Animal Instincts [The Andersons 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Marie Jermy Page A

stop?”
    “Like I said, I was fourteen. I’d been out with a couple of my school friends and I was late getting home. Two minutes late. He’d been drinking and was as drunk as a skunk. When he came for me, his hand raised ready to strike, I stood tall, blocked his shot, and held him off. Told him never to hit me again. And he didn’t. Standing up to him, becoming a man, I’d finally earned myself a small measure of respect.”
    His mouth thinned into a grim line. “Even so, in his eyes, I could never do anything right. Including my chosen profession. He wanted me to go into medicine, be a neurosurgeon, or something. When I said I wanted to become a vet, he was so disgusted and disappointed that we didn ’ t speak for at least a year. ”
    “ But you did become a doctor. An animal doctor. ”
    “ He never saw it like that. ” Rex shook his head, even now bemused by his father’s derisive attitude toward his career choice. “ He died two years ago. Pancreatic cancer. You know when they say people with cancer who die do so after a courageous fight? Not my father. When he was diagnosed, it was almost like he died then. He gave up the fight before it even started. Which in essence was a relief. It meant I no longer had to prove myself to him. Prove to him that the son he had and the son he wanted were one and the same. A son he could be proud of. ”
    “ I ’ m sure there were people who were proud of you, Rex. A girlfriend maybe? ”
    Rex felt that the conversation was about to slide into dangerous territory. His father’s derision to his chosen career may have faded, but Stacey’s—to his manhood—was still a fiery dagger straight to his heart. He turned the subject back on to Ramona. “ What about you? Are you close to your parents? ”
    “ Very. Dad never once raised even his little finger to either myself, my sister, Sammy, or my brothers, Ross and Matt. He didn’t have to. Whenever we were naughty, he’d make this low growling sound in the back of his throat that stopped us dead in our tracks. And if we ever broke curfew, he’d just use his police interrogation skills and grill us at length.”
    “Your father was a police officer?”
    “Yeah. Mom, too. And Ross. Matt, I told you earlier, is also a cop. Sammy’s a kindergarten teacher in Butte.”
    “So if law enforcement runs in your family, how come you ended up as a vet and your sister a kindergarten teacher?”
    She shrugged. “It just never appealed to us. I love animals. Sammy loves children.” She drank some coffee and continued. “I can ’ t imagine any parent not being proud of their children. When we were growing up, we could talk to Mom and Dad about anything, without feeling embarrassed or ashamed. And whatever decisions we made, good or bad, they were always there, supporting us, loving us. ”
    “ Then I envy you. ”
    “ Envy me? ” Ramona choked on a giggle. “ You won ’ t be saying that if you get to experience Mom ’ s temper. As I’ve said, it’s volcanic, and when she blows, she blows.”
    “And do you blow?” The moment that question left his mouth, Rex wished he could take it back. Ramona’s sweet and infectious giggle had only stiffened his cock further. Remembering that her bra was red, he knew it would only take one minuscule thought of her luscious mouth wrapped around him and he would “blow.”
    “I have been known.”
    Again, her giggle was sweet and infectious. As stimulating as it was, Rex thought it time to steer the conversation back on to safer ground before he made a spectacular mess in his jeans. “Sammy? Is that short for Samantha?”
    “What is this? Twenty questions?”
    “You started it,” he reminded her.
    “So I did. Yeah, it’s short for Samantha. We’re identical twins. Well, I say that, but since I’ve had my hair cut, it’s gonna be real easy to tell us apart. In looks, we take after Mom, whereas Ross and Matt are like Dad. Ross in more ways than one, they share the same name.