Takin' the Reins (The Sterling Brothers #2)(7)

Jace opened the passenger side door for her, and she climbed in, feeling slightly weird about the whole situation, or maybe she felt this way because she never envisioned herself in this situation. Sure, her car was messed up, but here she was, with Jace Sterling, feeling like she’d fallen down a rabbit hole. The feeling of his warm breath on her bare arm had shivers racing along her body.

Once in the seat with the door closed she watched him walk around the front of the truck and get in the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life like a beast waking up for the first time, and he looked over at her, grinning.

“Ready?” he asked.

I’ve never been more ready in my life.

Thank God she hadn’t actually said those words out loud. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

At least she hoped she was, because the way she felt right now, and the fact she would be seeing a hell of a lot of Jace in the coming weeks, could make things a lot harder than they needed to be.





Chapter Six



The next day



“You sure you don’t want me to take you to work?” Lexi’s father asked as he sat on the couch in her living room. He’d stopped by this morning on his way to work to drop off some casseroles her mother made for her.

“I’ll be fine. Jace offered to take me and pick me up from work.” She tried to keep her voice even, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit seeing Jace so much this next week wasn’t exciting.

“I still think you should have called the insurance.” Her father’s deep voice sounded annoyed.

“Dad, my insurance would have gone up even though it wasn’t my fault. I can’t afford that, especially not with the new place. I’m just trying to get ahead of my finances.”

He grumbled. “Staying with us would have helped in that, Lexi.”

She looked over at her dad. He appeared relaxed, his big body sprawled out on the couch, his stained overalls showing what a hard worker he was. “Dad, I’m too old to be staying with you guys. You and Mom need your own space.” He didn’t speak, but grumbled again, and she couldn’t help but smile.

The sound of Jace’s truck pulling into the driveway had her heart speeding up. Her father was off the couch and looking out the window faster than she could even comprehend. Lexi exhaled, knowing that although Jace was here to help¸ nothing more, her father would put on the concerned parent act.

“Dad, please don’t embarrass me,” she said, but was searching for her purse. She faced her father again, only then realizing he’d already opened the door. Great, this should be interesting.

****

Jace noticed the massive man standing in the doorway as soon as he climbed out of the driver’s side. The man, who he knew was Lexi’s father, looked ready to beat ass. Lexi was biracial, and although he’d heard rumors back in the day that Braxton and his wife had moved to Granite because of the racial issues they’d faced in their previous town, they never faced that here. Granite was accepting of everyone, no matter their race, background, or financial standing. It didn’t matter who the person was, or who they loved, as long as they were decent and were genuine with everyone around them. Braxton and his wife were that way.

Jace made his way up to the front door. “Sir,” Jace said and nodded, but the stern look on Braxton’s face made Jace feel like he was a teenager again bringing his date home late. Braxton eyed him up and down, and although Jace assumed fathers did this kind of thing, Jace didn’t particularly care to be examined like he was about to defile Lexi.

Even if I want to.

“So, you’re the one that rammed into my baby girl’s car?” Braxton said, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Yes, sir. But I’m getting it taken care of.”

“Hmm,” Braxton said.

“Daddy, please,” Lexi said, coming up to stand beside her father. She gave Jace a sympathetic look. “Okay, I have to get going,” Lexi said, clearly trying to cut this encounter short. “Thanks for the casseroles, and tell Mom I said the same.” Braxton gave her a kiss on the top of the head, but he kept his focus on Jace, his eyes narrowed.

“Be careful driving my baby girl to work,” Braxton said, the threat clear.

“God, Dad,” Lexi said, sounding embarrassed but also exaggerated. “Come on, Jace.” She shut the door, and they walked to his truck. Braxton was already in his truck and driving away before Jace even cranked the engine.

“I am so sorry about that,” Lexi said, turned in her seat so she could look at him. “My dad has always been that way about guys in my life.” She glanced away, looking embarrassed. “I—I mean, not that you’re in my life, but just that … well, God,” she said on a breath.

He started chuckling. “No worries, and I know what you mean.” Although, if he were being honest with himself he liked the idea of being in her life, and not just because he’d screwed up her car. She’d been on his mind for longer than he cared to admit, and the seeming obsession he had for her was only growing by the day. “And dads are like that. I’d be worried if he wasn’t concerned who was spending time with you, especially of the male population.” Her glanced over at her, and smiled. Jace wondered what she thought about, and this male side of him, the alpha part, hoped she was feeling flustered because of him and what she felt.

He knew a woman’s body like an artist knew their paintbrush and canvas, but that didn’t mean he knew what in the hell a woman was thinking or feeling. But with Lexi he could look on her face and see she felt something for him, even if it was just lust.

“I hate to ask, but if you’re going to be in town for a while after I get off work, can you take me to the store? I have like no food in my house, and eating takeout, especially with the limited places in town, is kind of getting old.”

“Of course.”

“And, if you’re up to it, maybe I can make you dinner?” Her voice sounded tense, and she seemed a little nervous.

“You want to cook for me?”

God, that gets me hard.

You’re a fucking creep.

“I mean, if you’d like that? I would just like to show you that I appreciate your help, and making a home cooked meal for you can be my way?”

“I was the one that fucked up, Lexi. You don’t have to repay me, although I’ll admit a home cooked meal sounds damn good.” He grinned and glanced at her, the embarrassment and pleasure both clear on her face. Maybe she was thinking of the filthy things they could do aside from eating dinner?

He sure as fuck was.

“I’d like to cook for you. Even though you hit my car, you’re still helping me out. A lot of people wouldn’t have bothered, Jace.”

Damn, he liked the way she said his name.

“Then I’d love to have you cook for me.”

She smiled, and he swore it lit up the entire space.

The more time he spent with her the better. Damn, he was really starting to fall for this girl, and he didn’t know shit about her.

You can change that.

Yeah, he could, but would she even want to?





Chapter Seven



“Shit,” Lexi cursed under her breath and looked down at her finger. The digit was red, but wasn’t burned too badly. It still hurt like a bitch, though. Jace was due to arrive in the next twenty minutes, and she felt like she was running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Looking at the table to make sure it was the way it should be, she noticed the bottle of wine was missing and rushed over to the fridge. Once she had it and it was set on the table, she went back to the stove and opened the oven. She was a decent cook, and she just hoped Jace enjoyed it.

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered corn, and even homemade biscuits fresh out of the oven were all ready and waiting. It had been a long time since she actually cooked something this grand, but she was proud, and so damn nervous. Rubbing her hands on her apron because her palms were sweaty from her nerves, she felt like her pulse was beating in her throat, suffocating her and making her feel lightheaded all in the same breath.

“Get a damn grip.” The truth was this wasn’t just about making Jace dinner because he was helping her out. This was also about her feelings for him, and how they’d never actually diminished over the years. Now that she would be seeing him more, even if for only a short time, she felt her latent feelings for him rise up, washing through her like she had when she was younger. But this wasn’t just schoolgirl emotions—a crush because Jace was older, bigger, attractive, and so strong. No, these emotions were different because she was a woman now and knew what she wanted.

Pushing all those thoughts aside, she took the apron off and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she wiped away the little bit of flour she had on her cheek, and attempted to tame her wavy, wild hair. Her hair was long, and she didn’t take after her father with the strands being curly and coarse, but it was thick and impossible to tame most of the time. Still, Lexi always kept it long, loving the look of it even if it got more tangles than she cared to correct.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she whispered to her reflection. “This is more for you wanting him than anything else.”