Brazen (Brazen #1)(2)

Behind him, the sound of a throat clearing caught her attention.

It was then that she saw him. Seth. Standing behind his brother. Had he been there the whole time? Why hadn’t she seen him before now?

A groan worked from her stomach into her throat. She hadn't known he was coming. Zane hadn't told her.

She swallowed and looked up at him, her mouth gone dry from the hard frown he gave her. He closely resembled Zane. He still wore his hair cut short, but it was the same silky black as his brother’s. His eyes were the same intense blue, and the tattoo on his arm was an exact match to Zane’s. But she knew Seth wouldn’t be caught dead with any piercings.

Where Zane gave the appearance of being easygoing and laid back, Seth was his polar opposite—ultra responsible and brooding, seriousness etched into every facet of his face.

“Hello, Seth,” she said nervously.

He looked curiously between her and Zane. It didn’t help that Zane shuffled from foot to foot and wore an expression that screamed “guilty as hell”.

“Ah, why don’t we go see about your luggage, Jaz?” Zane asked.

“Do I get a hug?” she asked Seth in a husky voice.

He hesitated for a split second before opening his arms to her. She walked into his chest, curling her arms around his waist. She buried her nose in his shirt and closed her eyes.

This was coming home. For a year, she’d ached for him. Missed him. Yearned to be back home and in his arms. And finally she was here.

A current of electricity flowed between them, something that had been absent in the past. She could feel his quick intake of breath, as if his realization of her was sudden and unexpected.

After a second, his hand crept up to stroke her hair. He kissed the top of her head. “I missed you, little bit.”

It was something he’d called her plenty of times in the past, but now it irritated her.

She pulled away, frowning at him. “Little bit?”

He grinned. “You’re still a little bit of a thing. You barely reach my chest.”

She clenched her teeth together in annoyance. He was already putting distance between them. Already labeling her as the little girl he was used to. Maybe it made him more comfortable, but she didn’t give a damn about his comfort. She wanted him to burn the way she burned. Want the way she wanted.

She turned to Zane easing her jaw as she smiled at him. “Let’s go get my luggage. I can’t wait to get home.”

“We’re not immediately going home,” Seth said.

She shot him a sideways glance. “No?”

He shook his head. “I’ve reserved hotel rooms for us. It’s too late to start back now. You’re no doubt tired from your flight. We can go home in the morning.”

She nodded then quickened her step to catch up with Zane. He slid an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him.

“I missed you, Jaz,” Zane said. “It’s damn quiet at the ranch without you.”

She elbowed him in the side.

“You’ve sure grown up, little girl,” he continued. His eyes raked up and down her body.

She suppressed a smug grin. Yeah, he’d noticed. She’d bet anything he was still reeling from the kiss she’d given him.

“Well, I can’t stay a little kid forever,” she said lightly.

Beside her, Seth frowned. She shot him a questioning stare, but he looked away.

They approached the carousel where her luggage was going to be. A large crowd of people lined the conveyor belt as the bags started to spill out the end. Seth laid his fingers on her arm.

“Wait here. Zane and I will get your stuff.”

She watched as the two men pushed through the crowd until they came to a stop beside the carousel. Women and men alike stared at them. They were arresting characters, wild and formidable looking. In the beginning, she’d spent a lot of time staring at them too, never sure whether they were the good guys or the bad.

They had a confident, self-assured look that they wore like a second skin. It bordered on arrogance, but Seth wasn’t so much arrogant as he was convinced.

Her stomach tightened in appreciation when Zane bent over to read the luggage tag on one of her suitcases. His jeans pulled across his ass, molding to every contour. The denim encased thick, muscular thighs. When he stood up again and lifted her suitcase over the side, the muscles in his arms bulged and rippled the thin T-shirt he wore.

Ten minutes and several suitcases later, both men returned to where she was standing.

“Damn, Jaz, I don’t remember you bringing this much shit with you to Paris,” Zane complained.

She laughed. “That’s because I bought most of it while I was there. Here, I’ll take some of them.”

“We’ll get them,” Seth said.

She looked up at him, and for a moment, their gazes locked. She didn’t try to hide the hunger she knew must be reflected in her stare. Fire briefly flamed in Seth’s eyes before he turned away.

“Let’s go,” he muttered.

After piling all her luggage into Seth’s extra cab truck, they got in and navigated to I-10 West. Thirty minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of a hotel, and Seth hopped out to check them in.

Zane and Jasmine got out and Zane piled as much of her luggage as he could fit into the cab of the truck. She snagged an overnight case with the things she’d need for their hotel stay then walked into the hotel behind Zane.