Page 13 of My Ex-Boyfriend's Brothers

He leaned down and kissed me. He slid his hands into my hair and deepened the kiss, stroking his tongue over mine before slowly pulling away. “Are you trying to be my little soldier? You going to fight for me?”

I shrugged. “If I have to. You deserve someone in your corner.”

He groaned. “Why am I so turned on by that?”

Steven’s voice from the start of the trail surprised me. “Yoo-hoo! I’ll be waiting for you two inside. Take your time!”

I whacked the side of my head with the flowers. “I forgot I was even doing something here. That’s why I have to stay away from you while I’m planning this wedding.”

With a pat on my ass, Jackson pushed me back towards the shop. “Lucky for you, I’m more than willing to wait. What’s two more weeks when I’ve been waiting for my chance for six years?”

I blew out a soft breath and pressed myself into his chest. “You can’t say things like that.”

“I do what I want. Now go. Show the flower guy that I’m better than him at his job.” He grinned. “The faster you finish with him, the longer ride I can give you before your next job.”

I wagged my eyebrows. “If only I didn’t have work and you meant that in more ways than one.”

He growled. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

I had to admit that I rushed through the final walk through with Steven. I showed him the changes, crediting Jackson, and finalized everything as fast as possible so I could spend more time on the back of Jackson’s bike. Steven’s wink told me that he definitely understood.

I held onto Jackson tighter than necessary on the ride back to the lodge and fought with myself over my desires and commitments. I wanted to keep riding with him, away from the wedding. I had too many responsibilities to do that, though. The thought of not seeing Luke or Ryan again didn’t feel all that nice, either. Needless to say, by the time Jackson steered the bike towards the front doors of the lodge, I was in a weird mood.

I was so lost in my own head that I didn’t notice how Jackson had stiffened until he stopped the bike and patted my thigh. I was opening my mouth to ask him what was wrong when I heard the last person I wanted to hear.

“What the fuck are you doing withhim?”

12

***Maggie***

Brad was waiting to rip me a new one when I pulled Jackson’s helmet off. “You’re supposed to be working. I’m not paying you to play around, Maggie. This is mywedding.”

“Shewasworking.” Jackson stepped off his bike and stared down at Brad with enough vitriol that I stepped between the two of them.

“My car broke down and Jackson was there to take me to the florist. Thanks to him, I was able to finalize the flowers for the wedding.” I stood with my back to Jackson, so close to him that his warmth seeped through my shirt. “I understand that it’s your wedding, Brad. I’m taking it very seriously. You can relax.”

“Of course you were there to save the day, Jackson.” Brad stared past me like I wasn’t there. “Always waiting in the wings, huh?”

“Fuck off, Brad. Maggie has work to do and I’d rather kick rocks than argue with you.” Jackson rested his hand on my lowerback and smiled at me when I looked back at him. “Go on. Get to work, Bubbles.”

I nodded at him, fighting a grin that would’ve just pissed Brad off even more. “Thanks for the ride!”

Rushing away from the two brothers, I stopped by the dining hall to grab a bite to eat before slipping into my room to change into something nicer. I called Mom while getting redressed.

“Maggie!” Mom sounded just as happy to hear from me as she always did. “You’re supposed to be working, young lady.”

“That’s what people keep telling me.” I struggled to zip up the back of the pretty floral dress. “How are you, Mom? Did the nurse come in to help you with your stretches yet?”

“Not yet. I’m sure someone will come in soon, honey. Don’t worry. Tell me everything about the wedding.”

“Promise you’ll call me if no one’s been in by lunch.” I worried that she never told me the truth about the state of her care. It was one of the things that kept me up at night. “The wedding’s fine. Brad’s older brothers are all here already.”

Mom couldn’t whistle after the stroke but she’d learned to speak the sound of a cat call. “Wee-woo!”

“Mom!” Laughing, I sat on my bed to pull on my heels. “But, yeah. They’re beautiful, Mom. It’s not okay.”

“Sounds okay to me. Matter of fact, sounds like you’re not trying to deny your attraction anymore. Wedding hookups are the best, Maggie. Plus, you always talked so highly of them. I always liked them better than Brad.”

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