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He laughed, shaking his head. “The legs don’t work as good as they used to.” Cade stalked over, but she kept her gaze on Jack, who looked a little unstable on his feet. She heard the crunching gravel from behind and saw a dark shadow settle in next to Caden. Kase.
“Come on. I’ll get us some beers, so long as these ingrates haven’t finished my case.”
“Oh.” She darted her stare between Jack and his sons, who were both eyeing her suspiciously. That might be putting it mildly in describing Kase. She could actually feel the heat of his glare. She would not be getting a thank you from him.
Caden paced forward, and she glanced up. His eyes didn’t hold the disdain his brother’s did, but he was wary of her, there was no doubt in her mind. When he reached out to take Jack’s arm, her eyes fixated on his hand. It wasn’t so much the size of his hand but the texture. Small, bloodied cuts rimmed his knuckles, and his nails were lined with dirt. She tilted her head. Or grease. Whatever it was, it stirred something in her. He was a man’s man who worked with his hands. How could dirty, injured hands evoke arousal? It’s been way too long, Marissa.
Caden cleared his throat. “Pop, it’s late.”
Jack ignored Caden and stared back at her, waiting.
Say no. It was apparent Caden and Kase were eager for her to leave. Jack, obviously, wasn’t in his right frame of mind, still locked in the past. I should go. She chewed on the inside of her mouth, stuck with indecision. It was selfish, but she wasn’t quite ready to give up being Colleen. It had been forever since anyone had wanted to spend time with her the way Jack did. I’m not Colleen.
“You coming, darlin’?”
Marissa peeked up through her lashes. “Okay, but just for a few minutes.”
Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Unlike last time, she didn’t feel anxious or unsettled. It’s actually kinda nice. His hold was gruff, but she found it to be comforting.
Caden and Kase followed close behind. She heard the faint whispers but couldn’t make out what they were saying. She glanced over her shoulder. Kase was leaning over talking to Caden, who had his stare glued to her ass. As if he could feel her eyes, his gaze shot up and his brows furrowed. Marissa turned her head and bit back a smile.
She couldn’t remember the last time she caught a man checking her out. Not to say it didn’t happen, but she just hadn’t paid attention to others around her. Until now.
Jack ushered her inside, and she stopped by a recliner at the entry of the living room. She glanced around. The house was old and dated. The couches looked like something from the eighties. It was obvious the place lacked a woman’s touch. There weren’t any knickknacks or throw pillows on the couch. The room was minimal with the bare necessities. She scrunched her nose. Stale cigarettes had a distinct scent.
“Pop, go upstairs and change your pants,” Caden said from behind her. Jack didn’t acknowledge him but ambled to the stairs and made his way up.
She scooted to the side to allow the brothers to pass by. Her hip bumped a small circular table, and she grabbed the edge to keep it from toppling over. The small dusty frame shook but didn’t fall over. Thank God. She peered closer, and without thinking, picked it up. It held a photograph, a school picture with a sky-blue background of a smiling boy missing his two front teeth. First grade, maybe. Her finger slid over the picture. She missed out on that. School pictures.
“Leaving fingerprints for the cops?”
Marissa jerked her gaze to the brothers standing a few feet away. It was evident from the smirk on his face, Kase had made the comment. Caden glowered at the him.
“Kase,” he warned.
She set the frame down and turned to them. “I like your house.”
Kase laughed and shook his head. “Just proves ya got shitty taste.”
Marissa bit her lip and smiled at Caden, who stood with his hands dug deep into his pockets. Aside from the scowl aimed at his brother, his lip cocked up. She stared at his lips, the bottom thicker than the top but both full. The scruff on his jaw only accentuated his dark pink lips.
Heavy footsteps tore her gaze from Caden to the stairs where Jack came down and headed past Caden, not uttering a word. A sharp movement had Marissa drawn back to Caden as he leaned against the wall. He was so very handsome. She’d always been a sucker for dark hair and dark eyes. All her past boyfriends had fit the same description, though none of them were even close to being rugged and sexy. Not like Caden. Her eyes perused his body. He belongs in a truck commercial or one of those razor commercials where the guy stands in front of a mirror in only a towel.
Caden jerked his head in her direction, and she immediately bowed her head. Her hair swept past her shoulders and curtained her face. Hopefully, it was enough to hide her blush.
Jack appeared in front of her holding two bottles. She eyed the beer and shook her head.
“I don’t drink alcohol.”
His eyes widened. “It ain’t alcohol.” He raised the bottle in front of her. “It’s beer.”
Marissa tightened her lips to hold back her chuckle. She smiled back at him but didn’t take the beer he was holding out for her. A hand swiped in front of her grabbing the bottle, and she saw Kase’s back as he walked farther into the room.
“Here.” A deep graveled voice on her left sounded, and she turned to see a water bottle extended her way. She smiled at Caden, who shifted uneasily on his feet.
“Thank you.”
Jack grabbed her arm and tugged her to the couch; then he sat on the edge of the recliner. “You remember the night Wooly came home from upstate?” He slapped his leg and barked out a rumbling laugh. “Nothing says welcome home like a train.”
