[English Novel] SIZZLE

Sizzle
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“Don’t just sit there, go after her and finish this,” Donovan said, walking out onto the porch.

****. I shot up from my chair and rushed after her, only to watch her put her foot down and shoot down the lane.

I was an idiot. Of all the reactions to my ‘can’t marry you’ statement, I hadn’t expected her to completely ignore what I’d said. Standing on Donovan’s drive I wasn’t sure who the biggest idiot was. Me for letting her go and not reacting sooner, or Mia for not listening to any damn thing I said.

Donovan walked up to me and slung his arm around my neck. “You, my friend, are a ****up. What was so wrong with saying ‘Mia the wedding is off, get over it’? How the **** could you stay sitting there and let her go. What’s wrong with you?” Letting me go he stomped inside.

The fact was I’d planted the seed in Mia’s head, so hopefully, I prayed, she’d start to think about what I said, otherwise I was going to have to go through with this whole charade thing. I couldn’t see any other way out of it without Mia’s co-operation. At least if she cooperated things might settle back down pretty quick, but something that still bothered me was why did she want to marry me, when there was no love lost between us?

I needed to head home, because I was running out of clothes and I missed my horse. Kayne, one of the trainers, had been looking after Trigger for me. I also hoped to see Thalia and see her smile.

“Either go and **** her or stop grinning like an idiot.”

Reece had appeared from where, I’d no idea, but he was standing about ten feet away waiting for my comeback. He was going to be disappointed.

“Tell Donovan I’m heading home for a bit.”

Climbing into my car, I knew I was making a mistake going back, but I’d stayed away too long and soon my so called fiancée would hopefully come to her senses and realize there was more to life.

Chapter 24

Thalia

It was five-thirty in the morning and I couldn’t get back to sleep. I needed the bathroom for one, but didn’t want to wake Jack up. Jack. He’d come home last night while I was sitting on the porch with Liam. If it hadn’t been for Liam, I would have gone running to him. He’d climbed out of his car and walked towards me with a grin to match mine until Liam had made him aware that he was sitting with me, witnessing how happy we both were to see each other again.

I couldn’t get enough of him and my eyes ate him alive. He’d seemed to pull himself together and then walked straight past us both and into the house. I hadn’t seen him since and wasn’t sure what to make of his behavior.

The wedding was still on as far as I knew, and I was sure the whole town would know if it had been cancelled.

Every time I thought about Jack, my heart would pound and my stomach would flutter with butterflies.

My bladder desperately needed to be relieved so I threw back the covers and slowly made my way to the bathroom, hoping Jack was still asleep. He gave me enough heated looks when I was fully clothed. I had on my favorite baggy sleep shorts with teddy bears printed all over them; they hung from my hips and a tank top in pink. So basically my outfit didn’t leave anything to the imagination.

I slowly pushed the door open and sighed in relief when I didn’t see Jack, although I did feel a slight disappointment, which was stupid. Annoyed with myself, I quickly, walked across the bathroom and slid the lock into place on Jack’s door – I sure as hell didn’t want him to catch me having a pee.

With my bladder finally relieved, I washed-up then opened the lock on his door. Before I could move his door flew open and there he stood, in his practically naked, tattoo, pierced glory. Oh my God. I couldn’t take my eyes from the tattoo on his chest or the ones on his arms, but my eyes kept straying back to his chest, and his pierced nipple.

There wasn’t an inch of fat on him. His shorts hung low on his hips and I mean really, really low. He was bare, and his erection, which was straining for freedom, tented his shorts. I gulped and moved my eyes back up his body, hovering around his pierced nipple, which I wouldn’t mind playing with, and finally met his eyes.

His eyes were like molten liquid. He looked ready to eat me alive. His breathing was about as choppy as mine with his hands flexing at his sides.

I licked my lips.

“Thalia,” he whispered, “you’re driving me crazy.”

My nipples pushed against my top while my stomach fluttered with need. He inhaled when he noticed – his hands shaking. His eyes finally moved from my erect nipples down to my stomach. He froze and dropped to his knees in front of me putting his hands on my hips.

“You have a tattoo?” he asked me this question, already knowing the answer. I had a circular tattoo around my belly button of strawberries, my favorite fruit. Silly, but I loved it and from the sound of awe in Jack’s voice, so did he.

He leaned forward and placed a kiss to one of the strawberries. Without thinking I reached out with my hands and ran them through his hair – he shuddered and tightened his hold on me.

Between my thighs, I was wet and throbbing, where I wanted his lips.

“This is wrong.” He moved from one strawberry to the next leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. By the time he’d finished his hands were on my naked butt, having smoothed them up my legs and up past the bottom of my shorts. His cheek was resting against my stomach. I was falling for this guy.

I stroked down to his neck and the top of his shoulders. He let out a sigh as I continued to – soothe him, I guess. Jack seemed to need some comfort. Darn it, but he probably never got any from his family or even his fiancée. In fact the latter seemed more like an arranged marriage than one of love.

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Jack started to pull back, standing he met my eyes, and then reaching out, he caressed my face. “You have me tied in knots. I’ve missed you so damn much these past couple of weeks. I don’t know what the **** to do about it.”

He took a deep breath. “I’ve tried keeping my distance, but here we are. I’m getting married, Thalia, nothing can happen between us – it would hurt us both too much in the end.” He laughed. “Hell, what am I saying? You’re my brother’s girl. I shouldn’t even be touching you. There’s just something...” He shook his head and rested his forehead against mine.

My hands quivered as I placed them on his hips. “I’m not his girl,” I whispered.

His eyes met mine.

“We went out a few times, but prefer to be friends. He asked me to pretend to be his girl while I’m here.”

He smiled. “Probably so Mom doesn’t start throwing every available woman at him. She can be such a pain in the ass. You probably shouldn’t have told me that.”

I took a deep breath and reached up to run the back of my hand along his cheek to his jaw. “I better go back into the bedroom.”

“Yeah,” Jack agreed.

Neither of us moved.

My hand started to trace the outer edges of the eagle on his chest, moving slowly towards his nipple ring. He reached up and stopped me with his hand.

“You touch me there and I won’t be able to stop myself from taking you back to my bed. I’m having a hard enough time as it is.”

I stepped back - reluctantly.

“You need to go back in there and lock the door.” He gave me a slight push.

At the door I turned back to look at him. He was standing with his hands on the washbasin, gripping it for dear life, while he watched me through heavily lidded eyes with his jaw tense.

He breathed heavily. “Please go.”

Walking through the door, I shut it behind me and turned the key in the lock then collapsed back against it. What the hell just happened?

Jack made me so darn hot. I was still aroused. My clit throbbed and my breasts ached. I needed a distraction so I ran back to the bed, grabbed my cell and was about to dial Callie when I realized the time. ****, I’d have to wait a while. Instead, I pulled up Facebook and tried to get lost in my newsfeed.

Chapter 25

Jack

The edge of the sink bit into my hands, but I couldn’t keep myself from gripping it – the only thing that was keeping me grounded. I wanted her so damn much. My **** was stiff as a spike and with one touch; I’d probably come. I’d known she was in the bathroom when I’d climbed out of bed. I’d heard the lock slip into place, climbed out of bed and stood waiting for the lock to open.

I knew I had to see her to give me peace so I could get through the day. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop. I needed to see her. See her smile and just touch her, although I hadn’t expected to touch her in quite the way I had. Seeing her strawberry tattoo on her stomach had my morning wood twitching. When I’d dropped to my knees to kiss and lick her stomach, I’d felt her quiver. I’d wanted to pull her shorts down, and shove my tongue in her **** to taste her.

Damn! Whipping around, I turned the shower on cold, dropped my shorts and stepped under the spray. I sucked in a breath as the freezing water hit me, resting my hands against the wall, while I watched my raging **** finally start to shrink, thanks to the temperature of the water and Mia, who popped into my head.

Mia. What the hell was I going to do about her? I knew what was expected – marriage and children. Until Thalia came along, I was all set to go ahead with everything, until I graduated. When I thought about my future, I saw Thalia. She’d gotten under my skin from the moment I’d seen her; lying asleep on her bed, exhausted from her early morning travel with my brother. She’d taken my breath away.

I quickly rubbed myself dry and walked bucked naked into my room to dress, stopping in my tracks when I spotted Liam sitting on my bed.

“What do you want?” I moved towards the closet, which was open, and retrieved a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. Glancing at Liam, who was looking at me in disbelief.

“Um, tattoos? God, Jack.”

“Why are you in my room?”

He blinked. “What are you doing with Thalia?”

“Nothing,” I replied and could have kicked myself for such a lame, defensive answer.

“It doesn’t look like nothing. You need to stay away from her. What happened to the code of brothers? ‘Thou shall not steal my brother’s girl’.”

My temper had started to kick in. “She isn’t your girl though, is she?”

He looked startled. “She told you? When?”

Sitting in the chair opposite him, I exhaled, feeling frustrated as hell. “When doesn’t matter, but she told me, and I know why you want her to pretend. I won’t be saying anything to the folks; that I can guarantee.”

“You can’t keep spending time with her, because you’ll only hurt her in the end. She’s getting attached to you. Wherever we go, she’s always looking for you and tries to hide her disappointment when I tell her you’re elsewhere. You should see her face when I tell her you’re out with Mia.”

I let out a sigh and ran my hands through my hair. “She wouldn’t be the only one to get hurt.” Liam met my eyes and I continued, my voice gruff with emotion, “I look for her too. I shouldn’t, but I do. Meeting Thalia has made me want things that I gave up ever hoping to have, twelve months ago; I’m so screwed.”

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“You aren’t messing with her, are you? I’ve never known you to be like this over a girl. You need to end things with Mia and tell the folks to take it or leave it.”

Until I could figure out what the heck Mia was thinking, there was no way I was admitting to my brother that I’d already tried to call the whole thing off, only to be ignored as though I hadn’t said anything. Not to mention the fact it was damn embarrassing.

“Hell! Come on. I need to eat.” I stood and led the way out of my room.

“I’ll see you down there,” Liam said, walking off towards his bedroom.

I turned and walked downstairs, shoving my way into the kitchen, which I discovered I had to myself. Just about to pop a bagel into the toaster oven, my cell started to ring.

My cell was in my back pocket so juggling the bagel, I reached back to retrieve it, and noticed Lewis was the caller, Mia’s father. What the hell did he want?

“Morning Lewis,” I said and tried to inflict anything, but pissed off into my voice.

While I listened to him going on and on about some charity event Saturday night, I finally managed to slice the bagel and popped it into the toaster.

****, he was waiting for an answer. “Ah, sorry could you just repeat the last bit? My cell slipped.” Okay, one small lie.

After he’d repeated his question, I wished he hadn’t. “Sorry Lewis, I have another commitment Saturday night, so Mia will have to go with someone else.” I cringed inside as soon as the words left my mouth.

Lewis pointed out that Mia was my fiancée and it would look strange if someone else accompanied her. It sure as hell wasn’t going to be me.

“I’m sorry Lewis, but you and my father are always telling me how important it is to have a good reputation, which I guess means not letting anyone down. So, I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend. I’m sorry, but I need to go.” I removed my cell from my ear and slipped it back into my pocket, removed the bagel from the toaster oven and started to slather butter all over it.

“Jack.”

****, my father. That was quick!

I turned to face him. No doubt Lewis had been in touch with him as soon as I ended his call to complain about my refusal to fall into his plans for Saturday night.

“What is so important that you can’t take your fiancée to the charity event?” His voice had risen by the time he’d finished.

“I have something else planned.” I refused to meet his eyes. I knew what I would see anyway – disappointment.

“What?”

“I’m twenty-five; I don’t have to give you my schedule.”

He slammed his fist onto the countertop. “As long as you live in this house, you do!” he shouted.

****, I’d only come home last night as well. The morning had started amazingly with the hottest girl I’d ever seen and turned into a ****in’ nightmare. “Tell me to move out and I will. Hell, most of my things are already at Donovan’s anyway.” I faced my father.

He was momentarily startled, because it was rare for me to answer back. Normally I would do anything to keep the peace, but not anymore.

“You’d move out, throw the chance to be married to the loveliest young girl in town, not to mention your dream of becoming a lawyer, all because you don’t want me to know what you have planned for Saturday night?” Thalia was the loveliest – inside and out.

“Yeah, I’d move out before I had to give anyone my schedule.” I carried on eating my bagel even though the pieces kept getting stuck on the way down, but I refused to let my father know how he affected me.

“Are you ****ing another woman?” He spat it out, distaste clear on his face.

Frozen with the bagel half way to my mouth, I told him, quietly, “There hasn’t been anyone, including Mia, since I got dumped with her.”

He took a step back at the anger he could probably see on my face. I needed to leave before I did something I’d regret.

I pulled an insulated cup down from the cupboard, poured my coffee into it and left through the back door without glancing in my father’s direction.

Chapter 26

Thalia

I paused at the kitchen door at the sound of raised voices. Jack and his father.

Not knowing what to do, I took a couple of steps back, intending to go up to my room, only to pause, when I heard his father shout ‘are you ****ing another woman’. I wanted to hear his response and couldn’t believe it when I did. If I heard right, Jack just admitted to not having *** since he’d become engaged to Mia. Wow. Well at least it proved he honored his commitments.

He’d wanted me upstairs, and yes I’d wanted him. Having his hands and mouth on me had me ready to combust, and I still wanted him. He’d turned me inside out with just one look. He’d loved my strawberry tattoo, which made me wonder what he would do when he saw the one on my right hip or the other two. Yeah, I had a tattoo fetish, but in places that my parents would never get to see, unless I had my bikini on and then only the ones on my belly and hip would be visible.

“What are you doing out here,” Liam asked making me jump.

“Jack and your father were having a bit of a heated discussion in the kitchen,” I said, chewing on my lip.

“Sounds quiet now.” Liam pushed his way into the kitchen so I followed.

I’d heard Jack leave, because his father had cursed to high heaven just after I’d heard a door close. I wanted to go after Jack to make sure he was okay, but I didn’t think it would look too good if I did.

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I walked over to the back window and looked out just in time to watch him roar out of the barn on his dirt bike.

Liam walked over, standing beside me. “You’re worried about him.”

“Yes.” I wasn’t about to start lying, plus Liam knew there was something happening between his brother and me.

He ran his hands through his hair, a gesture I’d come to associate with Jack. “Thalia, you’re both going to get hurt if this thing keeps growing between you both. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s just as affected.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“In case you were wondering.”

“Thank you for that. I’m confused right now, so do you think we could get breakfast?” I asked, laughing.

He took hold of my hand and tugged me towards the toaster oven. “You shove some bagels in there and I’ll make the coffee. We can eat out back.”

“I’d like that.”

“Then I’ll take you to get a new pair of cowgirl boots – Alabama style,” he told me with a grin.

I gave him a friendly shove. “Hey, there is nothing wrong with the boots I already have.”

“Yeah there is. They’re Texas style.” He smirked and dodged past the hand I slapped towards him.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the bagels spreading cream cheese over them. “I’ll take these out back.”

Pushing the door open with my butt, I walked out to the porch swing, placing the plates holding the bagels onto the coffee table before taking a seat on the swing. The swing, which, for the past two weeks, had reminded me of Jack, and our early morning snuggle.

“Do you want to have lunch in town? Or back here?” Liam asked, sitting opposite me.

“Why don’t we decide later, seems as though we’re only just having breakfast.”

Liam started to chuckle. “Okay. Point taken.”

Sitting back in the swing, I started to wonder where Jack had gone, because he’d torn out of the barn like no tomorrow.

“He’s probably gone to the river.”

I frowned.

“That’s where he goes to let off steam.”

All I wanted to do was go after him.

“Why do your parents treat him like that, if he’s always done what they’ve asked of him?”

“Because with my folks it’s never enough. He’s always worked harder to try and get their approval, which he’s never had. He’s not falling in line anymore, things are changing with him and my parents can sense that. And it all started with our arrival or more to the point when you arrived.”

I lifted my eyes to his. “I haven’t done anything.”

He smiled. “Thalia, you didn’t have to do anything other than be yourself.”

Liam ran his hands through his hair, which seemed to be a family trait. “I was watching Jack that first night here and when he caught sight of you, he didn’t notice anything, or anyone, else. You had all of his attention even through dinner.”

“Considering you asked me out, way back when, you don’t seem too bothered that I’m attracted to your brother.” There was something about Liam that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He wasn’t gay, I don’t mean anything like that, because he looked at enough girls when we were out and about, but there was something.

“At first I thought there might have been something there between us, but there wasn’t. I like you as a friend, something of which I don’t have that many of.” He let out a sigh. “You know I think we need to clean up and then head into town.”

“Okay. I’ll quickly clean these while you go and find your shoes.”

Liam left me in the kitchen while I put the pots away and unable to help myself I kept looking out of the window to see if I could spot Jack.

“Who are you looking for?”

“Jack.” I spun around with my hand to my chest. “You scared the **** out of me.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said walking towards me.

My back was against the sink as Jack came to a stop, just inches in front of me. He looked angry and his hair was all messy.

Without a thought as to what I was doing, I reached up and placed my hand to his chest. I could feel his heart racing. Moving my hand away he clutched it in his and placed it back to his chest.

“Who were you looking for, Thalia?” he whispered.

I moved my other hand to his face in a light caress and kept it there as I replied, “You, Jack. I was looking for you.”

Standing so close to him, my whole body felt hot and tight, my breasts ached, my stomach quivered and all I wanted was to wrap myself around him.

“You’re back!” Liam stated, walking back into the room.

“****,” Jack briefly leaned his forehead against mine, placing a kiss on my nose, before walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“Looks like I walked in at just the right time,” Liam said grinning.

“Or not,” I mumbled.

Chapter 27

Jack

After making my escape to my room to shower and change again, I grabbed my keys, climbed into the car and drove to Donovan’s place.

What the **** was I doing with Thalia? If Liam hadn’t walked in when he had I’d have kissed the life out of her and I wasn’t sure I’d have been able to stop. My **** had throbbed and been taken care of in the shower with images of how aroused Thalia had been standing in front of me. I’d noticed her erect nipples poking out underneath her t-shirt and I’d bet that if I’d touched her between her legs, she’d have been wet.

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Goddamn, my **** was causing a restriction in my jeans, which was bordering on painful. I needed to think about something else before I arrived at Donovan’s with a boner.

Mia popped into my head. Since yesterday she’d sent me a few text regarding the wedding and I’d replied with maybe one or two words. One of the messages had been to tell me she had a best man lined up for me, to which I’d replied, that if she expected me to turn up, the best men would be Donovan and Reece. I hadn’t heard anything since, which I hoped was a good sign. I could have kicked myself afterwards though for not turning it more to my advantage by telling her it wasn’t going ahead so she didn’t need to fuss anymore.

I was chicken****. The whole thing could have been stopped by now, but for me wanting to please everyone and finish college.

Climbing out of the car I noticed Reece’s bike parked at the foot of the path. Why he couldn’t park the thing next to Donovan’s car was anyone’s guess, but he always blocked the damn path.

I yanked the door open, ignored them both and walked straight into the kitchen for a beer. I never drink during the day, but I needed a huge distraction.

Taking my beer back into the sitting room, I sat down in one of the recliners while I gulped some of the beer down.

“So who pissed you off?” Reece asked.

Where the hell did I start, because I felt pissed with everyone?

“My morning started off great, thanks to having the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my arms and then it kind of went downhill fast, and for that I can blame Lewis and my dad.”

Donovan and Reece were grinning at me so I just glared at them.

“Save the Lewis and your dad bit for now, we want to hear about the ‘most beautiful girl’.”

“****,” I tried to relax back into the chair. “Thalia was in the bathroom when I got up, and yes I knew she was in there. I needed to see her, but I ended up sending her back to her room before I dragged her into the shower with me.”

“You’re an idiot.” I frowned at Reece. “What straight guy, turns down a hot chick and I mean she’s ****ing smoking.”

“Watch your mouth,” I growled sitting up in the chair.

I looked across to Donovan. “Do you have anything to add?”

“Are you sure she’s dating Liam, because I’ve seen them around town and they never touch. There’s only been an odd occasion where he’s grabbed her hand when crossing the road.”

“She told me she isn’t dating him. Apparently he’s asked her to pretend so the folks don’t throw all the single girls at him.” I put the half empty bottle of beer on the floor and ran my hands through my hair. “I nearly ****ed her in the kitchen.”

Both my friends just sat staring at me. “Lewis wanted me to take Mia to some charity thing Saturday night and I said no so he then got onto my dad and within seconds we were having a shouting match in the kitchen. I stormed out and onto my bike. When I returned I caught her in the kitchen looking out of the window towards the barn, for me.”

“Sounds like you’ve both got it as bad as each other. The question is have you got the balls to go after what you want instead of what your parents decide you want?” Donovan asked. “If you need a place to stay until everything calms down, the spare room’s still yours.”

“Thanks.”

My cell chose that moment to ring. With a quick glance at the display I discovered it was Mia.

Sitting back in the chair I answered.

“Yeah,” I said in greeting.

“Well, you’re in a good mood.”

“What do you want, I’m busy?”

In the background I could hear Reece whispering to Donovan.

“I need you to take me to the charity event Saturday night.”

****, not again.

“Look, I’ve already had this conversation with your dad, and the answer is still no. I have a commitment, which I have no intention of cancelling.”

“Is it something with those two idiots, you call friends?”

“Yeah, it is. You finished now, because I need to go.”

“There’s no need to be rude, Jack, but I do need to attend this event.”

I felt like screaming, why couldn’t she take no for a ****in’ answer?

“I said I’m busy, so you’ll have to find someone else to take you.” The latter I knew would piss her off.

“I’m your fiancée and you expect another man to take me to this event. Is that what you just said?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Then let’s put it another way, if you don’t take me to the charity event, I’ll call the wedding off.”

I was speechless, did she just say she’d call the wedding off. ****ing perfect.

Although she couldn’t see it, I grinned. “Fine, don’t forget to return the ring.” I hung up the phone and looked at my two stunned friends.

Resting my ankle on my knee and my hands behind my head I let them wait for an explanation. If I was honest I didn’t think the wedding would get cancelled that easily, but it felt good to get the last word in.

“She said if I didn’t take her to the charity event, she’d call the wedding off. I hope she meant it, but I have a feeling it was all talk.”

“Then why are you grinning,” Reece asked.

“Because it felt damn good hanging up on her.”

Reece banged his head against the wall he was leaning against, focusing his gaze back on me. “That’s ****ed up.”

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“Okay ladies, let’s talk music,” Donovan said, changing the conversation as he walked back into the room with his guitar.

I shot him a relieved look and nodded, “Sounds better than my screwed up life.”

“Yeah it does, although the drama in your life is much more entertaining than anything on the box.”

“We need to decide which songs we’re going with Saturday night,” Donovan jumped in with, before I could reply to Reece.

Chapter 28

Thalia

I’d tried on about ten pairs of boots so far, and was starting to get bored, but Liam kept saying ‘just one more pair’. I was going to scream. While the sales assistant went to root around in the back to see what else she had in my size, I started wandering around the clothes section.

They had some pretty decent stuff hanging up, one of which was a lovely, pale pink dress in the softest fabric. With a quick glance at the label, I decided to buy it along with a tank in white and a pair of pale blue denim shorts, which looked like they’d be real short.

I smiled thinking about Jack’s reaction if he caught me in them.

“Thinking about Jack again?” Liam asked. I’d forgotten I was with him!

“What gave you that idea?”

He laughed. “You’re joking right? Every time he’s on your mind, your entire face lights up like it does when you’re in the same room.”

Wow, I didn’t know what to say to that. I had no idea my reaction to Jack was so obvious, it surprised me that Liam would notice.

I needed a breather to get my composure back. “I’m just going to try these on,” I said to Liam already nearing the dressing rooms.

Inside I closed the curtain, hung the clothing up on the hooks in the room then sank to the floor putting my head in my hands.

There was no doubt about it; I wasn’t falling for Jack. I’d already fallen. I needed Callie.

Rooting around in my purse, I found my cell and dialed my best friend, but her cell just rang and rang. Damn. If I didn’t talk to her soon I’d burst. Liam had become a good friend over these past few weeks, but the kind of things I wanted to talk to Callie about I couldn’t say them to a guy, especially when it was his brother I needed to talk about. Ugh.

“Mia, are you sure seducing Jack is the way to go, I didn’t think you liked him much?”

****. Was that Mia and her friend? Two bitches together.

“Hush up, before someone over hears you. I told you the other day, he tried to cancel the wedding, but I acted all dumb and left. I need to make sure he marries me and the only way I can think of is to seduce him and tell him in a couple of weeks that I think I might be pregnant. Of course I won’t be because I’m on the pill, but it’ll work, you just watch.”

Oh my God. I felt sick to my stomach. I needed to tell Jack what she had planned, but wait a minute, didn’t Jack tell his dad that he hadn’t slept with her. So, perhaps she wouldn’t be as successful as she thought. I hoped not, because he was mine. God, if only.

Hearing them leave I poked my head out to check if the coast was clear. Without trying the clothes on, I snuck back out in to the store to find Liam, who would you believe stood chatting and smiling away to Mia and the girl, whose name escaped me…Rebecca.

“Ah, here’s Thalia. Did everything f…”

“Everything was fine. I found what I was looking for. Thanks Liam,” I said quickly, before he could announce I’d been in the dressing room.

“So, I presume you’re going to be Liam’s date for mine and Jack’s wedding?” Mia asked looking down her nose at me.

My heart missed a beat in stress. The thought of Jack married to her tore me in two.

“Yes, she’s my guest.” Liam saved me from answering. “Sorry Mia, but we need to pay for these things and head out. We’ll catch you both later.” He took my arm and pulled me towards the cashier desk.

I sighed in relief. “Thanks Liam. She took me by surprise with that question.” I placed the dress, shorts and tank top on the desk and noticed a pair of boots on the display shelf behind the girl working the register. “Are those for sale?”

She looked behind her and smiled. “Yes they are, and I think they’re your size.”

Taking them from the girl, whose nametag said Tiffany, I tried them on and would you know, they fit me perfectly.

“I’ll take these,” I told her.

Liam chuckled beside me. “I can’t believe we spent ages while you tried all them on,” he said pointing to the display, “when, the perfect pair was sitting over here all the time.”

I grinned while I passed Tiffany my charge card, trying not to think about the dent it would be making into my savings.

When the transaction was complete, Tiffany passed my card back to me just as Mia and her sidekick walked up to us. “Oh, my boots,” she said looking at the ones I’d just purchased. “What are you doing?” she questioned Tiffany.

“This girl just bought them, so what does it look like I’m doing?” Tiffany grinned. Obviously there was no love lost between those two.

“She can’t have them, I was going to buy those,” she said before turning to glare at me. “You need to get a refund so I can buy them.”

She left me speechless. In her dreams. I decided to completely ignore her and grabbed the packages from Tiffany who was still grinning like an idiot and started to walk out of the store with Liam following not far behind.

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Back at the car, Liam opened the trunk for me to put everything inside wearing a frown.

“Is she always like that?”

His frown deepened. “I’ve never seen her like that before, although she can be, um, difficult.”

“Ugh, she was ****ing rude. See, she even made me curse, which I don’t usually do, well at least not out loud,” I ranted. “Do you know she’s planning on seducing Jack and then she’s going to pretend she’s pregnant so he doesn’t stop the wedding from going ahead. At least that’s what I overheard in the changing rooms.”

“Ah, that’s why you cut me off? You didn’t want her to know that’s where you’d come from.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh Thalia,” he said, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Do you want me to warn Jack, or do you want that honor?”

I sighed, not sure, which was best. “I don’t know, but he needs to be warned.”

“Yeah, he does. Although I don’t think he’d take her up on it, he doesn’t like her much. I know she’s pretty, but she isn’t for Jack.”

Hmm, what exactly did he mean, ‘she isn’t for Jack’?

Opening the car door for me, Liam looked deep in thought. “Do you want to go visit the next town over and we can have lunch over there?”

Smiling, I replied, “Thanks Liam, and yeah, that would be great.”

Chapter 29

Jack

The day with Donovan and Reece had turned out pretty good. Surprising considering how badly it had started, but once we started jamming and practicing some new songs, I felt great. However, after a day at it, I was exhausted and needed some food and hopefully some peace and quiet to eat it in.

My folks, along with Liam and probably Thalia, had gone over to Mia’s house for dinner with her parents. I’d purposely ignored my cell when they’d been ringing and hadn’t replied to any of their text messages.

So I was looking forward to having the house to myself for a short while, without anyone shouting at me to leave my boots outside, or wipe the crumbs from the counter or to not leave the dishes in the sink.

Smiling to myself, I knew I was going to do exactly what I wanted, including leave a mess. I wasn’t a messy person by nature, usually tidying up after I’d been in the kitchen; I just didn’t do it quickly enough for Mom!

Reece had offered me some advice about Thalia, which was typical Reece. The one he favored was for me to **** her, get her out of my system and then marry Mia. Donovan’s advice had been to tell Mia to take a hike and to cancel the wedding myself and then to **** Thalia…and to keep her.

Donovan was spot on with his advice. I’d spent the best part of the day between ‘breaks’ thinking about what to do. Mia, I knew was playing dumb about the wedding and she knew I wanted it cancelled. She was going to appear when I least expected it with a plan up her sleeve – that I did know.

As the wedding got closer and closer the more I panicked. What I needed to do was try and have a talk with my dad without him going off the handle, like he did with the majority of our talks. I just wanted to get a sense of what the wedding meant to him because I was so close to finishing my law degree that I couldn’t really see him withholding tuition.

Braking, I came to a stop at the front of the house and climbed out. Grabbing my bag from the back, I started to walk around the side of the house, stopping in my tracks when I heard Thalia say, ‘I don’t know what to do about Jack’. Who was she talking too?

Quietly, I moved closer to the back porch and could just make her out sitting on the swing with her cell to her ear.

“Callie, it’s not that easy. Ugh, he makes me so damn hot.”

I grinned to myself. So I made her hot, well she made me so damn hard.

“I’m not going to jump him. Callie, he’s engaged to someone else and she’s a first class bitch.”

When the hell had Thalia met Mia to make that conclusion?

“I haven’t spoken to her, but she was insisting to the sales girl in the shop in town that she refund me, because she was planning on buying the boots I’d just paid for. If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under.”

****, why the hell was Mia purposely, pissing Thalia off? I hadn’t given her any reason to think I was attracted to her…or had she put the ‘wedding talk’ down to Thalia being here. Women!

“Callie, I don’t know what to do about what I overheard in the changing rooms. I mean if I wasn’t attracted to Jack, I suppose it would be easier to decide, but I don’t want him thinking I’m telling tales because I want him, which I do, want him I mean. Ugh…tell me what to do?”

Having heard that comment, I figured it might be best to make myself known. What did she overhear? It was obviously something to do with me.

“No, she didn’t say that. Mia said she was going to seduce him, to make him think she was pregnant so he wouldn’t cancel the wedding. See what I mean she’s a total bitch and yeah she even has me cursing.”

I leaned against the wall in total shock. That wouldn’t have worked, but I guess there was no way Thalia would know that considering I’m engaged to the damn woman.

Was she crying?

“Callie, when I think about Jack putting his hands on her and not me, it hurts…so much. I’ve fallen for him, hook, line and sinker, but he belongs to someone else and is going to marry her. What the hell am I still doing here? I need to come to you in Texas to find a Texas cowboy, although I don’t think anyone else will do, but Jack.”

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She left me stunned, not only with Mia’s plan, but with how she felt about me and she sure as hell wasn’t going to Texas to find a cowboy.

“I’ll talk to you soon.” She ended the call.

Counting to ten I tried to get my breathing under control before I made myself known. She’d wonder whether or not I’d overheard some of her conversation.

“Thalia,” I said, making her jump as I approached the steps leading up on to the porch, narrowly missing one of the potted plants my mom kept there for decoration.

Thalia jumped and glanced at the phone resting in her hands. “I didn’t know you were there. Um, how long have you been here?” she asked biting her lip.

I was going to be honest; it would be easier, I hoped, in the long run. I met her eyes head on sitting across from her. “Long enough.”

“Oh God.” She buried her face into her hands.

Sitting forward, I rested my elbows on my knees, and asked, “Thalia, look at me.”

She shook her head.

“Please look at me. You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She appeared to take a deep breath then lifted her head and met my eyes. “I want you too; so much it hurts.” I reached out, but kept from touching her. Yearning filled her eyes as I dropped my hand back in my lap. “I know this situation is different and I’m trying to sort it out, it’s just not as easy as it might appear… Please don’t go to Texas.”

She chuckled. “You heard that, huh?”

“Oh yeah.”

“I won’t. I’m not sure I have the strength to leave, at least not yet.” She wiped a tear away.

“I also heard about what Mia has planned for me. There is no way that would ever happen. She might try, but she wouldn’t succeed…I’ve never had *** with her Thalia. It’s been over twelve months since I’ve had *** with anyone.” ****, I felt myself blush.

“So I heard, but, well, you’re a guy.” It was her turn to blush.

I laughed. There was nothing else for it. “How did you hear and yes I’m a guy. My fist has had a lot of use.”

“Oh my God. I can’t believe you just told me that,” she mumbled through her hands, which were once again covering her face in embarrassment. I just roared with laughter.

“How did you hear, Thalia?”

Coming out from behind her fingers, she looked away, out into the distance, but would be unable to see anything because it was pitch black. “I overheard you in the kitchen with your dad. I was on my way in for breakfast when I heard you both shouting, so I thought it best to stay out…I wanted to go after you when you left to make sure you were okay.”

I smiled at her, she was beautiful inside and out. “Then I came back and nearly had you in the kitchen.”

“I wasn’t complaining,” she whispered.

My **** was hard and I was in danger of having zipper marks permanently imprinted along its length.

Standing, I walked to the kitchen door, then turned my head to look back at Thalia. “Don’t go anywhere. I’m just going to get something to eat. Do you want anything?”

She shook her head. “No I’m fine, thanks. Your dinner’s in the microwave.”

I froze at her words.

She looked embarrassed. “I made you some pasta with Italian sauce. I hope it’s okay. Liam told me you’d be home to eat so I made you the same as me.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Thanks.” I turned and walked into the kitchen, letting the door close behind me. She’d totally stunned me. I didn’t think anyone since I was a kid had saved me dinner if I wasn’t there to eat it at the correct time.

Chapter 30

Thalia

From the look on his face, I’d surprised Jack when I’d told him about his dinner being in the microwave. Hadn’t anyone done that for him before? The way his family treated him made me want to cry. Even my own family left me food in the microwave if I was late home.

I smiled remembering the look on Jack’s face when he’d appeared out of the blue just as I’d finished my conversation with Callie. He’d enjoyed overhearing me, much to my embarrassment. Well at least it solved the problem of what to do about Mia’s plan.

He certainly had no shame, telling me about using his fist. I blushed again, thinking about it, about his hand wrapped around his ****, stroking it up and down. I wanted to touch him like that and not just with my hand.

At that last thought, Jack pushed his way out through the door with his dinner in one hand and two beers in the other.

He put his plate down on the table, passing me one of the beers.

“Thanks.”

“Why are you pink?” he asked me, taking his seat again.

I gave him a wicked grin, which stopped him in mid-drink. “I was thinking about you stroking your ****.”

He started to choke.

Jumping up, I ran around the table and patted him on the back, but he gently pushed me away. After coughing his guts up he looked at me. “You better sit back down, because I’m in no con***ion to have you near me right now.”

“What?”

I looked down and his **** was outlined behind his zipper. “Oh, okay.” I smirked, sitting back down on the swing.

“Oh boy,” he said picking up his plate of food. “Tell me about you, about where you grew up. What your family is like.”

My family pissed me off whenever I was home. At a distance we got along real well, but together – a total no no. “I have parents who still treat me as though I’m in high school, which is why I don’t tend to go home that often and usually end up in Texas with Callie. They had me late in life, and I guess have raised me like their parents raised them.”

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Leaning back I took a long draw of the beer, pressing the cool bottle to my forehead. “I love them and I know they love me, I just find it stifling. My uncle’s cool though, he’s fifteen years younger than my dad, and I used to love hanging around his house and chilling with my cousin Donna, but she moved away to college and we don’t see each other that often. When she does come home she usually has her boyfriend, who treats her like ****, with her.”

Looking out into the night, I sighed. “It makes my uncle sick to see her with him, but what can he do. She says she loves him.” I shrugged my shoulders and looked across to Jack who’d nearly finished eating. “You were hungry.”

“I sure was. Thank you for making me this, I appreciate it. It was damn good.” He looked so cute, grinning with a mouth full of food.

Grinning back, I realized I could spend forever sitting on the porch just watching Jack. My smile slipped.

“Hey,” Jack put his plate back on the table, “why do you suddenly look sad?”

Shaking my head, I turned away. Seconds later he was sitting on the coffee table in front of me with his hands on my face.

He turned me back to look at him. There were mere inches between us as he caressed my face. My breath caught in my throat and came out in small pants. My nipples were pebbled; my panties were wet, all because he had his hands on my face and his breath on my lips.

“Thalia,” he said as he moved in to kiss me.

I quickly moved my face out of the way, which had his lips landing on my cheek. He paused before leaving a trail of kisses from my cheek down to my neck. Reaching up I ran my fingers through his hair and felt his hands shake on my neck.

My heart felt like it was about to jump right out of my chest. Jack was kissing along my collarbone while I massaged his scalp with my fingers. I needed something and I wasn’t sure what. Without a thought I moved forward and climbed straight on to his lap, coming into contact with his ****. Jack moved his mouth away from my neck and looked into my eyes while I couldn’t help but grind my ***** against the bulge in his jeans.

He groaned, loudly, taking hold of my hips and pushing me into closer contact with him as he strained up towards me.

Without thought, I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaned forward and kissed him – our first kiss. I plunged my tongue inside his mouth and tasted him; he tasted of beer, which was one hell of an aphrodisiac. My hips had a mind of their own as my *** ground against him while the kiss went on and on.

My tongue tangled with his in a duel for supremacy, my hands moved up to cup the back of his head, holding him in place.

Jack slanted his mouth over mine to deepen the kiss with one of his hands going to caress my breast and pinch my nipple.

The sensations running through my body had me so ready to orgasm that I broke from his kiss and groaned.

Jack used that to his advantage and trailed wet, openmouthed kisses down my neck, along my collarbone, then sucked my nipple into his mouth through my clothing.

I came apart in his arms with Jack’s unsteady hands holding me against him while he rocked his **** up against me. Just when I thought I’d finished I’d be hit with tiny tremors, which caused me to continue to rub against Jack, whose breathing was as labored as mine.

“****,” Jack said, as he thrust up against me and held me tight against him while he groaned in my ear, sending more shivers right down to my toes.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Jack said into my neck.

“I know.”

We just held each other while we caught our breath. In truth, I was also embarrassed, because we’d both orgasmed without even being naked. A first for me. If he made me feel like that without being inside me, I’d probably go up in flames when he finally got me naked.

“Thalia, are you okay?” he pushed me slightly away from him and looked into my face. He looked worried.

“I’m fine, maybe a little bit embarrassed.”

He brushed the hair away from my face. “Don’t be embarrassed… besides I made more of a mess than you,” he said grinning.

I swatted him on the back and climbed from his lap. Then I took a deep breath and asked what I needed to know. “Jack, I need to know about Mia.”

Standing he walked towards me and took my face in his hands. “I don’t love Mia. I’ve never had *** with her and I’ve only ever given her a peck on the cheek when we’ve been in public. I need to tread carefully with how I handle cancelling everything, because our fathers jointly own the law practice. There are also other things to take into consideration, which I don’t want to get into right now.”

God what a mess. “You’re not marrying her?”

He smiled at me. “No, I’m not marrying her. It’s just going to take some careful planning, okay. After tonight though, I think it might be best if we stay away from each other until everything is sorted out, because if I have to spend one more night sleeping in the room next to you, you’re going to find me in your bed.”

“I wouldn’t object,” I told him as I reached up and ran my fingers along his lips.

He groaned, pulled me in for a quick kiss then shoved me towards the door. “Go up to bed. I’ll see you in a few days.”

Jack turned and headed back around to the front of the house.

I’d just had an orgasm with Jack on the coffee table and nothing had ever felt as good.

My only hope was that everything got sorted out soon, because it would kill me to hear more talk about weddings, especially when it involved Jack and Mia.

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Chapter 31

Jack

I was a mess, both on the inside and outside. On the inside I had no idea how to go about keeping everyone happy and on the outside I had semen in my jeans. What happened on the porch with Thalia had been hot. Hell, she’d gone off like a firecracker and taken me with her. Which brought me back to the fact; I needed to clean up, before I arrived at Donovan’s place.

Pulling over to the side of the road, I rooted around in the glove box for some paper towels that were still in the car from a visit to Krystals or McDonald’s. Yeah, I loved my junk food.

Undoing the button and zipper on my jeans, I peeled them away and cringed. My **** was still semi-erect and sticky as hell. I took a deep breath and started to clean myself up and just hoped that neither, Donovan or Reece would notice anything.

Fastened back up in my jeans, I was just about to pull away when my cell started ringing.

Without glancing at the display, I answered, “Yeah.”

“Jack, where are you?”

“I’m on my way to Donovan’s. Why?”

“Can you meet me? In the car park at Old Mill.”

What the hell. “Yeah, I can do that.”

“I’ll see you there.”

That had to be the strangest call I’d ever received from Liam, and why did he want to meet me at that spooky place?

After I checked to make sure there wasn’t anything on the road, I turned my car around and headed towards Old Mill. I felt panicked and couldn’t explain the feeling that something wasn’t right.

Why meet at Old Mill and not at the house. Old Mill had been closed for years, ever since the fire that had caused part of the building to collapse.

It was a creepy place even in daylight, but at night local kids would dare each other to go inside to claim a souvenir. I’d been one of the kids and had scared the **** out of Donovan and Reece. Fond memories.

As I drove into the car park, I saw Liam’s car parked up ahead so I pulled in beside him and climbed out of mine and into his.

He was sitting back with his head resting against the headrest and his eyes shut. He looked tired.

“Liam, are you okay?”

He sighed and turned his head to look at me.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Liam was apologizing to me. That didn’t make much sense.

“Why are you apologizing? As far as I’m aware you haven’t done anything… Have you?”

He rubbed at his temple before dragging his hand down his face. “I brought Thalia here for you.”

I stared at him, not sure I’d heard him right.

“I’ve been in love with Mia since I was fifteen.” Liam paused, staring out of the window. “She loves me as well…I know she does. She’s still pissed because I was a bastard to her, which I’m not getting into. With your wedding not far off, I brought Thalia home, hoping you’d like her and get distracted with her, calling this whole thing off. I’ve tried to talk to Mia, but she keeps walking off every time, and if I ring, she doesn’t answer her phone.”

He left me speechless. I’d known my brother had a thing for Mia and could never understand why he never acted on it, but perhaps he had at one time. He’d brought Thalia here for me?

“Jack? Say something.”

What to say? “Well, your plan with Thalia worked, because I can’t get her out of my head. You wanted me to fall for her and cancel the wedding so you’d get the girl, right?”

“Yeah. Except, the girl is supposed to cooperate.”

I started to laugh. “Just what the hell did you do to Mia? At one time I thought you’d both get together before everything went to ****.”

He blushed. My brother actually blushed like a girl. “Let’s just say I acted like a first class jerk right after. Ah, well, you know.”

Glaring at him, I looked at the roof of the car. I could be a jerk, but even I hadn’t done what I thought he was admitting to doing. “There’s only us here, spit it out, because I can tell you, I’m thinking all sorts.”

“****, you really are going to make me spell it out aren’t you?”

“Yeah. I am.”

“When we were eighteen I took Mia out to the lake, and we…had ***…for the first time. Oh God. I freaked. I realized that I wasn’t just infatuated with her. I realized I loved her and freaked the **** out. I couldn’t get her home quick enough, and then I left for college having never spoken to her.”

Liam hit the steering wheel with the flat of his hand in a rush of breath, and continued, “I ****ed up. I know that, but now, before it’s too late, I need to get her back and I thought if you got distracted with Thalia everything would work out, but the stubborn woman won’t even talk to me.”

“I’d say when you **** up, you do it big time. The thing is I need Mia to call the wedding off in order for Dad not to withhold my tuition. I don’t think he would, not when I’m so close to finishing, but I can’t risk it, at least not until I can come up with another way of getting the money. There is also Mia. What are her reasons for agreeing to marry me in the first place? Is it to get back at you? At least it makes more sense to me now. I’ve asked a few times, but she answered with a question of her own, like she always does when she doesn’t want to answer. A bit like you.”

“Yeah. That’s my Mia.” Sitting further up in his seat, he looked at me. “I need to get back. For now can we carry on as though we’ve not had this conversation and I’ll try and find out what’s going on from her end.”