CHAPTER Twenty
Jake had tried to appear unaffected by Kacey’s little speech, but after going to his room and feeling sorry for himself, he’d realized he needed to give her a real apology.
He’d gotten to thinking. What if? What if he could change? What if he could be the man Kacey needed? What would life really be like with her? Would he be bored out of his mind? Or did he owe it to both of them to at least try?
Confused, he had run downstairs only to see his older brother straddling Kacey and attempting to spit on her face.
Their immaturity knew no bounds, but at least now he knew there was absolutely nothing romantic going on between the two.
Travis was twenty-three, and at that age, if he used violence to still attract girls, well, then no wonder he was still single. And a girl like Kacey wouldn’t fall prostrate for a guy who still resorted to childhood pranks in order to win her favor.
Geez, if Jake were a nicer guy he’d actually give some tips to his brother. He desperately needed them.
Maybe everyone would be safer if he just kept Kacey and Travis away from one another. It seemed they brought out the worst in each other.
By the time they had all returned to the dining room, his mother had actually put name cards on the table.
Classy.
Kacey was sitting between him and Grandma. Good choice.
Travis was sitting on the opposite end of the table with— Wait! Why was there another place setting?
“Company tonight?” Really? Did his mother think that safe after the escapade in the kitchen? Not to mention his brother punching him in the face for no reason.
Okay, so he punched him because he was upset with Jake for not paying attention to Kacey. It’s possible he kind of deserved it, but only slightly.
“Oh, Grandma invited Mr. Casbon.”
Jake choked on his laugh. “Our neighbor, Mr. Casbon? The one who lives for Grandma’s smiles? Well, this should be interesting.”
“That’s an understatement,” Travis muttered, entering the kitchen.
“Good to see you changed your pants, bro.”
Travis glared. “At least I can change my clothes. You, on the other hand, are stuck with that wonderful personality.”
Jake clenched his fist. His brother smiled.
Kacey entered. “Well, I think my hair looks the shiniest it’s ever looked. Thanks, Trav. I owe it all to you.” She winked.
Travis rolled his eyes. “Yes, and my balls are—”
“Travis!” Bets almost screamed. “We’re going to have company any minute. Could you all at least try to act your age? Goodness, Jake, you’ve been groomed to take over the company, act like it! Travis, you’ve owned that ranch of yours for years, by all that is holy, be mature!”
“You own a ranch?” Kacey asked. He watched the exchange. Travis shifted his feet as if uncomfortable, then cleared his throat.
“Yes, a small one. No big deal.”
“Oh, that’s rich.” Bets laughed. “You own one of the largest ranches on the west coast, but if you want to pretend it’s small, I guess that’s your prerogative.”
It was a new feeling, being ignored, but Jake was interested to see how Kacey would respond. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter.
“But, you said you were a ranch hand.”
Jake laughed. “Him? A ranch hand? Babe, he’s no more a ranch hand than I’m a janitor.”
“But…” Kacey’s brow furrowed.
“It’s no big deal.” Travis shrugged and began filling the glasses with water.
Kacey turned to Jake. “Any other family secrets?”
Probably not the best time to tell her that his grandmother was manipulating all of them.
“Um…” Jake shoved his hands in his pockets. “Travis used to have a crush on you? At least that’s what I assumed, considering he stuttered every time he was around any female.”
Travis froze. “Yeah, rewind to about an hour ago, and you’ll see how she reacted to that certain piece of information.”
Jake chuckled. “So that’s what started the fight. I see…”
Kacey looked angry all over again, so Jake decided to make it better. Slowly he walked to where she stood. “Kace, I’m sure it upset you, but what you don’t know is that even though he did some awful things… Emphasis on awful—”
“Thanks, Jake.”
“No problem.” He smirked. “He’s also the reason that your sixteenth birthday party was a success.”
“What do you mean?” Her shoulders relaxed.
“Well…” Jake put his arm around her tiny frame. “This one over here, the one with the stutter, was so angry that your boyfriend at the time didn’t show up, that he begged Dad to call in a favor.”
“What favor?”
Travis glanced at them nervously and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, Jake. It was a long time ago.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to help. But yeah, Travis was the one that convinced Dad to get that local band to come play at your party. You know, the one everyone was so obsessed with?”
Kacey nodded. “Everyone heard they were playing exclusively at my party, so they came, even when my idiot boyfriend Tanner told everyone to blacklist me because I wouldn’t sleep with him.”
“Yeah, well…” Jake shrugged. “Travis also took care of that guy.” Why the heck was he being so nice to his brother? If he’d had any suspicions that they were physically attracted to each other he wouldn’t be helping at all, but he didn’t like it when they were fighting so much. It stressed him out. And he didn’t want to get wrinkles before his time, or gray hair.
“Jake!” Travis waved him off. “Don’t.”
“He beat him up, threatened him, and then told everyone he had an obsession with vampires.”
“That’s why people kept bringing garlic to school?” Kacey laughed. “Aw! Travis, why didn’t you tell me any of this? I might not have stuffed eggs down your pants.”
“Gee, thanks,” Travis muttered.
Jake used this golden opportunity to pull Kacey into a hug. “Well, can’t I have a reward for sharing good information about my brother?”
Her eyes darted between the two of them. She nodded and returned his hug.
And in that moment he remembered exactly why he had fallen for her in the first place.
She fit.
Perfectly in his arms.
As if made for him. Her scent, the way her hair tickled his nose, everything about her screamed comfort and home. He didn’t want to let her go.
Travis cleared his throat.
“Sorry.” Jake pulled back. “I must have spaced out.”
“It’s okay.” Kacey blushed and walked over to the counter.
****
Oh, hell no.
Not this time.
Not this time.
Travis was ready to unleash whatever tricks he could to get Kacey to stay away from Jake.
He would kidnap her and take her to Mexico before he let his brother sink his claws into her all over again.
“Kace.” Travis stacked the napkins in her hands. “Wanna help set the rest of the table?”
“Sure.” She went around the table putting napkins on the plates, while Travis whistled. Jake eventually got bored, as Jake often did, and made up some excuse about seeing what was on TV.
Finally.
“So, vampires, huh?”
“It was the best I could come up with. I did have a stutter, you know, and my only social interaction was that of my family and the drama club.”
“Ah yes, the lovely drama club. Tell me, what part did you play again?”
He smiled. “Not the dog, thank you very much.”
Kacey raised an eyebrow, pausing with the napkins mid-air.
Travis burst out laughing. “Fine, it was the cat, but in my defense it was the musical CATS, so you can’t make fun of me.”
“I suppose not,” Kacey jutted her bottom lip out as if pouting. “Do you remember the song?”
“Not gonna happen, Kace, so don’t get your hopes up. You’d have to get me very, very drunk to ever hear that song from my lips again.”
“It would be totally worth it.”
He laughed. “Maybe for you.”
“Aw, come on, one tiny little phrase. I won’t tell a soul.” Kacey put her hands on her hips as she moved closer to him. Damn, if he didn’t feel like a cat as he watched those hips sway. Truthfully, he was nearly happy enough to break out in song.
He opened his mouth to possibly sing or perhaps curse, he wasn’t sure which, when he heard the door slam.
“We’re here!” Grandma announced as she strolled into the kitchen, Mr. Casbon in tow.
The man was wearing a silly grin and a Hawaiian shirt tucked into khaki pants. All in all, the perfect man for Grandma. She did love Hawaii.
And men.
Lucky Mr. Casbon.
“So, are we having pupu first?”
Kacey’s eyes widened in horror.
Travis whispered in her ear, “She means appetizers. That’s what they call them in Hawaii.”
“And she’s suddenly Hawaiian?”
At that moment Grandma began to hula dance in front of Mr. Casbon.
Travis exhaled. “Apparently.”
Jake walked into the room, took one look at Grandma dancing, and turned around. Good to know Travis wasn’t the only one alarmed at Grandma’s behavior.
Mr. Casbon grinned and joined in.
Kacey laughed and patted Travis on the shoulder. “Should we show them how it’s done?”
Bewildered, he watched her slowly move her hips. His brain told his mouth to close. He also told himself that if he kept lusting after her he was going to be damned uncomfortable in front his grandmother.
“C’mon, Trav.” Kacey winked and lifted her arms above her head.
He pulled her close and began a rhythm that was anything but hula dancing. It was slow, fluid, sensual. His hands rubbed slowly down her sides until they fell to her hips, staying there, unable to move as he closed his eyes.
Travis didn’t care.
He was beyond caring.
So what if he was embarrassing himself? He was over it, done. He just wanted to touch her, to hold her close.
“Travis?” He opened his eyes, and Kacey was inches from his face. “I think we have a little audience.” Her blush told him he should look but he was too embarrassed. Quickly he jerked away from her then looked.
Grandma and Mr. Casbon stood watching them, each of their heads tilted at an angle. “Well, that was romantic.” Grandma winked.
“I was just…” Travis scratched the back of his head. What? Lusting? Having graphic daydreams of what it would feel like to hold Kacey naked in his arms?
“Dancing,” Kacey interjected.
“Back in my day… “ Mr. Casbon cleared his throat. “When fellas danced like that they got them girls pregnant.”
Travis felt his face burn.
“You’re not gonna get her pregnant, are you, son?”
Was this guy for real?
“Umm…” No, just say no. Why wouldn’t his mouth work?
“Not unless you can get pregnant from dancing too close, Mr. Casbon.” Kacey patted Travis on the shoulder, shocking him out of his paralyzed state.
“I’m sure it’s possible.” The old man pointed his finger into the air then turned toward Grandma and pulled her flush against him. “I’m just glad we’re old enough not to care.”
“Oh merciful Lord above,” Kacey muttered.
Travis elbowed her.
They continued to stare as Grandma laughed while in Mr. Casbon’s arms.
“She’s kind of a hussy,” Kacey whispered.
“Kind of?” Grandma wasn’t just flirting. She was… Well, the word was not something Travis wanted to use in the same sentence as Grandma.
“Time to eat!” his mother announced, strolling into the room. “Oh, heavens.” She placed a hand over her heart when her eyes caught Grandma and Mr. Casbon embracing. “Let’s, er, just take our seats then! Jake! Jake, get in here. It’s time to eat!”
Everyone sat around the table. “Wescott!” Bets yelled. “Wescott, it’s time, honey. Stop messing with the computer and get in here.”
His dad rushed into the room and took a seat. “Why do we have place cards?”
Bets glared. “I thought it best, considering…” She eyed Travis, then Kacey, and finally Jake, who felt the need to act innocent and shrugged his shoulders then winked in Travis’s direction.
Idiot.
“So,” Mr. Casbon said as he began dishing heaping amounts of meatloaf onto his plate. “Do I understand that we’re going to have a rousing game of Monopoly tonight?”
Grandma tittered and blushed.
He said rousing, not arousing. They weren’t playing strip Monopoly. Images he never wanted to see started pounding through his head, and then he looked at Kacey. Immediately, the images were replaced with visions of tasting her pouting lips, running his hands through her hair, kissing down her body until…
“Travis? Did you hear what Grandma asked?”
Caught, he looked around the dinner table, every eye was on him, which was somewhat of a blessing, considering he’d most likely be embarrassed beyond words if they were to look at the state he was in under the table.
“Sorry, what did you say, Grandma?”
“I said…” She gave him a pointed stare. “…that last time I played Monopoly with you, you had the audacity to win.”
“That is the point.”
“I’m older. You should let the elderly win.”
“Grandma, if I remember correctly, you not only tried to get me drunk by spiking my soda, but you crushed a half a Benadryl in my drink when I wasn’t looking. We’re lucky I was breathing by the time the game ended.”
Grandma sniffed. “Nothing wrong with a little stiff competition or some manipulating to make things more interesting. Besides the Benadryl idea was completely Kacey. It’s her answer for everything. Just like that Greek wedding movie and Windex.”
“Pardon?” Travis leaned forward.
“Oh, you know.” Grandma waved her jeweled hand into the air. “Have a mosquito bite? Take a Benadryl. Can’t sleep? Take a Benadryl. Can’t perform in the bedroom—”
“I highly doubt Benadryl will help in that situation,” Travis interrupted.
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Mr. Casbon added, a wicked gleam in his eye as he picked up Grandma’s hand and kissed it.
Travis jerked his head in his mother’s direction, willing her to change the subject.
She was flushed and playing with her food; his father was trying to stifle a laugh. Was he the only sane one at the table?
“So, you never answered me.” Grandma stabbed her salad with her fork.
“What was the question? Sorry I was distracted by the talk of extracurricular activities brought on by drugs.”
“Will you be Kacey’s partner? She always cheated as a child, and I need someone with a firm hand to spank her if she gets out of line.”
The water that should have, by all means, gone down Travis’s throat, spewed out of his mouth, landing directly in Jake’s face.
“Thanks, man.”
“S-sorry.” Travis choked, glaring at his grandmother. She gave him a saucy wink and sipped her wine. She knew exactly what she had said. If she didn’t watch it, he really was going to drug her, and it would be a hell of a lot stronger than Benadryl. She could count on that.
“I would love to.” Travis wiped his mouth with his napkin and smiled at his grandmother. “After all, I doubt Kacey will get out of line. She already knows it’s a losing battle when she tries to go up against me.”
“Oh but, Travis,” Kacey cooed across the table. “That’s exactly where I want to be.”
She was teasing. He knew she was teasing, but he still couldn’t force his heart not to leap, or his breathing to return to normal. Unable to speak, he merely lifted his water glass in her direction and prayed nobody would notice how jerky his movements were.
As the conversation grew quieter and people began to eat, Travis suddenly had a feeling of dread wash over him, as if something was about to go terribly wrong. He looked at each individual at the table, trying to figure out why he felt so, skittish. And just when he was getting ready to laugh it off, his eyes focused on his mother.
She had the look.
The same one small children fear.
The look that every mom has when she has something she needs to say but would rather freak the crap out of you before opening her mouth. It’s the silent look, the one that brings a man back to his childhood within seconds.
With dinner finished, everyone left to change into more comfortable clothes for the Monopoly game, but Travis stayed.
His mother cleared her throat and leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “What’s going on, Travis?”
“Nothing,” he lied, and looked away, an obvious tell.
“She’s not yours,” his mother said softly.
“What?” His head jerked up.
“Kacey.” She shook her head and pushed away from the table, slowly rounding it and taking a seat next to Travis. “Honey, she’s your brother’s fiancée.”
“I know that.” He also knew that Jake was a lying, manipulative bastard, but he kept silent.
“It’s just a crush.”
She was talking to him like he was fifteen, and suddenly he was angry. Hadn’t he grown up? He was a man, a man able to make his own decisions.
“Mom, I’m twenty-three.”
“You’re acting like you’re in high school, Travis. You’re constantly at each other’s throats, and I swear if you keep looking at her the way you were over dinner, Jake’s going to find out. He’ll be heartbroken.”
Travis snorted. “He’d have to have a heart in the first place.”
“Travis Titus!”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, feeling ancient and immature all at once. “It’s not a big deal, she means nothing to me, you know that. We’re just having fun.”
A dish dropped behind him. He whipped around to see Kacey standing in the kitchen. “Sorry.” Her smile was forced as she kneeled down and picked up the dropped dish. “I don’t know what happened. It just slipped. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything. I found this dish in the living room and wanted to make sure it got washed with the rest of them.” Kacey only rambled when she was really angry or nervous.
Bets quickly helped her clean up the mess. “You’re still planning on playing the game later, right?”
“Of course. “Kacey smiled sweetly then glared at Travis. “I have a partner to carry, after all.”
Angry. She was definitely angry.