Free Born to Be Wild: Welcome to Paradise, Book 3 by Elle Kennedy Page B

She didn’t know what she’d been thinking, trying to connect with him over sandwiches and OJ. She and Jake had only ever been good at two things—sex, and saying goodbye.
    And they’d be doing both by the time this week was over.

Chapter Six
    Jake was having a smoke on the porch the next day when Austin drove up. Taking one last drag, he approached the wooden railing and extinguished the cigarette in the soda can he’d dubbed an ashtray. His mom was already inside, having tea with Bree in the kitchen, and Jake mentally praised himself for having the foresight to pick his mom up and drive her here. The way Austin warily glanced at the driveway told Jake that his brother had anticipated a trap. Fortunately, only Jake’s truck and Bree’s Lexus sat on the dusty drive, and Austin relaxed slightly as he approached the porch.
    “So you and Bree Lockhart,” Austin said, his expression containing a touch of confusion.
    “Yep.” He leaned in to give his brother a quick side hug. “Thanks for coming by.”
    Austin actually cracked a smile. “Isn’t every day my big brother wants my opinion about a woman.”
    Jake swallowed down a lump of guilt. Yep, he’d totally lied when he’d invited his brother over for lunch. Told him he was dating Bree and wanted an outsider’s view on the relationship, an honest opinion about Bree. He didn’t usually resort to sneak tactics, but with the way Austin had been acting lately, sneaky had been necessary.
    “Bree’s inside,” Jake said as he headed for the door.
    Austin trailed after him, and their boots thudded against the hardwood floor on their way to the kitchen.
    The second they entered the room, Austin froze.
    “For fuck’s sake,” Jake heard his brother mutter.
    At the table, Della shot to her feet, a combination of surprise and delight filling her brown eyes. “Austin! I didn’t know you were coming.”
    “Ditto,” her youngest son mumbled. When he looked at Jake, there was no mistaking the fury in his dark green eyes.
    “Hey, Austin.” Some of the anger dimmed when Bree spoke up, but the tension in the room continued to hang in the air like a dense fog.
    “Bree,” he said in a clipped voice.
    Jake let out a breath. “Come on, man, just have a seat. Bree went to a lot of trouble to prepare lunch.”
    Austin’s gaze moved to the kitchen table. Thick roast beef sandwiches cluttered the table top, along with a bowl of homemade potato salad, coleslaw and a plate piled with cheese and apple slices.
    Jake felt a burst of warmth as he stared at the food. Damn. Bree really shouldn’t have done all that, but it didn’t surprise him that she had. She was one of the sweetest, kindest women he’d ever met. Normally he brushed that off, choosing to focus on the red-hot passion they shared, but at the moment, he couldn’t fight the tug of joy and gratitude. Not to mention appreciation.
    Next to him, his brother looked as though he’d rather have his legs waxed than sit at that table, but despite his palpable reluctance, Della had succeeded in teaching him his manners. With a polite nod, Austin glanced at Bree and said, “Lunch looks great.” Then, with his spine ramrod-straight, he walked over to the table.
    Della instantly flopped back into her chair, her loose blue dress fluttering around her ankles. She’d tied her hair back in a bun, but several dirty-blonde strands fell onto her forehead and into her eyes. Eyes that were now lined with unease as she stared at her son.
    “It’s good to see you, honey.”
    Austin grunted.
    Jake’s jaw tightened. He marched over to the counter and picked up two plates, cutlery and drinking glasses, then placed them on the table. “Bree and I will be in the living room,” he announced. “Enjoy lunch, you two.”
    The scowl Austin gave him didn’t stop Jake from taking Bree’s arm and leading her to the doorway.
    They left the duo in the kitchen to their own devices, but Jake didn’t get his hopes up as he and Bree stepped