Hot Westmoreland Nights - Brenda Jackson [47]
He slid out of bed. It was not his intent for Chloe to prepare breakfast alone and he had meant to help. It was the least he could do when his voracious sexual hunger had kept her up most of the night. Granted he wasn’t an ace in the kitchen like she was, but he could at least follow directions.
Before heading for the bathroom for a quick shower he glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and frowned. It was just a little past four, so what the hell was Zane doing here already? And if Zane was here that meant so was Derringer and Jason because the three were thick as thieves. And he wouldn’t be surprised if Callum wasn’t downstairs, too. The four had shown up early one day last week. The day they had walked in on his kissing Chloe. It had been a second occurrence for his brothers and is what had prompted him to start putting distance between him and Chloe. A lot of good that did.
And as he stepped in the shower he did know one thing for certain: He wouldn’t be putting distance between them any longer.
“Come on, Chloe, there’s no way that brother of mine is still asleep. Ramsey wouldn’t know how to sleep late even if it killed him,” Zane was saying. He held his coffee cup midway to his lips, looked over at Chloe a little too long to suit her, before a smile touched his lips. “Unless…”
Instead of finishing what he was about to say, his smile widened as he took a sip of his coffee and then continued eating. Chloe was grateful for that although she wasn’t sure what Zane Westmoreland was thinking at that moment. And she was grateful for the conversation going on between Jason, Derringer and Callum and the fact they hadn’t heard Zane’s comment. But because they knew Ramsey just as well as Zane, they had to be wondering the same thing. Why was he still in bed asleep?
She was beginning to feel uneasy. Had Zane or any of the others seen passion marks on her neck? Were they wondering why she was wearing a scarf of all things this morning? When she had eased out of bed careful to not wake Ramsey, and had gone back to her bedroom to take a shower, she had been appalled at all the marks Ramsey’s stubble had made all over her body. And then there were some he had intentionally made. Specifically, the ones on her neck. It was as if he had been determined to mark her as his and the very thought of that sent shivers down her spine.
“About time you got out of bed, Ram. What are you? Sick or something?”
Chloe heard the smirk in Derringer’s voice and turned to see that Ramsey had walked into the kitchen. He was wearing nothing but his jeans that hung low on his hips, and her breath stopped and her pulse leaped at the sight of his broad shoulders and bare chest. His feet were also bare and the thatch of dark hairs on his chest was damp, which indicated he’d just gotten out of the shower.
Ignoring his brothers, cousin and friend, his gaze was on her and without acknowledging their presence he made his way to where she stood. Before she could finally release her breath, he leaned over and kissed her in front of them.
There was what seemed to be shocked silence in the room. At least she thought there was, but the only sure thing she knew at that moment was that he was kissing her in front an audience. It wasn’t a long kiss, but if he’d intended to make a point, he most certainly had. And when he finally pulled his mouth away, she stared up into a face that was smiling in a way that showed both dimples.
“Good morning, Chloe.”
If the kiss hadn’t done her in, then his throaty and husky voice definitely would have. She forced herself to begin breathing normally and said, “Good morning, Ramsey.”
With his arms still locked around her waist, he turned toward the four men sitting at his breakfast table. “Is there