But then again, the old Kassie never would have left everything she’d worked so hard for behind, along with all her friends and the life she’d carved in the city. And the old Kassie hadn’t been happy, either. But the new Kassie was. She had taken a leap into the unknown, and for a woman who’d never even forgotten to enter a dinner date on her calendar, that was saying something.
She bit her lip, staring blankly at her computer as her brain came full circle. She’d finally found the root of what was plaguing her. Meeting Jax’s family, troublemaking brothers or no, felt halfway permanent. It felt like the next step was meeting his parents, and then she’d blink and they would be spending every weekend together, and they’d have drawers and toothbrushes at each other’s houses. But was that really so scary? With Adam, the thought of spending the rest of her days with him, trapping herself into the life he’d wanted for them rather than the life she wanted for herself, had been enough to make her run away from everything and everyone. With Jax, the idea wasn’t nearly as terror-inducing. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Appealing.
That settled it. She was going to his house for dinner.
Kassie glanced at the time in the lower right corner of her computer screen. She had about two hours to spare, which meant that if she could force her brain to cooperate, she’d have enough time to finish her edits and get herself into a more presentable state before heading to Jax’s and whatever fate awaited her at the hands of his brothers.
* * * * *
Kassie wasn’t going to show. Jax could feel it in his bones. He slapped some more barbecue sauce on the rack of ribs he’d been slowly grilling for dinner, trying to tamp down the deep surge of disappointment that coursed through him at the realization. He guessed he shouldn’t have expected it, really. It was a lot to ask in a short amount of time, and he’d given her a cavalier come-or-don’t invitation that had belied just how very much he’d longed for her to be there.
“So, where’s the girl?” Slade asked, interrupting his grim train of thoughts.
Jax leveled an irritated glare at his younger brother, who was just as tall and dark as he, but with their dad’s green eyes instead of their mama’s blue like Jax. That, and his hair was way too long for Jax’s taste. He had a bad-boy air the women never failed to love. He raised one of Jax’s beers to his lips and took a long swig, watching him too closely for comfort.
He looked back down at his ribs, slathering a layer of his made-from-scratch barbecue sauce on them. “Her name’s Kassie, and she’ll be here,” he said with a confidence he didn’t feel.
Jesus, would Slade and Connor have a field day with him if she didn’t show up. When she didn’t show up, he corrected himself with an inward grimace. It was his own fault. He’d have to swallow his pride and admit it eventually. But first, he’d brazen it out until the last plate was laid on the table and his dickhead brothers sat down to fill their bellies.
“Uh-huh,” Slade agreed, his tone one of transparent insincerity. “I’ll bet.”
A vehicle rumbled around a curve in his long driveway then, and his hopes shot up. But as it rounded the bend and cleared the clump of trees that obscured his thirty-acre property from the main road, he realized it was just Connor. Shit. He should’ve known the difference between the sweet hum of a finely tuned German automobile and that hunk of junk Kassie called a car.
Connor parked his Porsche and stepped out, still dressed in his business suit. Jax shook his head. It was Sunday, and the man was still at work even though he damn well didn’t need to be. The Taylor family owned the Taylor Bank, after all, and Connor was the head of the chain of twenty banks that spanned the Eastern shore. But Connor would work himself into the grave if it was up to him.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Slade commented at his side, “but she’s ugly as sin.”
Always ready with a smartass remark, his brothers. Jax grinned at Slade with a bravado he didn’t feel. “You won’t be laughing when you’re watching the three of us eat these delicious ribs.”
Slade laughed. “You wouldn’t starve out your own flesh and blood, now would you?”
“Keep making cracks and you’ll find out,” he warned, closing the lid on his grill to seal in the hickory flavor pouring out of his smoker box. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he was damn good at barbecuing, and he knew it.
“Connor,” Slade greeted their older brother, slapping him on the back. “You look like you’re going to a funeral.”
“Nah,” Jax said quickly, loving any opportunity to bust on a brother. “It looks more like he’s headed to prom.”
“Screw both of you,” Connor said without heat as he shrugged out of his jacket. He had their mother’s golden good looks, much like Levi. Unless people knew the Taylors, which most of Atlantic did, no one ever guessed that Levi and Connor were Jax and Slade’s brothers. “Where’s my beer?”
Jax gestured to the outdoor refrigerator he’d had built into his patio. “Help yourself.”
He grabbed the late-season corn on the cob he’d been soaking in a pail of water and lined the top shelf of his grill with them. Good thing he had a custom grill that was the size of Texas, because otherwise he’d never be able to fit enough food on it to feed three Taylor boys and one tiny New York woman. At least, he hoped he’d need to feed his stubborn New Yorker. He glanced at his watch as he closed the lid on his grill again. Quarter to five. Technically, she still had fifteen minutes, but his hope was waning faster than an autumn sunset.
Connor sauntered back over with his beer, looking comfortable in his businessman getup in a way that Jax never could, no matter how much he tried. Give him faded jeans and a t-shirt any day, and he’d be a happy man.
“So,” his brother said, “where’s the future Mrs. Taylor?”
“Very funny.” He took a sip of beer, watching Connor and Slade grinning at his expense.
“Slade tells me you’ve got it bad for her.” Connor stopped grinning long enough to tip back his brown bottle.
He slanted a glare at the brother in question, who just shrugged. “He asked what I thought when you told us you’d invited a woman.”
Not just any woman. Kassie. He would’ve said as much, but it would just dig his hole even deeper. He knew his brothers all too well. There was nothing they loved more than making a dick out of him. But it was all in the name of good fun, all from a place of love. As annoying as it sometimes was.
“So now you two are talking about me?” He glanced from one brother to the other. “You’re worse than a pack of old biddies down at the beauty shop.”
“Don’t talk about Mama and Aunt Jackie that way,” Connor said with an unrepentant grin.
“Low blow.” Slade laughed easily. “She’s not even here to defend herself.”
“Speaking of which,” Connor said slowly, “does she know about all this?”
Their mother, in addition to having legions of handy maxims, was also the nosiest person he’d ever met in his life. He never clued her in on his dating life. She’d been begging her sons to settle down and give her grandchildren for the last five years.
“I didn’t mention it to her yet.” But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. If things continued going well with Kassie, he would be happy to take her home to his parents. Wisely, he kept that part to himself.
Connor raised a brow. “Yet?”
He felt himself growing defensive. Maybe he should have uninvited Slade and Connor when he’d invited Kassie. Lord knew he’d far prefer her company to theirs, especially with the ribbing they were giving him. “Are you living out your fantasy of a career in the FBI or what? Give me a break.”
“Yeah,” Slade agreed. “Give him a break. She’s not going to show anyway.”
Just then, the hum of another vehicle interrupted the unwanted turn of their conversation. He glanced back at his driveway to see Kassie’s clunker hesitantly rounding the bend. He’d never been more thrilled to see a piece-of-shit car in his life.
“Is that her?” Co
nnor asked, sounding hesitant.
“What the hell is she driving?” Slade wanted to know next, sounding disgusted in a way only a true car man could.
“I know,” he said, grinning. “It’s a gutless hunk of junk. But don’t judge a book by its cover. I did when she first ran into the back of my truck.”
“She’s the one who smashed up your Ram?” Slade let out a bark of laughter. “Now this is getting good.”
Kassie tried not to gulp as she caught sight of the three towering men watching her from what looked to be an outdoor kitchen. She’d been telling herself she was a big girl and she’d be just fine ever since she’d made up her mind to take him up on his offer of dinner. But her courage had already begun deflating faster than a day-old birthday balloon from the moment she’d pulled around the bend in Jax’s driveway.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath as she pulled her pathetic excuse for a car in to park next to a gleaming Porsche, which presumably belonged to one of his brothers. She was beginning to get the feeling she was in over her head. Way over her head.
She ran her palms over her blue jeans, wondering if she’d underdressed for the occasion. One of them appeared to be wearing a suit. She caught sight of a bandage on his hand then, and realized he must be the brother of the unfortunate nail gun incident. They were all watching her, talking amongst themselves. Probably about her. Probably wondering why she was still in her car.
Oh God. She cast a frantic glance at herself in her rearview mirror, checking to make sure that her mascara hadn’t decided to run down her cheeks en route to his house. She looked passable. Hopefully decent enough not to send Jax’s brothers running for the hills. Passing a hand through her long hair, she reached for her purse with the other. She couldn’t hide in her car forever. Sooner or later, she’d have to face the three alpha brothers waiting for her.
“Here goes,” she told herself, opening the driver’s side door and wincing at its loud squeak. She hoped they wouldn’t hear that. Maybe it was time to break down and buy a new vehicle. She could afford one, after all. She just hadn’t placed a great deal of value in spending money on a car after living without one for so long.
She stopped long enough to retrieve the dessert she’d made before she turned to face her fate. Yeah, she still believed that the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, and she’d quit editing early to have enough time to whip up her grandmother’s classic chocolate cake. Trying to impress Jax and his brothers with her culinary skills? Guilty as charged. As the away team, she needed all the advantages she could get.
Doing her best to appear calm while her inner teenage girl was completely freaking out, she followed the paved walkway to the patio and the delicious-scented smoke emerging from Jax’s grill. She caught his gaze and the heat she always felt whenever he was around burst into flame.
He grinned at her, both dimples appearing. He was extraordinarily handsome in his faded jeans and a simple white t-shirt. “Kassie,” he greeted, his voice a welcome interruption to the awkward silence. “Good to see you.”
The way he looked at her made her instantly wet. She couldn’t help it. The realization that she was all but melting into a puddle at his feet in front of his brothers had her blushing. Damn it. What was it about this man that turned her into a woman she barely knew?
“Good to see you too,” she said, trying to ignore her hot cheeks and her damp panties both. She held out the chocolate cake with chocolate icing. “I brought dessert. Hope everyone likes chocolate.”
“I’ll take that.” Jax stepped forward and took the cake carrier from her, their fingers brushing in the process and sending a skitter of awareness over her.
The blond brother cleared his throat, catching Kassie’s attention. He was giving her a thorough once-over, almost as if he wasn’t sure if she’d come here for dinner or to pilfer the family silver. “Jax, you going to introduce us?”
“Kassie, this is Connor,” Jax said, looking a bit shamefaced. She suspected that, much like her, he’d been caught up in the rare connection they shared. It was easy to forget everyone and everything else whenever they were together.
Connor held out the hand that wasn’t bandaged, and she took it. “It’s nice to meet you, Connor.” Even if he was still blatantly suspicious of her. Protective older brother, much? She was reasonably sure that he was older than Jax. The lines around his eyes spoke for themselves. She looked to the man at Jax’s other side, who could have easily been his twin.
“This jerk is Slade,” Jax said with another grin. “He’s the one who took too damn long to fix my truck.”
Kassie shook Slade’s hand. It was almost eerie how much he and Jax looked alike. Except for the green eyes, that was. “It’s nice to meet you, Slade.”
“Likewise.” Slade gave her a slow smile that revealed he too was blessed with killer dimples. Damn, these men had good genes. “For a minute there, I was convinced you weren’t going to show.”
Kassie didn’t miss the glare Jax threw his brother’s way. Had Jax doubted her too? She couldn’t be sure, but she also couldn’t blame him. It had taken her quite a bit of mental wrangling to decide to muster up the nerve to meet his brothers. She couldn’t help but wonder exactly how much his brothers knew about their relationship. Not too much, she hoped. At least, not the X-rated parts.
She decided to shrug off Slade’s comment. “I have a habit of being late. Family trait, I’m afraid.”
“And Jax here will be early to his own funeral,” Connor said.
She glanced back to Jax’s older brother, not sure what she should make of him. She had a distinct feeling that he didn’t want to like her. But she wasn’t sure why. He was still scrutinizing her closely enough to spot her split ends.
His brother’s reaction hadn’t escaped Jax’s notice. He gave Connor a distinctly warning look. “Kassie, why don’t we take your dessert inside? I need to grab the peppers I’ve got marinating.”
Kassie was grateful for the reprieve from his brothers’ scrutiny. Especially Connor’s. She followed Jax along the flower-lined pathway that curved into double patio doors at the side of the porch. His ass was undeniably the most perfect thing to ever appear in jeans, and she couldn’t quite resist eying him up along the way. He turned back to her as his fingers curled around the brushed nickel handle of his door and caught her in the act.
“Like what you see?” he teased.
If at all possible, her cheeks went hotter. At some point, her adult brain would kick back in and she would know how to behave like a well-adjusted woman again. Right?
She could only hope. Otherwise, the evening was doomed to be a failure.
“Guilty,” she said, stepping past him as he held the door open for her while cradling her cake in his free arm. “Thanks for the rescue, by the way.”
He followed her inside, his arm sliding around her waist with ease. “No problem. I know my brothers can be assholes. Especially Connor. Just ignore him. He’s old and bitter.”
Kassie laughed. “I’m pretty sure he’s only got about two years on you.”
After stopping in a mud room where he invited her to leave her purse, they wound their way through a tiled dining room to a kitchen that was as spacious as it was beautiful. There were more cabinets than she’d know what to do with, along with glossy black-granite counters, a beautiful island and an equally huge range. Wow. Jax certainly had good taste. But he did work for a renovation company, so it would figure that he’d have the latest and the best at his disposal. Obviously, he’d put all his skills to work.
“He’s got eleven months, but that’s more than enough to make him old and bitter,” he assured her, depositing her cake on an empty swathe of counter. He leaned his hip against the cabinets and turned to her, his blue gaze searching. “I hope this isn’t too much for you.”
It almost was, but he was worth it. More than worth it, actually, and the fact continued to scare the bejesus out of her. Kassie found herself smiling at him. “Not at all.
I’m so happy you invited me.” And she was, even if it meant braving the brothers of doom.
He pulled her to him, startling her. She hadn’t expected any outward show of emotion with his brothers so close at hand. His hands slid to her ass, pressing her against his rigid cock. His eyes sparked with fire as they lowered to her lips. “I’m glad you decided to come for dinner, Kassie.”
Dinner was the last thing on her mind with his hard body against hers. She inhaled sharply when he ran a finger down the crease of her ass to settle much lower, exactly where she wanted him. And then she remembered that they had a potential audience who could turn up at any minute. She extricated herself from his embrace for her own sanity. The last thing she needed was for his brothers to walk in on the two of them humping in his kitchen. Connor already had it out for her.
“I’m glad too,” she said simply. “But you need to behave.”
He took a step toward her, his expression one she recognized all too well. Filled with desire. Naked want. “Behaving isn’t any fun.”
No, it wasn’t. But neither was ruining her only chance to make a good impression on his family members. She ducked around the kitchen island, avoiding him just in time for Connor and Slade to saunter around the corner. Jax’s eyes narrowed on his brothers, who were clearly nosier than a pair of seasoned town gossips.
“What was that about fun?” Slade asked.
“Why aren’t you two watching the ribs?” Jax growled, obviously irritated by the interruption.
Kassie knew the feeling. There was nothing more she’d like than for Jax to work his sensual magic on her right now. But she was also grateful that his brothers had been perceptive enough to appear when they did. Because another minute or two of being stalked by Jax, and she’d have been putty in his big, sexy hands. All-too-willing, all-too-ready putty.
“You didn’t tell us to,” Connor said easily. “We thought you might need some help in here.”
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