Cocky: A Cowboy Stepbrother Romance by Kaylee Kazarian Read Free Book Online Page A

the soft, comfortable shorts from the night before, the ones I could still almost feel against my fingertips. In their place was a snug pair of jeans, washed and worn to downy softness. They hugged his every curve and I couldn’t help the way my eyes lingered. His tanned arms were bare, the sleeves cut off of the old Formula One racing t-shirt he was wearing. With a blue bandanna tugged low over his eyes, he was everything I’d ever wanted in a man.
     
    It was a thought that shook me, this idea that Jay had built so much of my opinion when it came to men. It was like he had gone into my mind’s dictionary and rewritten the definition of a man until it fit him to a T. And I don’t even think he knew he’d done it. Jay was a confident guy, but I had always worn my heart close to my chest. There was no way he knew how much of an effect he’d had on me.
     
    No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I felt his eyes on me. Jay smirked, and I felt my cheeks heat up. I had been staring, and there was no denying it. He gave a little waggle of his eyebrows and I forced my eyes away, down to the counter in front of me.
     
    Luckily, it wasn’t more than a minute or two before Caroline was sliding a plate in front of me. Two eggs, sunny side up, a few pieces of bacon that were crispy to the point of being burnt, and a triangle of buttered white toast. It looked delicious. My stomach gave an almighty rumble, reminding me that I hadn’t had more than a handful of trail mix at the party the night before, and no dinner.
     
    “Thanks.” Caroline grunted in response, turning back to place a plate in front of Jay. Where my plate was plentiful, his was nearly overflowing. A handful of bacon strips along with four eggs and four pieces of toast, all of them slathered with grape jelly.
     
    I had to force myself to suppress a snort. Gee, Caroline wasn’t the type to play favorites or anything, was she? Work done, she dropped the cast-iron skillet into the sink with a clatter, running cold water over it for a moment before she grabbed her cigarettes off the counter and headed for the back door.
     
    My dad didn’t like the fact that Caroline smoked, but he put up with it. They had come to an agreement that she wouldn’t smoke in the house and they wouldn’t argue about her habit anymore. I don’t know how long that lasted, because Caroline was now posted up against the door, blowing smoke out through the screen without even bothering to unlatch it.
     
    I turned back to my food, hunching over it like I might be able to protect those delectable smells from the acrid cigarette smoke. “You need any help with any chores, Caroline? I don’t have to get back until this evening.” It was the polite thing to do, even though all I wanted was to grab my things and head for the car.
     
    “No—”
     
    Just as Caroline was waving me off, Jay started to speak, cutting her off. “Actually, I was going to go ride the farm and check out the fence lines. I bet it’s been a while since Randy has been out there to do it.” I wasn’t sure if that was some veiled jab at my dad, but Caroline’s snort made me believe that it was. “And I could use some help. Just in case I have to pick up posts and get them back in the ground again. We don’t want any of the mules wandering off.”
     
    Jay smiled at me again, and I had just a moment to think oh no before he spoke.
     
    “What do you always say, Mama? Callie’s like having a little brother. So I figure I might as well put my little brother to work.”

Chapter 9
     
     
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    That son of a bitch. I gritted my teeth, stabbing my eggs with the fork with more force than was absolutely necessary. The yolk ran out, spilling across the middle of the plate. How dare he call me his little brother, after everything we’d done. After the way he had practically begged me last night to suck him off.
     
    That’s when it hit me.