Page 47 of Somebody To Love

“I am going to get you later.”

Of that, he had no doubt. He should check his office chair for super glue before he sat for the next week. The employee bathroom too. He wouldn’t put it past her to glue his ass to the toilet seat.

“What’s that marvelous smell?” Penny asked, oblivious to the sibling tension.

“Jeremy is testing out the new oven. He didn’t get a chance to use it for the reception and he wanted to make sure it’s up to par before we open.”

“Yummy, what’s he making?”

“Baked Ziti,” Charlie answered. “But I think I might ask the chef if he can make me a special order of Rocky Mountain Oysters, Jackson style.”

Oh great, now she was insinuating she was going to remove his testicles and serve them up for dinner. Nice. And she wondered why she could never keep a boyfriend.

Penny blinked at his sister’s caustic remark.

“What?”

“Nothing, honey. My sister’s just huffy because she’s had such a hard day of work. What’s the matter Charlie, chip a nail?”

“Yeah, this one.”

She held up her middle finger, which had a perfectly painted black nail, no chip. He laughed. Charlie called him an asshole, but joined in with a small chuckle. As much as they all ribbed each other, the Jackson siblings were a tight family. They loved and fought with fierceness. He wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Dinner.” Ace came out from the kitchen, holding a steaming tray in oven mitt-covered hands. “Oh hey, Penny. You joining us tonight?”

She smiled, hesitantly. “If that’s not a problem?”

Almost two decades of friendship and she still got shy around his family.

“Course not.”

“Yeah, Penny. You’re always welcome,” Charlie said, hopping up to grab some plates and silverware. “In fact, I’d trade you for these two knuckleheads in a heartbeat. How about it? Want a sister?”

“Oh, um, I already have one, but thank you. Besides, I’m sure you’d miss your brothers eventually.”

Charlie snorted. “Spoken like a woman who’s never had a brother.”

“Ouch, Charlie. You cut us. You cut us deep.” She threw a napkin at his head. Grateful it wasn’t one of the plates, he grinned and blew her a kiss.

Ace sighed. “I am surrounded by children. Not you Penny,” he added, setting down the dinner.

Charlie rolled her eyes. “Shut up and serve, you old stick in the mud.”

Ace sent Charlie a look that made grown men pee their pants, but it had no effect on her. Probably because she knew he and Ace would rather cut off a limb than ever hurt her or any woman, for that matter.

Everyone settled down, plates were passed around as Ace cut into the Ziti. He portioned it out, long strings of gooey white cheese dripping off the spatula. Heavenly aromas filled the air. BJ waited until everyone had been served before taking a bite. The manners his mother instilled in them all rooted deep.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed as delicious flavors exploded on his tongue. Tangy tomato and sharp basil coated his mouth as it mixed with the creamy texture and taste of the mozzarella. The noodles—which he knew Jeremy Pines, their chef, made in house—melted like butter in his mouth. The spicy kick of the beef complemented the dish without overwhelming the other ingredients. “We do not pay that man enough. This is pure heaven!”

“Trust me, we’re paying him plenty.”

Since his sister was the accountant in charge of all the finances, he would trust her. Besides, he was too far gone in this delirium of a dish to even contemplate anything else. Well, he was until…

“Oh, my! This is scrumptious.”

Penny moaned, and the sound brought him back to last night, this morning, the shower. Suddenly, he wasn’t hungry for food anymore. His pants tightened, and he became hard as stone. How was it even possible? They’d been together less than ten hours ago, and his body still craved her more than this amazing meal sitting in front of him.

They ate the rest of dinner while discussing what still needed to be accomplished before the opening, as well as the current business going on with Jacks and their distilling. Though he’d worked all day, he had to put in a little more time tonight since Del was gone. Sucked too, because all he wanted to do was take Penny home and hear some more of those sexy little moans of hers, while he was buried deep inside her.

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