by BJ Harvey
“Okay… so that leaves painting the ceiling or landscaping?”
Jase and Ezra exchange a look. “Landscaping, sure,” Jase says, “but you can’t stay on-site.”
“What?”
“You need to move out till the inspector clears us and lifts the stop order.”
“Fuck!” I mutter, shaking my head and staring out the window over Ezra’s shoulder. “Guess I’m staying with Mom and Dad then.”
“You can if you want, but it’s too far from site, and it’ll mess with your head moving back home and dodging Marcy and Rick’s ‘arguments.’ My guest room is yours for as long as you need it.” Ezra to the rescue.
“Thanks.”
Our food arrives, and thankfully, it serves as a much-needed distraction from the project woes.
“So how was your date?” Ezra waggles his brows at me over the top of the coffee cup perched against his lower lips.
“Date? What date?” Jase asks with his mouth full of pancakes. He thankfully swallows before continuing. “Who with?”
Ezra and his shit-eating grin get in before I do. “The neighbor.”
“Wait, you know her name now?” Jase asks, his lips twitching.
Fuck, my friends are hilarious.
“Yes, it’s April,” I reply to Jase before turning to Ez. “And yes, the date was good.”
“So, where’d you go?” Jase asks in a singsong voice. “And what base did you get to?”
My lips twitch, and it becomes impossible not to laugh at his idiot routine. “What are you, fourteen?”
He shrugs, shoveling more food into his mouth. I answer anyway, knowing Ezra will want to know too. “Dinner was good.”
“You mean you didn’t kill each other within the first thirty minutes?” he muses.
“No,” I deadpan. “It was nice. We went to—”
“Let me guess—Mexican?” Ez says with a snort.
“What’s wrong with Mexican? Better than your wife insisting you always go to the same Italian restaurant for the same Tiramisu every single time,” Jase groans. I chuckle because Abi and her friends—including Jase’s wife, Natalie—rave about that dessert every chance they get.
“So, you didn’t kill each other. She made it home in one piece, and you seem to be intact. Does that mean it really did go well?” Ez asks.
I quirk a brow at my best friend. “You’re doubting me?”
Ez holds one hand up in surrender. “No need to get defensive.”
“With that kind of tension, I’m guessing the date didn’t finish with a happy ending,” Jase adds.
I shake my head. “Not all of us have a future wife who jumps us ten minutes into the first date.”
Jase grins. “I’ll have you know it was halfway through the first period of a Blackhawks game.”
Ezra’s mouth drops open as he stares in wonder at our site foreman. “Lucky fuck,” he grumbles.
“My wife is one of a kind, my friend. She knew I was a catch the second she laid eyes on me.”
“And has she had her eyes checked yet?”
I laugh at Ezra’s retort, especially when Jase flips him the bird in response.
“When’s the next date then?” Jase asks me, returning the conversation to April.
“I was thinking golf next weekend.”
“With us guys?” Ezra asks, his eyes almost bugging out of his head. “But that’s…”
“Such a cool idea,” Jase says, nodding a bit too enthusiastically.
“Are you trying to scare her off?” Ezra splutters.
My head jerks back. “Fuck no. That’s the last thing I want to happen.”
“Honestly, Nat and I had a double date with Matt and Mia that first time, and now look at us,” Jase says, beaming with newlywed happiness.
“I thought Matt and Mia didn’t even like each other at that stage,” I ask him with a raised brow.
Jase shakes his head. “Oh they didn’t, but that’s no different to you and April, right?”
I grab my coffee and take a long sip, both men’s eyes watching me expectantly.
“You like her.” That’s Ezra, sounding impressed.
Jase leans back in his chair, eying me up and down. “Wonders will never cease.”
“Thanks for the support,” I snide.
“No, this is good.” Ez smiles and nods, and now I’m even more confused at this weirdly happy side of him. “Who are you and what have you done with Ezra?”
Ez throws his head back and laughs. Then he hits me with the honesty stick. “You need a woman who keeps you on your toes and who isn’t afraid to call you on your shit.”
“My shit?” I ask, my brows almost reaching my hairline.
“Yeah. Guy shit. We all have it, and we need a woman who doesn’t let us get away with it. That’s when you know you’ve met the right one.” Ezra’s expression turns serious. “And we all know your ex was so not that.”
“‘She who won’t be named,’ you mean,” Jase says with a laugh, adding air quotes.
We’re all chuckling by the time the waitress returns with our bill.
“You can have this one,” I say to Ezra, pushing the folder his way. “Call it payment for putting up with your smartass mouth.”
“But that’s not what you said about my mouth last night,” he replies loudly.
“Ha fucking ha.”
We walk along the sidewalk towards our vehicles, and stop at Ezra’s car since it’s the closest. “Do you really think golf is a bad idea?” I ask
“No,” Jase answers immediately. “But I better go and get everything ordered for Monday.” With a wave, he turns his back and walks down the sidewalk away from us.
Ezra leans against the roof of his car and studies me. “Do you like her, like her?”
“Yeah. Quite a lot actually. I know it’s fast but—”
He nods. “I’d say no if you weren’t sure about how you were feeling, but if you know this is going somewhere, then yes, bring her to golf.”
My head jerks back, my brain hurting at the change of tack. “Really?”
“Would I steer you wrong?”
I laugh. “Well, there was that time—”
“I mean now, asshole.” His smirk belies his words.
“Then no.”
He opens his car door and lightly knocks his fist on the roof. “Then believe me. If you want April to know that you’re a) in to her and b) see this going somewhere, then taking her to your boy’s night out at the driving range will achieve that.”
I nod, unable to argue with his logic.
“Let yourself in whenever you like. I’ll be in the office till mid-afternoon, then I’ll meet you at my place,” Ez adds.
“No hot date?”
“You know I’d never step out on you, big daddy,” he says, blowing me a kiss and disappearing into his car just as I burst out laughing.
They say you can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends. Ezra continues to prove that he was one of the best damn choices I ever made.
14
Jamie
TUESDAY
April: Cohen gave me a weird look today when doing a patient handover. I couldn’t work it out until he looked at my neck. Care to guess what he saw?
Jamie: Jamie can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because he’s laughing too hard.
Jamie: Also, want me to beat him up? I don’t need an excuse, but at least if you say yes, it’s a good motive to tell Mom.
April: Or you can try and control your inner vampire next time you attack my neck against the back of your house.
Jamie: You attacked me first.
April: Tomatoes, tomahtoes…
Wednesday
April: Did the inspection go well?
Jamie: Yes! Thank God. Now I can move back in and forgo sleep to make up for lost time.
April: Let me know if you want some help. I’ve been known to be a killer when wielding a paintbrush.
Jamie: Thank you. Maybe you can come over and show
me your skills ;)
April: Somehow, I don’t think we’re talking about painting.
Jamie: So, paintbrush wasn’t a euphemism?
Thursday
April: I saw a really hot contractor walking into your house today. Do you know if he’s single?
Jamie: I’ve heard you have a thing for men who work with their hands.
April: Yeah, my masseuse Pablo does amazing work with his hands and fingers. All over my body, in fact.
Jamie: Do I need to break down your door and prove to you just whose hands you should be thinking about?
April: Oh, I have been thinking about your hands too. Surprised you couldn’t hear me through the wall last night.
Jamie: KILLING me here.
April: Oh, look, I have to get back to work. Talk soon.
Friday
Jamie: Would it be completely selfish of me to suggest you sneak over before work just so I can kiss you?
April: Kiss me or maul me? Because the difference between the two determines the likelihood of me escaping the house unnoticed.
Jamie: Can’t you say you’re coming over to help me with something?
April: Then your mini employee would insist he come over to help as well.
Jamie: I guess I can wait until our date tomorrow. Just know it’s not my first choice. I’d much rather see you tonight.
April: I have to go in early to cover for a friend. The anticipation will do you good.
Jamie: The anticipation has been building since 2.5 seconds after I last saw you.
April: You can’t say things like that when I’m about to have a shower. My hot water won’t last as long as I need it to.
Jamie: Not helping, lovely.
April: I would help if I were there.
Jamie: I’m banging my head against the wall now.
April: Not as good as other banging, but don’t hurt yourself. I have plans for you tomorrow night.
Jamie: See you tomorrow. If you find yourself wanting to come over earlier for a tour, I won’t complain.
April: Duly noted.
Jamie: Have a good night at work.
April: Have a good night thinking about what you might get to do to me tomorrow ;)
The woman is wicked. She was right about anticipation, except for the fact it’s now Saturday afternoon, and I already want to ditch our driving-range plans and stay in. I may not have furniture, a kitchen, or a proper bed, but I can make the rustic, minimalist look seem romantic, right?
However, as much as my body would love that, April is not going to be another notch on my bedpost. Not just because I don’t technically have a bedpost right now, but because this thing between us is not just about the amazing chemistry we’ve got going on. I respect her. I’m of the impression that April hasn’t given herself the time to get out there after her last relationship, let alone jump into bed with just anyone.
The respect she has for the life she’s built, and the people important to her is admirable and inspiring because I too have the same values. Family is paramount, and the woman I want to spend my life with needs to believe the same thing. It’s one of the reasons I want April to meet Ezra and my brothers. It should scare me, but I want Mom and Dad to meet her too, and for them to meet Axel and Betty. Almost five weeks and only one date, I already feel something for her, and you’d think after putting my trust and future plans in the wrong woman just seven months ago, I’d be running in the opposite direction of a relationship. Not this time. Not this woman. There’s no way I can ignore just how right it feels when I touch her, when we talk, when I kiss her and taste her on my tongue.
I’m lost in thought when there’s a knock at my door. A quick glance at my phone shows that it’s too early to be April… unless she’s come over for the “tour.”
With a wicked smile, I move to the door and swing it open, coming face-to-face with a gorgeous-looking April in skin-tight, painted-on jeans… and a near-bouncing Axel with a container full of muffins in his hand.
“Hey, buddy. How are you today?”
“I’m good. I heard Mommy tell Gran she was coming for a tour of the house so I asked if I could bring my boss some of her muffins.” He holds up the container, and I take it out of his hands.
“Thank you, Axel. The boss would love a muffin.” I tilt my head and eye him suspiciously. His proud grin is contagious. “But I always share with my workers, and lucky for you,” I say, making a show of looking over my shoulder at the empty room, “you’re the only worker here. Do you know what that means?”
“More for me,” he shrieks, grabbing the muffins and running past me and into the house. April steps forward to come in, but knowing I probably have five seconds to get what I want, I wrap my hand around the edge of the door, closing it behind me enough to block us from Axel’s view. April’s eyes soften when I close the distance between us, run my fingers through the loose hair at her temple, and slide them down to the back of her neck, then dip my mouth to brush gently against hers.
“So, this is a group tour now?” I whisper.
She slowly opens her eyes, her lips twitching with amusement. ”Could you turn down that cute little face? He totally knows what he’s doing to me when he pulls the puppy-dog look.”
My mouth quirks up. “Would that work for me?”
She runs her hand down my chest, around my hip and lower, grabbing my ass. “Maybe, but just knowing you’re around and that I get to do this”—she flexes her fingers, tightening her grip and definitely getting my cock interested—”makes me putty in your hands.”
I steal one last kiss before pressing my lips to the hinge of her jaw. “When you’re in my hands, the last thing I’m going to be thinking about is putty.”
“Guys! Are you coming in or what?” Axel calls out from inside.
“My dictator awaits,” she says quietly, her eyes hooded and focused on my mouth. “But I reserve the right to continue this discussion later.” She glides her hands back to her side before squeezing her body against mine achingly slowly as she passes by me to get into the house.
“You bet your ass you will,” I mutter, stepping back and closing the door.
After two muffins—Axel made me—I give them both a tour of the house and the progress we’ve made so far before leading them outside and explaining the plans for the garage and backyard.
April and I walk into the driving range hand in hand. If the wide eyes of Gabe behind the counter as I pay our fees are anything to go by, the boys aren’t going to make this night easy for me. Then again, I’ve known those fuckers their whole lives and Ezra almost as long, so I would never have expected anything less.
Gabe doesn’t say a word though—just hands me my receipt and wishes us both a good night. A few minutes later, we emerge out of the stairwell onto the upper deck—the only level we play on—and I spot the guys straight away.
“They’re gonna give me shit,” I say as we walk towards the guys.
“I like them already,” she replies.
“They’ll probably give you shit, too.”
“Still don’t see the problem.”
“They’re almost as protective of me as I am of them.”
“And that’s one of my favorite qualities of yours.”
That literally stops me in my tracks. I tug on her arm as I turn to face her, pulling her hard against my body. She must read my intention because this time she initiates the kiss. It’s not a respectable peck though; she dives straight on in there, lifting up on her toes and crashing her lips against mine.
“Get a room,” Jaxon yells out.
“You should charge tickets for that.” That was definitely Bryant.
“Where’s my video camera?” That one I’m not too sure about.
I lift my head to see April grinning up at me, her hand moving around to rub her thumb over my bottom lip. She goes to step back, but I tighten my grip on her waist, holding her in place. She quirks a brow, a flex of my pelvis earning a knowing smirk.
“Oh,�
� she whispers.
I shoot her a sardonic smile. “Mmhmm,” I say, my gaze narrowing when she starts giggling.
She tries to wriggle from my grasp. “I was just going to—”
“You’re gonna stay here until I’m at least half-mast. I won’t live it down otherwise.
She tilts her head. “And you think standing here with my girl bits against your hard boy bits is going to help your situation?” She bites her lip, and it takes every ounce of control not to kiss her and bite that lip myself.
A minute later, I’ve willed myself down so that certain things are not as obvious, and we finish the short walk to where Ezra and my brothers have set themselves up, April struggling and failing to stop giggling at my predicament.
“You’re so gonna pay for that,” I mutter under my breath
“That’s what I’m banking on.”
“Hey, old man. Where did you pick up this teenager?” Jax says, coming up to us and shaking my hand. “If she likes Cook men, she might like a younger model,” he adds suggestively. A growl vibrates in my chest, but Jax ignores me.
“He told me he had twin brothers,” April says, taking his hand and shaking it, then jerking back when he goes to lift it to his mouth. “Jamie has told me so much about you.”
Jaxon’s head rocks back, his eyes wide. ”He has?”
“You’re Bryant, right? Your brother can’t stop saying how you’re his favorite. He said Jax was a cocky little shit who would probably try and steal me away.”
I have never seen Jaxon speechless… until right now. April being April, she struggles to hold a straight face, and I look down just in time to see her lose it, a giggle escaping her lips when she does. I pull her into my side and kiss her quickly when she tilts her head my way.
“Brilliant,” I say.
“You mean that’s not Bryant? Oh no,” she says, dramatically feigning regret.
“I always knew I was his favorite,” the real Bryant muses, stepping forward and shoulder-bumping Jax out of the way. “I’m Bryant. Excuse Jax, he suffered in the womb because of the size of his ego.”
