by Vivian Arend
“It’s all awesome. The technology classes—so incredible what they’ve got set up for using with the crop rotations and helping with the planning.” Joel leaned against the counter, the dishtowel fluttering in one hand as his face lit with excitement. “I’ve already managed to incorporate some of the information from last year into this coming season. I show Dad what I can as I learn it. By Christmas I hope to have more solid plans to be able to help arrange for our spring purchases.”
Jaxi shook her head in wonder. “Computers and crops. Never thought that would happen.”
“It’s only a part of it,” Jesse interrupted. “You wouldn’t believe the genetics classes. That’s my area of expertise.”
The boys rambled on for a bit, enthusiasm and energy quivering through them. Jaxi wiped down the counter and began breakfast preparations. Marion had different methods, but since she’d taken over in the kitchen, Jaxi did things her own way. And her way involved planning ahead.
“One of you grab me the oats, please? Your mom said there’s supposed to be a big bag tucked somewhere, but I can’t seem to find it.”
“I got it.” Travis slipped in through the swinging door and tilted his head toward the pantry. “Last time we did groceries, I had to put it up on the top pantry shelf.”
“Good timing, asshole. Dishes are nearly done.” Jesse snapped his towel at his older brother as Travis paced past.
Travis spun out of the way and nabbed Jaxi, tugging her against his body to use her as a shield. “I was working.”
“Working on skipping work.”
Travis’s forearm pressed hot against her belly where he held her close, dragging her across the room. “Now, now. I’m here and eager to be of assistance. Why don’t you kids go do your homework or something, and I’ll take good care of Jaxi for the rest of the night.”
Oh brother.
“I don’t think I need much taking care of.” Jaxi tugged on Travis’s arm until he released her. He turned to pull down a full twenty-five-pound bag of oats only after winking at her mischievously. This was a complication she hadn’t expected. It was bad enough having to fight off the twins’ attention, but Travis?
The boy didn’t take no for an answer very easily. Come to think of it, none of the Six Pack boys did. Except Blake, damn it all.
Travis carried the bag to the counter while Jaxi grabbed the other supplies she needed, dragging a Crock-Pot over and loading it with the fixings for overnight cooking.
She was in the middle of measuring vanilla when he stepped behind her again, reaching around to grab the brown sugar. He adjusted the lid carefully, organizing her supplies. All the while far too close, rubbing and bumping her at every chance.
Double oh brother.
She glanced across the room. Yeah, the twins had noticed. Joel opened his mouth, probably to lambaste Travis. She moved to cut him off—Travis’s damn competitive spirit would just encourage more attempts if Joel rubbed him wrong. It had taken a long time to figure out Travis’s weak spots, but now that she knew what they were, she had no objection to exploiting them.
“If you’re all going to hang out and get in my way, you may as well be useful. Jesse, grab me the eggs from the fridge. Joel, I need some cheese grated, about a cup, please. Travis, move your ass back two feet or I’ll be using your balls for playing marbles.”
Jesse snorted.
Travis scooted away. “You don’t want to be doing that.”
“Course she doesn’t,” Joel teased. “That would be like playing with peewees. Makes it tough to win anything.”
Travis swung at his brother. Jesse moved forward and the wrestling began.
Jaxi ignored them—fighting between the boys was as regular as breathing. Didn’t matter that they were now over six feet tall, just meant the crashes had gotten louder. She finished up a couple more things, weaving her way around the guys as they slipped into familiar routines of taunting and goofing off.
It was fun and relaxed, and all a part of the whole picture. Family. What she wanted so badly.
Joel handed her a dishtowel to dry her hands. He hung on to it for an extra second, catching her attention. He spoke quietly even as the other two kept up their lighthearted bickering in the background. “You okay?”
She smiled. “I’m great. Thanks for the help tonight.”
Joel tilted his head toward the others. “You know, Jesse doesn’t mean to be an idiot. Travis? I’m not so sure about.”
Jaxi laughed. “I can handle them both. Thanks.” Impulsively she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Breakfast at seven, right? That give you guys enough time to get where you’re going in the morning?”
“More than enough.” He grinned. “I’m glad you’re here, Jaxi. And you need something, you be sure to ask, okay?”
She smiled, happy to have his support, even though the next part of her plan didn’t require much but her and Blake and a little good timing. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
Blake entered the house long after dark. He’d ridden until the cobwebs cleared from his brain. He’d cared for his horse and polished a couple of saddles in the tack room. Anything to keep his hands busy, anything to keep his mind off Jaxi and what her presence did to him.
It hadn’t gotten any easier over the past week. Sitting across the table from her at meals, playing games as a family. Every time they bumped arms in a hallway, his damn cock stood up and took notice.
What a disaster. This whole mental shit storm—no matter how many times he went through alternatives, there was never a better solution to his dilemma. He couldn’t act on his desire for Jaxi because it wasn’t right. Thinking about her made need build deep in his core. She’d bolt like a wild horse if he even hinted at how much he wanted to seize total control over her body, touching her, taking direction over her pleasure.
The whole business of her dating someone else raised its ugly head again today with the calls from Royce. The third time the asshole phoned Blake actually growled before controlling himself. Imagining her with anyone but himself made his stomach clench.
Yet if he didn’t approach her, the twins would think they had the go-ahead to try and convince her to accept them. Seeing Jaxi with them today outside the store, even briefly, had made him pause. It wasn’t that they weren’t good enough. They were both smart, good-looking fellows who would care for her.
But—both of them?
Blake threw his coat on a hook and brushed his boots clean. Whatever made Joel and Jesse think double-teaming a woman on a constant basis was a good idea in the first place? How could they watch another man, even their brother, touch skin that had flushed under their fingers moments ago? Or hear the woman they cared for cry out as another brought her pleasure?
Could he stand it if Jaxi did hook up with one of the twins? To watch them cuddle and kiss in front of the family? It had been bad enough when she went out with Travis, and he’d rarely seen many signs of affection—let alone passion—between them. Blake’s need to be with Jaxi seemed to grow instead of fade as time passed, and knowing his brothers were making love to the girl would just about kill him.
He ran upstairs and poured himself a glass of iced tea. The table was already set for breakfast, and in the kitchen three Crock-Pots lined the counter, filled with food to slow cook all night long. His ma used the pots once in a blue moon so this had to be Jaxi’s doing. A slip of paper rustled on the bulletin board. A menu and a to-do list in her flowery print.
She didn’t turn her dots into little hearts anymore.
Strolling through the quiet house en route to the basement, he spotted the twins, deep in conversation on the deck. They waved and he joined them, sitting with his back to the house to look out at the lawn and road, into the starlit sky.
“House is quiet.”
“Jaxi made Ma take a couple of painkillers, and Dad said he’d hit the sack early to care for anything she needed.” Jesse darted a glance at Joel. “Daniel said he was wiped from sitting in the sauna of a tr
actor all day, and Matt went out to spend the evening with Helen. They both disappeared some time ago.”
“Where’s Travis?” Blake asked.
Joel spat out a sunflower seed shell and grinned. “Him? He’s pouting in his room.”
“Pouting? What happened now? Dad ask him to deliver the shipment to Red Deer or something?”
Jesse sat back, side by side with Joel. It was like looking at mirror images. “Yeah, well, Dad did tell him he’s on the broken tractor until further notice since it was his responsibility to arrange for the air conditioning to get fixed. But nah, this time he’s pouting because of Jaxi.”
“Because she’s here?”
“Because she’s here and treating him like he deserves.” Jesse reached his arms in the air before easing them back and resting his head in his folded hands. “We all helped do the dishes after supper, and he was acting all sweet and dopey. She basically told him to stuff it.”
Blake stiffened in his seat. “What’d he try?”
“Relax, Blake, it was fine. He was pretending to brush against her by accident, nothing too bad. The funny part was she didn’t get mad, just told him off real matter of fact. Like we all knew he was an idiot so why should she waste energy getting upset.”
Joel stood and stretched lazily. “Feels strange, all of us home and headed to bed early. You’d think it was ten years ago or something. Hey, the gang’s meeting at Traders tomorrow. You’re planning on going, right?”
Blake nodded slowly. “I told Leo I’d partner with him playing pool for the night. No use letting you boys retain the title any longer than we have to.”
“You think your game is on enough to beat us?”
“Damn right it is.”
Jesse swept the remainder of the sunflower shells into the dustbin as he gave Blake a cocky grin. “Hope you sleep well tonight. Get enough rest. You know, being you’re so old and all…”
He danced out of Blake’s reach. Joel snickered and hit his brother on the arm. “Lay off him. Night, Blake. Jaxi said breakfast at seven.”
The twins slipped into the darkness toward the main floor room they still shared. Blake watched them go, caught by how much it was like hitting a time warp, seeing the house filled at every corner. Those two had been a handful as kids, but they’d turned into fine young adults.
If they didn’t want Jaxi, he would have thought even better of them.
Blah. That was sour grapes on his part. If he couldn’t have her—and he couldn’t—maybe the twins were the best thing for her. One of them. Maybe.
Blake rose and made his way downstairs. His feet seemed to stop of their own accord five paces too soon. He stared at the door of the den, closed tight. Behind those doors Jaxi would be curled up, her blonde hair draped over the pillow, body nestled in the thick comforter covering the sofa bed. She probably wore one of those baby-doll nighties, her long legs exposed, her smooth shoulders bare under thin straps of some kind of soft, shiny material. Sleeping in the room next to her the first night had been difficult, and after only a week, his desire for her had grown even stronger.
Blake bit back a growl and headed to his room. His ma needed the help but this week had been sheer hell on his body. Even now he was harder than a railway spike, the thought of Jaxi close by teasing his senses. He swore the scent of her filtered through the walls.
He stripped off his jeans and shirt, then padded toward the bathroom door. Fingers on the latch, he stilled. Oh hell, he’d nearly forgotten he couldn’t go in. As the oldest son he’d taken advantage of picking the only downstairs bedroom with an attached bathroom. But it had a connecting door to the den as well, and Jaxi had all her things in there. He stood, his hand glued to the doorknob. He wanted to enter, even hoped by some chance she’d have left the other door open, and he could torment himself with a glimpse of paradise.
Blake dragged a breath of air into his lungs in an attempt to cool his burning body. This wasn’t right. She was a guest in their home, and yet here he was, acting like a hound dog. He should be ashamed of himself.
He grabbed his travel kit from under the bed and marched down the hall toward the large shower room in the annex. He, Matt and Daniel had promised to use the larger bathroom and let Jaxi have the privacy of the other for herself.
The sound of running water met his ears and Blake stepped into the dimly lit room, wondering why his brothers had turned on only half the lights. Splashing noises echoed. Leaving his kit on the sink counter, he rounded the corner to the showers.
And froze.
The three showerheads in the open room were separated by nothing but space. Steam filtered the dim lighting into a moonshine glow.
All he saw was wet, naked skin. Jaxi’s skin. Every inch of her bare to his gaze as water poured from the middle shower, streaming in waves over her body. She faced away from him, head thrown back as she shifted to allow the water to slip over her face and down her chest. Blake, his body hot and needy, watched in a daze as the shampoo rinsed from her hair and undulated down her back, tiny bubbles racing over the curve of her waist. His gaze followed the bubbles along the gentle swell of her hips and the full curves of her ass. Her skin was pale pink from the heat of the water, faint tan lines showing on her thighs and arms.
His mouth went completely dry. Retreat. It had to happen—he had to turn and leave before she spotted him. Yet, no matter how loud his brain screamed at him, his feet remained glued in place as she slid the soap over her body. As she lifted her hands to brush her hair back from where it clung to her shoulders in white ribbons.
Blake’s cock tented his boxers as Jaxi rotated under the showerhead, turning the front of her body to his sight. Her nipples were soft. Tender, juicy pink berries crowning full, taut curves. The perfect size to fill his hands and still allow him to take her into his mouth. Water slid in rivulets over her belly and through the pale blonde curls visible at the junction of the long legs he’d fantasized about so many times. Jaxi’s eyes were closed, and she swayed as she washed, her hands slipping over her body in a way that made Blake heat to near boiling just from watching her. She hummed, quiet and low, her hips moving to the faint tune.
Guilt shot through him. He had no right to watch her, no right to invade her privacy and treat her like anything but the beautiful, caring person he knew her to be. She wasn’t his to admire.
God help him, he wanted her to be.
He swallowed hard and tried to peel his gaze away. Tried to not watch as her hands covered her breasts, then slicked over her belly in slow circles. Tried to glance away as she slipped her fingers gently through the curls covering her pussy, over her ass, washing every inch of her luscious body clean.
Blake watched, motionless and noiseless for so long he felt like a statue, every bit of his body gone as hard and rigid as his aching shaft. Indecision held him, immobilized him. The rush of blood through his veins drowned out the part of his common sense saying he needed to leave. The pounding faded everything logical and rational away in him and stripped him bare to need and desire.
His eyes needed him to stay here, to fill his brain with the vision of her glowing skin, her seductive movements. His hands needed to touch her, run over her curves in imitation of the water caressing in endless sweeps. His mouth needed to taste—not only her lips, but her breasts and the spot on her back where the skin dimpled above her ass.
He desired her. Every fiber of his being wanted to show her how much, but his conscience kept kicking his feet from under him before he could cross the room.
This was Jaxi.
He wished he had never walked down the hallway.
Jaxi opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused for a second before she noticed him standing in the steamy room like some ghostly Peeping Tom. Her quick intake of breath showed clearly enough she didn’t expect anyone, hadn’t realized she’d been putting on a show.
Now was a perfect time for him to drop his head and slip away. He couldn’t do it. She stared back at him through the mist hanging in the
air, her eyes as big as silver dollars. She bit her bottom lip, and he fought a mental battle to leave, fought to stay quiet.
Then he noticed her nipples change. Tightening even as he looked at her. Electric pulses shot through him, and his hands itched to touch her, to lift the weight of her breasts and lap at those gems that had grown erect beneath his gaze.
Jaxi turned off the water and stepped slowly toward him, head held high. She sauntered up, slippery and wet, naked as a jaybird. Her skin glowed with heat as she stopped inches away, staring unendingly with those mesmerizing grey eyes. She reached out, her naked skin brushing his shoulder. She drew back, her arm clasping a towel she’d grasped from the hook beside his head.
He thought she’d wrap herself up quick. Instead she rotated her fingers and let the towel hang as she held the fluffy fabric to him. He glanced down, saw the way her hand trembled even as she put on a bold face and kept her body motionless under his heated gaze. He reached for her, his hand moving of its own accord before his brain fully engaged.
What brain? All the blood he needed for thinking had pooled in his groin.
This was the second time she’d taken him by surprise, and he couldn’t make the same mistake. He’d been haunted since the first incident.
He couldn’t let anything happen. It wasn’t right for them to be together.
Blake withdrew his hand.
And fled.
Chapter Seven
The morning passed in a blur of activity. Jaxi cooked and cleaned with a vengeance, but deep inside a huge lump sat and burned at her innards. Blake hadn’t said good morning to her. He’d avoided her gaze at breakfast and hightailed it from the house as quick as a jackrabbit. She wasn’t sure what to do next because after she’d crawled into her bed last night she realized she’d been way out of line.
Apologize? That would be smooth. She could hear herself now. “Sorry for getting naked and hoping you’d ravish me in your parents’ house with your brothers just down the hall.”
Damn. How was she supposed to get him to make a move when they lived in the same house? With the whole family always around or popping up unexpectedly? As much as she loved his family, it was Blake she wanted.
