Asking For Trouble (37 page)

Finally, he looked down at her and then
leaned down and dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. "Sorry, I had to
wait a sec, I had a...problem," he told her in a gravelly
voice.

She felt that problem nestled against her
backside, and smiled, "We can fix that problem, you know."

"I look forward to it, but I didn't want to
embarrass either of us in front of my sister," he told her with a
chuckle.

"It would probably help if I wasn't on your
lap, you know. Let me get down and I'll buy you a minute or two,"
she said.

"But I like having you on my lap," he told
her sexily, then kissed her again.

"This isn't helping your, um...problem," she
reminded him as he nibbled her lips. "I need to get inside and take
a bath, then pass out," she told him then wrinkled her nose. "You
do too..."

He huffed out a breath, then she felt the
hand behind her back move as he reached for the door handle and
opened it. Jazzie tightened her arms around his neck, as she felt
herself falling backwards. His arms tightened around her too, and
he swung his legs out of the SUV with her in his arms.

She giggled, then said, "Put me down," and
wiggled in his arms.

"Be still, or I'll drop you on your pretty
ass," he told her gruffly, then leaned in for another kiss, and
kicked the car door shut. He strode with her over to where Cole and
Sabrina were still saying hello on the porch, then sat her down on
the stoop, but kept her in the circle of his arms.

"Hey, sis..." he said then kissed bent to
kiss her cheek. "Thanks for holding down the fort, and loaning me
your hubby," he told her.

She slugged his arm. "Yeah, you owe me," she
grumbled, and readjusted her hold on her son on her hip.

Cole reached over and plucked his son from
her arms and held him over his head cooing to him. The toddler
giggled and looked down at his daddy with awestruck happy eyes.
Cole's eyes were equally enthralled as he looked at his son.
Jazzie's heart pinched with longing, and she glanced at Beau, who
was oblivious it seemed.

"Where are Lucy and Robbie," Jazzie asked
Sabrina.

"I took them to school this morning and got
them enrolled. You should have seen how excited they were...they're
good kids," she said then a frown pinched between her eyes.

"Are they doing okay? I was worried about
how they'd adjust," Beau asked with concern.

"They're doing great...Will loves them. I
just feel so damned sad about what they've been through," Sabrina
told him with a shake of her head. "They need some stability, and I
think they'll be fine."

"Yeah, I'm going to get to work on that
first thing tomorrow," Beau told her.

"No rush, they're fine here. I went to class
with them to talk to their teachers, and the kids seemed to be very
welcoming to them. I guess that's the difference between a big city
school and a home town one."

Jazzie thought over that point, and decided
that Sabrina was right. Those kids would have a better life in a
small town, most likely. Dallas was huge, and they'd been in an
inner city school, not the ideal place for transitional kids. Maybe
having them live with her parents in Dallas wasn't such a good idea
after all, she thought. But finding willing foster parents in a
small town would be more difficult, she knew. That was something
she'd have to mull over a little more.

"I have breakfast on the warmer, if ya'll
are hungry," Sabrina told them and turned to walk back inside the
front door.

They followed her inside and into the
kitchen, then the guys sat at the table, and she went to help
Sabrina get plates ready. "No, you go sit down too, you had a rough
night," Sabrina told her with a gentle smile and a pat on her
shoulder.

"You've probably had a rough night too, so
let me help," Jazzie insisted and walked to the cabinet and pulled
down plates. "At least let me get the drinks and coffee," she
said.

Sabrina huffed out a breath then said with a
chuckle, "Okay, hard head makes for a soft ass."

"What the hell does that mean?" Gabe snorted
and asked from his seat at the table.

Sabrina laughed, the replied, as she filled
the plates, "I haven't quite figured that out yet, it's a new
southernism I learned from Carl Bellamy the other day when he and
Sheila were visiting Cassie and Luke at the ranch. Cassie was
standing up to him about something, and that's what he said to
her."

"My, god, you're becoming a native...that's
a scary thing, sis," Gabe retorted.

"And what about you? Your wife has you
riding horses now? Pretty soon, you're gonna be wearing Wranglers
and chewing tobacco, city boy," Sabrina teased.

"I won't be wearing a cowboy hat though,
because my beautiful wife hates me in hats," he informed her
smugly. "I only wear the one for work, because Cole is a hard ass
and makes me."

Jazzie delivered the drinks to the table,
and Sabrina sat down plates for each of them, then they all ate
heartily of the delicious meal Beau's sister had fixed. "These
biscuits are to die for," Jazzie said and buttered up a second one.
"How do you make them?"

"Secret recipe," she said and took a bite of
her grits, then finished with a chuckle, "I'd tell you, but I'd
have to kill you."

Cole hooted then told them, "I married her
for her biscuits, because they were better than my mama's."

"Watch for that lightning, honey," she told
him with a grin.

"Huh?" he said and used a biscuit to clean
up his plate.

"Your mama is gonna send down a bolt of
lightning to scorch your ass for saying that," she laughed, and
their son Will banged on the tray of his high chair, as if
seconding her statement.

They all laughed, and talked while they
finished their breakfast. Jazzie got up and took her plate to the
sink, then rinsed it and went back to get more dishes. Sabrina
stopped her and said, "Ut, uh...you've done enough, go get in the
tub and get some rest. I'll finish up here. We're about the same
size, so let's go find you some clothes to wear."

Grabbing her arm, Sabrina dragged her across
the huge living room and up the stairs to her bedroom, where she
pulled out a big sleep shirt, underwear, and shorts and a tank
top.

"Here you go," Sabrina said and handed her
the clothing.

"Wow, thanks so much...I wasn't sure what I
was going to change into. I think I need to burn what I have on,"
Jazzie told her with a chuckle.

Sympathy filled Sabrina's dark blue eyes and
she put a hand on her shoulder then said, "It's gonna get better,
sugar...just hang in there."

"Thanks...I'm just overwhelmed by your
hospitality, Bri."

"Any friend of Beau's is a friend of ours,
sugar. We help our own. But I think you and Beau are more than
friends, am I right?" Sabrina nudged.

"We are, but I'm not sure what yet. I know
how I feel about him, but he's not there yet...might never be,"
Jazzie said in a shaky voice.

"Where emotions are concerned, men are
stupid, honey...just give him time. Eventually, he'll wrap his big
dumb brain around it," she assured Jazzie.

Jazzie chuckled, then sobered. "I sure hope
so...but then I have to deal with him being a cop, and that might
be a deal breaker," she told Sabrina honestly. "I know you were a
cop and understand his line of work, but I don't. It would scare me
shitless to worry about him like that on a daily basis. He almost
got killed last night and again this morning trying to rescue me,
and it drove the point home."

"Did you know I was married to a cop, before
Cole and I got together? He got killed in the line of duty."

Jazzie gasped and her heart broke for Beau's
beautiful sister. "No, I didn't know that...I'm sorry."

"That's why I resisted getting involved with
Sheriff Cole Jackson...because I was scared history would repeat
itself. But Cole isn't the risk taker that Kenny was, and neither
is Beau. Their job is dangerous, yes, but they take their safety
seriously. I just enjoy every day I have with him, and if something
happens, I'll deal with it," Sabrina told her solemnly.

Jazzie wasn't fully on board with that
philosophy, because she felt like why set herself up to have to
face something like that if she could avoid it, but she nodded and
smiled at Sabrina, then said, "Thanks for the pep talk."

"Anytime...my big dumb brother needs my help
evidently."

"He is pretty large isn't he?" Jazzie said
without agreeing to the dumb part.

Sabrina hooted, then slapped her shoulder.
"No, we're just small, so everyone looks big to us! But dynamite
comes in small packages, darlin'...and the bigger they are, the
harder they fall, don't forget that either," Bri said with a grin.
"I'm getting pretty damned good with the southernisms, huh?"

Jazzie groaned then shook her head, and
said, "A little too good."

Sabrina laughed and squeezed Jazzie's
shoulder, then pulled her in for a hug, "Go get cleaned up, you'll
feel better. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thanks, Sabrina," Jazzie said and walked
out of the room with Sabrina following her.

"The third bedroom from the end is a suite
and has a bathroom in it, and a big old soaking tub. You can take
that one," she said and pointed to it.

Jazzie headed down to the bedroom and went
inside then gasped. It was huge, probably about the size of the
entire apartment she and Jess had shared in Dallas, before Jess got
married and moved to Bowie. There was a huge brass bed against the
wall, with windows on either side, and white sheer drapes hanging
from the canopy frame above it. The high mattress, which Jazzie was
sure she'd need a ladder to climb into, was covered in a pale green
satin comforter. A beautiful patterned quilt that matched was
folded at the foot of the bed, and there were mounds of pillows
near the headboard.

Her sore feet sank into the thick beige
carpet as she walked across the room to run her hand over the
gorgeous silky material of the cover, and admire the amazing quilt
that looked handmade. Everything about this fantasy bedroom
screamed luxury. Across the room, she saw the door to what must be
the bathroom, and went over there and twisted the knob then flung
it inward.

Another gasp escaped, as she stepped onto
the cool tile and took in the huge jacuzzi tub in the corner, and
the walk-in shower that would probably fit four people inside. A
soaking tub, huh? She was afraid she'd need fins and a snorkel in
there, she thought with a chuckle.

"Pretty spectacular, isn't it?" Beau said
from behind her and she spun around. He was leaned in the doorway
with his arms folded over his shirtless chest, and he looked tired
and rumpled, but good enough to eat.

"Unbelievable," Jazzie said with a smile,
then said, "I think I need a lifeguard to get in there."

"Well, you're in luck..." he said and his
green eyes darkened to emerald, then he pushed off the door frame
and walked over to her. He took her fresh clothes out of her hands
and put them on the marble vanity, then lifted her up and sat her
down on it. His eyes met hers and he just stared into them for a
minute, then he gently spread her thighs and stepped between them
and cupped her face in his hands.

Lowering his head slowly, his lips found
hers and he kissed her gently, savored her lips, worshiped them.
Jazzie moaned and slid her hands up his chest to circle his neck,
then wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer. She
didn't think she could ever get close enough to him. If she could
crawl inside of him and wallow in the luscious feelings he stirred
inside of her, she would in a heartbeat.

His fingers moved to the hem of her shirt,
and he lifted it to her waist to slide his hands underneath, then
covered her breasts with his palms, then pinch her already hardened
nipples between his fingers through her bra. Jazzie moaned low and
deep in her throat and her heart skipped a beat, then galloped
around in her chest.

He pulled back from her lips, looked into
her eyes and said softly, "I want to make love to you right this
time, baby."

"I don't think you've done it wrong yet, but
then what would I know," she said with a nervous laugh. Why she was
nervous, Jazzie had no idea, but she was. He lifted her shirt and
pulled it over her head, then his fingers moved to the front clasp
of her bra, and he flicked it open. He cupped her breasts and his
eyes were fixed on them, as if he were trying to memorize their
shape, then he abraded her nipples with the pads of his thumbs and
Jazzie sucked in a breath then leaned into his hands.

Beau leaned down and kissed each peak, then
sucked one nipple into his mouth hard and Jazzie felt the tug at
her core and her legs involuntarily clamped around him. "Oh, god,
Beau..." she moaned and put her hands on the side of his head,
holding him to her. "That feels so good."

He pulled back and released her breast with
a pop, then unwound her legs from around him and stepped back, and
she reached for him. "Easy, baby, we have all the time in the
world. I'm going to make us a hot bath, and then we're going to
soak until we're pruney. I want you nice and relaxed for what I
have in mind."