Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, Denver got up bright and early, and hunted through Sheena’s fridge. Thankfully, he found bacon and eggs.
He knew how to cook breakfast, not because he did it to impress women—that would have required him spending the night with
one ever—but because he knew how to feed his hungry siblings.
He scrambled up some eggs, fried bacon in a skillet, and when Sheena emerged, wearing a giant sweatshirt that was an insult
to her incredible body, she looked intrigued.
“You cooked for me?”
That cautious pleasure in her eyes would fuel him for the rest of his natural life.
“I just spent a week cooking for you,” he pointed out.
“At your house,” she said.
“I was hungry. My appetite waits for no sleeping beauty.”
“Why are you single?”
He lifted his brows. “Childhood trauma?”
She laughed, a hard crack that hit him square in the chest. “Okay. Right.”
He didn’t feel all that single right now, though. Because single implied that he didn’t have an obligation to her. While it
didn’t feel like an obligation as such, he knew that he wasn’t going to sleep with anyone else. Not right now. And he would
get feral if she touched somebody else.
So it was definitely not nothing. It was closer to something like an attachment, even.
“We have to get fueled up for work today,” he said.
“Joy. And I actually mean that. My week of laying around was not the greatest.”
“You don’t like sitting still?”
“No. Too much time with the inner demons,” she said, tapping on her temple.
“I hear that.”
He fixed a plate for her, and she sat down with a steaming mug of coffee. He followed suit, sitting across from her at the
small square dining table in the kitchen area.
“What’s on the docket for the day?” he asked.
“Fixtures in the bathrooms,” she said. “The counter is going in on the bar. The wallpaper should be going up . . . And shelving.
Which means I get to put our favorite dead animals in their rightful place.”
“I don’t want to miss that,” he said.
“I’ll be sure to reserve some of the corpse-decor decisions for when you’re around.”
“Thank you, Sheena. I really appreciate the kindness.”
She wrinkled her nose, and he could tell that she was trying to stop herself from smiling. Like she was making an effort to
not be amused by him.
Fair enough.
“Pack an overnight bag,” he said casually as he shoved his last bite of eggs into his mouth and got up from the table.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Pack an overnight bag. For my place.”
“I thought we discussed three days a week.”
“We did. And I dismissed it. So, I’m not sure why this is surprising to you.”
“Denver King,” she said, standing up from the table and going into her room. “You are pushing it,” she shouted.
He grinned, and poured himself another cup of coffee. When she returned, she had a bag slung over her shoulder because she
had packed an overnight bag.
“You’re into me,” he said, moving over to her and grabbing the handle on the bag, meaning to take it from her. But she didn’t
release her hold. So he ended up pulling her to him, and kissing her on the mouth.
“I’m into your dick,” she said.
Then she let go of the bag, and turned away from him. He had to pause and take a breath, because the impact of her had him
off balance.
He followed her out of the house and to her car and put the overnight bag in the back, and got into the passenger seat.
“You are so secure in your masculinity. Riding bitch in my Camry.”
He leaned back in the seat. “What do I have to be insecure about?”
That earned him a little choked sound.
Good.
They drove to the ranch in relative silence, and when they got there she pulled him right up to the event space and he leaned in and kissed her.
He didn’t know what the hell he was doing.
Except if he lived a different life, and he was a different man he would have kissed his woman in broad daylight in front of everyone any day of the week.
She shot him the evil eye when they parted. “Fresh.”
“Proud to stake a claim.”
“OMG, you are so possessive!”
He looked at her, hard. At the flush in her cheeks and the glitter in her green eyes. “And you hate that?”
“No, I don’t hate it, you irritating boll weevil.”
And there was no real heat in that at all.
“Good. Because I don’t know what the hell it is, but there’s no use fighting it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Now, Denver, I always think a fight might be worth it. I love a fight.”
“I’ll be happy to oblige later. Naked.”
“Deal. Get out of the car and go work.”
He did, and when he got out, he saw Landry standing in the doorway. He tipped his hat to his brother and smiled, refusing
to look caught or shamefaced or whatever he expected.
He heard the sound of Sheena’s tires on the gravel as she drove away and that left just him and Landry.
“You failed to mention that little development yesterday.”
Immediately, he regretted all of his choices. Well, not all of them. But putting himself in a position where his family would
see him and Sheena kissing. He regretted that. Because he didn’t want to try and articulate what it was. He was having a difficult
enough time with that in his own damned head. It worked, as long as they didn’t go trying to spool it out and explain it.
Which meant he didn’t especially want to do it now.
“What’s there to say? I’m sleeping with her?”
Which sounded like not enough. But what else was there?
“Is that all? Because I’ve sure as hell never seen you kiss a woman on your hallowed land.”
He started to say that hell yes, he was just sleeping with her. Because what the hell else would it be? But it wouldn’t come out. It damned well refused. Because how could he ever say it was just sex? He had told her things he had never told anybody else. Including his brother.
“I don’t know,” he said, finally. “She’s working here, we have a partnership. I can’t say it’s simple. It’s a stupid idea from that perspective, actually.”
“Well. I guess I’m kind of glad to hear that you’re making a stupid decision.”
“Thanks,” he said, moving past him and into the event space. Where unfortunately Justice, Daughtry and Arizona also were.
“Good morning,” he said.
“What’s this?” Arizona asked. “My oldest brother is being an idiot?”
“Just the same kind of idiot we all tend to be,” he grumbled.
“What?” Arizona asked. “Does that mean that you . . . ?”
His sister looked way too hopeful. He had to squash that and fast.
“I did not mean feelings. I meant sexual idiocy. Which seems to run in this family.”
“Speak for yourself,” Arizona said. “I’m one and done.”
“I’m almost one and done,” Landry said.
“I’m not,” said Justice.
Daughtry looked ruefully back at Justice. “Same.”
Justice cleared his throat. “I mean I’m done now. It’s just there was a lot more than one. Like a lot more.”
“I got it,” said Denver. “Thank you, though. Super interested in your body count.”
“Are you sleeping with Sheena?” Arizona asked.
“How did you guess?” he asked, monotone.
“Oh my gosh. I knew it. That’s amazing. You two would have really hot babies.”
“That’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever said to me,” said Denver.
Arizona shrugged. “I’m just saying. You are both genetically blessed people.”
Well, he knew that Sheena was. And while he couldn’t speak to his own genetic blessings as far as the physical went, he could
say they had a hell of a lot of chemistry. But he wasn’t going to say that, not to his sister.
“Well, we are not going to have babies. Thanks.”
“Birth control is not one hundred percent effective, Denver,” she said looking at him pointedly. “I seem to recall you having
a conversation with me about that when I was a teenager.”
“Nobody had that conversation with me,” said Landry. “And I can tell you, I probably needed it.”
“Be real,” said Justice, looking at Landry. “Were you and Fia actually using birth control?”
“Not consistently,” said Landry.
“Okay. Now that we’ve all had that conversation,” said Denver, “can you all get out of my life?”
“We’re just shocked that you have a life,” said Arizona.
“What do you mean? I have lived plenty, children. What do you think the money came from? I was out winning at poker games. Do you think they had those at
a petting zoo?”
“No,” said Justice. “Don’t get it twisted. We don’t think that you’re a monk. We just think that you don’t have much of a
personal life. Those are two different things.”
It irritated him because his brother was right. And he knew exactly what he meant by that. He didn’t normally let anything
personal get tangled up around him. Not anything that didn’t have to do with the family.
He didn’t even have a personal life that was separate from the ranch. He had compartments. And nothing got too close to his
actual heart.
Which was necessary. Most of the time. Not that Sheena was . . . It was complicated. He had friends. It was like that. Except a little bit more. A little bit deeper.
“I like her,” he said. And that earned him a whole lot of keen smiles. “So that means you have to be nice to her. And not
annoying.”
“Dinner at your place tonight?” Daughtry asked.
“No,” he said.
“I think so,” said Arizona.
“You guys,” he said. “Please let me get laid in peace.”
“You do too much in peace,” said Arizona. “Somebody should ruffle your feathers a little bit.”
“Consider them ruffled,” he growled.
“We are absolutely coming for dinner tonight,” Arizona said.
He knew at that point there was no arguing with them. He did text Sheena to let her know. Both that everyone knew, and that
they would be at dinner tonight. And so would she.
She sent him a middle finger emoji. You can’t make me come to dinner.
I can.
He sent her some ways he might find to force the issue that were downright indecent.
But she didn’t argue with him anymore.
He didn’t go check on the work that day; he went straight back to the farmhouse, to get it ready for Sheena to be there.
And he ignored his sister’s amused expression when she came in and he was sweeping the kitchen.
Then they set about to getting dinner on. And he heard a knock on the door.
“Do you want me to get it?” Arizona asked.
“No,” he mouthed, before going straight to the door and opening it. “Hi,” he said when he saw Sheena. “They’re feral.”
“You started this,” she said. “I don’t have any sympathy for you. In fact, I might join them in giving you a hard time.”
She stepped into the house. “Hey! I’m fucking your brother.”
That earned her a round of applause. Both from his siblings, and from their respective spouses.
“You’re all dead to me,” he said.
“You weren’t discreet,” Sheena said. “Don’t write checks your ass can’t cash, King. I had nothing to do with this.”
“I like you,” said Arizona.
“I also like her,” said Bix.
“Of course you do,” Denver growled. “Because she’s as uncivilized as you two.”
Bix went over and gave Sheena a high five.
It wasn’t long after that that they were all seated around the crowded table, and he couldn’t deny how well Sheena fit in.
She wasn’t thrown off by his family’s rough manners. In fact, she encouraged them. And clearly enjoyed them.
He would almost suspect that his family liked her better than they liked him.
Which didn’t annoy him. Not really.
Sheena was likable.
“We’re making cookies tomorrow,” Fia said, from down at the other end of the table. “You should come with, Sheena.”
He watched her face.
“Oh. I don’t . . . I don’t need to do that.”
“But we’d love to have you,” said Rue. “It’s a lot of fun.”
“It is,” Fia insisted. “We’re also going to be getting some baking done for the big Christmas party. Things we can freeze.”
“I don’t . . . I don’t really know how to bake,” Sheena said.
“That’s okay,” said Fia. “We have more accomplished bakers than you can shake a stick at. And we are very good teachers.”
“Go on,” he said. “You’ll like it. And if you don’t, you can hold it against me. Because I encouraged you to go.”
“You really do know how to get to a girl,” said Sheena.
She was met with further cajoling by the other women and finally, she relented.
“If they can spare me at the bar,” she said.
“They can spare you,” said Denver.
It was late when everybody left, and Sheena waited until after that to go and get her bag and bring it into the house.
“I know they all know,” she said. “But I thought rolling in with an overnight bag was pushing things a little bit.”
“I thought that you liked to push things.”
“I do,” she said.
There was something she wasn’t saying.
“What?”
“I like your family. I don’t care that they know. I’ve never been embarrassed about sex. You know, having assholes hanging
around who tried to push themselves on me, it . . . it could’ve gone one of two ways. But I am really stubborn. And I refused
to let it make me ashamed. Of my body, of liking men. Any of that. I don’t really do embarrassment when it comes to sexuality.
Not my thing. So that isn’t my problem. And I guess . . . it didn’t occur to me that we should keep this a secret. Because
like I said . . . I’ve never been shy about sex. But part of me doesn’t want to share this with anybody.”
She hadn’t told her sisters then. It was strange; he had kissed her in public, and it must have meant that part of him wanted
someone to know. Maybe to make it a little harder for her to run away. He wasn’t entirely sure.
But he could also understand what she was saying. This was new. That it was different. And maybe it wasn’t even anything. Because his feelings on love and all of that hadn’t changed. But he liked his life better with her in it than he liked it without her. So. There was that.
“I don’t want to sneak around,” he said. “And . . . I’m okay with them knowing.”
“Great,” she said. “I’m working on being okay with it.”
“I’m glad,” he said.
“Let’s be done talking now,” she said, heading toward the stairs.
“Fine by me,” he said, taking off his shirt as they went.
Whatever it was. It worked for him. Worked for them.
And that was good enough for now.