by Ivy Jordan
“Don’t be jealous, girl; you’ll always be my first love,” I consoled Queen with soft strokes along her neck.
Axel’s name lit up on my phone as I pulled it vibrating from my pocket.
“What’s up?” I answered.
“I found out some dirt on Jill Jasper,” Axel blurted into my ear.
“Really?” I moved to a stack of hay where I took a seat.
“Yeah. The old man she was at dinner with last night is a county clerk,” he added.
“What are you talking about?” I questioned, lost on some of the details of the story.
“At dinner last night. Evelyn didn’t tell you we saw Jill there?” Axel asked cautiously.
“No,” I decided not to mention that we’d even spoken.
Before I let myself get too upset for being left out of this loop, I realized I didn’t give her much of a chance to tell me anything last night when she called. She may very well have planned on telling me, but things got a little heated. I was okay with how things had gone. I smiled.
I pulled back into the conversation that Axel was having without me while I daydreamed about my steamy night with Evelyn.
“She was dressed pretty slutty, and the man was at least twice her age, so Evelyn thought it was odd,” he ranted.
“That is odd,” I agreed.
“Well, turns out the old coot is a county clerk,” Axel snapped.
“That conniving bitch,” I growled.
“Exactly. So, we have to come up with a plan to make sure she isn’t screwing her way into screwing you out of a ranch,” Axel steamed.
“Don’t tell Evelyn you talked to me first. Let her know, and then get her out here tonight so we can talk to her together,” I instructed.
“You know we’re gonna have to tell her about the pictures,” Axel noted.
“I know,” I sighed.
Chapter Fourteen
Evelyn
I was still trying to figure out what was going on as I sat in the passenger side of Axel’s truck. When he showed up at my office, he was obviously agitated about something but refused to tell me about what.
“Are you planning on telling me why we’re heading to James’s ranch?” I asked, watching his every moment diligently.
He was the king of reading people, and he knew I wasn’t far behind in that skillset, so he was careful not to tip me off.
“It’s best we all three talk together,” he assured me with a smile.
I sighed, let my head rest against the cool window and watched the road go by as Axel played with the stereo. He finally settled on a country song that he liked. The man on the radio sang about drinking his sorrows away.
“Why are old country songs so depressing?” I chuckled as the lyrics just continued to get worse with each verse.
“Hey, you can’t live in Texas and make fun of country music,” Axel gave me a warning look.
I giggled.
I didn’t have a problem with country music, but some of the older stuff drove me crazy. It was just whining and crying to a good melody.
“Finally,” I gasped as we pulled onto the lane leading to the ranch.
Axel rolled his eyes, made some snarky comment about my impatience, and parked next to James’s truck.
My stomach rumbled as I climbed out of the truck, not sure how I felt about facing James after what happened on the phone, especially with Axel watching my every move.
A twitch in my leg caused me to stumble just as Axel made his way around to my side of the truck. My cheeks were burning, and I knew he could tell I was frazzled as he gave me a strange smirk.
“You okay?” he asked, reaching for my arm before I fell on my ass. It wouldn’t have been the first time I face planted in front of James.
“I’m fine,” I snapped, steadying myself as I pulled from his grip.
I could see James on the porch, a beer in his hand, and a Coke on the table beside him.
Axel was peering at me through the corner of his eye, and there was something strange about his demeanor, something anxious.
James stood from his chair as Axel, and I made it to the porch. His smile was sweet, but had the same anxious vibe I was getting from Axel.
“You got another one of those?” Axel asked, motioning to the beer in James’s hand.
He nodded, and Axel disappeared into the house, leaving James and me alone.
I wanted to ask him what was going on, why we were here, but I froze in his presence. His blue eyes looked faded in comparison to other times we’d saw one another.
I stepped back as he moved towards me, his arms opening for a hug.
“Really?” he teased, his eyes brightening as he smiled.
“Axel,” I whispered.
James shook his head as he reached down and gripped the Coke sitting on the table. He handed it to me, letting his fingers slowly graze against mine as I took it. Tingles rolled through my body from his touch, and it must’ve been obvious to James as he let out a chuckle of amusement.
Axel pushed through the front door, his face pale and serious. He looked at James, and James looked at him. It was extremely uncomfortable.
“Have a seat,” James offered, motioning to the chair beside him.
I sat. I watched Axel take the seat across from where I sat beside James. I watched as their eyes met again, and that look of anxiousness displayed openly on their faces.
“What the hell is going on, guys?” I blurted.
Both men sipped on their beers. James cleared his throat. Axel wiped sweat from his shaved head. It wasn’t hot, so he was obviously nervous, but why?
“I told James about running into Jill,” Axel broke the awkward silence.
“That’s okay. I was planning to,” I stopped myself from explaining why I hadn’t had the chance.
“I had to have Axel help with the son, John,” James stated.
I squinted in his direction, trying to figure out why this was the first I’d heard of the son causing any trouble.
“Well, actually, it was Axel who received the e-mail,” James added.
“E-mail?” I questioned, now even more curious.
My eyes stayed on Axel as he squirmed in the old metal chair that had more rust than paint.
“It was anonymous, or meant to be, but I found out who sent it,” Axel said, anger rolling through his tone.
“Why did he send you an e-mail?” I questioned.
That’s when the shit hit the fan. I wasn’t sure I was even breathing as Axel told me the contents of the e-mail. I couldn’t look at James. I couldn’t take my eyes off Axel. I was furious. I was beyond furious.
The first words I tried to speak were mute, only creating a squeak in my throat. My hands shook as my chest tightened, and my mind spun out of control.
I couldn’t believe that Axel not only knew about my night in the truck, but that he got to witness pictures of the event.
“You should’ve told me,” I screamed at Axel, my entire body beginning to shake with anger.
“I knew how upset you’d be,” he proclaimed innocently.
“I handled it. We handled it,” Axel added as he reached for me to comfort.
“Don’t you fucking touch me,” I shouted, tears rolling freely from my eyes to my cheeks.
I jerked away, turning to see James, face pale, his hands both wrapped tightly around his beer nervously as his eyes filled with fear. A scream, more of a roar, rolled from deep in my belly and met the calm evening air with a vengeance.
Thoughts of those pictures floating around in cyberspace for anyone to see made me want to throw up.
“Tell me how you handled it?” I demanded of Axel.
It was hard to stay quiet through everything he told me, but I did. I refused to make eye contact with James, deciding to focus only on Axel while I got the details I needed.
“So, Jill never opened the e-mail?” I questioned.
“No,” Axel replied.
“And, you’re certain that all the pictures
are destroyed?” I demanded.
“Yes,” Axel replied.
I cringed at the thought of Axel seeing the pictures, and even more so at the thought of John Jasper, some socialite spoiled brat, seeing them. I wanted to believe that Axel was certain the images were destroyed, but I knew better. I knew he knew better. They could’ve been forwarded from John’s phone to one of his buddies, or even uploaded to some perverted voyeurism website. Unless they surfaced, I’d never know for certain. I’d live the rest of my life wondering and worrying.
James hadn’t spoken, only sat in silence, in fear. I snapped around to glare into his eyes and let him know how disgusted I was with him at that moment.
“I’m really sorry, Evelyn. I-uh, we didn’t want you to feel what you’re feeling right now,” James consoled.
“How I’m feeling right now?” I roared.
“Do you have any idea how I am feeling right now?” I screamed.
James stood, his arms opening as he neared me. I backed from the porch, away from him. I wasn’t ready for him to touch me.
“It was mostly just me that was in the shots,” James explained.
“You should’ve told me,” I sobbed as I stared into his sorrowful blue eyes.
“You’re right. We were trying to protect you, and that was stupid. You’re a strong woman, and you deserved to know,” James admitted.
Axel was back to sipping on his beer, unscathed by my outburst. James still looked frightened as I continued to berate him.
“Why are you telling me now?” I questioned, my rage tamed by curiosity.
“We thought it was best you knew everything after what Axel found out about Jill,” James explained.
I sat back down, wiping the tears from my eyes and readying myself to listen. My stomach rumbled as I feared more news of spies, more pictures, possibly word already spread throughout the county, maybe further, maybe even to New York.
“Your instincts were spot on to be suspicious,” Axel boasted, working hard to pump me up from the low level that I’d just visited.
“How so?” I asked cautiously.
“I went back to the restaurant and sweet talked the hostess into showing me their credit card receipt. The man is a clerk at the courthouse, which explains why this case has been pushed back so many times,” Axel explained.
My jaw fell limp as I realized that all my extra paperwork, paperwork that was misplaced and not filed, was more than just it being a backward town with old-school systems.
“So, he’s in her back pocket,” James spoke up.
“I’m sure he’s in many other places,” I growled.
James’s lips curled into a smile that was obviously out of his control. I watched his eyes dance as he fought back his laughter. I wanted to be mad at him, to hate him, but I couldn’t. I burst out laughing, allowing him to let loose, and after neither of us could stop right away, Axel joined in too.
I sighed as we finally regained our composure. As I leaned back in my chair, I stared out at the sky. It was starting to get dark, and already it appeared to be lit up with a million stars.
“You don’t see stars like this in New York,” I said softly, letting the calmness of the country ease my stress.
“I never understood the appeal of the city,” Axel shook his head.
“You loved the city when you were a kid,” I snorted.
“Because I didn’t know any better,” Axel laughed.
I caught James watching me from the corner of my eye as Axel and I started bickering about our childhood. It was good to laugh for a minute, to simmer down from the boil that had been stirred up in me.
“You used to beg to stay,” I snickered.
“That’s only because I enjoyed hanging out with you,” Axel said softly.
I rolled my eyes, not letting on that I probably enjoyed his visits more than he could ever imagine. He was younger, and even though I acted as if he were a nuisance, the truth was, I enjoyed how he looked up to me. He thought I lived the coolest life, so fast-paced, so luxurious.
I spent most of my time alone as a kid, studying, and working on getting into one of the top law schools. That was always the plan, not necessarily mine, but Mr. and Mrs. Pierce made it clear at a very early age of their expectations. Friends, I didn’t have time for, boyfriends, I just didn’t have. Freedom, that was non-existent, except when Axel came to stay. Since I was so much older, my parents enlisted me to babysit when Axel visited, sometimes two weeks during the summer. During that time, I was free from studying, from work. I was free to pretend to be the cool older cousin Axel thought me to be.
James went inside to get a round of beers. He smiled warmly as he walked through the door. My eyes followed him, lingering on the muscles of his back, slowly sliding downward to where his waist tightened.
“You really like him, huh?” Axel startled me with his question.
“It was a one-time thing. I’m his lawyer. It’s inappropriate,” I answered quickly.
“That’s not what I asked,” Axel smirked.
I did really like him but admitting it wasn’t going to help the situation. I was his lawyer. It was inappropriate. Now that I was fully informed about everything the Jasper kids were willing to do in order to sabotage James, I knew it could never happen again.
I squealed as a cold beer rolled on the back of my neck. James laughed as I turned around swinging, barely missing contact with his groin.
“You pack a lot of punch for such a small thing,” he teased as he handed me a beer.
“That was barely the top being flipped,” Axel teased.
I glared in his direction as he put up his hands like he was afraid. I could hear his childish giggles from behind hands, and then James started in.
“Keep it up, and you’ll find out just how hard I can punch,” I growled playfully.
“So, I have a few ideas on how to handle Jill,” Axel blurted.
“No. I’ll handle this,” I insisted.
“Oh, this I have to hear,” Axel roared.
“Well, it won’t be as exciting as taking over someone’s bank account and computer, but it won’t be illegal either,” I sneered.
“Hey, sometimes you have to take the law into your own hands,” Axel defended.
“I have plenty of contacts at the courthouse. I’ll dig around and get the proof I need,” I assured both the men who now stared at me helplessly.
“My way’s so much quicker,” Axel pouted.
“Your way just tips Jill off that we’re on to her, and gives her reason to look for new plans. Right now, we know her plans, so I’ll wait for the right time to attack. That way she won’t have time to work out a plan B,” I smirked.
“You would’ve made a great SEAL,” James gasped.
“Yeah, if they allowed women,” I snapped.
“They do finally. I just heard they finally got their first female applicant,” Axel smiled.
James lifted his beer for a cheer, creating an instant chain reaction from myself and Axel to follow, tipping our glass bottles together proudly.
“I’ve got to see a man about a horse,” Axel sighed as he stood from his chair.
I could feel James’s eyes on me as Axel made it through the front door and into the house. Once we were alone, James stood, moving closely to where I sat. His tall frame towered over me, leaning in slowly until I could feel his breath against my lips.
“We can’t do this anymore,” I whispered.
“We aren’t doing anything,” James replied softly.
He moved in closer, his eyes locked on mine as our lips met. I caved, giving into the temptation of his kiss. Our tongues entangled as thoughts of our phone sex poured into my mind. Arousal quickly slicked against my panties, and a soft moan vibrated from my lips to his.
“No,” I stated firmly as I pulled away.
“You know I can’t resist you,” James purred.
“My reputation is at stake, so I can’t do this,” I argued with myself more than with James.
>
He leaned in, kissing me again, hard. My body tingled as he pulled away, his eyes bore into mine with a hunger and heat I knew was uncontrollable for either of us.
“Last time,” James smiled as he made his way back to his own seat.
Axel walked out and paused as he glanced at James, then me, and smiled.
“So, how about you come out for a riding lesson Sunday morning?” James blurted, his eyes pushing into mine.
I looked at Axel, remembering the promise I made to him. He had helped me out a lot, and tonight, I found out it was more than I even realized.
The thought of making plans to be alone with James terrified me but excited me just as much. My mind was torn between what it wanted, and what it needed, and the thought of actually riding a horse wasn’t helping my anxiety.
“I don’t know,” I stammered.
Axel narrowed his eyes in my direction.
“I’ll make sure you’re safe. You can even ride Queen,” James pushed.
“Sure,” I committed.
Axel pulled out a stack of money and handed it to James. I pretended to be offended as the men chuckled about their bet.
“I need to get home,” I announced.
Axel nodded.
James pulled Axel in for a tight hug as they said their goodbyes, and then moved towards me with his arms spread apart. I wanted to step back, to avoid any further touching, but he was too quick. My cheek pressed against James’s chest so tightly that I could hear his heart beating. The smell of musky cologne, faded, but still lingering, wafted under my nose. I knew that scent would stay with me until I got home. I knew I wouldn’t shower before bed. I knew that I would probably wear this blouse to bed, or at least have it near me. I knew that I was hooked on this man and that resisting temptation was going to be close to impossible.
Chapter Fifteen
James
I scanned through e-mails as I sipped on my morning coffee. The clock on the bottom right of my computer screen was more interesting than anything in my inbox.
An ad for the local feed store, a couple junk e-mails, and the top stories for the news site I subscribed to were all clicked open, scanned half-heartedly, and closed. I didn’t want to appear too eager when Evelyn pulled up, so I busied myself with the news stories while I waited. I checked the clock again. It was almost nine fifteen, and we’d set the time for nine.