Page 37 of Riding High

This wasn’t Mick’s house.

And the huge artwork of polo ponies in motion, abstract but stunning, on the hall wall, suggested she was in Jed’s house.The man she’d dry-humped against his front door before they even exchanged a hello.

Alistair looked up from his phone, jammed it into his suit pocket and walked over to Jed.He put his hands under his armpits and with one swift lift, had Jed on his feet.His head dropped down and blood droplets landed on his tiled floor.

‘Shit, Alistair, you could’ve warned me,’ Jed muttered, lifting his shirt to wipe the blood away from his nose.Eden swallowed at the trail of hair that arrowed down over his flat, ridged stomach into the low band of his Levis.

Still hot.Still embarrassed.

Alistair placed his enormous hand in the middle of Jed’s back and pushed him in the direction of the kitchen.‘Stopbeing a wuss.I’m hungry and I think the lasagna is burning.’

* * *

Jed winced when Mick pushed a kitchen towel filled with ice against his snout.Shit.Ow.That hurt.

‘Do you want an ice pack for your balls?’Mick asked, not letting up the pressure.

He narrowed his eyes at his sister, as he pulled the makeshift ice pack from her grip.She was enjoying his pain a bit too much.‘No, I donot.’

‘I can get you one,’ Mick insisted, her eyes dancing.

He grabbed her wrist and waited until he looked at her.Their eyes met, and when she swallowed and nodded, he knew that she’d received his silent message to can the teasing.Not only was it tiresome, but Eden’s face was telephone-box red.

He put the ice pack on his empty plate, and released a frustrated sigh.He’d broken his nose before and knew it was dinged, not fractured, so he doubted he’d have a black eye in the morning.But, and pity he couldn’t check, heknewhe’d have blue-tinged balls.His tailbone was aching from being the first point of contact with the floor, but at least Eden had, mostly, landed on him, and not the other way around.If he hadn’t turned as soon as he felt the door opening, thank God for his quick reflexes, his bulk would’ve flattened her.

Mick took her seat, dished up some lasagna and tucked in.Jed looked at the half-empty tray of food and hoped there would be some for him to eat later.But knowing his brother, and the rest of the savages, there probably wouldn’t be.Eden had yet to serve herself, but she’d slammed down a whisky and was now making her way through a huge glass of red wine.

As if feeling his eyes on hers, she lifted her head, and in those colours of the sea, he saw remorse and a metric ton of embarrassment.These were his people, and he was used to feeling an arse around them– they made it their mission to keep his feet on the ground– but they were strangers to Eden.And anyone with a brain could work out exactly how they came to be on the floor.

‘I don’t understand why you both fell,’ Alistair said, looking up from his second, possibly third, helping.

Okay, occasionally things needed to be explained to people with super big brains and no emotional intelligence.But hopefully, nobody would.He didn’t want to cause Eden more embarrassment.

Justin patted his big arm and shook his head.‘Don’t worry about it, baby.It was just an accident.’

How had his oaf of a brother landed such a nice guy?Honestly, if he blew that way, he’d be half in love with Justin himself.

Mick looked up from shovelling food into her mouth.Her helpings were at least as big as his.

‘Yeah, Jed, how did you and Eden come to be on the floor?’she asked, her tongue firmly in her cheek.Jed picked up an ice cube and flung it at her.Because he had excellent aim, it landed wedged in her cleavage.‘You bastard,’ she muttered, digging her fingers into her bra to pull out the rapidly melting ice cube.She flung it at his head, and it bounced off his cheek.Her aim was getting better.

‘The only way that could’ve happened is if you and she?—’

‘Al—’ Jed wearily interrupted Alistair.

‘—if you and Eden were leaning against the door together…’

Jed watched, fascinated, as Al added two and two and reached four.His eyes widened and his skin lightened with the faintest hint of pink.His big, broody brother was a bit of a prude.‘Oh…’ he muttered.

Justin clasped his hand and squeezed.‘There you go, big guy,’ he said, grinning.

Eden, now beetroot red, started to stand.Before Jed could follow her to her feet, Mick was out of her seat.Her gentle hand on Eden’s shoulder pushed her pretty butt, the one he’d squeezed, back into the chair.‘Eden, drink your wine, eat some food.Jed might be an arse, but he’s an arse who can cook.Eat something.You’ll feel better for it, I promise.’

When Mick used her I’m-a-doctor voice, people tended to listen and Eden was no exception.Justin, being quick on the uptake, reached for her empty plate, dished up some lasagna and added the last piece of garlic bread.He slid it in front of her, and Eden grabbed a fork.She tentatively lifted a small bite to her lips, ate and then went in for a bigger forkful.Yeah, Jed was sure of a couple of things: he was a good polo player, a better craftsman, and he could cook a damn fine lasagna.

And that he was desperate to take Eden to bed and to finish what they’d started.Unfortunately, he didn’t think his balls could handle it tonight.Fuck.

‘It’s good,’ Eden said, sounding surprised.