Animal Instincts [The Andersons 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (18 page)

“I don’t know whether you know, but I’m a vegetarian,” Rex pointed out, his grin just as friendly.

“I’ll serve them with a side salad then.”

A soft feminine voice from the kitchen doorway then spoke. “Now, now, Junior, that’s no way to treat our guest.”

Biting back the laugh at Ross’s grimace, Rex turned to Jess. Her apron, with the words “No. 1 Stirrer,”
did
make him laugh. “Mrs. Anderson, something smells good.”

“You obviously do want to eat out on the veranda.”

“Jess,” he corrected.

“That’s better. Walk this way. You can help me serve. I hope you like nut-roast. It’s my husband’s specialty.”

Nut-roast? Well, wasn’t that appropriate? With Ramona’s bra strap still on show, Rex’s nuts were definitely roasting. But he’d made a promise to Ramona, and nuts or no nuts, he intended to keep it.

* * * *

Ramona waited until her father had joined her mother and Rex in the kitchen before turning her attention to her brother and sister. Though she felt pleased at the glimpse of steel-edged grit from Samantha, she felt piqued at their exchange of knowing looks and smiles. “He’s just my partner at the practice,” she protested.

“Of course he is,” Ross said.

“Of course he is,” Samantha said.

“He is! And yeah, I live with him. But that doesn’t mean jack squat, either.”

“Of course not.”

“Of course not,” Samantha again repeated in complete agreement with Ross.

Ramona protested further. “He’s a smug SOB! We share the john, not a bed!” The moment she said those words, she wished she could take them back. She pressed her mouth shut, just in case she dug herself into a bigger hole.

Samantha shared another knowing look and smile with Ross and then said, “Rex’s big bananas joke made me laugh. I’d like to know if he has any more,” and ambled through to the kitchen.

“Big bananas?” Ross asked. “Shouldn’t that be brass balls?”

Ramona slapped a hand against his hip as he sauntered away. Something small and hard struck her palm. “Ow!” She grabbed his belt to yank him back and stuck her hand in his front jeans pocket. She removed a small velvet box. He swiped it from her grasp, but she swiped it back and flipped the lid. Her eyes widened a fraction at the sapphire and diamond ring nestled within. “What’s this?”

“What does it look like? It’s an engagement ring.”

“For Jessica?” She’d been stunned but happy at her brother’s announcement that he and Jessica Ferris were engaged. They made a good couple, even if they were both as stubborn as sin. However, what she didn’t need was for anybody—namely her parents, Samantha, Ross, or even Matt, who was even more cynical than her on the subject of romance—thinking she and Rex made a good couple and that they would be next to marry.

Not that she would mind if Rex did pop the question… Whoa, hold on there. Why was she even thinking of marriage? She was still getting used to the idea of slush, not sex. She needed baby steps. And those did not involve exchanging vows with her family and God as her witness. Besides, Rex had only been divorced for seven months. Surely he was in no hurry to remarry?

It was at that moment that Rex joined them. He now wore the “No. 1 Stirrer” apron. Ridiculous had never looked so hot. Ramona felt a smile curving her lips and a tingling moist sensation developing in her pussy, before she noticed Ross was watching her closely as he took the box from her hand and tucked it back into his pocket.

“Well, I haven’t proposed to anybody else lately.”

“When did you buy it?” she asked, hoping to sway Ross from asking questions of his own.

“Yesterday afternoon when Mom and Dad returned from Butte and helped move Sammy’s things. Which reminds me, where were you and Rex going in such a hurry when you came back from Watson’s? You leapt into his SUV quicker than Sammy and I could blink.”

Ramona felt her face flaming. So, while she and Rex hadn’t seen Ross and Samantha, they had
seen them. Crap. Having already told Rex to keep his mouth buttoned, she wasn’t about to do the exact opposite and admit to having vine-swinging sex with one very hot and smug SOB. She wasn’t about to mention blowing him, either. She could still taste his spicy and male cum in her mouth. She’d never been a very good liar, either, so she decided the best course of action was to develop a sudden case of selective deafness. “Rex, I forgot to tell you. Ross is getting married.”

“So I hear. Samantha just told me. Congratulations, Ross.”

“Thanks. And you haven’t answered my question, Mona.”

“Lunch ready?” Ramona airily asked Rex and ignored Ross, who she now noticed had assumed his detective-grilling mode, a trait he’d no doubt learned from their father. Double crap. Fortunately, Rex then spoke up, saving her face from bursting into flames.

“Ramona, in answer to your question. Yes, lunch is ready. And to yours, Ross. Watson jerked me off. Jerked us off. We wanted to get home to vent our frustrations.”

“I hope you didn’t vent
your
frustrations out on Mona.”

“Of course I didn’t!” Rex interjected at Ross’s accusing tone. “I took a pair of shears to a lilac bush in the garden.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“So while you were developing green fingers, what, pray, was Mona doing? You know, to vent her frustrations?”

“Riding a stud.”

Ramona felt sure her eyes were bugging, mostly because Rex had actually squared up to Ross. They were evenly matched in terms of height and weight, so she wouldn
’
t want to bet on who would come out the winner if they came to blows. It wouldn’t happen, though. Rex was, despite growing up with an abusive father, totally opposed to violence, and her brother, unless provoked, as with Raven—apparently he’d knocked his teeth down his throat before arresting him for rape—always kept a tight rein on his temper.

Both then laughed and went into the kitchen, acting as if the last five seconds of macho, testosterone-fuelled tension hadn’t existed. She didn’t know whether to laugh, too, or curse. After a moment, she decided cursing was appropriate. On one hand, Rex’s explanation for their swift exit was reasonable and believable, but on the other, his “riding a stud” comment had been too close to the truth for comfort.

Not that she’d actually ridden Rex—he had always been on top, or behind. Even up against that tree, he’d ultimately been the one in charge. She wasn’t complaining though. She did like an assertive man in bed. She liked them adventurous, too. And she got the impression that beneath the romance, and with their kinky roll in the hay, Rex was very adventurous. Which, she decided, was a good thing. Finding out how sexually adventurous Rex was would slow the slushiness of their relationship. It gave her the baby steps she needed.

With that in mind, Ramona ambled through to the kitchen to join her family and Rex. Mega crap! Yes, okay, so Rex in the “No. 1 Stirrer” apron was a ridiculous sight, but with him discussing Ross’s wedding plans with her mother, Ross, and Samantha sharing knowing smiles, her father equally amused, he also looked part of the family, as a husband—hers.

Actually, smugness aside, on so many levels, Rex was the perfect man. He was big—in more ways than one—strong, kind, honorable, faithful, and he made her laugh. Why wouldn’t she be half in love with a man who possessed those qualities? Whoa, again hold on there. Had she, Ramona Anderson, the non-doer of romance, just exercised the “L” word?

“I know my marriage ended with a messy divorce, but if a special woman tells me she loves me, I’d do it all again. Say ‘I do,’ that is.”

Did Rex have to pointedly look in her direction when saying that? So much for not being in a hurry to remarry. And, oh mega crap twice over. Her parents were now sporting “Have we just gained a son-in-law as well as a daughter-in-law?” expressions.

Rex’s transformation from smug SOB to future dutiful son-in-law, coupled with the “love” word were definitely not baby steps, more like one giant leap for womankind. She needed her baby steps. Maybe even desperately so, otherwise she might do something totally crazy and really slushy, like propose.

“Ramona, sit down. Your dinner is going cold.”

Ramona slid into the chair opposite Rex and took a baby step. She kicked him hard in the shin.

One superb nut-roast, two glasses of whiskey—though how anybody enjoyed the throat-burning-guts-on-fire stuff was beyond him, he’d only drunk them out of politeness—a bruised shin and an uninterrupted viewing of Ramona’s red satin bra strap later, Rex patted his stomach and complimented the chef. “Mr. Anderson. I mean, Ross. That was delicious.”

“Dessert?” Jess asked, rising and collecting plates.

Rex regrettably shook his head. “I’m fit to burst.”

“Good. We haven’t got any, anyway. My chocolate soufflé developed a common man’s problem. Not that it’s ever been a problem with us,” she added, giving her husband a flirtatious wink.

Rex had to ask. “What problem’s that?”

“It failed to rise to the occasion.”

He laughed out loud at the subtle innuendo. Removing the “No. 1 Stirrer” apron, Rex folded and placed it on the table, then relaxed in his chair and studied the twin sisters opposite.

Though Ramona hadn’t spoken once, Samantha, too, had been quiet, apart from the telling off she’d given him for pruning a lilac at the wrong time of year—he must remember to give that bush a severe cut to back up the excuse he’d given—and Ross Junior’s barrage of humor-veiled threats to his manhood, threats he thought were unjustified since he would never harm one single hair on Ramona’s head, he felt part of the Anderson family, like he belonged.

The experience was alien to him. He may have been a son-in-law for five years, and yes, he had liked Stacey’s parents, but he’d always had the impression that they believed he would never be good enough for their daughter. Ross Senior and Jess, on the other hand, had welcomed and accepted him into their home without prejudice or reservation.

Then there was his own father. After fighting back against years of abuse, they had formed an uneasy relationship, often strained with endless silences. Not that his father had been afraid to voice his opinions. Rex ignored the attacks and the comments, which were so far from real it was unbelievable. However, there had been one time—on his wedding day, no less—that not only had his father been bang on target, but also he’d wished he’d actually listened to him.

“Stacey’s only interested in herself. She’s vain and viper. She’ll never give you what you want.”

Rex glanced across at Ramona. That image of her as his wife and their brood of kids running around was as clear in his mind as the first time he visualized it when he first arrived in town. If anything, it was vivid enough to show eight kids, four boys and four girls. Just something of note, the four boys were identical to each other and looked older than the four girls, again all identical. Two sets of identical quadruplets? Surely not, but how wonderful, as wonderful as it would be to place a gold band on Ramona’s left ring finger. He wondered if she would take his name. Stacey had refused, and for some time it had been a sore point.

“How long have you been a vegetarian?” Samantha asked Rex, intruding on his thoughts.

“Since I was seventeen. I had a bad experience with a hamburger. Never ate meat again after that.” He gestured between the two sisters. “Which one of you is the eldest?”

“I am,” Samantha replied. “By about a minute.”

“Yeah, I didn’t even have time to draw breath before Ramona popped out of my love tunnel,” Jess added.

Since nobody appeared shocked or embarrassed, Rex decided he damn well wasn’t going to be either. He tried to catch Ramona’s eye, but she pointedly ignored him.

“When are you going home?” Ramona asked her brother. It was the first thing she’d said since sitting down at the table.

“Can’t wait to get rid of me, huh?” Ross Junior grinned. “I’ve got time for a game of blackjack.”

“Blackjack? Ah, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t have a lot of cash on me,” Rex said.

“This is the Anderson version,” Ross Senior informed him. “And we play cards for laughs, not for money.”

“That’s not what happened the last time you played poker,” Jess teased her husband. “You still owe Ray a hundred bucks.”

“And the hundred before that,” Ross Junior joined in.

“Sometimes, Rex,” Ross Senior advised, “it’s best to keep one’s mouth shut in this family.”

Rex grinned and followed everybody through to the living room. Once the coffee table was moved to one side and two decks of playing cards had been located in a sideboard, he sat cross-legged on the floor, Ramona to his right, Ross Junior to his left. Samantha sat opposite him between Jess and Ross Senior. He turned to Ramona and asked, “So what are the Anderson blackjack rules?”

“The object of the game is to get rid of your cards before anyone else. We each have seven cards. The rest of the deck, minus the kings, queens and aces are placed facedown on the table, or in this case, the floor. Dealer goes first. We always start with Dad ’cause he’s the oldest—”

“I prefer head of the family,” Ross Senior interrupted as he returned the unwanted cards to the packs and shuffled the remainder.