Free To Protect the Heart of a Brazen Woman [Brazen Sisters 6] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Rita Sawyer

continued to drive through town. When he turned off the main road, Bobbie didn’t need to ask where he was going. She’d driven this route enough times to know they were headed to his house.
    “You said we were going to your shack.” She surprised herself with the flat tone of her voice.
    “Cabin,” he clarified. “And we are, but you were right. We need to switch my truck for something less conspicuous.”
    They passed the little dirt road that led to a vacation house and then the one that would have taken them to his brother’s place. Jake turned on the rutted dirt lane that led to his house. Bobbie watched silently as it came into view. Most people wouldn’t have thought a gingerbread Victorian house would be Jake’s style. They probably would have expected a rambling log house like his brothers’. But Bobbie knew it suited him, even if it was a little sparse. He needed to fill it with kids, and then it would be a perfect fit.
    Jake backed the truck up to the three-car garage and got out. Bobbie didn’t follow him. She needed a few minutes to clear her head. She’d never been the wishy-washy type. She knew what she wanted and went after it. Win or lose, she gave it her all. So all the wavering feelings she’d been experiencing since her return were slowly driving her insane.
    She heard the garage door open and turned around in her seat. Bobbie saw Jake take a couple of boxes out of the back of the truck and load them onto a trailer attached to his four-wheeler. Damn it, he was smart and sexy, a combination that turned her on. They’d be able to get to the cabin virtually unseen if they kept to the woods. Even better, she thought as she eagerly hopped out of the truck. She’d have a reason to wrap her arms around him. Their closeness would probably drive him just as crazy as it would her, but it would be so worth it.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jake loaded the trailer without looking at Bobbie. He couldn’t take the risk of her seeing how much he wanted her. He’d thought he had a handle on his emotions, but whenever she came near him he wanted to ignore all his instincts and claim her for his very own.
    For years he told himself she was too young and innocent to get involved with him. She hadn’t experienced enough, though he didn’t like the idea of her experiencing anything with anyone but him. Just the thought of her with anyone else made him want to hit something. Hell, when she left he’d lost it. For the first two days, he didn’t talk to anyone unless necessary. Then, during his sparring session with Beau, he’d let his anger loose and given him a black eye. Beau hadn’t taken it well and returned the favor, kicking his ass in the process. They both knew what his issue had been, and his brother had no problem pointing out that it could be easily rectified.
    Jake, in a moment of pure desperation, had gone after her, but halfway there he came to his senses. The very same day, he’d agreed to that stupid date with Kerri. Even though he’d stressed they’d be going as friends, he’d told himself he was a free man and could see whoever he wanted. It had been a test of sorts, and his heart had proved him wrong. It had been an evening of torture that he knew he’d come to regret.
    That sure hadn’t taken long. The Brazen women had barely given him the time of day since then. Their husbands were a little more understanding, but he figured they may have felt a little bit of pity for him. After being the stubborn ass he was, he really didn’t deserve their sympathy. His brother and friends had pointed out on numerous occasions that if he didn’t do something about his desire for Bobbie, it was going to eat at him until there was nothing left. Jake was beginning to believe them. Still, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do. Between her leaving and Patrice’s threats, he’d been pushed him into admitting she was important to him. The question was what the hell was he going to do about it?
    Deep