by Vivian Arend
“Because I assume that you’re not typically a dick to Lynn, which is why she puts up with you when you are one. But ordering someone around isn’t the way to get them to do what you want.”
“I asked her if she wanted the job.”
“Only once she pushed you.”
“She’s my sister. She’s done with school, needs a job, and we need—”
“She’s a woman,” Jack snapped. “A skilled, intelligent woman who can get a job without your help, but who might work for DreamMakers if her brother isn’t the jackass of the century to her every time he turns around.”
The longer Jack spoke, the colder Parker’s expression grew. And the longer Jack spoke, the more he wondered what the hell he was doing, because he certainly hadn’t planned any of this.
But one fact was crystal clear. Parker was sure to pick up on—
“She’s a woman?” Parker demanded.
Jack narrowed his gaze. “Hell, Parker. I know the concept is foreign to you, but that’s what little girls grow up into. And the breasts were kind of a dead giveaway.”
“Why the hell are you looking at my sister’s breasts?” Parker roared.
“Oh, chill out. I was just making a point.”
Parker looked ready to say more, but Jack had had enough of the conversation, especially since he didn’t really know what he wanted to discuss. Not yet.
Was he planning on dealing with his revelation of Pepper as a woman? Fuck, yes. But he knew better than to count on anything with her before he actually talked to her. He was smarter than the average bear, especially after the lovely example he’d just witnessed. And while it wasn’t up to Parker who Pepper dated, Jack knew damn well he’d still have to offer his friend some fast reassurances regarding his usual love-them-and-leave-them habits.
But right now, he took the high road. “We have prep to do. And I noticed Didi had a list of paperwork for you to deal with.”
Parker hesitated then nodded. “This conversation isn’t over.”
They’d been friends for too long to not be able to read each other like open books. Jack nodded, his smile returning as Parker relaxed out of high alert. “It’s just a new adventure, really. We’ll get through this one same as always.”
Parker tossed the paperwork on his desk with a sigh. “Some days I wish for something easy, like blowing up shit or sneaking through booby-trapped ruins.”
“It can’t always be C-4 and lengths of trigger wire.” Jack patted his friend on the shoulder and headed out to grab some fresh air to clear his brain.
Chapter Four
Pepper stirred her margarita with her baby finger, pausing to lick off the sweet, salty flavor. The family welcome-home barbeque had grown beyond family to include most of the neighbors—she figured her parents were killing two birds with one stone by having all their friends over at the same time. There had to be a dozen men her dad’s age tooling around the place, discussing golf and the coming fishing season. And her mom had some kind of crafty thing with bonsai plants made out of papier-mâché set up in the kitchen for the ladies to try that screamed Martha Stewart high on glue fumes.
In self defense, Pepper had made a couple of blenders full of margaritas, and then she and the girls had retreated off the deck where there were too many masculine bodies getting in the way. Instead they’d hauled their lawn chairs into a circle so they could eat appetizers, drink, and chat.
This was the second time she’d met Lynn. They’d already shared a coffee break midweek, and she couldn’t be more pleased for her jackass of a brother. He’d found an amazing partner who seemed to have that gentle patience Pepper definitely lacked. It meant Lynn could probably survive a relationship without wanting to kill the man. Didn’t mean she was spineless.
In fact, Lynn was just finishing up a mini-rant. Pepper had decided to take the job with DreamMakers, at least for now, but after hearing the details, Lynn agreed the hiring process hadn’t been the smartest move she’d ever heard of.
“Seriously. If Parker ever tries to pull another brainless trick like that, you let me know. I have no problem helping him learn his lesson.” She held her margarita glass in the air and Pepper leaned over, holding out her own glass to clink them together.
“I know he doesn’t do it maliciously,” Pepper grudgingly admitted.
The curvy blonde Lynn had introduced as her best friend, Suz, adjusted her miniskirt evenly over her long legs as she clicked her tongue. “Honey, guys rarely do things maliciously. Or at least the halfway decent ones don’t. But being fed stupid on a cracker sucks just as badly when it’s intended as when it’s accidental.”
She wiggled her fingers towards the guys.
Pepper, Lynn, and Kendra all turned toward the house. Parker, Jack, and the new hire, Colby, with his enormous arms and close-shaved black hair, were large and in charge beside Pepper’s dad, all of them seeming intensely interested in the barbecue. Except it was obvious they were all listening as hard as possible to see what else the girls said.
“Look at them, acting all innocent and everything.” Pepper made a face. “Life is a lot easier when we don’t have to deal with guys.”
“But they’re handy at so many things,” Kendra offered.
“A few,” Suz agreed, “but there’s a whole lot of things that a good set of batteries can deal with just as efficiently.”
Lynn laid a hand on her chest and looked shocked. “Do my ears deceive me, or did Miss ‘I love to love them’ make a disparaging comment about the male species?”
“I don’t want to stick them all in a box and mail them to the moon, but in the interest of educating our younger girlfriends here, I was pointing out we don’t have to put up with bullshit to get the good parts of the deal.”
Pepper had to agree with Suz. “I’m really getting tired of putting up with the bullshit.”
Kendra looked concerned. “Are you still getting harassed by a certain someone?”
Both Suz and Lynn shot to full alert. “Is there something we need to help you with?” Lynn asked. “I thought you were seeing that cop. Don’t tell me he’s giving you trouble.”
Suz made a rude noise but didn’t say anything, instead sipping her margarita and trying to look innocent.
“Billy? He and I have gone out a few times, but no, he’s not the issue.” Pepper wasn’t quite sure what to think of the guy. She might have intended on jumping his hot bod in the beginning, but something had held her back that first date. And the longer they saw each other, the less interested she was in crawling into the sack with him. “Decent kisser, though.”
“Decent?” Kendra wrinkled her nose. Pepper’s friend was far too cute in a polka-dot sundress. With her hair up in pigtails she looked like one of those perky models for a high-fashion magazine. “That doesn’t sound very thrilling.”
“We’re just getting to know each other. Maybe it’ll get better with time.” If Pepper didn’t give up completely in the next week or so.
Lynn wouldn’t let it drop. “So if it’s not Billy the decent kisser, which guy’s been bothering you?”
It seemed like whining, but Lynn was so easy to talk to, Pepper found herself confessing. “Old problem. One of the guys Kendra and I drove cross-country with is having a hard time taking no for an answer. He’s not doing anything dangerous. He’s just a pain in my butt.”
“Really?” Kendra said in concern. “That rat bastard. I told him to leave you alone.”
“Don’t make a big deal over it,” Pepper insisted. There was one thing though. She lowered her voice. “I have the strangest feeling he went through my suitcases before you gave them back to me.”
“Ick.” Lynn made a gagging noise. “Okay, that’s officially creepy.”
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think I’m missing a few things. You know, like a T-shirt, and…underwear.” She didn’t want to outright accuse Adam, but it did make her feel uneasy.
Suz patted her on the knee. “Maybe he’s into cross-dressing.�
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Kendra nearly spat out her mouthful of drink, choking momentarily before she managed to swallow. “You’re nasty.”
“Why, thank you,” Suz replied, lifting her drink in the air. “As long as the creeper is out of the picture, I’d much prefer to talk about how to get Pepper someone better than a decent kisser.”
“Oh, no, I don’t need anyone’s help matchmaking.” Pepper raised a hand in protest.
“If you want to do any matchmaking—” Kendra twisted toward them and leaned forward conspiratorially, “—I’d love a formal introduction to Jack.”
A shot of something dark and not very friendly tingled over Pepper’s nerves. She glanced back toward the deck and caught Jack staring at them, his gaze drifting over the ladies in the group. The instant his eyes met hers, though, he jerked away, deliberately turning his back.
Oh my God, had he been checking out Kendra?
Pepper took another sip of her margarita, but it wasn’t nearly as refreshing as she remembered. Or maybe that was the bitter taste in her mouth as she admitted to herself that the thought of Jack and Kendra together made her uneasy.
And that was a load of crap. How low of her to not want the guy but not want anybody else to have him either.
Lynn and Suz had spent the last ten seconds since Kendra’s announcement exchanging glances. “Jack might be a little too much of a flirt for you, hon,” Suz said earnestly.
“I don’t want to keep him,” Kendra insisted. “Just to take him for a test drive. Because holy moly, Jack Hunter is one fine man.” Coughing and hastily stifled laughter broke out from the deck area, and Kendra pressed her hands against her cheeks. “Crap. How loud did I say that?”
Suz stretched her neck to look around Kendra. “I think loud enough that the people on the deck next door heard as well.”
“I’m going to die.” Kendra twisted her chair so her back was towards the deck, her cheeks flaming red.
Pepper snuck another glance at the guys. They seemed to have settled down, but it was obvious Jack was still stealing furtive glances at them. Perhaps now that he knew for sure Kendra was interested, he was planning to do something about it?
Dammit anyway. Pepper reached for the pitcher of margaritas and topped up her glass. Maybe her homecoming barbecue wasn’t the right place to get absolutely pissed, but this was no longer drinking—it was therapy.
It was a damn good thing the creep who was “decently” kissing Pepper wasn’t in attendance today, because Jack would have cheerfully murdered him. Barehanded, too.
And wasn’t that peachy—he was suffering from a serious case of jealousy, and that wasn’t an emotion he experienced often. Envy he knew all about, like how he’d always envied Parker and Pepper for their idyllic childhood, which was epitomized at the moment by this fun family BBQ. There’d been nothing fun about Jack’s childhood, just years and years of futilely wishing his mom would come back so he wouldn’t have to stare into his dad’s vacant eyes anymore. So, yeah, he knew all about envy.
But this fiery urge to hunt down Pepper’s kissing partner and beat him so badly he’d never be able to lock lips with her again? That one was harder to figure out.
His raging hard-on for the woman hadn’t ceased once she’d left his apartment. It only meant that now he had a lot more privacy to jerk off to fantasies of her. And she was definitely fantasy material today. Faded denim cutoffs revealed her long, tanned legs, and her teeny yellow T-shirt hugged the full breasts he’d had the privilege of seeing in all their bare glory. She’d tied her black hair into a ponytail, green eyes sparkling as she chatted with the other women.
He wondered if her eyes sparkled when she kissed that creep she was dating.
Actually, screw that. Didn’t matter what expression she wore when she had some other guy’s tongue in her mouth. From this point on, the only man she’d be locking lips with was him.
He was going to fuck Pepper Wilson.
Yep, it was so gonna happen. He’d fought the attraction when she’d stayed with him. Hell, he’d fought it for years, if he was being honest. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but one day he’d simply stopped viewing her as the pesky brat who trailed after him and Parker, and started to see her as a beautiful woman he wanted to get naked with.
Now he just needed to find a way to make that happen without it all blowing up in his face.
“Jack? You in there?”
He blinked when he noticed Parker’s hand rapidly moving up and down in front of his face. “Sorry, I spaced,” he muttered. “What?”
His best friend rolled his eyes. “I asked if you’d be able to stop off at the banquet hall later to help Dean and Gillian with the Petersen engagement party. Half the cleaning staff came down with the flu, and it was too short notice for the company to bring in reinforcements, so we have to help out. I’d go myself, but I promised my folks that Lynn and I would stick around after the barbecue to play board games.”
Board games. God. The Wilsons were the only family he knew who actually did stuff like that. Cue another rush of envy, which was all sorts of fucked up, because normally he found board games excruciatingly boring.
“Sure, I can do it,” he answered, all the while keeping half his attention on the ladies. They’d lowered their voices, and he could no longer hear even a snippet of conversation.
“Me too,” Colby spoke up, uncrossing his massive arms. “I’m pretty good with a mop.”
“Awesome. Dean’ll be happy. He was so pissed he drew the short straw and had to handle the event today.”
Jack snorted. “Yeah, and then Gillian volunteered to help and suddenly he was all sunshine and rainbows.”
“Do you think he knows he has zero chance of getting into her pants?” Parker said with a grin.
“Parker!” Pamela Wilson scolded, appearing in the sliding door that opened onto the deck. “That is not proper barbecue conversation.”
Parker was instantly shamefaced. “Sorry, Mom. We were just…well, you know…it’s a Dean thing.”
Pamela’s lips twitched. “A Dean thing…” The smile broke free, her dark green eyes taking on that resigned glint Dean usually inspired in people. “Fine. I’ll bite. Whose pants is that rascal trying to get into this time?”
The three men snickered. “One of our new employees,” Parker explained. “But don’t worry, she’s too smart to fall for his charms.”
“Let’s hope so. Now, can one of you give this to Pepper and tell her that it’s been ringing off the hook for the past hour?” Pamela held out a sleek black iPhone. “She left it in the kitchen and it’s driving all of us nuts. Her ringtone sounds like a bunch of cats meowing.” Pepper’s mom sighed. “I swear, if I hadn’t given birth to her, I’d really think that girl was adopted. I’m pretty sure she’s made it her mission in life to be difficult. I have no idea where she gets it from.”
“Really? You have no idea?” Parker flashed his mom an indulgent smile. “Because I’m pretty sure Dad accuses you of being difficult on a daily basis.”
“Ha. If anything, your sister learned her headstrong ways from him,” Pamela said primly. Then she reached up, ruffled her son’s hair, and disappeared back into the kitchen.
Jack fought a wave of longing as he watched the exchange between mother and son. It was obvious to anyone who saw the Wilsons together that they all loved each other deeply. Even when Pepper was driving everyone nuts with her pig-headedness, or when Parker was acting like a know-it-all asshole, their parents adored them. And Pamela and Patrick were the coolest people on the planet. They were both comic book illustrators, for Chrissake—how could they not be cool?
“I’ll give this to Pepper,” Jack said, snatching the cell phone out of Parker’s hand.
Before his friend could question him, he took the deck steps two at a time and headed for the circle of chairs where Pepper and the girls had stationed themselves.
“Ladies,” he drawled when he reached them. “You all having a good time?”
“
We’re having a great time, Jackjack,” Pepper responded, then held up her glass and waved it around. “Margaritas always equal a good time, don’tcha know?”
Pepper’s blonde friend twisted around to smile at him. Her name was Kendall. Or was it Kendra? He couldn’t lie—he hadn’t paid much attention when Parker told him her name because he was too busy checking out Pepper’s legs on the sly.
“What about you?” Kendra asked coyly. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
Lynn glanced over at him. “This is Kendra—I’m not sure you two were formally introduced.”
“We weren’t. Nice to meet you, honey,” he said absently.
Kendra’s smile widened. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Jack didn’t miss the flash of irritation in Pepper’s eyes. “Is there a reason you crashed our private party?” she asked.
It took him a second to remember he was holding her phone—his gaze had snagged on her bare feet and the cute toenails that she’d painted bright red with little black dots, making them look like teeny ladybugs. “Oh, uh, yeah. Here. Your mom says it won’t stop ringing.” Unable to help himself, he glanced at the screen before handing the phone over. “Huh. Six missed calls from Billy. Someone’s pretty eager to talk to you.” He cocked a brow. “Who’s Billy?”
Her lips tightened. “Just a guy I’m seeing.”
Jealousy once again burned a path straight up his chest. “Yeah? Anyone I’d know?”
“Doubt it.”
“He’s a cop,” Kendra piped up.
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “A cop, eh? Some big-shot detective, I guess?”
“Traffic cop,” Pepper said tersely. “Well, parking enforcement.”
A snort slipped out before he could stop it, which instantly put Pepper on the defensive.
“What?” she demanded as she set her glass on the plastic table next to her chair.
“Nothing.” He swallowed the rising wave of laughter. “It’s just…parking cops aren’t cops. In ocean talk, they’re like the bottom-feeders of the police force.”
