Braden walked over and handed her the keys. “There’s a house key on it too. Boathouse key is the white one, looks like plastic. I figure if you’ve got a convertible, might as well have somewhere to drive it on a pretty day.”
“But of course, why not? The boathouse is the logical place for teens to hang, huh?” Kane gritted his teeth, and Evan laughed as he slapped him on the back.
Now, Kane wanted to kill him. Braden tried hard to screw things up where Peyton was concerned. For a man who didn’t want their houseguest fucked, he sure allowed her access to the wrong toys.
Kane wanted to scream. The boathouse? His private haven? The place where he romped the occasional gal pal after one too many drinks, and his one true escape from work and life and everyone in it?
“Do you think you might want to spoil her just a little bit more?” he finally snapped.
Braden started for the lower field. “Happy Birthday, Peyton.” He ignored Kane. Smart move, actually, because Kane felt confrontational now.
Since Braden expected a better reaction from Peyton, he never looked back. Braden pouted like a woman sometimes, and right now, his feelings were hurt. Let him go talk it over with his damn horse, Kane thought. Quizzard had more sense than his owner.
Evan shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. They won’t use the boathouse.”
“Oh yeah? Check out the jumping up and down over there. Sure they won’t.”
They looked excited enough to pop a few buttons on their blouses. They giggled, danced, and held hands as they continued their little dance moves. Yeah, that boathouse had their names scribbled across it now. Before long they’d paint it pink and hang bikinis from the deck.
“I take it the lake is more interesting than the car?” Kane studied their faces and noticed how they forced solemn expressions as soon as he asked.
“No, oh no. Are you kidding? Look at this car!” Peyton squealed.
Oh hell. A squealer. What he’d do to make her yelp for him. He looked at his brother, and Evan chuckled before he ran his hand over the front of his pants. Evan liked a gal with lungs too.
Kane grunted. The girls locked hands again and jumped up and down.
“They act like a couple of school girls,” Kane said as he walked out of the barn with Evan right on his heels.
Evan didn’t have a hard time reminding him. “They are a couple of school girls.”
Kane narrowed his eyes on his older brother as he tried to get Quizzard’s attention. The stallion ran loops around him. “She hurt his feelings or his pride?”
“Both.”
“Then I’ll talk to her.”
“I’ll do it,’ Evan offered. “All you’re going to do is piss her off when you start harping about the twenty-five thousand dollars we each pitched in for the cause.”
“I’d like to have a say-so ever now and again. He spent our money without thinkin’, and it just doesn’t seem right, you know, spoiling her like she’s ours to spoil.”
“She is ours to spoil,” Evan reminded him as he turned around and stared back toward the noise. “At least for now.”
“Great, he bought the added features.” Kane grumbled. “The car is loaded.” His dick twitched reminding him the car wasn’t the only thing loaded. He rubbed his hand across his denim jeans. What he had was just more lethal, or it would be soon enough.
The girls turned up the stereo volume. It blared so loud, the horses began prancing in their stalls. The men watching the display of true sex appeal stood in the breezeway and stared at swaying hips, bouncing boobs, and an erotic dance designed to tear at a man’s balls.
“Good Lord.” Kane rubbed his hand over his cock again.
Evan slapped his back. “Hell, give her a few weeks before you start that shit.”
“I’m thinking a few minutes. She’s of age now.”
“Don’t matter. Braden will kill ya.”
Kane shook off his dirty thoughts and changed the subject. “I guess every teenager wants a jamming car stereo.” And every man wants a woman who can move like her, he thought. “She’s going to thump all the way to school.”
“Admit it, you don’t mind if she’s thumping to the music just as long as it doesn’t draw unnecessary attention to the car or a few guys who might want to do some thumping of a different kind.”
Kane looked at his brother cross-eyed and walked back to the barn. Peyton reached a decision while they left her to check out her new gift. She loved the car. He didn’t even have to ask. She had on her shades, her hair pulled tight against a hair clip and her head bobbed to the music.
“Man! I love this car, Kane. It’s rockin’, huh?”
Why ruin her day by grumbling about price? “Yeah, it’s pretty cool, Peyton.”
Vicky elbowed her in the ribcage and then hurried off to grab something out of Peyton’s old clunker. Kane saw the set-up and almost laughed.
“So, uh, have you driven her yet?” She patted the steering wheel.
“Nope.”
“Bet you’re dying to though, aren’t you?” she stepped out of the car and propped her hip against the door when she shut it.
“Nay, I kind of think someone else should get the honor.” He nodded his head toward the pasture.
Peyton covered her mouth with her hand and then let out a sigh of frustration. “You all are so good to me and look at me. I didn’t even say thank you.”
“No thanks needed here, but…” He rubbernecked in Braden’s direction. “If I had to guess, he’s been out here all morning trying to imagine how you’d react when you saw it.”
“I guess I failed the test.”
“You didn’t flunk any kind of test with him. Braden wants you to like his gifts, enjoy them, behave, and graduate. It’s pretty simple with him, Peyton.”
“And with you? Is it pretty simple with you?”
He grinned, “What the hell do you think? You’ve lived with us for three months. If you don’t know by now, kid, you’ll never know.” Kane started toward the tack room. “Go tell him thanks, brag on him a little bit and stroke his ego.” Then come on back here. I’ve got something in between my legs that might need a little stroking too.
Peyton ran over and threw her arms around his neck. It was the first time she’d ever hugged him. For the most part, Kane stayed out of her way and while her breasts mashed up against his chest, he understood why he’d tried to steer clear.
His cock came alive and damn near danced right out of his pants. She’s eighteen, he reminded himself. Yesterday, it was wrong. Today, the law and society says it’s okay.
He turned away from her before she looked down. God help him, if she looked at his bulge and caught him with a boner today, he didn’t know what he’d do. Nope, the little vixen was checking out his feet. Evan once told him why the girls all checked out a man’s shoes. Kane decided it was something they must teach the gals in sex-ed.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Kane. I love it.”
“Then love it enough to take care of it,” he growled and immediately patted himself on the back for sounding out like a big brother, or a guardian. Then his mind went crazy and thank goodness his mouth refused to follow suit.
And don’t let any boys in it. And don’t drive too fast. The car can get away from you. And don’t let any boys in it. Don’t fuck in it or take your shirt off or go down on a guy while he’s driving it.
“Shit.” He picked up his gloves, shoved them in his pocket and then kicked the barn door with everything he had in him, which didn’t make any sense at all. He took a big drink of air, gulped it right in and held his breath until his cheeks filled with hot air. She frustrated the hell out of him. He kicked the door once more and turned around. There, he found Vicky’s curious eyes.
“Ah hell,” he grumbled before he picked up his gait and headed outside.
Now he’d done it. He’d pitched an immature fit in front of Peyton’s BFF or whatever she called her and if he knew Vicky, her mind churned. She’d interpret what she saw precisely the way it was. Ninety days of desire-driven, hard core sexual frustration kicked into the side of the barn by the guy with a hard-on stout enough to split wood.
Maybe she didn’t notice.
Yeah, right.