The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [38]
But beyond that, he wanted to strip her naked and settle her into his bed. He wanted to look his fill, to feel her slender thighs wrap tight around his hips, her belly pressed to his abdomen, her body open and accepting as he pushed inside for a nice long slow ride, taking his time to get her out of his blood.
He wanted to comfort her and he wanted to claim her, conflicting emotions that left him angry at his own weakness.
He was aware of her watching him, and then she said, “Can I ask you a few questions?”
He laughed, and the sound was a bit rusty with his growing arousal. “I’d have to be a real bastard to say no, considered how my brothers and I have questioned you tonight.”
She sent him an impish smile. “True enough.” She curled her legs up a little higher then rested her cheek on her bent knees. “Why did Morgan really become a sheriff?”
That wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting, and her interest in his brother brought on a surge of annoyance. “You think there’s a secret reason?”
“I think there’s a very personal reason.” She shooed a mosquito away from her face, then resettled herself. “And I’m curious about him.”
Sawyer felt himself tense, though he tried to hide it. “Curious, as in he’s a man and you’re a woman?”
She looked at his mouth. “No. Curious as in he’s your brother, and therefore a part of you.”
Satisfied, his twinge of unreasonable jealousy put to rest, Sawyer turned to look at the lake. “There’s no denying our relationship, is there? Morgan and I share a lot of the same features, even though he is a bit of an overgrown hulk. Except I have my father’s eyes, and he has my mother’s.”
“You look alike more so than the other two.”
“We had a different father. Our father died when Morgan was just a baby.”
“Oh.” She shifted, unfolding her long legs and sitting upright. She reached over and touched his arm, just a gentle touch with the tips of her fingers, lightly stroking, but the effect on his body was startling. He felt that damn stroke in incredible places.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I had thought your mother just divorced.”
He covered her hand with his own to still the tantalizing movement. “She was that, too.”
“But…”
To keep the emotions she evoked at bay, he launched into a dispassionate explanation. “She married Jordan’s father when I was five, and divorced him shortly after Jordan was born. I barely remember him, but he lost his job after the marriage and he started drinking. It became a problem. At first my mother tried to help him through it, but she would only tolerate so much in front of her children, and he couldn’t seem to help himself, or so she’s said. So she left him. Or rather, she divorced him and he took off and we never hear from him. My mother never requested child support, and he never stayed around long enough to offer it.”
“Oh, God. Poor Jordan.”
“Yeah. He wasn’t much more than an infant when they divorced, so he didn’t know his father at all. He’s never mentioned him much. He was always a quiet kid. Morgan loved to beat up the boys who gave Jordan any grief. We both used to try to protect him. We sort of understood that he was different, quiet but really intense.”
“He’s not so quiet now.” She made a face, wrinkling her nose, probably remembering the way Jordan had teased her about her bath. “He’s not as demanding as Morgan, but I wouldn’t exactly call him shy.”
“No. He’s not shy.” Sawyer smiled, thinking of how she’d stomped on Jordan’s foot. “None of my brothers are. But Jordan isn’t as outgoing as the others, either.”
“When did he change?” An impish light twinkled in her eyes. “After his first girlfriend?”
She was teasing, and Sawyer liked that side of her, too. “Actually, it happened when he was only ten. He found some kids tormenting a dog. He told them to leave the dog alone, and instead, one boy threw a rock at it. The dog, a really pitiful old hound, let out a yelp, and Jordan went nuts on the boys.” Sawyer chuckled, remembering