LITMIR.BIZ

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couch to eat the rest of the salad she made last night when there was a solid knock at her front door. Frowning, she eyed the clock above the stone fireplace. It was going on ten o’clock.

      Still chewing, she rose from the chair to walk over to one of the two large windows flanking the front door. She frowned at the sight of Darren standing on her stoop. He could’ve called first, she thought, feeling intruded upon.

      Jade stepped back to open the door. “Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked, leaning on the door as she looked up at the tall and dark-skinned man who had the muscled frame of a gladiator.

      “Damn, I’m glad to see you too,” he said with mock sarcasm in a voice that sounded deep enough to shake the rafters.

      Darren stepped forward quickly and bent his tall frame to capture her lips with his own. He lifted his head just enough to lock his eyes with hers. “I couldn’t go another minute without seeing you,” he whispered against her lips.

      Jade turned her head and coughed to keep from laughing. He meant well, but Darren had yet to learn that his soap opera lines just didn’t work on her.

      “What happened with the rock-climbing trip?” she asked.

      Darren pushed the door. “Business emergency, so they rescheduled.”

      Jade nodded in understanding, holding out her hand as he took a step forward into the cottage. “Darren, I still have the trail walk in the morning, so I’m headed to bed,” she told him with a kind smile.

      His grin spread like warm butter on toast. “I’m just in time, then.”

      “To kiss me good night and then head back home? You’re right on time.”

      Darren leaned against the door frame and stared down at her with an intensity that actually made her smile. It wasn’t that she was not physically attracted to Darren—he was a handsome man with a body—but she wasn’t ready to welcome him into her bed, especially not tonight.

      Balancing on her toes to raise her five-foot seven-inch frame higher, she gave him a warm peck and solid pat of her hand on his chest—a solid “good night, see you tomorrow ’cause you ain’t sleeping here tonight” pat.

      Darren smiled but Jade saw the regret in his eyes. Fortunately he let it drop and turned with one final wave to leave. She stood in the doorway until the lights shining in her wide-set black eyes diminished as he reversed out of her yard. With one final blow of his horn he was gone.

      Jade walked out onto her stoop and leaned against the wooden beam to look up at the crystal clear night sky. It looked like the best HDTV. The stars shone brightly against the inky black night, and she felt such peace and serenity.

      Chapter 2

      Kaeden was the last of the Strong clan to arrive at Holtsville Baptist Church. He parked as close to the church as he could and dashed inside. He paused in the doorway to the sanctuary to find it as crowded as an Easter Sunday.

      The door opened and the sweet scent of the oncoming end of spring wafted in.

      A hand touched his arm softly. “I guess you and I better have a little prayerfest right here to get a seat, huh?”

      Kaeden’s entire body stiffened as Jade leaned around him to look into the sanctuary. His mouth opened but no words came out, so he just forced a laugh that sounded nervous. His heart was pounding so fast and so hard that he felt like he just ran a marathon.

      “Looks like I got lucky too,” she drawled when several single men rose to their feet, waving her over. She smiled at him before she moved past him to walk into the sanctuary to take a seat.

      His eyes dipped low to watch the movement of her buttocks in the fuchsia wrap dress she wore.

      “Uncle Kaeden,” his niece Kadina whispered loudly.

      Kaeden jerked his eyes away guiltily. He looked down as his preteen niece grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her to make room for him on the pew between her and her dad, Kade.

      His brother Kaleb turned around on the pew to eye him. “Did you just walk in here with Jade Prince?” he whispered in total shock.

      Kaeden accepted the fan Kade passed down to him from the usher, ignoring his sibling.

      Kaleb sucked his teeth. “Man, please. What I’m saying? You couldn’t pull that. Hell, you couldn’t handle all that.”

      Their burly father popped him in the back of his prematurely gray head. “Turn around,” Kael warned.

      As morning worship service began, Kaeden leaned back against the pew to chance a look at Jade. Her eyes were focused forward, but he was able to look at her full on. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right. There was no way he could pull a woman like Jade Prince. No way in the world.

      “Uncle Kaeden, pay attention,” Kadina admonished him as she lightly patted his hand in a mothering fashion.

      Humoring his beloved niece, Kaeden Strong did as he was told.

      Jade felt eyes on her.

      She turned her head in time to catch one of the Strong brothers turning his head forward. It was the nerdy one. The accountant. The same one who was standing in the vestibule when she arrived to church. She let her eyes rove over his profile.

      The other Strong men were a sexy set, with their fine and defined features that were made all the more appealing by their prematurely graying hair. That salt-and-pepper mix perfectly matched their bronzed caramel complexions. Even the nerd was cute with his glasses. He just didn’t have the same swagger as his siblings. Everyone in Holtsville joked that the Strongs had twins separated several years by birth. They said Kaeden looked just like Kahron, but Jade begged to differ.

      Kahron was strong in build and Kaeden was very slender.

      Kahron was well aware that he was sexy as shit, and Kaeden gave off the impression that he just wanted to be invisible. Well, to her anyway. Even those glasses, though stylish, were not the right size for his slender face.

      Jade bit her bottom lip and tilted her head to the side. Maybe with contacts…

      “You sure are looking good, Sister Jade.”

      Jade made a face at the smell of bad breath barely covered by Listerine. She said a silent thanks that her head was turned or she was sure that her nose hairs would’ve been singed. “Thank you, Mr. Lionel,” she managed to say while holding her breath.

      “Man, that’s one fine woman,” Kaleb said in pure appreciation of the thicker female form.

      All decked out in their suits, Kaeden, Kahron, and Kade all turned to look in the direction their brother was definitely intently staring. Jade Prince was walking down the brick church steps.

      Kaeden couldn’t agree with Kaleb more.

      “Do y’all see the hips on that woman?” Kaleb asked as he watched her cross the yard to her Jeep. “Lawd, I could just spread those big legs and—”

      “Respect the church ground, man,” Kaeden snapped in irritation, truly more annoyed at his brother speaking that way about Jade than anything else.

      Kaleb looked confused. “What?”

      Kahron and Kade just shook their heads, laughing at their youngest brother, who was by far the wildest.

      “Oh, so y’all wouldn’t tap that?” he asked in disbelief.

      In a New York minute, Kaeden thought, finding himself unable to participate in their usual banter on women when Jade was the focus.

      Both Kade and Kahron threw their hands up. “We’re married,” they said in unison.

      The sound of clapping behind them made all the men swerve around. Bianca was standing there in a pale yellow pantsuit with a smile on her full lips. “Good answer, gentlemen,” she said with a pointed look at her

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