Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Imight be having a hard time resisting his charms. Because, let’s face it, the man did give me the best orgasms I’ve ever had. And he’s hot, probably the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen in real life. None of that is going to matter, though. Not once my cousin Jaxson sees me with him.
Nope, I won’t have to resist Sammie’s charms because my cousin is going to scare him right out the door. Just like he has every other man who’s attempted to date me in this tiny-ass town.
“Do you not want me touching you, Poppy?” Sammie asks, leaning down into my ear.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to. It’s just, maybe for your own safety, you shouldn’t,” I tell him. “My cousins can be a little... feral when it comes to a guy showing interest in me.”
Sammie looks around the bar we’ve just walked into. “I think I can handle whatever your cowboy cousins dish out.”
“Okay, but I did warn you.”
Taking hold of his hand, I lead him over to a booth along the side wall. There’re some laminated menus on the table. When I slide into the booth, I expect Sammie to sit across from me. He doesn’t. Nope, he slides in right beside me, boxing me between him and the wall.
“You can sit there.” I point to the empty seat across from us.
“I like being next to you,” he says, picking up one of the menus. “What’s good here?”
“It’s all good,” I tell him.
Sammie turns his attention to me, dropping the menu. “Are you okay?” His hand lands on my bouncing knee under the table.
“Mhmm.” I nod, but I’m anxious. I know it’s only a matter of minutes before Jaxson walks over. I can feel his eyes on me already. I don’t turn around to look, though. Then again, it could be because everyone in this place is staring at Sammie, not that he seems to care one bit.
“You’re anxious. Why?”
“Everyone is staring,” I tell him.
“You should be used to people staring at you, Poppy. You’re fucking gorgeous. People like to stare at beautiful things,” he says so matter-of-factly.
“They’re looking at you.”
“The only person in this place I care to notice is you. Everyone else can stare. I don’t give a fuck. What do you want to eat?”
“You.” I smile at him. I can’t help it. I think I understand why Eve gave into the temptation of that apple now, because knowing I should be distancing myself from Sammie, I still can’t seem to stop myself from wanting him.
“Food first,” he says.
“Evening, Poppy. What can I get for y’all?” A waitress I went to school with stops at our table.
“Jessie, how have you been?” I ask her.
“Good. I’ve already called the sheriff, by the way,” she says.
This gets Sammie’s attention. His back straightens. “Why?”
“Because Poppy here has a herd of angsty cowboys over there just waiting to jump you, darlin?, and I’d prefer to not spend my night mopping up blood from these floors,” Jessie explains.
Sammie turns around. “Which one is your cousin?”
“The blonde, black cowboy hat, shirt that has a KV logo on the right pocket,” I tell him. “Why?”
“Any other relatives hanging around?” he asks.
“Nope. Just Jaxson. Although I suspect he’s already told the other two I’m here.” I sigh.
Sammie takes his phone out of his pocket and starts texting someone.
“Everything okay?”
“Just making sure I don’t accidentally kill your cousin, babe. Don’t want this relationship to start off on a bad note.” He smiles at me before pocketing his phone.
“Oh, this one’s a charmer, Poppy.” Jessie laughs.
“You have no idea,” I groan. “Can we get the steak, fries, and two beers?”
“Sure thing. Good luck,” Jessie directs at Sammie before wandering off.
Sammie is smiling at me.
“What?”
“I like that you know what you want and aren’t afraid to go after it. It’s refreshing,” he says.
“It doesn’t make you feel emasculated that I ordered for you?” Most guys would be pissed that I did that.
“I don’t need to order dinner to feel masculine, Poppy. I have enough self-confidence and brains to know that ruling over a woman is not real power or authority.”
“I think I want to meet your mother,” I blurt out.
Sammie chuckles. “Why?”
“So I can tell her what a great job she did raising you. You are literal perfection. Wait… There has to be a flaw. Maybe I missed a sixth toe or something the other night.” I look at every part of him that I can see from where I’m sitting.
I can’t find a single damn thing wrong with the guy, though.
“No sixth toe, but I have plenty of flaws. Don’t worry,” he says.
A body slides into the booth in front of us. Sammie’s hand moves to his waist. I know exactly what he’s reaching for.
“Jaxson, before you even start, just don’t,” I warn my cousin.
“Poppy, I haven’t seen you in a while. Just stopped by to say hello to my favorite person and meet your new friend here,” Jaxson says, eyeing Sammie up as if he’s trying to figure him out.
“Sammie Russo.” Sammie holds out a hand.
To my surprise, Jaxson actually returns the gesture. “Jaxson Kestral. How do you know my cousin?”
Sammie smiles at me. “We met over the weekend, in Vegas.”
I cringe. I purposely did not tell my family I was going to Vegas. “Jaxson, you saw me on Thursday. You’re going to see me again, this Thursday, when I come up to the main house for dinner. Go away,” I growl at him.
“You met in Vegas?” Jaxson ignores me and looks at Sammie.
“We did,” Sammie replies.
“You told me Alice’s bachelorette party was in Dallas. You went to Vegas?” Jaxson glares at me now.
“I lied.” I shrug.
“You lied,” Jaxson repeats.
“You do know you’re not a kid, right? You can go anywhere you want without lying to people,” Sammie tells me.
“She might not be a kid, but she’s my cousin and my responsibility, and around here we look out for our own. There is nothing I won’t do to keep my cousin safe,” Jaxson says.
“Yeah? Maybe you should start by listening to her and letting her have autonomy over her life, instead of pulling this overbearing bullshit from the 1500s. Poppy is a grown-ass woman and can make her own choices,” Sammie grunts.
My mouth drops open in shock. No one has ever stood up for me like this. I mean, my cousins would. Alice would. But Sammie is a stranger. He barely knows me.
Jaxson’s jaw ticks. His face hardens. I know my cousin, and one thing he doesn’t like is being told what to do. By anyone. “Poppy, we’re leaving,” Jaxson says.
“No, I’m not. You are,” I tell my cousin. “Seriously, Jaxson, don’t do this.”
“You really think I’m going to walk away and leave you sitting here with some suit from the city?” he grumbles.
Sammie chuckles. “You really don’t have a choice. Neither one of us is going anywhere. We came for dinner. We’re going to eat dinner.”
Jaxson stands.
“Shit.” I shake my head. This is the train wreck that I knew would happen when I came in here.
Within seconds, Jaxson has Sammie’s jacket fisted in his hand and is dragging him out of the seat. Three men, all dressed in similar suits, appear right behind Jaxson.
Sammie holds up a hand to them. “Not this one,” he tells them. “He’s family. We don’t kill family.”
Jaxson’s fist swings out and connects with Sammie’s jaw.
“We do, however, hit back.” Sammie smirks, not at all bothered by the blow. And then, they’re both throwing punches at each other. Neither seeming to get a leg up.
“Stop!” I scream and reach for Jaxson, trying to pull him away from Sammie. Suddenly, arms are wrapped around me and I’m being tugged backwards. This gets Sammie’s attention.
“Get your fucking hands off her before I remove them from your body,” he growls.
Jaxson stops and looks from me to Sammie and then he fucking smiles. “Let her go, Gary.”
I shove an elbow into Gary’s stomach, turn around, and bring my knee up right into his balls. “Touch me like that again, and I’ll make sure Jaxson’s burying another friend in the middle of the ranch.”
Gary bends over and clutches his balls. “Fuck, Poppy, I was trying to help you.”
“I taught her that,” Jaxson says proudly.
“Good,” Sammie replies.
I stare at the two men who were just beating on each other seconds ago, now standing here talking like they’re old buddies. What the hell is happening?
“Bring him to the main house on Thursday, Poppy. Enjoy your dinner,” Jaxson says before he walks off. I watch his back all the way to the door.
“What the hell was that?” I ask.
Jessie is standing right next to me. “I think this one just got that Kestral approval no man has ever been able to get before.”