It Was Only a Kiss - By Joss Wood Page 0,50

Jess couldn’t meet their eyes—especially Nick’s. He was too damn perceptive and he knew her really well.

‘Something cooking between you two?’ he asked.

‘What’s cooking between whom?’ Grandma demanded, and Jess groaned and glared at Nick.

‘She’s got ears like a bat,’ John commented.

‘I was just asking Jess what’s going on between—’ her elbow in his ribs didn’t stop Nick for one second ‘—her and Savage.’

‘Nothing is going on!’ Jess protested. Her brother and his big mouth.

‘Is he why you wouldn’t go on that date I set up for you?’ asked her mum.

‘No! I was just too busy!’ Jess replied, and held up her hands. ‘I want you guys to really listen to me. This is important.’

All the eyes in the room were suddenly focused on her and Jess knew that she had to choose her words carefully. ‘If you get to meet Luke—and I’m not saying you will, because really we’re just friends—I want you to go easy on him. He’s not used to big families so I don’t want you guys giving him a hard time...’

Her brothers looked at her, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. Talk about waving a red flag in front of a bull... Now Luke was firmly in their sights. She should have just played it cool. When was she going to learn?

‘I wouldn’t mind a friend like that.’ Clem’s comment floated over the masculine laughter.

Her female relatives had their noses pressed up against the glass of the window and they were not looking at the mountains. Jess prayed that the long-limbed figure walking past the window was Owen, but she knew she wouldn’t be that lucky.

‘Oh, my—smoking hot,’ Kate said, her hand on her heart. She turned to Jess. ‘Is that Luke?’

Jess nodded glumly.

‘Nice ass,’ Clem commented and Nick frowned.

‘He’s got swag...he’s a real fly guy.’

Jess rolled her eyes. Her grandma had been watching MTV again.

But her mother was the absolute limit. Liza rapped on the glass and over her head Jess could see Luke turning, his eyebrows raised. Liza fumbled to open the window, and when she did introduced herself and practically browbeat Luke into coming for supper. Could she be more embarrassing?

Jess felt her face turning bright red and felt Nick’s not-so-gentle elbow in her ribs.

‘So, just a friend, huh? You sure about that?’

Jess heaved in some air and thought that it was going to be a very long weekend indeed.

* * *

He’d planned to keep his distance from Jess while her family were visiting, but that first evening he’d somehow found himself seated at the head of the two hundred-year-old dining table that had been brought out by one of the early Savage wives at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Sherwood clan occupied the rest of the table...and, Lord, what a clan they were.

Loud, noisy, charming...loud, noisy. Well, all except for Nick, the oldest brother, who observed more than he partook in the conversation, a wry smile on his face. Of all of Jess’s brothers this was the one he liked most...possibly because he didn’t seem as if he was operating at warp speed.

He had to admit that Jess’s brothers had spectacular taste in women...from Nick’s fiancée, Clem—a stunning redhead and once-famous model, the ex-girlfriend of rocker Cai Clouston—to the other wives. Two brunettes and a blonde, they were all lookers. All educated and independent. One was an ex-teacher turned columnist, one a doctor and one a physiotherapist. The Sherwood brothers liked brains with their looks.

Just like he did.

Luke looked at Jess, deep in conversation with her father. Their brown eyes were identical. He’d have to be blind not to notice the speculative looks they’d sent his way, the not-so-subtle questions about their relationship. He’d ducked them all. He figured it was up to Jess to explain their relationship, and that she would be returning with him to his house tonight.

He just wished he could say, even if it was only to himself, that she would be sleeping in his bed with him again.

She was...beautiful, Luke thought, looking at her. Her hair was messy, her lipstick was long gone, and she had shadows under her eyes from pain—ten stitches, and she’d thought she didn’t need to see a doctor!—but she glowed.

She loved her family, loved being around them, he realised. He’d watched their arrival from his lounge window and had heard her squeal when she’d seen the convoy of cars turning into St Sylve. The cars had barely stopped before she’d wrenched doors open and children and toddlers