“What’s this?”
“You wanted to work, right?” she asked.
He couldn’t very well say no, so Sawyer nodded his head.
“Well, then this is your job. I’ve got four dogs out there who need a bath.” Adrianne pointed around the room as she continued to speak. “Over there is the shampoo. On this side, you’ve got the sprayer. There’re some towels beneath the counter. Just holler if you need anything else,” she said, but then disappeared before he could say anything more.
Sawyer stood in the tiny room, staring at the white walls and the stainless steel cabinets, wondering just how he was going to achieve his goal of seeing Kennedy if he was stuck in here all day.
The door opened, and he turned back around just as Adrianne was walking in with a huge, shaggy dog whose multi-colored hair was in need of a trim, or perhaps a buzz cut might help more because the poor animal probably couldn’t see all that well through the frizzy hair that covered both eyes. Sawyer wasn’t quite sure that a bath was going to help the dingy mutt, but what did he know.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“This is Hercules,” she told him, reaching down to pat the dog’s enormous, flat head. “He’s new here, but from what I can tell, he’s fairly sociable.”
Fairly? Sawyer wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door and to his surprise, Kennedy pushed open the door and stuck her head just inside. She studied him for a moment, then glanced back at Adrianne before meeting his eyes once more. Sawyer smiled, hoping like hell she was there to save the day. Maybe she wanted to help him bathe the dog. That would certainly get him closer to her.
When she smiled back, his hopes soared, and that’s when he noticed the mischievous twinkle in her lovely gray eyes.
“Mr. Walker,” she greeted way too formally for his taste.
“Kennedy,” he acknowledged her, keeping his tone light. After all, he damn sure wouldn’t let her see his fear.
Not that he was scared.
Glancing back down at the dog who seemed to be fixated on him, Sawyer took an awkward step backward. Funny how those big round eyes seemed to follow him, even beneath all that fur.
“So nice of you to help out today,” Kennedy said sweetly. “The shelter can always use more volunteers. I think you’ll like this particular job. It’s certainly a good one for a newbie.”
Sawyer wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he just stood there, staring down at Hercules who was aptly named based on his size.
Adrianne stood to her full height once more, handed Sawyer the leash and then turned to leave again.
“Hey, wait,” he found himself saying, but quickly clamped his mouth shut.
“Sorry, I’ve got to help Doc Endsley,” Adrianne explained. “She’s just got a couple of vaccinations to take care of before she heads out.”
Heads out? She just got there.
“See you in a bit,” Adrianne chirped as she snuck out the door.
Sawyer was pretty damned sure she was laughing at him as she went.
♀♂
Kennedy
“Thanks for warning me that he’d be here,” Kennedy told Adrianne as they walked down the narrow hallway back to the front of the building.
“No problem. Don’t get me wrong, I think Sawyer’s a decent guy and all, but have you ever seen him volunteer before?”
Kennedy chuckled. “Not when it comes to animals, no.”
She knew that when he was younger, because his parents always pitched in at the church, the Walker brothers were known to do their part, – even occasionally now – but, unless it meant doing the heavy lifting, or something that would show off how masculine they were, they didn’t tend to offer their assistance.
Especially not bathing stray dogs.
So, needless to say, when Adrianne had called to let her know that Sawyer was looking for something to do at the shelter, she had offered suggestions. The two women had laughed over their options, but in the end, they decided a few hours with some ornery, wet dogs would probably do the guy some good.
“Well, I’ve got to run an errand, but I’ll be back shortly,” Adrianne called out as she headed for the front door.
“No problem, I’ll be here for about an hour, and your volunteer will likely be here for about three. Maybe more.”
Adrianne laughed. “When he’s done with Hercules, just give him whoever looks like they’d enjoy some bonding time with him.”
“You don’t have any others who need to be bathed?”
“Nope, not today. But he doesn’t need to know that.”
Kennedy broke out laughing, staring after Adrianne as she disappeared out the door.
If she hadn’t spent the better part of the last few years trying to stay as far away from Sawyer Walker as possible, she might just get a kick out of this.
Oh, who was she kidding? She would get a kick out of this.
Chapter Seven
♂♀♂
Brendon
“What’s for dinner?” Braydon asked when he walked into the kitchen, not paying the slightest bit of attention to where he was going as he ran a towel over his wet hair.
“Whatever you find to eat,” Brendon said snidely. He damn sure wasn’t the chef in the house.
“Where’s Jessie?”
What the hell was this? Twenty questions?
Brendon took a deep breath, realizing he had to calm down. There was no need to take out his frustrations on his brother.
“No idea,” he answered honestly, taking a deep breath and trying to settle his frazzled nerves. He’d already called her several times, but she wasn’t answering her phone.
“I talked to her earlier,” Braydon stated smoothly, causing Brendon to stop mid-step and stare at his brother.
“When?”
“Right before I got home. She said she had to run an errand, but then she’d stop by. I hope she’s got something for dinner.”
Brendon stared at his twin. Had Braydon been abducted by aliens while he was in the shower? Since when did Braydon talk to Jessie without Brendon around? Shaking off the thought, he turned and exited the kitchen. He needed to keep himself busy, or he’d be overthinking this whole mess he seemed to have found himself in.
“I’m gonna take a shower,” Brendon called out as an afterthought before retreating to his own room and slamming the door behind him.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Here he was, completely frustrated with the situation he found himself in, yet he was getting jealous that his twin brother had talked to Jessie? That was supposed to be a good thing, right?
He needed for Jessie and Braydon to get along. There wasn’t much of a choice. Brendon knew for damned sure that the two of them were able to get along while they were naked. He’d been witness to that on more than a million occasions.
So why was it Brendon felt that his life was shifting in a different direction? Actually, he’d been feeling this way since last May when one extremely popular, very talented, not to mention seriously fucking sexy, country music star made a surprise appearance on Mother’s Day.
Cheyenne Montgomery.
Stripping off his clothes in a rush, Brendon didn’t even wait for the shower water to warm before he pulled open the glass door and stepped in. And wouldn’t you know it, thoughts of Cheyenne had him so worked up that not even the chilly bite from the water could make his balls shrivel up.
Turning his back to the water, he thrust his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes. Once he was good and soaked, he grabbed the shampoo and made quick work of sudsing up and rinsing off. Moving on to washing his body, he kept his eyes closed and remembered the last time he’d seen Cheyenne.
Mother’s Day night, after all the festivities were said and done, Brendon had ventured out to Moonshiners with his brother and lo and behold, there she was. The famous country musician had apparently been invited by Travis, and that’s how it all got started.
The woman had done a number on him with minimal effort, and he wanted to see her again.
Only he wasn’t supposed to want her. Not anymore.
He had Jessie. Another woman who had stormed into his life and stolen his breath. But the feelings he had for Jessie were vastly different from those he’d developed for Cheyenne over the course of just a couple of hours. Jessie was his friend. She was one of the sweetest, most giving women he’d ever met, and it didn’t hurt that she hadn’t balked at Brendon’s insistence that his brother join them in their sexual escapades.
But Cheyenne was a different story. He knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would give him the time of day if he insisted that she give herself over to his twin. Not a fucking chance. She’d basically told him as much when Brendon had insisted his brother stay close that night.
So, he knew he was better off with Jessie. She was more his type. Beautiful, smart, and open to new things – and yes, he was referring to new things in the sexual sense. The woman blew his mind when she lost her inhibitions. Especially considering she was so open to the threesome aspect of the relationship they shared, even if she didn’t seem to understand it fully.
Turning so that the water poured down over his face, Brendon held his breath, wishing like hell he could just get his mind focused on the one place it needed to be.
He had to stop worrying about Braydon and Jessie and what might be developing between them. His twin brother was his other half, and the two of them hadn’t been separated in any capacity since the day they were born. Braydon was his best friend, his confidante, and he was also the third in Brendon’s relationships and vice versa.
And that was something he’d never questioned before…
Until Jessie.
And Cheyenne.
♂♀♂
Braydon
The knock on the door was barely detectable over the buzz of the television and the sound of the water pipes rumbling in the wall of Brendon’s bathroom. Braydon had no idea how long Jessie had been standing there, but as soon as he opened the door, and just like every other time he laid eyes on this woman, his world tipped on its axis.
Too bad she belonged to his brother.
“Hey,” he greeted, taking a step back to allow her to come inside.
“Hey back,” she said with a shy smile. “I brought tacos.”
At the mention of food, Braydon’s stomach growled, making Jessie laugh. “I guess it’s a good thing, too.”
“I’m not complaining.”
God, she was the most radiant woman he’d ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. Especially in those tight denim shorts and the oversized hoodie that disguised the rest of her luscious curves, he found her so damn hot, he worried he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her.
Too bad she belonged to his brother.
That was a mantra he had better get used to. Because the direction that his thoughts had been going recently, was probably going to get him in some serious trouble.
It didn’t seem to matter that Braydon and Brendon shared women, and it didn’t seem to matter that Braydon knew he’d be buried to the hilt within this woman before the night was out. The simple fact that she didn’t belong to him was making him crazy.
And it was a first.
Never before in his life had he wanted to stake a claim on a woman. Not until Jessie. And wouldn’t you fucking know it, Brendon had put the moves on her first which made Braydon officially the third in this little tryst of theirs. Something he’d never had a problem with until lately.
But there was something different about this woman. Something that he found himself drawn to on a level that was so much deeper than mere sexual chemistry. And the more time they spent together, the stronger his feelings for her seemed to get.
Leading Jessie into the kitchen, he grabbed three plates from the cabinet and three beers from the refrigerator before returning to join her at the center island that doubled as a bar. Jessie had already gotten comfortable, perched on the bar stool opposite him.
“How’s it going?” she asked.
Braydon paused in his pursuit to sate his hunger, holding the unwrapped taco in midair as he looked up at her, but he was surprised to see she wasn’t looking at him. In fact, it appeared she was avoiding eye contact at all costs.
“Good. You?”
Damn, they sounded like two nervous teenagers at a high school dance.
“Good,” she mumbled, reaching over to grab one of the tacos out of the plastic bag. When her hand brushed against his, Braydon held his breath, refusing to acknowledge what her simple touch did to him.
This was fucking crazy.
Wanting to drive his cock into her pussy while his brother took her ass was one thing, but the visions of the things he wanted to do to her – alone – were unsettling, to say the least.
He’d never been with a woman solo. During all of their relationships, Braydon and Brendon had shared their women. Since the very first time when they lost their virginity at fourteen. Which meant, by their combined participation, they managed to remain detached from the female in question. After all, having his brother present allowed him to remain emotionally detached, something he’d grown used to over the years. For him, it was all about pleasuring the woman. That was his only concern. Sure, the logic might not add up, but it was something neither of them had ever questioned.
Until Jessie.
With her… things were different.
At least for Braydon they were.
“Hey,” Brendon greeted Jessie when he came stomping into the room a few seconds later, running a towel through his damp hair. When he leaned over to kiss Jessie firmly on the mouth, Braydon found his hand had involuntarily clenched at his side.
This was such bullshit.
He was an idiot to think that a relationship with Jessie was even possible, but he knew he wasn’t just imagining the way she seemed to be distancing herself from Brendon and him. Or how Brendon had suddenly become standoffish when it came to her.
Something was changing between them. The dynamic was shifting, and unlike other times that they’d decided to move on from a regular fuck buddy, this felt different.
♂♀♂
Jessie
Jessie could feel the tension in the air. It was thick enough to strangle her. Grabbing her beer, she took a long pull and managed to avoid looking Braydon in the eyes.
The last time she’d been here, which had been about a week ago, she had noticed how distracted she’d been. How she never noticed it before, she had no idea. Rather than enjoying herself, hanging out with both of them, Jessie found her mind wandering more and more to Braydon.
And normally, that wouldn’t be a bad thing, except she was supposedly Brendon’s girlfriend. Although, girlfriend wasn’t quite the word she would use. Fuck buddy, maybe? Ok, that was a little harsh because truthfully, Brendon treated her better than just a fuck buddy. She talked to him every day, most of the time he was the one calling her even, and they saw each other several times a week.
Well, until recently. She had successfully managed to put a little distance between herself and Brendon and she was trying to do the same with Braydon. Only he wasn’t letting her.
For the last few weeks, they’d had side conversations, mostly by text, and Jessie found herself longing to talk to him more. There were times when she wished she could see him, only him. Only that wasn’t possible because the dynamic of their relationship didn’t work that way. And she knew Braydon wouldn’t do that to Brendon. Nor would she.
All of a sudden, there seemed to be a
tremendous amount of turmoil churning between them. She was more and more uncomfortable being around them, and she sensed that there was some tension between the two of them as well.
Why? Well, the answer to that question hadn’t been quite so forthcoming initially. However, after a lot of thought, not to mention the encounter the last time she was here with them, Jessie realized exactly what her problem was.
She was falling for Braydon.
And obviously Brendon was picking up on it.
Placing her taco on her plate and retrieving her beer again, she forced her eyes to wander around the room and not to either of the twins. She knew what she’d see if she looked at them. They were both devastatingly attractive with their dark hair and mesmerizing blue-gray eyes. Their chiseled features offered a rugged appeal, but those intense eyes made them boyishly handsome at the same time. And what made it worse… they were absolutely identical. To this point, she hadn’t found a single distinguishing mark on either of them. Their hair was cut the same, their style of dress was relatively similar, the deep timbre of their voice was identical, and they even walked the same.
The only difference she’d noted was that Braydon was much calmer, more laid back and infinitely more concerned about her in an emotional sense. Oh, and he made her feel beautiful every single time he looked at her.
On the other hand, Brendon was more assertive, edgy, always moving. And he made her feel like she was the sexiest woman on the planet when those heated eyes raked over her skin.
“You all right?” Brendon asked, his warm hand cupping the back of her neck as he stood beside her.
“Sure,” she lied after putting her beer back on the counter. “Fine. Why?”
“I don’t know. You just seem…” Brendon didn’t finish his sentence and Jessie didn’t try to fill in the blanks.
She knew how she seemed.
Without thinking, she glanced up, her eyes meeting Braydon’s and she suppressed a shudder. He was studying her and the way his eyes roamed across her face, seemingly reading every one of her thoughts made her uncomfortable.
Holidays With the Walker Brothers Page 5