Give Me Fever. Niobia Bryant

breathe when my allergies act up,” he explained, his eyes still locked on hers.

      Jade’s face was just inches from his. One of her hands rested lightly against his chest. Beneath her hand his heart was beating just as hard as hers.

      “What you doing over there, little brother?” Kahron called over.

      “She is hard as hell to resist,” Kaleb added.

      Jade scrambled and jumped down from his arms. “You guys ready to fish?” she asked, sounding normal even though her heart was still racing.

      “Let’s go catch some fish, because it looks like two of my boys want to catch you,” Kael teased as he closed his tackle box.

      Jade arched an eyebrow as she turned away from Kaeden. “Only thing is, Papa Strong, I am not throwing out any bait,” she said, firmly hoping to get her point across.

      Hours later Kaeden could hardly believe that he’d even gathered up the courage to swing Jade up in his arms. In that instant the idea flew into his head and he just reacted. No question. No thoughts.

      And it felt good having every inch of her soft curves in his arms.

      He wished he could explain what about Jade Prince drew him in until he was breathless. They were as different as night and day. She longed to be surrounded by the outdoors while Kaeden found being around nature troublesome. She was sexy as hell and knew it while still being comfortable enough to take on tasks better than most men. He had barely a drop of the swagger his brothers possessed.

      Even though he knew he wasn’t her type—he knew they had nothing in common—the more he found out about her, the more he wanted her.

      She was funny and bright. Adventurous and courageous. Friendly but quick to put anyone in their place.

      Jade was an enigma.

      Taking his bespectacled eyes off his rod and the line floating across the water, he leaned back a bit to look past Kaleb sitting beside him down the long stretch of bank for Jade, but he didn’t see her.

      Bzzzz.

      He used one hand to reach for his BlackBerry, looking down at the wide screen.

      INCOMING CALL:

      Felecia

      [phone]

      He answered. “Hey, Felecia.”

      “Well, hello, stranger. How’s your trip?”

      “It’s going great,” he lied, even forcing a smile as he dropped his reel to swat a mosquito that had just landed on the back of his hand and then used the back of his hand to wipe his running nose.

      “Make sure you wear your insect repellent. Do you have your inhaler? Are you eating well? When are you getting back?”

      Kaeden held the BlackBerry from his face and frowned as he looked down at it. “I’m good. I know it’s Friday, but did anything major come up at the office today?” he asked, clearly steering the conversation back to business and away from Felecia sounding way too much like his girlfriend or wife.

      “I’m holding down things for you. We’re a team, remember?”

      Kaeden frowned again. “That’s good to know,” he said vaguely, his focus on a large wasp flying around Kaleb’s silver-flecked head. “Enjoy the rest of your weekend. I’ll see you at the office Monday.”

      Kaeden ended the call. “If that miniairplane bites me, you gone have to give me my epi shot,” he warned Kaleb.

      “Man, stop worrying ’bout stuff like that and just enjoy the experience,” Kaleb told him as he rose from his camp chair and strained the muscles in his arms reeling in the line—and hopefully a fish.

      Kaeden cast his brother a stare. “That’s easy for you to say.”

      “I think I need the net, big brother,” Kaleb boasted as he leaned back and kept on reeling.

      “You ain’t got nothing down there, son,” Kael called down the bank teasingly.

      Kaeden grabbed the net and rose from his seat. “That’s a big one,” he admitted as Kaleb held the line with the squirming bass on the large hook.

      “Tonight I want to catch the other fish floating around here,” Kaleb told him with a rowdy wink before he used pliers to take the hook from the fish.

      “Kaleb, you really need to lay off Jade,” Kaeden told his brother in a serious tone.

      Kaleb dropped the fish into the bucket. “What?”

      “You just called the woman a damn fish,” Kaeden snapped. “Straight up you acting like an asshole, always pushing up on her when you know she’s not in the mood for you.”

      Kaleb closed the lid on the bucket and looked up at his brother as he straightened up to his full height. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to act like a caveman and scoop her up in my arms.”

      “You know what, I can eat that and say I was wrong, but one incident of inappropriateness is nothing compared to your horny ass around here being disrespectful,” Kaeden shot back, feeling his anger rising.

      “Incident of inappropriateness?” Kaleb barked a laugh. “Man, save that nerdy conversation, man.”

      Kaeden stiffened his back as his jaw clenched. “Mind this nerd don’t whup your ass, little brother,” he told Kaleb coldly.

      “Hey, what’s y’all problem down there?” their father yelled from down the bank.

      Kaeden and Kaleb squared off with their noses damn near touching.

      “Why you all swoll up and writing a check you can’t cash, big brother?”

      “Because she’s sick of your shit and so am I,” Kaeden told him in a hard voice, not backing down one bit.

      “You protecting the coochie like you got a chance of getting it!” Kaleb said, waving his hand dismissively at Kaeden before he turned to bait his hook.

      Kaeden snorted in derision as he too turned away to pick up his reel and rod. “Look like you don’t have a chance either, pimpin’. That’s my whole point.”

      “Now, I’m sick of both of y’all shit, so both of you sit down before I get up,” Kade said from his spot sitting on a stump. He was the oldest, and growing up he frequently took on the father figure role.

      Kaleb cast his line into the water. “Man, whatever.”

      Kaeden sat down on his camp chair. “Whatever.”