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“It’s dented,” she whines, still struggling to get down because I won’t release her. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
I squeeze the bottom of her ass and lean forward to capture her mouth in a kiss. “I need to get your sexy ass back in that house.”
Chapter Eight
Brittany- Three Weeks Later
“Mom, this is Jacob,” I say before we cross the threshold.
Mom grins brightly as she greets him by dragging him into a hug. When she lets go, she says, “Hi, Jacob.” Mom gives me a more serious look. “Your brother is here.”
My brain processes this information in slow blinks. I’ve avoided Rowan for the past couple weeks to make sure he didn’t start any issues with Jacob. Things have been going so well between me and Jake, and I don’t want Rowan to ruin them.
“It’s okay,” Jake says, sliding his hand along my lower back and pressing me forward. “It’ll be fine.”
He doesn’t know my brother. He knows a little about him, but not much. When we talk, he skirts around the topic of his family most of the time, and I follow his lead. I figured there was no use in scaring him off right away when he’s going to leave eventually anyway. Though, I’m starting to really hope he doesn’t.
He told me not to get attached, but I can’t help myself. The thought of him leaving makes me sick to my stomach. I have to stay confident and trust in myself that I can convince him to stay.
Rowan appears in the archway to the kitchen and crosses his arms immediately. I can see the angry eyebrow from here. My brother is the most protective, overbearing jerk I’ve ever met. He acts just like our dad did when he was alive, as if he’s carrying on the legacy of preventing me from having any life outside what they declare is ‘right’ for me.
“I’m Jacob,” he announces loudly toward Rowan. Jake makes sure I get through the door before him and follows me to the spot where my brother is standing. Jake offers his hand to shake, and Rowan scowls directly at him.
Rowan couldn’t pretend to be approving, even if he wanted to. He has no filter. Everything with Rowan is right at the surface. He never learned how to control his emotions, and he doesn’t seem to have any interest in figuring it out now. Every thought he has is displayed on his face or acted out without delay.
Rowan reaches out and takes Jake’s hand, and his frown transforms into an evil grin as he squeezes harder than necessary. “I’m Rowan.”
Jake doesn’t falter, squeezing back and slapping Row on the shoulder. “Good to finally meet you,” he tells Rowan with a smile, and my heart does a twisty thing inside my chest.
Jacob has been so good to me since our first date, but I didn’t expect him to handle Rowan so well. Rowan is intense like a gunshot, and I wouldn’t have brought Jake with me this weekend if I knew he would be here.
“My sister,” Rowan says, smiling brightly as he releases Jake and wraps me in his arms. “My beautiful sister has been ignoring my calls.” He leans back and grips my face between his palms, holding my gaze hostage so I have to meet his eyes. “Too busy with your boy toy to answer your own family?”
“Leave her alone, Rowan!” Mom closes the front door and pushes past us to the dining room, slapping a hand in the center of Row’s chest and separating him from me. “Sit down. We’re going to have a nice dinner with Brittany’s boyfriend, and you’re going to be respectful.”
I don’t think my brother has ever been respectful to a guy I liked, but he gives it some effort tonight. The strain is visible on his face as he fights to hold back the sharp words he wants to speak to Jacob across the dinner table. I have to give him some respect for trying.
He barely chokes down his first bite before he starts in though. “Where are you from, Jacob?”
Jake senses the presence of another man similar to himself, and I feel his demeanor shift to match. He’s no longer worried about impressing anyone with the gentle side he swears he only shows to me. He’s entered a different arena. “I came from Salt Lake city.”
“Hmmm.” Rowan takes a sip of his drink and leans back in his seat. Of course he’s going to skip right past eating to get his interrogation over with. “Do you have a criminal record?”
“Rowan!” I hiss. “You are a criminal. You’re in a fucking bike gang-”
“Don’t call it that,” Row growls, shifting his angry attention to me. I hate to admit I like pushing his buttons a little, despite that I’m trying to calm him down. At least if he’s focused on me, he’ll take it easier on Jacob, who I’d very much like to keep around.
