Blaine, Destiny - Domination Plantation [Southern Plantation 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (2 page)

Chapter One

Three days later

“You could’ve said no,” Jules told him for the fifteenth time.

Brogan was sick of hearing his mouth flap. He grabbed a bale of hay and slung the straw more at Jules than the wagon. Thanks to his tantrum, he missed both. Brogan swatted his palms together briskly and then shook his head.

They glared at one another for a few more turns of tossing hay. Jules threw one bale and Brogan moved another.

“Tell you what. I’ll call him right now. Tell him to turn around and head straight back to Birmingham. You’re right. We don’t want two little women coming into our world and ruining our party.”

“Uh-huh,” Jules grumbled.

“How about I tell him to give Fiona a kiss on each cheek for us? Maybe he’ll tell her how sorry we are that we couldn’t keep the kid because we had a few pussies to tap. What about it, Jules? Sounds like a good enough excuse, don’t ’cha think?”

“Shit, man,” Jules said through gritted teeth. “What I mean is I don’t see why Serena wanted to bring along a friend. If Heath really feels like Serena needs some time away while he sits with Fiona, why not send her by herself? We’d spoil her rotten. Haven’t we always been good to her?”

“This isn’t about Serena. You’re afraid we’ll end up babysitting and you don’t want to be responsible for anyone other than our niece.”

“Damn straight. Two young women together are bound to find trouble if someone isn’t keeping an eye on them.

“If they start prowling around town looking for some excitement, they’ll find plenty. With our reputations and this place here, every college boy in the county will be looking for a hook-up. We’re askin’ for a headache. You wait and see.”

“Heath said the gal with Serena has nowhere else to go. Serena and her friend go everywhere together.” Brogan nodded toward the driveway. “Speaking of which, they’re here.”

Jules jumped off the large wagon, pulled his fingers away from his work gloves, and tossed them aside. He swiped the sweat from his thick brow and tented his hand over his eyes. “Good thing you didn’t call them and tell them to go home.”

“Guess so,” Brogan said, pasting a smile on his face.

The sleek SUV made a slow approach. The automobile reminded him of a black, stealthy panther as it came toward them. Brogan should have taken the analogy as a sign, a real warning.

He felt an odd tickle rush up and down his spine. A true sense of dread washed over him. Deciding the brutal heat had made him a little woozy, he grabbed a bottle of water and took a swig as he awaited his family.

The next few moments unraveled as if they were being played out in slow motion. He glanced over at Jules and noticed how his eyes widened about the time Serena and Heath closed their doors simultaneously.

The back door opened and a pair of long, slender legs appeared. Dark curls bounced lightly across thin, bare shoulders as a woman—quite possibly the most beautiful he’d ever seen—stepped away from the car.

“Shit,” Jules said. “That’s no kid, Brogan.”

“Reckon it’s Fiona?” he asked. “We haven’t seen her in two years.”

“Fiona never had boobs or curves.”

“Maybe she grew three or four inches, lost a few pounds, and ditched about twenty years in the process.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Heaven help us if that’s Serena’s friend,” Brogan said, lowering his voice.

“Uncle Jules! Uncle Brogan!” Serena waved wildly. “Hurry up. I want you to meet Jenna!”

The men stared at one another. Brogan felt his upper jaw twitch and Jules lost his color. They glared at their little niece like she wasn’t just the culprit in planned mischief but she was also the red-haired, freckled-face, favored child of the devil himself.

“Damn it to hell,” Brogan cussed. “Yep. That’s her. I remember Heath mentioning
Jenna
.”

“Sweet mercenary,” Jules whispered.

“Not a word. Heath is counting on us. If he can stand to be around her, we can, too. Maybe she has a quirk or two.”

“If she has the first flaw, the defect isn’t visible from here. Besides, you’re forgetting Heath is a saint compared to us. Daddy always said he belonged to the milkman.”

“
Preacherman
is more like it,” Brogan muttered under his breath. “But Heath once enjoyed the same things we do. He always liked his women young and willing to train.”

“He’s married for crying out loud! And I don’t think he’s capable of thinking straight if he brought
that
to us!” Jules walked ahead of him, traipsing toward their family and guest.

“He may have a ring on his finger, but he ain’t blind!”

Jules immediately turned around and faced him. “Remember that old adage? They say love is capable of all sorts of things. If that’s true, Heath must be wearing a blindfold. No man in his right mind would drop that girl off here.”

Maybe there was the problem. Why, sure, Jules provided the perfect explanation.

Heath just wasn’t in his right mind.

* * * *

A few hours later, Heath joined them in the barn. Jules had been trying to figure out the best way to approach the Jenna subject, but he wasn’t sure if his brother was prepared to hear what he needed to say.

Brogan and Jules exchanged a knowing glance, watching as Heath approached from the far end of the long barn. His slumped shoulders suggested that he’d carried the world’s weight atop them. His hair, once thick with coal-black curls, was now trimmed so thin he looked twice his age.

Jules felt sorry for him. Fiona’s illness was undoubtedly worse than he and Brogan had previously realized. Still, there were some topics that couldn’t be avoided, especially since the subject in question was one he’d place as a wager against his best mare as being a real sensitive one.

“Listen, Heath, we probably need to call in a favor.” Jules had a way with women but not necessarily a way with words. He jumped right in and tackled the issue at hand. “I know you remember Melissa and Pete. Well, they live down the road here about a mile or so. They probably won’t mind if Jenna stays with them. Given our lifestyle, you should understand. Serena’s friend can’t stay here.”

“Why not?” Heath asked, apparently blindsided. “She’s not a bit of trouble. Jenna and Serena can even help out around the place. From what I saw earlier, you have a lot to do around here. That fence at the main road needs mending and Lord have mercy, you still have a world of hay to bale. If it’s just the two of you, put the girls to work. Make ’em earn their keep. If they don’t do what you tell ’em, then tan their hides.”

“Good damn.” Jules leaned his head against the rail behind him and rubbed his forehead. “Did you really just suggest I spank Jenna’s ass?”

Heath stared at him blankly. “Figuratively.”

“I hope so. Nonetheless, her ass is about all I’ve thought about for the last half hour.”

Heath rubbed a flat fist over his hair, taunting Jules like he often did when they were young boys. “Have you now? Well, that does present a few challenges. I love that kid like she’s my own. You best not touch her.”

“Tell me something, Heath,” Brogan said, stepping in to play devil’s advocate. “How old is Jenna?”

“Twenty-one,” Heath replied.

“Kid, hell,” Jules grumbled under his breath.

“Mind to tell us why she’s living with you?” Brogan asked.

“Her no-good stepdaddy kicked her out of the house a few months ago. She kept a three-point-five grade point average over at the university, but she was already working a few jobs just to make ends meet before he gave her the boot. I told her she could stay with us until she’s on her feet. I’ve known her for years. She’s like one of my own.”

Brogan immediately shot Jules a sideways glance and a lopsided grin. “At least she’s old enough for you to spank.”

“Yeah?” Jules drawled sarcastically. “But she’s just a child now, you know.” He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and started pacing. How Heath looked at Jenna and avoided seeing what was in plain sight was a million-dollar question with a few pennies in change.

“I’m not playing around here, boys,” Heath said, wearing a solemn expression and keeping his voice low. He was undoubtedly ready to pull out the big-brother card and play the high hand. “I want your word. With Fiona sick, the last thing I need to worry about is the two of you upsetting Serena by dragging her best friend off to bed.”

“I don’t have a certain attachment to mattresses,” Jules pointed out. “Of course, a bedpost or two does come in handy, especially for what I like to do to women who look like her.”

“What I’d like to do doesn’t necessarily involve a bed either,” Brogan admitted.

“Your word, fellas. You promise me you won’t lay a hand on her.”

Jules took a deep breath. “I’d like to make all sorts of swears and oaths but truth is—”

“I can’t and won’t,” Brogan interrupted. “I’ll give you my word that she’ll have to make the first move, but if she does, she’ll have more than she can handle. I won’t look for a reason to stay away or worry about whether or not you approve.”

“Damn it. I’m counting on both of you to do right by these girls. Serena needs a few weeks off. She’s been sitting with Fiona night and day. I don’t want her fretting because the two of you are smitten and determined to seduce Jenna.”

“Smitten isn’t the right word,” Brogan assured him.

Jules released a cheeky breath full of hot air and outright frustration. “No, smitten is a far cry from what I’m thinking.”

“Guys, come on now. You’ve resisted certain women before.”

“Not one like her,” Jules said. “And, uh, I don’t resist anything when it’s wrapped up in lace and silk.”

Before they could debate the issue further, Serena and Jenna ran into the barn. They sported olive masks on their faces and Jules caught a whiff of green apple lingering in the air. He couldn’t help himself. He gave Jenna a real thorough head-to-toe evaluation.

“Ladies,” Brogan said.

Hell, Jules couldn’t speak. Jenna looked like a sexy green Martian. Even with a cosmetic peel covering her skin, her beauty radiated right through the crusty wrinkles of the at-home facial. The girls sported pajama pants and low-cut camisoles, fitted and probably deemed appropriate by some standards.

Serena needed to go back inside and change. Jenna was fine right where she stood, and she certainly saved them all the trouble of second-guessing the future.

Hot damn. The gal sure owned the body for the show. Every crevice and curve was clearly defined under her cotton attire.

Jules couldn’t help himself. He took a moment to appreciate, but resisted the urge to rubberneck and gawk at her ass.

He didn’t pay Brogan any mind. His wandering eye was most likely sliding up and down, taking a slow trek with a thorough body hike.

“Guys?” Heath snapped, thinning his lips.

The games would start there. Heath could witness their complete evaluation.

Jenna turned around. This was precisely what Jules had feared. Caution went to the wind. She might as well give the go-ahead. A green light of approval with batting eyelashes, a wink and smile, or all of the above, would serve as an appropriate start.

“Gold and charms, diamonds and studs, Lord a’mercy in heaven above,” Jules chanted, catching wide eyes from Serena and a look of contempt from Heath.

Jenna glanced from Heath to Jenna and back to Heath again. Jules should’ve told the little woman to swing that gaze his way. He’d gladly explain things to her one-on-one, in a way in which she’d understand.

Some things were worth a second look, not that Jules so much as glanced away in the first place. He checked her out and didn’t care if his brothers, or his niece for that matter, noticed.

“You girls will scare the critters around here,” Heath told them before he hugged Serena and then Jenna. “Now both of you behave. I’ll leave the boys here some spending money and if you need anything, ask ’em for it.” He pulled out his wallet and relinquished a few hundred dollar bills.

Brogan flatly refused. “We got it for a month.”

Jules thought he should’ve placed a little emphasis on the thirty-day factor, not because of the money but because four weeks would probably be about all a man could stand. In the meantime, he’d walk around with a perpetual hard-on.

Heath shook his finger at Serena and Jenna. “No sneaking out. If you want to go somewhere, just tell them.” He averted his attention away from the girls and focused on Brogan. “Serena has a birthday coming up and Jenna is an adult. They can go pretty much anywhere they want.”

Heath had no reason to worry. Oh no. Jules would keep a bird’s-eye view and make sure he knew where Jenna and Serena were at all times.

Worst-case scenario, if these young ladies thought they might make out like a couple of convicts running wild after midnight, Jules had a solution. He’d slide into Jenna’s bed and personally protect her from the horrible temptations found in the dead of night.

“Dad, where would we go in Bristol, Tennessee?” Serena’s mischievous voice yanked Jules back into reality, tearing him away from the kind of fantasies that made a grown cowboy cry out in the middle of good loving.