Holidays With the Walker Brothers (19 page)

“Mmmm,”
Andrea moaned when his cock was free, her long fingers wrapped around him.

“Here,
while you’re at it,” Sawyer dug a condom out of his pocket and handed it over
to her. It took him two tries to get the foil packet into her hands, but he
finally managed, laughing as he did. He knew he had a stupid grin on his face,
but the alcohol was doing its job.

She
seemed confused, but he didn’t give a fuck. As much as he wanted to trust this
chick, even with his brain swimming in alcohol, he didn’t. And honestly, he
didn’t consider that a bad thing.

“What?”
he asked defensively when she stared up at him. “It’s flavored. Try it, you’ll
like it.”

In
his world, protection was critical. And he didn’t take any risks. Ever.

“What’re
you waitin’ for?” he asked, his words slurring due to the alcohol.

Yep,
almost there.

“Show
her how it’s done,” Greyson told the brunette between his thighs.

Sawyer
watched as the brunette eased over in front of him, her short, stubby fingers
wrapping around him tightly.

“Easy,
darlin’. No need to choke him to death,” Sawyer told her, grabbing her hand and
releasing some of the pressure on his cock.

The
brunette took the condom and slid it over his dick while she stared between his
legs intently. Once he was sheathed, she wasted no time at all taking him deep
into her mouth, her tongue roaming hurriedly back and forth.

“Slow
down. Ain’t no race,” he mumbled, glancing over at Greyson who was stroking his
own cock slowly, watching the brunette.

“Help
her out,” Greyson instructed the blonde and a second later, Sawyer was in
heaven, the warmth of two mouths laving his dick, their tongues working in
tandem, briefly intertwining with one another as they went.

This
was the life, he thought to himself as he downed another gulp from the bottle.
No worries whatsoever. And what did he fucking care if this was meaningless,
cheap sex with two women he wouldn’t see again?

“Awww,
yes,” he groaned. “Just like that.”

He
wanted them to hurry, to bring him to the pinnacle and send him over and maybe
he’d find enough desire to get it up again and start all over. And if he
didn’t, he didn’t really give a shit.

“Hold
up, ladies,” Greyson interrupted. “Don’t get him too worked up. Once he’s done,
he’s done.”

“Fuck
you,” Sawyer said with a grin. “You make them stop, and you can take their
place.”

“Fuck
you, man. Not in this lifetime,” Greyson said with a strangled laugh. “I ain’t
into all that, but if they’d like to get a little sixty-nine going with each
other, I’m all for watching.”

To
Sawyer’s delight, the brunette pulled away from his cock and kissed the blonde
with so much enthusiasm, the two of them actually fell over on the floor. Well,
maybe that was more from the shots they’d been downing since they arrived an
hour ago than from excitement.

He
could pretend.

It
made it hotter that way.

For
half a second, he considered getting down there with them, but he knew if that
happened, he’d be horizontal for the rest of the night, and it wasn’t quite
midnight yet.

“Something
happens at midnight, right?” he asked Greyson, his head tilting toward his
buddy while his eyes remained fixed on the two chicks getting naked on the
floor.

“Yup,
it’ll be tomorrow.”

Sawyer
looked over at Greyson, his mind clearing briefly. Was he fucking serious?

Laughing,
he turned back to the show.

“Damn,
baby,” Greyson said. “That’s nice.”

Taking
another swig from the bottle, Sawyer smiled to himself. Yep, life was good. And
no matter what anyone else said, he didn’t need any more than this right here.

He
damn sure didn’t need an uppity veterinarian who made his pulse race, or his heart
pound. All that lovey dovey shit might be just what his brothers needed, but
not him.

No
fucking way.

“I
ain’t gonna be able to get on the floor,” he told Greyson, although he didn’t
even understand the words himself.

Greyson
grinned.

“Me
neither, man. I’m too old for that shit,” Greyson stuttered, grabbing the
bottle out of Sawyer’s hand.

“So,
what do we do now?” Sawyer’s mind was swimming, his eyes blurry and he had half
a mind to leave these two chicks rolling around right there on the floor. They
seemed content to have their faces buried in each other’s pussy.

Greyson
shrugged as he chugged from the bottle.

“All
right, that’s enough!” Sawyer called out, trying to infuse a little authority
in his tone. He had no idea whether he succeeded or not because as soon as he
went to stand, the world tilted, spun, and the next thing he knew…

He
was right there on the floor with them, his jeans around his thighs.

Well,
what do you know? That wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be. Grabbing hold
of the nearest girl, he pulled her closer. “My turn,” he slurred.

Yep,
this was the life.

And
if anyone tried to tell him different, well, he’d just tell them to go to hell.

♂♀

Kaleb

“Ten,
Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two…”

Kaleb
turned to Zoey, cupping her face in both hands as he stared down into her eyes.
“One,” he whispered.

Leaning
forward, he kissed her lips softly, lingering as he inhaled her fresh scent.
Her hands gripped his wrists, and he could feel her grin against his mouth.

“I
love you, Kaleb Walker,” she whispered loud enough for him to hear her over the
explosion of sound that had erupted in the cavernous room when the clock struck
midnight.

“Not
nearly as much as I love you,” he told her, pulling back so he could once again
stare down into her eyes. “Now that we’ve brought in the new year with everyone
else, how ‘bout we go home and celebrate. Just the two of us.”

“Sounds
like a perfect plan to me,” she told him, kissing him once more before pulling
back and taking his hand in hers.

As
they made their way across the room, Kaleb knew the night was still young for
everyone else, and if he had to guess, they were going to celebrate the New
Year in style, successfully christening the resort the way that it deserved.
After all, they hadn’t named it Alluring Indulgence because it had a nice ring
to it.

Without
a backward glance, Kaleb left his brothers and the others to their own devices.
He knew they didn’t need his help in making the start of another year special.
Whether they were in it for love, for fun, or just because, his brothers were
going to enjoy themselves.

And
the only thing he could hope was that they didn’t burn the place down with the
heat they produced.

♂

Jared

New
Year’s Day

Sitting
in the airport terminal waiting for a flight that had been delayed by another
two hours due to weather was not Jared Walker’s idea of a good way to spend New
Year’s Day.

It
wasn’t like he had much of a choice though.

Looking
around, he noticed the weary travelers, all probably eager to get back home.
The holidays were coming to a close, life was going to resume as normal, and
families were going to go back to spending their time chatting via social media
in order to keep up with everything that was going on. At least until the next
set of holidays arrived and they’d do it all again.

For
Jared, the holidays were officially over and getting to Coyote Ridge was the
only thing he could think about.

Checking
his cell phone, Jared smiled at the text he just received.

You
landed yet, boy?

Boy?
That was Uncle
Curtis. It didn’t matter how old they were, Curtis was always referring to his
sons and his nephews as “boy”. And the term was endearing, something he’d spent
his life hearing. Thankfully, after what had turned out to be a shitty two
years, Jared was looking forward to starting over and the opportunity he was
being presented with was one he couldn’t pass up.

He
tapped the keys on his phone in response:

Plane
delayed

He’d
been texting back and forth with Curtis for the better part of the last week,
working through the logistics of getting him to Coyote Ridge. As luck would
have it, Jared was being offered a second chance to start over.

Knowing
that he had to get away from the soap opera that his real life had turned into
and start over, Jared had talked to his father, Gerald. That conversation had
resulted in a phone call to his Uncle Curtis and Jared had learned that his
management skills would actually come in quite handy with his cousins’
business.

So,
after a conversation with his cousin Travis, Jared was on his way to work for
Walker Demolition. According to Travis, they had recently taken on another
venture and really needed someone to come in and focus on the demo company.

Jared
had jumped at the opportunity and here he was, hanging out at the airport
waiting on a plane to take him to his new life.

Text
when you get on the plane. I’ll pick you up at the airport

Jared
nodded at his phone as though his uncle could see his reply.

Will
do.

Instead
of spending New Year’s Eve with his family or out on the town, Jared had spent
the night, and the better part of New Year’s Day morning, in an airport,
waiting to get on a flight out of El Paso. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t
agreeing with all of his well-intended plans.

He
could only hope things were about to start looking up.

♂♀

Curtis

Curtis
glanced down at his phone, reading the response from his nephew before shoving
it into his pocket. When he woke up that morning, he fully expected to be
heading to the airport to pick Jared up; however, he’d received several texts
through the night letting him know that the plane was delayed.

It
was still delayed.

Hell,
at this rate, Curtis could’ve driven up to El Paso to get him faster.

He
felt sorry for the boy. He knew Travis was anxious for him to get down there,
anxious to have someone who could come in and put their sole focus on keeping
Walker Demolition thriving now that the resort was about to open. That didn’t
mean the boy had to spend the holidays in the damn airport.

Travis’
original plan was to talk one of the twins into stepping into the role. When
they offered the job to Brendon and Braydon, both of them had laughed their
asses off. The memory of that conversation made Curtis grin.

“Seriously,
Bubba?” Braydon asked, grinning as he glanced back and forth between Travis,
Sawyer, and Curtis. “Y’all trust either of us to take that on?”

“Why
the hell wouldn’t I?” Travis argued.

“Oh,
I don’t know. Maybe ‘cause you’ve said it,” Braydon said with a laugh.

Curtis
watched Travis’ expression, noticing how his oldest boy turned a fascinating
shade of pale.

“Well,
if you want it, it’s yours,” Travis said gruffly.

“No
thanks,” Brendon said, leaning back in his chair like he didn’t have a care in
the world. “If anything, I’m waitin’ for you to offer me a job at the resort.”

“The
resort?”

“Yup,”
Brendon smiled deviously, glancing over at Braydon. “Ain’t that right?”

“Yup,”
Braydon confirmed. “From what we’ve heard, there’s plenty of trouble we can get
in over there.”

“Hey,
what about Jaxson?” Brendon asked, his expression going from joking to serious.

Curtis
had originally suggested Jaxson, his sister Mary’s oldest boy, but he quickly
learned Travis’ and Sawyer’s opinion on that. And, they had a good point.
Jaxson was so close to the boys, he wasn’t sure Ethan or Brendon or Braydon
would actually take him seriously.

Ironically,
Jaxson was the one to come to Curtis, and it wasn’t because he was looking for
a job. As it turned out, Curtis’ brother Gerald’s oldest boy was having some
problems, and they were hoping Curtis could help. Based on what he learned from
Jaxson and then from Gerald, and after he explained the story to Lorrie, they
had invited Jared to come down and stay with them.

If
only Jared knew what he was getting himself into, Curtis thought as he looked
into the kitchen to see Lorrie putting something into the refrigerator. If the
boy needed some extra special motherly love, he was about to get it. Which
meant, at the very least, the boy would be fed well and often.

“Are
you almost ready?” Lorrie called as she closed the refrigerator door and turned
to face him.

“Whenever
you are,” he replied, grabbing her coat and his from the rack near the door.
Patting his pocket, he made sure he had his phone. As soon as Jared let him
know he was boarding the plane, Curtis would be off to the airport to await his
arrival.

As
he helped Lorrie into her coat, he inhaled deeply. “Woman, dinner smells
fantastic.”

“Well,
the beans have to cook just a little while longer, or I’d offer you some now.”

“I’m
sure I can wait.” He hoped he could wait. Hell, with Jared’s flight still
delayed, he hoped they made it home
in time
for dinner.

♂♀♂

Kylie

“You
look like hell, boy,” Curtis told Sawyer when he joined them at Moonshiners a
little after one in the afternoon.

Kylie
was kind of thinking the same thing. If she wasn’t mistaken, Sawyer was still
wearing the same clothes he had on the night before. And the sunglasses that he
sported in the dark bar didn’t conceal much.

“Thanks,
Pa,” Sawyer groaned as he made his way toward the back.

Kylie
sat on the stool between V and Gage, the three of them watching Brendon and
Travis play pool. They’d been there for the better part of the afternoon, just
hanging out. At noon, Brendon had called to remind them that they were all
supposed to meet at the bar. Little did Kylie know until then that this was
another one of the many Walker family traditions.

According
to Travis, everyone, including Lorrie, would come to the bar on New Year’s Day
for a couple of hours just to spend time together. Travis had explained how
Lorrie liked the idea of being able to spend time with her boys on the first
day of the year and Travis said they had never argued with her logic.

So,
they were just passing the time until they would all head back to Travis’
parents’ house for dinner. The menu tonight: cornbread, black-eyed peas, and
brisket. Kylie still couldn’t believe just how much Lorrie liked to cook. But
then again, with seven boys, it probably came natural for her.

Travis
came over to the table to stand at her side when it was Brendon’s turn and he wrapped
an arm around her, pulling her back against his chest. She leaned her head
back, looking way up as he leaned forward and gave her a quick upside down
kiss. Sitting back up, she smiled at Gage, resting her hand on his thigh.

The
holidays were almost officially over, and the last few weeks had produced some
of the most wonderful memories for her. Having been welcomed into such a loving
family was more than she could’ve imagined and having the pleasure of spending
so much time with them was something she knew she’d look forward to for years
to come.

Her
free hand moved to rest on her belly as though it had a mind of its own. As
another thought took root, Kylie smiled again. Maybe this time next year,
they’d be celebrating more than just the holidays.

♀♂

Lorrie

Lorrie
had to admit that she didn’t spend much time at Moonshiners, but every year, on
New Year’s Day, the boys would invite her and Curtis to join them, and since
the very first invitation, she had never said no.

And
just like every other time, she was enjoying herself immensely, completely
consumed by the welcoming atmosphere, the love that rolled off of her boys and
the people that loved them. The gift of her family was truly the only thing in
the world she needed. A blessing that she thanked God for every single day.

“Have
I mentioned how pretty you look today?” Curtis’ deep voice rumbled in her ear,
and Lorrie turned to face her husband.

“Hmm,
I’m not sure you have,” she teased.

“Well,
you’re the prettiest woman in the room.”

It
was amazing that after so many years together, this man could still make her
blush. Planting her hands flat on his chest, she pushed up on her toes as he
leaned over. She pressed a kiss against his lips and smiled. “I love you,” she
whispered.

“And
I love you,” he replied. “What are you over here thinking about?”

“Oh,
anything and everything.” Turning in the circle of his arms, Lorrie’s eyes
darted around the room, looking for every one of her boys.

She
found Kaleb first. He was sitting at a table with his beautiful pregnant wife
perched on his knee. They weren’t joined by anyone else, but the extra chair at
the table wasn’t needed. With those two, they were rarely separated.
Considering they had spent the majority of their lives as friends, it only made
sense that they would transition into a marriage with a sturdy foundation of
deep love and respect for one another. Soon, they were going to be parents and
Lorrie was going to receive the honor of being a grandmother, something she’d
been waiting on for as long as she could remember.

Not
far away from them, Sawyer was standing stoically against the wall. But even
with the sunglasses shielding his eyes, she noticed he was staring forlornly in
one specific direction. Lorrie didn’t have to guess who he was looking at. The
same woman he’d had eyes on for more years than Lorrie could count. Not that he
would admit it. He was her fun-loving boy, but she suspected his wild and crazy
days might be soon coming to an end. She knew he’d always be the wildest of the
bunch, but Lorrie had a feeling that, with the New Year, there were going to be
some changes in Sawyer’s life. As a mom, she just had a feeling.

Tracking
the others around the room, she saw Travis, Gage and Kylie huddled together,
the three of them smiling like new lovers should. Lorrie was beside herself
with happiness for them, just glad that her oldest boy had finally found what
he’d been searching for. And no, maybe it wasn’t conventional, but it was love.
Pure and simple.

Several
feet away from Travis was Zane. He was standing behind V, one hand resting on
her shoulder as he talked animatedly to Beau. It was amazing how much of a
difference a year could make. Last year at this time, Lorrie remembered finally
finding relief after months of going down on her knees, both night and day,
begging the Lord not to take Zane away from them. And this year, he stood tall
and proud with the woman he loved and Lorrie’s heart filled to overflowing at
the sight.

Her
eyes trailed to V who was sitting at the table, talking to Kylie. Soon, very,
very soon, she’d have another daughter-in-law, and she certainly couldn’t wait.
The woman Zane had fallen in love with was a treasure, one that needed to be
protected within the arms of Lorrie’s wonderful family.

At
the pool table, Brendon was playing, his attention focused on what he was
doing. Just a short while ago, he’d been talking to Braydon, both of them
looking more intense than she’d ever seen them. Granted, nothing escaped her
notice. At least not where her boys were concerned. And it was evident that the
world as the twins knew it might actually be evolving into something much, much
different. She had a feeling that Jessie Prescott might actually have something
to do with that. Unfortunately, Lorrie couldn’t make this road an easy one for them,
but she would certainly be there for them when they needed her.