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“Shit,” Jesse says as Liam and Carter laugh to themselves. “I just meant you could sleep on my bed if you wanted to rest. Not that I’d be…” he trails off and sighs. “Would you just come to the cabin and hang out till your brother gets back? I don’t like the idea of leaving you all on your own at the library.”
“What if I asked you guys to stand guard outside the library for me? You could do a bird call if any angry old statue-ramming men are driving towards me.”
“I volunteer,” Carter says, slapping a fist over his heart.
Jesse looks reluctant. “If… that’s what you really want, sure.”
“I’m kidding. “The cabin sounds great.”
“Oh,” Jesse nods with relief. “Good. You can take a nap in the guest house if you want. No one will bother you. Nolan can even cook you something if you’re hungry. Are you hungry?”
I smile. “A little. Sure.” My stomach does a very unladylike groan at the thought of food. I hope none of them hear it.
“Then it’s settled,” Carter says, clapping his hands. “To the cabin!”
“This should be interesting,” Liam mutters as he stands.
Jesse puts a hand on the small of my back like I might fall at any moment, guiding me outside to the truck. I could complain and protest. I could tell him I’m not some damsel in distress who is about to fall over without support.
But he’s possibly the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on.
It’s hard not to gawk at his powerful frame, which is undoubtedly the result of years and years of grueling training. He practically radiates agility and command, all lean muscle and potential energy, like some big cat made to prowl dark forests and pounce.
His dark hair is tousled and frames a chiseled face with brown eyes and a mouth I find strangely captivating. It’s something about the way it moves when he talks that’s almost mesmerizing.
So, yeah, I let him put his hand on my back even though I’m not in danger of slipping and falling. Sue me.
* * *
We load into the truck and ride a short way back out of town, up a section of mountain, and pull up to a huge log style cabin. It looks old, but well-maintained.
“This is it,” Jesse says. “I can take you straight to the guest house if you’re not up for meeting the guys yet.”
“I’d like to meet them,” I say.
Jesse runs his tongue over his lips, then nods. “Alright, then. Let’s go.”
He does the thing with his hand on my back again, and this time I wonder if he’s trying to claim me for himself or simply keeping the others from thinking I’m free game. Jesse punches in a code for the front door lock, then opens two big double doors.
The interior of the cabin is all cozy yellows and browns, with warm lamp-light and a fire burning in the hearth. There are animal furs and blankets all over comfortable looking furniture, with a mini-library behind the living room that I want to go curl up and die in.
A tall guy with shoulder-length, straw blonde hair, looks our way. He has blue eyes and a scar running from his cheek to his chin. I’ve been around hockey enough to suspect it’s a puck to the face injury. The sight of it makes my skin crawl with sympathy. It must have hurt.
The guy opens his mouth to say something, but freezes when he sees me. “Oh,” is all he says.
“Nolan,” Jesse says. “This is Jake’s sister, Andi. She’s off-limits.”
I slide my eyes toward him. That’s a bit of a strange way to introduce somebody, but I decide maybe Jesse is more like my brother. Protective to a fault. For some reason, I don’t think his protectiveness has something to do with his intentions towards me. He seems to just want to keep the other guys from taking advantage of me.
“Obviously,” Nolan says. “Even if she wasn’t Jake’s sister, she’s wearing a wedding dress.”
Jesse seems to have forgotten that detail. He looks down at me, then pulls something from my hair. I look at his hand and notice he’s holding a twig. Thanks, Dr. Knight, I think. You did a full physical on me and didn’t think to pull the freaking twig from my hair before sending me out to the waiting room full of hot, beefy hockey guys?
“Did that come from my hair?” I ask.
He grins, chucking it to the side. “You’re good now.”
“Are they back?” Another voice calls from somewhere upstairs. I hear footsteps coming down toward us and then see a big, heavily muscled man with shaggy dark hair. He stops short when he spots me. “Oh, wow. A runaway bride? That’s super good luck.”
