The Perfect Storm (The Blake Boys Book 6) (12 page)

“What the hell happened?”

“Rowdy snagged a hotdog on the table and damn near took all the food with him. Jake wanted to give him a bath and you know we have to chase Rowdy across half an acre to get him clean.” Seth laughed.

Channing took a big bite out of his burger. “We gonna play some football or what?”

J.J. started. “We have to pick teams. I’ll take Tate and Bubba.”

“OK, I have Ty and C.J.” Seth rubbed his chin.

“We need alternates. Daddy, Bo, you want in on this?” J.J. looked at the older men relaxing in lounge chairs.

“I’ll leave the running around in the hot sun to you young boys. Bo and I are going to finish this game of dominoes and watch the grandkids.”

“Well, we still need alternates,” Seth said.

“OK, I’ll take Jake,” J.J. mused. “You get Connor and Colby.”

“My babies are not playing football with you burly men.” Morgan yelled from the food table.

“It’s only if one of us gets hurt,” Tyler said.

“Which may happen sooner rather than later if you keep it up,” Morgan shot back.

Sam didn’t know what to expect when the women came over and whisked her off to a separate table, but she soon relaxed when J.J.’s mother handed her a hearty plate of food and didn’t start in with a thousand questions. Instead they tried to coax Colby out of her arms so she could eat, but the baby wasn’t having it. Soon Connor came over and she juggled the two of them while taking bites of the tasty potato salad.

She waved hello to Bo again but he wouldn’t look over at her. He was a nice, handsome, sensitive guy, and she enjoyed the time they’d spent together. She knew he was attracted to her, but he was never obnoxious about it; as a matter of fact, he went out of his way to be polite and respectful and kept a safe distance. There were a few times when she thought he’d ask her out, but he never did. She’d known him longer than anyone here, but they were acting like strangers. Perhaps he wasn’t OK with her dating J.J. There was only one way to find out what was on his mind.

When Morgan put the boys in their foot-peddled toddler cars, Sam bolted over to the cooler where Bo was getting another beer.

“Hi, Bo. How are you?”

“I’m good Sam, and you?” Bo held out a hand for a shake then put it back down immediately.

She smiled. “I guess it’s strange seeing me out of the office, huh?”

“There’s never a bad time to see you.” A pink sheen spread across his face.

“I heard you took a road trip to Arkansas for vacation. Did you have a good time?”

“I did.” He nodded. “I spent some time with my dad. It did both of us good to connect again. I…uh…brought you something back. I haven’t had the chance to send it over to Regency.”

“I can’t wait to see what it is. You are one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met.” She put her hand on his shoulder.

When he smiled at her, she got the feeling everything would be alright. Bo was a great guy and one of the smartest people she’d ever met, but he wasn’t really her type. All was well until J.J. came bounding out of the house and asked Bo if he was ready to get his butt whooped. Something in Bo’s eyes flickered. She got the feeling that J.J. had just waved a red flag in front of a bull and he didn’t know it.

The showdown of the century got underway once Teri-Lyn sprayed all the players with insect repellant. It was kind of funny to see these grown men still being babied by their mom. She doted on them, but she didn’t smother too much. Morgan and Isabelle joked about how their men were blatant momma’s boys.

Sam took a seat with the ladies and helped Jake into the seat next to hers. John Jacob and Bo were the designated armchair referees. The game started with a lot of trash talking, and it was clear the rivalry had been going on for years now. Seeing all those gorgeous men playing football certainly was an ideal way pass the time on a sleepy afternoon.

When they were in the thick of the game Teri-Lyn moved closer to her. Sam took a deep breath.

“So Sam, J.J. tells me you took down some pickpocket in a restaurant.” Teri-Lyn smiled.

“Yes. He was never in danger. I—”

“I’m not worried about my son. I’m worried about the man stupid enough to take him on. I was wondering if you would teach me and the girls some self-defense moves. It would help the men not worry so much if we had some kind of formal training.”

“I doubt they’ll stop worrying.” Sam smiled.

“No, they won’t, but I’d like to know what I can do as a precautionary measure.”

“Well, I have taught self-defense classes in the past. I could put together a class for you.”

The sound of Morgan and Isabelle clapping brought her attention back to the game. Although he hadn’t played professionally in years, J.J. hadn’t lost a step. His form and technique was flawless. Sam suspected he may have been putting in some extra effort to impress her. He didn’t need to, her eyes had been glued to his ass since the game started. She saw him rubbing his knee a few times and hoped he wasn’t over doing it. Things were going great until J.J. turned to throw a pass to Tate for a touchdown. That’s when it happened. Bo came out of nowhere and tackled him good.

Sam went over to check on him.

“Hey.” She leaned over him. “Is everything alright? Did you hurt your knee?”

“No, I’m just trying to figure out why my best friend, who’s on my team, just tried to kill me.” He propped himself up on his knees and looked over at Bo.

“I think Bo may be letting off a little steam. You’ve been showing off the whole game. And, he and I were friends before you and I…”

“I talked to him. He said he was OK with it. Besides, he has a girlfriend.”

“You talked to him and asked what? If you were clear for takeoff?” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you have some sort of archaic bro code?”

“We’ve never fought over women and never will. Bo’s sweet on you. Why else would he track down those expensive cigars and buy you presents? I wanted him to know I wasn’t being dismissive of his feelings.”

She wanted to be mad at him but right now, with that light sheen of sweat dripping down his face and beneath his T-shirt, he looked sexy as hell.

“You actually make that macho drivel sound logical.” She laughed and held out her hand. “Let’s get you up. Does anything hurt?”

“No, I’ve been tackled harder than that by Jake.”

She shrugged. “Too bad you’re not injured. I was going to take you into the house and kiss all your boo boos.”

“I call time out.” J.J. yelled over to the boys.

Sam braced herself when he gripped her hands to pull himself up. J.J. was a solid man but it wasn’t his weight that concerned her. When their hands connected, she could feel the same rush of charged energy, an electrical current running between their hands. She thought it would be fun to date him, to let herself be open to dating again. But there was nothing fun about the way he looked at her today when he picked her up.

J.J. was about to speak, but something going on over her shoulder caught his eye. She turned to see Tate talking to Isabelle. She could tell by his body language that they were having a serious discussion. When Tate got down on one knee, the barbecue became so quiet all that could be heard were the trees rustling in the wind.

“Oh my,” Sam muttered.

Isabelle said yes and began bawling, and the Blakes started applauding. Tate picked her up, twirled around in the air, and gave her the sweetest kiss she’d ever seen a man give a woman. Morgan was the first to embrace the couple. The rest of the Blake family chimed into the huddle.

“He said he wanted to pick the right time. What better time than being surrounded by family and friends? I thought for sure he’d do it at one of his concerts.” J.J. shook his head.

“I’m pretty sure that huge rock could be used as a door knob.” She laughed.

“Let me guess, Regency had it insured?”

“Well, we wouldn’t want a three million dollar gem being unprotected, would we?”

“If Isabelle finds out how much it costs she’ll never wear it off the ranch. I’m proud of him. He’s working toward the life he wants and deserves. Isabelle has made such a difference in his life.”

“Let’s go congratulate the happy couple.” Sam pulled him toward the crowd admiring the audacious rock on Isabelle’s hand.

“I don’t think we’ll be finishing this game. Want to go for a ride?”

“I’d love that.”

* * *

J.J. smiled at Sam’s relaxed attitude. The barn was nearly a half mile from the house, but she insisted she was fine with walking because it was such a lovely day. Come to think of it, she hadn’t fussed when they walked the hiking trail in Colorado either. Eden would throw a tantrum if she had to walk beyond their driveway. He found out that Sam was quite active, partially because of the physical demands of the job, but also because she’d had asthma as a child. She’d been working all her life to strengthen her body, because the asthma had made her feel helpless and weak. As an adult, she’d even run a few marathons. Running was the primary way he kept his knee in shape. It was nice that they had that in common.

Inside the barn, J.J. stroked the horse’s mane. “Midnight, you remember Sam don’t you?”

“Hi, Midnight. Am I riding Blue again?”

“How about you ride me instead?” He grabbed her waist and guided her to an empty stall and closed the door.

“We can’t have sex in the barn. Where is the staff?” She gulped as they fell onto a pile of hay bales.

“Gone for the day.” J.J. sunk his teeth into the nape of her neck and pulled at the buttons on her blouse. He cupped her breasts and brushed his thumbs along her nipples.

“So that’s where your nephew learns his moves,” she mused.

“He is a Blake, after all.”

J.J. reached for a blanket hanging on the stable door and placed it under her so the hay wouldn’t scratch her soft, beautiful brown skin. He slowly liberated Sam from her clothes, his erection growing by the second as the unveiling progressed. He rose up to remove his shirt and jeans, and couldn’t help admiring her physique. She was toned and had good definition in her arms and legs like she worked out on a regular basis but it was those D-cups held in place by the lace bra that held his attention. Her stomach was flat but it was also soft and prompted him to give her a kiss on her outie belly button.

He moved to venture lower when she caught his face in her hands and said, “You first this time.”

J.J. stood up and watched as Sam pulled his zipper down and tugged at his jeans until they reached his knees. She locked eyes with him as she skillfully rubbed his erection. He struggled to take a relaxing breath when she took him into her mouth. Her small manicured fingers encircled the base of his penis. He stroked her hair and pulled her closer. The deeper she went, the more he struggled to pace himself. Sam dug into him with her nails as she placed her hands on his thighs for support. He thrust forward for several minutes knowing he’d have to stop at any moment. Finally he’d had enough and gently pulled out of her mouth, sheathed himself with a condom he had in his wallet, and slid into her with such force that a few of the bales of hay fell away from their makeshift bed.

“I think the earth just moved.” Sam giggled and ran her tongue across his nipples.

“Patience.” J.J. murmured.

He positioned himself and started moving in rhythm with her attempts to get him going. He pumped harder and faster and suddenly realized he was so deep within her it was hard to tell where he began. He looked into those sparkling brown eyes of hers and could see pleasure, intensity, but most of all a longing that he’d only seen in his reflection in the mirror. She’d lost a man she loved deeply and she didn’t want to get hurt. He got that. It was currently his life motto.

He lifted her up into his arms before the last thrust that would send him into oblivion, taking her with him.

* * *

J.J. and Sam came back to knowing smiles as they joined the family. J.J. and Bo looked at each other and with a silent nod, agreed to forget about the tackle. Tate and Isabelle were bickering about the wedding date because Tate was still touring, but he knew they’d work it out. Tate was so happy and content he didn’t even notice that the boys had taken his guitar Loulabelle out of her case and were using it to pack up their toys.

There was one last surprise for Sam for the end of the evening. Teri-Lyn and John Jacob agreed to clean up and watch the grandkids so the Blake boys grabbed their women, jumped into their individual trucks and drove down the road to the west side of one of the barns. When he turned the corner, the surprised look on Sam’s face to see they’d created a drive-in movie theater confirmed it was well worth it. J.J. rolled his window down and someone handed him an old fashioned, clunky speaker box to put on the car window. Someone else appeared and asked if they wanted popcorn and refreshments.

“This is so cool,” Sam gushed. “What’s playing?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea.” He pulled her into his lap.

When the movie started, J.J. began his own sensuous journey around Sam’s body. The cozy feeling she evoked in him made his body scream as they shared kisses and long looks into each other’s eyes. He wanted to make love to her again, but he knew it wasn’t the right time, especially with his brothers not too far away. He was content feeling like a…teenager again. He was falling in love with her and if they were moving too fast, then the hell with the new era dating guidelines. He wasn’t going to hold back his heart anymore.

When she cuddled closer to him and stroked his arm, he knew she felt the same.

J.J. took Sam home that night but he didn’t stay. He dropped her off, but not before he let her know how good a time he’d had today.

“You don’t know how badly I want to stay with you tonight, but I think its best I don’t. I want to be with you and I think you should spend some time sorting out if you want that too. When I come back, there’s no turning back from here.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She kissed him on the cheek and closed the door.

CHAPTER EIGHT