“Spoilsport,” Jackson muttered. And that set off Marc anew.

On the balls of his feet, he bounced to the side of her, then to the left, then the right.

Jackson tucked in his chin. “What the hell?”

Marc lunged forward with a wild swing. Jackson actually laughed as he easily dodged the fist.

Enraged, Marc swung again…and again he missed.

Grinning, Jackson said, “Is there a punch line to this routine?”

When Marc charged forward, Jackson landed a short, effortless jab square on his chin. Eyes rolling up, Marc went stiff, then fell back hard, his legs buckled awkwardly, his arms out at his sides.

Alani gasped. “Jackson!”

“What?” Unrepentant, he peered down at Marc. “He started doing crazy hops and shit. It was just reflex.”

“You didn’t have to knock him out.”

“What’d you want me to do? Hug him?” He made a face. “I barely tapped him. How was I supposed to know he had a glass jaw?”

Dropping to her knees, Alani patted Marc’s slack face. The last thing she needed right now was a fool knocked out in her yard. “Marc?”

Bleary-eyed, Marc came around and stared at her in confusion. A purpling bruise swelled on his jaw.

“I didn’t hit you that hard, you pu**y.” Jackson nudged him with his boot. “Get up, for God’s sake.”

He groaned. “What happened?”

“You got knocked out, that’s what happened!” Sitting back, Alani blasted him with her annoyance. “I told you not to harass him, didn’t I? I told you this would happen.”

Hands on his knees, Jackson peered down at Marc. “She did tell you.”

Marc looked beyond her, contemplated Jackson, who now smiled evilly, and met her gaze again. He half sat up with a wince. “I don’t want to distress you.”

“You already have.” She took pity on him. “Things are over between us, Marc. For good.”

He worked his jaw and winced some more. “Because of him.”

“Oh, for the love of…” She pushed back to her feet. “He has nothing to do with it. Why not admit that you were never all that involved in the first place? No, you don’t have to say anything, Marc. I’m not stupid. I know I wounded your male ego, and I’m sorry for that. Really, I am. But I was nothing more than a challenge for you. You don’t want me, not really.”

Jackson snorted. “If that’s true, he’s a total dumbass on top of being a loudmouth wuss.”

She whipped around to confront him, and he held up both hands in concession.

Silently daring him to make another sound, Alani waited, but other than a slight tilt of his mouth, he did nothing more. She gave a nod of satisfaction.

Lord. For the longest time she hadn’t dated anyone, and no one had seemed to care much about that. Guys didn’t chase after her. Guys definitely didn’t fight over her.

Now she had two of them being possessive.

“You should go, Marc.” The day felt never ending.

Casting a cautious glance at Jackson, he lumbered to his feet. “I don’t want to leave you alone with him. He’s violent.”

That had her rolling her eyes. “Actually, he showed great restraint.”

In his sexy drawl, Jackson said, “Thanks, darlin’.”

She would not look at him again. “Now, no more drama, Marc. I want you to leave.”

Marc hesitated, then unwisely drew her close for a big hug. In her ear, he whispered, “If you need me, for anything at all, call. Somehow I’ll figure it out. Okay?”

Right. What could he do? Jackson had put him down with a negligent tap. No, she was much safer sticking close to Jackson, but saying so to Marc would serve no purpose. “Sure, thanks.” She would not be calling him.

Jackson stirred behind her. “He’s got two seconds, Alani, before he finds himself on his ass again, and I don’t care what you think about that.”

Alani wiggled out of Marc’s embrace. She showed her teeth in what she hoped looked more like a smile than anticipation of strangling Jackson. “Goodbye.”

His hands fisted, his gait a little unsteady, Marc finally turned and left.

When Alani started to speak, Jackson held up a finger. In the past five minutes, he’d had more mood swings than a menopausal woman. First turned-on, then territorial, bored, aggressive and now on alert. If she let him, he’d make her dizzy with his ever-changing disposition.

In stealth mode, Jackson caught her hand to draw her into the house. Sensing that something had him on edge, she went along willingly. He led her through the house to the front window where, with one finger, he lifted aside a curtain to peek out.

Standing back, Alani folded her arms. “What, exactly, are you doing?”

“Making sure the bastard leaves.”

She knew he meant Marc. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“Why wouldn’t he have called to tell you he was coming by?” Jackson’s profile went taut at whatever he saw through the window. “Why would he have crept around to the back of the house?”

Before she could question that, he said, “He was sneaking, hon. Otherwise I’d have heard him sooner.”

So…unlike her, Jackson hadn’t been so involved in that devastating kiss that he’d lost sense of time and place?

Great. She’d been smart to ask for a commitment-free affair. No reason to advertise to him that she was already half in love.