The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [281]
Casey spoke up. “I’ll go on and head out. The squirts are anxious to see the lake. That okay?”
Georgia looked harried, but she nodded. “Yes, okay.” She pulled her children close. “You guys be on especially good behavior for Casey, all right?”
“We will!”
“We’re always good.”
Georgia smiled. “I know. I’m a very lucky mother to have you two.”
The kids smothered her with hugs—quickly because they were anxious to be off—and she kissed each of them. “Jordan and I will be there soon. And be careful around that water!”
Casey put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “They’ll be fine. Don’t worry. We have a rule that no kids are allowed even on the shore without a life preserver on. I won’t let them get hurt. I promise.”
As Casey took both kids by the hand and walked away, Georgia got that shell-shocked look about her again.
Jordan gently maneuvered her into the elevator and pushed the third-floor button. In the crowded confines of the elevator, she stood closer to him than she had all morning. He assumed his brothers intimidated her because she was so damn small by comparison. Her curly golden brown hair would barely brush any of the male chins surrounding her, her shoulders were only half as wide as theirs.
Her petite build really emphasized her full breasts, he noticed. And once he noticed, he couldn’t stop noticing. She wore a tailored yellow blouse buttoned to her throat and tucked into a long, trim denim skirt. There was nothing sexy about the outfit, and in fact, it was quite understated. But it did nothing to mask her appeal. He doubted a burlap sack could have managed that feat.
Jordan was lost in erotic fantasies better left to the privacy of his bedroom than a crowded elevator, when he felt her hand slip into his. He wanted to shout with the pleasure of it. She was warming to him, accepting him, even if reluctantly.
Then he saw that Sawyer had noticed it, too, and was whistling softly. He even nudged Gabe, who lifted both brows.
Jordan scowled at them. He could read their thoughts as clearly as if they were stamped on their foreheads. They liked it that he was exhibiting some male possessiveness. They’d reacted in a similar way when he’d had his first fight, ages ago. A few neighborhood bullies had been picking on an old dog, and when they’d thrown a rock and the dog had yelped, Jordan lost his temper. He’d been a young kid, but not too young to hate injustice and cruelty.
No one had been more shocked than he when he’d kicked butt on the older boys, but his brothers revelled in his loss of control. Since then, it had only happened a handful of times, but each and every time his brothers damn near had a celebration. It was as if they’d always known he could be ferocious, and loved seeing it firsthand.
Jordan had been disgusted with his loss of control then, just as he was now. Not that he would have done anything differently, but…
Before he could get truly annoyed with his brothers for being so smug at his predicament, the elevator doors opened.
Walking quickly now, Georgia made a beeline for her mother’s room. Once there, she turned back to them as if not quite sure what to do with them. She glanced at Sawyer and Gabe, then to Jordan. “I might be awhile.”
Jordan nodded. “Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”
“Me, either,” Gabe said, making her frown.
“Gabe and I will be on our way shortly,” Sawyer promised her, “but I am interested in checking on your mother myself, if you’re not opposed to it. It’s not that I doubt the good care she’s getting here. But with emphysema, any number of small ailments can come up. If you’re comfortable with the idea, why then, I’m a whole lot closer than the hospital.”
Georgia looked so relieved by the repeated offer, Jordan wanted to kiss her. Anytime she was given genuine caring, she always seemed so surprised.
“Actually,” she said, “that would be wonderful. I worry so much about her. She says she won’t overdo, but then something like this happens. She’s so determined not to