by Kennedy Fox
“It’s only been a couple of weeks,” Kiera reminds her with a laugh, hugging her back. “I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my friend, Emily. She was helping me with Spirit.”
“Oh heavens no.” Mrs. Bishop turns toward me, enveloping me in her arms. “Lovely to meet you, dear.”
“You too.” I reluctantly hug her back, feeling how awkward this could get if she only knew about her son and me.
“So what are you baking? Is that apple crisp I smell?” Kiera inhales deeply.
“You know me so well. It just came out of the oven thirty minutes ago.”
“Smells delicious,” I agree.
“Stay, and I’ll get you ladies some. The boys should be in any minute for a food break.”
Oh shit no.
Kiera senses my panic and gives me a small pity smile. “Would you mind if we took it to go? I have a ton of work to do back home and Emily—”
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
All the hair on the back of my neck stands up as I hear his deep, tortured growl. I don’t even need to turn around to know Evan just walked in. Fuck.
Chapter Eleven
EVAN
“Evan Tyler Bishop! You watch your mouth,” Mama scolds, but I barely hear her words as I zoom in on the ass with hardly any fabric covering it. I only got a glimpse of her profile, but then I heard her voice and knew. Fucking hell, why is she in my parents’ house?
“Evan!” Kiera squeals, walking toward me with a fake smile plastered on her face. Once she’s in front of me, she balls her hand into a fist and punches me in the shoulder. “How ya been?”
I don’t even flinch at her pathetic attempt to hit me.
“What is she doing here?” I grind the words out, my eyes shooting daggers in her direction.
“Calm down, Hulk. She was just helpin’ me unload a horse.”
I snort, trying to imagine her doing any kind of hard labor.
“Evan, quit being rude. You’re never too old for me to bend you over my knee and smack you with a wooden spoon.”
I grunt. “Sorry, Mama.”
“You apologize to Miss Emily. She’s a guest, and we don’t treat guests that way,” Mama orders.
My jaw clenches, and my body tightens when Emily turns around and finally faces me. She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up and making it nearly impossible to keep my eyes off them. A smug smile pulls at her lips, and she knows I’m pushed into a corner with Mama watching me.
I adjust my ball cap and scrub my hand over my face, breaking the tension of her intense stare. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting to see you is all.” It’s a pathetic apology, but I don’t care. She’s not supposed to be here.
“Trust me, it was a surprise to me too.” She grins overenthusiastically.
“I was just servin’ up some of my famous apple crisp. Take a seat, and I’ll get y’all some.” Mama doesn’t wait for a response before cutting into her dish.
Moments later, Jackson and Alex come barging in, laughing and talking shit before they even notice the awkward scene unfolding in the kitchen.
“Hot damn,” Jackson hoots. “I missed the reunion.” They both chuckle as if they’d just been talking about her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alex says to Emily in an overly sweet tone. He cups his hat and places it against his chest.
“We met at the wedding actually, but it was kind of a crazy night.” Emily takes his hand and shakes it.
“Ah yes, the wedding. I do remember you, but didn’t you say your name was—”
“Don’t you have work to do?” I blurt, grabbing Alex’s attention, so he shuts the fuck up. I don’t need Mama knowing the details of my personal life.
“I’m takin’ a break, asshole.”
“Boys,” Mama warns, pointing down at the table for all of us to sit as she cuts the apple crisp and hands us heaping plates of it. “Jackson, hat,” she reminds him. I remove my ball cap as well, brushing a hand through my hair that’s sticking to my skin with sweat.
“Where’s your father?” Mama asks, and Jackson mumbles something about him finishing up in the barn still.
“Mama Bishop, this is delicious.” Kiera begins moaning, drawing our attention to her. I glance over at Jackson who looks tense as fuck. He’s barely looked at her since he walked in, which tells me something else is going on.
“Kiera, you keep moaning like that, and Jackson’s gonna come in his pants,” I say just loud enough for the five of us to hear.
Emily chokes on her food as soon as the words come out of my mouth, but luckily Alex is quick to pat her on the back. “You okay?” he asks. The bastard is lucky he’s married, or I’d rip his arm off for touching her. The smug grin on his face tells me he knows about Emily, our night together, and her working at the hospital with me. Fucking Jackson. I need to stop telling him shit. Or maybe it was River. It was probably both of them.
Jackson kicks me under the table as a blush tints over Kiera’s cheeks. Those two have been playing tug-of-war for as long as I can remember. Shit’s getting old.
“I’m fine. Just went down wrong,” Emily insists, her face reddening from the unwanted attention.
“From what I’ve heard, choking is your specialty.” The moment Jackson spews his words, I slide my chair back and jump out of my seat.
“You motherfucker!” I fist his shirt in my hands and push him up against the fridge.
“Evan!” Mama shrieks but knows better than to get in the middle of a fight.
“Dude, chill the fuck out,” Jackson spits out, wrapping his fingers around my wrists. “You started it with that last comment of yours, so back the fuck off me.” He pushes against my chest, and I release him.
“What the hell is all this ruckus about?” Dad asks in a low, deep tone as he walks in and watches the entire scene unfold. “Haven’t I told you boys to take your shenanigans outside?”
“Just Evan and Jackson doing the same shit they always do,” Alex groans.
“Boys! That’s enough. I’m going to wash all your damn mouths out with soap if y’all keep up that language.” Mama is pissed and breathing hard. We know not to bring her to that level. I glare at Jackson, and he gives me a smug ass look before we sit back down.
Mama eyes us all as she serves Dad a plate. The room grows silent as we finish our dessert, and just before I stand to clear my dish, Mama speaks up.
“Kiera, did the boys tell you about the bachelor auction this weekend?”
“Oh, is that coming up already? I almost forgot!”
Mama’s annual fundraiser always forces everyone to get involved, even when I argue that I can’t. I’m proud of her for spearheading the event, but I hate that she makes me participate.
“Yes, and Emily, you should come too. There’s going to be a dinner, silent auction, and bachelor auction. If you’re single, you could find a new date.” She flashes her a wink, and my stomach sinks.
“A bachelor auction? What is that?” she asks.
“You bid on the guys, and the highest bidder wins a date with the bachelor!” Mama announces so casually. This is the worst fucking day of my life.
“Oh wow… that sounds intense.”
“It’s a blast,” Kiera chimes in. “Everyone gets all dressed up in fancy dresses and tuxedos, and then once dinner is over, the auction starts, and all the women lose their damn minds! Jackson always causes a crowd of madness because he’s a big flirt and gets the highest bid of the night.”
“Of course he does.” Emily chuckles.
“You know it, baby.” He winks at her, and my hands ball into fists.
“So who gets auctioned off?”
“All my boys, of course. Then some others around town and friends of the family. Usually get fifteen to twenty,” Mama explains. “Trent and some of the ranch hands, too.”
Jackson grunts under his breath, but no one pays him any attention. No telling why he’s pissed, but my gut tells me it has something to do with Kier
a.
“River isn’t gonna want me to auction off my goods, Ma,” Alex interjects, but Mama waves him off.
“Then she’ll have to bid on you.”
He sighs, giving up the fight.
“Who’re you?” Dad finally glances at Emily and realizes she’s a new face.
“That’s Emily. Kiera’s friend,” Mama answers. “She also works at the hospital with Evan.”
Fucking hell. She knows, too.
“You’re a doctor?” Dad asks.
“Yes, sir. ER doctor.”
“Just like Evan,” he states with a distaste in his mouth. No matter how many lives I save or how hard I worked to get here, he’s still bitter that I didn’t choose to work on the ranch full-time. I wish he’d understand that the ranch life wasn’t in my blood like his or my brothers. I loved growing up here, but I didn’t want that to be my life forever. I needed more—needed something that made me feel like I was making a bigger difference—and until my dad can see that, he’ll never respect my decision.
“Well, I’m smarter and better than Evan but don’t tell him that.” Emily flashes a wink in his direction, making his face soften just slightly. Damn. She’s going to turn my entire family against me.
Jackson and Alex chuckle at my expense, and I groan as I roll my eyes.
“It’s time to get back to work,” I remind them. “Let’s go.”
They slide their chairs out and give Mama a quick wave before handing her their empty plates.
“Hope to see you again soon, Emily.” Jackson flashes a smirk at her, and she winks in return. He’s fucking dead.
“Maybe at the bachelor auction,” Emily teases. “I don’t know that my wallet is big enough for you though. I may have to bid on someone else.”
“No hard feelings, darlin’. Just say the word, and I’ll take you out for a real good time.”
Kiera chuckles, knowing exactly what Jackson is doing. He’s pushing my buttons and eating it all up while Emily plays into his hands.
“Let’s go, asshole.” I place a hand on Jackson’s shoulder and give him an encouraging push toward the door.
“Bye, Jackson!” Emily calls out after us.
“Bye, darlin’! See you real soon!”
Alex shakes his head as he follows Jackson out, and I fall in line behind them both.
“She’s a hot piece of fine tail, Evan. No wonder you’ve been moodier than usual. I would be, too, if I had to look at that every day and not be able to tap it,” Jackson taunts as we walk back to the truck.
Grunting, I probe. “Who says I’m not?”
Alex chuckles while giving me a look. He knows better, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Yeah, right. She’s too good for you,” Jackson mocks as we slide into the truck. I’m going to teach him a lesson with my fist about pushing me to my limits if he doesn’t stop his shit.
Alex drives us back out to the pasture where we continue to clean up overgrowth and trees from around the fence line. We talk shit and work our asses off for another four hours until we’re finished with at least one section. Mama always insists on making a big meal every time I’m here, so I know I won’t be able to leave until after dinner.
“John wants us to come pick him up at the B&B before we head to Mama’s,” Jackson announces as Alex drives us down the road. John fully manages the bed and breakfast, which means he gets shit for being in the air conditioner most of the time.
“What the fuck?” I growl when we pull up, and I see Emily standing on a stool bending over a horse. Her shorts are being eaten by her ass since they’re barely covering it, and all my brothers are gaping at it.
“Hot fucking damn!” Jackson whistles, gawking out the window.
I pull a hand back and smack him upside the head. “Eyes off, jackass.”
“Why? You haven’t claimed her since that one night so—”
“Don’t push me,” I warn.
“Or what?” he taunts. “You’ll grow some balls to tap that again?”
“You’re an idiot,” I mutter.
“You’re both idiots,” Alex adds, putting the truck in park. “Tell John we’re here.”
“Don’t need to. He’s the one working Emily.” Jackson chokes out a cough. “I mean, helping Emily.”
I grit my teeth and shake my head, forcing my hands to stay down, so I don’t smack him again.
Following Jackson out of the truck, I walk straight for Emily and wrap my hands around her hips and pick her up off the stool. She yelps in surprise and then smacks my chest when she realizes it’s me.
“What the hell are you doing?” she hisses when I drop her to her feet. “You can’t just manhandle me!”
“Why are you still here?” I ask, ignoring her question.
“What’s it matter to you? John offered to show me around, and Kiera said it was okay if I stayed.”
Glancing around, I don’t see Kiera anywhere.
“Where is Kiera?”
“She had work to finish at the ranch and said she’d pick me up later. What’s the big deal?”
I grab Emily’s arm and lead us away from my eavesdropping brothers. She squeals at me again, but I don’t release her until we have some privacy behind a shed.
“The big deal is that you’re here, and you’re at work, and you’re always around. You’re flaunting your ass around my brothers and getting chummy with my family. It was bad enough that you bailed on me the morning after, but then you had to show up at work on Monday and ruin my life.”
“Ruin your life?”
I roll my eyes at her hard stance. “You know what I mean. It’s impossible to forget a one-night stand when that person is always around.”
“Maybe if you let me explain why I left that morning in the first place, you wouldn’t hate me so much, and the thought of seeing me all the damn time wouldn’t turn you into a damn caveman!”
“Fine.” My jaw tightens, narrowing my eyes at her. “Explain it to me then. Explain to me why we fucked all night long, and then I woke up to an empty bed and had no clothes.” I cross my arms over my chest, challenging her.
“I drank a lot the night before, and when I woke up, I couldn’t remember your name and worried how you were going to react to seeing me. I called Kiera from the bathroom because she was my ride home, and when I told her the situation, she tried to help me figure out who you were. I told her I thought your name was Drew, and you were one of the groomsmen.”
“Drew?” My brows raise.
“Yeah, I don’t know why. I must’ve gotten the names mixed up when I met a bunch of them at the bar or something. It was the first name that popped into my head, and when Kiera told me Drew was married to Courtney, I freaked out. I knew I couldn’t be seen walking out, and I most definitely wasn’t going to wake you and confront you about it, especially if I was the mistress.”
“Okay that explains you leaving, but what about my clothes?”
“Well I didn’t want to be the one to break the news to anyone. I didn’t see a bag or any personal items in the room, so I figured if you didn’t have any clothes, you’d get busted and wouldn’t get away with cheating on your wife. You’d have to call someone for help and explain why you were there.”
“So let me get this straight. You thought I was Drew who’s actually married to my sister and to get even at me for ‘cheating,’ you took my clothes with the hope I’d get busted?”
She thinks about it for a minute before nodding. “Precisely, yes.”
I pull my hands back behind my head and exhale a deep breath. “Jesus Christ.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know! I had no idea who you were, and by the time I realized you weren’t Drew, it was too late. Kiera told me he has tattoos and dark hair, which is why I had her return the tux Monday morning. Then, of course, she found out it was actually you, but it was too damn late because I was already at work.”
“She couldn’t have told you those details earlier?” I groan.
“I know, tru
st me, I know. I should’ve asked her to describe him to me, or I should’ve described you to her, but I was freaking out, okay? I don’t do one-night stands, so—”
“Then why the hell did you agree to it?” I growl, pinning my eyes to her as I step into her space. She’s seriously testing my willpower with those cutoff shorts and her delectable lips.
Her breath hitches as I cage her in with my arms against the shed. Her back presses against the cool metal as her eyes stare into mine.
“I don’t know… I guess I was looking for a good time. Kiera had ditched me, I was drinking, and you were so…”
“So what?” I ask, my voice lowers as my face inches toward hers.
“So… fun and charming. You looked so good in your tux, and you were seducing me with your eyes all evening long. I couldn’t help but fantasize about what you’d feel like on top of me, pinning me down with your weight, kissing me, touching me. You were flirting with me, and it was the first time in months a guy had paid any attention to me who didn’t make me want to junk punch them.”
The last shred of my willpower breaks as she talks about that night, and I press my mouth to hers, capturing her in a desperate and heated kiss. My hand cups her cheek, and as I hold her in place, I press my tongue between her lips, seeking permission. Her body relaxes, and she moans against my lips, giving me all the permission I need. It’s a kiss filled with want and desire, and the heat shoots straight to my dick the moment she grabs my shirt and pulls my body against hers.
With her body still against the cool metal, she falls into my chest, greedily taking everything I’m giving her. I suck on her lower lip and groan when she brushes her hand under my ball cap and threads her fingers into my hair.
I’m lost in the moment, and as soon as I hear my brothers laugh in the distance, I quickly remember where we are and release her.
Her breathing is rapid, and as she tries to catch it, I smooth a hand down my shirt to adjust myself. That definitely got out of hand way too quickly. Fuck. I didn’t mean for that to happen, though I can’t say I haven’t thought about kissing the sass out of her a couple of times at work.