by Loni Ree
As I implore her, she bites her lip and looks around for a second. Then she takes a deep breath and agrees, “Okay, dinner and that’s all. I’ll cook for you. First, let me go get the key to your condo. You stay here. Anyone who sees you will mistake you for your brother, then my uncle will kill me. He called and put me in charge of keeping you out of trouble.” As she winks and walks away, the relief for my small victory pours through me. I won’t be happy until I’ve won the entire war, but at least I still have a shot.
Chapter 21
Jackson
After Candace gets the keys to her uncle’s condo, we head across the hall, and she shows me around then leaves me to get settled. She’s only been gone for a few seconds before I miss her like crazy. Soon, I’m counting the minutes until it’s time for my date with her. My brother and his drama are getting on my last nerve. I should have known that trying to get away with a twin switch at this age was a horrible idea. The only good to come out of it is meeting Candace. After an afternoon of phone calls and aggravation, I’m looking forward to spending time with my lovely lady.
Grabbing the flowers and wine, I head next door to find her door slightly ajar. As I raise my hand to knock, I hear furious voices coming from the living room, so I rush into the room to find Candace with a young, good-looking guy in a heated conversation. Jealousy hits me in the stomach, causing me growl, “Who the fuck are you?” I toss the flowers and wine on the breakfast bar and rush over to them.
The asshole turns and glares at me. “Well, who the fuck are you, walking in without knocking?”
The stranger’s eyes narrow, and his fists clench while he waits for me to answer. Before I can respond, Candace grabs his arm, eliciting a growl from me, and yells, “Jason, you shouldn’t have come by today. I told you that on the phone.”
The sight of her touching another man nearly turns me into an animal. Luckily, she releases his arm as he argues. “You left me a thousand fucking messages.” Why the fuck has she been calling him?
“Look, asshole, if Candace doesn’t want to see you then stay the fuck away or I’ll be forced to make you.” His eyes widen as I threaten him, then he suddenly laughs loudly.
“Oh my God, I just realized you’re Damien Rand. How the fuck do you know Candy?” As he turns and smiles at my girl, the urge to beat his face in is almost too much to resist until Candace unleashes her fury on him.
“You asshole. Even though you grew bigger than me, I’m still three minutes older than you, and don’t call me Candy. My name is Candace. If you’d stayed at the party last night instead of disappearing, you’d know that Uncle Harris had to get him out of jail.” As she yells at the jerk, I suddenly see the resemblance. The knowledge that he must be her twin brother eases the anger raging through me. His mouth falls open when she mentions my unfortunate circumstances. Then he smirks as she continues. “He’s actually Jackson Rand, Damien’s twin brother, and he likes to drive fast. Rodney Jones was working last night and took great joy in reeling in a celebrity.”
He looks back and forth between us, then laughs and pats my back. “You’ve made Rodney’s year. The guys at the Old Timer’s Tavern are going to get a very exaggerated version of the story. I’m dying to hear what Deputy Jones comes up with this time.” He holds out his hand to me. “Since my sister isn’t going to make the introductions, I’m Jason Kane. I’m the middle triplet and by far the best looking.”
After taking his hand, I smile. “Jackson Rand.” I think about his words, and it sinks in that my girl is actually one of triplets.
He looks over at his sister and shrugs. “I guess I’ll see you at work on Monday. I’ll explain about Friday night then.” Candace smiles and waves as he walks out the door.
Without thinking, I walk over and wrap my arms around her curvy body. As my lips cover hers, Candace’s curves melt into my body. Feeling every soft inch of her delicious body next to mine causes all the blood in my body to surge straight to my dick, and my brain completely shuts down. When she groans against my mouth, I pull back slightly and place my forehead against hers. “I missed the hell out of you.”
Her soft gasp causes my body to tighten even further, and I fight the urge to forget the promise to take things slowly. She runs her nose along my cheek and whispers, “I missed you, too, but it’s scaring me how fast we’re moving.”
“I’m willing to take things at your speed,” I assure her.
She relaxes some then takes my hand and leads me to the kitchen before asking, “I’m just about to finish up our dinner. Would you like a glass of wine?” I spin her around and pull her close again. For some reason, I can’t bear to let her get too far from me.
After kissing the tip of her nose, I point at the stove. “You worry about dinner and I’ll get our wine poured.” I manage to let her slip away, but it’s difficult.
She spends the meal telling me about her childhood growing up with two brothers. She tears up as she tells me about her parents dying in an automobile accident when they were sixteen. When she explains how Harris Kane stepped in to finish raising them, my admiration for the man skyrockets. While we are getting to know each other, I explain how my parents died in a plane crash five years ago. Even though Damien and I were grown, their deaths still devastated both of us.
It’s obvious that she’s very close with her family. She works at the same law firm as her uncle and brothers. Legal problems shouldn’t be a problem with this family. As we’re finishing up our meal, she looks over and shrugs. “Are you going to tell me how you ended up in Naverton, and why everyone who knows you’re here thinks you’re Damien Rand?”
It takes a while, but I explain to her my brother’s predicament and how I got sucked into the whole thing.
Chapter 22
Candace
Love at first sight does exist. Ever since Jackson turned around and growled in his deep voice, my heart has been racing while my panties have stayed soaked. I can’t get the sight of his huge dick out of my mind. As a virgin, I don’t know what to do with all these unfamiliar desires and feelings. But if he’s going to teach me, I keep telling myself I’m willing to learn. The chickenshit part of me wants to run, while the brave part of me wants to attack Jackson Rand.
After getting rid of my brother and having dinner, Jackson tells me the whole story behind him driving one hundred and twenty-five miles per hour through Naverton. “I can’t believe your brother is retiring. The fans are going to rebel.” I’m shocked after listening to the story. Damien Rand is freaking retiring, and soon. He begged Jackson, an author, to help him out. A classic twin-switch.
After his tour is finished, Damien plans to run a ranch, of all things, in Wyoming, and is there now closing the deal. To throw the media off until the entire deal is settled, he’s using Jackson’s identity while Jackson is supposed to use Damien’s. The only problem is Jackson has a lead foot. And now Deputy Jones thinks he’s arrested one of the hottest rock stars in the country, and he’s about to blow their cover. “How do you keep your pen name a secret?” A male romance author. Makes me want to read one of his books. I’m curious. I’ve never heard that Damien Rand’s brother is an author.
“I write under a female pen name—Celeste Delese. No one even suspects I’m a man.” He laughs, and I remind myself to get a hold of one of his books soon to check it out. You never know; I might need to make a quick run to The Book Rack later after he leaves.
Now, it’s Jason’s job to ensure that the entire country doesn’t hear about “Damien” getting arrested in Naverton. Even though my brother is a young attorney, he’s one of the best, but this is going to test even his abilities. Deputy Jones is dying to make more of this arrest than just speeding. He’s an attention hound, and Jackson fell right into Rodney Jones’s trap with his lead foot.
After spending the rest of the weekend with Jackson, the thought of going to work and leaving him alone at the condo on Monday isn’t appealing. Monday is actually pretty boring in the office. I barely see Jordan as he
deals with his problem clients, and Jason had a little accident at the Christmas party over the weekend and takes the day off to go to the doctor. He looked fine on Saturday, so I don’t think it’s anything serious.
Monday night, I find Jackson waiting in my condo with pizza. We have plans to watch my favorite dance competition show when it comes on later. He’s wearing a SMYM t-shirt, and I bend over laughing when I see him. “I can’t believe you figured out how much I love Show Me Your Moves.” As we sit on the sofa to eat our pizza, he throws his head back laughing at me.
“You have six t-shirts with their logo in your top drawer, and there’s a reminder on the calendar with SMYM magnets. It’s pretty obvious.” He leans over to grab another slice of pizza, and my eyes go wide.
I have to know. “When did you see the t-shirts in my top drawer?”
“I was putting away laundry this afternoon and came across your stash of SMYM shirts. My brother was a judge one season, you know.” He points his pizza at me, and I jump up and down on the sofa.
“That’s right. He judged the same season he dated Melinda Dayton.” Jackson rolls his eyes as he reaches for a napkin, then I ask, “Why did you do my laundry?”
“Pretend dated, and I needed something to do. I can only talk to the bird so much, and I don’t have another deadline for several weeks since I’m all caught up on writing,” he explains before the show starts.
While we’re watching Show Me Your Moves, I reach over Jackson for my glass of soda and accidentally drop it in his lap. He jumps to his feet when the cold liquid hit his pants, and I try to wipe the spill with my napkin. As I’m rubbing the wet spot, he groans and grabs my hand. “You’re causing way more problems rubbing me there than the cold soda did.”
I follow his eyes and realize there’s a bulge growing out of the front of his slacks under my hand. “Oops.” I bite my lip as I pull my hand back.
“Let me run and change, then we’ll finish your show. One day soon, I hope you’ll be ready to help me take care of my problems, and I’ll wait until you are.” He kisses my nose before heading over to his place to change. When he returns, I whisper my thanks for his understanding, and he smiles as he holds my face between his hands and places little kisses along my cheeks. I’m not sure he knows how inexperienced I truly am, but I’m so happy he’s willing to be patient and wait for me.
Chapter 23
Candace
On Tuesday, things go downhill at work. Jason ruins my day completely when he manages to nerf dealing with Lola off on me. Uncle Harris smirks as Jason explains his reasons for the change. “I need to dedicate all my time and energy to giving Jackson Rand the best possible representation.”
The jerk knows how I feel about Jackson. He has me trapped, so I smile and begin planning my revenge. First, I need to investigate Lola and deal with that situation.
After work, I’m exhausted after a long day of run-arounds. Lola was way worse than we realized. I’ve spent the entire day cutting off her access to accounts and beginning the process of fixing her messes. This is going to keep me busy for quite a while. As l walk into my condo, I hear, “Asshole, asshole, asshole,” yelled across the room in Dirk’s piercing shriek.
Jackson is in the kitchen, standing at the stove with headphones covering his ears. His back is to me, so I stand there and stare at him for a second. His dark green sweater is the perfect complement to the tight blue jeans that hug his perfect ass. After I drool for a few seconds, I decide it’s time to let him know I’m home. He jumps when I tap his back.
“Fuck, you scared the hell out of me.” He kisses my cheek then laughs as he holds up one side of the headphones. “I couldn’t take the asshole screeching anymore. Every time I leave the room, he shrieks it nonstop.”
“Congratulations. Dirk is in love with you. He can’t bear to have you out of his sight.” He rolls his eyes at my news.
“Maybe Dirk needs a girlfriend to fall for so he can call her Asshole.” Jackson wiggles his eyebrows as he grabs plates out of the cabinet, but I’m already shaking my head no.
“Macaws live eighty-five years. One bird is enough.”
His mouth falls open, and he swallows then mouths, “Holy shit. We’re going to need to leave instructions for the bird in our wills?” I just smile and shrug in agreement, but I’m dancing on the inside at his words. He just insinuated that we’ll be together until our deaths. My plan to take things slowly is going up in smoke, and I don’t care.
That night, Dirk watches lovingly from his cage as we sit on the sofa and watch television. “How did you impress my bird?” I tease.
Jackson smirks. “Just my charm alone. By the way, how in the hell did he learn to say, ‘Morning, asshole?’”
“It’s a long story. Basically, bad judgment on my part. I asked Jason to bird-sit while I went to Mexico on vacation.” He looks between me and Dirk as I explain, “I came home to my baby calling every man that he likes Asshole and him saying ‘Morning, Asshole,’ every morning.” I see Jackson trying to hold back his laughter as I continue my story, and I narrow my eyes in warning. Hopefully, Jackson will learn not to mess with me after I tell him about the revenge I took on my brother. “I acted like it was no big deal for a week. Then I invited Jason for a massage the next week. While Jason was nice and relaxed from his massage, they gave him a little extra treatment. A full body waxing. Just remember, don’t mess with me.” Jackson winces as I run my finger down his chest while finishing my story, and I hope I’ve gotten my point across.
The next night, Jackson keeps running his fingers over the skin of my neck and shoulder and I barely resist the urge to moan. When he leans over and runs his nose around my ear and whispers, “Being this close and not kissing you is killing me, but the bird is giving me the evil eye every time I get close.”
“Forget Dirk and kiss me,” I breathe out, and he covers my lips with his. We both ignore the unhappy shriek as our tongues meet. He pulls me over to straddle his lap as he thrusts his tongue into my mouth repeatedly. He blows my mind when he uses his tight hold on my hips to rub my aching center on the huge bulge in his lap. It only takes a few passes before I’m tearing my lips away to cry out my release. I’ve never given myself an orgasm that felt like that before. Wow. I’m not sure if the wet spots on both of our pants are from me or him.
“I need to head back to my condo before things go too far. I know you’re not ready to take things any further yet.” He kisses the top of my head as I try to get the feeling back in my body.
I lean up and smile then kiss his chin. “Thanks for understanding.”
“You don’t need to thank me. We’re going to get there. I’m a patient man, and I’ll wait for you to be ready.” He kisses the tip of my nose, and I walk him to the door. I’m in the same shape as my bird, missing my guy after he leaves.
When my brother walks into my office with a smirk on his face, I know it’s going to be bad news. He stands at the door and smirks. “Hey, I need you to do me a favor.”
“The last favor involved me taking over the Lola situation. I’m fresh out.” I try my best to get out of it.
“It might be a difficult case with your boyfriend. I mean…” The bastard. I really wish I’d done more than trick him into a full body wax when he taught Dirk to that horrible phrase.
“Oh, for the love of God, what do you need?” He’s going to force me to do something truly horrible, I just know it.
“Nothing hard. I’ll drop Snowball off on my way home. I have a date tonight, and the little guy can’t stay alone yet. He has separation anxiety.” No freaking way. Babysit his needy puppy? Like I have nothing better to do.
Before I can stop myself, I pick up my crystal C paperweight and toss it straight at his back while yelling, “I can’t believe I’m babysitting your love dog. You dumbass. Next time, get a fish to impress your girl.”
My brother shocks me when he admits, “She’s the one. There won’t be a next time,” but I’m ready to kill him when he continues. “
By the way, I’m sure Snowball will get along with Dirk, but tell your foul-mouthed bird not to teach my puppy any bad habits.”
“You asshole. He’s foul-mouthed because you taught him the words. I’m going to return the favor. You just watch!” He shakes his head at my promise and calls out over his shoulder that he’ll see me later as he walks out the door. Damn it.
Well, Dirk is no longer in love with Jackson. Last night, he fell head over heels in love with a little German Shepherd puppy. Snowball has been laying up against Dirk’s cage while Dirk chirps and entertains him. Ever since Jason dropped off the small puppy yesterday, the bird and puppy have been inseparable. Dirk shrieked and fussed the entire time Jackson took Snowball out for a walk. I have no idea how my poor bird is going to survive when Jason picks up Snowball later today. My brother is really pushing his luck right now. He is going to owe me for Dirk’s bird therapy.
Jason brings his new girlfriend over, and she’s lovely. She’s a veterinarian and offers to help me find bird trainers for my lovesick bird, like anything will help at this point. I’d be way more impressed in Jason’s choice if I weren’t trying to console my poor bird as the love of his life is being taken away. Both Jackson and I try everything we can think of, but Dirk is in mourning over his loss.
Monday, Jason brings me a stuffed German Shepherd toy to give to Dirk. I roll my eyes at the gift, thinking my brother has lost his mind, but take it home anyway. Dirk’s eyes light up, and he grabs the cage bars when he sees the stuffed animal in my hands. Jackson laughs and whispers in my ear, “You don’t really think he’s going to fall for that, do you?”
I shrug my shoulder and walk over to the cage with my decoy, setting it up against the bars where Snowball sat all Saturday. My crazy bird begins his happy shrieking a few minutes later, and I shake my head. My dumbass brother got really lucky. I guess I’ll have to cancel the massage appointment. At least things are getting back to normal.