Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Heat

“Challenge sounds fine to us,” Joel called. “We can beat you faster than in a normal game since you’ll be too embarrassed to sink any balls.”

Leo shrugged. “I’m game.” He pointed a finger at Jaxi. “I don’t know what you’re doing, little lady, but I’ll play along this time. You got Cari to give me another chance, and I can put up with a little tomfoolery for your sake.”

Jaxi winked at him and sat back to watch.

The twins won the break, and Blake tried to remember a game challenge that wasn’t too raunchy. He wasn’t interested in getting up close and personal with Leo or his brothers. This had to be the most insane suggestion ever.

“First ten points, consecutive pockets starting with far right.”

Jesse hooted. “You worried about making us blush, big brother?”

Bastard. “Just shoot.”

Jesse and Joel took their turns, managing to sink eight balls in a row into the appropriate pockets before missing. Blake and Leo took over and put away two more before Jesse cleared his throat to announce the next challenge.

“Triple Play.”

“Hell, Jesse, you’re kidding,” Leo complained. “Do I need to worry about why you want to slip between me and Blake while we shoot?”

Jesse shook his head. “Not me. I figured we could talk Jaxi into helping us.” He turned and held a hand to the girl. “What do you think, sweetheart? Run a little interference for us?”

Blake’s heartbeat increased as Jaxi took the hand offered her and smiled sweetly at Jesse. The boy had the guts to clasp her by the waist and slowly lower her to the ground, letting their bodies rub together on the way.

Jaxi propelled herself back from Jesse’s arms with a wink. “I’m in, but I’m supposed to start with the other team. Troublemaker.” She patted Jesse’s cheek and turned toward Blake, her eyes flashing. “Unless you’d rather give up right now and admit defeat. I never took you for a quitter, but I guess you can never tell when things will get too hot for a person to handle.”

Blake shoved down his anger. She wanted to play with fire, did she? He was nearly ready to burn through her teasing and take her on the table, right in front of the whole world, if she didn’t back off. Damn the consequences.

He turned away to examine the table for a sinkable shot. “Twelve in the side pocket, Leo.” His partner nodded and eyeballed the line before placing his hand on the table for Blake to rest the cue on. Leo twisted his body far to the side, leaving plenty of room for Blake to make the shot using only one hand.

Except Triple Play meant Jaxi had to be between him and Leo. Touching them both at the same time. Blake threw Jesse an evil look, and a roar of laughter blasted back at him.

“I did shower recently,” Jaxi said, moving in close.

Bloody hell. Don’t talk about showers right now.

Blake wrapped an arm around her and brought her to his side. She slid her arms around to his back and clung tightly as he leaned over the table, positioned the cue on Leo’s outstretched hand and took the shot.

Jaxi’s sweet scent rose around them, her breath hot on his neck as he stood. Tension built in his gut, not only from the feel of her against his body. Nine more balls to sink before they went to the next challenge, and he would go insane if he had to watch his little brothers spoon Jaxi between the two of them.

Leo picked a shot and Blake set up the cradle. Instead of hugging onto Leo, Jaxi slid close to Blake again, resting against his chest, her breasts compressed against him, swelling to the top of the scooped neck of her dress. Blake bit back a groan.

“You got troubles, Blake?” Jaxi whispered in his ear. She licked him, her hot little tongue slipping into his ear, making his whole body jerk in reaction.

“Hell, Blake, stay still,” Leo complained. The ball bounced sideways, shy of the pocket, and rolled to a stop.

“Our turn for a bit. Come here, sweetheart, and give me some sugar.” Jesse checked Blake for a reaction before bussing Jaxi on the lips.

Blake glared daggers at his little brother.

Joel got into position, kneeling with one leg up, his arm resting casually on the table to his side. “Ride side saddle if you want.”

Jaxi flicked another glance at Blake, then strolled forward confidently. “Side saddle is for cowards.”

She stepped on either side of his leg and lowered herself to straddle him, her skirt lifting to expose more of her long limbs. Blake gritted his teeth as Joel pulled her in tight, squeezing their bodies close as she slid over him. Jaxi made a soft sound of pleasure, her expression nowhere near as confident as only moments before. She bit her lower lip, and Jesse swore, folding his body over them to sink the shot. He lifted her and got ready for the next shot.

Blake drained his beer and tried not to watch as Jaxi and Jesse and Joel wrapped around each other for another six shots. Each time it took longer to arrange the positioning. Jesse slid his hands over Jaxi thoroughly as he prepared, pulling her tighter to himself or pushing her against Joel as he pretended to adjust for line. Jaxi’s face grew flushed, her heartbeat visible in the hollow of her neck, her breathing more and more rapid. Her eyes were huge, her gaze following Blake everywhere.

Blake died a little with every touch of his brothers’ hands on Jaxi. Every time their mouths brushed her skin, every time their hips and torsos pressed together.

He faced the wall and clenched his fists tight. He was going to stalk out the door or he was going to kill someone. Or some two.

Jaxi bit back a cry, breathless and low.

“Holy shit,” Leo muttered.

Blake turned back to see Joel had Jaxi draped over his arm, bent forward, as he pressed against her back to take a shot off Jesse’s shoulder. Joel moved slowly, slipping the pool cue back as if he needed more time. He bent his mouth to Jaxi’s ear and whispered something while he caressed her breast with his free hand. She gasped and arched under him.

Both of Jesse’s hands were free to slide along the long legs spread in front of where he knelt on the ground. One flowed up her leg, under her dress, then over her ass. The other hand wasn’t visible but Blake could imagine what Jesse was doing as the bastard stared into Jaxi’s flushed face, his eyes wild as he watched her tremble under his touch.

Blake saw red. The blood rushing through him heated to boiling as his endurance failed. “Enough!”

The sensual dance fell apart. Joel stood slowly, keeping Jaxi in his arms as he backed them away from where Jesse knelt, head bowed, breathing uneven, fists pressed hard on his thighs. He rose unsteadily to his feet, his eyes glazed as he fought for control. Lifting his fingers to his mouth, Jesse’s blue eyes riveted on Jaxi.

Leo’s phone rang.

He swore and turned away to answer it, retreating to the front room and leaving the three brothers alone with Jaxi.

The only sound was the dull beat of the music echoing from the far side of the wall. Blake focused on the one undeniable truth before him. In the past five minutes something had changed, and there was no going back. Either he stepped up or he stepped aside.

Did he want her?

Damn, he wanted her so bad he had to restrain himself from tossing her over his shoulder like a caveman and hightailing out to his truck for a little action in the back. Or forget even making it to the truck, he’d slip them into the back room and fuck her against the wall, hard and fast, until they both made more of those noises of pleasure she was so good at producing. His cock was rock hard from watching her with his brothers, and every breath he took hurt.

But it was her expression that threatened to bring him to his knees. She’d been in Joel’s arms, Jesse’s hand on her body, but she stared at Blake as if he was the one who had just rocked her world.

The difference in their ages, her having been Travis’s girlfriend, being a big-brother figure when he wanted much more—all the issues haunting him faded to insignificance in light of how much he needed her.

Why in the hell had he kept them apart?

He took a step toward her. Her hair lay tousled around her face, wisps of curls stuck in the air in spots. A trickle of sweat ran down her neck, past her collarbone. She breathed hard, her eyes glittering grey stars shining straight into his soul.

“Blake?”

Her voice trembled.

She bit her lower lip again and Blake drew in a harsh breath. He didn’t step toward her, frozen by the sight of Jesse’s fingers trailing along her arm, by Joel leaning in close to her other side and nuzzling her neck.

“So, you decided?” Jesse whispered. “Are we taking Jaxi home or are you? Or all of us? Because it’s high time this headed somewhere a little more private.”

Blake damned himself for waiting, for giving the twins a chance to touch her and make her want them. Now he couldn’t rip her from their arms.

She had to choose.

He flicked his head to the side. The twins stepped back a pace, leaving Jaxi standing in the middle of their circle. She swayed as her legs supported her full weight alone for the first time since the start of the game.

“Jaxi, who…” He hesitated. He wasn’t going to beg, but he wanted her to know what he was asking. This wasn’t just about right here and right now. He caressed her cheek with his hand. “You offered me something pretty special the other night and I turned you down.”

Jesse and Joel exchanged quick looks.

“I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was, I’ll admit it. But I’m not uncertain anymore. If you still want me.”

He was going to drown in her eyes. The tip of her tongue slipped out and wet her lips. Jaxi narrowed her eyes, and her voice dropped to a whisper. Soft and intimate, just for his ears.

“You still think you’re too old for me, Blake Coleman? Because I don’t want someone who’s going to be all careful and delicate with me when what you want is a woman to make love with—”

He crushed her to him, slanting his mouth over hers to taste her lips for the first time. Sweet honey and hops lingered on her tongue, but the overwhelming flavor was Jaxi and nothing else. Blake ate at her mouth hungrily, lifting her body to his to mold her close, his fingers cradling the cheeks of her ass as he tried to wrap her around him more intimately. Jaxi had her fingers in his hair, keeping them so tight together that if he needed to breathe it was going to have to be through her. He barely stopped from ripping her clothes off. But as much as he wanted to touch her everywhere, a small part of his mind remembered they were in a public place.

A very small part.

He wrenched his mouth from hers and dropped his head to her shoulder. Somehow they’d crossed the room until they were against the pool table. Jaxi’s hips rested on the edge of the green felt, legs spread wide to allow Blake to fit between, snug against her crotch. The heat of her sex burned through the thin fabric of her dress and his denim jeans, and Blake took a deep breath and fought for control.

“You two want us to create a road block at the door or you going to make it home okay?” Joel’s quiet question hung in the air.

Jaxi squirmed.

“What?” Blake asked.

She pulled him close to whisper in his ear. “You don’t know how tempted I am to say ‘road block’ right now.”

He swallowed hard. “I’m not taking you for the first time on a pool table, Slick.”

“How about the sixth? Or tenth? Promise me sometime we can do it on a pool table—”

Blake dragged her off the table and into his arms. “You keep talking like that, and we won’t make it anywhere but the parking lot.”

Blake carried her out the door of the hall. A couple of wolf whistles echoed in their direction, and Jaxi tucked her face farther into the crook of his neck. She was finally in his arms, where she’d longed to be, but his touch was new enough she wanted their relationship to remain private.

By morning the whole town would know. Was Blake ready?

“You sure about this? You take me back inside, and we can pretend this was a joke. We can keep it a secret for a bit. Otherwise everyone will talk.”

She couldn’t believe she’d actually said that. Thank God, listening to her suggestions seemed to be the farthest thing from his mind. He kissed her again, his hands possessive on her body as he lowered her then drew their hips together intimately, pressing his rigid cock against the softness of her belly. His tongue swept over her teeth, tasting and teasing, as he leaned her back against the side of his truck, trapping her between the unyielding metal and the solid length of his body.