by Joanna Blake
“Nothing.”
I was grateful for the interruption but I certainly did not want to open that topic of conversation again. Particularly when she was about to arrive.
Angelina Randall.
The girl had been haunting my thoughts all damn week. It was disconcerting to say the least. I didn’t like it. In fact, I hated anything that was out of my control
This girl- and my reaction to her- was definitely not in my control.
Not even close.
DING DONG
I straightened up and walked to the front door. I stopped, my hand on the knob. Maybe I should have let someone else answer the door? Did it make me seem over eager to be the one to let her in?
I shook myself mentally. What the hell was I thinking? I was a man. Men didn’t think about this sort of thing. We saw what we wanted and we took it.
I told myself firmly that she was just another girl. A remarkably pretty one, true, but a girl all the same. And a really feisty one at that.
I forced a cool expression on my face and opened the door.
What I saw there took my breath away.
Angelina Randall looked like a cool drink on a hot day. Fuck, she looked like a cold drink in the middle of the damn Sahara! I could imagine crawling into an oasis and ignoring the water just to get to her.
I'd thought she was pretty in her dungarees. Nothing had prepared me for this. I was glued to the spot as I stared at her, slack jawed.
She didn’t just clean up nicely. She cleaned up spectacularly. Her long hair was brushed and loose, flowing over her slender shoulders. Her eyes were sparkling, matching the emerald green top she wore. A top that skimmed over her curves in a tantalizing way, making me want to reach out and touch her.
Her lips were red and kissable. I was staring at them hungrily when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I was still standing there like an idiot when Daniel stepped in front of me and smiled.
“We’re so glad you could make it. Please, come in.”
Angelina
“My brother is rarely at a loss for words.”
We’d been introduced to everyone and were sitting in front of the fireplace in the Delancey’s living room. I had to admit, I was a bit overawed by the grandeur of the place. I’d almost let Casey drink her wine before I snatched it out of her hand.
“You know you can’t Case.”
She shrugged, looking sheepish.
“I know. You should drink it though.”
“I’m driving.”
Daniel spoke up.
“We can get someone to drive you home between the six of us.”
He grinned at me. He was such a nice man. They were all nice.
Except him.
Jackson Delancey had not said one word to me as of yet. No, he was staring at me like I had grown a third eye. I tossed my head, determined to ignore the rude man.
It wasn’t easy considering the way he looked in a dress shirt and tight jeans. The shirt was tailored to perfection, cut extra wide to accommodate his thick shoulders. Even so, you could see the bulging muscles beneath plain as day.
“It’s not like it’s far. Go ahead and enjoy yourself.”
Grudgingly I nodded, then took a sip. It was good. Really, really good. It had been a while since I let loose…
“This is delicious, thank you.”
Francesca quickly refilled my glass. She was a stunning Italian woman, apparently living here with Daniel. Eleanor was equally beautiful. She was recently engaged to Jake, the youngest brother.
That left Jackson, who was apparently a confirmed bachelor. At least from what his brother’s were saying. He was ignoring them.
In fact, he was ignoring everything and everyone.
Except me.
The man hadn’t taken his eyes off me since he opened the front door. It was bizarre. But I could feel the weight of his gaze.
His eyes were almost… hot.
“Soup’s on!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the colorful way Jake Delancey phrased things. I could see tattoos peaking out from under the collar of his shirt. He was big and handsome like his brothers, even if he did look a little bit wild.
But he was clearly sweet as pie and doting on his fiancé.
I noticed that Elle wasn’t drinking. And she kept touching her stomach. Jake was very attentive.
I would never pry, but it was clear she was pregnant.
It was also clear that it was a secret.
Everyone was chatting as I sat there, wondering if I would ever have a baby. I tried to image it… a loving husband, a child, a home. And Casey being well of course.
That mattered more than anything.
“Mitochondria.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a vital part of your cells. In my case they were damaged from a drug I took.”
She smiled at me.
“Angie’s been taking care of me ever since. And fighting the big pharma companies. And the doctors. She’s unstoppable.”
Jackson snorted.
“I’ll say.”
“Jackson!”
“What? It was a compliment.”
I watched the brothers squabbling. It seemed like Jackson was not used to being told what to do or say. Everyone stood to go into dinner and I followed suit. I could not help but notice that even though all three brothers were big and strong, Jackson was just a teensy bit bigger. Taller. Thicker.
More manly.
“Allow me.”
He leaned over Casey.
“Do you mind if I escort you?”
She nodded and looked at me over her shoulder as Jackson carefully pushed her chair into the dining room. She was trying to tell me something but I was too distracted to figure out what. I could not help it.
I was too busy watching his ass move in those tight jeans.
I had to admit it.
It was a very, very nice ass.
Chapter Seven
Jackson
Dinner was a drawn out affair. As usual when we had guests, Mrs. G pulled out all the stops. I hadn’t told her to do anything special for tonight, but clearly someone had.
Course after course had arrived. Appetizers. Fresh baked bread. Homemade butter. Soup. Salad. A fish course. A pasta course. A meat course. It went on and on all night. Now we were on dessert.
During the meal my brothers and the girls had slowly drawn Angelina out of her self-imposed shell. I was realizing there was more to her than met the eye. She didn’t like to talk about herself at all apparently. It’s not that she was shy exactly. She was… guarded.
The girl didn’t trust easily, that much was obvious. Her sister Casey on the other hand, was a ray of sunshine. Despite everything she’d been through, she was one of the happiest, friendliest people I’d ever met.
Her older sister could take a few lessons from her.
I said little, just watching Angelina over the candles. It was hard to look away from her lovely, expressive face. She was self conscious, but not about her looks. She was angry, but not at us. She was worried, but that was natural, considering what they had told us about Casey’s story.
Apparently, certain antibiotics could damage tendons, muscles and nerves, right down to the DNA. That’s why she was in the wheelchair. But she wasn’t giving up.
Neither of them were.
I had to admit to a certain grudging admiration for the fired up way Angelina talked about their mission. She wanted to raise hell with the FDA. and get the word out. And that was just her hobby. She'd quit her fancy New York job to start an organic farm right next door. No pesticides or anything but what nature intended. No genetically modified crops.
I glanced at her delicate hands. How the hell she was going to farm with those dainty little fingers was beyond me. But she was hell for leather about it.
I could think of a hundred better uses for her hands.
Like wrapping them around my cock, which was hard as a rock under the table. For on
ce, I was grateful for the long meal because there was no way in hell I could stand up at the moment. I sat there, staring at her delicate throat, ignoring everything around me.
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to kiss that throat of hers, or wring it.
She turned to me.
“Please tell me you don’t give those animals antibiotics for maintenance.”
I jerked to attention.
“I trust our vet.”
She frowned.
“A lot of doctors don’t know about the dangers, or take them seriously. The FDA just had a hearing and are finally saying the side effects are more common than they thought. It’s mostly been suppressed.”
I stared at her, considering.
“I’ll talk to Dale about it.”
“Dale?”
“Doc Wiland. He’s our vet.”
She looked surprised. Jake said something and the conversation moved on. But I noticed a softening around her lips for the rest of the night. When she glanced at me from time to time her eyes were different too. Less fired up.
Damn, if that’s all it took to get the woman to like me was listen to her! All I’d done was promise to take her concerns into account. I liked her a whole lot better when she wasn’t spiting fire and brimstone at me, that was for damn sure.
Not that she was crawling into my lap exactly either.
Not yet.
“Did you get anything looked at yet?”
She looked at me, her soft red lips parted slightly. I shifted in my seat, my hard on rubbing against my jeans uncomfortably. There was something about that pouty bottom lip that made me want to pull it onto my mouth.
And bite it.
“Your leaks?”
I prompted her, smiling at her the way a hungry man smiles at a steak. Damn but she looked good enough to eat.
“No. Every single one of them contractors I called was booked, indefinitely.”
I wasn’t surprised. We were in the rural area just outside one of the richest towns in the country, let alone the South. In fact, there were hardly any working farms around here left.
Most of the good contractors and subcontractors were too busy working on multi-million dollar estates and McMansions in gated subdivisions to come all the way out here to poke around her old farm house.
I had a sudden flash of inspiration. I'd had the idea back at the hardware store and forgotten about it. I nearly rubbed my hands together, realizing I knew how to get into her panties. Soon, I hoped.
“I can come take a look if you want. I know my way around a tool box.”
Angelina frowned but her sister pepped right up.
“That would be amazing! Ange is worrying herself sick with all of this stuff-“
“Casey, we can’t impose on Mr. Delancey. He has no idea of the extent of what is going on over there.”
“Call me Jackson.”
She looked at me, once again her lips opening in surprise. I liked that. She looked softer when she was surprised. Plus I wanted to keep her on her toes.
And her back.
Or her knees.
I grinned at the images flashing through my mind. Angelina was moaning with pleasure as I took her in various positions. Upside down too, with her bent over and grabbing her ankles. Why the hell not?
“That is very kind of you Mr. Delancey-“
“I told you to call me Jackson.” I smiled. "Please."
She nodded.
“Very well Mr.- Jackson. But we couldn’t possibly impose-”
I could hear a refusal coming so I cut her off.
“I’m not a miracle worker, but I’ve done some carpentry and basic plumbing and electric work. Maybe I can tell you the extent of the issues and find a quick fix or two. Or at least make sure you know what you're dealing with. It won't take long.”
She chewed her lip, just like I’d been thinking about doing less than thirty seconds ago. I felt my dick lurch in my pants. I shifted in my seat again, pressing down on it with the heel of my hand.
Damn, I hadn’t had a spontaneous chubby like that in a long time!
Since high school maybe.
Get a hold of yourself Jackson!
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
I nodded and forced myself to look away. The second the conversation moved on though, I had to look back.
This time I caught Angelina staring at me.
She blushed and looked away but that one look had sent a shot of lust straight to my gut. I made sure to keep the wine flowing, but I refrained from having anything to drink myself. I had ideas. The first one being that I was gonna be the one to drive her home.
I had a detour in mind.
Maybe a little old school hanky panky.
I’d be more than happy to screw her in the back of her car.
Hell, I’d do it on the damn steering wheel.
Angelina
Jackson was standing beside my car, looking at me expectantly. The man had been plaguing me all night, staring at me, challenging me, making the odd, provoking comment. And then he’d made it all worse by being nice of all things. That niceness, combined with the wine I’d drank over the course of the evening, was making me feel more than a little bit off balance.
What the hell did he want now?
Dinner had been fun, surprisingly so. Even with the tension between the eldest Delancey brother and myself, which practically crackled in the air. I’d liked everyone else, especially Francesca and Elle.
Casey had been in her glory, charming everyone as usual. She’d even offered to sketch some of the horses next week.
When Jackson heard that, he’d been intrigued about having portraits done for the animals. He’d even offered to pay her for her services. Casey had been thrilled. It had been so long since she could earn money. I could have kissed him in that moment for making my sister feel useful again. She loved all animals. It was one of the reasons we had moved out here.
New York City was a hard place to have a dog. Even if our landlord had allowed it, which she did not. But here, it made sense. I reminded myself to find an animal shelter as soon as we were settled. No purebreds for us. All we wanted was to give a needy dog a good home. Maybe a cat too.
I made a mental note to look up if cats ate spiders.
It would be good for Casey to have a companion or two when I couldn’t be around twenty-four seven.
After all, I was going to have a farm to look after as well. It was funny, but I’d always loved growing things. My small NYC apartment had been full of plants. Even with limited sunlight, I’d made it work.
Thankfully, they had all made the journey just fine. I’d packed most of them in the car with us, but the bigger plants had gone in the moving truck, wrapped in a blanket with an upside down wine bottle full of water in each. That was a trick I’d picked up a few years ago when traveling took me away from my precious plants.
And now I had a whole farm to plant and care for.
I would start small with a vegetable garden for our own use, and then hire people to work the land as I got a feel for what I was doing.
Jackson cleared his throat, bringing me back to the present. I titled my head back to look at him. The man was taller than a skyscraper! What a strange thing to think… I realized I must’ve been more drunk than I thought. He was looking at me quizzically, patiently holding his hand out.
“Your keys. I’m driving you home.”
“But I thought Elle-“
“Elle is following us with Casey. I’m going to drive you home, and then she’s going to drive me home.”
“Oh.”
“Well?”
He was grinning at me while I stared at him stupidly. Finally I realized he was still waiting for my keys. I blushed and reached into my pocket, fishing them out.
“Thanks.”
I detected a hint of sarcasm in his tone. But when I looked carefully at his face, he looked blandly disinterested. He unlocked the door for me and watched me climb in. I noticed he was g
rinning as he walked around the front of the car. He climbed in and adjusted the seat, then he turned to look at me.
His smiled faded. Probably because I was glaring at him, trying to figure out what he was up to.
He was up to something, that much was clear.
He cleared his throat and turned the car on. Then he pulled out and turned right, driving into the darkness. I sat up straight, looking back over my shoulder.
My house was to the left.
“Where are you going?”
“Scenic route.”
“I can’t leave Casey-“
“Elle is with her. She said she wanted to see some of her sketches.”
“That might only take five minutes.”
He glanced at me, his eyes looking strangely intense.
“We will be back soon enough.”
I had the sudden thought that Jackson Delancey was very high handed. Then the equally sudden thought that he was kidnapping me. I wasn’t scared though. I didn’t think he was going to hurt me.
But I did want to kick him.
I sat back in my seat, crossing my arms.
“Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer for a minute. Then I saw something up ahead. The land out here was mostly flat with some rolling hills. The road started to rise towards some sort of hill. I realized it was a small mountain. We climbed steadily for a few minutes until he turned off and pulled into a deserted parking lot.
It was an overlook. I stared, surprised by the beauty of the scenery. Below us was a serpentine river, looking almost black in the darkness. From here you could see the lights of Nashville in all its glory.
I was so enthralled by the view that I barely noticed it when Jackson unbuckled me. I did notice when he reached for me, pulling me against him. His hands were huge and hot against my skin.
“Wha-“
His mouth crashed down on mine. I was startled into silence by the strangely pleasant feel of his lips on mine. His huge hand slid behind my lower back and pressed me against him. He moaned and tried to stick his tongue in my mouth.
I slapped him.
“What the hell are you doing Jackson!”
He rubbed his hand over his cheek, scowling at me. Then he grinned and reached for me again.
