“We’re too old for that shit,” Tyler said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I might not be as old as some of you, but hell, Abigail is ten damn years younger than me.”
Matt chuckled. “Can’t keep up with her, old man?” At thirty, Matt was the youngest of the Cooper brothers and made sure everyone knew it.
Considering they’d tormented the bastard growing up because he
was
the youngest, Jackson guessed it was fair Matt was taking it out on them now.
Tyler punched Matt’s shoulder then took a sip of his beer. “Fuck you. None of us are in our twenties anymore, but hell, we’re not old.”
Jackson nodded, though he didn’t quite believe it. “I have two years until I hit the big four-zero and I already have gray at my temples. I think I’ve already hit old.”
Brayden shook his head, his too-long hair brushing his forehead. “You’re only as old as you feel. We might all be tired right now because of our pregnant wives—and my three kids—but we’ve still got some steam.”
Jackson raised his brow. “And what’s my excuse?”
Justin grinned and grabbed a handful of peanuts. “You’re just an ass from what I hear along the Holiday grapevine. Guess that adds fatigue.”
Jackson closed his eyes and held back a sigh. “The grocery store?”
“Yep,” Matt said, and Jackson could tell the bastard was smiling. “You
are
an ass, but only to those who deserve it, like Jessica. You’re just broody to everyone else.”
Jackson opened his eyes as Tyler smiled.
“You know broody is in right now,” his sheriff brother said with a grin. “Just get some vampire teeth or shift into a wolf and any woman would have you.”
Jackson growled, and Tyler nodded again. “Yep, Jacks, growl just like that for the ladies, and they’ll come right to you.”
His brothers laughed, and Jackson was forced to join in or be left out. “Wait, do those really exist?” he asked, despite himself.
Justin shook his head. Since he worked for Santa—of all people—and Mr. Kringle was the undecided head of all things holiday magical, it made sense that Justin would know.
“The big man said only holiday magics. Well, holiday as in something that is significant to others that happens yearly or daily. No shifters or vamps. Yeah, I guess they could go with Halloween, but I guess that’s why we have ghosts and witches.” He elbowed Matt, who sighed.
“Thank God I’m not a ghost anymore,” his youngest brother grumbled, and Jackson agreed. Though he hadn’t known Matt had been a ghost the entire time he’d been non-corporeal, it still haunted him that his family had been in jeopardy. He’d never seen his brother as a ghost until the night Matt had saved Jordan’s life. It still surprised him that he hadn’t known.
“Magic isn’t that bad,” Brayden said as he leaned back. “I might have given mine to Allison, but our kids are half-gnome, so it’s always going to be there.”
“True, but your luck helped you,” Matt said. “I was literally shackled to a house on certain nights.”
Jackson sipped his beer and listened as the rest of his brothers chimed in with their new powers. Tyler, as a cupid, could feel when someone was near another who would be their soul mate. Justin, as Santa’s executive, used magic along with his wife, an elf, to help the children of Holiday find their happiness.
Jackson had none of that.
Thank God.
“There’s got to be something about this town and us though.”
Jackson blinked at Tyler’s words. “What’s that?”
Tyler narrowed his eyes. “Thanks for paying attention. What I was saying is that we all know Holiday is the mecca, but we don’t know why. We don’t even know who knows what and what else might exist in town. We also don’t know why we Coopers seem to be drawn to it and we’re immune to the gnomes’ magic.”
Jackson shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Brayden frowned. “You’re the one who always likes to look for answers. It’s why you liked science so much in school. You’re honestly telling us you don’t care about
why
things are the way they are?”
“No, I don’t. I’m not magical, and I’m happy that way. I’m not about to poke the hornet’s nest and end up like Abigail with new powers that I can’t control.”
Tyler snarled, but Matt held him back.
“Leave my wife out of this. She’s learning to be a harpy.”
“Yeah? She’ll always have to deal with the fact she has a temper she can’t control and can’t eat off her own plate. What about your kids? Or any of your kids? Why would you want to subject yourselves to that?”
Brayden shook his head. “We can’t change the way things are, but we can figure out why they are. That might help with control. As for our kids? They’re going to be loved and cared for, no matter what, so back the fuck off.”
Jackson winced. “Hell, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything like that. You know I’m going to love those babies like they’re my own. I’m already Uncle Jacks, and I’m going to love all the babies that come into your lives.
His brothers nodded, their tempers soothed a bit.
Jessica had been right; he
was
an ass.
“I’m off my game, sorry,” he said as he drained his glass and asked for a round of waters. Since they all were going to different places afterward, they didn’t have a designated driver, hence the one-beer limit.
“I have a feeling why you’re so jumpy,” Matt said as he smiled.
Dread filled him, and he fought to keep his expression remote. “Yes?”
“Really? What happened?” Brayden asked with a grin on his face.
Jackson looked at Justin’s and Tyler’s smiles and wanted to leave Eddie’s right then. Apparently the damn Holiday grapevine had struck again. Since all Cooper women were pregnant with mini Coopers, the only gossip left was for Jackson.
Hell.
“It seems there’s a new town resident,” Brayden drawled, and Jackson eyed the door.
So. Far. Away.
“Ah yes, the raven-haired goddess, according to town gossip,” Matt said with a laugh.
“Don’t let Jordan hear you say that,” Jackson bit out.
The description of Honor did fit, but he wasn’t going to mention that.
“Who do you think told me?” Matt explained. “Now where was I? Oh yes, this new girl seems to know you. So well in fact that she stopped by your clinic and had a tense conversation in front of your receptionist, Veronica.”
Damn Veronica.
“Not to mention that you later saved Honor’s life when you threw your body on top of hers,” Tyler said with a smile.
“I hear he practically made sweet, sweet love to her while he was on the ground,” Justin added in.
“Sweet, sweet love?” Jackson said, holding back a smile. Hell, the gossips were having a party with this.
“Yes, sweet, sweet love,” Brayden agreed.
“There was no loving, sweet or otherwise, going on,” Jackson explained. “I just pushed her out of the way so the damn flowerpot wouldn’t hit her.”
All four men stared at him with knowing expressions.
“I repeat. No loving.”
The image of Honor naked as she rode him from above, her full breasts bouncing along with her fast rhythm, filled his mind.
Well, fuck.
“Sure,” Matt drawled. “That doesn’t tell us much though. How do you know this goddess?”
Jackson let out a sigh. There really was no getting out of this. He could either deal with his brothers now or be forced to answer the endless questions from their wives later.
He held back a shudder.
Anything but that.
“I knew her when she came to visit her aunt before. That’s it.”
Tyler furrowed his brows. “She’s Clementine’s niece, right? Honor Bridges?”
Jackson nodded and drained his water glass, suddenly very thirsty. He signaled for another one and winced. He’d have to piss like a racehorse soon if he kept this up.
“That can’t be it,” Brayden put in. “I mean, if you’re acting all broody over her and had that intense chat in your office, it has to be something more.”
“Fine,” Jackson bit out. “We dated over a summer years ago when she visited her aunt. She left. I stayed. No big deal.”
His brothers were silent for a moment, and he cursed himself. He shouldn’t have added that last part. It
had
been a big fucking deal, but they didn’t have to know about it.
“You dated her for a whole summer, and we didn’t know?” Tyler asked. “When was this?”
“Eight years ago. What does it matter?”
“Eight years ago you were thirty. This wasn’t some teenage lovesick thing, Jacks,” Brayden said softly.
“No, it wasn’t. It was just a fun time for a summer. It was over, and it’s still over. Don’t make a big thing about it.”
Justin stared at him, concern in his gaze. “Why didn’t you tell us about her when you were dating?”
Jackson held back a wince. He hadn’t told them because he’d like Honor too much, but they couldn’t know that. Hell, he didn’t want to get into that now, or ever for that matter.
“It wasn’t a bit deal then, and it’s even less of one now. Just drop it, guys.”
Matt shook his head. “I don’t think we can. The women have all got it in their heads that Honor means something to you, or at least she did. You know what that means, right?”
Jackson cursed. “They need to stop fucking matchmaking. I know you’re all happy with what you have, and fuck, I’m happy for you, but I
like
being alone. Okay? I don’t want a wife. I don’t want kids. I don’t want magic. I just want to live like I’m living now, and I don’t want to change that. My relationship with Honor is over. I’m not going to be with her again and just because she moved back to town doesn’t mean I’m going to act like Matt did over Jordan and get with her again. Got it?”
Liar
.
“You’re denying it all a little quickly, don’t you think?” Matt said with a grin.
“Fuck you. I don’t love Honor. I didn’t before.”
Liar
. “It’s not the same as you and Jordan. Get it through your thick skulls, okay? Honor moved back to be with her aunt, not to see me. She only met with me in my office out of courtesy. Though, really, she hadn’t even needed to do that.”
Tyler shook his head. “You sure are getting riled up over a woman you say you’re over.”
Jackson closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Shit. If he kept denying it, they’d think he was just denying his feelings. If he
didn’t
deny it, they’d think he wanted Honor.
There really wasn’t any way to deal with this other than kick the shit out of them like he had for years…or at least try.
Tyler narrowed his eyes, his cop face on. “Don’t even think about. I’m not about to get kicked out of Eddie’s because you’re in a fucking mood. I’m the sheriff for God’s sake. Now I got this new deputy, Hugh, and I need to act like I run this town, not like I brawl.”
“I wasn’t going to hit you,” Jackson lied. “Though, if I did, you’d just have to deal with being known as the pansy ass who got his butt kicked by his older brother.”
Tyler scoffed. “Really? That’s how you’re going to play it?”
“Settle down now, boys,” Brayden intervened. “Jacks, don’t rile him up just because you don’t want to talk about your lady love.”
“She’s not my damn lady love,” Jackson spat.
“I’ll remind you that you said that when you’re married and you have all those babies you’re afraid of,” Justin said.
Jackson threw up his hands. “I give up. You guys think what you want, but know this, I am not with Honor Bridges, nor will I ever be. Got it?”
He pushed Matt out of the booth, got up and walked out the door ignoring Tyler’s parting remark.
“Famous last words, bro.”
Fuck.
He cursed himself for letting his brothers see below the surface as he made his way home and jumped in the shower to get the bar smell off of him before he went to bed.
Jackson turned the water up as hot as he could take and let the spray beat down on him. His shoulders were knotted, his back aching like an old man’s, and all he wanted to do was sleep like someone far older than he was.
He hadn’t been lying to his brothers when he’d said he’d wanted to be alone in his life. The only time he’d ever thought about a future with someone had been with Honor, not that he’d ever admit that to anyone.
Now that Honor was back, though, yeah, the ideas that kept popping in his head were going to be hard as hell to get over.
He didn’t like these thoughts of futures and babies and sweet, sweet love.
Fuck, now he sounded like some love-lost idiot.
The image of Honor’s wide blue eyes and sexy little smile flashed across his mind, and he groaned. His hand ran down his chest along the rivulets of water and wrapped around his cock before he even thought about what he was doing.
It had been way too long since he’d had a woman, and now all he could think about was filling Honor’s warm pussy or that delectable mouth of hers. She’d loved it when he’d have her kneel in front of him, her hair wrapped tightly around his fist as he fucked her mouth.
Jackson pumped his hips as he fucked his fist, a little drop of cum pearling at the head of his cock. He imagined Honor’s lips around his cock, her gentle hands rolling his balls as she swallowed him fully. He’d run his hand down her chest, cupping her breasts and rolling her nipples between his fingers, loving the way her eyes would darken as he pinched hard.
He grunted her name as he came, his seed covering the shower wall and his chest. The water washed it away, and Jackson groaned.
Seriously?
He’d just come like a teenager thinking about a girl.
He’d thought he’d grown past that, but apparently he’d been mistaken.
He quickly soaped himself and cleaned up before turning off the showerhead. Images of Honor beneath him and then against the wall filled his mind as he dried off, not bothering to put on pajamas. His cock filled again, and he got into bed, pointedly ignoring the damn thing.
Weren’t men his age supposed to deal with fewer erections? Okay fine, he wasn’t
that
old, but seriously, this was getting ridiculous. Why was it that with one thought of Honor, he was back to being a teen who couldn’t keep it down?
He fell asleep with her on his mind, but he just let it come. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t as if he could control his dreams.