Hot On Her Trail - Hell Yeah 2 Page 6

  "Thank you, Jacob. Thank you. That's never happened to me before." Holding him to her, she marveled as aftershocks shot through her system.

  "You're one special treasure, darling. Not every woman can come just from having their breasts petted and kissed. You are so responsive, so good for my ego." Pulling back, he watched her face. Lord, she was blushing again. He loved to watch her blush and this time he could see that the rosy color washed right down over those bountiful breasts. Mercy! She was undoubtedly the sweetest thing in the whole world.

  Jessie realized that Jacob had misunderstood her. She had been trying to tell him that she had never had any kind of sex before. But explaining that would be just too embarrassing.

  "Let’s get on the road, Jess. I need to call and check on Nathan and then we'll get you home and feed you. How's that?" With great care, he helped her fix her clothes. Reaching in the back seat, he found a spare shirt of his that he kept with him for emergencies. Wrapping it around her shoulders, he cupped her cheek. “Now, we’ve covered you up. I don’t anyone else staring at those succulent little nipples.” Fastening the seat belt around her, he paid special attention as he pulled it across the spot where their baby rested. Hell! He had already made up his mind that the baby was his. Now, if it wasn't – it would kill him. Shutting the door carefully, he went to the other side and climbed in. "Just rest, we'll be there in a jiffy."

  "Are we going back to your house?" She pulled the shirt tighter around her, enjoying that it smelled like him. He was taking her back to Tebow. She had hoped for neutral territory. If he rejected her claim and sent her packing, it would be a long, sad walk back to town. Deep within, Jessie knew that Jacob would never let her make that walk, he would be kind enough to give her a ride and even hunt a room for her.

  "Yes, I want you with me. Is that all right? This is Saturday, is there anywhere else you have to be?"

  "No," she answered truthfully. "There's no where I need to be." She had no place to go and no one else to run to.

  Jacob had to know. "Is there a man in your life, Jessie? Do you belong to someone?" He held his breath, waiting for the verdict.

  "No," her voice was small. "I don't belong to anybody."

  'You do now.' He didn't say it out loud, but he thought it. It wasn't time. Soon.

  "Do you think I could have a glass of milk when we get there?" Jessie looked at him hopefully.

  Something in his chest clenched as Jacob answered. "Sure, doll. I'll get you some milk." Milk. She wanted milk for the baby. His baby.

  He could barely keep his eyes on the road. Even though her hair was still damp and she didn't have a bit of make-up on, she still was the prettiest thing he had ever laid eyes on. The only concession Jacob made to his wild desire to be closer to her was to reach over and cover her hand with his. It was small and soft and cold – and it trembled a little under his touch. When she clasped his hand in return, he looked at her and smiled.

  His smile warmed her heart, and holding hands with him was idyllic. She hadn’t held hands with a boy since junior high. Jacob McCoy was a very magnetic man. He was big and sure of himself, exuding confidence and power. What a joy it would be to belong to him! Whoa! 'Stop that!' she ordered herself. There was no use setting herself up for a fall. Even though she was bearing his child, she knew that she had no real chance with him. ‘Then, what about the kisses, the caresses?’ she argued with herself. Those, she couldn’t quite explain.

  It wasn't a far drive, but Jacob made use of the time. He called in and talked to Libby and then he talked to Aron. Everything with Nathan had checked out and he would be going home soon. He shared with Jessie, "Our boy's going to be just fine, thanks to you."

  "Good." Then, it hit her. That was probably why he had kissed her. He was grateful to her for saving Nathan. She thought back over their intimate encounter. Inexperienced as she was, it hadn't occurred to her to notice if he had been aroused or had an erection. Foot! For a few minutes, Jacob had managed to make her forget her shortcomings. She was plain and chunky. Her family and friends had reinforced that idea in her mind so often that she had avoided looking in the mirror at all for the past four or five years. She was much more satisfied with the image of herself that she held in her mind than any she would see reflected back at her in a piece of glass.

  "I can't wait to find out everything about you. Ever since I saw you in the barn yesterday morning – I haven’t been able to think of anything else." That wasn't entirely true – he had thought about their child – but now they were so intertwined in his mind that it was hard to separate them.

  "I'm not very interesting," she confessed. "My life story couldn't hold your attention for very long."

  "Sweetheart, you have the complete and utter attention of my heart, mind and body." Picking up her hand that he still held, he kissed Jessie's fingers.

  She didn't know what to say.

  Soon, they pulled under the great stone arch that held up the massive TEBOW RANCH sign. "We're almost home."

  Jessie stared at the lettering. To her the word looked like – WEBOT, but she knew from sad experience that what she saw and what was really there on that sign were two different things. Her severe dyslexia had colored every facet of her life – holding her back and making her worthless in her mother and stepfather’s eyes.

  Home. His words struck a chord within her; she wondered what kind of home she would be able to provide for her baby. Parking in the circular drive, Jacob put the truck in gear and killed the engine. "You stay put, I'll come around and help you out. It'll give me another excuse to get my hands on you." Again, his words thrilled her. She had to force herself to remember that he was probably just teasing. That was the only explanation that made sense to her.

  Coming around to help her out, he took great care, remembering her bruises. Drawing her to his side, he let a profound sensation of possessiveness wash over him.

  Guiding her across the yard and up the steps, he opened the massive front door. Jessie felt funny going inside. Before, she had only been on the outside looking in. In spite of her nervousness, she couldn't help but admire Jacob's home. It was a log house of huge proportions. She knew it would have to be big to comfortably house six men and whatever family or company that they would have. The colors were warm and inviting and the furniture was oversized and comfortable looking. There was a lot of leather and the floors and walls were a warm golden oak. Her eyes gravitated to a huge fireplace and all she could think about was how beautiful it would look decorated for Christmas with stockings hanging up for each member of the family. She could imagine one small stocking among the larger ones – one just the size for her baby. Shaking her head, she brought herself back to the here and now.

  "Come on in the kitchen, sweets. That's where most of the action takes place." Tucking her under his arm, he announced their arrival. "Libby! We're home!"

  "Jacob!" With an excited cry, a whirlwind came from the direction of the kitchen. Jessie was enveloped in a hug that smelled just like sugar cookies. "Jessie! It's so wonderful to meet you! Thank you so much for saving my Nathan!" She was pulled from Jacob's grasp and tugged into the most beautiful kitchen that she had ever seen. It was easily as big as some restaurants that she had been in. The cabinets were made of that same beautiful golden oak and the commercial appliances were made of stainless steel.

  "You must love to cook in this kitchen!" Jessie was a little bit jealous.

  "I do. This is the heart of our home." Libby pulled out a chair and invited her to sit.

  Jessie continued to look around and take it all in. The floors were a warm, dark Mexican tile and the dining table was big enough for a dozen people. The whirr of a wheelchair drew her attention. Due to the flurry of Libby's welcome, she hadn't realized that Jacob had disappeared. "Jessie, this is my brother, Joseph. Joseph, this is Jessie Montgomery." Jacob pushed Joseph's wheelchair right up to the table.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Joseph." And it was. Even in her limited experience, she had hear
d of Joseph McCoy. He had broken records in every sport imaginable. Truly, he was one of the best athletes that Texas had ever produced. Plus, he was one of the most handsome men she had ever met. His being in that wheelchair did not take one iota of his attractiveness away. Jessie wondered if he understood that.

  "The pleasure's all mine, beautiful." It was easy to see that the sweet talk and silver tongue was a family trait.

  Jacob bristled, even though he knew his brother didn't mean anything by the endearment. "Do I need to say 'Tag'?" Jacob growled, irritably. 'Tag' had always been the code word that the McCoy brothers used to alert the others that a particular female had been honed in on and weeded out of the herd for his own personal delectation.

  Joseph snorted. "Gotcha, brother."

  Jessie looked on, not understanding what was going on.

  "Sit back down, sweetness." He kept a hand on her back. The gesture did not go unnoticed by either Joseph or Libby. "Libs, I know that ya'll were going out to supper, but would you mind if we raided the refrigerator? Jessie and I are kinda hungry."

  Jessie wanted to crawl under the table. "Please, don't go to any trouble on my account." She looked at Jacob, begging him not to single her out. About that time, Jessie's stomach growled loud enough to serve as a wild game call for mountain lions. Everyone laughed but her. Instantly, Libby began pulling things out of the fridge: roast chicken, baked ham and potato salad. A huge chocolate cake was set in the middle of the table and Jacob handed her a large foaming glass of ice cold milk. "How's that, baby?"

  Jessie looked at the food, almost reverently. "Thank you, it looks and smells wonderful."

  "Dig in," he ordered her.

  A commotion at the front door drew their attention. "Nathan's home!" Libby squealed as she hurried from the room, closely followed by Joseph.

  "You stay and eat. We'll all be right back." Jacob ordered her, but Jessie couldn't keep from following him. She was absolutely taken with the whole family, and she wanted to see Nathan pretty badly herself. When she arrived in the living room, she hung back and just watched – amazed at the level of testosterone that was in the room. She swallowed, nervously. It looked like all the handsome in Texas was gathered in one spot. She didn't know the names and the faces, but it was obvious that they were all McCoy's. And she had no problem picking out the leader of the pack. He was intimidating. Aron. Jacob confirmed her suspicions. "That big, ugly one is our older brother Aron." By the affection in his voice and the respect in his tone, there was no doubt what Jacob's true feelings toward his brother were.

  Nathan was basking in the attention.

  "Aron, this is Jessie Montgomery, the woman that saved our Nathan." Aron met Jacob's eyes. The name wasn't lost on him. Jacob winked, hoping to God that Aron got the hint and didn't say anything about the baby. He didn't have to worry; Aron was one smooth customer.

  Approaching Jessie, he picked up her hand and slowly brought it to his lips. "I am honored to meet you, Jessie Montgomery. Welcome to our home." At his sexy gallantry, Jessie glanced nervously at Libby, but she was all smiles. There was no doubt that Libby was well aware she held Aron's heart in her hand.

  "My turn," another voice broke through. Now, this was a surprise. Jessie hadn't expected to see a biker so at home among a room full of cowboys, but here he was. "I'm Isaac, pretty lady. Let me add my thanks to you for jumping in after our boy."

  "She didn't jump in, she was hit by the same fool that ran down Nathan," Jacob clarified. "Jessie, meet our own Eviel Knievel, the bad-ass of our family."

  Isaac smiled on the outside, but bristled on the inside. Tonight was the night that he proved to his family that there was more to him than leather, chains and a bad attitude.

  A touch to her arm, caused Jessie to turn, finding yet another hot hunk. This one was different. He was easily the most handsome of them all, but his smile didn't quite make it to his eyes. Jacob threw an arm around the younger version of himself. "This is Noah, the brains of our family." Jessie couldn't help but stare a little. Noah's face was flawless and had he been a blonde, he could have been Brad Pitt's twin in the movie Troy. Noah's hair was long, hanging almost to his shoulders. Jessie was overwhelmed, surrounded by so much male beauty.

  "Hey! What about me?" Nathan was adamant that it was his turn for Jessie's attention. She agreed. Getting down on the floor, she knelt by his side. He was in a wheelchair. "Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" Not waiting for an answer, she looked to Aron. "Why is he in this chair, was he more injured than I realized?"

  "Nah, we just took one of Joseph's chairs over just in case." To prove that it was true, Nathan stood and threw his arms around Jessie.

  "I'm good. Just hungry," At that bit of information, Jacob steered them all back to the dining room.

  "We were just about to have a sandwich. Anybody else want one?" There was a chorus of agreement. As the family crowded around the table, Jessie felt lost. But, when Jacob started piling food on a plate and handed it to her, the need for sustenance pushed her other fears out of the way.

  Jacob watched Jessie eat. She tried to be delicate about it, but it was obvious she was enjoying it. All of the family dug in and ate their fill. He got tickled when he looked over and Jessie was scraping the last little bit off the bottom of the plate. "You can have seconds, sweetheart. If you press on that plate any harder you're gonna scrape off the design."

  Embarrassed, Jessie put the plate and fork down. "I'm sorry. It was really, really good."

  "Have some more, sweetheart," he urged. All eyes were on her. She couldn't have eaten another bite if her life had depended on it.

  "No, obviously, I need to watch what I eat." Her downcast eyes made Jacob realize that he had made her uncomfortable. Now, she would quit before she was full. Damn!

  Libby rescued him. "Who’s going to Shorty's to hear the band with me, tonight? Ya'll do realize that the hayride and dance is next weekend? We have a ton of work to do this week to get ready."

  Joseph replied first. "I want to go. Kane is supposed to meet me there for a beer."

  Kane, and his brother Zane, had known Joseph for years. They had met on the extreme sports circuit, all competing in rock climbing, snow boarding, motorcycle racing – you name it – and they had tried it. When the previous sheriff had retired, the McCoys had thought of Kane and had urged him to apply for the job.

  "Good," Libby was pleased that Joseph was getting out of the house. "Isaac will be there, of course." She hadn't meant a thing by it, but Jessie could see a shadow cross Isaac's face. "And Pookie has promised to teach me how to line dance."

  Jessie laughed out loud. ‘Pookie’ shot Libby a look that was at the same time sheepish and full of more love than Jessie had ever been privileged to see. Aron McCoy would do anything for his beloved, even be ‘Pookie’. In retaliation, Aron scooped Libby out of her chair and started blowing raspberries on her neck. "Don't you remember that your pet name for me is Krull the Warrior King?"

  Giggling, Libby spilled the beans. "That's not your pet name, sweetums. That's what I call your -" Realizing what she nearly confessed, Libby cuddled close to him and hid her face in his neck. Aron wouldn't let it go.

  "Yes, that's right. She calls my . . . " Seeing Nathan looking at him curiously, Aron immediately switched gears. Clearing his throat he rephrased his sentence. "That's right.

  Libby calls my horse Krull the Warrior King." Guffaws went around the table. Even Nathan didn't look convinced.

  "How about you, Noah?" Libby asked shyly, still cradled in Aron's arms.

  "I'd like to go. I hear Tequila Sunrise is a great band." And Harper Summers was back in town. Not that she’d come to the bar if she had any inkling that he’d be there. Harper avoided him like the plague. "But, if I need to stay with Nathan, I will."

  "We'll stay with him," Jacob volunteered quickly. That would be perfect. He and Jessie needed to talk and Nathan would go to bed early, leaving him the rest of the night to see how many times he could make Jessie scream with delig
ht.

  "Are you sure, Jessie?" Libby asked. "Don't you want Jacob to take you dancing?"

  Put on the spot, Jessie was flustered. "Oh, no. You've got it all wrong. Jacob and I aren't dating. We aren't a couple. I'm only here, because . . . " her voice trailed off.

  "She's here because I want her here." Jacob settled the matter.

  Tucking Nathan in, he brushed a soft, dark lock off of his forehead. "I'm glad you're okay, buddy." he whispered. Closing the door, Jacob was more than ready to spend some time with Jessie. The rest of the family had been gone about forty minutes and then they had let Nathan wind down and get sleepy. Returning to the den, he found her sitting in the corner of the couch, lost in thought. Not waiting for permission, he picked her up and started down the hall with her.

  "Where are we going?" she asked, holding on to him tightly.

  As he walked, Jacob began a serious kissing campaign. The end of her nose needed kissing. Both eyelids needed kissing. That cute little frown line between her eyes, definitely, needed kissing. "I'm taking you to my room," he whispered. "Where my bed is." Pushing the door to his suite open, he sauntered in and sat down in his favorite recliner with her in his lap.

  "You shouldn't be carrying me like that. I'm too heavy." If she lived to be a hundred, she would never forget how it felt to be held by him. Storing up memories, that was what she was doing.

  "How did you get the idea that you are anything but perfect, baby?"

  Jessie tried to avoid the question, looking around at his tastefully decorated, yet masculine room. The colors were shades of browns and blues. The furniture, as it was everywhere, was oversized and beautifully made. His room looked like him, she decided.

  "Answer me, precious. Don't you know that you have a body that makes men's eyes bug and their packages swell?" Her look of disbelief answered his question.

  "You don't have to say that," she protested. "I know exactly how I look." She tried to get up, but he held her with a firm, yet gentle hand. He was about to protest again, but she covered his mouth with her own, giving him something else to think about. One quick kiss, then she pulled back. "I have a lot to tell you, Jacob. And some of it is going to be hard for you to hear. It would be better if I gave you some space."