by Addison Cole
Jade wanted to jump into his arms and thank him, but she didn’t dare.
Riley, however, did. She jumped right up and kissed his cheek. “Are you kidding? Even if he doesn’t like them, which he probably won’t, he might have ideas of what I can change and what I need to work on. I know Josh from school. He was always nice to everyone, and everyone in Weston knows he’s only about the best designer ever. Gosh, I haven’t seen him in years. I’d give anything for more direction, but my parents and I kind of ran out of funding for extra stuff.”
Riley was beaming, and Jade felt her chest swell with pride that Rex would even think to offer a hand to Riley. Even if Josh hated her stuff, Rex had still tried, and to Jade that meant more than any job ever would.
“Are you guys going to the concert tonight?” Riley asked.
Jade shot a look at Rex, knowing that his family was in town and they’d be worried about Hope.
“Jade?” he asked.
He always seemed to think of her first, which was just another reason Jade had fallen so hard for her sexy cowboy.
“I’d love to go, but I know you have family to tend to, and it’s not like we can go together anyway.” His jaw began its clenching dance—confirmation that he hated the deception as much as she did.
He stepped closer to Jade and softened his voice. “I’ll check and see what my family’s doing, but I’ll be there one way or another. Call me and let me know when you’re going.”
Riley shook her head. “I get why you guys have to do this secretive relationship thing, but can I just tell you that anyone who would stand in your way is out of their minds. I mean, just look at you two. It’s like you were made for each other. He looks at you like you are the very oxygen that allows him to breathe, and she looks at you like all googly-eyed, like you’re Brad Pitt or something. And you both look like you’re ready to pounce on each other.”
“Riley!” Jade gasped.
“The girl’s got a good eye,” Rex teased.
Chapter Thirty-One
REX’S PHONE RANG at seven fifteen, after he and his family had finished dinner. He was surprised at the surge of adrenaline that ran through him. He hadn’t been excited about a phone call for as long as he could remember, and as he spoke softly into the tiny, strangely shaped phone, he was glad to hear Jade’s voice.
“Hey, babe,” he said.
“Hi. How’s Hope?” Jade asked.
Her voice was so sweet and she was asking in such a tentative fashion that he had to sit down on the grass and just drink it in. “She’s not herself, that’s for sure. Dad’s gonna stay with her.” He and the others had discussed staying around in case his father needed help with Hope, but his father had waved them away. I’ve been taking care of horses all my life. Go to your silly concert. Have some fun.
“Is she lying down? Because you can’t let her y—”
“Jade.” He smiled at her caring nature. “Dad’s been breeding horses since he was a kid. He knows what to do.”
“Right. I’m sorry,” she said. “So, you’re coming tonight?”
Why does that word coming from those lips turn me on? “If you mean to the concert, yes. If you mean that some other way, not unless it’s with you.”
She was silent, and Rex worried that he’d overstepped their playful bounds. He had no idea what would be considered appropriate cell phone etiquette, and going with his feelings had seemed right at the time. Now he worked to cover his tracks.
“I’m sorry; that was crude.”
“No, it was sexy,” she said in a hushed tone. “I just…You always take my breath away. I feel like a fifteen-year-old when I’m with you, even on the phone. When I dialed your number, my heart was racing. I swear, Rex, it’s so weird.”
“I know, babe. I feel it too, and I have no idea how I’m going to stay away from you tonight, but I still want to be there and see you.” Could he do it? he wondered. Could he see Jade at the concert and not be with her? Not hold her hand or put his arm around her? Not talk with her alone in a dark corner, lest someone see them and their fathers get wind of their relationship? At this point, he wondered if he even cared. Then his loyalty rose to the surface, and he knew he did.
“Me too. Maybe we shouldn’t go.”
“No, not seeing you is worse than seeing you. Besides, Max’s friend Kaylie is singing tonight, so everyone is psyched to go. We’ll just be careful. Are your parents going? Your brother?”
She laughed. “My brother hasn’t been to a community event in years, and my parents are too wrapped up in their own stuff right now to want to go, so no, they won’t be there. Meet me by the entrance?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there at eight. Jade?” he asked. He debated telling her about the conversation he’d had with her mother about how she and his mother had remained close and that she supported their being together and finally decided to do it when they were face-to-face.
“Yeah?”
“I miss you.”
A simple, quick intake of breath told him that she was feeling the same longing as he was. “Me too,” she said.
“Jade?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.” Telling her he loved her was still so new to him that he held his breath until she said it back.
“I love you, too, Rex.”
TREAT AND MAX sat in the back of the SUV, snuggled against each other like they were keeping warm during a winter storm. Rex tried not to keep looking at them, but how could he not? The way Max gazed into his brother’s eyes and touched his cheek, like the sun rose and set around him, made Rex long for Jade’s touch.
“Savannah, what’s happening with Connor?” Rex asked, to distract himself from Treat and Max.
Savannah made her living as an entertainment lawyer, and she’d been A-list-actor Connor Dean’s attorney for the past few years. She’d also been his on-and-off-again lover for the past several months.
“Nothing’s happening,” she answered.
“Are you still dating him?” Rex asked again. He’d always been protective of Savannah, and even now, as an adult, he liked to be sure she was okay.
“We’re…It’s complicated.” Savannah turned toward Rex and asked, “What’s the plan tonight with Jade? I mean, how do you do this not-tell-anyone thing in public?”
“I have no clue. This is all kind of new to me,” Rex answered. He pulled his hat down low, wondering the same thing.
“I think you should just go for it. What’s the worst that could happen?” Savannah flashed a mischievous grin.
“Savannah, don’t stir the beehive,” Treat warned.
“What? He deserves to be with the woman he loves, just like you did.” Savannah winked at Max.
“She’s right, you know,” Max said. “I can’t wait to hear Kaylie sing tonight. She’s amazing. Hey, Rex, can you dance with Jade, or do you have to be totally hands-off?”
Josh laughed from the driver’s seat. “That’s like asking an alcoholic to hold your beer at a party.”
Rex leaned forward and punched Josh’s arm. “Hardly,” he said in a stern voice. “What am I, an animal?” I am when it comes to Jade.
“I saw the way you looked at her when she rode by the day Max crashed her car in the driveway.” Josh flashed him a challenge in the rearview mirror.
Rex stewed. Being near Jade without being able to touch her was going to be difficult enough. He didn’t need his brother egging him on, but silencing a Braden brother was never as easy as he wished.
“We’ll be fine. It’s not like we have a choice. Max, it’s probably not a good idea for me to dance with her. No need to create an issue. If word got back to Dad that we danced…He’s a smart man.” He shook his head, knowing it was time to make some hard decisions—tonight. There was no way he’d be able to act like a kid on restriction forever.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“YOU’RE A CRUEL girl,” Riley said as she eyed Jade in her short denim skirt and sexy Rogue boots.
“What?” Jade
fingered the plunging neckline of her nearly transparent silky blouse. She might not be able to be with Rex in public, but she sure as heck could keep his mind on her and her alone.
They stood by the busy concert entrance, waiting for Rex and his siblings to arrive. Half the town was already there, and Jade was nervous about being there with Rex. She was sure her feelings for him were written all over her face. She plastered a smile on her lips and hoped that no one would notice how her smile changed when Rex arrived.
“Oh, there they are!” Riley pointed to the Bradens walking across the parking lot. “Wow. It’s like watching the opening of a movie, when the actors all walk out. They really are the hottest family around.”
“Stop drooling,” Jade said as she licked her lips. Rex walked between Josh and Treat, his eyes locked on Jade. His arms arced out to his sides from his glorious muscles, and every step of his thick, powerful thighs straining against his jeans made her heart thump a little harder. Savannah bent down to pick something up, while the others continued forward. Max reached for Treat’s hand, and Treat pulled her close. Rex hung back with Savannah. He touched her shoulder lightly, saying something that Jade couldn’t hear. Savannah looked up and smiled. She got up and hugged him, and Jade felt her restraint falling away. The way Rex loved resonated in everything he did, not only with his siblings, or the way he said all the right things to Jade, or the perfect specimen of a man that he obviously was. Those things were only part of the equation. His desire not to hurt his father by rushing to disclose their relationship was also the way he loved. Seeing him now, waiting for Savannah, walking with his arm around her, Jade knew she was a goner. She thought she’d fallen for him before. Now, she realized, she hadn’t fallen; she’d tumbled head over heels, and there was no righting herself.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“I THINK YOU should stop worrying about Dad and just go for it,” Savannah said as they neared the gate.
“Is that why you picked up that quarter? So you could try to convince me without Treat and Josh around?” Rex asked.
Savannah raised her eyebrows with a smile.
“Do you have any idea how difficult this is already going to be? You know me, Savannah. When have I ever told all of you about a girl? Huh?” Rex’s voice was harsh, but not because of Savannah’s pushing him toward doing something that he knew would hurt his father. It was because Jade stood by the gate looking sexier than ever before in those boots she’d been wearing down by the ravine, with a see-through shirt that already had his blood pumping when he wasn’t even close to her yet. She looked at him with an innocent smile he was sure was meant to fool everyone else, but one glance into those blue eyes and he knew differently. He was only a handful of steps from her, and when they reached the gate, he had to put his hand on it to steady himself. If his hands weren’t busy, he’d pull her close and answer every lusty desire that pooled in her eyes.
“Hi,” she said, licking her lips.
Rex swallowed a groan and a long breath. “You look gorgeous.”
She ran her eyes up and down his body. “So do you.”
Savannah barged between them. “Jade, hi! So good to see you. Hi, Riley.”
“Hey, Savannah. Great to see you again,” Riley said.
Rex and Jade’s eyes hadn’t strayed, but he knew that if he didn’t move now, he might never let her get away from the gate.
“Riley, this is Max, and you know Treat and Josh, of course,” he said.
“I hear you’re a clothing designer now?” Josh said as they headed into the gate.
Riley and Josh talked about fashion on their way through the crowd.
Rex’s senses were heightened. He felt Jade beside him and desperately wanted to reach for her hand. He clenched his fists instead.
“How’s Hope?” she asked.
“Our father’s with her,” Savannah answered. “He’s got our numbers, and he’ll call if he needs us. She was still acting different when we left. She’s not rolling or biting or anything, but she’s not exactly calm, either. I thought that medicine would help her pain.”
“It should have,” Jade said with a worried tone.
“Look!” Max’s eyes lit up at the sight of the band on a makeshift stage, where her boss’s wife—her best friend, Kaylie Crew—stood front and center, singing into a microphone. Max turned toward a pretty, curly-haired woman and squealed.
“Danica! I didn’t know you’d be here, too!” Max embraced Danica, and Danica’s husband, Rex’s cousin Blake Carter, appeared behind her.
“Hey, cuz,” Blake said to Treat.
Treat hugged him with a wide smile. “Blake, so great to see you again.”
“Kaylie is my wife’s sister. Do you really think we’d miss this one? A chance to see my cousins and my sister-in-law sing all at once?” Blake answered.
Blake looked very much like his Braden cousins—tall, darkly handsome, and well built. Rex pulled him in close and gave him a brotherly pat on the back, then put his hand possessively on Jade’s lower back and felt her flinch beneath his touch.
“I’m sorry we missed your wedding,” Savannah said, kissing Blake’s cheek. “Josh is around somewhere. He disappeared right after we got here.”
“Blake, this is Jade.” He wanted to claim her as his. Just two simple words. Would that be so hard? My girlfriend.
“Hi, Jade,” he said. “You’re here with Rex?” His eyes darted between the two.
Savannah came to their rescue. “Jade Johnson,” she said, like that explained everything.
Blake opened his eyes wide as Rex removed his hand from Jade’s back. “Ah, got it.” He moved close to Jade. “Forbidden love?” He winked.
JADE HADN’T EXPECTED her stomach to clench the way it did, or the hurt that stirred in her heart. She didn’t want to be forbidden. She wanted to be on Rex’s arm, showing all the women who were watching the handsome Bradens that she was his, and he was hers. Instead she smiled at Rex’s cousin.
“I guess you could say that,” she managed.
Rex looked at her with a silent apology in his warm gaze, but even that didn’t lessen the pain she felt, or the way she felt dirty for being hidden.
She spotted Riley dancing with Josh, and jealousy spiked something akin to anger within her.
“Excuse me. I’m going to grab a drink,” she said, wanting to get away before she said or did something stupid.
“I’ll come with you,” Rex offered.
“No. Stay here; visit with your family. I’ll be back.” She felt Rex’s hot stare on her back as she made her way to the concession stand.
“SORRY, MAN,” BLAKE said to Rex. “I didn’t mean to upset her.”
“It wasn’t you,” Rex said. “It’s the whole family feud thing. There’s no way to rectify it and…”
“And you want to be with Jade. I get it. When I met Danica, she was my therapist. Talk about forbidden.” Blake turned and looked at Danica. “Best apple I’ve ever eaten.”
Rex shot a glance at the concession stand, where Jade was laughing with Jimmy Palen, who owned a large auto-repair and body shop in town. Jimmy leaned against the edge of the concession stand, one hand grasping a beer bottle. Rex couldn’t see his green eyes, but he’d bet they were focused on Jade’s chest.
Jade threw her head back with a laugh, and Jimmy reached out and touched her arm. In the next breath, they were heading toward the dance floor.
“Wanna dance with me, big brother?” Savannah knew how to create a distraction. She wasn’t one to wear Western style clothing. Instead she had on tight jeans and a black spaghetti-strap blouse. The contrast of the black against her radiant auburn hair was stunning, and her eyes danced with happiness—or a devious plan. Rex wasn’t sure which.
“No, thanks,” he said.
“Oh, I think you do.” She took his arm and dragged him onto the dance floor.
At six foot three, he was not an easy man to drag, but his feet would not obey his mind. He wanted to stay put and stew—or st
alk—Jimmy and Jade. The last thing he wanted to do was dance with his sister, but there he was, on the dance floor, moving to the music.
“Look at you go,” Max said as she and Treat sidled up beside them. Danica and Blake were right behind them.
Rex fixated on Jimmy and Jade. His body might not want to cooperate, but his head was right in the game and getting angrier by the second, watching Jade’s hips sway beneath Jimmy’s hungry gaze. Oh yeah, he could see the jerk’s eyes now, and they hadn’t left her cleavage once since they’d begun dancing.
“Rex, you okay? They’re just dancing.” Savannah touched his biceps, and he was so tense that he instinctively flexed.
He barely registered her next comment beyond the blood thundering in his ears.
“Treat? We might have a problem.”
“Rex, we can’t have any trouble here,” Treat said in a low, firm voice beside his ear.
“Oh, don’t worry, big brother. I’m not about to make any trouble.” I’m just going to claim my woman.
Jade shifted her eyes to his, and in that brief glance, he saw hurt so deep it was like she reached into his gut, grabbed his organs, and twisted. How could he have not recognized how much she’d be hurt by the same things that angered him? This situation was untenable, and even as Treat put a stabilizing hand on his shoulder, Rex knew there was no way that he’d be the cause of any more of her pain. This madness had to stop.
He looked into his brother’s eyes and asked, “Could anything have kept you from Max?” It wasn’t a challenge; it was a question—one to which Rex already knew the answer. Before Treat could answer, he asked Blake, “Would you have let anyone come between you and Danica?”
“Not on your life,” Blake said, pulling Danica close and wrapping his fingers beneath her wild, dark curls.
Rex ran his eyes over his family’s faces. Their worry was quieted by their support for him. Rex nodded, coupling their strength with his.
