by Hayden Wolfe
“Yeah.” Jack ran a hand over his head. “I’ll catch you later.”
Smiling, she nodded. Jack walked past the door leading into the living room and followed the deck to the front of the house. The moment he was out sight, she sighed and collected the things she’d left out here last night. All but her ripped underwear. The torn lace was nowhere in sight. She glanced over the railing of the deck. With her luck, the next tenant of this cabin would find them in the woods.
Blaine grinned. At least whoever discovered the tattered remains of her undies would be able to guess at the ending it hinted at. Too bad she couldn’t come up with the finale of her symphony as easily.
Chapter 11
“So…you and Jack, huh?”
Blaine choked on her water. She hadn’t expected Iona’s direct question the moment Blaine sat down. Later, maybe. But not so soon.
She set her glass on the coaster advertising a tire company and glanced at her best friend. Iona reclined in the corner of the large sectional in the house she shared with Wyn. She appeared out of place among the décor that belonged in the waiting room of a garage, but hints of Iona’s personality were already blending in to the predominately male-themed home.
A decorative umbrella stand occupied a corner of the foyer, along with one of her father’s paintings and a vase given to her by the Russian president. This room, however, belonged to Wyn. She’d said as much when she’d apologized for the fishnet-stocking lamp on the end table.
“Did Levi tell his entire family how he dropped Jack off at the cabin last night?”
Iona leaned forward. “Jack spent the night?”
Caught. Blaine clenched her jaw. “Clarify, Iona. Me and Jack…what?”
“The wedding. Sparks were flying between the two of you.” Iona rolled her hand. “Now, spill. Did you spend the night with Jack?”
“He’s quite persuasive.” One look and she’d turned into a sex-starved woman.
Iona grinned. “I hear he’s hung like a horse too.”
Blaine stared at her friend. She snapped her mouth closed. “How did you hear that?”
“Wyn mentioned it.” Iona raised a hand. “Believe me. It was not something I wanted to know, but it came up in conversation.”
Blaine wasn’t sure she wanted to know what kind of conversation involved discussions of siblings’ penis sizes. She shook her head. “Not commenting.”
Iona’s grin turned wicked. She shrugged. “Smart choice, because I’m not sharing any details about Wyn either.”
Blaine snorted. She turned, drawing her legs up and matching Iona’s pose on the opposite side of the couch. “You don’t have to. The man’s gigantic. I’d imagine everything about him is quite…um…proportional.”
Iona took a sip of her wine. Her smile never wavered. She set the glass on a matching tire-shaped coaster. “Should I expect to be seeing you around Sander’s Valley often?”
“Because I slept with Jack?” Blaine fought not to laugh. “Please. I have never planned my life around a man, and I have no intention of doing so now. No matter how amazing the sex.”
“So he is hung like a horse?” Iona raised her brows.
Yes. But Blaine wasn’t going to confirm Iona’s guess. Time to change the subject.
“Guess what Eliot gave me?” Smiling, Blaine sat up straighter, basically bouncing in her seat. The high of holding the Zima violin hadn’t eased overnight. It could’ve been Christmas and Easter all rolled into one. She’d gotten the best present in the world.
“Obviously not sex if you spent the night with Jack.”
“Mind out of the gutter, Iona.” Blaine tucked her legs under her and spread her hands over her thighs. “Guess.”
Iona took another sip of her wine and studied Blaine intently. Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure. You look happier than I’ve seen you in years. I’d assumed Jack had something to do with it. The way you were laughing and smiling with him at the wedding looked real. Completely out of character for you.”
Blaine glanced at her hands for a moment and fought her frustration. Why was everything coming back to Jack Sander? Just because the man had a way of getting past her small-talk boundaries did not mean he was the reason for her happiness. She lifted her gaze, not her head, and glared at Iona. “I don’t need a man to make me happy.”
“No comment about how I must need a man to make me happy since I’m still here in Sander’s Valley with Wyn?”
“No. I’d never say such a thing, and you know that.” Blaine took a calming breath. She recognized her friend’s defensive tone. “Who’s giving you a hard time?”
“Who isn’t?” Iona tilted her wine, studying the dark red liquid. “About the only people happy about my decision are the bank’s board members. They’ve been looking to establish permanent ties in the States for years. They’d be even happier if I married Wyn and applied to become a dual citizen.”
Blaine tensed. The realities of being a foreigner in love with an American weren’t something she’d ever considered. “How long can you stay on your visa?”
Iona’s back arched slightly. She glanced at the gaudy leg lamp on the end table. “I’ve applied for a green card. The bank’s lawyers are helping me establish an acceptable business here that’ll qualify and quicken the approval process. If all goes well, I won’t have to worry about anything.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Blaine had never paid much attention to politics, but she understood enough to know Russia was not a country viewed favorably by most people in the States. Especially not Russians who had the private cell number of their president.
Iona set her wine down. “Then I move home.”
“You could always marry Wyn.” Blaine’s smile hurt her cheeks. Marriage shouldn’t be used as a tool. Of course, most married people she knew used each other.
“The immigration laws here are complicated. There are forms to fill out and get approved. Timelines to meet.” Iona laughed, but the sound held no humor. “Apparently, falling in love with a foreigner or marrying one can be viewed as immigration fraud as I originally entered the country on business.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dmitri’s family is claiming I purposely used my business trip to find an American man to marry. It’s not true, of course, but if they spread those rumors to the right people in America…”
“I always hated Dmitri and his family.” Blaine wished she’d made her opinions about Iona’s ex-fiancé known sooner. Respecting her friend’s choice in love had been hard. Watching her recover from the beating she’d gotten from Dmitri when he’d tried to kidnap her was harder. Every time Iona winced, Blaine’s heart ached a little more.
“I can’t change the past. It’s made me into the woman I am today.”
“I know.” Blaine had said something similar to Iona a couple of weeks ago. “It’s simply ridiculous that you need to be worrying about how his family might try to destroy this thing you’ve found with Wyn. Dmitri’s the one who came to America with the intent to hurt you.”
“The Kozar family is powerful.”
“In Russia. Not here.”
Iona smiled wanly. “They have money. That brings a certain amount of power anywhere.”
“But so do you.” Iona Volkova came from old money, much like the Zima lineage. Since their families both shared the same investment firm, their old money had grown substantially across the globe. Only Blaine’s sat in a trust fund.
“Yes, and I plan on getting my green card and investing some of it here in Sander’s Valley. Everything will work out.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Blaine raised a brow. “Are you really going to be able to leave Wyn and return to Russia?”
“We’re happy. We’re in love, but honestly, we’re just dating.” Iona held up a hand. “Don’t go out and buy a maid of honor dress or anything.”
“You’re living in Wyn’s house and talking about how you can get a green card so you can stay here with him.” Blaine gave her stubborn friend
a knowing look. “Don’t bother telling me marriage hasn’t crossed your mind.”
Smiling, Iona shrugged. “It has, and if it comes to it, Wyn would follow me to Russia.”
“He’s told you that?”
“No, but if he loves me as much as I think he does, he’d love me whether we lived in Russia or here. I don’t doubt that for a second. At least with my connections in Russia, I know he’d be safe from deportation.”
Blaine leaned forward. “What does that feel like? To love someone so deeply you can anticipate their actions?”
“I don’t think ‘good’ is the answer you want, is it?” Iona smirked.
“No.” Blaine shook her head. A smile tugged at her lips. “But I’m serious. Tell me what it’s like to be in love.” Maybe Iona’s insight would give Blaine the inspiration to finish her song.
Iona motioned to the fishnet-covered leg with its ugly lampshade. “It means I can live with that thing in my house and not have a coronary every time I see it.”
“Your house?”
Iona glanced around the room. “Yes, my house.”
Blaine leaned into the deep cushion. “How did this happen? I saw you a couple of days before you left for the States. You were bitter, jaded. I never would’ve guessed less than two months later, you’d be here, in love and talking about how to secure your future with a man. An American man, no less.”
“I don’t know.” Iona held up a hand. “That’s the honest truth. One minute, I was flirting with a sexy mechanic, and the next, I’m sharing his bed and discussing names for our puppy.”
“Puppy!” Blaine sat up. “You’re getting a dog? As in a slobbering, dirty, four-legged creature?”
“A boxer, actually.” Iona’s eyes twinkled. “She’s almost weaned and ready to move from the whelping box in the main barn to our house.”
Blaine glanced out the window. She couldn’t see the barn where she’d talked to Jack the other night. The rich, earthy scents of life had surrounded her then. She’d been tempted to make her way to the stalls. She’d never touched a horse. Or a puppy.
“Jack’s parents’ barn?” Blaine asked to be sure.
“Yes.” Iona’s voice took on a teasing edge. “And let me just point out it’s interesting that you refer to them as Jack’s parents, not Wyn’s parents. It’s almost as if Jack is the first thing that comes to mind.”
“Please.” Blaine rolled her eyes. “You’re reading into things.”
“Come on.” Iona pouted. “I’m trying to find out what Jack means to you.”
“He’s a man I had sex with.” Blaine waved a warning finger at her friend. “Don’t make anything more out of it. Unlike you, I have a life I’m returning to in Russia. My fans won’t take kindly to an extended trip. My next concert’s been sold out for weeks.”
“But was it good sex?” Iona bit her lip, a horribly fake attempt to hide a smile.
A wide grin spread over Blaine’s face. Any attempt to mask it would be impossible. Her body ached in all the right places.
“Uh-huh…” Iona’s smile turned wicked. “So you never answered me. Is Jack hung like a horse or not?”
Laughing, Blaine tossed a pillow at her friend. “No comment.”
Iona tucked the pillow next to her. “Enough said. I was right.”
Blaine smiled but didn’t reply. There was no reason to respond. Iona was right, but Jack’s size wasn’t what made him the best lover Blaine had ever had. It was something else. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. With a little over a week left in Sander’s Valley, she didn’t need to focus on uncovering the detail. Life went on, and Jack would soon become another chapter in hers.
Chapter 12
The hand whacking into Jack’s back tore a grunt from him. He glared at his youngest brother. “What the hell is your problem?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Wyn spun a chair, then sat and propped his elbows on the back of the chair. “You’re miserable. Have been all night.”
“That’s my fault.” Levi tossed his losing hand on the table, sending cards across the surface. “I dragged him away from his latest conquest before he was done with her.”
“Is there anyone left in town?” Wyn swept the cards in front of him.
Jack gathered the empties, then tossed the bottles into the recycling bin. “Ask Eric. He’d know.”
“Not interested. Got a woman at home.” Wyn flipped the cards, facedown, in a perfectly symmetrical stack. “It was rhetorical.”
“Not a local.” Levi leaned back in his chair.
The shit-eating grin on his twin’s face deserved to be smacked off. Too bad Jack had his hands full of cold longnecks.
“Yeah?” Wyn turned to Levi. “Anyone I know?”
“I’m fucking Blaine.” Jack slammed the bottle down in front of Wyn. “Happy?”
“Notice how he phrased that?” Wyn met Levi’s eyes.
“Yeah.” Levi raised his brows in an exaggerated expression. “Fucking, not fucked. As in an active sense where he plans on doing more fucking.”
“Yep.” Wyn nodded solemnly. “That’s what I thought too. There’re definite plans for more fucking. Hell, the fucking they shared must’ve been goddamn amazing to get him to commit to more fucking.”
“With the same girl.” Levi nodded. He slid his gaze to Jack at the same time Wyn did. “This is some fucking serious shit. I don’t know if I should call a doctor or not.”
“Not necessary.” Jack popped the cap on his beer, then threw the bottle opener at Levi, who caught it midair. “Mind your own fucking business and everything will be fucking fine. Including your pretty-boy face. Otherwise, I might just break your fucking nose again.”
Levi looked at Wyn and nodded, his expression grim. “Defensive too.”
“Yep.” Wyn matched Levi’s nod. “I know the signs. Suffered from them myself not long ago.”
Jack leaned over the table and grabbed the front of Wyn’s shirt. “Shut your damn month. You hear me? We fucked a few times. That’s it.”
“Same day? Or multiple days?” Levi asked.
Jack uncurled his fingers from Wyn’s shirt and glared at Levi. “My sex life is none of your business.”
“Since when?” Levi dropped his elbows to the table and leaned forward.
No immediate response came to Jack. They’d always discussed women like this. Usually over cards and booze as they were doing right now. He’d never had a problem with it. Dissecting his intimate plans for Blaine with his brothers didn’t sit well, however.
Jack shrugged. “Wyn and Kyle won’t be talking about their women anymore. Their fucking is sacred now. Figured I won’t share either. It’s not exactly fair to them to be going on about different women when they’re stuck with only one.”
“Stuck is not the term I’d use.” Wyn shuffled the cards over and over in a smooth arc that defied gravity. “Lucky comes to mind. Maybe privileged. Or grateful. All I know is having one woman to call mine is a blessing I’d never considered before meeting Iona.”
“You love her.” Jack wasn’t sure if he was asking or stating the fact. Either way, he waited on Wyn’s answer.
“Yeah.” Wyn separated the deck of cards into three sections, restacked them with the middle section on top, then bent the deck slightly to shuffle the cards again. “I asked Mom if I could have Aunt Irene’s old ring. She always liked me. Figured since she didn’t have kids, it would honor her if I gave her engagement ring to Iona.”
“You’re asking Iona to marry you?” Jack didn’t know much about Iona but he knew of her aversion to commitments. Wyn had been the one to warn Jack, and everyone else in the family, not to bring up the topic of relationships with her.
“Eh…” Wyn tapped the deck on the table. “Maybe not officially. I’m going to slide it on her ring finger, though. Let her get used to wearing it. To have people see it on her.”
“Don’t you think people will start asking when the wedding is?” It’d be Jack’s first questi
on. Or it would’ve been if Wyn hadn’t made him swear not to bring up commitments with Iona.
“People won’t ask.” Wyn’s assurance probably stemmed from the same reason why Jack wouldn’t ask.
“Can’t guarantee that.” And if Iona had a meltdown over it, Jack would be dealing with the backlash. His brothers’ pain felt like his at times. “A huge diamond on Iona’s small hand is going to draw a lot of attention.”
“Maybe.” Wyn swept his thumb over the deck, flicking cards into three piles. “But it’ll help Iona get used to the idea.”
“Smart move.” Levi picked up each card as it landed in front of him more to annoy Wyn than to actually look at his hand. “And if it’s taking too long, you could always knock her up like Kyle did with Ronnie.”
Wyn paused with the last card to deal under his thumb. “They were trying for a kid. Me and Iona aren’t. Besides, she’s on birth control. When we have a kid, it’ll be planned. Something we’re both ready for.”
“When you have a kid?” Jack used the same teasing tone Wyn had minutes ago. “You make it sound like it’s a given.”
“It is.” Wyn flicked the last card. It smacked into Jack’s chest and landed faceup on the table.
The queen of hearts stared at him. So much for keeping her a secret. Jack flipped the card, then gathered the rest of the scattered pile in front of him. “Does Iona know about this kid she’s going to have with you?”
“When the time is right, she will.” Wyn fanned his cards and studied his hand. “I know what my woman needs, when she needs it. That’s why Iona’s with me.”
Jack lifted his cards. An almost royal flush stared back at him. All he needed was the ace of hearts. “She’s what you need too. You’re happy.”
“And you’re not.” Levi spoke up. “You gonna tell us what’s up?”
“Since when did poker nights involve discussions about our feelings?” Jack tossed a few chips on the table.
“Special occasion. Something’s bothering you.” Levi added his bid. “Wyn and I are just doing our brotherly duty and trying to find out if you need us to get involved. Beat the shit out of someone. You know, whatever’s needed.”