17. Modulation
SEVENTEEN
MODULATION
Holt
She caught the biggest fish.
I still can’t believe it. I stocked that pond with a decent assortment of fish, though none of them large, and Jules goes ahead and reels in the largest trout I’ve ever seen.
On her first try.
The boys went wild, of course, promising to bring their sisters and tell the other girls in the program to sign up.
Which is great, but now I’m running schedules in my head and trying to figure out when I’ll have the time to run the ranch and the growing program.
My mind also stalls on that phone incident, and why Jules looked guilty and secretive.
“Bye, Ms. Starr!”
“Let us know when we can come to NASA!”
“I’ll tell my friend Sara to come next time!”
Jules waves until the dirt cloud from the road finally overtakes the bus and the kids pop their heads back inside the windows.
Once out of sight, I shake off bad thoughts and drape my arm around Jules, loving that I don’t have to stoop down to do it. “Thanks for spending the day with them.”
“It was fun.” She leans in closer to me. “Besides, you needed me there. I have notes.”
“Notes?” I lean down and nuzzle her neck. She smells like smoke from the fire we cooked our catches on.
Goosebumps spread down her neck and she shivers. “Well, more like a list.”
“A list?” I wonder if I could follow those goosebumps down?—
Jules sidesteps, cocking an eyebrow at me. “Why do you keep repeating what I say?”
Giving up on goosebump exploring, which is probably good as we are in the middle of the driveway, in front of the house, I sigh. “Because I’m hoping if I do, it will start making sense.”
Rolling her eyes, she grins at me and starts heading toward the house. “Got any cookies?”
“Cookies?” Her ass looks great in those jeans.
She shoots me a look over her shoulder. “Quit it, cowboy. That one wasn’t hard to understand.”
Chuckling, I follow after her, trying to will my rising dick situation down. “I think we might. But I can’t believe you’re still hungry after eating that monstrous trout you caught.”
“Eh. Fish isn’t my favorite, especially one cooked over a bonfire.” Her nose scrunches. “But the boys were excited about it, and I couldn’t let them down.” She waits for me to climb the steps before opening the screen door. “Besides, I gave half of it to TJ.”
It hadn’t escaped my notice that she and the younger kid had hit it off.
And with how skinny TJ is, he probably needed the extra protein.
“Well, if we don’t have cookies, I’m pretty sure we have the ingredients to make them.
Every once in a while, I treat Rose to our grandmother’s chocolate chip recipe.
Once the kitchen is fixed up, I’ll make you some. ”
Jules stops halfway through the door. “Whoa there, cowboy. You’re telling me you can bake ?”
I shrug. “Just cookies.” Feeling slightly self-conscious now, my face can’t help but heat.
“There is nothing just about it.” She hooks her arm with mine and we make our way to the kitchen.
“You have no idea the things I’d do for fresh baked cookies.
” Her grin gets devious. “For watching you make me fresh baked cookies.” She leans in close, lowering her voice as we pass some construction workers. “Sexual things.”
Trying to ignore what Jules’ words are doing to my below-the-belt situation, I see our contractor inspecting the newly installed cabinets. “Hey, Ray!”
The older man looks over, smiling when he sees Jules next to me. “Yeah, boss?” I honestly have no idea if he’s talking to Jules or to me.
“When you guys going to be finished so I can use my oven?”
Jules’ cackle is the craziest thing that has ever made me happy.
Pausing to give Jules an odd look, Ray snaps his measuring tape closed. “You’re looking at just a few more days. First the countertops, then the appliances.”
“And the countertops are arriving on time, right? I nearly got a splinter in my ass from the plywood here.” Jules raps the temporary cover laid over the new island with her knuckles.
“What in the world were you doing sitting on this?”
Jules throws me a look, which I know instantly makes my face heat like the Sahara. “Never you mind, Ray. Just tell me there will be countertops soon. Real countertops.”
Ray chuckles, bending down to make a note on his clipboard. “Yes, Jules. Real, non-splinter-in-the-butt countertops should be installed the day after tomorrow.”
Jules winks at me. “Good to know.”
“Oh.” Ray looks up. “Almost forgot. A package was delivered for you.”
Jules’ whole body seems to still. She doesn’t even blink.
Frowning at her reaction, I ask, “Me?”
Ray shakes his head and points his pencil at Jules, who still hasn’t so much as blinked. “No, little miss here.”
It is a testament to how off Jules is acting that she doesn’t castrate Ray on the spot for the ‘little miss’ comment.
“Jules?”
Startled out of her trance, Jules clears her throat. “Uh, so where is it?”
“I think Melissa put it in your office.”
“Wait.” I look at her, her cheeks still pale. “Since when do you have an office?”
Without answering, Jules turns and walks to the far side of the kitchen. Even her movements are off. There’s no sway in her hips, no march in her steps. She seems… timid?
I throw Ray a worried glance, but the man is oblivious, still measuring and taking notes. It only takes a few strides and I’m right behind her, following her down the short hall, past the bathroom to the laundry room.
A laundry room that has also seen an update.
This time not in flooring or cabinets, but in wall decor.
Lists, like I saw in her apartment, hang around the room.
A mini-fan hums next to her laptop on the small countertop across from the washer and dryer, the lists that aren’t completely taped down fluttering in the slight breeze.
But Jules’ eyes don’t stray to any of it. Her whole focus is on a small brown box sitting on the dryer.
“You okay?”
She glances nervously over her shoulder. “Yeah. Sure. Fine.”
“So,” I ask when she makes no move forward, “were you going to open it?”
“Yes.” She nods absently, biting her bottom lip.
More standing.
“Want me to open it?”
“No!” That gets her moving, taking one large step to the dryer.
Then, almost violently, she grabs the box, ripping one side up, breaking through the packaging tape before throwing it back down on the counter.
Taking a deep breath, Jules uses one finger to lift up the open flap, peering inside. “Oh.”
“Oh what?” I’m not even sure why, but all Jules’ tiptoeing and hesitation has my stomach in knots. Just what the hell is in this box? And who sent it?
A smile on her face, Jules reaches inside the box and pulls something out. “Cookie’s collar!”
Breath I didn’t know I was holding rushes out of me. “Cookie’s collar?”
She shoots me a look. “Are you doing the whole repeat thing again?”
“Like I said. I keep hoping the things you say will make sense.” And I’m also a little confused from the whole buildup.
Using two hands, she holds out what looks like an overly large dog collar. If a dog was owned by a motorcycle biker princess.
The thick black collar is covered in metal studs, and hanging from it is the largest, most blinged-out pendant I’ve ever seen. And that includes the time when Rose made me watch the MTV Music awards and a bunch of rappers with heavy diamond chains hopped around stage.
The background of the name tag is all white rhinestones, with Cookie written out in a script font made up of dark pink crystals.
“It’s for Cookie.”
“Cookie.”
Jules sighs. “You’re doing it again.”
I cross my arms. “You’re not making sense again.”
She mimics me, crossing her arms over her chest, but instead of looking annoyed, all it does is emphasize her breasts.
I force my eyes away from her chest and back to the offending item. “If you’re thinking of putting that ” — I point to the collar — “on a cow, then you make no sense at all.”
Her lips purse. “Well, cowboy, since you can’t make me cookies, I’m going to go play with mine.”
We both blink at each other, rerunning what she just said in our minds.
And then we bust out laughing.
“Oh my God,” Jules manages between laughs. “For once I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”
Taking a deep breath, I enjoy the moment of seeing Jules unguarded, carefree, in total contrast to whatever that was moments before she opened the box. “Too bad.”
Amusement ebbing, Jules cocks one eyebrow. “Too bad, huh?” She drops the collar and straightens, running her hands up her thighs, right under her breasts, and then down her abdomen until just the tips of her fingers slide under the waistband of her jeans.
The smile on my face lowers as my dick rises. “Jules?” I meant it to come out like a question, but it sounds more like a plea.
She plucks the button at her waist, pulling the sides until the zipper lowers, the noise loud in the small, tiled room.
That devilish smile of hers, the smirk that gets my tongue tied and my dick twitching, appears slowly across her lips. “Yeah, cowboy?”
“What about Ray?”
She blinks. “I’m thinking with you, one man is all I need in bed. Plus, I’m not really sure Ray would be into that type of thing.”
That has me shaking my head real fast. “Wait, what? No. Jesus.” I run my hand through my hair. “I meant he’s right outside here, still in the kitchen.”
“Oh.” She blows out a long breath. “Thank God. You had me worried for a moment.” She pushes her jeans lower until they peel off her hips and puddle around her feet, revealing a black, lacy thong. The same thong I remember her rubbing all over me in her strip tease that night after the bar.
“Fuck.”
She moans. Loudly. “I love when you curse for me.” One hand travels up and under her tank top, grabbing at her breast. “Just for me.”
Quickly I close the door and lean back against it. “Shhh, he’ll hear.”
“So?” At my look she rolls her eyes. “Okay, Pollyanna, I’ll fix this.”