Authors: Marianna Roberg
She'd pulled her hair up atop her head with something gold, and her upper arms sported gold bands studded with red stones and black designs. Around her ankles were chains with more little bells, and her wrists both had cuffs with tinkly brass coins on them.
He swallowed hard. "Uh..."
Jaina walked forward, trailing what appeared to be a scarf made of the same material as her skirt. "Hold this, please? It's my veil."
Jaina struck a pose, then, following some cue Colin was oblivious to, she started dancing, her hips swiveling, arms moving gracefully. The bells on her costume tinkled with every move. He felt his mouth go dry.
Seeing his expression, Jaina laughed, spinning as she went to him. She grabbed the fabric he held, twirled it around him, pressed her back to his chest, and used the fabric to pull his pelvis against hers.
"Dance with me," she said, guiding him with her hands and her hips.
He placed his hands on her bare shoulders, then slid them down her arms, to catch her fingers. Grinning, Jaina said, "Really put your hips into it."
Turning around, she performed a move like a wave rolling up her body, her hips rolling forward, followed by her head and torso. She still had hold of the veil, and the move brought her in full contact with his body.
Feeling very self-conscious, he tried to mimic her. Jaina, laughing softly, put her back to his chest again and said, "Follow me. Like we're glued together. Like sex, only vertical."
That brought forth several vivid images, and Colin almost fell over.
Jaina shook her head and danced backwards, towards the sofa, pulling him along with her. She pushed him down on the cushions and straddled his lap. "Okay, enough dancing."
He was more than happy to comply, pulling her eagerly into his arms.
He kissed her jaw, her throat, and down to the deep valley between her breasts. Jaina sighed, burying her fingers in his hair. She giggled when she felt his hands, toying with her skirt, still. "Something wrong?"
"Uh... Y-you're not wearing..."
Feeling wicked, she laughed. "Nope."
"Mmm." He flicked his tongue against her skin.
"Colin, maybe we should take this upstairs..."
"Why? There's no one here but us."
"Good point," she sighed. "Just... eventually..."
Jaina closed her eyes, rapidly becoming oblivious to everything except Colin's very nice mouth.
"What in the- Tell me this is a joke!"
Jaina almost fell of
f the sofa. She
did
fall off Colin's lap.
Looking over the back of the sofa, she stared in horror at her brother, who had just walked in
.
♥♥♥
Very quickly, they both stood up, Colin holding Jaina's veil in front of him like it was a shield.
There was a
long, long silence as Teniel shielded the eyes of her children, and Jason glared daggers at the other couple.
Quietly, Jason said, "Kids, go to your room."
"But, Dad-" Christian protested.
"I said do it."
Realizing their father was serious, the twins hurried up the stairs.
Jaina held up her hands. "Uh, Jase, I can-"
"What the hell are you doing?" her brother demanded, striding towards her.
Dryly, his wife said, "I would think
that
would be obvious. But if, after two children and eight years of marriage, I still need to explain it..."
Jason shot her a dirty look. "No, I understand that. But what I'm wondering is, why is my
sister
-"
Colin placed his hand on Jaina's shoulder. She relaxed immediately at his touch. "Uh... Should I leave?"
She shook her head, golden-brown hair sliding over her shoulders. "No. Jase needs to realize that I'm not ten anymore."
"Excuse me? I think Pierce here will be staying because I still have to punch his lights out." Jason cast Colin a glare that would have melted titanium.
"Why?" his sister demanded, crossing her arms as she placed herself firmly between her brother and her lover.
Jason looked as if he longed to punch Colin, but resisted. His sister looked as if she'd skin him alive if he did. "He was in your
cleavage
, Jaya! Your cleavage!"
"I'm perfectly aware of that, Jason."
"I don't care! No one, and I mean no one, moves in on my younger sister without asking permission first! That way I can say NO!"
Jaina rolled her eyes, and deliberately leaned back against Colin. "Do I need to call Em and tell her what a freak you're being? She will tell Mom."
Teniel suggested, "Or call Hank and Leah. That would be interesting."
"Not my dad, he'd agree with Jason," Jaina said. Then she turned back to her brother. "This is not the sixteenth century! I can go out with whomever I want!"
Jason gestured at Colin. "That doesn't give him the right!"
"No," Jaina said softly. "
I
gave him the right."
Colin cleared his throat. "Uh, can we please stop discussing me like I'm not present?"
"No!" Jason bellowed.
Teniel placed her hand on her husband's arm. "Jase, calm down. You're being ridiculous."
"No, I'm not! He was in her
cleavage
!"
Teniel raised a red-gold brow. "I think it would be difficult to miss that fact, Jason Lars McGregor. Tell me, did you ask
my
parents if we could date?"
That stopped him. "Uh... Well..."
"No, you didn't."
"But!"
His wife continued as if he hadn't spoken. "We were even younger than they are!"
"But!"
She smiled sweetly. "You're sleeping on the couch."
His brown eyes widened in horror. "But! But
Teniel
! He's older than I am!"
Teniel spared Jaina and Colin a brief glance, then looked back at her spouse. "So? A woman rarely finds an equal in a man her own age. Case in point..."
Quickly, Jaina said, "Look at Mom and Dad. He's eleven years older than Mom. That's the difference between me and Colin."
Her brother floundered for words. "But! He! With the cleavage!"
Colin wrapped his arms around Jaina's bare waist, knowing full well it would aggravate Jason to no end. "Would you have preferred lower?" he asked, a dark brow lifting in question.
"NO!" Jason shrieked. "
There is no lower! You are not allowed to look below eye contact
!"
Jaina shrugged. "Too late."
Her brother shook his finger at her. "Jaya, I swear! I will send you on the next plane home!"
"Or she could move in with me," Colin suggested.
"You are so not doing that!" Jason retorted, livid. His face had flushed a deep red by this point.
Jaina stabbed Jason in the chest with a finger. "I'll do whatever I want! I am of legal age."
Jason snorted. "Barely!"
"I'm almost twenty-two!"
"I'll tell Dad what his 'little princess' is doing."
"I
am
little! But I'm not young!" Jaina emphasized this by looking up at her brother, who towered over her by a good foot. "Who's acting more mature here? And you didn't say a thing when I told you I was moving in with Jack!"
"That's cause I
knew
Jack! Or I thought I did. But I know where he lives, what he does... I need a screening process."
"You never even
met
him!" Jaina sighed and closed her eyes. She tried to count to ten, but made it to four. "Screening process? Screening process?!"
"Isn't he gay?" Jason jerked his head at the man behind Jaina, his dark curls bobbing. "What is this, just a see-what-it's-like-to-be-hetero for you?"
"Actually, I have never been homosexual," Colin said flatly.
"I tried to explain that to you last month, Jason." Jaina linked her hands with Colin's, feeling his tension. Neither of them had wanted this.
"Why should I believe it?" Jason demanded. "Why should you? For all you know, he lied like Jack."
Jaina's full lips curled in a smirk. "Oh, trust me, he's
not
."
Teniel put in, "At this point I fear Jasa is gay, and is upset about missing out on his chance."
Jaina felt a ripple of emotion go through Colin. "That was an image I didn't need," he said, voice close to her ear.
"I didn't need it either," the younger man said, giving his wife a dark look. His attention wasn't distracted for long, though. "I didn't need to see you in my little sister's
cleavage
!"
Said sister sighed. "Would you let that go already?"
"No! If Dad were here, Colin would already have been shot! I'm being level headed compared to him."
Colin said, "Shot?"
The mention of Hank McGregor reminded Jason of something. "Did Dad even know about Jack?"
When Jaina didn't answer, he continued, "Just tell me he isn't a rebound. Just make me believe that you think he's right, and I'll back off. I promise."
"Let me put it this way. I never slept with Jack."
"I don't need to know you're
sleeping with him
! I could go without that information."
"What do you think the significance of the cleavage is, Jase?"
Defensively, he said, "I just needed you to help me trust your judgment right now. I didn't need to actually hear the words, Jaya."
Exasperated, Jaina shook her head. "How else am I supposed to prove it to you?"
She pulled out of Colin's arms, lifting one of his hands in hers. "I love him, Jason. I wouldn't sleep with a 'rebound'. I
love
him."
Jason looked into her earnest green eyes, and saw the truth of her words there, in the tears that were threatening to fall, tears he hadn't noticed until just now. He'd hurt her with his accusations.
Suddenly guilty, Jason looked from Jaina, to Colin, to the possessive, protective way the other man stood at Jaina's side, his arm around her. To Jason's knowledge, Jaina never let people touch her. She didn't like being hugged, even by family members. And here she was, trusting this man completely.
He sighed. Raising his eyes from Jaina's to the sharp blue of Colin's, he asked, voice low and rough, "Do you love her?"
Colin looked at Jaina and smiled. He met Jason's gaze and said, "Yes, I love her."
Jason stared at him for another moment, then gritted, "Good. Because if you hurt her, I'll beat you to death with a shovel."
Then he took his wife's hand, and led her upstairs.
Chapter Twenty-Two
"Um, I should probably go," Colin said. "You obviously need to, uh, talk to your brother..."
"Yeah." Jaina sighed. "Um... Would it be okay if I came over later?"
"You're more than welcome to," he said. "You know that."
They went upstairs and he dressed in the change of clothes he'd brought. Then Jaina kissed him good-bye.
She went back upstairs and was making the bed when there was a knock at her door. She turned to see Teniel there.
"Um. Hi."
Her sister-in-law asked, "Can I come in?"
Jaina hesitated, then said, "Sure."
Knowing she was in for a lecture or something, Jaina sat on the half-made bed and looked resignedly at Teniel.
The other woman saw her expression and laughed. "I'm not going to yell at you. Actually... I'm proud of you. For not letting your brother bully you. He's just over protective right now..."
Jaina smirked. "I've noticed. You'd think he'd be happy for me, really."
"It's not you, Jaina. He's just freaking out..."
Teniel lowered her voice. "We weren't going to tell anyone for a month yet, but... I'm pregnant.
"
♥♥♥
Jaina parked her ancient car and got out, practically skipping to the door. She carried microwave popcorn and several videos. She felt a little weird walking in without knocking, but Colin had given her permission, so she did.
"I'm heeeeeeere!" she ca
lled as she closed the door.
"I'm in the kitchen!"
Jaina deposited the videos in the living room and took the popcorn into the kitchen. "Are you
cooking
?!"
"Not really. I don't think following directions on a box qualifies as cooking."
Jaina peered around his shoulder as she stuck her fingers through a couple loops on his jeans. "If you're using kitchen items to bring a foodstuff from one state to another, that's cooking. Unless you're in chemistry class, then it's nuclear warfare."