms around his neck and tugged him down within reach. She nipped at his bottom lip, smiling at his attempt at his habitual stony countenance. “They would leave me alone if you didn’t start growling like a junkyard dog every time someone comes near me.”
“Growling, huh?”
“Yep.” She noticed he didn’t dissuade her when her tongue darted out and licked along his lip.
“They wouldn’t be game to touch you if you were wearing my collar.”
Heat flared deep within as the possessive tone wrapped around her senses. “Maybe we should go home and put it on.”
“Not tonight, brat. I’ve had a couple of beers, and that stuff you’re drinking smells like rocket fuel. Alcohol and play don’t mix.”
“Not even a little bit?” Bailey stuck her bottom lip out in a perfect pout.
“Not at all.” Jory lowered his head until his lips skated along the shell of her ear. “Of course that doesn’t mean I won’t be buried deep inside you the moment I get you home.”
Bailey clutched at his neck as her knees buckled, grateful for the arm he slid around her. “It’s not fair. Don’t say things like that in public. I’ll end up with a wet patch on my shorts.”
“Easier to hide than this.” He butted his erection against her stomach.
“Oh, don’t do that, I will melt.” Bailey glanced around, finding them the subject of some very amused and indulgent grins. “Everyone is looking, Jory. I don’t mind. Hell, I’d announce it on national television. I want to hang a banner over the main street telling everybody that I’m sleeping with Jory Raines, but I expected you to want to keep it quiet. It hasn’t even been a week.”
“It’s been long enough that I know what I want, and giving you up ain’t it. I’ve never felt possessive in my life, but every time someone comes near you I want to pull you away.” He took a ragged breath. “Until I can control myself around you, Bailey, you shouldn’t trust me, because I don’t. This loss of control scares the hell out of me. It should scare you, too.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t, Mr. Control Freak. Take me home and let me show you just how much you don’t scare me.” Bailey found herself bundled through the chattering crowd. Their rushed exit earned quite a few amused looks and several whistles.
* * * *
Jory drove home a little too fast. The silence was as thick as the lust in the Jeep. His grip on the steering wheel was all that was holding him together. Did the little brat have any idea of the monster she poked?
He wished to hell she hadn’t had anything to drink. He would take her straight downstairs and show her exactly why he needed to have his control. Hell, she already knew some of the damage that could be inflicted firsthand.
He knew damn well he would never do any of that, but Bailey didn’t. He didn’t deserve her blind trust. If he couldn’t control his jealousy, how could he control himself enough when she was bound and at his mercy?
He pulled up in front of the house with a screech of brakes. He wasted no time in going around to Bailey’s side and all but ripping her from the vehicle. The evening chill had set in, and he didn’t stop until he had her inside in the comfortable warmth of the cabin.
If his stony deme
anor and harsh handling worried her, it did not show on her breathless face. She glowed. Indigo eyes fairly blazed with anticipation. The little vixen had no idea at the fragile condition of his self-control.
“Strip.” His voice brooked no nonsense, harsh even to his own ears.
He watched as Bailey shimmied out of her cutoffs. A muscle ticked in his jaw as he realized she wore no panties. The fiery-hued top fell by the wayside, and she contorted her arms and unclasped the smooth T-shirt bra she wore. Her eyes shone with mocking challenge as she held it by one end at full arm’s reach and purposely dropped it on the ground.
She was fucking gorgeous. Lean and toned, but with womanly bounty in all the right places. Full breasts with big dusky tips, rock hard and straining toward him. Her hips arced gracefully from the dip of her waist. Soft curves with enough flesh to squeeze. Her little belly pouted slightly, with a freckle just below her navel he ached to bite. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t a biter. Bailey’s undisciplined, hedonistic urges were starting to rub off on him.
He reached out and pinched a nipple. She gasped and her head went back, but she didn’t pull away. “Are these mine, Bailey? Mine to do what I wish with?”
“All yours,” she gasped.
He squeezed a little harder. “What if I want to put clamps on them? Want to make them burn while you dance under the pain?”
“God, yes!” Her carnal inflections spurred him on.
She needed to learn, needed to know she shouldn’t trust him. “What else belongs to me, Bailey? What else is mine?”
Fire blazed from her eyes as she stepped closer. “Everything, Jory, I’m all yours.”
“Everything? Show me, Bailey. Let me see everything that’s mine.” His cock pounded behind its denim cage when she turned and presented, bending at the waist with her legs spread and her hands on the arm of the couch. He could see all of her. From the clit peaking out of its little hood to the dusky pucker of her anus—it was all there for him to see.
He touched his fingertip to her exposed pink clit, ignoring her low moan. “Is this mine, Bailey? Mine to play with or ignore as I wish?”