Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) - By Tina Leonard Page 0,50
Girl talk.”
“That’s a shame. Now I’m odd-man-out.”
She smiled. “Not really. You have Kel.”
He looked woeful. “Life is unfair.”
Sugar laughed. “That’s what they say. Bye, Jake.”
She turned and walked away, realizing he hadn’t said anything. She turned around, and Paris was sitting by him, and he had one finger in Paris’s collar, keeping her beside him, and Sugar laughed, her heart melting just a little.
“No dirty pool, Jake Bentley. Let go of my dog.”
“All right. Good-bye, Paris. Next time you come to see me, I’ll have a bone with your name on it. Just bring your mama around and you get whatever you want.”
He turned Paris loose, and the dog licked his hand and hurried after Sugar. She walked out into the bright sunshine, still tasting Jake’s lips on hers.
“Dude, what are you doing?”
Kel stared at him as Jake walked back into the kitchen. Warmed up by the vodka and flirting with Sugar, Jake’s mind was anywhere but on his buddy. Evert and Bobby stood next to Kel, glaring solemnly. “What?” Jake said. “What’s going on?”
“You took Sugar down there again, man,” Kel said.
“Yeah? So?” Jake looked at the three of them. They’d been working hard on the grill. It was a busy afternoon in the Bait and Burgers, a hot Friday with lots of customers. “I couldn’t talk to her up here. She had some personal stuff to discuss.”
“Okay,” Bobby said, “we get that. Only everybody in the restaurant was craning when the two of you walked out together. So it’s not as private as you think it was.”
“And,” Evert said, “we did all agree that there’d be no ladies in the pit.”
“That’s right.” Kel’s face was unhappy. “We can’t have ladies down there, because then we’ll have to have our wives and significant others. Or else it’s cheating.”
“I know. I know.” Jake spread his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry. I lost control of myself, since I own this place.”
Kel shook his head. “That’s a sucky attitude.”
“Kel, look. You live with me. How am I being sucky?”
“Because you don’t care about us having one place that’s ours. The four of us. Just us.” Kel snatched the chef hat off his head. “I know you’ve been carrying me, Jake, and I know you’re not happy about it. That’s fine. I’ll move in with Bobby for now.”
“Come on, Kel.” Jake looked at his friends. They frowned at him as Kel walked out of the Bait and Burgers.
“Not cool,” Evert said.
“Extremely uncool,” Bobby said.
It hurt coming from his buddies. These men were the closest thing he had to family, besides Vivian, and that relationship didn’t always feel like family. “I’ll fix it with Kel. And I won’t take Sugar to the basement anymore. You’re right. It’s always been our hangout.”
Bobby went back to the grill. Evert followed his friend, dismissing Jake.
He was in hot water. Sighing, Jake turned, finding himself face-to-face with Averie.
“Hi, Averie,” he said.
“This is your last chance, Jake,” she told him. “You’re making an ass out of yourself chasing after that Florida floozy.”
“I’m not chasing after anyone.”
Averie clearly didn’t believe him, and he didn’t even believe himself.
“Whatever,” she said, looking gorgeous and aware of it. “Your mother’s been looking into the backgrounds of Pecan Creek’s newest residents. And it’s not pretty. So as I said, Jake, last chance to be with me. Because I’m not going to wait around on you while you chase after that slut.” She took a deep breath, looking up at him doll-like, and Jake wondered why he didn’t feel anything for Averie when even a dead man would get a stiff one if she walked past his casket.
“I’m sorry, Averie. We’re just not going to happen.”
She looked at him. “If you pick her, I think you’ll find you’ve made a very big mistake.”
Maybe it was true.
But Sugar made him hotter than Texas. She could be the devil’s mistress, and he’d still be happy just to run his hands up her smooth skin, driving himself crazy.
Very crazy.
Crazy hot.
Chapter Twelve
Sugar walked back to the house with Paris, worrying about Lucy and Maggie. Nothing had quite turned out the way she’d anticipated, which was fine, as long as her family was happy.
She thought about Jake, and knew she was deviating from the plan too.
But most of all, she worried about Lucy. She wasn’t sure why Jake had been so mysterious about her sister. Still, Jake wouldn’t let Lucy get into any trouble. That was one thing she knew about Jake—he seemed concerned about them and everyone else in