Page 18 of Rocky Mountain Desire
“Bullshit.”
“Not bullshit. I’ve seen you, Matt. You go five miles out of your way to avoid the girl. Either you’re trying to avoid her to stop from jumping her bones, or she’s like the devil incarnate and you think associating with her will make her sister pop out of the woodwork to kick you to hell and back.”
Fuck. That one hurt. He might have even bent over a little to protect his gut from the impact. “Is there nothing sacred with you, Jaxi?”
“What? That I care enough about you to not let you hide? Helen hurt you badly. If I could have I would have scalped her, but she’s gone. You need to stop seeing her everywhere. Including associating Helen with her sister.”
“I’m not.”
Jaxi raised a brow. Deliberate-like, almost taunting him to protest again.
Was he? Was he really running that hard?
Jaxi went back to work, as if to let him think it through. Yeah, Helen had kicked him brutally. And he didn’t know what he’d do if he ever saw her again.
But Hope—between the scorching-hot attraction he’d felt last summer and his current strange stirrings inside every time she was around—was he avoiding her for the right reasons? And what were the right reasons?
He didn’t want to be involved with her. Didn’t want to be involved with anyone other than for no-strings sex. And that sure wasn’t something he wanted with Hope.
Liar.
Okay, he’d totally go for some no-strings sex with the woman. Touching her skin, grabbing her hips and riding her into oblivion would be fucking great. But that’s all it would be—fucking—because there was no way in hell he was letting anyone near his heart.
Physical attraction was uncontrollable. Instinctive. But so was self-preservation, and he wasn’t going to willingly edge into pain ever again.
Jaxi switched to the next stall over, still not saying anything. Matt methodically worked to finish his first. What had she accused him of? Running from Hope? Associating her with her sister?
Wasn’t unreasonable, but then… He wouldn’t want to be judged by his brothers’ behavior all the time either.
He slipped out and stepped behind Jaxi, tapping her on the shoulder.
“Okay, since it seems you think you run my life as well as Blake’s, tell me. If I agree that Hope is not her sister, and that I can be friends with her, then what does my friend need right now?”
Jaxi poked him in the chest. “Well, you might try asking her that question yourself, but since I know she’s as stubborn as you, I suggest you go over and tell her you’d like to do some repairs around the shop.”
He bit back a groan. “Like building shit?” She narrowed her eyes and he backpedaled. “Fine, makes sense. She won’t take money for the stuff that got lost, right?”
Jaxi shook her head.
“But I can go over and fix things.”
“Because that’s what friends do. They help each other.”
“Still want to know why you think we’re friends.”
Jaxi grinned, all her disapproval wiped clean now that he’d agreed to do her bidding. “Because either you’re friends or you’ve got the hots for her, and I figured you’d be more comfortable withfriendsfor a while.”
She was far too intuitive. “That offer of tanning your hide still stands, girl.”
She stuck out her tongue cheekily. “All my spankings are saved for Blake.”
“Oh God, thanks for that image.” Matt hugged her tight for a minute then shoved her toward the door. “Go bother someone else for a change. Squeeze the babies for me or something.”
She waved then left him.
Left him alone with thoughts that were on a whole lot different path than they’d been when she walked in thirty minutes earlier. Family. Wrapped themselves into your lives and refused to let go.
And that was both a bit of heaven and a slice of hell.
