Page 69 of The Vineyard Crush

James immediately perked up, lips curving into a grin so lascivious it made me want to knock his teeth out. “Well, hello there, darlin’…”

The endearment dripped from his tongue like warm honey, eyes roving over Emma’s gently swaying form in a way that had my hackles standing on end. I was abruptly, viscerally furious at the mere implication of being ogled like a piece of meat by my own brother. Especially when I knew the exquisite treasure that lay beneath that simple cotton sundress.

A low, warning rumble reverberated deep in my chest - a primal, possessive instinct rearing its head. I moved to bodily place myself between Emma and James’ assessing stare, fists clenched and shoulders tensed.

Emma watched the exchange with evident bewilderment, worrying her full lower lip in that unconscious gesture I’d come to adore. Her silken shoulders lifted in an inquisitive shrug, gaze darting between my thunderous scowl and James’ toothy smirk.

“Hi” She prompted uncertainly. “Is something wrong?”

The worried lilt to her tone pierced straight through the heated haze of territoriality clouding my mind. With a deep, fortifying breath, I forced my rigid stance to relax incrementally until the wildfire of irrational jealousy simmered into a low, sputtering flame.

If I had any hope of keeping this new relationship from imploding due to my own insecurities, the first step was to quash these flare-ups of baseless possessiveness.

Rubbing my face tiredly, I finally shook my head at Emma’s questioning gaze. “Emma, this is my brother, James,” I began in a low rumble, gesturing towards the still-grinning fool. “Jamie, quit leering at her like a piece of meat and say hello properly.”

James, to his credit, did make an effort to rearrange his features into something a bit more respectable as he extended his free hand towards Emma. The roguish sparkle never quite left his eyes, though.

“Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, miss Emma,” he purred, laying on an exaggerated drawl that made me want to sock him right in the teeth. “I’ve heard absolutely nothin’ about you, of course.”

“Huh. oH Really?” she asks and looks at me. “My dipshit brother was just stirring up trouble where there didn’t need to be any.”

Emma’s lips twitched in amusement at that, eyes sparking with something lighter that dissipated the last traces of concern. An elegant brow winged upwards, silently urging me to elaborate.

James’ cocky grin was firmly back in place as his gaze slid towards Emma with naked interest. “So, Emma…how is it living next door to this ol’ grump?”

He jerked a thumb in my direction, hazel eyes sparking with mischief. I could practically see the gears whirring in his devious brain, no doubt already concocting ways to stir up as much shit as possible.

Emma seemed to pick up on the teasing undercurrent right away, dainty features arranged into an expression of feigned innocence. “We talking about the same Ridge here?” she rejoined lightly, lips twitching in amusement.

That one arched brow slowly inched skyward as Emma nonchalantly swept her gaze over towards me in clear challenge. James mirrored the frank appraisal, the smug bastard silently egging her on to divulge more.

Crossing my arms over my chest, I forced my expression into a carefully neutral mask despite the responding flash of heat unfurling low in my gut. From the impish gleam in Emma’s eyes, she could see right through the stony facade.

“This one right here who answers his phone like ‘what?’ and grunts in response to anything I say?” James continued with another dismissive jerk of his thumb, looking supremely pleased with himself.

“Ridge is sweet and caring,” Emma countered, voice ringing with utter conviction. “If he’s a grump, I’ve certainly never noticed that.”

This time there was no mistaking the daringly provocative glint in those endless blue-green depths. Her chin tilted upwards in open defiance of James’ attempt to pigeon-hole me into the stereotypical caricature of a crusty old cowpoke.

The words, uttered in that smooth bourbon rasp, felt like a full-body caress - stoking the already simmering embers of possessive ardor coiling tight in my core. I could vividly recall every instance of tenderness; every trembling sigh and breathless keen as I worshipped her with mouth and hands until that honeyed voice rough-edged into hoarse cries of rapture.

A muscle ticked in my clenched jaw as another rush of scorching desire surged through my veins. The sound of James’s derisive snort brought me crashing back to the present moment, where those knowing hazel eyes assessed me with undisguised amusement.

“Sweet, huh?” he echoed in a blatant show of skepticism, gaze flicking between Emma and me with unveiled glee. “That’s a new one. Usually he’s breathing fire and picking fights before anyone can get a word in edgewise.”

“Only because you seem to enjoy riling him up for entertainment,” Emma shot back primly, sweet lips pursing in a moue of disapproval.

The tart response - so at odds with her normally tranquil countenance - had me struggling to swallow a grin. Emma never failed to keep me on my toes with her unexpected flashes of vinegar.

“Mmm, maybe,” James hummed, eyes glinting as they tracked the motion of her mouth. “But this side of him you’re claiming is real…well, I gotta say I’m intrigued to see it, darlin’.”

My hackles instantly stood on end, protective instincts zeroing in on my kid brother’s unacceptable flirtation. Honestly, was he incapable of not being an insufferable prick for more than five consecutive minutes?

Emma’s nonplussed shrug and secretive little smile in the face of James’s blatant disbelief was like fanning the flames of my smoldering lust. The vixen was clearly baiting me - throwing down the gauntlet with those weighted words and smoldering stares.

“I should get going,” she announced airily, as if we weren’t all three still reeling from the heated undercurrent now crackling between us. “There’s a lot of prep left for the festival.”

Her gaze locked onto mine as she spoke, tongue peeking out to trace that plump bottom lip in a move that had to be utterly unconscious…and utterly devastating. I willed my eyes not to follow the hypnotic glide, but I was only a man cursed with a pulse.

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