Setting the spoon aside, Jared turned and leaned back against the counter, regarding her steadily. “And you think I’ve forgotten all that?”
Erin knew Jared never forgot anything. She also knew his tone well enough that a chill of alarm went through her. “Then why the hell did you get all caveman with Wes? I’ve been handling men like him for twenty years.” Standing in front of him with her hands on her hips, she looked into his eyes, hoping to make him understand.
Hoping he wouldn’t see through her to the secret she still kept.
“I’m not weak. I’m not defenseless. I hate when you act as if you think I am.”
Jared ran a fingertip down her jaw to her neck, his gaze holding hers. “Did you really expect us to stand by and watch another man touch you in anger?” An arrogant brow went up. “Do you really think we would stand by while another man talked to you as if he had some say over you? As is he was responsible for you?”
Shaking his head, Jared took her hand in his, lifting it to his chest. “Sorry, sweetheart. None of us are gonna stand by for that.”
“You stood there while Reese literally threw him out the front door!”
She fought for anger, still amused at the look of shock on Wes’s face when he landed on his ass.
Jared’s eyes narrowed, but his lips twitched. “I did not. I held the door open for him.”
Reaching into the refrigerator for the iced tea she’d made that morning, Erin pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “I’m just glad Reese didn’t hurt him. He wanted to. So did Duncan.”
Jared retrieved a glass from the cupboard and set it on the counter in front of her. “Your lawyer friend pissed them off.”
After pouring herself a glass of tea, Erin moved to the back door to look out. “They’ve been chopping wood ever since.”
Despite the cool breeze, both Duncan and Reese were naked from the waist up, the sight of their glistening muscles bunching and shifting as they worked holding her attention.
“It’ll be winter soon, and they had to find a way to work off all that anger.” Jared’s hands slid to her waist, and pulling her back against him, he pressed his cock against her lower back. “I plan to work mine off in another way.”
Shivering in delight at the feel of his body pressed against hers and his warm breath against her ear, Erin moaned softly and leaned back against him. “Do you? I’m intrigued. Why don’t you tell me about it?”
She knew his dark mood would add an edge to their lovemaking, one that already sizzled in the air.
After turning off both burners, Jared slid his hands under her shirt to cup her breasts, massaging gently. “I plan to put it to a more productive use, one that might also satisfy my fury at seeing another man’s hands on you.”
Erin giggled, still amazed that the confident men she’d married could still be so jealous when it came to her. “He only touched my arms, Jared.” It had pissed her off because she’d been holding the baby, but she knew that her husbands would be only angrier if they knew.
Sliding his hands to her back, he rubbed slightly before unhooking her bra. “That’s why he left with his hands.” Pulling her back against him, he cupped her breasts again, his callused palms lightly caressing her nipples. “You sore, baby?”
Closing her eyes, Erin leaned back against his shoulder. “Hmm. Just a little. That feels good.”
Jared pressed his lips against her hair. “You always say that. I don’t want to hurt you, baby.” Burying his face against her neck, he groaned. “Sometimes I look at you and can’t believe you’re mine. I’d be lost without you. I never stop wanting you.”
Extremely moved, Erin turned her head to look up at him over her shoulder, forgetting what she’d intended to say the moment his lips touched hers.
Swallowing her moan, he turned her in his arms, deepening his kiss, and he bent, gathered her against him, and swept her off her feet.
Lost in his kiss, she slid a hand through his hair, feeling as if she were floating as he carried her from the kitchen, through the living room, and down the hall to the master bedroom.
The feminine side of her reveled in the feel of his hard body against hers, the deliciously secure feeling of being held by a strong man, something she’d never known until meeting them.
Heat spread through her with a familiarity that made the hunger even more intense.
Breaking off their kiss, Erin panted, struggling to catch her breath. “The stove.”
“Off.” Jared lowered her to the bed and quickly began stripping her out of her clothes in a flurry of activity, his anger and possessiveness making the passion even stronger when he covered her mouth with his again.