Under Pressure (9 page)

Jewels was the whole package.

His cock jerked, and he forced his mind to take control over his fervid body. Jewels was a beautiful woman, and intelligent, but she wasn’t one to mess with—no matter what his intentions.

Too bad she sent warmth oozing through his body and straight to his
loins.

She stepped inside the open door of the barn. “Hank? You in here?”

Spark leaned against the fence and propped his booted foot against the bottom rail. He forced his gaze to stay off Jewels and gazed out over the field at the horses.

He remembered Stone telli
ng him that Jewels loved horses and had started riding while still in diapers, growing up spending more time in a saddle than on a swing. Spark could see a wild, spirited side to her but she kept a blanket over it. He wondered if she ever let her guard down.

“I was told to expect a burly man,
but I didn’t think he’d be a sucker to boot.”

The raspy voice brought Spark’s gaze around
, and he smiled. “Well, well, if it isn’t Scrawny. I haven’t seen you in years, my man.” Spark pushed away from the fence, held out his hand and the other man gave it a firm shake. Scrawny had gotten his name for being short and thin, but Spark knew the man was as strong as an ox.

“
Scrawny?” Jewels lifted a thin brow.

“That was my rodeo nickname, ma’am.” Scrawny scrubbed his
scraggly beard.

“Is that how you two know each other? From the rodeo?” She nailed Spark with a curious
eye.

“We met on the circuit years ago,” Spark said.

“But you had a lot more years left when I hung up my spurs. You were the best damn star the rodeo had. What the hell happened?” Scrawny pushed back his dusty hat and rubbed his forehead. “I heard about the fall. Man, you’re lucky to be alive.”

Spark shrugged
, noticing that Jewels’ gaze had narrowed into tiny slits. “Everyone gets old.” He hated to admit it.

He heard
her sigh, but he didn’t even bother looking her direction. He’d probably get another lethal stare.

“Ain’t that the truth.” Scrawny chuckled.

“So, it’s great you have a friend who can explain everything,” Jewels said.

“
You want me to show ol’ Spark the ropes?”

“That’d be
great. I have a meeting I’m late for. You men enjoy your day.”

Spark
met her gaze for a split second before she glided past him, leaving a scent of candy slamming into his awareness. He wouldn’t mind sucking on her sweet—

“Careful not to let your eyes get you into trouble, Spark,” Scrawny warned.

“No worries, my friend. She doesn’t like me and I like my women warm.
” Spark dragged his attention away from the spot where Jewels had disappeared around the side of the barn.

Scrawny smiled, showing off a gap in the bottom row of teeth.
Spark remembered the ride when Scrawny had taken a face plant in the dirt and luckily only lost a tooth.

“She can be a
bit direct at times, especially since she came back to live here.” Scrawny kicked the dirt. “Can’t say I blame her. She was with some rich, corporate man who cheated on her. I haven’t been privy to the whole story, but I heard the rumors.”

Spark sighed
and leaned his elbows on the fence. “I don’t care much for gossip.”

“You’ll like working here,
son, as long as you keep your hands out of the garden, if you know what I mean.” Scrawny sniffed loudly.

“Don’t worry.
I don’t have a death wish, and Jewels isn’t my type.” He rubbed the back of his neck. His jeans were finally fitting less tight around his zipper.

Scrawny swatted him on the back
. “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, brother. Maybe you’ll start to believe it. You wouldn’t be the first hand that sneaks a peek every chance he gets, but the smart ones are careful and the idiots are all gone. Papa Bear is protective over the cubs.”

“I hear you loud and clear.” Too
bad his cock was brainless.

Chapter
Six

“ARE YOU GOING to tell me the story behind those green eyes?”

Jewels
looked from behind the open door of the refrigerator and caught Pearl with a narrowed expression. “What are you talking about?” She decided it was best to play stupid.

“The cowboy who had his pants down in our house. I don’t think we’ve had a naked cowboy in here since, well, Dad was away on business and
Em snuck in that Walters boy. You know the one I’m talking about. The brother of Satan,” she huffed.

“Satan as in the man who you
almost hit with Dad’s truck?”

Pearl nibbled the corner of her lips. “That’s not true. If I’d wanted to run him over I would have done it years ago. He thinks he’s
better than anyone.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t like that man. Not one bit!”

Jewels hid her smile behind the bottle of orange juice. “And he doesn’t like you much either.”

“Back to my point, is that how it works around here? Dad is away and the chicks will play? I don’t blame you, though. Spark is worth the risk.” She laughed.

Jewels
slammed the refrigerator door shut. “It wasn’t what it looked like.”

“Oh. Really?”
Pearl pulled out a stool at the bar and slid on. “Then by all means, explain.”

Uncap
ping the juice bottle, Jewels poured a tall glass. She could see that her sister was determined not to let the conversation rest. “I thought he was the cowboy who’d played Em. I sort of took revenge out on the wrong man.”

“Sort of?”
Pearl lifted a brow and grabbed a handful of grapes from a bowl of fruit.

Jewels
rubbed her eyes then dropped her hand. “I seduced him, if you can call it that, took him back to the room and while he was sleeping I applied wax strips all over his legs.” Jewels cringed as she told the story.

“You did what?”
Pearl squealed, dropping a grape and it bounced across the counter.

“Don’t make me repeat it. In my de
fense, I was doing it out of love for our sister.” Seeing Pearl’s suspicious eye, Jewels sighed. “It’s the truth.”

“If you say so, sis, but I have a feeling you
were seeking retribution for something more personal. It hasn’t been that long since Kiefer cheated. It’s only natural you’d have some built up resentment for the male gender.”

“You’re off base. My own
resentment toward cheaters and players has nothing to do with what happened to Em. Completely different scenarios.” Talking about the past always made her anxious. She needed to keep herself busy. “I could use some coffee. Want some?”

“Sure. But don’t think you’re changing the subject.”

“What’s left to discuss?” Jewels filled the carafe with water and dropped coffee granules into the filter. She didn’t look at Pearl until she’d hit start.

“I know it’s a touchy
subject, but I’m worried about you.” Pearl’s serious expression made Jewels’ blood run cold.

“I don’t need or wa
nt you to worry. I’m over Kiefer. I’m also over the fact that he slept with a girl who is barely out of high school.” The words were like acid on her tongue, proving that maybe she did have an ounce of resentment left in her. “Okay, I’ll admit the sting remains but I’m doing really well.” She forced a smile to her lips.

“I agree
—some. After all, you didn’t look too unhappy bent over the new ranch hand, rubbing his, uh, leg.” Pearl teased. “I didn’t know which part of him had your attention when I first saw you.”

Jewels grabbed the towel from the hook and threw it at
Pearl. It landed on her shoulder.

With all of her might, Jewels
wanted to deny the accusation, but truth was, she’d enjoyed herself a little too much while standing so close to Spark. It irritated her that his masculine, clean scent and warm skin could turn her topsy-turvy. But observing those feelings would only make things worse. “You know cowboys aren’t my type.”

“Is that so? Because why?”
Pearl grabbed a banana from the bowl and peeled it, watching Jewels over the top.

“
We grew up with them in our backyard.” Pathetic excuse, Jewels realized.

“Oh yes, and I remember on more than a
few occasions sitting out on the porch, sipping root beer floats and eating cherry licorice while watching brawny, shirtless hunks work. There was even a time we swore we’d marry a cowboy.” Pearl bit into her fruit and moaned.

“Every little girl has a dream. Too bad that’s all it is—a fantasy.” Jewels thrummed her nails against the granite counter.

“I blame Daddy for ruining it for us. Remember he promised to lock us up and throw away the key if we didn’t stop ogling his help?”

Jewels chuckled.
“I even believed him when he said cowboys liked horses better than women. After all, I liked horses better than boys at the time.”

“
Until you got a sample of Kiefer and then you changed your mind.” Pearl laughed. “It must have been his fast car that revved your engine.” She chuckled.

“
And look at how that turned out.” Jewels wrinkled her nose. “But no fast cars, or cowboys, for me. No matter how handsome.” The coffee maker beeped and she made each of them a cup.

“It’s time you start dating
again, Jewels. It doesn’t have to be a cowboy, but anyone with testosterone to get you back into the saddle would be good. They say the best way to get over someone is by being under
someone.” She wriggled her brows.

Jewels
picked a grape from the bowl and tossed it at Pearl’s head. She ducked just in time. “That would be nice, if I found someone interesting enough to make the effort.”

“And Spark
doesn’t ‘spark’ the imagination just a bit?”

“D
ad would have my head, and Spark’s job,” Jewels said.

“Then you
are
a bit curious. Otherwise, you would have simply said no.”

Shrugging, she sipped her coffee, staring at
Pearl through the steam. Placing the cup onto the counter, she clicked her tongue. “I did get a glance of the package, and I must admit, even flaccid I could see he was built.”

They both laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

Jewels and
Pearl turned.

Em
stood in the doorway, her eyes tapered.

“Oh nothing,
” Pearl said.

“No, it’s not nothing
,” Em mumbled as she took a seat next to Pearl. “Coffee. I need a gallon.”

“H
elp yourself and then you and I need to have a long talk.” Jewels placed her hands on her hips.

“Oh no, I
know that look. I’m about to get another lecture,” Em drawled.

Jewels
clenched her teeth, and Pearl slid off the stool. “That’s my cue to exit and let you girls talk. I have an appointment to make in an hour. No blood bath, you both hear?”

“Oh, th
at depends on if Miss Smartcakes wants to tangle or not.” Jewels rubbed her forehead. She couldn’t remember when she’d become surrogate mother to her little sister. It just happened and it wasn’t always the easiest job. Em seemed to push her limits at every turn. “We have to talk, now.”

Em
tapped her fingers on the table. “Look, I know what you’re going to say.”

“Do you? What’s that?”
Jewels made a mental reminder that she had to go about things differently with Em. She carried around a lot of resentment because she’d never had a mother in her life.

Em
blinked. “That I need to act like a responsible adult.”

“That’s a
given. Telling a man a false name, my name of all things, and then sleeping with him, isn’t being responsible.”

With a long sigh,
Em sat back in the chair and looked at Jewels with an impatient glare. “I’m twenty-five. If I want to sleep with a man I can and not be reprimanded by my sister.”

“
You have a future to think about. Sleeping around only proves you don’t care.” Once the words were out, she realized they were too harsh.

So much for taking a different approach.

One corner of Em’s mouth turned down. “You have no clue what I do! And you have no right to judge me when your boyfriend cheated because you didn’t show him anything but an icy shoulder.”

The words stung. “No,
Em, Kiefer cheated because he couldn’t keep his zipper closed.”

With an exasperated sigh,
Em slid off the stool and stomped across the room, stopped at the threshold and looked at Jewels with a cold glare. “I didn’t ask you to search out this Spark guy. So don’t get mad at me because you screwed up!”

“You’re right, I did screw up. But I did it because I care.”