Southern Comfort: Compass Brothers, Book 2 Read Online Free Page B

he isn’t, but some of the women have let details slip here and there. His reputation is actually sort of the stuff of legends.”
    Her friend’s eyes widened. “Do tell.”
    She looked away, clearing her throat. “Apparently, Seth has a bit of a rough edge in the bedroom.”
    Paul groaned. “Sweetheart, as much as I’d love to hear the gory details, I’m sporting a hard-on just thinking about it. Since your Seth is off-limits to me, maybe you shouldn’t tell me too much. The temptation would be terrible.”
    Jody sighed. “That’s just it. I’ve known about his preferences in the bedroom for years and I can’t stop thinking about them. My body aches wishing he would—”
    “Hogtie you to his bed and have his wicked way with you?”
    A burst of laughter escaped her at Paul’s attempt at a southern accent. “Ooo, nice use of the word hogtie . I’ll make a cowboy out of you yet, city slicker. And to answer your question, yes. But Seth still looks at me like I’m some little girl he has to rescue.”
    Paul shook his head. “I always find that assessment of your relationship with him shocking. Clearly you should have invited him to visit you at the university. I’ve never met a fiercer woman. He should have been with us the night you pulverized Mark Robyns.”
    “He called you a fag.”
    Paul bent forward and kissed her on the end of the nose. “I am a fag, Jody.”
    “It was the way he said it. Like he had a mouth full of fuckin’ manure.”
    Taking her hand and lifting it over her head, Paul spun her like they were dancing. It was a familiar move and one the two of them did often whenever something she said struck Paul as funny. Apparently he found her southern drawl and her penchant for bad words hilarious. “I love southern girls,” he teased as they laughed.
    “Am I interrupting something?”
    Jody stopped pirouetting as Seth came back into the room. The lighthearted feeling Paul never failed to evoke in her disappeared as fast as pigs at slaughter time.
    Paul turned and smiled. “Nope. Just dancing with my girl.”
    Seth studied her, his face a mixture of confusion and—she paused—jealousy? He’d never been possessive before, though God knew she’d tried to provoke that feeling in him. She propped her hands on her hips, defensively. “Do you have a problem with us dancing? It’s not like we’re fucking on the living room floor.”
    If she could have bitten her tongue off, she would have. His eyes darkened. If she still gave a shit what he thought, she would have banked her attitude, but for some reason, tweaking his temper made her smile. She’d spent a decade trying to stir some emotion in him. If anger was all she could rouse, so be it. Some petty, small part of her wanted him to hurt as much as she did. She wasn’t proud of that fact, but it was there and she couldn’t seem to stop it.
    Paul put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. His soft tone soothed her rankled feathers. “Be nice, Jody. He doesn’t strike me as a man you want to piss off.”
    She flushed when it was clear Seth had heard her fiancé’s warning. “You should listen to Paul. I’m not real fond of this sassy tone you’ve acquired since you’ve been away.”
    She rolled her eyes and untangled herself from Paul’s grip. “Oh my. Seth’s unhappy. I’ll probably cry myself to sleep worrying about that. Come on, Paul. Tour time.”
    She hoped her snarkiness would deter Seth from coming, but as she crossed the yard toward the stable, she looked over her shoulder and discovered him right on their heels.
    As she took Paul around the property, showing him all the buildings, introducing him to the new hands and letting him catch up with the guys he’d met on previous visits, Seth was there. He answered all of Paul’s questions regarding the ranch in a cool, though friendly manner. Paul toned down the flirting with Seth, but when they ran into Chase, she knew they were in trouble.
    Chase Webster was sex