Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

B J stretched his arms high above his head, grimacing when he heard a loud cracking sound accompany the ping of pain in his lower back. After a hard day like today, his body liked to remind him no matter what people said, thirty-four was not the new twenty-four, according to physical stamina. Ten years ago, he could have handled a full-steam day like today and had plenty of oomph left over. Now, it was barely past six, and exhaustion dragged him down.

Of course, that could have something to do with the massive amounts of vigor he'd spent last night and this morning. He couldn't stop the grin from tugging at his lips. Yeah, his activities with Penny might have contributed to his exhaustion, but damn, it had been worth it. Who knew his shy, nerdy best friend turned into a sex kitten when the lights went out and the clothes came off?

He sure as hell didn't.

"Ugh!" Cassie complained as she entered the room. "Next time Del gets married and takes off for a week on his honeymoon, can we make sure it's not during the launch of a new business venture? That he started, I might add."

He chuckled as she came to sit at the table he'd just finished putting into place. Today they'd cleaned the place top to bottom. Including moving all the tables and chairs to deep clean and polish the floors.

"Next time? You think he'll ditch Cassie and find another wife?"

"He better not, or I'll beat his ass."

He'd laugh, but he wasn't entirely sure his sister was joking. Charlie had a hot temper that could get her into trouble. Like the time in middle school when Billy Owens went around snapping all the girl's bras. When the little asshole got to Charlie, she'd turned and given the kid her best right hook. She'd gotten suspended for a day for fighting, but Billy had a black eye for a week.

Their mother had sided with her daughter, saying Billy had been in the wrong for inappropriately touching the girls. Their father had been overseas at the time, but he'd taught his children to stand up for themselves and never accept the actions of a bully. He'd also sided with his daughter. The school had given Billy detention. A slap on the wrist for the little shit's actions. But it didn't matter, after spending a week being teased for getting punched by "a girl" the kid never messed with Charlie again.

He suspected it had more to do with the fear of retaliation from his sister than the humiliation of getting taken down by a girl.

Remembering the event made him think of Penny. No way would a child of hers ever be a bully. But if they were super smart like their mother, they could be on the receiving end. His gut twisted. He'd always hated the bullies that picked on other kids. A sharp pain hit his chest to think that Penny's child—his child—might be harassed just for who they are.

But it wouldn't be his fight to undertake. They weren't together. Not in any traditional sense. She'd be the mom and he…he would be there, but not…there. He wouldn't be an everyday presence in the kid's life, but he'd be helping, trying to be a good role model. Uncle BJ. Just because he wouldn't be the kid's dad didn't mean he couldn't help them out with anything that came up in their life. He and Ace had helped their mom with Charlie and Del whenever their dad had gone off on tour. He knew how to be a good influence even if he didn't wield parental responsibility.

"I don't see why they had to get married right before the restaurant opening when we have so much work to do."

He shook himself out of his thoughts, focusing on his sister. Exhaustion of the day catching up with him, he took a seat at the table with her. "He did it because it was a great opportunity to test out the effectiveness of the restaurant. A dry run to work out the kinks. We still have a few weeks before we open, and we don't have a ton of stuff to do. It just seems that way to you because you're not used to manual labor. You sit behind a desk all day crunching numbers. You've gone soft, Charlie."

Pale blue eyes narrowed as they glared at him, promising his immediate demise.

"Soft?"

He shrugged. "I call ‘em like I see ‘em." He was playing with fire, but he couldn't resist teasing his kid sister. Besides, it wasn't like she'd really kill him.

Probably.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

"Listen here, Jackassson. I am going to kick your fuc—"

"Hey guys, the place looks great."

Hallelujah! Saved by the best friend. Charlie couldn't kill him in front of Penny. Everyone knew the sweet woman fainted at the sight of blood, and even his sister wasn't that heartless.

"Penny! Great to see you. Come have a seat."

As she sat down, he heard his sister mutter under her breath.

"I am going to get you later."

Of that, he had no doubt. He should check his office chair for super glue before he sat for the next week. The employee bathroom too. He wouldn't put it past her to glue his ass to the toilet seat.

"What's that marvelous smell?" Penny asked, oblivious to the sibling tension.

"Jeremy is testing out the new oven. He didn't get a chance to use it for the reception and he wanted to make sure it's up to par before we open."

"Yummy, what's he making?"

"Baked Ziti," Charlie answered. "But I think I might ask the chef if he can make me a special order of Rocky Mountain Oysters, Jackson style."

Oh great, now she was insinuating she was going to remove his testicles and serve them up for dinner. Nice. And she wondered why she could never keep a boyfriend.

Penny blinked at his sister's caustic remark.

"What?"

"Nothing, honey. My sister's just huffy because she's had such a hard day of work. What's the matter Charlie, chip a nail?"

"Yeah, this one."

She held up her middle finger, which had a perfectly painted black nail, no chip. He laughed. Charlie called him an asshole, but joined in with a small chuckle. As much as they all ribbed each other, the Jackson siblings were a tight family. They loved and fought with fierceness. He wouldn't want it any other way.

"Dinner." Ace came out from the kitchen, holding a steaming tray in oven mitt-covered hands. "Oh hey, Penny. You joining us tonight?"

She smiled, hesitantly. "If that's not a problem?"

Almost two decades of friendship and she still got shy around his family.

"Course not."

"Yeah, Penny. You're always welcome," Charlie said, hopping up to grab some plates and silverware. "In fact, I'd trade you for these two knuckleheads in a heartbeat. How about it? Want a sister?"

"Oh, um, I already have one, but thank you. Besides, I'm sure you'd miss your brothers eventually."

Charlie snorted. "Spoken like a woman who's never had a brother."

"Ouch, Charlie. You cut us. You cut us deep." She threw a napkin at his head. Grateful it wasn't one of the plates, he grinned and blew her a kiss.

Ace sighed. "I am surrounded by children. Not you Penny," he added, setting down the dinner.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Shut up and serve, you old stick in the mud."

Ace sent Charlie a look that made grown men pee their pants, but it had no effect on her. Probably because she knew he and Ace would rather cut off a limb than ever hurt her or any woman, for that matter.

Everyone settled down, plates were passed around as Ace cut into the Ziti. He portioned it out, long strings of gooey white cheese dripping off the spatula. Heavenly aromas filled the air. BJ waited until everyone had been served before taking a bite. The manners his mother instilled in them all rooted deep.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed as delicious flavors exploded on his tongue. Tangy tomato and sharp basil coated his mouth as it mixed with the creamy texture and taste of the mozzarella. The noodles—which he knew Jeremy Pines, their chef, made in house—melted like butter in his mouth. The spicy kick of the beef complemented the dish without overwhelming the other ingredients. "We do not pay that man enough. This is pure heaven!"

"Trust me, we're paying him plenty."

Since his sister was the accountant in charge of all the finances, he would trust her. Besides, he was too far gone in this delirium of a dish to even contemplate anything else. Well, he was until…

"Oh, my! This is scrumptious."

Penny moaned, and the sound brought him back to last night, this morning, the shower. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry for food anymore. His pants tightened, and he became hard as stone. How was it even possible? They'd been together less than ten hours ago, and his body still craved her more than this amazing meal sitting in front of him.

They ate the rest of dinner while discussing what still needed to be accomplished before the opening, as well as the current business going on with Jacks and their distilling. Though he'd worked all day, he had to put in a little more time tonight since Del was gone. Sucked too, because all he wanted to do was take Penny home and hear some more of those sexy little moans of hers, while he was buried deep inside her.

"That was probably the most delicious meal I have ever eaten. Sure beats the store-bought stuff I buy." Penny giggled. "With Chef Pines in charge of the kitchen, you guys will have a packed house every night."

"That's the dream." Charlie said, scraping the last bit of cheese from the pan.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

Ace dipped his chin in a slight nod. "You're always welcome, Penny."

She smiled, turning to face him. In a soft, hesitant voice, she asked, "Will I see you later?"

He cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb along a spattering of freckles he always thought resembled the big dipper. "Yeah, honey. I'll come by after I'm done at Jacks. Won't be too late. Wait up?"

She nodded and he couldn't explain what possessed him—except for the fact that her sexy little noises had been driving him wild for the last half-hour—but he tilted her face up, bending down to place a warm, soft kiss on her lips. He kept it brief since his siblings sat a foot away, but it was obviously more than a friend kiss.

When he pulled away, her eyes fluttered open, hazy with desire. He planned to sate the need he saw gazing back at him the moment he got done with work. He watched as she blinked, clearing away the lust and realizing where they were. Her eyes darted to his brother and sister nervously, but she quickly ducked out of his hand.

"Ok, see you later then."

Faster than a wink, Penny rose from her seat and hightailed it out of the restaurant. BJ turned to face forward in his seat again. He glanced over to see Charlie staring slack-jawed at him. His twin simply sat in his chair, arms crossed, face an unreadable mask as always.

"What the hell was that?"

Charlie. Never one to let something go.

"What?"

"Don't you what me, Jackassson! That! You and Penny with the kissing?"

"I guess the plan changed then?" Ace asked.

Charlie glanced back and forth between them. "Plan? What plan?"

His twin could be such a dick.

"Yeah, the plan changed."

"Dammit, what freaking plan?" Charlie slammed a hand on the table, rattling the dishes.

"It's not a big deal. Penny and I are…" he let out a breath. He knew they were going to have to tell people, especially his family, but they hadn't discussed how to tell them. "Penny wants a baby, and she asked me to…donate the…second set of DNA."

"Sperm? She wants your sperm to have a baby?"

Of course his sister could say it when he couldn't.

"Yeah. I agreed to help her, but instead of doing the whole thing in a doctor's office, we decided to do it the old-fashioned way."

"So…you're getting married?"

"Hell no!" No offense to anyone who wanted to, but the institution of marriage was not for him.

"Dating?"

"No."

"Seeing each other?"

Shit, his sister was like a pit bull after a juicy steak. "No."

"Then what the hell, BJ!"

He glanced at Ace, who sat there, silent. No help, yet no recrimination.

"We're doing things our way and it's really nobody's business but ours."

His sister sputtered, face turning red. "It sure the hell is my business. You're my brother. That kid will be my niece or nephew—" her words cut off, happy light dawning in her eyes. "Holy shit, I'm going to be an aunt!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Charlie. It might take months before Penny gets pregnant."

Her gaze snapped back to him. "How convenient for you."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh please, everyone knows Penny has this hero worship thing for you."

The hell was she talking about?

"She's always had a bit of a crush on you and you're taking advantage of that when she's at her most vulnerable."

Muscles tightening, he bit his lip to keep from lashing out at his little sister, who was being extremely rude. How dare she accuse him of taking advantage of his best friend!

"She asked me for help, Charlie. Not the other way around."

"She asked you for your sperm. Whose idea was it to take it from the clinic to the bedroom?"

His, technically, but he didn't insist on it. He gave her the choice. If Penny had said no to sex, he would have gone to the doctor and donated like she wanted. He wasn't pressuring anyone.

"Butt out, Charlie. You don't know what you're talking about."

"I think I do."

He leaned forward. "Contrary to what you think, you're not always right."

She leaned across the table, matching his angry stare. "You're thinking with your little head, BJ. You're going to hurt her."

He moved closer, getting within an inch of his sister's face. Staring into pale blue eyes the same color as his own, filled with the same fire he felt burning away in the pit of his stomach. "And you're being a brat, Charlie. Just because we're not doing things the way you think we should, doesn't mean it's wrong. And I'd never hurt Penny. Never."

Some of the fire in her eyes died. Sympathy turning down the corner of her mouth as worry lines etched her forehead. "Maybe not on purpose, but when has mixing sex and friendship ever ended without someone getting hurt? Think about it."

With those parting words, his sister pushed up from the table and walked out of the restaurant. BJ sucked in a harsh breath, anger seething from every pore of his body. How dare she stick her nose in his business. She was his little sister. He knew better than her. He slumped back in his chair, gaze falling to Ace, who sat like a goddamn statue. Arms still crossed. Expression stone cold.

"What? You going to yell at me too? Call me a bastard?"

His twin raised a brow.

"I'm helping my friend."

"Are you?"

Oh goody, the statue speaks.

"Or are you creating the nice little family you've always wanted without the risk of getting hurt?"

What in the ever-loving-hell did that mean? They could communicate with a glance, but sometimes he didn't understand a fucking word Ace said.

"Screw this. You guys don't know shit." He stood, shoving away from the table. Anger fueled his every step as he stormed his way through the connecting door to Jacks. There was still a lot of work to do before he called it a night. Who cared what his siblings thought of their situation? He and Penny were fine with it. Great, even. Perfect. This was about Penny and what she needed, not him. Ace didn't know what the hell he was spouting, and Charlie was just being self-righteous.

It didn't matter what anyone else thought. He wasn't taking advantage, and he wouldn't hurt her. No way. And why was everyone so concerned about people getting hurt? No one was getting hurt in this situation because they weren't involving their hearts. It was sex and friendship. Plain and simple. Heart need not come into the equation.

You couldn't suffer a broken heart if you never involved it in the first place.