Blake cradled her until she stopped shaking.
“Damn it, I haven’t come in my jeans since I was in tenth grade.” His lips brushed her temple, light and gentle, and Jaxi took a deep breath and tried to stop the world from spinning.
Sweet sounds of the night, the faint throb of the music from the bar, voices in the distance—all echoed loudly in her ears until the blood pounding through her slowed.
“You got your car keys?” Blake asked quietly.
“In my purse. You want me to meet you at home?”
“No way you’re getting away that easy. You’re coming with me. I’ve got your car covered. Keys.”
Jaxi slipped her purse from her shoulder and dug into it. She passed her keychain to him, wondering what he planned to do with her vehicle. Blake turned, searching the shadows. He threw her keys with a sudden snap, and Jaxi bit her lip as Jesse stepped forward and caught them in mid-air.
Joel appeared next to him and the four stared at each other for a moment. Jaxi swallowed hard. The twins must have been watching the whole time, but she couldn’t find anywhere in her that was distressed.
Turned on more than she imagined possible, but not upset.
Joel nodded once and moved away, fading like a ghost into the darkness. Jesse hesitated a moment longer. His blue eyes flicked between her and Blake before he lifted his fingers and blew her a kiss. Then he too disappeared.
She shivered even as a shot of desire raced through her. The night was growing hotter and hotter, and she had a good idea where the next step would lead.
Blake turned her to face him, cupping her chin in his hand. “You mad at me for letting them see you’re mine?”
Jaxi linked her arms around his neck and lifted her mouth. She swept one leg up the back of his thigh as far as she could lift, pressing hard against him. When they separated, she went for broke. There was no way she wanted to keep this a secret any longer than she already had. “You mad they helped set you up? To force you to acknowledge how much you wanted me?”
Blake froze. For a moment, he didn’t respond.
“You planned it? The game, the flirting?”
Jaxi looked away for a second before she drew in her courage and stared him down. “Yeah, I set it up, but it didn’t work as planned. Leo was supposed to get called away, and I was going to end up your partner for the game of Challenge. But Leo was still there and Jesse pulled a fast one calling Triple Play. I thought to hell with it, hoping it would shake you enough you’d come to your senses and realize you wanted me.”
Blake shook his head slowly. “Wanting you has never been the problem.” He yanked open the truck door and helped her in the driver side, pulling her hip back against his when she would have scooted to the passenger side.
He looked at her hard for a minute. “You’re one dangerous woman, Jaxi.”
She waited, nearly unable to breathe.
He chuckled.
All her tension released in one fell swoop. He could have been angry, getting set up like that. Heck, he could have been annoyed with Jesse and Joel for being more than willing to play along and pushing it too far.
“You planned any more games for tonight? Anything I need to know about before we go home?”
Jaxi shook her head.
“Good, I’m in charge of the evening from here on. No twins popping in and out, no games of chance.” Blake reversed out of the lot and was on the street faster than she thought possible. “No worrying about what the ladies at the salon will say tomorrow. No worrying about who’s too old and who’s too young.”
The streets of town sped past. The heat of his thigh next to hers, the gentle bumping of her body against his side, even the scent of his skin in the cab of the truck—all of it exactly what she’d been longing for. Then they were on the gravel, headed down the side roads that would bring them to the Coleman spread. Blake’s hand lay on her thigh, his thumb tracing small circles as he inched her skirt farther up.
“You always traipse round with no panties, Slick? Or was that just luck back there?”
Jaxi sucked in air as Blake exposed her bare crotch. “I don’t usually, but since I’d planned…”
“Right, the plan.” He brushed his knuckles over her curls. “Slide down a little. I want to see better.”
Jaxi flicked a glance at his face. He watched the road, a smile curving the corner of his mouth. She wiggled her hips lower and let the fabric of her dress ride up until her lower body was completely visible.
Blake hummed in approval. “Now that’s a nice sight. But you don’t look too comfy, all scrunched up like that. Maybe you’d better shuck the dress altogether.” His gaze had returned to the road while his hand stroked the tops of her thighs like a soft wind caressing over the wheat field.
She slipped off her seat belt and tugged the light fabric over her head in one motion. She flushed red-hot, determined to follow Blake’s instructions.
He took the corner onto the long driveway that led to the dark and quiet ranch house before slowing the truck to a stop. He turned to look at Jaxi, his gaze gliding over her body as intimate as the touch of a hand. Her nipples tightened. She knew what he saw. The folds of her body still wet from earlier, her naked breasts swollen with need. Blake didn’t speak. He just looked for a good long time before he put the truck back in gear and drove the final distance to the house.
“You’re a pretty little thing, you know that, Jaxi? Soft everywhere.” Blake’s hand covered her mound possessively, cradling her. “Tell me what you like. How you want to be touched so you feel real good. You enjoy kisses down here? Such a pretty little bit of candy for a man to lick and suck.”
She drew in a breath. “No one’s ever…”
He swore and heat flushed her body, starting from where his hand held her like a prize. He pulled in beside the cabin and took away his hand to slam the shift into park. He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out slowly.
“Jaxi, I’m wondering what you’re doing because I’m getting a tad confused by the signals you’re sending. I’m going to carry you inside, and you think about what you need to tell me when we get there. Just so there are no more surprises.”
Blake jerked open his door but he was careful as he tugged Jaxi after him. Her naked body was cradled in his arms as he strode to the cabin, his expression like thunderclouds ready to roll.
She was in a pile of trouble from the looks of things.
Chapter Eleven
He kicked open the door and deposited her on the bed. Stepping back, he took a seat in one of the chairs set by the small table in the corner. His things were neatly tucked away, except for the pile of clean laundry she’d brought in after supper.
He watched, unblinking.
Jaxi forced herself to sit straight as Blake stared. His gaze ate her up, one inch of skin at a time, from top to the bottom before he spoke.
“We’re taking this all the way, so you’d better tell me what you know and what you’ve been holding back.” He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, a smoky smile building on his face that made her shiver with anticipation. “Or maybe we’ll turn it into a little puzzle for me to solve, since you enjoy games.”
He yanked off his boots and tossed them to the side. He stood and unbuckled his belt. She licked her suddenly dry lips, and Blake chuckled. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. I think you’re a whole lot more innocent than you’ve been trying to let on. Then you go and do something like that, all sex kitten and wanton, and you tie my brain in knots. Now I’m going to get naked ’cause you made me lose all control back there in the parking lot, and I’m not sitting around in wet jeans anymore.”