She licked her glossy lips as she rose up to straddle his legs. “Hungry?” she asked in a soft and raspy voice.
At the sight of the soft chocolate swells of her breasts above the rim of the teddy, coupled with hard thrusting nipples and the plumpness of her clean-shaven mound pressing against the sheer material, Kaeden steamed up so much his glasses fogged over.
Jade laughed seductively as Kaeden snatched them from his face and flung them from him. She brought her hands up to massage her own breasts as she writhed her hips like a snake.
“Got milk?” Kaeden joked as he folded his hands behind his head and lay back to enjoy the show.
Jade fisted the end of the sleeping bag to tear it away from his nude, chiseled physique before she wrapped her hands around the full, curving length of his steely erection. “Do you?” she asked cockily, with a lick of her lips.
Kaeden clenched his buttocks and arched his back from the floor of the tent as she stroked the length of him with swift but fluid motions. “Mooooooo,” he said playfully, mimicking a cow as she milked him.
He reached for her. His hands stroked her breasts and teased her nipples before easing down to grasp her hips and massage her thighs. “You feel just like I knew you would,” he told her in a ragged voice. Her skin was as soft as satin. Her breasts were soft and fleshy. Her thighs were firm.
“Jade,” he said into the heat of the tent. His voice was filled with reverence and passion.
She stretched her body down along the length of his with his hard heat still within her tight, stroking grasp.
Kaeden shivered as she pressed her body against his. “Damn, your body feels good.”
She nodded with her face pressed against his.
“Um-hmmm, inside and out,” she whispered against his ear with a hot lick of his earlobe.
“Whoooo!” Kaeden hollered up to the rounded top of the tent like a wolf…
“Kaeden…you okay in there, son?”
Kaeden gasped as his eyes popped open, completely startled from his delicious dream. He lifted his head up. His dick was still hard as time and tenting the sleeping bag. His arm was curved away from his body as if he still held his dream girl.
It was all a dream. A damn good one, but a dream nonetheless.
“I’m up,” he hollered as he stretched the length of his six-foot-one frame and pushed downward on his hardness with both his hands.
Kaeden didn’t dare to leave his tent until his erection had eased. He knew they were hiking up to another campsite along the trail so he started to pack up, feeling really silly crawling around his tent with his dick sticking out between his legs like an arm. He sat back on his hindquarters with his hands on his thighs. “Today will go better. Think positive. Put out positive energy. Positive things will happen.”
Laughing a little as he remembered struggling to right his body before he fell off the bank into the river, Kaeden pulled his cell phone from the back pocket of his jeans. He wanted to call Felecia and check in, but he barely had a signal.
Kaeden pushed his BlackBerry back into his pocket before he left the tent with his backpack in tow. “Morning.”
Kade stretched his six-foot nine-inch frame with a smile. “Damn, little brother, clear your throat.”
Of all the brothers, Kaeden had the deepest voice of them all. His was the most like his father’s: deep, echoing, resonant. Kaeden chuckled. “Don’t hate.”
Kahron strode from between the trees dressed in nothing but jeans, hiking boots, and a black beater tee that showcased the tattoo on his biceps. “Good morning,” Kaeden told him as he removed the stakes before he quickly folded down his tent. He was a firm believer in reading instructions, so although he never in his life even touched a tent he was a complete whiz at handling this tent. Thank God.
“Anyone have a signal?” Kade asked, looking down at his cell phone. “I’m ready to talk to my wife.”
“Not me,” Kaeden told him.
The other three men reached for their devices.
“No need,” Jade told them as she stepped off the dirt-packed trail with a large plastic bag in her arm. “When we hike farther up the trail there’s a long break in the trees, and that’s the best area to get reception.”
Kaeden looked over at her and noticed the edges of her short hair were damp and slightly curling. Her smooth complexion was even fresher looking and completely free of makeup. He wondered briefly if she had walked back to the campground’s public showers a couple of miles back.
That made him think of her nude and sudsy. Getting hot.
And then that erotic vision made the blood coursing through his body want to race straight to the long and heavy length of his penis. Getting hard.
“Whoo!” Kaeden started jogging in place and air boxing to fight off the erection.
Everyone paused in what they were doing to eye him oddly, including Jade. “Just a little morning workout ritual of mine,” he lied.
His impending erection eased and Kaeden cast one last look at Jade as she began to help break down the camp. He had the distinct feeling that Jade thought he was a bumbling fool. That hadn’t been the goal of him coming camping.
In truth, he wanted Jade Prince—what he knew of her he liked—and although the woman made him feel like an awkward high school nerd trying to gather up the courage to talk to the pretty, popular cheerleader, he was going to use this trip to at least try to have his dream girl in his life.
He was taking a chance going for a woman like Jade, but life—the best life—was always about reaching for the stars.
Kaitlyn sighed in unadulterated pleasure as she wiggled back in the vibrating massage chair while a nail technician worked absolute magic during her deluxe pedicure. She firmly believed in a woman treating herself to the little pleasures in life. A mani-pedi. A luxurious splurge on shoes by her favorite designer. Weekend trips to sunny places with turquoise water. Chilling at her favorite bar for drinks with her best girlfriends.
“Now, ladies, isn’t this a better way to spend a Friday than moping around the ranch worrying about the men?” Kaitlyn asked.
At their silence, she leaned forward to eye her mother and her two sisters-in-law in their own pedicure chairs. “Right?” she prodded again.
“Right,” they answered, not at all sounding like they meant it.
Kaitlyn just leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. That’s why she was enjoying living life to the fullest and not even thinking about falling in love. There were too many men, too many dates, and too many fun times to be had to spend any time moping about missing a man!
Felecia sat cross-legged on her floor beside her chest. She sighed and tilted her head to the side as she updated her wedding portfolio. Since she’d closed the office early for the day, she spent her time watching Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? and gotten some new ideas for her own dream wedding.
Picking up her cell phone she tried to call Kaeden, but his cell was still out of range. She thought of Kaeden—her Kaeden—in some secluded forest with Jade Prince, and her hands curled into tight fists filled with tension. But she forced herself to relax. Kaeden and Jade were as compatible as oil and water.
Just two more nights and he’ll be back. Still, she wanted the trip over and Kaeden back in her grasp where she could snatch him up for good.
“Where are they camping, the dang on Bermuda Triangle?” she snapped before dropping the phone onto the carpeted floor.
She opened her folder and smiled at the advertisement of a bride and groom with her head and Kaeden’s taped on top of theirs.
She firmly believed that to achieve it she had to believe it!
Jade hitched the wide straps of her backpack higher on her rounded shoulders as she led the men single file along the trail. They had hiked and fished away the morning. It took longer than usual because the men wanted to stop and fish anywhere along the trail that struck their fancy. Everything about the hike exhilarated her. The fresh air, the scent of the earth beneath their feet mingl
ed with the sweetness of the wildflowers blossoming among the trees. It always amazed her how the woods could be serenely quiet even as they were filled with the backdrop of nature.
“Jade, don’t you think that little grove is the perfect spot for making love?” Kaleb asked near her ear.
Jade rolled her eyes. Now, why this Negro have to interrupt my peace?
“We’re going to camp right up ahead on the left,” Jade hollered back to the men, completely ignoring Kaleb, who was giving her a serious migraine.
“We can set up camp quicker if you and I share a tent,” he offered.
Jade whirled on him but had to force herself to count to ten to keep from shoving him into the lake. Forcing a smile, she pushed all of her frustration into making a fist that pressed the tips of her short nails into the flesh of her palms. She just hoped he laid off or she was going to lay her fist square against his jaw. Seriously.
“Okay, fellas, we’ll camp here for the next two nights, and for anyone interested, there are some really beautiful and interesting wildflowers just a little bit deeper into the woods going toward the north,” Jade told them as they began to set up camp.
A deer went flying past amongst the trees. Kahron shook his head as he pushed his shades atop his head. “I shoulda brought my shotgun and we’d be having deer meat for dinner,” he said dryly.
“Hashed down with onions and peppers with that brown gravy spread over white rice,” Kade added with a lick of his lips.
“The ten point I killed last season was the best-tasting deer meat I had in a while,” Jade added as she grabbed her water jug and unscrewed the top, tilting her head back to take a deep sip.
“You hunt?” the men all asked in unison.
Jade knew she was no ordinary woman, and she liked that about herself. “I’ve won shooting matches at the county fair,” she told them with just a bit of swagger in her tone. “Sorry, men, but I don’t do stereotypes.”
“With my wife’s temper, I don’t need her learning to shoot a gun,” Kade joked as he raked his fingers through his moist silver curls.
“Sure she doesn’t already know how?” Kael Strong drawled.
The men laughed in agreement as they continued setting up camp.
Jade quickly erected and staked her own bright pink pop-up tent a few feet back from the fire ring. She sprayed a fresh layer of bug repellent on her legs and arms since she was wearing khaki capris and an orange T-shirt. “Ready, fellas?” she asked, looking up just in time to see Kaeden take a small toke from his inhaler.
Jade frowned before she walked over to him. “Are you having a hard time breathing?” she asked him, lightly touching his back. “Is the hike too much? Do I need to keep a close eye on you?”
Kaeden jumped like she’d surprised him. He turned and looked down at her. “You need to keep a close eye on me?” he asked, his baritone tone sounding amused.
Jade crossed her arms over her ample chest and tilted her head to the side as she looked into his eyes through the glasses. “Yes,” she stressed.
Kaeden laughed a little before he bent his tall frame suddenly and swung her up into his arms easily.
“Hey,” Jade yelped in surprise as her hands shot out. She was afraid he would drop her.
“Don’t let these glasses fool you,” Kaeden told her low in his throat, the cool breath from his mouth breezing lightly against her chin.
Jade’s breath caught in her throat.
Her heart slammed against her chest.
A shiver raced from her head to the tip of pink-painted toes in the hiking boots she wore.
In that one instant her body acted like Kaeden Strong was Denzel Washington.
Whoa.
“The pump helps me breathe when my allergies act up,” he explained, his eyes still locked on hers.
Jade’s face was just inches from his. One of her hands rested lightly against his chest. Beneath her hand his heart was beating just as hard as hers.
“What you doing over there, little brother?” Kahron called over.
“She is hard as hell to resist,” Kaleb added.
Jade scrambled and jumped down from his arms. “You guys ready to fish?” she asked, sounding normal even though her heart was still racing.
“Let’s go catch some fish, because it looks like two of my boys want to catch you,” Kael teased as he closed his tackle box.
Jade arched an eyebrow as she turned away from Kaeden. “Only thing is, Papa Strong, I am not throwing out any bait,” she said, firmly hoping to get her point across.
Hours later Kaeden could hardly believe that he’d even gathered up the courage to swing Jade up in his arms. In that instant the idea flew into his head and he just reacted. No question. No thoughts.
And it felt good having every inch of her soft curves in his arms.
He wished he could explain what about Jade Prince drew him in until he was breathless. They were as different as night and day. She longed to be surrounded by the outdoors while Kaeden found being around nature troublesome. She was sexy as hell and knew it while still being comfortable enough to take on tasks better than most men. He had barely a drop of the swagger his brothers possessed.
Even though he knew he wasn’t her type—he knew they had nothing in common—the more he found out about her, the more he wanted her.
She was funny and bright. Adventurous and courageous. Friendly but quick to put anyone in their place.
Jade was an enigma.
Taking his bespectacled eyes off his rod and the line floating across the water, he leaned back a bit to look past Kaleb sitting beside him down the long stretch of bank for Jade, but he didn’t see her.
Bzzzz.
He used one hand to reach for his BlackBerry, looking down at the wide screen.
INCOMING CALL:
Felecia
(843) 555-0001
He answered. “Hey, Felecia.”
“Well, hello, stranger. How’s your trip?”
“It’s going great,” he lied, even forcing a smile as he dropped his reel to swat a mosquito that had just landed on the back of his hand and then used the back of his hand to wipe his running nose.
“Make sure you wear your insect repellent. Do you have your inhaler? Are you eating well? When are you getting back?”
Kaeden held the BlackBerry from his face and frowned as he looked down at it. “I’m good. I know it’s Friday, but did anything major come up at the office today?” he asked, clearly steering the conversation back to business and away from Felecia sounding way too much like his girlfriend or wife.
“I’m holding down things for you. We’re a team, remember?”
Kaeden frowned again. “That’s good to know,” he said vaguely, his focus on a large wasp flying around Kaleb’s silver-flecked head. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I’ll see you at the office Monday.”
Kaeden ended the call. “If that miniairplane bites me, you gone have to give me my epi shot,” he warned Kaleb.
“Man, stop worrying ’bout stuff like that and just enjoy the experience,” Kaleb told him as he rose from his camp chair and strained the muscles in his arms reeling in the line—and hopefully a fish.
Kaeden cast his brother a stare. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“I think I need the net, big brother,” Kaleb boasted as he leaned back and kept on reeling.
“You ain’t got nothing down there, son,” Kael called down the bank teasingly.
Kaeden grabbed the net and rose from his seat. “That’s a big one,” he admitted as Kaleb held the line with the squirming bass on the large hook.
“Tonight I want to catch the other fish floating around here,” Kaleb told him with a rowdy wink before he used pliers to take the hook from the fish.
“Kaleb, you really need to lay off Jade,” Kaeden told his brother in a serious tone.
Kaleb dropped the fish into the bucket. “What?”
“You just called the woman a damn fish,” Kaeden snapped. “Straight up you a
cting like an asshole, always pushing up on her when you know she’s not in the mood for you.”
Kaleb closed the lid on the bucket and looked up at his brother as he straightened up to his full height. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to act like a caveman and scoop her up in my arms.”
“You know what, I can eat that and say I was wrong, but one incident of inappropriateness is nothing compared to your horny ass around here being disrespectful,” Kaeden shot back, feeling his anger rising.
“Incident of inappropriateness?” Kaleb barked a laugh. “Man, save that nerdy conversation, man.”
Kaeden stiffened his back as his jaw clenched. “Mind this nerd don’t whup your ass, little brother,” he told Kaleb coldly.
“Hey, what’s y’all problem down there?” their father yelled from down the bank.
Kaeden and Kaleb squared off with their noses damn near touching.
“Why you all swoll up and writing a check you can’t cash, big brother?”
“Because she’s sick of your shit and so am I,” Kaeden told him in a hard voice, not backing down one bit.
“You protecting the coochie like you got a chance of getting it!” Kaleb said, waving his hand dismissively at Kaeden before he turned to bait his hook.
Kaeden snorted in derision as he too turned away to pick up his reel and rod. “Look like you don’t have a chance either, pimpin’. That’s my whole point.”
“Now, I’m sick of both of y’all shit, so both of you sit down before I get up,” Kade said from his spot sitting on a stump. He was the oldest, and growing up he frequently took on the father figure role.
Kaleb cast his line into the water. “Man, whatever.”
Kaeden sat down on his camp chair. “Whatever.”
Chapter 6
Jade was walking from the cleared area where the outhouse sat when she saw Kaeden sitting by the fire reading his book. She paused her steps as she looked down at him alone while his father and brothers were rowdily playing cards at the picnic table. She knew he was close to his family, but in that moment her heart went out to him because he looked alone.
Give Me Fever Page 5