Page 136 of Caged

Part of the family. I liked the sound of that.Even if it’ll take some getting used to.

We talked until Mary called us to dinner.

“That’s a lot of food,” I said as I sat down. The spread included grilled burgers and chicken, Meg’s famous bacon mac and cheese, an interesting looking salad, and grilled vegetables. Everything looked mouth-wateringly delicious.

Finally able to eat like a normal person again, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

Mary looked at the table, assessing how much food was there. “Is it? I’m used to feeding these three bottomless pits-”

“Hey,” her sons said at the same time.

“It’s true,” she said. “But you know I don’t mind.”

As the Mama Bear of the Sheppard family, Grannie’s, and SSI, it wasn’t hard to imagine her being the mom who’d always fed the neighborhood kids.

“I can see why you said I didn’t need to bring anything,” I said with a laugh.

“Anyone want a beer?” Jack asked before sitting down.

“I’ll take one,” I said.

“You probably shouldn’t,” Jay said.

“Excuse me?” My irritation flared out of habit. Just because we were dating didn’t mean he could tell me what to do.

“You shouldn’t drink while you’re on pain meds, especially on an empty stomach,” he answered.

Did he think I was stupid?

“Who died and made you boss?” I asked, reaching for his beer.

“I’m just looking out for you,” he managed to sound irritated and concerned at the same time.

Ignoring the voice in my head telling me to stop, my hand lifted the bottle to my mouth as if it had a mind of it’s own.

Holding eye contact with Jay, I grinned before bringing the bottle to my lips and chugging what was left. At least, I tried. There was more than I’d expected and I almost choked myself.

Jay’s focus never left my face.

Irritated at myself for acting like a fool, I slammed the beer bottle down, causing it to splash out.

Jay put one hand on the back of my chair, leaned in close, and waited for me to recover before asking, “Feel better?”

He wasn’t asking about my coughing fit.Smart ass. That fucking grin had me responding in ways I didn’t want to when I was trying to be mad.

“No.” I crossed my arms and squinted at him, “Happy?”

“No.” We stared at each other, both fighting grins while waiting for the other to give up in the battle of wills between us.

Staring Jay down gave me a thrill. His hand, now gently squeezing the back of my neck, wasn’t helping put out the fire.

His dilated pupils told me he was just as affected.

This is why I did it. I liked the thrill of the fight, the fire burning in his eyes when he looked at me, the promise of a passion that could consume us both.

When my dad asked if we were always like this, a chorus of “Yes,” rang out.

Jay’s lips lifted in a lop-sided grin as his amber eyes sparkled.

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