by Becca Van
“Yeah, I know. I saw the way her jeans seemed a little too loose on her, but you know none of us have many culinary skills.”
“Maybe Jewel does.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Ash scowled. “We hired her on as a jillaroo, not a housekeeper or cook.”
“I know that, but maybe we can get her to work half-and-half.”
“Are you willing to ask her to spend half her day in the kitchen?” Ash asked, and nearly laughed when Cal baulked. “I rest my case.”
“We’ll have to take her out a few times. She’s going to get damn sick of eating steak day in and day out.”
“We all know how to cook chicken breasts.” Ash opened the front door and held it open for Cal.
“Yeah,” Cal whispered, “but none of us know how to cook vegetables besides a spud, and I’m sure she’ll want to eat them occasionally. We only eat salad all the time because we don’t know how long to cook the other stuff.”
“Maybe we should hire a cook. I’ve been tossing around that idea for the last couple of months.”
“Bring it up tonight and see what Finch and Heath say, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why?” Ash asked quietly.
“We want to establish a rapport with Jewel first. The last thing we need is another filly flirting and trying to get into our beds. That will only push her even further away than she already is.”
“We could hire someone who’s older. And a cook doesn’t necessarily have to be a woman.”
“You’re right about that, brother. In fact, I think that has more merit. I’ll meet you in the kitchen after we’ve had our showers and we can work out what we’re going to make for tonight’s meal.”
Ash and Cal headed down the hall. Ash was lucky enough to have a bathroom of his own, and the main bathroom was shared by Cal, Finch and Heath. The master bedroom where they’d put Jewel was the only other room that had an adjoining bathroom. He was glad she hadn’t said anything about the room they’d given her, but he wasn’t sure she even realised that they had given her the master bedroom. Not that it really mattered. All that mattered right now was getting her to be relaxed with them, and talking, so he and his brothers got to know her better. And when they had her content, they were going to have to tell her what they wanted with her and hope she didn’t laugh in their faces and leave right away.
* * * *
Jewel was about to exit the bedroom but she paused behind the door when she heard low, rumbling voices and footsteps coming down the hall. She pressed her ear to the door, but the men were talking so quietly she couldn’t hear what they were saying. When she heard bedroom doors close, she opened the door and peeked out to make sure the coast was clear before exiting. Since they had let her finish work a couple of hours early, she’d decided to use the free time to prepare dinner.
She loved to cook and was hankering to fix something in that large, new gourmet kitchen. She didn’t think the Handley men would be annoyed at her for taking such a liberty on her first day. Not when everyone had been working since early this morning.
The first thing she did was clean the coffee pot out and make a new brew. Once that was done, she peered into the pantry, and to her surprise, found it well stocked. She wasn’t at all surprised to find that the freezer was chock-a-block full of meat and some frozen vegetables, plus some frozen pastry sheets and ice cream. When she investigated the contents of the fridge, she found all the fixings of salad ingredients, eggs, juices, and lots of other stuff.
She grabbed a packet of chicken breasts, removed it from the packet and onto a plate before placing it in the microwave to semi-defrost, and then got out all the other ingredients she needed to make her wild-mushroom-and-vegetable chicken dish with rice after turning the small radio on the windowsill on. She hummed along to the music as she worked.
“Wow, something smells amazing.”
Jewel shrieked, and the metal spatula she’d been holding flew from her hand and went skidding across the floor. She spun around and placed her hand over her pounding heart.
“Shit! I’m sorry, Jewel. I honestly thought you heard me come into the kitchen.” Ash bent down, picked up the steel spatula and then stepped closer before handing it to her.
“No, I didn’t, but don’t worry about it.” She turned her back to him and quickly washed the utensil with detergent and hot water, and then dried it on the clean dishtowel she’d hung on the oven rail.
“I’ll make sure you know I’m coming next time.” Ash stepped closer still and it took everything Jewel had in her not to cringe or flinch away when he placed a hand on her hip as he looked into the large wok on the stove, inhaling through his nose loudly. “Damn, that smells good, sweetheart. What is it?”
Jewel clutched the flat metal spatula with a tight grip as if it was a lifeline, and at the moment, it was. His clean, masculine scent assailed her nose and she swallowed down the moan that formed in her chest. It took her a couple of moments to remember what he’d asked and she had to clear her throat before she could answer.
“Chicken with wild mushrooms, vegetables and rice steamed in chicken stock.”
“Smell delicious, and although I appreciate you cooking, you didn’t have to do this.”
“Uh…I know, but you guys were still out working and I’m not used to being idle.”
“Aren’t you tired?” Ash shifted on his feet and his chest brushed against her back. Her body lit up even more and she wasn’t sure how much more closeness she could handle before giving herself away. The heat coming off of his body was tantalising and tempting, and she had the wildest urge to turn around and hug him.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a hug, but as she thought back and realised that it was nearly twenty years since someone had held her in their arms. She had to blink to circumvent the tears forming in her eyes. She’d never been an emotional person—at least that’s what she tried to tell herself, and one day maybe she would believe it—and she wasn’t about to give in to the feelings running rampant within her right now. She pushed the emotion down deep and put Ash’s closeness down to curiosity about the meal she was cooking.
“A little,” she finally remembered to answer. “But don’t worry about it. I can go for hours before I need to sleep.”
When she finished stirring and tossing more vegetables into the wok, she gasped as Ash grabbed her hips and turned her to face him. He took the spatula from her hand and placed it on the small plate she’d set aside of the stove for just that purpose, and then he nudged her chin up until she was looking into her his eyes.
“You’re very beautiful,” he said in a quiet voice.
She shook her head.
Ash’s hand came up and cupped her cheek. “Yes, you are, sweetheart. I’ve never seen or met a more beautiful woman.”
Jewel gulped and the tears once more burned her eyes. No one had ever told her such a thing before. One of his arms came around her waist, and although she knew she should pull away, she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, drawing in his clean, masculine scent and the warmth and comfort of his body against hers. But that wasn’t all she wanted. She wanted to kiss him, feel his hands running over her naked body. She wanted to know what it would feel like to be loved, to have his hard cock sliding inside her and taking the ache deep down inside away.
When his head slowly lowered toward hers, she drew in a deep breath and exhaled shakily when they were barely an inch apart.
Does he want to kiss me? Is he going to place his lips against mine? I’ve only ever been kissed once before, at least one that was given freely. What if he doesn’t like the way I kiss him back? What if he realises I’m inexperienced?
And then he breached the gap.
Jewel held her breath as their lips met. His lips were soft and warm, and nothing like she expected. He brushed them back and forth over hers as if testing the fit of their mouths and then he licked over the seam of her mouth, causing warmth to tr
avel through her blood, making her tremble.
She gasped as he turned his head and slanted his mouth over hers. His tongue tentatively pressed into her mouth and touched the tip of hers. Jewel moaned and clutched at his shirt as her world tilted and she hoped she didn’t fall, but then she was lost, lost in sensation as the kiss deepened. His tongue pushed further into her mouth, sliding along hers then running over the edge of her teeth and the inside of her lower lip before coming back to rub against hers again.
Jewel had never felt so hot or needy. Her whole body began to ache. She was aching to get even closer to him, if that were even possible, but she was craving to have his naked skin pressed against her own bare body. Her nipples were hard little points and they were throbbing for his touch. Her pussy was dripping juices and her clit was pulsing with a hunger to be touched.
The arm he had around her waist tightened and she whimpered when she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her stomach. What she wouldn’t give to have the courage to reach down and cup his erection, to map out the length and shape of him with her fingertips and palm. But she’d spent her whole life running, and now that she may have found what she’d been searching for, she was scared. Scared of doing something that would turn him off. Scared of hoping and then having it ripped away. Scared of the emotions swirling around in her heart.
When he finally lifted his head to meet her gaze, she was at a loss for words and she didn’t know what to do. She’d never been in this situation before, and although he was looking at her hungrily, she was a little disconcerted seeing such heat in his eyes. Plus, there was the fact that he was one of her bosses and she didn’t want anything to jeopardise her job. If she got involved with him and it didn’t work out, she could lose her job. She would have to move on again, because she knew she wouldn’t be able to continue working for him and his brothers if that were the case.
Jewel drew away from him and was glad that he let her go. She turned back to the stove and sighed with relief that the dinner she was cooking wasn’t spoiled. After adding the last of the vegetables to the dish and thickening the sauce, she turned the heat off and stirred in the sour cream.
All the time she worked, she was aware of Ash watching her as he set the table. Cal, Heath and Finch came in, and after getting some beers from the fridge, they sat down at the table. She served the food and started to carry the bowls to the table.
“That smells delicious, baby,” Cal said as she placed it on the table in front of him. “Thank you for cooking for us.”
Jewel gave him a half-smile and nodded before heading back to get the other bowls, but she didn’t see Ash was behind her until she slammed into him.
“Sorry,” she mumbled and mentally cursed when her face heated, but not from embarrassment. Her body had had a chance to cool off a bit while finishing cooking dinner, but now that she was once more pressed against him, her simmering libido decided to burn a little hotter.
“No problem, sweetheart. Why don’t you take a seat?” Ash suggested. She was so conscious of his hands on her hips that it was hard to take a deep breath. “I’ll get the other bowls.”
She nodded, stepped back and hurried to the table before she sat down.
“How long did you work on the cattle station?” Cal asked.
When she met his eyes, there was a strange look there, and for a moment she thought he knew that Ash had kissed her.
Was that heat she could see in his gaze? Had he seen them kissing, and if so, why was he looking at her as if she was on the dinner menu? Why was he looking at her like that? Surely he should be looking at her with disgust and not as if he wanted to devour her.
“Twelve months,” she answered.
“Why did you leave?” Heath asked.
“It was too…time to move on.” Jewel lowered her head and stared at her food, hoping the men hadn’t picked up on her small error.
“What made you want to be a jillaroo?” Cal asked just before he shoved a forkful of food into his mouth, closed his eyes and moaned. He chewed slowly as if savouring the flavours on his tastebuds, and then his eyes opened again before he stared at her. He swallowed and then gave her the biggest smile she’d ever seen. His whole face lit up and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the two dimples on either side of his mouth. He and his brothers were so damn good-looking it almost hurt her eyes to look at them. “Damn, honey, this is amazing. What is it?”
“Chicken with wild mushrooms and vegetables.”
Each of the men began to eat and she hoped that Cal had forgotten he’d asked her a question. She took a mouthful of food, but it tasted like cardboard in her mouth.
“You can cook for me anytime, darlin’,” Finch complimented.
Jewel nodded her head, acknowledging his praise. Warmth permeated her chest and she had a feeling she was in way over her head with these four men. She wasn’t used to being praised, hugged or kissed, and she liked it way too much.
“So, what made you become a jillaroo?” Cal asked again.
“There was a farm near where I grew up, and since I wanted to earn some money to save for a car and they were advertising for a stable hand, I applied for and got the job. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to work with animals.”
“Where did you grow up?” Finch asked.
“Geelong.”
“Wow, so only a few hours from here.” Finch smiled and winked at her.
“So where have you worked?” Ash asked.
Jewel cursed under her breath when she felt her face heat again, and it was really hard to hold his gaze for a moment or two, before she looked back down again.
“All over Australia,” she answered.
“Where’s the longest you’ve stayed?” Cal took a sip of his beer before going back to eating.
“My last job on the Hench Cattle Station three hours outside of Alice Springs.”
“Nice. What were the grazier bosses like?” Heath questioned.
“They were great,” she answered sincerely, and smiled.
“So why did you want to leave?” Ash asked. “I can hear it in your voice how much you liked and admired your bosses.”
“I…it was just time to move on.” Jewel caught the glance between the brothers from beneath her lowered eyelashes and knew she hadn’t fooled them with her evasive answer. She’d tried to keep her expression stoic, but wasn’t sure she’d managed to do that and wondered if she’d changed her countenance. It took her a few seconds to realise that she was frowning, and when she looked at her hands, which were resting on the table, even she could see how tightly they were fisted. One was wrapped around a fork and the other was just in a tight fist, and all of her knuckles were white. She consciously eased her grip, rested the fork on the edge of her bowl and picked up her water glass.
The pregnant silence continued as the men finished eating, and Jewel wondered a little hysterically if they could read her mind. She pushed her half-eaten food aside and, after draining her water glass, started to rise from her chair and begin cleaning up, but before her arse left the chair, she froze when Cal placed one of his hands over hers. “Stay. We’ll clean up.”
“I can—ˮ
“Not happening, baby,” Ash reached over and touched her arm.
Everything in Jewel stilled, even her breath. Having had one of the brothers touching her was enough to start her body simmering with desire, but having two of them touching her at the same time had her arousal raging out of control. She wanted to move, to get her hand and arm out from under their hands, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t seem to get her body to obey her brain. She wondered if she’d tensed because they both drew back at the same time, and she exhaled slowly with relief and hoped they hadn’t noticed her reaction.
“What do you think of Tiff, Matt and Todd?” Finch asked.
She leaned back in her chair and met his gaze as she answered. “Tiffany is the most open and caring woman I’ve ever met. And from what she says about Benjy, she is one hell o
f a mechanic.”
“Who the hell is Benjy?” Cal snapped out his question and pinned her with his eyes. The scowl on his face was enough to make her cringe inside, because he looked angry and she had no idea why.
Her ire rose, and even though she was a little wary after Reilly, she wasn’t about to let him or his brothers intimidate her. It didn’t matter that she was quaking on the inside, her stomach roiling with nervousness, she wasn’t about to let him, any of them talk to her like that.
“Excuse me?” Jewel raised her eyebrow.
“Cal, stop.” Ash got up from his chair and, after squeezing his brother’s shoulder, began to pick up the dirty dishes.
Cal rose to his feet, too, and after taking more of the dishes to the sink, he came back with a dishcloth in hand. He stopped right next to her and she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze, and although she tried to stop her eyes from wandering as they shifted up his body, she couldn’t. His thighs were thick with muscle and his jeans moved, stretching to showcase his flexing muscles as he shifted from foot to foot. Saliva pooled in her mouth and she swallowed quickly so she didn’t end up choking.
She only managed to hold in a gasp as she skimmed his crotch and quickly up over his rippling washboard abs she could see delineated beneath the tight cotton of his blue T-shirt. She unconsciously lifted her hand to her mouth and chin when she saw his muscular abs and took in the sinew of his skin-covered neck, and wondered what the stubble on his jaw would feel like under her fingertips. Would it tickle, or would it prickle uncomfortably?
“I’m sorry for being such an arse, honey. I don’t know what come over me.”
Jewel finally met his gaze and could see guilt and remorse in his eyes, and her heart flipped over in her chest.
She wondered how the hell she’d gotten in so deeply so quickly, and what she was going to do about how she felt.
Chapter Five
