Just Her Luck (52 page)

Sawyer hauled me up his chest and kissed me senseless, shutting my ass up, ravaging my mouth with his lips and tongue, sipping at my lips thirstily.

He pulled back, smiling when I protested.

I whimpered quietly at the loss.

He smiled even more, much wider this time as I sighed at the loss.

His grin encompassed his whole face, gazing at me with his deep, expressive eyes.

“Uh… yeah,” I mumbled dazedly.

His hand reached out to stroke my face, memorizing my features, tracing every dip and curve, ending when he reached my jawline.

“First off,” he whispered, licking his lips.

I stared, fascinated by the action, making him chuckle and shake his head at me.

Arm snaking down further, he tapped my ass. “Pay attention, brat.”

“Huh?” I cleared my throat and met his eyes.

He grinned, giving me a Sawyer-sized sunny smile.

“Frist off, you need to stop over analyzing every little thing, honey
. You sound like Bowen.
Second, call us whatever you want, whatever floats your boat, but either way, we’re yours. All four of us. We love you, Vieve.
I
love you.”

I laughed,
I don’t know why but I did,
contempt for myself seeping into it.

I shook my head, my bangs swinging across my forehead, my frizzed out, unbraided hair a wild brown halo crowning around me.

“How can you say that so casually? Like it’s the easiest thing in the world? I don’t know… and how can you… I… I…”

“Just say it,” he whispered, his voice soft and soothing, that smooth cadence that calms me putting me at ease.

I dipped my chin, eyes down cast as I took a deep breath.

“You say you love me
now
, but you could change your mind. What if one of you decides you don’t want to be with me anymore? Or all of you? Then what? How am I supposed to deal with that? Deal with me? What if there
is
a baby? How will that work?”

“Aw, Vieve. I wish you could see what I see in you. What
we
see in you. You’re special, brat. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re amazing.”

Having been staring down at my thumbs as I twiddled them absently, unable to look him in the eyes as I spilled my guts, my head shot up.

He smiled at the incredulous look on my face, pulling my hand up towards his lips, kissing each knuckle, circling his fingers idly over my ring finger.

“It’s easy for me to say, because it is. It was the most natural thing for me, realizing I loved you. I know you think that’s crazy, your face says it all, but one day, Vieve, one day you’ll see what I mean. One day you’ll see you love me too and I’ll be waiting, ready to hear it back. We have all the time in the world, honey. I don’t mind a wait.”

Tears welled up in my eyes-
damn allergies
- and I sniffled, clearing my throat again and again.

“Don’t cry, honey.”

“I don’t deserve you,” I whispered hoarsely, sinking heavily into his arms, soaking him up and taking him in.

“You’re right,” he whispered back, giving my head a quick peck, “You deserve better. Guess that’s why you’ve got all of us.”

A bark of laughter escaped me at all the cheek he’d managed to push into that one comment, and he chuckled in response.

“Don’t over think it so much, brat. Just enjoy it. Let things take their course. I’m not about to up and take off on ya, so don’t worry on that front. You’re tying yourself all up about it.
Don’t.
We’ll figure everything out, you’ll see. It’ll all work out.”

I’d lain there quietly in his arms after that, wishing it was that easy.

****

“You know,” I said in between bites of watermelon the next day, feeding every other bite to Bowen, snuggled up in his lap at the table, “This is kinda nice.”

“Mmmm…” he murmured happily, licking the juice from the melon off of my fingers.

“None of that, you.” I tried to get my fingers out of his mouth, and he nipped at them playfully, laughing when I slapped at him.

“Used to what, sweetheart? Four grown men at your beck and call? Or sharing watermelon with a sexy accountant?”

He looked at me and his glasses slid down his nose, eyes shining and slumberous with banked hazel fire, giving him the look of a naughty professor.

“Well, well… call me Ginger or Marianne,
professor,”
I whispered, pushing them back up his perfectly straight nose, admiring the aristocratic bend, holding up another piece of watermelon for him, “You can use my coconuts to play walkie talkies anytime.”

I waggled my brows at him, and he grinned, a deep husky laugh tumbling out of him.

“If you want me to knock it off, girly, then maybe you should quit it too,” he teased, sucking the watermelon into his mouth, his tongue snaking out to run along my juiced up fingertips, catching it all before it could drip.

“If I must.” Acting as if completely put out, I sighed dramatically, leaning heavily against him.

The clock in the living room chimed, and I glanced around, surprised by the stillness of the house.

“It’s like it’s
too
quiet,” I commented absently, turning back to him, my hand running along the nape of his neck absently.

He swallowed his fruit and his mouth quirked up at one corner.

“Well, Mama and our daddies went to town, Reeve is out mending fences, Sawyer is fixing up the old cabins, Ephraim has another mare to keep an eye on, and Thatcher is playing catch up from yesterday. Guess that just leaves me and you, little lady.”

His hands reached over and one gripped my ass while the other gripped the nape of my neck, pulling me flush against him.

“Professor, huh?” his fingers flexed on my ass, pushing me into his erection, “Why don’t we have us a little science experiment and test out our…
chemistry?”

“Oh, my god!” I guffawed, “that was even worse than my coconut line!”

His smiled widened, and I traced his face, admiring all the laugh lines he’d developed as of late.

“I like when you smile,” I told him honestly, kissing his dimples, then his lips, “It lights up your whole face.”

“Hmmmm…” he murmured, glancing at me slyly, “Wanna make it wider?”

I rolled my eyes, fighting a giggle. “Sure. Got any pliers and popsicle sticks? We could pry that shit right open.”

“You shouldn’t talk back to your teacher, missy.” He scowled, his expression belaying his hands as they slid up my skirt, teasing the edge of my panties. “In this state it’s still legal to spank a student for a serious infraction.”

He accentuated his point with a rough swat to my ass.

“Hey!” I yelped, trying to jump out of his lap.

He laughed and easily kept me there.

I glared at him while he rubbed where his hand had inevitably left a mark.

His other hand joined in, turning the rubbing into a rocking motion, pushing me intimately against the huge bulge in his pants.

I gasped softly, the sound escaping against his mouth as he brought his lips to mine, kissing me hungrily.

“You still sore, sweetheart? Because I am. My balls are bluer than a baboon’s ass. I’m dying over here.”

“Then I guess you should go take care of that, huh?” A gruff voice practically snarled from directly behind me.

I froze, tensing up, stiffening in Bowen’s arms.

Flushing profusely, I went to slide off Bowen’s lap, but he gripped my waist, keeping me in place, my skirt hiked up indecently as I straddled him.

He glanced over my shoulder uninterestedly, raising a brow at Reeve, looking down his nose at his older brother.

“I was trying to. If you’d have left us the hell alone for five more minutes, I would have. What do you want, Reeve?”

His voice dripped with sarcasm, complementing Reeve’s tone perfectly.

Reeve slammed a paper down on the table.

“I thought you said you’d take care of
this
,” Reeve hissed, eyes locked with Bo’s.

Bo peered over at it and nodded. “I did.”

“Then why the hell is that bastard still here on my dime?”

Bo shrugged.

“Why are you asking
me?
You know I don’t handle that shit. I fill out the paper work and make sure he’s off the pay roll, then pass it on. The foreman was supposed to let his ass go. If you’re so worried about it,
you do it.”

He tossed the papers back at Reeve.

“What did he do that was so bad you need him gone now?” I asked curiously, kicking myself mentally for speaking before I’d totally thought it through.

Reeve snatched his papers out of my hand when I went to hand them to him and hurriedly collecting all the miscellaneous ones that had scattered about.

“It doesn’t matter,” Reeve snapped, storming out of the room. “I’ll take care of it my fucking self.”

“Geesh,” I scoffed, “What and ass.” I scowled at his retreating back. “Maybe he has baboon balls too.”

Bo grinned, shaking his head at me, his deep belly laugh making me jiggle against his chest as he laughed and held me close.

“I love you, Vieve.”

I smiled against his chest, the words I wanted to say lodged in my throat.

I tried, but they just wouldn’t come out.

My smile dropped and I held him tight, closing my eyes.

I love you too.
I mouthed the words into his shirt.

****

“Oh,” Barb gushed at dinner, “You missed the best day ever! Vieve, honey, they had the cutest lingerie you ever saw! I swear! And it was all on sale!”

Thatcher choked on his chicken, pounding on his own chest to dislodge it.

I glanced at Jep, who was sitting right next to my hot blonde rogue.

My
currently choking
, hot blonde rogue.

I gestured at the poor sod.

“Could you help him out please? I’d like to keep him around a little longer.”

Jep grinned, nodding in acknowledgement, then gave his son’s back a good whack, dislodging the food immediately.

I smiled in thanks and looked over at Barb.

Coughing, Thatcher glared at his father.

Jep’s grin got wider.

“That’s awesome. I’ll have to go check it out. Maybe Ruthie would like to go too,” I said conversationally.

“Can I come too?” Ephraim asked hopefully, perking right up at the idea.

Barb rolled her eyes, smiling at her youngest fondly.

Ephraim had truly had a long day, poor guy.

He was so tired when he first sat down, he’d almost face planted into his plate, but he was adamant that he wanted to eat with me instead of going to bed, no matter how much I protested.

Stubborn male.

“Did you not just hear what Mama said?” Thatcher barked.

I glanced over, brows raised in question.

He looked appalled.

Turning his attention towards me, catching me eyeing him, he waved his drumstick around as he talked.

He could put an eye out if he loses his grip on that sucker
, I thought, watching it swing around with his wrist.

“My love, you can’t buy sexy scraps of lace to parade around in for me, knowing my mama bought some from there too.” He looked utterly sick at the idea. “What if you both like the same one and you both buy one?
Ugh
. It just aint right.”

He shuddered, making me cough into my hand to cover up a laugh.

Only Thatcher would think of something so utterly ridiculous.

Bowen and I looked over at each other at the same exact time, a silent communication passing between the two of us.

Bo winked at me and smiled over the rim of his cup, thinking the same thing I was.

Sawyer ended up voicing it out loud, though.

And then some too.

“It’s not like she’s wearing something Mama did first, Thatch,” he teased, “Mothers-in-law go shopping with their daughters-in-law all the time.” He shrugged, taking a sip of his water. “What does it matter if she helps her pick out sexy underwear or not? I don’t mind.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little soon to be tossing the
‘in-law’
around?” I blurted, a little bug eyed.

Deer caught in the headlights? Yup, that’s me at the moment.

My heart pitter pattered hard, hammering like a jack hammer, but instead of a nervous flutter, which would have been normal for me in such a situation, it was a happy flutter, pounding in sudden excitement.