Mace
I reacted. I didn’t think as I growled and came to my feet. I was going after Hulk. His offer to have Jessamy move into his new house with him went through me like a shot. I’d been worrying about Wire when it seemed Hulk was the more significant competition for her heart. Over my dead body would he claim her out from underneath me. I was slowly making headway with her.
My brothers came to their feet and voices all talking over each other thundered in my head. I vaguely saw Dare hustle Jessamy from the room. Good. I didn’t want her to see this. Hulk sat a couple of seats up from me. I tried to get to him, but people were in the way. I fought to get away from them and to him. Hulk, the fucker, stood there with a smirk on his face as I struggled.
I yelled at him, “Tell them to get out of the way. Fight me like a man!”
“If you want Jessamy, you’ll find a way to get to me,” he taunted.
His smirk grew. I snarled and found my way past two brothers. The only one who stood between him and me was Knight. I’d beat that fucking smirk off Hulk’s face. I didn’t care if he was bigger than me. As I shoved Knight out of the way, a loud pounding and a sharp whistle cut through the din. I wasn’t about to stop, but when Agony stepped between us, I knew I couldn’t punch my president. The others all quieted down.
“EVERYONE SIT DOWN!” he shouted.
I didn’t move back to my seat, but the others did. When I stayed in place, Agony gave me a commanding look.
“Mace, that includes you. We’re not having a brawl in the middle of church. And we sure as hell won’t have one period when there’s no need for one.” He pushed me toward my chair.
I reluctantly went to it and sat, but I refuted his claim. “Agony, I beg to disagree. There is a very good reason for a fight.” Agony had gone to stand at the head of the table behind his chair. The others, including Hulk, were back in their seats.
“Go ahead, enlighten us, brother. Why should there be a fight?” Agony asked calmly.
“Because he’s trying to win Jessamy with a house. Hell, if that’s all it takes, then I have one already built,” I said.
“So do I,” Wire said.
“You stay the hell out of it. You’re already on my list,” I hissed.
“What list?” Cyclone asked.
“The list of guys who I’ll eliminate to win Jessamy. She’s mine!” I shouted. I was back on my feet.
“Then stop pussy-footing around and tell her,” Bones snapped.
“I’ve been trying to talk to her and get her at ease with me. She’s still not over how I talked that first night. She thinks I don’t want her here.”
“But are you using the right words? All we’ve seen is friendship. Not the way a man who wants a woman to be his would talk. Unless you’re only after sex, if that’s the case, then I’ll go tell her the house offer was legit,” Hulk said.
“Like hell you will!” I shouted.
“If you want her to stay and to be yours, and it’s not just for sex, then tell her what you want. See if she feels the same. However, if she doesn’t, there will be no coercion,” Agony warned.
I was offended. “I’d never force a woman to be with me. That’s not to say I won’t pour on the charm and do everything I can to see if I can change her mind. Just like any of you with old ladies would and have done.”
“Well, then get to it. We’re tired of the dance between you two,” Nitro stated.
I looked at Agony. I couldn’t leave church without his permission. He nodded sharply. I shot to the door. Laughter followed me, but I didn’t care. Tugging the door open, I rushed to the common area. I was disappointed to see no sign of her when I got there. The other ladies and the kids were there, but not Jessamy. They gave me an expectant glance.
“Where’s Jessamy?” I asked abruptly.
“She had a headache. She went to her room to take something for it and lie down,” Eliana supplied.
I moved toward the hall where her room was but was stopped by Tana’s words. “Mace, she’s struggling. You have her confused. Either remove her doubts and confusion once and for all or leave her alone,” she warned.
“ Enisi , I’m ready to remove any confusion I might have caused. It wasn’t my intention. Since the guys know, you ladies might as well, too. If she’ll give me a chance and have me, I want Jessamy to be mine.”
There were hoots and clapping as they celebrated. I grinned as I walked off to talk to my woman. No matter what might be holding her back, I’d find a way to remove it, short of her not feeling other than friendship for me. I wasn’t sure how I’d handle that if that were the case.
It didn’t take me long to be almost to her door. It was toward the end of a hallway near one of the exits. I was two doors away when one of the other doors opened, and out walked Christie. What the hell was she doing in here? It wasn’t time for the bunnies to be in the clubhouse. Plus, what was she doing in that room? It was an extra one we used as a crash pad when we had guests.
I hated that my mission was temporarily halted as I stopped to take care of whatever was up with Christie. She appeared startled for a few seconds, and then she was smiling at me. She sashayed up to me. I wanted to tell her to cut it out. It wasn’t working on me. Like it didn’t work the one night she kept hanging on me while I played pool. I let it go on for a while before telling her to get lost loudly after telling her I wasn’t interested several times. She didn’t seem to appreciate that someone didn’t want to take her to bed. I’d been looking forward to maybe fucking her and Jenny, the other new bunny, upon my return, but any thoughts of that went out the window after I saw Jessamy.
“Christie, mind telling me what the hell you’re doing in the clubhouse at this time of night? You know you’re not allowed here when the ladies and kids are in the clubhouse,” I told her gruffly.
“I’m not where they can see me. They’re all in the common room. They have houses, so it’s not like they’ll be down this hallway,” she said coyly.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Jessamy is staying in this hall. And what were you doing in that room? It’s an unoccupied bedroom, and I know you weren’t with one of my brothers because they’re all in church.”
“If church is still in session, why aren’t you there? And what does she have to do with anything? She’s just some woman you’re allowing to stay here. She’s not an old lady. She doesn’t count,” she said dismissively.
I was about to tell her Jessamy was more than a guest, and if she wanted to stay, she’d better learn the rules. I was prevented by Jessamy’s door flying open, and she marched out into the hall. She wore a pissed-off expression. Jessamy came right up to us and stood a couple of feet away with her hands on her hips.
“Would you two mind having your little lover’s spat somewhere else? I have a headache, and you’re making it worse. I’m trying to rest,” Jessamy snapped.
I saw her brow furrowed with lines of tension between her eyes. She was in pain. I was instantly hit with the need to care for her. I pushed past Christie to get to Jessamy. I wrapped an arm around her. Her eyes widened.
“You need to get back to lying down. Let me help. Have you taken anything for your head yet?”
She didn’t answer me for a few heartbeats but seemed to find her voice. “I thought I had acetaminophen, but I don’t. However, I don’t think that’ll work based on how it feels. I was trying to lie in the dark and quiet, and then you two came along. Just go somewhere else. Please?”
I barely glanced at Christie when I said, “Christie, you need to go. Go out the back, and don’t let me catch you here again before you’re allowed. I know you’re new, but you were told the rules. These rooms are off-limits. You can only be in them if you’re with a brother or the prospects. Those are the rules.”
I was entirely focused back on Jessamy. She stared at me, then shifted her eyes to Christie and back.
“You, come with me. I’ll find you something. Bones will have some stuff that’ll work, but first, I need to get you tucked into bed,” I told her.
As I went to walk Jessamy to her room, Christie flounced by us. I’d never used that word in my life, but it was the only one that applied. She flounced. I moved Jessamy to her room door and watched to be sure Christie left when she stopped with the exit door half open.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and said sassily, “You didn’t mind me breaking the rules and being here out of bounds when it was you and I tearing it up in one of those rooms. Don’t worry. I get it. That’s different. You don’t want me with anyone else. I’ll be seeing you soon, lover.”
I was left speechless. She smiled and darted out the door. Jessamy’s stiffening and pulling away from me snapped me out of it. The look of disgust on her face was too much.
“You need to go, Mace. I can take care of myself,” she told me stiffly.
She tried to get free of my arm, but I refused to let go. She glared at me. Before she could say more, I crowded her until she had no recourse but to step back. I didn’t stop pushing her until we were in her room and I could shut the door. I flipped the lock slyly as I did. We didn’t need any interruptions. I let my arm fall. Jessamy was across the room in a blink.
The room smelled of her—a mixture of floral scent and sandalwood. The bed was rumpled. The sight of it made me want to do other things. Images of how we would rumple it with our activities tried to invade my mind, but this wasn’t the time.
“You need to leave. I’ll be fine,” she tried again.
“Like hell, you will. You’re in pain, Jessamy. Let me get you something for it. Why don’t you get under the covers? Are you comfortable enough in those clothes? I think you should get into your comfy clothes that you wear to bed.”
Her cheeks turned pink, making me wonder why. My curiosity was piqued. “What do you wear to bed, baby? Your face is pink. Is it some sexy number?” I teased. Maybe it would help put a smile on her face.
She crossed her arms. It only caused her tits to be pushed up and look even larger, and she didn’t need it. For her frame, she was more than blessed with abundant tits. I wanted to see if they’d overflow my hands and what color her nipples were. Christ, I had to stop. My cock was hardening. I wasn’t here to have sex, though God knows I wanted to. I was here to tell her my feelings and to convince her we should be together. So far, it wasn’t going very well. Should I leave and try again tomorrow, or just dive right in and tell her? But only after I got her something for her headache. I took out my cell and sent a text to Bones.
Me: Jessamy needs something for her headache. It’s bad, and she has nothing.
While waiting for his answer, I told Jessamy, “I’m not leaving, so you’d better get comfortable and lie down.”
She huffed at me and stomped to the dresser. She grabbed a couple of things, but I couldn’t tell what they were, and then she went to the bathroom, slamming the door. Yep, it was not going well at all.
Bones: Be there momentarily. Heard she had a headache and knew she wouldn’t have anything. Give me five.