by Candis Terry
“Abby’s not helping,” Jackson, the stressed-out papa-to-be declared. “She can sit and point, but that’s it.”
“Charli said she’d be here as soon as she closed up shop and dropped Adeline off at Fiona’s,” Reno said by way of explanation of why his wife was absent.
“Fiona’s going to have her hands full of kids by the time the day is over,” Jake said. “Good thing she owns a cupcake shop to keep them satisfied.”
Reno laughed. “In case you haven’t noticed, Adeline hasn’t moved beyond breast milk yet.”
“Nope.” Jake quickly shook his head. “Haven’t noticed.”
“Good thing, or I’d have to kick your ass.” Reno hooked his arm around Jake’s neck even though Jake was a few inches taller. Reno was the oldest, and Jake gave him his due.
Silly entertainment, ridiculous arguments, and comfort from the heart. That’s what his family gave him. And it was the thing he’d probably missed the most all the months he’d been away from them.
It felt good to be home.
Sadly, that small amount of joy he allowed into his soul felt like a punishment because he knew Eli had brothers too. And those brothers must miss him like hell. Jake knew that grief because he’d lost his own big brother. But he’d never felt the pain from the personal responsibility of the loss of someone’s life before.
Anguish burned in his gut, and the only thing that brought his happy back was looking at Annie as she got out of her car wearing braids, boots, a pair of cutoff jeans, and a little pink tank top that read YOU’RE ONLY IN TROUBLE IF YOU GET CAUGHT.
Jake had to check his oil before he scooped her up in his arms and gave everything away. He didn’t intend to get caught. He just planned to enjoy the hell out of the sexy woman before she figured out he was ten times crazy and as unsalvageable as the Titanic.
Jackson opened Abby’s door and helped her from the car. The last thing Jake heard before Jackson helped her waddle into the house was, “I don’t care if I’m having your baby. You’re not the boss of me, Jackson Wilder.”
Jake laughed. Seemed those words were familiar around the Morgan women. Annie had used the same ones on him back at the creek. Good thing he gave in and let her take control, or they’d still be dancing around each other. He liked things much better the way they were. Dancing, he was no good at. Making love was another matter.
Annie came up to him like a ray of sunshine with a smile that surrounded his heart.
“I know we’re playing it cool right now,” she said. “But if no one were around, I’d kiss the heck out of you.”
“I might be willing to blow our cover for that. Not touching you is making me crazy.”
“Me too. But we’ve got work to do.”
He let go a sound of frustration, and she chuckled.
“Promise me one thing?”
She looked up. “What’s that?”
“When we get done here, we go to your house and make up for lost time.”
“Deal.” She tucked her fingers in the back pockets of her cutoffs. “I still can’t believe your mom is moving out.”
Jake had to remind himself not to be obvious about looking at her. Which was hard as hell now that he’d finally noticed her. It might have taken him years, but he’d rather be late to the party than have never received an invitation at all.
Two things he loved about Annie; she gave as good as she got, and she loved as hard as she wanted.
Being a man who didn’t have much left, he was grateful. Because even if he didn’t want to, she made him feel alive. Even if way down deep in his heart he believed he had no right.
“It’s definitely going to take some getting used to.” He walked over to the boxes piled up on the edge of the veranda. “You here to pack or move?”
“Your mom asked Abby to help with the packing since she could sit down for that. Allison and I figured we’d help wherever we were needed.”
“Sounds great. If Allie can work with my brother’s lips all over her face. Hey,” he shouted to Jesse, “cut us some slack will you?”
Jesse flipped him the middle finger.
Jake laughed. “You’d think they were still newlyweds.”
“They are.” Annie looked over to where Jesse and Allison stood with their arms around each other talking like they were in their own little world. “And I think it’s sweet.”
Yeah. Jake did too. But he wasn’t about to tell anyone for fear of losing his man card.
“How about you help me put these boxes in the back of my truck? I’ll let you carry the light ones.”
“Gee, thanks.”
He settled a couple of small boxes in her arms, grabbed a few heavier ones for himself, and followed her to his truck. Watching Annie walk was better than a bowl of your favorite ice cream on a scorching-hot summer day.
“Are you staring at my ass, Wilder?”
“Yep.”
She chuckled. “Okay, but I get my turn on the way back.”
“Darlin’, right now?” He pulled down the tailgate, took her boxes, and set them inside the bed. “We’ve got every pair of eyes on us save Miss Giddy, who’s doing mama duty in the barn.”
“And?” She looked up at him from beneath thick sooty lashes and a sly smile tipping the corners of her luscious lips.
“And . . . if it wasn’t for that, I’d have you in the backseat with those cutoffs off so fast, you wouldn’t know what hit you.”
Laughter bubbled from her chest. “Who says I’d even let you?”
“The woman who had three orgasms the last time I took off her pants.” He grinned and only barely refrained from leaning in and kissing her smiling mouth.
He studied her face, noting the slight pink to her cheeks, the tiny little blond hairs that slightly curled at her temples, and the straight line of her small nose. “Damn you make me feel good, Annie.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is.”
“You’re wrong, Jake. And I promise, if you keep hanging around me, I’ll prove it to you.” With a cute little scrunch of her nose, she walked away.
“Prove it?” He caught up to her. “How are you going to do that?”
“It’s a woman’s prerogative to keep a man guessing.”
“I was never any good at guessing games.”
“How good are you at being alone?” she asked.
“Drastic change of subject.”
“Not at all.” She glanced at the house, then she swung her mischief-filled gaze back to him. “Tonight will be your first night here . . . all alone.”
“And?”
“Invite me over, and I’ll show you what I mean.”
He liked the way she thought. “You have an open invitation.”
“What if I just want a booty call?”
“Darlin’?” He set another box in her arms. “I’ve always been a man who’s more than happy to give a lady what she wants.”
“I’d have to bring Max with me.”
“Is he a deep sleeper?”
She nodded, and those loosely woven braids slipped up and down over her breasts.
“Sounds perfect to me.”
“With all this moving going on, probably later is better than earlier?”
“Whatever works for you.” He tried to hide his happiness but couldn’t stop himself. “And don’t worry about changing.”
“Because you like me just the way I am?” She playfully batted her long, dark eyelashes.
“Because I’m already thinking of ten different ways to enjoy you in those shorts before I even take them off.”
“Careful what you promise, cowboy.”
“Lucky for you that I’m a man of action.”
“That you are.” She patted his chest, then turned on the heel of those worn brown boots and headed t
oward the house.
“Hey.”
She turned around, and he was glad he’d put a temporary halt to her disappearing into the house.
“How about you quell our curiosity by asking our sneaky mother what secret she’s hiding in those green trash bags she put in her car.”
Annie gave him a thumbs-up, then disappeared through the front door. Seconds later she was back.
Reno looked up and asked her, “You find out?”
“She wants to know what you boys think is in there.”
Jesse piped up. “Sex toys.”
“Pull your head out of the gutter,” their mother shouted from inside the house.
“Then how about all those stuffed toys Jake used to protect him from the boogeyman when he was a kid.”
Laughing, Jake knocked the ball cap off his brother’s head. Since Jackson was still inside the house looking after Abby, or making sure she wasn’t doing anything strenuous, Jake was the only one left with a guess.
“Miss Giddy’s ribbons. Because Mom’s taking that old goat with her when she leaves,” he shouted loud enough for his mother to hear.
“No, I’m not.”
Jake sighed. Looked like he was going to gain ownership of a fashion-minded goat and her kid, and that crazy-looking set of longhorns his mom had decorated with pink rhinestones.
“So who’s right?” Jake asked Annie.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “She said if she told me, she’d have to kill me. And I’m too young to die, so it looks like you boys will just have to keep guessing.”
Their mother’s cackle from inside the house caused everyone to laugh.
Jake looked around at the boxes, pieces of furniture, and other paraphernalia making its way out of the house. The first real pang of sadness swept over him.
It was the end of an era. A new start for his mom. For him too. The house was big, and it was going to feel cavernous when he was in there all by himself. When Jackson came out the door and let the screen door slam, Jake knew all the everyday sounds he’d grown so used to would be quieted. Going from a rowdy home to the active life of the military, Jake was used to the noise and chaos of all the people around him. Isolation and tranquility weren’t even a part of his vocabulary.
Now it would be just him and Hank. Not that he didn’t love his new best friend, he just wasn’t loud enough.
Near Jesse’s truck, his three brothers argued over something stupid. Status quo.
Damn.
He was lonely already.
Nighttime came alive with the sounds of the crickets and cicadas in the trees that surrounded the huge house at Wilder Ranch. Annie parked near the barn and eased Max from his car seat. He’d fallen asleep on the drive over, and Annie knew he was down for the count, having spent the greater part of the afternoon playing with his cousin Izzy. At this point in his young life, Max wasn’t interested in tea parties, so it was a good thing Izzy was a clever kindergartner who invented games to keep Max toddling all over the house. The result—total exhaustion.
Kissing the top of his curly, baby-fine hair, Annie carried him to the front door. Before she could knock, Jake was there, letting her in with open arms. Without hesitation, she stepped into his embrace. Why he held her and Max for so long without saying a word, Annie was unsure. But she was not about to complain.
She looked up into his face and sensed his melancholy. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” As if catching himself at doing something wrong, he dropped his arms and stepped back. “You want to put him down? Mom left a crib in one of the bedrooms.”
“Could you hold him while I go get the diaper bag?” She rearranged Max in her arms to hand him off.
Jake took another step back. “Maybe you could just put him in the crib first. Or I could go get the bag for you.”
Annie’s heart crumpled. She wasn’t offended that he didn’t want to take her son, she was worried about the reason that stopped him from doing so. “How about we do both together?”
His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Sure.”
Together, they walked into what had once been Jared and Reno’s bedroom. There were still blue stripes, various sports paraphernalia, and photos hanging on the walls. Annie had never been in this particular room before, but as a mother, she could understand why Jana had never changed a thing since the boys had grown up and moved out.
She kissed Max’s forehead, then laid him down on his tummy on the clean bedding. “With your mother’s love of all things antique and eclectic, I’m surprised to see such a modern, plain crib.”
“This one was mine.” Jake ran his hand over the smooth wood. “After Jackson ate his way around his entire crib—which was an antique—she decided to go heavy-duty and basic for me.”
“Jackson ate his crib?”
Jake nodded and chuckled. “He gnawed his way all around the top and down the spindles. Mom said that while most kids cut their teeth on the usual frozen baby things, Jackson used his beaver instincts to seek and destroy.”
Annie laughed. “Why is that so easy to picture?”
“Yeah. Guess some things never change.”
Once Max pulled his little legs up beneath him and settled into his usual pill-bug position, she pulled the fuzzy blanket up over his dancing-frog footie sleepers. “I’m really going to miss these times when he gets older.”
“I’m sure you’ll have more babies,” Jake said from right beside her.
She looked up, surprised that he’d moved so close when just moments ago he seemed so hesitant. “Not if I have to do it alone.” She shook her head. “I never knew how difficult it would be. Not that I’m not happy to have him, I just worry that I’m going to do such a horrible job, I’ll screw him up forever.”
“Impossible.” Jake gave her a smile. “No one’s perfect. And you love that little boy so much, he’s going to forgive whatever missteps you take.”
Annie wondered if Jake had heard himself. “You’re right. No one is perfect.” She slipped her hand in his. “And most are willing to forgive imperfections.”
“You getting at something?”
“Nope,” she said but didn’t miss the sadness in Jake’s eyes as he glanced down at Max.
She tugged his hand and pulled him out into the hallway. “Where’s that cold beer you promised me?”
“Outside.” Halfway down the hall, he tugged her into his arms, slipped his hands down the backside of her blouse and jeans, then cupped her bottom in his hands. “I’m highly disappointed that you changed out of your cutoffs after I made a personal request for you to leave them on so I can take them off.”
His playfulness instantly changed the mood.
“After moving all those boxes in the dirt and dust, I had to shower.” She danced her hands up the front of his chest and undid the buttons at the neck of his navy blue Henley shirt. “Besides, how do you know I didn’t come up with something better?”
He leaned his head back and grinned down at her. “Did you?”
“Get me that cold beer, and maybe I’ll let you find out.”
Instead of going to the kitchen, he turned her back to the wall and leaned in. He brushed kisses down her neck, and a flurry of tingles traveled down her spine.
“You do smell sweet.” He dipped his nose against her throat, then tickled the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. The tingles exploded into vibrations that shot right through her middle and pooled in her core, then zipped right back up through her heart.
“Jake?” She could barely speak, with all the magic he created in her body.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I’m willing to let you see right now.”
“Right now?” He swirled his tongue just below her ear, then sucked the sensitive skin into his mouth. Her knees buckled, but he caught her and leaned in more to rock his erection a
gainst her pelvis. “Are you sure? I’m kind of having fun here.”
“I’m sure.” She reached down where he strained against the frayed threads of his worn jeans and cupped his erection with her palm. When she gave it a firm squeeze, he moaned. “You game?”
“Fuck yes.” He kissed her.
Deep.
Wet.
Hungrily.
He filled his hands with her breasts. “You’re so damned beautiful, you take my breath away.”
“Maybe you want to see the surprise before you form an opinion.” She tore herself away from the heat of his body, stepped back, and let him look while she unzipped her jeans in her best striptease fashion.
The more he watched, the hotter his gaze grew as she revealed the sinful red see-thru lace plunge bra and thong with racy crisscross cutouts she’d bought last week. Just in case. She also left on her red high heels.
“You are full of surprises,” he muttered.
“But the question is . . .” She reached out, curled her fingers in the front of his shirt, and yanked him close. “Do you like what you see?”
He didn’t bother to respond with a simple yes or no. Jake had always been a man of action. He let her know what he thought by taking her head between his hands and kissing her until she couldn’t breathe. His hands were all over her—touching, teasing, caressing. He kissed his way down her neck, stopping here and there to lick, suck, and gently nip. There was heated desperation in his kiss, his touch, his broken breathing.
“I need inside you.” He let go of her just long enough to unzip his jeans and push them far enough down his legs to release his erection. Then he grabbed her bottom with both hands and lifted her. “Legs around me. Now.”
God. He had her so turned on, she couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything but what he asked. She locked her legs around his waist as he pressed her back against the hallway wall. He plunged so deliciously deep inside that he pushed the breath from her lungs, and she gasped.
“You feel so damned good, Annie. When I’m with you, there’s nothing else. Just you.”
Her heart flipped somersaults as he pressed his forehead against hers and captured her lips in a hot, possessive kiss that drove her wild. Arching her back, she let him know what she wanted.
