Somebody's Lover: The Jackson Brothers, Book 1

it, Evelyn.” Scanning a couple of pages, she saw her error immediately. She’d put an extra zero on one of the checks she’d entered. Could happen to anyone. Except that she usually double-checked everything she input. Then triple-checked the balance. “Here it is. I’ll fix it.”
    “Is something bothering you, Taylor?”
    Taylor stiffened. Her mother-in-law had already been at the front desk when she arrived. They’d shared coffee, talked about what Taylor was supposed to bring for Sunday’s barbecue, and what time she’d drop off the kids tonight. Nothing unusual in all that. Nothing suspicious.
    “Everything’s fine, Evelyn. Why do you ask?” Now, that was a stupid leading question.
    “You seem preoccupied. It isn’t like you to make mistakes.”
    It was only one. Except that yesterday she’d forgotten to take the receipts down to the bank. And she’d forgotten to pass on a message from the Montgomerys about some additional work they’d wanted done. Which had sent David and Mitch back out to the property to finish up.
    What was she supposed to say?
    I’ve been unfaithful to your eldest boy’s memory with your youngest son. And I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop after tonight.
    “I’m a good listener, honey.”
    Taylor smiled. “I know you are, and I love you for it.” And for the first time since Saturday, she didn’t lie to her mother-in-law. “I need to work this one out on my own.”
    After tonight. After she’d finally done the dirty deed with Jace. That would be the cure. Then she’d stop the insanity. She had to.

    * * * * *

    He’d never get her out of his system.
    It had been all Jace could handle not to call Taylor since he’d made love to her in the kitchen two days ago. He hadn’t come, he hadn’t even gotten inside her, but what he’d done to her was making love.
    This morning, he’d done all the loading and hauling while David, Mitch, and his dad did all the cutting. He hadn’t trusted himself in the trees or with a chain saw in his hand.
    He was counting down every hour. Ten hours till Taylor. Six hours till she was in his arms. Four hours until he filled her with everything he had, everything he was.
    He quit at five and headed to his apartment. He wasn’t a guy who gave a rat’s ass what he wore, but he picked black for tonight. Black jeans and a black button-down shirt. Taylor always looked at him when he was wearing black, and he’d long suspected she had a thing for the color. He took his truck by the car wash, stopped at the superstore for a blanket and a bottle of wine. She liked the sweet stuff. He chose a white burgundy for something unusual.
    He pulled up next to the old barn at Miller’s Pond before eight. The sun hadn’t quite set, and it shimmered across the water. He wished Taylor could see it that way.
    Miller’s Pond and the old barn was a hot make-out spot when he was in high school. In recent times, the pond had taken a backseat to the video game craze and the call of the mall.
    Kids these days didn’t know what they were missing.
    At eight-thirty, she hadn’t arrived.
    He started to sweat at eight-forty.
    At eight-forty-five, fifteen minutes late, she pulled in beside him. She didn’t get out right away. Instead, in the last of the twilight, she simply looked through her window at him. His heart jumped to his throat. She’d changed her mind. But at least she was here. He could change it back for her. All he needed to do was put his hands on her.
    He grabbed the blanket and the wine off the seat beside him and climbed out. She hadn’t opened her door when he got to her. Reaching past her through the window, he took her keys out of the ignition and threw them on the passenger seat next to her purse.
    “What are you doing?”
    “Making up your mind for you. Get out.”
    “I wasn’t going to—”
    “Yes, you were. You were going to tell me you couldn’t go through with it.” He died a little inside thinking about it. If she said it, he’d go crazy.
    Her dress rose up her thighs as she slid out. Barely more than a flowery slip with little straps holding it together and a row of buttons down the front, he wanted to rip it off and bury himself inside her right on the front seat of her minivan.
    He shook with how badly he needed her.
    Taylor put her hand to his cheek, a sweet scent rising up from her hair to captivate him. “I’m sorry I was late. The kids were making a fuss. But I’m not leaving, Jace. I want you.”
    He held