by Lori Foster
“Hey,” she said when she finally got close.
The urge to draw her in for a kiss burned through his bloodstream. “Hey.” In the spirit of the hoedown, Briana wore her hair in twin ponytails with a polka-dot, shoulder-baring shirt, a denim skirt and cowboy boots.
Like something out of a fetish catalog or a men’s provocative calendar, she presented a very sexy picture.
“Your sister is sweet.”
He almost snorted, but managed to stop the sound in time. Sweet was not the description he’d have used for the temperamental teen he’d been living with. Sure, she used to be sweet. But lately, she challenged him on every level.
What he’d overheard would help him in dealing with her, so he appreciated Briana’s kindness. However, her involvement led to new concerns. “Those boys talking with her—”
“Two are guys I know, and I already made it clear, subtly of course, that she’s sixteen—and that her big, badass brother was lurking around the barn.” Leaning in, she whispered, “I mean you, not Owen, though he’s close to being the same.”
Ignoring all that, Jax asked, “And the other boys?”
“Her own age. They’re delighted that Scott has apparently screwed up.”
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Great, now instead of just Scott sniffing around, he had other boys to contend with. “I keep telling her she’s too young—”
“Maybe you shouldn’t do that.”
The interruption irked. “I’m not a kid who needs that kind of advice, okay?”
Briana went still. After an uncomfortable beat of silence, she smiled and said, “All right.”
Then she turned to go.
Damn it.
Feeling like an ungrateful bastard, Jax said, “Wait.” Catching her arm, he gently brought her back around. They stared at each other while he searched for a good explanation.
Her smile tightened, her gaze narrowed, and she tried to pull away.
“I’m sorry,” Jax said quickly.
Staring up at him, her smile turned sad. “You’re forgiven.” With a pat on his chest, she again tried to leave.
“Will you stop that?” Jax held on to her arm.
She looked first at his restraining hand, then slowly up to his face. “Stop what?”
“Trying to sidle away.” He drew her closer—and she let him. “I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to sound—”
“Like a big brother who has too much to deal with?” Her smile eased into genuine affection. “Don’t sweat it, Jax. I promise, I understand.”
And again she pulled away to leave.
“Damn it.” With her in a better mood, he didn’t risk the evil eye by taking her arm again, but instead moved in front of her, blocking her way. “Couldn’t we talk just a second?” With a minute to think, surely he’d come up with the right thing to say.
Heaving a long sigh, she said, “The thing is, I can’t seem to curb the desire to give you advice. It’s better if I just mosey on so I’m not tempted.”
“Your advice to Ella was good.”
She smirked. “You only think that because I told her to shake off Scott.”
“And you told her to be nice. And to trust me—that was the most important part. She needs to know that I’m trying my best for her, not to be a jerk but to...”
“Protect her, love her, guide her.”
Her big blue eyes reflected complete confidence in him. After all the pressure, all the fear of failure, it felt like a comforting hug. Not kissing her got more difficult by the second. “All of your advice was good.”
“Ah, so my outside perspective is good with your sis, but not good enough to make any suggestions to you?” Before he could answer—though he wasn’t sure what he’d say—she continued. “By the way, your brother will be helping to clear my land. He walked up just as I was telling the guys that I’m hiring, and he offered before they could.”
Score one for Owen. Jax much preferred his brother be on the isolated property with Briana. The other two men had been tracking her all night with hot gazes, so he didn’t doubt they’d take advantage of the time alone to put moves on her.
Then again, maybe Briana wouldn’t mind.
Did she know how they watched her? If so, she hid it well, pretending to be oblivious.
A new worry hit him—as if he didn’t have enough. What if Briana had hired Owen because she thought they needed the money?
Jax scowled. “I don’t want you to feel obligated—”
“No one obligates me, ever. I do what I want, when I want.” Her brows twitched and she clarified with a grin. “Within reason of course.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I want to kiss you. More than kiss you, actually. But that wouldn’t be within reason, now, would it?”
Hands fisting, Jax looked around. No one paid them any attention. Owen laughed with a girl who, thankfully, he recognized and knew wasn’t too old, and Ella now talked to two girls.
Just that easily, Jax gave up. He could fight himself, but he couldn’t fight them both. Holding out a hand, he whispered, “Come here.”
Briana’s lips parted, she drew in a deep breath...and slipped her hand into his.
Her fingers were slender, warm and soft, such a contrast to his large, work-roughened hands. Everything about her was opposite to him.
She came from a huge, loving family who, from one generation to the next, stayed involved in the welfare of the entire community.
His own family, while close, had focused on day-to-day survival, his father a mechanic, his mother a seamstress working from home.
Briana was open and carefree, whereas he liked to keep his own counsel. Or at least he used to, yet now he found himself confiding in her again.
He was long limbed, broad shouldered and big boned, his naturally muscular physique further hardened from physical labor. She was willowy, soft from her hair to her small manicured feet, and the woman couldn’t even jog up the block without looking like she might expire. Though she’d tried to play out that ruse, he’d been aware of every step she’d taken—and knew she was doing it for him.
The differences between them called to his basic masculinity. Before Briana, shelving his social life to tend more pressing matters had been easy.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about her, morning and night.
While leading her to the side of the barn, out of range of the decorative lights, he listened to her hurried, rustling steps, felt her fingers gripping his more tightly.
Tension invaded his muscles, coiling tight in anticipation of tasting her again.
Breathlessly, Briana asked, “Could we slow down? I’m not a runner.”
He already knew that—but did she realize what she’d just admitted? Smiling, Jax guided her to a darkened strip of the yard, sheltered by large trees, then pulled her around in front of him. Cupping her face in his hands, he admitted, “I’ve wanted your mouth nonstop since the last time I had it.”
Her fingers opened on his chest. “For future reference, you can have it anytime you want. You just need to let me know.”
Groaning, all manner of “having her mouth” forming vivid images in his brain, Jax drew her closer. “Good to know.”
She went on tiptoes, her breath touching his mouth before her lips brushed carefully. “I’ve thought about that kiss a lot, too, because it was so amazing.” He felt her smile. “I’ve never wanted anyone this much. I don’t mean to scare you or anything, but—”
That confession obliterated the last of his control, and he took her mouth with unleashed hunger. Her lips were already parted, and he explored with his tongue.
Giving a soft groan, Briana snuggled closer, sliding her body against his, making him hard without much effort.
If kissing her was this mind-blowing, what would it be like to have her com
pletely?
He didn’t know how long they’d been kissing when he heard a laugh behind them. Freeing his mouth, he moved her deeper into the shadows, behind the trunk of an oak tree.
“Jax...?”
“Shh,” he whispered. “Someone is nearby.”
She dropped her forehead against his chest, the only sound that of footsteps.
“Come on, Ella,” a coaxing voice said. “You know I’m not into Brooke.”
Ella’s laugh was light and quick. “You looked into her while you were dancing.”
“Just killing time until you returned.”
Both Briana and Jax went alert, listening.
“Now Scott, that’s not very nice, is it? Does Brooke know you were only killing time?”
“She should.” Scott’s voice went lower. “Everyone knows I’ve fallen for you.”
After a lengthy silence, Ella asked, “Will you kiss me?”
Jax went rigid, but Briana placed one finger against his mouth, reminding him to be quiet.
The quiet lasted for far too long, especially being punctuated with Scott’s groans.
Then he heard Ella sigh. “I was curious, you know? You are a nice kisser, but nothing special.”
Jax brows shot up. Pow, you little dick, he thought. Take that.
Confused, Scott said, “What?”
“I won’t be seeing you again. But before I told you that, I was curious.” A shrug sounded in her tone.
“What do you mean, you won’t be seeing me?”
“I’ve decided I’m not interested after all. Not in you anyway.”
Sounding aggressive and irate, Scott asked, “Then who?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“The hell it doesn’t!”
She laughed. “I’m going back in now. I’ll visit with friends—”
“You mean guys!”
“—for another hour or so, then I’m riding home with Owen.”
Silence.
As she walked away, Ella said, “Feel free to take Brooke home if you want, okay?”
“Maybe I will. She’s not stuck up like you.”
Voice fading as she left, Ella said, “Have fun, Scott.”
When Briana hugged him, Jax could feel her silently laughing. Yeah, in one short conversation, she’d inspired his sis to be that calm, confident girl he’d just heard, and damn, he was proud. Of them both.
There was a slight thump that sounded like Scott kicking something. He grumbled, cursed, then Scott’s phone gave a soft glow as he dialed a number. “Yeah, it’s me. No, she just dumped me. Says she’s riding home with that asshole brother of hers. Do you believe that shit?”
Jax felt Briana squeezing him again, maybe thinking he might reveal himself.
“Right,” Scott said. “Fuck her.” He listened a second, then said, “I can be there in ten. Okay, thanks.”
Before Scott could move though, Owen showed up, and he wore an evil grin that put Jax on edge. His hotheaded brother could so easily get into trouble.
Owen sounded calm enough though when he said, “Hey, Scott.”
Cautious now, Scott muttered, “What’s up?”
“Not much, man. Just that I want you to stay away from my sister.”
“Hey, you can’t—”
“Wanna bet?”
Thanks to the remaining glow on Scott’s phone, Briana and Jax could see both guys clearly.
“This is bullshit,” Scott complained.
“Leave her alone,” Owen said, “or I’ll tell her and everyone else that I saw you shoplifting.”
“You didn’t—”
“Did, and I took the cell phone pics to prove it. I can also share some of the stuff I’ve overheard you saying. And by the way, I already talked with Brooke. She won’t be going home with you either.”
“I wasn’t going to ask her!”
Owen stepped closer.
It worried Jax. His brother was nearly as tall as him, leanly muscled, with the same physicality.
“I’m two years older than you,” Owen explained, “otherwise you’d be on your ass right now. This is the only warning you’ll get. Leave Ella alone. Don’t say her name. Don’t bad-mouth her. Don’t bother her. Got it?”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“And if I ever see you stealing again, I’ll let Sheriff Turley know. I might even tell Mayor Hudson.”
Scott sucked in a breath.
Jax understood that reaction. Briana’s uncle Morgan, the mayor, was a force to be reckoned with.
“Hell, I’ll tell the whole town.” Owen gave him a firm, unfriendly “pat” on the shoulder and turned to go.
“I didn’t like her that much anyway!”
Laughing, Owen said without looking back, “Just shows you’re stupid as well as a punk.”
Seconds later Scott stormed off. In the distance, Jax heard a car door slam, then the sound of tires moving fast on gravel.
He worked his jaw. This whole parenting thing was more difficult than he’d ever realized.
Especially when he’d rather concentrate on the woman currently snickering in his arms.
CHAPTER FOUR
“BREATHE,” BRIANA INSTRUCTED around her amusement. “And loosen up.” She rubbed his shoulder where the muscles had knotted. He was so hard—all over. Her awareness of him kept her breathless, but at the moment she could concentrate on other things. Just barely.
Jax tugged at one of her ponytails. “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to make any big decisions for them.”
“You don’t have to do that either.” So far, she thought Jax’s biggest problem with his younger siblings was trying to run their lives. He wasn’t responsible for their happiness, and he couldn’t rid them of sadness. “All you can do, all you should do, is be there for them, set boundaries within reason, guide them when you can and—if my advice won’t send you packing again—talk to them.”
“About what?” His hand moved to her neck, his palm hot, his calloused thumb stroking her jaw. “All that stuff we just heard?”
Did he expect her to talk coherently while he touched her like that? She covered his hand with her own, stilling his teasing movements. “Yes,” she said, pausing to gather her thoughts. “Talk to them both—separately—about what you heard. I’d say to praise them both, but I’m sure that was already your plan.”
“My plan,” he whispered, bending to kiss the corner of her mouth, her cheekbone, then her brow, “is to keep it together. To be vigilant. To help them heal.”
Wow, her toes curled with those small, warm kisses. She swallowed back a moan of need and concentrated on the issue at hand—Jax and his siblings. “You can help them to heal with honest dialogue. I’d tell them you heard, yes—that’s only fair—but I meant that you should talk to them about everything. You three should be sharing problems and coming up with solutions together.”
“Ella is only sixteen. Owen is only nineteen.”
“I know, just as I know they love you. They love each other. You’re all hurting, just in different ways. Your struggles are unique. What easier way to lighten the load than to share it?”
Jax drew her against him, folding his long arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. “You know what? That actually makes sense.”
Relieved, Briana rubbed her cheek against his chest. God, he smelled good. The feel of his hard body beneath the soft cotton of his shirt kept her aroused. When he’d kissed her...yes, if there’d been any chance of privacy, she’d have done her best to seduce him.
Not that her seduction tactics were all that practiced, but Jax did seem susceptible to her efforts.
“Feeling needed,” she explained, “will give them each a new purpose. They want to be proactive in the new dynamics of your family. The grief won’t go away, of course, but if
they’re taking part in working it out, it’ll be easier for them.” And for you.
The thought of Jax struggling alone left her aching. In so many ways she wanted to help, yet he’d kept her at a distance. Knowing he had so much on his plate, she couldn’t bring herself to push. She could only enjoy these stolen moments—and strive for patience.
“I should go,” Jax said. “I’m getting paid to keep it tidy around here, and that includes constantly circulating to empty trash cans.”
“I understand. Thank you for sneaking off with me.”
He gave a low, gruff laugh. “I’ve never known anyone like you, Briana Kasper.” He gave her another quick kiss, keeping it light, then took her hand. “I’ll walk you back.”
She wanted to ask when she’d see him again, but already knew the answer. She wouldn’t. Not until his route brought him by her parents’ house.
Okay, she’d continue to do what she could. And in the meantime, no other man interested her.
After Jax, no other man could.
* * *
TWO DAYS LATER, Jax knew Briana had been right after he had an afternoon chat with Owen. His brother, a very mature young man, quickly made it clear that he wanted to dig in and help improve their circumstances.
Owen was hurting, Jax could tell, so maybe staying busier would be a good thing.
“You already have one job,” Jax said, worried that Owen would try to do too much. He’d given up trade school for hands-on experience working at a landscaping company. Jax had talked to the owner, who had nothing but good things to say about Owen.
It seemed his brother had found his niche. He loved the work, was good at it and made decent pay. But as the new guy, the work wasn’t yet full-time.
Scoffing at Jax’s concern, Owen said, “Usually it’s only twenty-five hours a week. I have plenty of time to take on other odd jobs—including the landscaping work for Briana. Running a bush hog is a piece of cake. Did you know she has a whole acre? Once I’ve got it cleared, she wants some dead trees removed near the house so she won’t have bugs dropping on her.” Owen grinned, looking very much like a rascal. “While we were walking around the property, a cicada flew by. You should have seen her.”