Ah hell, now he’d hurt her feelings. He was batting a thousand today. “Mom—”
“I didn’t mean to speak out of turn. And I understand how much you value your privacy. But to be honest, I can’t wait for grandchildren to spoil. The sooner the better.”
“I’m planning on getting a lot of baby-making practice in. Soon.” Jack grinned when his mother gasped and whapped him on the arm.
His brother inserted himself into the conversation. “Well, ain’t this just great? Us all together celebrating how my big brother stole my girl away for himself?”
“Justin David Donohue. What a horrible thing to say to your brother.”
“It’s true. Jack wanted, no, he encouraged me to break up with Keely so he could have her. Tricky, huh?”
“Get over it. That was years ago. Whatever happened between you two—” he warned Justin not to put Keely in a bad light in front of their mother, “—is over and done with. Keely and I crossed paths long before you entered the picture, so technically, she was mine first.”
Justin belligerently folded his arms over his chest. “You must’ve worked some serious magic on her because Keely hated you, Jack. She called you—”
“Every name in the book, I know. We laugh about it now, actually. Sometimes Keely even uses it as a term of endearment.” He smiled and gave his mother a one-armed hug. “Speaking of…I need to have a word with my soon-to-be blushing bride.”
Jack felt Justin’s glare singeing his hair as he wandered toward Keely surrounded by her friends. Too bad, bro. You fucked up. She’s mine now. He hovered on the outskirts of the circle, waiting for his beloved to acknowledge him.
She didn’t.
So Jack set his chin on her shoulder and palmed her hips, trying not to be distracted by that damned lilac scent. “Hey, baby.”
Keely immediately stiffened up.
Everyone in the group noticed. He half-chided, “Relax. I won’t tickle you in front of your friends.” He dropped his voice. “All my favorite ticklish spots are strictly between us.”
Muffled laughter.
“Anyway, can you all excuse us? I need to steal her away for a minute.”
Murmured assent followed. And miracle of miracles, Keely didn’t argue.
Jack clasped her hand and towed her behind him.
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71
Lorelei James
Halfway down the empty hallway, Keely jerked out of his hold. She put her hands on her hips.
“What’s so all-fired important you had to drag me away?”
“Where in the hell do you get off telling my mother, for Christsake, that we’re going to start a family—a big family—right after the wedding bells stop pealing?”
Her mouth curled in an impish smile. “I was cementing our cover, Jack. I thought you’d be happy.”
He got right in her face. “Nothing about this situation is making me happy, Keely. Especially not every goddamn one of your brothers threatening to gut me— gut me! —like some redneck code of vengeance if I do anything to hurt poor little ol’ you.”
“Then you’d better make me happy, huh?” she said sweetly.
Jack crowded her against the wall, bracing his hands on either side of her head. “Try again.”
“What do you expect me to say? I have no control over my brothers.” Keely drilled him in the chest with her index finger. “And speaking of… Since when does your brother get to act all, ‘You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, baby’, when that stupid asshole dumped me?”
“Fuck if I know. I have no control over my brother either.”
They glared at each other.
“If you have nothing else to chew my ass about, let me go.”
“Not a chance, buttercup.” He searched her eyes. No teasing warmth. Just cool appraisal. “Why are you being like this?”
“Like what? Business-like? Isn’t that how you wanted it between us in private? You turn the charm on and off with me whenever it suits you. Why can’t I do the same to you?”
“Because even though this engagement is fake, you’re not, Keely. I don’t want you to become like me.”
Her eyes shot daggers at him. “God, you piss me off.”
“Why? What did I say?” Hell, he thought what he’d said made sense. He’d been honest with her for a change.
“Just when I want to punch you in the kidney for bein’ a total jackass, you show me a part of you that ain’t half-bad.”
Jack’s heart sped up. “Which part?”
“That part. The real, sweet, sincere side of you. You didn’t toss off a sexual comment like ‘I’ll show you the best part of me, baby’. You act as if this is more than us cementing our cover. You act like you care about me.”