Chapter 23 #2
I reach the bottom step and turn towards the kitchen, only to find Jase is up and fully dressed—thank God—standing beside the kitchen counter.
His back is to me as he busies himself making a cup of coffee, but it's not his fully covered torso that has me so aghast. It’s the fact that as I walk closer, I see an array of breakfast items neatly organized on the kitchen island.
I’m hit with the aroma of delicious bacon, pancakes, and fresh fruit. “Is that cobbler?” I ask, surprising him and forcing him to turn my way. My plan is to pretend that night didn’t happen and hope he does the same.
“My mom’s very own blueberry cobbler. I had Bailey make it, and I put it in the oven this morning so that it would be nice and fresh to enjoy.”
My heart flutters at the kind gesture. Magnolia King’s blueberry cobbler is my all-time favorite meal.
“I used to ask Bailey to convince your mom to make it anytime I would come over. There was even this time in college where I had her tell your mama it was her favorite so that she would pack us some so we could freeze and bake whenever we felt like eating it.”
“I know,” he states simply, and I don’t know what to make of it.
“You might not have noticed, Monroe, but I’ve always paid attention.
You would devour it anytime we would make it for a barbecue or Easter Sunday when Mama would bring out all the cobbler, and you’d always have a smear of blueberries on your chin. ”
I gasp. “Oh, shut up. No, there wasn’t.” he laughs and, my god, my pussy throbs.
He looks so relaxed today. Dark blue jeans and a heather gray henley that fits him perfectly. My eyes roam over the bulge in his jeans, and I instinctively lick my lips, eliciting another soft chuckle from him. My cheeks heat as I realize I've been caught ogling him.
“Yup, blueberries all over your face. It was a disaster. You were one hot mess.” His eyes rake over my body as he says it, and I pull the robe tighter around me.
Not that I’m indecently dressed or anything.
But I’m not wearing a bra, it’s cold, and the way Jase licks his lips as he pictures said blueberry jam on my face, has my nipples rock hard.
“Anyway, I just pay attention.” A domesticated Jameson King was not on my bingo card, but that’s exactly what he looks like. All he’s missing is a cute little apron in a beautiful shade of blue to match his eyes.
I scoff at the absurdity of his comment. “You never once paid attention to me. If it weren’t for your stupid decision to kiss a random stranger to make your ex-girlfriend jealous, we wouldn’t be here.”
His eyes darken with an emotion I can’t quite pinpoint. It’s a mix of desire and want. A predatory gleam underneath the familiar warmth as he closes the distance. My breath hitches, a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken tension crackling between us.
“Is that what you really think, Moonshine? That I wouldn’t have one day broken the unspoken rule of fucking my sister’s best friend when you look like this.” His voice is low and husky, sending a shiver down my spine.
Jase slowly tugs on the tie of my robe, and it falls open, revealing the least sexy white ruffly top I’ve been using to sleep in.
It’s the only thing that fits me, and I can’t deny his initial observation of how good it makes my tits look may be part of the reason I choose to wear it around the house.
“I mean, I had to pretend I didn’t notice. Especially after giving Bailey so much shit for hooking up with your brother. I couldn't do the same thing until—”
“You did.”
He laughs, and my heart skips a beat because Jase being playful and laughing with me after what I did to him takes me by surprise. “Yeah, but we’re all adults now, and you know that their being together has nothing to do with my decision to want to be with you, right?” he asks, and I simply nod.
It may have been a fear of mine when Nash first found out and reminded me that Jase had been so angry with him when he found out he’d slept with his sister, but I’ve never known Jase to be vengeful. He wouldn’t use me in a revenge plot.
The way they interacted the other day, things seemed better. “I thought things were better between you guys.”
“They are, trust me. The fact that your brothers didn’t murder me says a lot. I think there’s a lot of hurt feelings between Nash and me, decades of it that we need to move past, but I've also come to the realization that we’re going to be in each other's lives forever.”
His words shock me not only because they are true, but how he so casually talks about forever. “Oh God, are you leaving me for my brother?” I say playfully, trying not to think too hard about what he’s said. “Stop no, I think you’re admitting to me that you are in love with my brother.”
Jase doesn’t laugh this time. He sees right through me and how I'm trying to use humor to deflect from the sincerity of what he’s said. It’s so frustrating how well the man knows me. “I know he means a lot to you, Monroe.”
“We’re family. Whether you like it or not.”
His hand finds my waist, pulling me forward so I can feel the length of his erection pressing against me. This man is always hard, or maybe he’s just like that around me. “Oh, baby, I like it. It's you I need to convince to commit.”
I try to pull away, but he keeps me in place, spinning us so that my back is pressed against the kitchen counter. “I’m trying, okay. You know this isn’t easy for me, especially the last few months.”
“You’ve never really told me how you've been holding up. You never talk about your dad or your mom.”
“They’re gone. What more do you want me to say?” A muscle ticks in his jaw, a subtle sign of the tension brewing.
“I know you’re thinking about it. I hear you crying at night.”
“I thought I had some privacy in my bedroom.” My voice cracks slightly, the words catching in my throat.
“I’m only saying this because I care about you. I want you to talk to me about these things. I know you’re wondering if you’re gonna be a wonderful mom because yours left.”
“Yeah, I know I was there.” I cross my arms in a defensive posture, turning to look away from him.
“You’re nothing like them. Honestly, you’re the farthest thing from a Bishop.”
I scoff. “Like being a King is any better.” My eyes glisten, tears threatening to spill over. Why the hell am I always crying now?
“You and I, for this baby, we’re going to be our own people. I’m not like my father. You’re not like your mother. We’re doing this together. It’s not something they would ever do.”
The weight of the conversation presses down on me, a heavy blanket of despair suffocating me.
“Jase, we’re faking our relationship so that your mother doesn’t have a meltdown about us not being married and raising a baby together.”
In a swift motion, he pulls me closer, my chest crashing against his as his grip tightens around my waist. His lips find my neck, placing soft kisses along my skin, and I can’t help but arch my neck back to allow him more access.
“Moonshine,” he whispers against my heated flesh.
“That may be how things started, but that’s not how they are now, and I know that you know this has become so much more than that. ”
“Has it?” I question, trying my best to remain composed.
I tighten my lips, holding in the moan that wants to escape, but it’s useless.
I let out a breathy moan as his teeth nip my ear lobe, hot breath tickling my ear.
“Why? Because we almost slept together again. I can’t deny that I care about you.
I really do, you’re like family to me, always have been, but we also can’t pretend like we’re in a position to be more. ”
I can’t do this right now. Not with him looking the way he does after he’s just made me my favorite dessert.
I escape his grasp, grab my blanket from the couch, and step out onto the front porch to sit on the small swing to the right.
I have yet to sit out here, and I need to get away from Jase.
The emotions and raw feelings he brings out of me cloud my judgment.
My mind is overcome with a haze of desire and want—a need to be close to him, to feel his touch even if I know it's dangerous for me.
I snuggle up cross-legged under the blanket, hating the way my pregnancy hormones are dictating the mood I’m in even more than before.
Jase steps out and stands beside me, handing me a hot mug of coffee, though he doesn’t sit to join me.
He’s waiting for my permission. I don’t answer, instead just pat the space beside me as I pull the blanket over me.
Jase sits, reaching an arm over my shoulder, resting it on the back of the swing.
He doesn’t speak or continue pushing me.
We sit in silence together for a few minutes, watching the trees blow in the wind and listening to the soft chirping of the birds flying overhead.
It’s beautiful out here. Miles and miles of green pastures, even in the middle of winter.
I can see the horses in the distance being taken out of the stables to roam freely with their trainers.
They should be prepping for the next season, and this place will be bustling in the coming months with riders.
It’s peaceful, and I can really see myself raising my baby here, at least until Jase and I decide what to do. I know we’re staying on his family ranch because it’s the best place for us to be right now, but I am not planning on living on Magnolia King’s property for long.
I don’t want to owe the King’s anymore than I already do, especially when they’ve made it so obvious lately that they are not thrilled about my being here.
“Well, this is cozy,” a shrill voice calls out, approaching from the back side of Jase’s property.
Indigo Harper waltzes over and up the porch steps one heel at a time, like the leech she is, sucking the life out of us.
The woman's incessant need to wear high-heeled cowboy boots out here is beyond me.
So, the question is, what does she truly want?
Jase lets out a sharp curse, straightening as he faces his ex-girlfriend, who is appearing where she’s not welcome. “What do you want, Indy?” he asks, dropping his arm from around me, and I can't help the twinge of annoyance at that small, insignificant move.
I hate that he still uses her nickname, but I can’t just outright call him out on it, especially not in front of her.
“Came to see if Monroe needed anything,” Indy says easily, her gaze flicking to me, and the sly smile she gives me tells me she’s here to try to catch us in a lie.
“After the way things went down the other night, I thought maybe I’d stop by and clear some things up. ”
My fingers tighten around my mug, and the metallic tinge of blood on my tongue makes me aware that I’m biting down too hard. “I’m fine, thanks. No need to clear anything up. You were a guest of the King’s, not my business who they decide to invite over for dinner.”
Indy’s eyes sweep over Jase’s hand on my thigh. “Didn’t realize things between you two were so serious.”
“They are,” Jase says, his voice clipped as his hand slides up to rest on my stomach as if reminding her why. Of course, I’m pregnant, a fact she seems to keep forgetting.
“Right,” Indy clears her throat, seemingly unconvinced.
She twirls a blonde strand of hair between her fingers, swaying back and forth like she’s trying to appeal to the part of Jase that once wanted her.
“Well, I’ll let you all get back to whatever it is you were up to.
Just wanted to stop by and thank you for letting me stay at the ranch for a while.
I’m thinking about permanently moving to Crossroads, and apartment hunting may take some time. ”
My heart drops to my feet. Indigo is staying in Crossroads. If her plan to win him back wasn’t already blatantly obvious, this just proves her ulterior motives. Jase’s hand on my stomach tightens around me, and I can sense his anger and discomfort.
“I didn’t let you stay, my mama offered her home to you. If it were up to me you’d be gone.”
Indigo tries to hide the look of shock at Jase’s cold tone, simply shrugging her shoulders and shaking off his comment.
“Jake said he’d help me take my car in to get new tires and figure out what that ticking sound is, so he should be by later today to pick it up.”
We both watch as she turns and practically skips away, opening her car door to grab a few things before heading back over toward the main house.
“This isn’t going to work,” I say matter-of-factly, unable to look his way as my stare remains glued on the woman who’s become more than just a thorn in my side. She’s the whole goddamn rose bush. Beautiful on the outside but dangerous if you get too close.
Jase meets my gaze, his expression unreadable as he runs a hand through his hair. “I’ll figure it out. I promise.”
I don’t reply, but uncertainty weighs heavily on me now more than ever. Indigo Harper isn’t going anywhere, and if Jase and I once had hope of a future together, this all but crushes that feeling of hope.