But all the friends she’d envied, who’d gotten married after college, had also gotten divorced just a few years later. Considering her track record with men, she wouldn’t have fared any better if she’d actually married any of her boyfriends. The thought of putting her children through a nasty custody dispute made her feel ill.

“Okay guys,” Nick’s voice broke through her daydreaming. “Go on upstairs and put your stuff away. Make sure you wake up your father while you’re at it.” He rubbed his hands together in mock delight.

The boys whooped and raced for the stairs. Nick turned back to her. “Sorry about that. Jase has been curious about moms lately. It’s hard to explain to a toddler why everyone else lives with both parents except for him, you know?”

Ridley waved away the apology. “It’s fine. They’re adorable. Besides, I understand. I grew up without my father and I’m still looking for him.” She sighed and wiped a hand over her face. She definitely didn’t want to think about her search for her father.

After a few moments, she looked up to find Nick staring at her. She glanced behind her and then back at him. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that you really do look different without makeup.” He stopped and held up his hands. “In a good way.”

“Right. I’m sure vulture was meant as a compliment, too.”

“No,” he barked. At her strange look, he cleared his throat and then said in a more normal tone of voice, “It wasn’t a compliment. But let’s be real. You know exactly why I said it.” Then he turned and walked out without another word.

“What was that about? These Alexander men are all crazy.” An image of Jackson sleeping on the couch the prior night, his handsome face soft with sleep, crossed her mind. “Gorgeous, but crazy.”

She got up off the floor and finished transferring her clothes from the washing machine to the dryer. Then she went back upstairs to call her sister again. She had to get out of this house. All the testosterone was clearly rattling her brain.

If Raina didn’t answer soon, she’d be forced to resort to breaking and entering!

*   *   *   *   *

THAT AFTERNOON, JACKSON glanced up the stairs, guilt twisting his stomach. It was past noon and Ridley still hadn’t come down.

God, the memory of her.

He wished, in that moment, he’d gone upstairs before the movie ended. The memory of her tight, little body against his was the last thing he needed right before a family picnic, but not kissing her last night would have taken more self-control than he had.

He closed his eyes and tried to think of something else before he got an erection. He ran through baseball stats, the track listing for the last album he’d produced and was halfway through mentally reciting the states in alphabetical order before he felt calm enough to open his eyes.

He walked back to the kitchen and stared blankly out the window into the backyard where his brothers were setting up the last of the picnic tables.

He’d done the right thing in walking away but damn if it hadn’t been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Seducing her last night would have been a mistake. He didn’t want her to come to his bed because she was scared and feeling vulnerable. He wanted her to come to him because she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

He just hoped she hadn’t interpreted his “make yourself at home” last night as “make yourself scarce.” He really wanted her to come down and join the party. After everything she’d been through, she needed to relax and get her mind off things.

“Hey, what are you doing in here?” Nick stepped in from the patio, pulling the sliding glass doors closed behind him. “Everyone’s starting to arrive.”

Irritated that he was just standing in the middle of his kitchen mooning like a teenage boy, Jackson turned to dig in the refrigerator. A second later he handed his brother a platter of sliced tomatoes, lettuce and cheese.

“I’m just getting the last of the food together.”

Nick arched a brow. “Right. The fact that you’re inside has nothing to do with the beautiful girl upstairs in your bedroom.”

He didn’t look at his brother as he yanked the ketchup, mustard and relish bottles from the refrigerator and set them out on the table.

“Of course she’s beautiful. She’s a model, so she’s hardly going to be ugly, right? And she’s not in my bedroom, get your mind out of the gutter.”

He slammed the last bottle on the table harder than he’d intended and the wood responded with a loud CRACK.

“Can't you just put her in a hotel?” Nick grumbled.

Jackson looked back at the stairs again. “Look, I already called a locksmith, but you and I both know that no one is coming out on a holiday. In the meantime, Ridley is staying here with us where she’s safe.”

“Ridley?” Nick asked.

“Yeah, it’s her real name. Anyway, she's a nice girl and there's no reason to push her off to a hotel where she'll be by herself.”

Before his brother could question him further, namely about why Jackson felt it was his responsibility to keep her safe, the sliding door opened again and Matt came barreling inside.

“Whoa, watch it!” Nick juggled the tray in his hands trying to keep the tomatoes from sliding off the edge as Matt clipped his shoulder in his haste to get by.

“Sorry, man. I just need to get out of here.” Matt’s cheeks were bright red beneath his normally dusky skin color. He’d either gotten an instant sunburn or was really pissed.