RIDE: The Complete Delancey Brothers Trilogy (3 page)

"Mulch?"

"For your crops. You are a farmer right?"

He smiled at me charmingly. I couldn't help but smile back.

"I am."

It felt funny to say that. But I liked it. And I liked him for saying it. His obnoxious brother on the other hand...

"So it's settled?"

I nodded and shook his hand again. I was not about to shake the other one's hand. Not that he offered. Jackson was rude, even in victory! I was about to say goodbye when Daniel glanced at his brother and then at me. Then he started grinning mischievously.

"You should come to the house for dinner. Be neighborly. How about Friday night?"

I shook my head.

"That's very nice of you but I can't leave my sister alone for too long."

"Bring her with you."

"She's in a wheelchair."

I saw Jackson's head turn. I thought he'd been ignoring me completely this entire time. Now he was watching me closely.

"My father is too. The house is wheelchair accessible."

I chewed my lip. I had run out of excuses. I'd been horribly rude to his brother and now Daniel was being nice.

Too nice.

I was about to ask myself why when I caught the flash of blue. Jackson's eyes were literally boring into me. Not just staring at me either, he was
inspecting
me.

Jackson Delancey was not so subtly checking me out. Not like you looked at someone you didn't like. No, he was looking at me the way a man looks at a woman he wants to... do things with. I swallowed, realizing his eyes were doing strange things to my pulse. I also realized that I looked like a mess. My hand flew to my hair and brushed it back.

Not that I gave a damn what he thought. He was a brute. A big, rude, entitled, wealthy Southern brute.

His brother on the other hand, was a gentleman.

"We'd be happy to join you."

Daniel grinned at me.

"See you at 7 o'clock."

Chapter Four

Jackson

I could not stop frowning as we headed back to the house for lunch. That woman was a blight on peace! And now Daniel had invited her to our home. I would have to be pleasant to her.

I did not want to be pleasant dammit! I wanted to... I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted, but it was not to make small talk with a cantankerous woman like that!

For some reason I kept thinking about kissing her. Just to shut her up!

"Why did you do that Daniel?"

"What? Invite her to dinner?"

I nodded curtly.

"I was just being neighborly."

I glared at him. He held up his hands. Daniel was always the peacekeeper. I wondered what the hell had gotten into him, stirring up trouble like that.

"Okay fine. I couldn't help but notice the sparks flying back and forth between the two of you."

"Sparks? Now you sound like a girl."

"You didn't think she was attractive?"

"I didn't say that. I'm not blind for God's sake."

Daniel laughed at my quick refusal. I cursed and walked away from him. I knew he was right. My reaction to that woman had been strange to say the least.

Hungover or not, nobody made me lose my cool.

Especially not adorable, annoyingly spunky city girls.

Even with dirt smudged on her face, and her hair tied back under a kerchief she was cute as a button. No, not cute. Fucking beautiful.

Never mind the fact that her body looked like sex on wheels.

For the second time I found myself wondering what it would be like to shut her up with a hot, deep, let's get down to business kiss. I'd toss her on her back and yank her clothes off her. I'd be sure not to stop kissing her.
 

Just to make sure she didn't start talking again!

I'd screw her until she was too tired to yap anymore. Or complain. Or run away.

Then I'd do it all over again.

Of course that might be hard considering the woman hated me. I'd seen the look she'd thrown at me. If her eyes were a fist, I would have hit the ground. A woman like that was not going to just tumble into bed with me, no matter how badly I wanted her to.

And I had a feeling that this particular itch was not going away anytime soon.

I groaned as the chainsaws sprung back to life.
 

Angelina

"How was it?"

"Huh?"

"Your walk."

"Fine."

"Uh huh."

Casey was giving me the stink eye. She knew I wasn't telling her everything. I sighed, wiping my hand over my brow.

"I met our neighbors. Well, I met two of them. We are having dinner with them Friday night."

"And?"

"And one of them is a pain in the ass!"

"Was he cute?"

"Casey!"

I tossed a paper towel at her and she ducked. I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing the tub on the first floor bathroom. I'd already installed the safety rails that would help Casey get in and out of the tub. Now I was making it clean so she could have a salt bath.

The minerals helped with the pain and getting a good night sleep.

"I think it's clean, Ang."

I looked down. She was right. It wasn't just clean, I was close to scrubbing the porcelain right off. I was on a rampage ever since my run in with Jackson Delancey.

I'd cleaned the living room and moved our bags to our prospective bedrooms. I'd even opened up the windows upstairs and down to start airing things out. And I had an eye on the third floor attic for a photography studio.

"Well, was he?"

I stood and stretched, running the water to rinse the tub. Then I checked the temperature and let the tub start to fill.

Finally I looked at her.

"Yes."

"How cute?"

I sighed.

"Movie star cute. If movie stars looked like muscle bound cowboys. But he's far too old for you."

She grinned at me as I helped her strip and climb into the bath. I poured salts into the water and leaned on the edge of the tub.

"I wasn't thinking about me."

"Who were you thinking about then? Me?"

"Yes, you! When was the last time you went on a date?"

"I don't have time for dates. Besides that is not what this is! Why would I go on a date with someone I hated on sight?"

"Uh huh. Sure. You know what they say Ang."

"No, what?"

"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin."

"Well, that coin happens to be a royal pain in the ass."

I rolled my eyes at her and handed her a dog-eared romance novel. Casey loved to read in the bath. That did sound nice actually.

Maybe I would try it someday.

"It's because of me."

My hand was on the doorknob when I heard her. She spoke so softly I almost missed it. I turned to see her with a strange look on her face.

"What did you say?"

"You don't date because of me."

"Case- that's not true."

She looked at me, her big brown eyes shining.

"It is. So for me, give this a shot." She held up her hand when I started to argue. "If not this guy, someone else. Please Ange."

I stared at her, my emotions in turmoil. I didn't want her to feel like that. Not for a second. None of this was her fault.

"You are not a burden, Case. I would do anything for you."

"I know. So do this for me."

I bit my lip and nodded.

"Alright. I will if you stop saying things like that. Or thinking them."

She smiled at me then and sunk lower in the bath.

"Deal."

"Call me when you want to get out."

She nodded, already opening her book.
 

I went to start cleaning the room I would sleep in tonight. Except, when I thought about everything Casey had said, I had a feeling I would be up late thinking.

About Casey. About how our lives had changed when she got sick. About how I had just agreed to go on a date. I tried to imagine what kind of guy I would meet out here in the country. What kind of guy would want to even date me.

I used to be considered a catch. But look at me now. Wearing dirty jeans. I hadn't had a manicure or a blow out in a year. I shrugged. What did it matter? I had said I would go out with someone if they asked.

It wasn't my fault if no one did.

Even though he was the last man on earth I wanted to go out with, his image kept popping up in my mind. His cool gray blue eyes. His broad shoulders. His strong jaw and handsome face.

His smug, smirking, handsome face.

Jackson Delancey.

Chapter Five

Jackson

"Mornin' Jackson, you here for that fencing?"

I nodded, tossing a couple of boxes of nails onto the counter. We had plenty of employees to do the work on the estate, but I liked to be the one to order the supplies. I let Mrs. Garretty handle the household stuff, but when it came to the horses, stables and paddock, it was all me.

There was a reason my brothers called me a control freak.

Peter looked up from behind the cashier and flushed. He stammered, his eyes glued to someone standing behind me. I had a sudden feeling I knew just who it was.

"I'm sorry Miss Randall, we're out of the patch kits. I looked everywhere."

"Please, call me Angelina."

My head turned to the side before I knew what I was doing. My whole damn body swiveled toward the sound of her voice. I could not help but smile when I saw her standing beside me.

She had that damn kerchief on her head again. It should have looked silly but it didn't. For some damn reason it looked sexy as hell. So did her designer denim overalls. They hugged her bottom and showed off the round shape of her luscious tits. I let out a low whistle. Those melons were definitely a healthy handful, even for a big man like me.

"AHEM."

I lifted my eyes to meet her flashing green ones. In the darkness the gold was hardly visible at all. I realized you could only see the sparkly bits in the sun or a bright light. It felt like a secret, knowing that about her.

She was adorable.

She was also not at all pleased to have caught me checking out her jugs.

My smiled widened.

"Miss Randall."

She glared at me. I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to tell me to call her Angelina.
 

She didn't.

"It's Ms. I'm not a schoolgirl."

Pete let out a sharp bark of laughter. Now it was my turn to glare at him. But only for a second. It was next to impossible to keep my eyes off her.

I decided not to fight it.

In fact, I decided that I was going to bed her. Tonight. It was the only way to get her out of my system. Which meant I should probably stop deliberately antagonizing her. I changed tactics, giving her my most charming smile.

"What's the patch for?"

She scowled at me, which only made her look cuter. Damn if the woman didn't look good no matter what she was doing. I had a feeling she would look good digging a damn ditch. Especially if she was pissed about having to do it.

She reminded me of an angry, adorable hissing little kitten.

I shook my head. Cute as they were, kittens were known for having sharp claws. And teeth.

"Everything in the house is leaking! There's a leak over the porch. In the attic. And one of the pipes is leaking into the basement every time we use the bath."

I closed my eyes, imagining her in the bath. Her face would be soft and her eyes closed as her big juicy breasts bobbed on the surface of the water. I pictured myself leaning down and bobbing for apples. I'd take a little nip before I pulled her nipple into my mouth and...

I opened my eyes to find that she was watching me suspiciously. I realized I had looked like an idiot. I was literally grinning like a kid in a candy shop.

It was a good thing she had no clue what I was thinking. I leaned against the counter and smiled at her, hoping to set her mind at ease. A woman had to trust a man to let him between her thighs.

Her sweet, plump, silky thighs.

"I know a good plumber if you need one. And a good roofer. Hell, I know just about everybody around here."

She looked surprised at the offer and then she shrugged.

"Thanks but Pete already gave me a list."

For some reason that raised my hackles. She'd been here a handful of days and Pete was already doing her favors? Pete's family had owned the feed and supply store for generations. I liked Pete, even if he couldn't ride a horse for shit.

Squash that.

I
used
to like Pete.

Pete was watching the exchange with glee. He was obviously thrilled to watch Jackson Delancey crash and burn with a woman. Hell, I couldn't blame him. It's not like it ever happened before.

Not even once.

I decided to put a big dent in his day. I grabbed my nails and signed the invoice for the fencing. Then I turned back to Angelina and spoke loud enough so Pete would be sure to hear.

"Suit yourself
Ms.
Randall. I'll see you at dinner tonight."

I winked at Pete as I turned and walked away, whistling.

He did not look happy at all.

Even he knew he didn't stand a chance against a Delancey.

Angelina

"Wear the green one."

"What?"

"The green top. It brings out your eyes."

I was riffling through one of the cardboard wardrobe boxes still in the living room. I looked around. The house looked like a war zone. And none of the workmen I'd called were available to come for at least a week.

Or longer.

At least there wasn't any mold in the house itself. We would know because Casey reacted to it immediately. Sensitivities to chemicals, strong odors and mold was another charming side effect of the drug's toxicity.

We joked that we could loan ourselves out to real estate companies.

'Casey the Mold Detector' and 'Angelina the Spider Hunter.'
 

We made quite a team.

I turned up the hepa air filter in the living room just to be safe. Then I went into her bedroom and turned that purifier up too. The lights flickered slightly and I groaned and called out to Case.

"Add electrician to the list!"

She chuckled as I came back into the room. She'd dutifully jotted it down on the yellow pad that was becoming a very long, very intimidating list. The fact that she always found humor in every situation was one of the things I loved about her the most.