My Step-Dad's Brother(34)

Then, as though from muscle memory, I was suddenly stalking her until I caught her, gripping her biceps and hauling her into my arms. Sucking her gasp of surprise into my mouth and replacing it with my tongue. All of my blood rushed to my groin and I groaned as I grew painfully hard.

My hands made their way down, over her tight ass, to the back of her thighs. I bent my knees and lifted her, guiding her legs around my waist and backing her up against the wall.

She moaned as I ground my cock into her pussy, shivers wracking her body. I needed her more than anything else at that moment. I reached for my zipper when a loud buzzer tore through my haze of lust. What the fuck?

Pulling back, I looked for the cause of the offending sound and recognized the cook timer on the stove was going off. Something was bubbling in a pot on top, and clearly a dish baking in the oven.

My stomach chose that minute to growl fiercely, reminding me it was empty. With the spell broken, I lowered Jade to the ground, doing my best to ignore her whimper of protest. I stepped back, my hands on her waist to steady her until she slapped at them, and I let go. She hurried over to the timer and shut it off, pulling from the oven what looked like ... freshly baked bread? No way.

This seemed like a scene from a movie, the little wife in the kitchen making her man dinner. Except this was anything but a movie, Jade was the last woman who would ever be my wife, and I wasn’t sure she would be willing to share.

My stomach roared in protest and I considered the dangers of seducing some of this food out of her.

“I brought some groceries because I wasn’t sure if the house was stocked,” Jade said, stirring the pot and keeping her back to me. “Mr. Wilkinson explained nobody had been in residence. I was going to ask what you wanted to do about dinner, but I couldn’t find you. “

She started hunting around and I finally snapped out of my trance, helping her to locate dishes and silverware.

“I made minestrone soup, salad is in the fridge, and there are fresh rolls. Help yourself.” She was still avoiding my gaze and it was beginning to annoy me, but I worried about what I’d do if I looked into her intoxicating eyes. So, I helped myself to the food, put it on a tray, thanked her quietly, and ran to my office like a coward.

A little after midnight, I took my dishes to the kitchen, rinsed and put them in the dishwasher, then went up to my room. I hesitated at Jade’s door, my hand itching to reach for the handle. Did she sleep in silky little nighties? Or a pair of boxers (I felt violent at the thought that she might be wearing another man’s clothes) and a t-shirt? Or, I swallowed hard, in the nude?

I groaned and forced my feet to step one in front of the other until I was shut in my bedroom. Keeping my eyes anywhere but on the connecting door, I stripped and took an icy shower. After I had dried off, exhaustion hit me, and I practically stumbled to the bed and passed out.

Several hours later, I woke in the darkness from a distant sound. Instantly alert, I sat up and listened. It sounded like—well, like someone was getting sick. After a moment, I realized it was coming from Jade’s ensuite bathroom. I threw the covers off and raced to her room.





Chapter 5


Jade


Ugh! Could tonight get any worse? Apparently it could, because another convulsion shook my body and I lost whatever contents remained in my stomach from dinner. Minestrone soup wasn’t fun when it came back up, especially not when it had been paired with a salad.

Make that much, much worse. “Jade? Are you okay?” Lucas’s question was spoken gently through the door, in a tone I hadn’t heard from him since before he turned into an ass and stormed out of our hotel room.

“Do I sound like I’m fine?” I muttered under my breath.

The opening of the door was the only answer I got to a question he couldn’t have possibly heard. Then he was on his knees behind me, one hand bunching my hair at the back of my neck while the other rubbed my back in soothing strokes. Jerky Lucas was hard enough to resist, I couldn’t possibly expect myself to fare any better with this caring version of him. At least I didn’t have to worry about falling victim to the chemistry between us anytime soon, since I felt like death warmed over and probably looked like it too.

When it seemed as though I was done, Lucas helped me to my feet and settled me on the stool in front of the vanity. The freaking vanity! This house was nothing like anywhere I’d ever lived before and I couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the visible signs of wealth all around me. Well except maybe for the gourmet kitchen. It had truly been a joy to cook in there.

My stomach gurgled and I shoved all thoughts of food from my mind while taking the cold washcloth Lucas was handing me. Before I could use it, his hand was on my forehead, checking for a fever. I slapped it away and swiped the washcloth over my face.