Silence.

Shit.

"Actually, we were talking about Jessie," Ginger said, shifting the baby in her lap.

Great. So now he and Jessie were permanently linked in his family's eyes? He was good with that, but he doubted Jessie would be. "What about her?"

"Have you talked to her since she left for Riverton?"

If "talked" is a euphemism for having scorching hot phone sex with her two nights running, then yes.

"Hello? Earth to Brandt."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I've talked to her. She's havin' a good time."

"I'm glad. She deserved a break."

Was it his imagination, or did the room turn a little hostile? Were they blaming him for Jessie needing a break?

Of course they are, dumbass.

"Jessie is great with all the kids at Sky Blue." Skylar tucked the pink blanket around Ginger and Kane's baby girl Maddie, nestled in her arms. "We'd be lost without her."

"No argument from me." Dammit. That wasn't what he'd meant.

Or was it?

Again, those two million eyes pinned him in place.

Quick. Change the subject and get out before they pounce. "Look, have you seen-"

"Your mom and Landon?" Macie supplied. "Yes, she's changing him. Said she'll be right back so you might as well stick around and chat with us."

Chat. Right. They planned to hold his boots to the fire.

The baby pressed to Macie's shoulder let out a huge burp. Macie rubbed her back. "Good girl, Poppy."

"So what's Jessie been doing while she's staying at her mom's?"

"I dunno. We haven't talked about it."

Skylar and India exchanged a look.

A look Brandt didn't like at all. "Why? What's goin' on?"

"Nothing, probably," Skylar said.

"Sky," India said gently, "it won't hurt to ask him."

"Ask me what?"

"If Jessie mentioned anything to you about looking for a job while she was in Riverton?"

Surprised, Brandt said, "No."

"See? I told you, sis. You're worried for nothing."

"Why would she look for a job there?" Brandt asked.

"She misses her mom, among other things."

Sky gave India a sharp look, which indicated there was something else going on, but India clammed up.

Brandt half listened as the women chatted about daycare, but his brain had gotten stuck on one thing: the possibility of Jessie leaving.

The logical portion of his brain pointed out that she loved her job. The nasty part of his brain pointed out that if Landon became a fixture in the McKay family, she'd put distance between them in a helluva hurry. And to be honest, how could he blame her?

His gut twisted. He considered the women in this room, all happily married to his cousins, wondering if they had any advice on how to keep Jessie here, in his life, forever.

But they weren't paying attention to him.

When Amelia fussed, Libby lifted her shirt.

When Paulson fussed, Ginger lifted her shirt.

When Ellison fussed, India lifted her shirt.

Skylar laughed when Maddie started bumping her head into her chest. "Huh-uh, girlie, I've got nothing in there for you. Let's get you back to mama."

Ginger sighed and lifted up the other side of her shirt.

Dear God. Were all these women just whipping out their breasts like it was no big deal?

Don't look. Your cousins will beat your ass for gawking at their wives' bared breasts.

This was so freakin' weird. Yeah, he knew that breastfeeding was natural and all that jazz, but he had brothers for Christsake, not sisters, and he'd never actually seen a live pair of breasts until he was sixteen. He'd never seen woman nurse a baby. Ever. And it sure as hell didn't look as clinical and messy as a cow standing around chewing her cud while a calf noisily sucked on her teats.

"Brandt? You okay?" India asked.

"Um, I gotta go." He raced out so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet.

Feminine laughter chased him out of the room.

Brandt slipped into the den and heaved a sigh of relief. All men in here, burping, farting, scratching themselves, arguing, being guys. Guys, he understood. Women, not so much.

And maybe that was his biggest problem.

Before he left Cord and AJ's, Skylar took him aside. "I'll be honest, Brandt. This is a confusing time for you and Jessie both. But you need to remember one thing."

"What's that?"

"If you give her a reason to stay here, she will."

"And how do I do that, Skylar?"

Her gaze flicked to Landon, sleeping on his shoulder, and then back to him. "By not giving her an excuse to leave."

Well, that cleared things up a whole helluva lot.

Not.

He smiled tightly. "Thanks for the advice."

Later that night he lay in bed and waited for Jessie to call. But she didn't.

Nor did she call the next night.

Would he seem too fucking needy if he called her?

Or would it seem like he didn't give a shit if he didn't call?

Man, he sucked at this relationship stuff.

Finally he called and left a message on her voice mail.

But she didn't call him back.

Chapter Eighteen.

Good. He was home.

Jessie left Lexie outside to run off her extra energy after being cooped up inside the truck for the last five hours. She tried to be quiet as she snuck up the steps, wanting to maintain the surprise.

It worked. After she opened the door and slipped inside Brandt's trailer, she glanced at the man who sat on the couch, remote in hand, completely goggle-eyed.

Then his sly, sexy smile appeared. "Damn girl. It's great to see you, but you had me worried since I haven't heard from you the last two days."

Jessie kicked off her boots. Unwrapped the scarf. Peeled off her gloves and unbuttoned her long wool coat. "Sorry about that. I lost my cell phone Friday afternoon in the Tetons when we were snowshoeing. By the time I realized it and activated a new phone, and charged it up, it was time to head home. So here I am."

"I'm glad you're here." He set the remote on the coffee table, next to a full bottle of Corona. "Did you have a good time at your mom's?"

Brandt? Making idle chitchat? Which would be sweet if his hungry eyes weren't already stripping her bare. Not a sweet thing about those midnight blue eyes right now.

She skirted the coffee table. "Is Landon sleeping?"

"Yep. He's been down about a half hour."

"Good. Then I timed it perfectly."

His eyebrows lifted. "Timed what perfectly?"

"This." She straddled his lap, held his face in her hands and kissed him. She tried to keep it easy, a deep, slow, wet reunion kiss. But the sensation of his full warm lips beneath hers, the glide of his tongue against hers, his taste and his scent made her wild, and she inhaled him in a blazing kiss of pure need.

Heady stuff, how he met her kiss for kiss, touch for touch, breath for breath.

She moved her lips along the line of his jaw to his ear. "God, Brandt. I'm dying for you. Phone sex was hot, but I want real sex. Lots of it. Right now." She slid off his lap.

Keeping her eyes on his, she circled her fingers around his wrists, tugging him to his feet. While gorging herself on his addictive kisses, she herded him down the hallway to his bedroom. After locking the bedroom door, Jessie jerked Brandt's shirt off. She made short work of his jeans, yanking the denim and his boxers to the floor.

Then she pushed him on the bed.

Brandt propped himself on his elbows, not the least bit bothered by his nakedness. Or his full-blown hard-on. And he shouldn't be. His rockin' body should always be naked.

"What are you grinning at, Miss Jessie?"

"The thought of you being naked twenty-four/seven."

"Wouldn't be much fun if I was nekkid alone. Speaking of nekkid..." His predatory gaze moved over her in a sensual caress. "You have way too many clothes on."

"Do I? I might be inclined to take them all off, but there is one little condition."

He said, "Name it," without hesitation.

"I get to have my wicked way with you and you just have to lay there and take it."

"Deal."

There was that smile of his, the smile that promised he'd keep his word, but also guaranteed delicious payback.

Jessie disrobed and crawled over him, loving how his body heat warmed her skin. She tucked her knees by his hips and bent down, letting her hair fall in a curtain around their faces. She savored the give and take of mouths, as they both took a turn at leading the kiss.

Brandt's arms were casually thrown above his head, but before too long, those rough-skinned hands were sliding up her arms, gliding down her back, stopping to cup her butt cheeks. He whispered, "Jess. Before we... I need..."

"What?"

"To put my mouth on you. I know you're wet. I can smell that hot sweetness between your thighs. The need to taste you is makin' me crazy." He nuzzled her temple. "You can do anything you want to me after, but first, I wanna feel you come against my tongue."

Ah. What was she supposed to say? No way? When her clit was doing the wave in anticipation of Brandt's mouth? "You drive a hard bargain, but...okay."

He laughed.

Jessie pushed back to balance on her knees as she straddled Brandt's thighs.