upstairs in your empty house.”
“Exactly.” Cyn draws her hand away. “Keep all of that to yourself.”
“I’ve been keeping so much to myself, my pipes are gonna burst,” Jake mutters.
I pluck a stick of butter from the fridge and pour a cup of coffee for Jake.
I send a sympathetic look and the java toward Jake. He grunts his thanks. I know how he feels. This afternoon‘s little escapade with Slick has my balls hurting. I rubbed one out in the bathroom after I showered her but that didn’t do much but take off the edge. That ache won’t go away until I’m balls deep in her cunt. As I spread the butter on the rapidly cooling toast a thought strikes me. Did I say that she needed to tell me her name or that I just needed to know what it was? I pin my gaze on Jake. “Doc talk much about her sister?”
He doesn’t answer, too busy staring at Cyn, who’s busy avoiding his eyes. One of them could leave but they seem to get something out of this awkward situation. Whatever kind of odd courtship is going on here isn’t working for me at the moment.
“Jake,” I say sharply.
“Huh?” His head swivels slowly in my direction as if suddenly remembering there is more than the two of him here. “Ah no. No, I don’t like the chatter while I’ve got my hands on the stick.”
Cyn makes a disgusted noise in her throat. “Typical.”
“Why’s that typical?”
“Maybe she needed the company? Why don’t you show some interest in someone other than yourself for once.” Cyn shoves away from the island. “Why are you such an ass?“
As I munch on my cold toast, Jake’s face crinkles in bewilderment. “What are you talking about? How am I an ass wanting to enjoy the silence? It’s not like the doc is a big talker.“
“You wouldn’t know if she was or wasn’t because you never ask.” Cyn stomps out of the room leaving an open-mouth Jake behind her.
When he turns toward me I raise my palms and dust off the crumbs. I have no idea. “Don’t ask me.”
He makes a face but doesn’t press.
“Do you have a run to make after this?”
His eyes drift toward the door Cyn exited. “I think I’ll stick around for a while.”
Since I know that Slick is going to try to escape with her sister, I tell Jake, “Make sure you lose some important part of the helicopter so it can’t run.”
Jake shoves his barely drunk coffee mug aside and leans across the table. He wants to make a deal. “What are you gonna do for me?”
“Nothing,” I reply bluntly. “Cyn’s my cousin.”
He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Then I guess my bird is fully operational.”
“Then I guess you’re gonna have to get out.” I jerk my thumb toward the door.
“Man, why are you being this way?”
“I don’t know what went on with you and Cyn, or why she pretends not to like you, but it looks like you have some work to do before she’s going to come around. I’ll let you hang your boots up here for a while and give you the opportunity to change her mind, but that’s about all the help I can give you. In return you’re going to forget how to fly your bird or lose a piece of the instrument panel, or saw a door off. One of those things.”
“You concerned your little robin is going to fly away?”
“I don’t like to leave things to chance.”
Jake curls his grip back around his mug. “I thought the women here got the right to leave whenever they want.”
“Sure.” I sweep the crumbs off the counter and toss them in the trash. “But it doesn’t apply to doc’s sister. She doesn’t want to leave. She’s going to say she wants to leave because she’s spirited and she wants to make me work for it, but she really doesn’t.”
“You hear yourself?”
“I know it sounds wrong but Slick drove on to my property uninvited and so now I’m keeping her.”
“For how long?”
Is Jake right in the head? Maybe Cyn’s right to avoid him. I snatch the mug out of his fist and toss it into the sink. “What are you on? Forever. I’m keeping her forever.”
I leave Jake to ruminate on that and go to fetch my woman.
Chapter Twelve
Hayden
“You going to tell me what’s up with you and King?” Danny asks. I duck my head to try and hide the blush that I