Bayou Stix Series: Bayou Stix Limited Edition Box Set (51 page)

Kissing me gently one more time, he says, “I don’t like feeling jealous, Blue. It’s new and I don’t like it. I believe you though. It’s as if you’ve put a spell on me. All I think about all the damn time, all I want… is to be near you.”

My heart melts…

Oh boy, yup. I’m his. Completely.

Jessie

T
his is a new Jessie. Well, not really. It’s me, just not the me that most people see. I like that I can be the real me with Blue. She makes me feel like I need to be the real me more often. I’m curious to see how today goes. Blue and I… together… in a relationship… holy shit… I’m in a relationship with a gorgeous, strong, independent, calls-me-on-my-shit woman. Yeah, I need to make a change… I’ll ask her tonight… Hey, she said she doesn’t wade, so I’m not going to wade either. Damn… Oh, we’re here.

As we pull up to Jude and Lexi’s, I see we’re the last to arrive. Oh well, that morning sex and talk was so worth being a little late. I pull my truck up behind Alec’s BMW and hop out to run around and get Blue’s door. Her brows are raised at my chivalrous gesture. I grin and bow. Opening the door, I take her hand to help her down. My truck is high and even with those mile long legs, she can’t quite reach. At the last second, I slide her against my body until her booted feet hit the ground, then I squeeze her hips and steal a kiss with a roguish grin. She licks the seam of my lips and bites my lip ring before palming my ass through my jeans. Then bumping my crotch with her hip, she sashays past me and calls over her shoulder, “Coming? Or are you just going to stand there staring at my ass all day?”

Laughing, I jog to catch up and slap her ass. “What can I say, woman? It’s a great ass!”

Rolling her eyes at me, she says, “Behave!”

She insists we ring the bell. I wanted to just walk in. Bradi opens it and pulls Blue into the house. “Where have you been? Nevermind, that glow says kinky fuckery all over it. We’re in the kitchen. And it’s awkward… please help me diffuse the situation.” She calls back to me, where she’s left me in the foyer, “Jessie, the boys are in the back playing pool. You know the way.”

They walk off chattering and leave me. Ok, well I guess I’m going play pool.

I follow the sounds of clanking and raucous laughter. When I walk in, I take in the scene. The big screen is already on just waiting for football to start. Dade, Jude, Erik, and Liam are playing pool. Cruz and Micah are playing darts and Alec is at the bar, mixing something up in a pitcher. Beers are already open and everyone seems to be having a good time. I spot some cookies and tiny little pies on the bar counter. I’m starving.

Alec greets me as I approach. “Hey, man. What are you drinking?”

I laugh. “Shit, already? It’s barely 10:00AM. They have you bartending?”

“I’m making Bloody Mary’s, but Jude, Dade, and Erik have opted for beer. So, what’s your poison? By the time we’re ready to eat, all the penises will be drunk.” He chuckles.

I chuckle back. Alec is a cool guy. He’s a little older than the rest of us, and older than Dade by about a year. He’s Erik’s other half and Erik is Jude and Lexi’s best friend. He’s also a real estate agent, so I need to talk to him. “Yeah… but that’s nothing new around here.” Clearing my throat, I start. “Hey Alec, um, I think I want to look for a place. I was thinking of something with a courtyard in the French Quarter. Can you look for something like that for me?”

His brows almost touch his hairline. “New Orleans? You want to move to NOLA?”

Looking over my shoulder and taking a deep breath, I go on. “No, not live there. I just want a second place and I’ve always wanted to have a small place there. Just to get away sometimes. Can you help me?”

Tapping his lip, he says, “Are you keeping your apartment? If you want to sell, I can have that sold in under a week. The location is prime and with it being in Perkins Rowe, so close to the restaurants and shops, I might even buy it.”

“What? No. No, I’m not selling my place. I love my apartment. I just want a place in NOLA as, like, a vacation home.”

He leans on the bar top and searches my face. “Ah, ok. Yeah, I can pull some stuff up for you. What are you wanting to spend? Do you want move in ready. Fully furnished? How big?”

“It doesn’t matter on the price, just not a fortune. I don’t want to work on it. Fully furnished is good and not huge. Doable?” I’m drumming my fingers along the bar and my feet are tapping out a rhythm on the bar stool.

He smiles and pours me a drink. “Yes. I’ll pull some stuff up and e-mail you this week if that’s ok.” He takes a sip of his drink and swirls the celery. Looking at me over the lip of the glass, he surprises me. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain dark haired beauty, now would it?”

I choke. “What? No. I already wanted to find a place.”

“Um hm. How’s that going? You and Blue? I heard she lost her job.”

Liam walks over and slaps me on the back, startling me. “She did. Assholes fired her because they’re losers. But she can do better. She’s an amazing reporter.”

Shrugging his hand off, I glare at him. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“Nope, dude. I already knew you were looking for a place. Alec, I’ll need you to find me one too. I cannot stay here now that Clove is here. That girl is trouble!”

Alec chuckles and says, “I’m on it. But right now, I’m going kick that sexy mother fucker’s ass in pool.” And he walks over to Erik.

Liam and I sit in silence, both lost in our own thoughts.

Blue

Bradi wasn’t lying… the tension in this kitchen is crazy. We’ve been in here for an hour. The turkey is in the oven, the dressing is mixed and ready to go. Bradi has just finished the sweet potatoes. No wait, I was told they’re called yams. She had me chop some pecans and she mixed them with butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sprinkled it over the top. I’ve only ever put marshmallows on sweet potato casserole. But that topping looked like candy and when I snuck a taste, it was just as good. There’s a green bean casserole, some ‘dirty rice’ because it looks like it has dirt in it, but it’s meat and spices, a ham that smells divine, and a few other things. Lexi is currently making a sweet potato pecan pie and a bourbon cheesecake. Bradi and I are working as a unit and basically doing prep work and Clove is on one side of the kitchen while Lexi occupies the other. They aren’t speaking.

Clove is very striking. She’s classically beautiful with high cheekbones and a long neck. Her hair is a little longer than mine, and is just as dark. Her eyes are a rich dark brown. They almost look black. She’s willow slim, but you can tell she’s toned. She has the body of a ballerina. But she’s very standoffish and is not really making any attempt to talk to anyone. I tried to speak to her when I first arrived, but she gave me one word answers, so I stopped. This is so damn awkward.

Bradi and I are cleaning brussel sprouts and chopping peppers and onions while Lexi finishes the desserts. Clove appears to be making some sort of casserole with carrots and cream. It smells really good. They both turn with utensils in their hands and head for the sink. Bradi and I look at each other and wait with baited breath.

Bradi filled me in on the details of Clove and Lexi, earlier this week. Clove is Dade’s little sister, and previously lived in Jude’s L.A. house while she attended culinary school and was trying to be an actress. She dated Jude’s property manager until he was caught having sex with an underage Bayou Stix fan in Jude’s bed… by her. Lexi went to surprise Jude while on the recent tour stop in L.A. and found Clove at home instead. Clove answered the door and hinted that she and Jude were an item. Lexi assumed they were together and raced away, thinking Jude had betrayed her. It was a huge mess, but luckily, they were able to work through it and their wedding is in a few weeks. Clove is staying with Dade now, but since she’s the reason for the breakup, things are tense.

They reach the sink at the same time. Bradi whispers to me, “Oh, shit. This is not going to be good.”

Cloves eyes flash to Lexi’s. She stumbles back and murmurs, “I’m sorry. Here. Your house, your sink.”

Lexi sees the panic in her eyes and being the nurturing person she is, she grabs Clove’s arm. “Stop. It’s ok. Clove, it’s ok.”

Clove looks at Bradi and I and then at Lexi and her eyes fill with tears.

What the fuck?

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know who you were. I thought you were a fan.” She’s sniffling and tears are rolling down her face and splashing onto the floor. “They used to show up sometimes. You didn’t tell me who you were. I wouldn’t have insinuated… I’m sorry. I didn’t know – I didn’t know who you were…”

Lexi rubs her hands up and down Clove’s arms. “Clove, it’s ok. Really. It’s my fault too. I just-I just assumed… I should have asked to see Jude. I should have introduced myself. Instead I assumed the worst. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault.”

Clove looks into Lexi’s face and sniffles. “Really? You don’t hate me?”

Lexi smiles the Lexi smile and shakes her head. “No. Of course not. I’m very sorry if you thought that. It was my fault. I don’t blame you and I didn’t tell you who I was. Please stop feeling guilty and can we try to be friends?”

Clove smiles. What a beautiful girl she is. “I’d like that. I don’t have many friends, and now… well, I could really use a friend.”

I smile too. And I look over to see Bradi smiling. I break in, “How about three friends?”

Clove smiles at all of us and it’s like the wall she had up crumbles. “I’d like that. Now, what next?”

Lexi laughs and says, “Well everything is pretty much done and as I expected, the guys have not even checked on us once, so, I say we sit down and have a drink.”

Bradi exclaims, “Hell yes! All these girl emotions have me needing a drink! Who wants mimosas?”

Lexi laughs again and says, “Bartender Bradi, I’ll have one of those. Champagne is in the fridge and I just squeezed the orange juice this morning! I’m putting my feet up. I’ve been up since five this morning!”

Bradi calls out, “Lazy ass, ‘hooka! You want one, Blue? What about you, Clove?”

I answer, “Yes indeed. Make mine a double!”

Clove says, “I’ll just have the juice if that’s ok. I’m not really a drinker.”

“Ok then, three loaded and a virgin coming right up!”

We all laugh. The easy camaraderie is so nice.

We sit back and the four of us talk and laugh and enjoy the day while the food cooks and the guys avoid the kitchen.

We talk about the wedding, Bradi and Micah, and the conversation turns to Jessie and me. Somehow, I end up telling them about Brock and losing my job. They are all furious and Clove says she’s heard stories of Brock. I’m not at all surprised. I shudder… and to think I was engaged to that man.

Finally, everything is ready and everyone comes into the dining room to help spread out the food, buffet style. Drinks and food abound and we have a wonderful time. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a day more. After we eat and everyone is stuffed, we all head to the media room. The guys want to watch the football game and the girls sit around with them.

It’s truly a wonderful day.

The best Thanksgiving I can remember.

Jessie