“Shut the hell up,” he grumbled to his brother. “I’d like to see you go any faster.”
“Get your ass down then and I’ll show you how it’s done,” Kaleb taunted.
Didn’t need to tell him twice. Without further ado, Sawyer scrambled down the ladder and Vanna White’d his hands toward the ladder as a gesture for his brother to take over.
Instead of standing around to supervise, Sawyer ventured to the stack of boxes that Brendon and Braydon had just brought out. Originally, when he’d snagged Kaleb and their father to join him outside, he had thought they were just going to have to plug up the eight foot tall inflatable Santa Claus that his mother adored. Instead, he’d somehow been talked into the rest of the lights which meant the rest of his evening was shot.
Not that he had any plans anyway. Unless he considered heading out to Moonshiners for the night. Or maybe the bar in the neighboring town. Either way, the only positive on his horizon at the moment was the potential for sex. Considering it was going to be the normal routine of picking up a woman, taking her back to his place or going to hers – which he preferred because he could get away easier – and then either waking up alone, or waking up to find he needed to break some woman’s heart and send her on her way.
That seemed to be the story of his life these days.
Unless…
Nope, there was no reason to go there. If Kennedy Endsley would give him half a chance, he’d be more than willing to substantiate those rumors she’d heard about him. Because yes, he was known as the fun-loving playboy, and he’d rightfully earned that title, thank you very much. Then again, that seemed to be her hang up with him. Or so she said.
Not that he was proud – ok, maybe he was a little proud. Even if that did make him a horn dog. That was life. He had no complaints at the moment. His family was all in good health, the resort was about a month and a half from being complete, Walker Demolition, despite the neglect they’d been giving that company, was still thriving, and he wouldn’t have to spend a night alone if he didn’t want to.
It wasn’t like he needed any more than that. And, as was his motto, he was certainly going to continue to look on the bright side.
♂♀
Kaleb
Watching Sawyer teeter back and forth on the ladder was amusing, but boring as hell. Knowing that he would gladly hand over the task of stringing up the lights, Kaleb continued to rib him until he gave up. And what do you know, twenty minutes later, Kaleb was finished, three strands of lights hanging effortlessly across the front of the house.
“Who’s gonna turn these on?” he hollered toward the twins who were propped on the front porch railing, dangling their feet down one side while they chatted it up like a couple of cackling hens.
“Last time I checked, your legs weren’t broken,” Brendon snapped, laughing. Of course, his comeback was followed by him jumping off of the rail to shove the plug into the wall socket on the porch.
A fit of laughter erupted behind him, and Kaleb turned to see Sawyer nearly rolling on the ground, Zane moving in behind him with a satisfied grin on his face.
Fuck.
Ok, so maybe he should’ve plugged the damn things up to see if they worked first.
“How many strands are out this time?” Ethan called as he made his way around from the side of the house.
“Looks like half of them. That’s better than last year, right?” Braydon answered, moving out from under the porch to stand beside Sawyer.
Kaleb stared up at the roofline, smiling. This he could fix, just like he did every year. Then again, he didn’t mind entertaining his brothers, and they’d come to expect him to put the lights up half lit anyway.
“I’m ready for any one of you assholes to volunteer to do this anytime you’d like,” Kaleb retorted, trying to conceal his own amusement.
About that time, Beau, Travis and Gage made their appearance from around the back of the house with Curtis not far behind. Another round of laughter along with some snide comments about consistency. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
“Get me a strand that works, would ya?” Kaleb called out to anyone who was willing to listen. The twins were the first to move, but that didn’t surprise him, those boys had more energy than the crowded toy aisle at Walmart before Christmas.
After fifteen minutes and a round of this is how it should be done’s later, Kaleb was once again climbing down the ladder.
“You did good, boy,” Curtis said approvingly, slapping Kaleb on the back.
“Thanks,” he told his father. “Next year, get one of them to do the hard stuff, would ya?”
Curtis laughed, knowing that ever since Kaleb had been old enough to climb a ladder, he’d been the one to vie for the opportunity to hang the Christmas lights. This year was no different.
That thought had his mind wandering to his own house. How in the world was he going to hang lights on it? Perusing the faces of his brothers and their friends, Kaleb grinned. He’d have to come up with a plan because if he knew his wife, and he certainly did, she was going to want to outdo the rest of the neighborhood when it came to her decorations.
Speaking of his wife…
Zoey came strolling across the front yard, a beaming smile on her face. She didn’t stop until she was pressed up against his side, her arm around his lower back as she stared up at the lights. Since the days were shorter, it was dark enough that the reds and greens and yellows lit up the roofline and twinkled nicely in the darkness.
“Very nice,” she said with the same approval in her tone as his father had.
“Yeah?” Leaning down he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Think you might want to reward me later?” he asked, making sure to keep his voice low enough that the others couldn’t hear.
“Hmmm, that depends,” she answered quickly.
“On?”
“How good you can be later?”
Kaleb chuckled, pulling Zoey closer against his side. The woman sure knew how to keep him in line.
♀♂
Zoey
Standing in the front yard of her in-laws house, the festive holiday decorations the only light to see by, Zoey felt a sense of enlightenment. Things were good in her world. This was her family, and even listening to seven grown men fuss for hours about doing work that they hadn’t even had to be asked to do, this was one of those days she was thankful for. Thanksgiving was certainly a fitting name for the holiday.
Although her father had refused to come to dinner, using the excuse that he wasn’t up to being around people, Zoey knew she would get to spend some time with him soon when she took the leftovers that Lorrie had packaged up over to his little guest house.
And then, after they spent some time together, she’d have Kaleb all to herself for the night.
“Are you cold?” Kaleb asked, chafing her arm with his hand as he cuddled her closer to his side.
The night was brisk, but not unbearable and being seven months pregnant, she actually welcomed the change in weather. Seemed hot flashes – or the pregnancy equivalent – were something to be dealt with so she’d take the relief any way she could get it. “Nope, I’m good,” she reassured him.
“What’s left to do?” Kaleb called out to the men standing around.
“Go home,” Zane answered.
Based on the way V was watching him, Zoey knew her best friend was eager to take him home. Not that she could blame them. She was actually quite interested in getting back to her house as well. Some quiet time with her husband sounded like heaven at the moment.
“Grab the empty boxes and let’s get them back up to the attic,” Travis instructed, ever the drill sergeant.
“Yes, sir,” Brendon said with a salute.
Travis brushed him off and moved to grab one of the boxes as Gage, Beau, Sawyer and Curtis all fell into step alongside him.
“So, when are y’all coming to my house to do the same thing?” Kaleb asked, sliding his hand into Zoey’s.
Looking up at her husband, sh
e smiled. As they fell into step with the other, she said, “I’ll make chili and cornbread if y’all will say yes.”
To her surprise, despite the enormous dinner they’d finished a short while ago, all of the men within earshot agreed. Of course they did. They were men. The best way to get them to do what you wanted was to bribe them with a home cooked meal.
“Deal. When?” Sawyer asked, stopping to allow Zoey and Kaleb to catch up.
“This weekend?” Kaleb asked.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll bring the beer if your woman’s got the chili.”
When they made their way back inside the house, they were greeted by a rumble of conversation as everyone said their goodbyes.
“Thank you so much for dinner,” Zoey told Lorrie as the older woman pulled her in for a squeeze.
“My pleasure, honey,” Lorrie replied. “And don’t forget to tell your father he doesn’t have a choice for Christmas. I’ll come over and pull him out of his house myself if I have to.”
“She’ll do it, too,” Curtis groaned as he patted Zoey’s shoulder. He was careful with her, and he claimed it was because she was fragile in her pregnant state, but she knew Curtis didn’t know what to do with girls, considering he’d raised seven strapping boys.
“Oh, I know she will,” Zoey told him. “But don’t you worry, I’ll bring him this,” she said as she held up a large Tupperware container, “and I’ll tell him at the same time. He won’t be able to refuse.”
“We’re looking forward to it,” Lorrie said with a smile. “If you need anything at all, just give me a call.”
“Absolutely. And the same goes with y’all,” she reminded them. “Oh, and one more thing,” Zoey added. “Do you mind if I help with Christmas dinner? I’m not the best cook in the world, but I’d love to come over and help.”
The way Lorrie’s crystal blue eyes brightened had tears forming in Zoey’s eyes. Damned pregnancy hormones.
“Honey, I’d love that.” Before Zoey knew what was happening, Lorrie threw her arms around her, pulling her close once more.
Refusing to cry, because, well, because she would look like an overemotional wreck, Zoey took a step back and grabbed Kaleb’s hand. “All right, well, I’ve got to get him home so he can figure out how to put my Christmas decorations up.”
And just like she expected, Kaleb groaned.
Little did he know, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. There was something to be said about bribing a man to do the hard work. And with him, she knew food wasn’t the easiest way to get him to comply.
Chapter Three
♂♀
Zane
“What’d you think?” Zane asked after he and V had jumped in his Jeep for the short ride back to their house situated on his parents’ land.
“About what?”
“The tree. Good grief, woman. What’ve you been doing all day?” He laughed.
Pulling up close to the house, Zane parked and then hopped out. He was in a hurry to get inside, but it didn’t have anything to do with the temperature. The weather was surprisingly mild for November, but then again, this was Texas, so cold weather didn’t normally infiltrate their neck of the woods until a little later in the year.
“Awww, did you need a pat on the back, Zane Walker? Or maybe a cookie for being such a good boy?” V teased as they made their way up the steps.
Pushing open the door, he rushed her inside as she stared back at him like he was crazy.
And he was.
Crazy mad with lust.
Watching her all day, unable to run his hands all over her sweet body but wanting to sneak her off and make her scream his name had been pure and utter hell.
Looking at V, he kept his expression serious as he said, “I’ll take the cookie.”
Shutting the door behind him, Zane stalked her farther into the house, his body humming with the need to get inside of her. He would’ve thought that the more time that passed, his craving for her would subside. Quite the opposite actually. Zane found that every single day he wanted her with a renewed hunger.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her eyes wide, a knowing smile on her lips.
“I’m pretty sure you just promised me a cookie,” he said, pursuing her across the main living area. “And I automatically assumed that cookie was a code word for…” He let the sentence hang, she could fill in the blanks.
V continued walking backward until her butt ran smack into the pool table in the far corner of the wide open space.
“Mmmm,” she moaned when he trapped her between his body and the unmoving pool table. He pressed up against her, their bodies touching knee to chest, his cock heavy and aching as he ground himself intimately between her thighs. “Why does it always lead right back to this pool table?”
“Because you’re so fucking hot laid out on it,” he explained, his wandering hands taking on a life of their own, deftly slipping her sweater up and over her head. “Damn, I like this one,” he said, referring to the red and black bra that she wore on rare occasions, usually when she wanted to get him all worked up.
At this point, she could’ve been wearing plain cotton underwear, and he wouldn’t give a damn. The goods were what was underneath all that satin and lace.
“I knew you did,” she whispered, slipping her hands into his hair and pulling his face closer to hers. When her lips were hovering mere inches from his, she whispered, “You should see the other piece that matches it.”
Tease.
Zane pressed his nose to hers and smiled. “I fully intend to.”
Lifting her easily, he helped her to sit on the edge of the pool table and proceeded to pull off her boots. When she was left with only the bra, her skirt, and the secret she hid beneath, he took a minute to stare at her.
“What’re you waiting for?” she questioned, her eyes bright with a familiar glimmering passion.
“Can’t a man just enjoy the view every once in a while?”
V pretended to consider him, grinning. And then the little minx spread her legs farther apart and leaned back, using her hands to prop herself up. The position gave him a little peek beneath her skirt. He stepped between her thighs, forcing them open even more as he pushed the skirt up high on her trim thighs, revealing the little red panties with the tiny black bows on the side. He wanted to pull them off with his teeth, but then again, this was one of her favorite sets – not to mention one of his too – so he knew he had to be gentle until he got her fully naked.
“Lay back and lift your hips,” he demanded, his eyes never straying from between her thighs, the damp fabric of her panties making him even crazier. He had half a mind to just end his suffering and drive his iron hard cock right into her, but from what he’d learned, this was less about speed and more about making her squirm. He wanted to savor her, to feast on her for a while and listen as she screamed her pleasure.
“Pushy cowboy,” V teased.
“Damn straight.” Leaning over her as he stood between her legs, Zane kissed her lips lightly, and helped her to ease down onto her back. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about.”
Sweeping the skirt down her legs, he had her nearly naked in seconds. Locking his gaze to hers, Zane flattened his palms on her thighs and ran them up her legs before sliding his index fingers beneath her panties – one on each side of her smooth, bare pussy lips.
“Damn, baby,” he growled. “You’re wet.”
“What did you expect?” she asked, her lids lowered, her sharp inhale a telling sign that he was doing something right.
When she tried to move closer to his fingers, he pressed his palms against her thighs to hold her in place.
“Oh, no you don’t. In case you don’t remember, I didn’t have dessert yet, and you promised me a cookie.”
“That’s your fault. If I recall correctly, dessert was served a little while ago.” V’s eyes opened wide, her mouth continuing to move, but Zane was focused on sliding his fingers through her slick heat, teasing her clit delic
ately.
He kept up the gentle torture until she bowed her back, her breasts thrusting up toward the ceiling as she moaned loud enough to wake the neighbors.
God, he fucking loved when she did that.
Luckily, they didn’t have neighbors.
“Do you like that?”
“God, yes,” she groaned, her hips undulating beneath his hands.
“How about this?” he asked as he slipped one finger inside her tight pussy, teasing lightly with a back and forth motion.
“Zane!” His name spilled from her lips in at least four syllables, and he couldn’t hide the smile.
“That wasn’t enough?” Pushing the index finger of his other hand inside her pussy, alongside the first, he watched as V writhed and moaned, her hands reaching out to try and grab something, but there was nothing within reach.
Slipping his fingers out, he quickly pulled her panties down her legs, letting them flutter to the floor beneath him before he leaned in and placed a tender kiss to her clit.
“Oh…” V whispered, her body stilling instantly, giving Zane the perfect opportunity to drag his tongue back and forth over the hardened nub.
“Spread your legs more for me, baby. I need to use my hands, so you’ll have to keep them open for me,” Zane insisted, keeping his palms flat against her thighs until she did exactly as instructed. “That’s my girl.”
With full use of his hands once again, Zane separated her slick folds, letting his breath feather against the sensitive tissue until she was once again trying to get closer to his mouth.
“Please,” she begged.
“Please what?”
“Lick me.”
He loved that about V. She wasn’t scared to ask for what she wanted.
“Where?”
“My pussy. Damn it, Zane. Lick my pussy!”
“Yes, ma’am. No need to be so bossy,” he said with a laugh before diving in, his tongue sliding through her soft, warm folds, testing the sensitivity before he plunged in deep, using his thumb to torment her clit as he fucked her with his tongue.
“Zane! Oh, fuck!”
Holidays With the Walker Brothers Page 2
