by Nadia Aidan
“Do you understand me, Jeff Downing?” she demanded again.
His lips furled into a lazy grin. “Oh, I hear you all right, Red.” But that didn’t mean he was listening. “You want me to stay away from you while I’m out here.”
“Precisely.”
He pinned her with his gaze, the casual grin he knew irritated her still hovering on his face. “Well I hate to disappoint you, especially when all I want is to please you, but the last thing I plan to do is stay away from you.”
Her cheeks turned as red as her flaming hair, and her lips parted. Jeff knew she was about to explode, like a blazing, raging wildfire, but before she could go off on him, Jason returned with Jackson and BJ in tow.
“See? I told you. You owe me ten bucks, babe,” Jackson quipped as they rounded the corner, his eyes sparkling as he smiled down at his wife.
“I don’t think so,” she protested. “Look at Teresa—she looks ready to pummel him.”
“Yes, but you bet me when we returned they would be in the midst of a fight—”
“And if we’d been five seconds slower, they would have been,” BJ grumbled. She cast a baleful glare towards him and Teresa. “Now you two decide to play nice when it’s my ten bucks on the line.”
Jeff stood as his two brothers and sister-in-law drew nearer. He tried to help Teresa stand as well, but she batted his hand away before he could touch her, earning her a small grin. That was Teresa’s very problem when it came to him. She didn’t seem to understand why he was so relentless, but it was her staunch denial of the attraction between them that compelled him. The louder she protested and the more she resisted, the more it revealed to him just how much he truly affected her. For the past year, he’d been steadily and very effectively chipping away at the wall she kept firmly erected between them. Soon, Jeff determined, very soon, there would be nothing left to stand between them, and no place for her to run and hide.
BJ stepped up on the porch, momentarily drawing his attention away from the feisty redhead. Jeff’s smile was warm as he pulled his sister-in-law into his arms for an affectionate hug, before turning to embrace his older brother, Jackson.
Just to look at the two of them, the love they held for one another was evident, brimming over in their eyes. Jeff envied them, even as he was happy for his brother, especially since there had been a time when he’d worried Jackson would never find happiness, not after Camille had chosen Jacob over him. That had been a tense time between the four close knit brothers, but the moment BJ had barrelled into Jackson’s life, no other woman had existed for him.
Unwittingly, Jeff’s gaze slipped to Teresa. At first, he hadn’t understood what Jacob and Jackson meant when they proclaimed their wives were the only women in the world for them, but now he was starting to. Teresa was like an obsession to him—she seemed to claim every waking thought…and had long ago found her way into his night time fantasies that were filled with visions of her and only her.
“I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Jeff said finally with a rueful smile, his eyes never leaving Teresa, even as he started to head into the house. “Red and I always play nice.”
The resounding snorts caused him to chuckle. All right, they were known to bicker quite often, but Jeff wanted to play nice with Teresa—it was she who was always putting up the fight.
He followed behind Jason but halted just shy of the entryway when he noticed Teresa didn’t join them. “You’re not going to stay for dinner?”
“Not tonight. I have a lot of work to get done, so I’m just going to head home and get started on it.” She turned to leave, and Jeff frowned as his gaze swept across the parking lot but didn’t find her cherry red convertible.
“Here, I’ll give you a ride back to your ranch.” He was already bounding down the porch steps when BJ stilled him with a light touch against his arm.
“Go visit with your brothers. I’ll drive her. Besides, it’s Jackson’s night to cook, and God knows he could use the help.”
He hesitated, glancing between the two women. Damn, he wanted to be alone with Teresa right now, but the expression on her face told him that was the last thing she wanted. He bit back a small smirk. She would prefer not to be alone with him right now or ever again…because she was running scared.
“You’re off the hook tonight, Red, but you’re all mine as soon as they’re gone.” He turned to leave before either woman could form a retort, but a quick glance at Teresa revealed the answering flush in her cheeks as her hazel-green eyes widened.
That’s right, Red, this ridiculous chase ends this week.
She could believe all she wanted that he was some big, bad wolf, and she was Red Riding Hood, but this wasn’t some folktale. She was still running scared but he wasn’t about to let her run for much longer, and he certainly wasn’t about to let her get away.
* * * *
“Well, that was definitely interesting,” BJ remarked as she slid behind the wheel of her pickup truck and shut the door.
“Do not start with me, Bria Jaslene Parker-Downing. That man is insufferable and you know how he grates my nerves, yet you invite him around every chance you get.”
“Every chance I get?” BJ couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling out of her. “He’s my brother-in-law. What do you want me to do? Tell him he isn’t invited to his own brother’s home?”
Teresa’s response was to simply cross her arms over her chest and stare out of the window, revealing to BJ that was exactly what her best friend wanted her to do.
“Stop being ridiculous,” BJ said finally, as she cranked the engine then pulled out onto the paved road that would lead her to Westside—Teresa’s family ranch—just a few miles away.
Several seconds passed before BJ realised Teresa was determined to subject her to the silent treatment, even though she knew her friend wasn’t really mad at her. Truth be told, BJ knew she wasn’t mad at Jeff Downing, either. Teresa was mad at herself, because as much as she swore she wasn’t, she was attracted to the man, and had been for a long, long time.
When another silent minute ticked by, BJ told herself she should just leave it alone, but how much longer was she supposed to put up with Teresa’s constant refusal to date again, to love again, to be intimate with a man who actually cared about her happiness? Her friend could say whatever she wanted about Jeff’s playboy ways, but BJ knew for a fact those days were long gone. Jeff Downing wasn’t taking trips to Cottonmouth twice a month just to see his brother, he was there because almost from the moment he’d met Teresa, he’d staked his claim on her. He was there because he cared about her. Jeff was offering Teresa a second chance at love, and if she wasn’t careful, BJ was convinced her friend was going to let it pass her by.
“It’s been two years, honey,” BJ began, treading carefully upon a subject neither of them had broached in as many years. “How long are you going to shut yourself off from the rest of the world?”
“I haven’t shut myself off from the rest of the world,” she denied. “I am an active member of this community with many friends, including you, who I see all the time. Does that sound like a recluse to you?”
“You know what I mean.” BJ frowned. “You’re a beautiful, intelligent, vibrant woman who has had plenty of offers from men, and yet you refuse them all.”
“And you know the reason why, so I don’t see the point in hashing this out again—”
“No, I don’t know why,” BJ shot back at the stubborn defiance in Teresa’s voice. “That son-of-a-bitch ex-husband of yours is just that—a son-of-a-bitch. No matter what he told you, you have so much to offer a man and you deserve someone who will love and cherish you just as you are. I know that man is out there, Teresa.”
And his name is Jeff Downing.
Teresa continued to stare out of the window, mostly because she didn’t want her best friend to catch sight of the tears, which threatened to spill over her lids. Knowing BJ, she would immediately stop the car and make a big deal out of it, and befo
re they knew it, they would both be in tears.
The funny thing was, she wasn’t even sad, so she couldn’t say why it was she was close to tears. What she could say, however, was, having been best friends since the age of five, she and BJ were as tight as sisters, and that explained why her friend loved her so fiercely, why she wanted nothing but the best for her, why she still hoped Teresa would find love again.
But Teresa was never going to find love again.
The thought stiffened her spine, and she understood then why the tears hovering in her eyes remained there.
No wonder BJ constantly worried for her. It was a sad existence to never want to know love again, but that was exactly how she felt. Despite what BJ said, men would never want her if they knew the truth.
She just wasn’t strong enough to risk her heart again, not after what she’d endured with Derek. After her divorce, she’d accepted that she would spend the rest of her life alone, but she’d never mourned the loss of her dreams to have a family. She’d stubbornly refused to talk about it, let alone think about it.
Teresa had never had to confront the bleak future that promised to be her life…until Jeff Downing had started poking around, offering her something she knew she could never have, and had convinced herself long ago she didn’t even want.
“You know Jeff is going to chase you until he finally catches you. That’s just the Downing way, but if you ask me, I say it’s about time you finally got caught.”
BJ’s words finally snared Teresa’s hard gaze. “Well, no one asked you, BJ. Besides, Jeff Downing is not a man to tread the dating waters with. If anything, you should be warning me away from him.”
“And I would have, had this been a year ago, but I know the man beneath the façade, and he is a good one. Just as I know his feelings for you are genuine.”
Teresa snorted. The only thing genuine about Jeff Downing was his custom leather belt and that he genuinely wanted to fuck her six ways to September. But as for his feelings? She couldn’t help but snort again. If his feelings were somehow packaged in his nine inch cock, then yes, he had real feelings for her all right. But she knew the score—Jeff Downing only wanted one thing.
Teresa started to tell BJ just that, but before she could, they pulled to a stop in front of her home. What was the point in telling BJ anything anyway, she decided? BJ knew how Jeff was, and yet she still defended that man, and her next words proved she was determined to defend him to the very end.
“With me and Jackson gone for the week, I say you take advantage of the time you and Jeff will have alone together. Once you get to know him, I think you’ll see there is a lot more to him than you realise.”
Teresa didn’t argue but she didn’t concede either as she hugged BJ goodbye and piled out of the truck. When it came to Jeff Downing, Teresa had had pegged him from day one—the third eldest of the infamous Downing clan was nothing but trouble. And for one week she was going to have to figure out a way to stay out of his sight so that she could remain out of his mind, and more importantly, out of his bed, which was where she knew he would have her if she wasn’t careful.
Yes, Jeff Downing was nothing but trouble, and had been from day one.
* * * *
Jeff was silent as he followed Jackson into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. He still wasn’t pleased that Teresa had taken off with BJ, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that soon he would have Teresa all to himself.
Well, mostly, he corrected, as he glanced over at his younger brother, who was casually leaning against the doorjamb.
“I know that look,” Jackson remarked in the midst of preparing dinner.
“What look?”
“That look that tells me you two intend to seduce Teresa while we’re gone.”
There was no point in denying it, so Jeff didn’t as he hitched his lips into a small grin. “Well that is the plan, but when it comes to Teresa, one can never really plan, now can they?”
Jason shrugged. “That’s Jeff’s plan. I’m just tagging along for the ride.”
A wry chortle rumbled out of Jackson as he shook his head. “If there were ever two men to do it, I would bet on the two of you, but you’re going to have your work cut out for you.” Jackson sobered. “I just caution you…”
Jeff sat up straighter when his older brother’s gaze bullseyed on him.
“You especially, Jeff, ‘cause I know how you feel about her. I won’t betray her confidence or that of my wife, but after what her ex did to her, she’s still very skittish around men.”
“I know that,” Jeff said, a little sharper than was necessary, only because he’d been cautioned and warned more times than he could count. “I know her ex hurt her real bad. And BJ has threatened to kill me and then chase me all the way to hell just to do it again if I don’t tread carefully with Teresa, but she knows just as well as you that I would never hurt that woman.”
“I know that, but Teresa doesn’t.” Jackson held up his hands then as if surrendering. “And hey, don’t shoot the messenger, bro. I’m just trying to watch out for you too, only because I know Teresa won’t be so quick or easy to come around to your charms.” Jackson smirked. “As I’m sure you’ve already discovered.”
Jeff glowered at his brother, who still thought it was funny that Teresa had thwarted his advances for almost a year now. His pent-up desires didn’t find anything amusing about his current predicament.
“Well, you know me well enough to know that I never did like nothing easy anyway,” Jeff shot back, a cocky smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Just as you know when I play, I play for keeps. So no matter what you say, or what Teresa thinks, it still doesn’t change that she’s been mine for a while now, and its ‘bout time for her to finally acknowledge this.”
Jeff glimpsed the intensity of his brother’s probing gaze—and the reason for it—which was why he held his older brother’s unflinching stare until Jackson was forced to blink.
The look that passed between the two men was clear. Jeff was tired of being brushed aside by Teresa West. This week her tactics of evasion were about to come to an end.
“I must admit you seem awfully sure of yourself,” Jackson eventually said on a weathered sigh. “Which is why I am going to wish you luck.” His brother’s lips quirked into a small smile. “‘Cause, God help us, you’re going to need it with that one.”
“I know,” Jeff agreed as he leant back in his chair to fold his hands behind his head, his every gesture smug and confident. “That’s why I brought Jason along.”
The two youngest Downing brothers had long been known as the wickedest, wildest of them all, and it was a reputation well-earned.
Teresa didn’t stand a chance against the both of them.
Chapter Two
With the back of her hand, Teresa swiped away the sweat pearling along her forehead. Mucking out the horses’ stables was never an easy—or glamorous—task, but it had to be done, and despite the protests of Blake Richards, her foreman, Teresa was up for the job.
She’d hired Blake almost seven years ago—right after she’d taken over the ranch from her retiring parents—and over the course of their acquaintance, she and Blake had developed a steady friendship born out of a deep respect for one another. So that’s why it annoyed her at times when Blake got his boxers all twisted in a bunch because she sometimes took to doing the more difficult tasks that had to be done on the ranch.
Teresa West was no diva, but she accepted why Blake liked to think she was. From her soft curves, to her stylish designer clothes, Teresa was well aware of the blatant femininity she exuded, and despite her gentle brush-offs, her foreman had also taken notice. But what Blake, and many others, didn’t fully understand was that while she was definitely all woman, she was used to hard labour. She actually lived for it, because hands down, it beat poring over a dull ledger all day. That was why when guests dropped by expecting her to be holed up in her office, they often found her out and about, working alongside the me
n in her employ.
Today, however, she’d wanted to be alone, which was why she’d chosen the stalls, because it was a job no one ever wanted. The quiet reprieve of the stables, interrupted every so often by the sounds of the horses, allowed her to tackle her mounting problem—the only problem that had been a constant in her life for the past year.
Jeff Downing.
It had been two days since Jackson and BJ had left for their anniversary trip—two days of Teresa ducking and dodging the one man her body screamed at her to stop running and hiding from. But Teresa couldn’t, even though Jeff seemed more determined than ever before.
She stopped to wipe away the droplets of moisture trickling between her breasts, which had less to do with her exertion and the heat, and more to do with her own inner fear.
Without Jackson and BJ to serve as a buffer between them, Jeff had redoubled his efforts of pursuit. So far, she’d been able to avoid and evade him, but she knew his patience would only hold for so long.
Teresa was surprised he’d even lasted forty-eight hours as the image of his handsome face flickered before her. Stubborn eyes, the unyielding line of his jaw, his imperious brow—Jeff Downing was used to getting what he wanted, when he wanted, and he’d made it very clear that he wanted her.
And you don’t want him, too? Girl, please. Her inner voice mocked her, just as surely as it silently called her a fool for baldly denying the obvious, and actually having the gumption to believe it.
But that was just it, she didn’t believe the lies she told herself, not anymore. She wanted Jeff Downing, and had for some time. The problem now was she was starting to wonder what would be so bad about finally giving into her desires for the man.