All Jacked Up (Rough Riders #8)(50)



Liesl leaned toward AJ. “Can I feel the baby kick?”


“Sure, honey. He’s really restless tonight so you oughta be able to feel him kickin’ real good.”


Liesl put her hands on AJ’s belly. “Can’t you have a girl? There aren’t enough girls in our family.”


“Hey, short stuff. I was the only girl for a really long time. You’re lucky you’ve got a little sister and three girl cousins.”


“You’ll have more girl cousins, sweetie. Macie’s having a girl,” Domini said.


Keely’s head whipped toward her. “She is? How come I didn’t know?”


“Umm. She just told us this weekend.”


“I was there this weekend. Why didn’t she tell me?”


AJ patted Keely’s knee. “K, I know how much you hate being the last to know family stuff, but it was your engagement party. She didn’t want to take focus away from that.”


“Where is your handsome husband-to-be?” Domini asked.


“Screwing off.”


Both Domini and AJ frowned at Keely for her word choice.


“I meant he’s working, screwing off…the bad light bulbs in the building and screwing new ones in.”


“Lame cover up, cowgirl,” Jack whispered in her ear.


Keely jumped and spun around. The sneaky man sat right behind her. “How long have you been here?”


“Long enough.” He dazzled AJ and Domini with a charming grin. “Good evening, lovely ladies. I arrived just as Anton was up. He did great. I’m sorry I missed Ky.”


“Maybe next time,” AJ said.


Liesl peered around Keely’s shoulder at Jack. “Are you and Aunt Keely gonna kiss again?”


Jack pretended to give her question serious consideration. “Do you think we should?”


She nodded.


“Maybe later.” Jack’s gaze swept over Keely’s face. “Sorry I’m late.”


“Late? You said you weren’t coming.”


“No, I said I had something to finish up. Then you left in a huff.”


“That’s a surprise,” AJ said.


“Do you mind?” Keely snapped.


“Nope. Not at all. Go ahead and fight in front of us. It’s not like we haven’t heard it before.”


Jack stood and offered her a hand. “Come on. Let’s spare young ears our squabble and have a beer.”


Keely admitted a beer sounded good. As soon as they cleared the bleachers, she led the way to the beer stand. But everyone in the entire county was there and wanted to meet the man who’d “tamed Keely McKay”.


“Two Bud Lights,” Jack said and handed the cashier a ten, waving off the change as a tip.


Keely saw the women nudging each other and waggling their eyebrows. No denying Jack stood out, not just because he wasn’t a cowboy in an arena filled with them. His forest green mock turtleneck and blue jeans accentuated his eye-catching physique and his dark good looks.


“You’re scowling at me. These boots are the closest I’ll ever come to wearing a pair of shitkickers.”


“It’s not that.”


“Then what?”


“I thought you weren’t coming and I’d worked up a really good mad. Now you’re here and there’s no reason for me to be mad, but I still am.”


Jack crowded her against the wall, bracing his forearm above her head. “And just how were you hoping to use that good mad against me, buttercup? By throwing something at me so we end up f*cking right where we stand?”


She blinked innocently. “Is that a possibility?”


His eyes sparked lust. “Don’t tempt me. I went easy on you this morning.”


“And have I mentioned how awesome it was?” She managed to sip her beer even with Jack right in her face. She didn’t look away. He didn’t look away.



“Aw, for Christsake, you two are adults. Get a freakin’ room. Don’t make me arrest you for lewd behavior.”


Keely didn’t acknowledge Cam. Neither did Jack.


Getting no response out of them, Cam stalked off in a huff.


They grinned at each other. Then Jack brushed his lips over hers until her mouth opened and he teased her with a flirty kiss. He tasted like beer. And Jack.


“How much longer does this go on?” he murmured.


“That kiss could’ve gone on a lot longer as far as I’m concerned.”


He gently bit her bottom lip. “I meant this event.”


“Mutton bustin’ is next. It’s the last event because it’s the most popular. Gib and Braxton are entered.” She smooched his chin. “Come on. It’s probably about to start.”


They held hands and made their way back into the stands.


Cord and Cam were sitting with their wives. Both Dimitri and Oxsana sat on Cam’s lap while Cord held Foster on his. Liesl had inserted herself between Domini and Cam. Ky and Anton were hanging over the Plexiglas partition, trying to see into the chutes.

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