So much for a relaxing evening with the boys.
“Leo, I haven’t seen you in forever. Where’ve you been hiding?” Jaxi stood close, her hands resting on Leo’s arm. Blake turned away and retrieved his beer. At this rate he would need another one pretty damn quick.
“It’s been busy at the shop lately. And you know, well, Cari and me…” Leo grinned at her. “I owe you one. Big time. Can I get you a drink?”
“Whoa there, stud,” Jesse teased. “You’ve already got yourself a woman. I’ll get Jaxi her drink. What’ll you have, sweetheart?”
“Any you boys drinking draft tonight?”
“Joel and I are,” Jesse volunteered.
“Can I join you?”
Jesse grinned from ear to ear and twirled her in his arms as if they were on the dance floor, snuggling her tight against his body. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Jaxi slapped his shoulders as she laughed up at him. “Jesse, I swear. You’ve got the dirtiest mind. Get me a beer and get on with your game.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jesse dropped a quick kiss on her nose before he let her go.
Blake stared at Jaxi. She was deliberately flirting with the twins and ignoring him, like she’d done since Wednesday. He couldn’t believe she would taunt him. She wouldn’t dare follow up on the challenge she’d thrown and fool around with the twins just to spite him.
Would she?
“Ma all right alone tonight?” Blake kicked himself even as the words escaped.
Jaxi did a slow rotation toward him, her face flushed. “No, Blake, she had a pounding headache, a pile of laundry to fold and just before I left I set a swarm of wasps loose in the house.” She strode over and hopped up next to Joel on the table, her skirts flaring out to brush his thigh. Joel raised his eyebrows at his brothers, then took a long, slow look along the length of exposed leg next to him, smiling with appreciation.
“So. Now that we’re all clear Blake is an ass, whose turn is it?” Leo didn’t even try to hide his smirk.
Blake stepped forward. “Jaxi, I didn’t mean I thought you’d—”
“You planning on dancing later?” Jaxi leaned a little closer to Joel, her left breast rubbing his arm as she ignored Blake.
“If you need a partner.”
Jaxi slipped her fingers into his and winked at Jesse hovering on her other side. “Your ma and dad went to visit friends and told me they didn’t need me until tomorrow morning. I guess I have some time to kill.”
Blake felt like shit as he turned back to the table.
Although he’d decided it was best for her to not be with him, the decision wasn’t sitting easy. Watching her with the twins hurt worse than he thought possible. He wanted to be the one holding her hand and whispering in her ear. Taking her close against him on the dance floor and feeling her soft skin rub every inch of his body.
“Nine ball, corner pocket.”
Blake and Leo brought the score to eighty-seven before they missed. It was an exquisite form of torture for Blake as he moved around the table taking shots. Every now and then he’d sight his cue in Jaxi’s direction, see Joel’s arm casually tucked behind her back. Jesse sat on her other side, their thighs tight together, his fingers draped over both their legs. She was sandwiched between them just like Joel had described days ago, and Blake’s temper rose.
He had told them to stay away from her. Warned them not to get too close in private, let alone in public. Joel met his eye with a challenge that was about far more than pool as he stepped to the table, and the twins quickly took their score over one hundred to win.
“I guess that means we keep the record for another week, right, old-timers?” Jesse held his hand toward Leo and Blake. Leo slapped a twenty into his palm.
“We have time for another game,” Blake suggested. Anything to keep the twins from taking Jaxi into the dancehall before he decided what he was going to do. In spite of all his good intentions, there was a bitter taste in his mouth.
Jesse gave him a grin that said it all. “Well, that’s up to Jaxi. What do you say, sweetheart, can you wait a little longer for your dance?”
Jaxi wiggled her way off the table, letting Joel ease her to the ground. “You go ahead and play another round. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
Dead silence filled the area as they all paused to watch her hips sway as she headed for the ladies’ room, the layers of her skirt flaring around her legs like windblown leaves.
Leo whistled, long and low. “Sweet. That woman is one hot piece of action waiting to happen.” He turned back to the brothers, his face innocent and blank. “So, do I get to watch a fight to see which one of you takes her home tonight?”
Jesse and Joel snickered, their dark blond heads shaking. “We’re all taking her home. She’s staying with us to help our ma.”
Leo flipped a hand at him. “I know that, and that’s not what I asked. She’s been waiting for one of you Six Pack boys for as long as I’ve known her. I just can’t figure which one. Spill.”
Blake glared a warning at the twins. “What do you mean, waiting for one of us?”
Leo shrugged. “I noticed it more after Cari said something to me once. Jaxi’s willing to flirt with the twins, but she’s got her eyes all over you, Blake. The way the woman watches you I’d think you’d feel her burning a hole in your backside.” Leo examined Blake’s face closely. “You had no idea, did you? Maybe you need to spend a little less time in the fields and a little more time around people. Jaxi’s got plans, and she’s moving on them. I can hardly wait to see how this one shakes down.”
Jaxi returned by the time they’d racked the balls, and Leo got ready to take the first shot.
“Playing one hundred again?” she asked.
“It’s our favourite way to embarrass the old folks,” Joel taunted.
Jaxi’s gaze raked Blake from top to bottom. He stiffened at the blatant appraisal, the sexual gleam she didn’t even try to hide. “Pretty nice looking for old folks.” She turned to Jesse. “I haven’t seen you play Challenge lately. Why don’t you do a round of it for me?”
“Challenge?” Leo whispered to Blake.
What was the minx up to? Challenge was usually played with mixed teams and it was definitely a flirting game. Downright foreplay at times. Jaxi tucked her cell phone away in her purse and shimmied back onto the table.
“Challenge sounds fine to us,” Joel called. “We can beat you faster than in a normal game since you’ll be too embarrassed to sink any balls.”
Leo shrugged. “I’m game.” He pointed a finger at Jaxi. “I don’t know what you’re doing, little lady, but I’ll play along this time. You got Cari to give me another chance, and I can put up with a little tomfoolery for your sake.”
Jaxi winked at him and sat back to watch.
The twins won the break, and Blake tried to remember a game challenge that wasn’t too raunchy. He wasn’t interested in getting up close and personal with Leo or his brothers. This had to be the most insane suggestion ever.
“First ten points, consecutive pockets starting with far right.”
Jesse hooted. “You worried about making us blush, big brother?”
Bastard. “Just shoot.”
Jesse and Joel took their turns, managing to sink eight balls in a row into the appropriate pockets before missing. Blake and Leo took over and put away two more before Jesse cleared his throat to announce the next challenge.
“Triple Play.”
“Hell, Jesse, you’re kidding,” Leo complained. “Do I need to worry about why you want to slip between me and Blake while we shoot?”
Jesse shook his head. “Not me. I figured we could talk Jaxi into helping us.” He turned and held a hand to the girl. “What do you think, sweetheart? Run a little interference for us?”