by C. A. Harms
“The way I look at it, Cherry is my responsibility. My daddy wanted me to make sure her training stayed on task. And with the amount of money he’s paying you to keep her here, I think that entitles me to be present whenever I see fit.” Phoebe glared at Bailey, and I was just about to tell her to get the hell out of here when Bailey surprised the shit out of me.
“Phoebe, is it?” she asked as she spun in my arms.
Phoebe nodded.
“Well, you are more than welcome to stay and observe Cherry’s training from over there.” She pointed toward the fence just at the edge of the barn. “There is a bench for observers.”
Phoebe of course shifted on her feet and placed her hand on her hip. “Who in the hell—?”
“Who am I?” she asked. “I’m Bailey, and I can assure you I have no intentions of allowing you or any other girl to intimidate me when it comes to Jackson. I am well aware of your past. I know all about the months you two spent together. We all slum on occasion.”
I almost choked at the comment, but I stood back and let my girl run free.
“Now, as I said, you can stay and observe—over there.” She pointed once again. “If you have any concerns regarding what we’re doing during training, you can save those concerns for the end, and we can go over them together. If you have a problem with any of this, then I challenge you to find someone else in the state of Montana that will tolerate your shit like Jackson does. And I challenge you to find someone who will train Cherry better than him.”
Bailey crossed her arms over her chest as I stared at her in awe. When Phoebe huffed and stalked off toward her truck, I could no longer hold back. I grabbed Bailey’s waist, pulled her to me, and backed her toward the side of the barn. Covering her mouth with mine, I pressed my erection against her.
“That was one of the sexiest damn things I have ever witnessed in my life.” Bending at the knees, I lifted Bailey, and she wrapped her legs around my waist. “Training is gonna have to wait, because right now, I need to bury myself inside my Fireball.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Bailey
“Did he put up a big fight?” Amber asked as she carried the bottle of wine into the living room.
“Yeah, but I wore him out before I left just to ensure my escape.” I wagged my eyebrows.
Alena fanned her face as if to cool her heated cheeks. “This is so unfair,” she complained, “you have Jackson, she has Ryan, and I am about ready to hump the arm on the recliner to relieve my built-up frustration.”
“Don’t you dare hump the recliner.” Amber threw a pillow at Alena, and we all giggled.
We were having a sleepover at Amber and Ryan’s. The guys had gone out, and we decided a night in would be best. It was sort of the last hoorah before the wedding. We told Olivia and Tammy to come, but they decided on driving to Jeannie’s for the weekend instead.
“So give me some details, please,” Alena pressed. “I know the Sawyer brothers are…skillful. That is obvious. You two smile entirely too much for them to be lousy in bed. So spill. Give me some juicy details.”
I looked over at Amber, and she was already staring at me. “Well,” I taunted, and her eyes grew wide. She hated when I brought up sex stories about Jackson and would always stop me before I could finish. She said it was too weird because he had become like a brother to her.
“No,” she said, shaking her head.
“Jackson does this thing with his tongue.”
Amber plugged her ears and began humming.
Alena slid farther back on the couch and crossed her legs, gripping her wineglass a little tighter. “Tell me more.”
“Let me just say he is extremely giving. And those hands of his do devilish things.” I smiled when Amber squeezed her eyes shut tightly. “Oh, don’t you dare act like Ryan doesn’t know how to give you head-spinning pleasure, Amber. I’ve seen the smile on your face after a night of sweaty sex with that cowboy.”
Amber’s cheeks reddened, but she nodded and lowered her hands form her ears. “Okay fine,” she offered. “Ryan does things that make me forget my name.”
“This night was supposed to be relaxing, damn it. But now I’m just horny as hell, and no one is around to fix it.” Alena flopped against the cushions and let her head fall back.
“We could always call Noah. I’m positive that man would be more than happy to fix you up.” I giggled when Amber began nodding in agreement.
“That man is an enigma. Seriously, what is up with him?” Alena asked, showing that she truly was interested. “He flirts like crazy, and I would be on him so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him. But he’s so hot and cold. He truly confuses me.”
“Ryan told me he had a girlfriend—well, fiancée, that truly crushed him,” Amber said. “Apparently, he was head over heels in love, and she gave him an ultimatum. She wanted to leave Livingston and he didn’t, and when he told her that, she left anyway. It was about three years ago.” Amber tipped up the wine bottle and topped off our glasses. “About a month after she left, he went after her. She moved to LA, and when he found her, she was already in the arms of another man.”
My heart instantly broke for Noah, and I suddenly felt a little different about the guy. I always thought he was the ultimate bachelor that liked the freedom of an unattached, no-expectations fling. Instead, he had chosen to never allow another woman to break his heart.
“Well, shit,” Alena whispered. “Now I just feel like crap for thinking he was a promiscuous kind of guy.”
“Me too,” I replied.
“Okay, enough of this. We’re supposed to be having fun.” Amber stood up from the couch and made her way toward the stereo. She pressed the power button and turned the music up louder and louder.
The seriousness of the situation shifted as we danced around like three drunk teenage girls.
It was an amazing, free feeling.
***
Something was tickling my cheek, and I lifted my hand to scratch it. Without opening my eyes, I settled into the couch once again.
I was just fading back into that deep darkness of sleep when that tickle began once again. I swatted at whatever it was and startled when I connected with flesh.
“Humph!”
My eyes shot open. Hovering above me was the silhouette of a man. I opened my mouth to scream only to have it covered by a large hand.
Jackson’s deep chuckles filled the room, and he buried his face in the crease of my neck.
“You asshole.” I pushed against his shoulder as I tried to slow my racing heart. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I told you she would freak,” Alena said.
Tilting my head, I looked up to find Alena and Noah staring down at me like I was some freak show.
“You’re lucky she didn’t nut-shot ya,” Noah offered. “That would have put a damper on your evening for sure.”
“Aw, Bay would have kissed it and made it all better, I’m sure,” she teased.
“Shut up, Alena, or I’ll be forced to tell the guys about your recliner fantasies.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. The two men in the room looked at her with interest, and she dove for me, placing her hand over my mouth.
“I swear I will spill all your dirty secrets, you have my word,” Alena threatened, and I giggled at how serious she was. The determined look on her face was completely ridiculous. She carefully pulled back her hand and pointed her finger at me in a final warning.
Just as she stood and took a step back, a thought ran through my mind. “Okay, I won’t say a word about the recliner.”
She nodded, looking pleased.
“But you never said I couldn’t tell Noah here that you find him intriguing and seriously confusing.” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh, and let’s not forget you stated you are severely horny and—”
The pillow came at my face so fast, I couldn’t stop it. I turned to the side, laughing at her embarrassment. Having Alena around was going to make things interesting. She was rarely ever caught off g
uard, and I had never seen her get so flustered and tongue-tied around any man.
Not until now.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Jackson
I loved Sunday mornings. It was the one morning a week I was allowed to sleep in, and with Bailey snuggled up against me, those mornings were the best. Even better, Noah and Ryan took over the ranch for the week, giving me a much-needed break.
I tried to stretch, but my arm was numb from the weight of Bailey’s body resting on it. My chest was sweaty from where her cheek lay against me, and my legs felt hot as hell from where her bare thighs were curled around them. My right arm was the only part of me I could move, but I had never been happier. Instead of trying to readjust so I could move, I curled in tighter against her, because she was so sweet and cuddly when she slept.
“Mm,” she moaned as I kissed her forehead and weaved my fingers through her hair. I smiled at her deep intake of breath. “You smell amazing,” she whispered. “I love waking up like this in the morning. It’s one of my favorite things ever.”
She didn’t have to tell me; I felt the same way.
“Let’s stay like this all day,” she added. “Hide from everyone and just cuddle.”
Another great thing about Sunday mornings was that Bailey was always in full sweet mode. It was the one morning she stayed over where she didn’t scowl at me when I woke her up. She was not the best company when you got her up before she was ready.
“That sounds good, but will there be a little bit of dirty touching involved?” I couldn’t resist asking.
She buried her head against my chest, and I felt her body shake with laughter. “There will definitely be touching involved. Because you, Jackson Sawyer, are a dirty guy, and controlling yourself is not your strong point.”
“Not when I have a hot-as-sin, naked blonde in my bed,” I replied as I allowed my hands to journey over her body. Slowly crawling on top of her, I began kissing down her neck and chest. When I reached her stomach, I skimmed my lips softly along it as she parted her legs, welcoming me to proceed with my assault. I grinned as she weaved her hands through my hair, then lowered my lips to her clit. Her hips immediately bucked, and I had to put a hand on her stomach to hold her in place.
Her cries filled the room as she raced toward her peak. Her panting and words of pleasure were so damn hot. “Oh my God, yes,” she gasped as her thighs tensed and she gripped my hair just a little tighter. I watched in amazement as she came hard while I slowly licked along her opening.
“Uncle Jack, where are you?”
I froze in place, and Bailey’s eyes widened in shock. We both hurried to gather sheets, clothes, anything to cover our naked bodies.
Bailey laughed as she stared at my waist. I looked down to find I was still hard as a rock, and trying to tuck my dick into a pair of jeans I found on the floor was impossible.
“Get up, lazyass,” Olivia hollered. She was getting closer.
Okay, I couldn’t be mad at the kid. Usually Bailey’s Jeep would be in the driveway, but last night after dinner, I just drove us straight here. And since it wasn’t in the driveway, Olivia had probably thought I was alone.
Knocking filled the room, and there I stood with a case of blue balls from hell as Bailey struggled to untangle her shirt she’d worn last night.
“I’m awake. I’ll be right out,” I hollered back, and then a silence set in. Bailey and I both stared at the door in silence as well. Bailey had one arm inside her shirt as she clung to the sheet gathered in her hand to cover her bare chest.
“Liv?” I said, because I hadn’t heard another peep out of her; no movement or even a shuffle of feet.
“Please tell me this red bra hanging on your door handle belongs to Bailey, because if it doesn’t, I swear I will run you over with your own truck.”
I cocked an eyebrow and looked over at Bailey, who was now burying her face in a pillow, shaking with laughter.
I walked toward the bedroom door and opened it up just enough to peek out at Olivia. “Run me over, huh?” I asked.
She of course said not a damn word. Only narrowed her eyes at me and held up the lacy, red bra dangling off one finger as she pressed her lips into a tight line.
I stepped back and allowed her to look past me at Bailey, who was still in bed and still laughing at Liv’s threat. She looked up and gave Liv a thumbs-up as tears ran down her face. “That was great, Liv. Thanks for having my back.”
I looked between the two of them and shook my head. All this damn excitement had ruined my earlier state of arousal. Stepping out of the room, I hooked my arm around my niece’s shoulders and led her toward the kitchen. “You honestly think I would have another woman in my room, in my home for that matter?”
“Nope, I knew it was Bailey. I saw her killer boots by the front door. I just didn’t want you horn dogs to keep me waiting any longer. From what I hear, you two can get loud, and my young ears don’t need to hear that.” She grabbed an apple from the basket on the snack bar and shined it on her shirt.
All I could do was stare at her, because she seriously was gonna keep some guy on his toes one day. After he passed the tests I knew Ryan, Noah, and myself were sure to put him through. Poor guy better be prepared for a mental beatdown if he wanted to have a future with my niece. An interrogation from the CIA would be a cakewalk compared to what he would go through with us.
“So what was so pressing that you had to drag my ass out of bed on a Sunday morning for?” I asked as I started the coffee I knew Bailey would make a beeline for the moment she made it to the kitchen.
“I need you to teach me to drive.”
“Seriously?”
She shrugged. “Yep. Dad is an awful teacher, and he only lets me go like twenty-five miles per hour. Amber said she would teach me, but Dad of course said no. Apparently, she and I have the radio too loud when she’s driving, and he doesn’t trust her instincts. Oh, and the fact she hit the corner of the garage again last night with his truck, I guess that didn’t help.”
Amber was a terrible driver. I couldn’t blame Ryan there.
“Uncle Noah is all, “Your hands need to be positioned at ten and two, Liv. You need to yield. One hundred yards from the stop sign, blah blah,’” she said in her best Noah impersonation, and I had to admit it was pretty damn good. “So I chose you, and Dad did not argue. Apparently, you are a pretty badass driver.” She took a bite of her apple. “But he said not to tell you he admitted that. So keep that part hush-hush.”
I chuckled, then stepped closer and pulled her into one helluva hug, because she was one of the best damn kids ever.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bailey
“Are you ready for this?” I asked Amber.
She looked up at me, her eyes glossy, and nodded, probably because she was too terrified to speak or of bursting into tears, and we were both fearful of ruining her makeup.
Her mother called last night to tell her that she was in Jamaica and decided to stay another week with her newest boy toy. Some twentysomething-year-old she met at some club. How a guy that age got wrapped up with a woman like her was a puzzle I would never be able to solve.
I knew Amber wished her father was here. My parents had flown in for this occasion, and to say I was surprised to see them was an understatement. I mean, Amber had extended the invite, but I truly thought they would be unable to attend.
The biggest shocker, though, was to see the difference in my mother. Her coloring was so much better than before, and she looked full of life instead of drained of it. And my father was actually affectionate toward her, keeping a hand on the small of her back as he guided her around. The look I used to see in his eyes when he watched her from across the room was back. They reminded me of how they were when I was younger, and looking at them gave me hope. It was almost impossible not to tear up at how far they had come in such a short time.
I no longer felt as if leaving Chicago to come back to Montana was a mistake. I now believed it was the bes
t thing I could have done, because it forced my parents to rely on one another, and when they did, they were finally able to heal from the past.
With all the joy that had filled my life recently, I couldn’t allow my best friend to be saddened by her parents on her wedding day. Her mother was obviously a lost cause, but her father was a different story. Just two days ago, I sat on Jackson’s back porch and made one of my “Bailey takes charge” phone calls. I still remember the look on Jackson’s face when I told Amber’s father he was a shit excuse for a parent. By the time I told him his lack of love for his daughter made him just as bad as Carla, Jackson was leaning forward in his chair, grinning brightly. And when I finally broke down in tears over the pain I knew Amber was feeling, her father became silent.
“She needs you,” I told him. “You should be the man walking her down the aisle. Amber deserves that from you, and she should not have to beg for it. She shouldn’t even have to ask. You should just get on that goddamn plane and be here.”
My words must have hit home, because this morning he arrived in town. Between that and my happiness for Amber and Ryan, I was fearful we were just about to ruin our makeup.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Amber asked.
“Like what?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You’re looking at me like you think I am about to lose it. I’m not, I promise,” she assured me.
“I’m pretty sure you’re gonna lose it.” I nodded and grinned at her.
“What did you do?” Amber placed her hands on her hips, and I bit my upper lip to keep from smiling. I stepped back from her slowly, twisted the handle on the door, and pushed it open. I knew the moment her father came into view, because her eyes grew wide in shock.
When he stepped inside, I shut the door so Ryan couldn’t walk by and see her. We were getting ready in Tammy’s bedroom, and the guys were getting dressed on the other end of his parents’ home so the bride and groom wouldn’t risk seeing each other.
