The Keys to Jericho
Page 73
“Let me see it.”
“This picture looks worse than on my permit!”
“No way. Impossible.”
“I tried smiling, but this is horrendous!” she whines with a pouted laugh.
Snatching it from her hand, I look at her driver’s license picture. Her shy smile makes me proudly grin. Looking over at Kat, I say, “Congratulations, Kit Kat. You’re now a licensed driver in the State of Maryland.”
Starting the car, she grins and says, “That’ll change again, though, when we move to Virginia.”
“True, but I’ll have to change mine twice, too. Just think, next time, you’ll be changing your name.”
She shrugs. “I might keep Merrick.”
I frown as she glances at me before looking over her shoulder to back out of the space. “Why? What’s wrong with Beckett?”
She counters, “What’s wrong with Merrick?”
“Nothing. I just thought you’d take my name.”
Kat pulls onto the road and says, “You can always take mine.”
I narrow my eyes at the windshield and shake my head. “Jared Merrick. It sounds too rhymey.”
She giggles. “Is that a word? Kat Beckett sounds funny, too, doesn’t it?”
Shifting my gaze back to her, I say, “It’s perfect.”
Kat says, “I could always hyphenate it to Merrick-Beckett.”
I scowl at the dashboard and then at her profile. “That sounds like a disease or a law firm. Have fun getting little kids to call you Mrs. Merrick-Beckett.”
She nods, laughing. “Very true.”
“So Katriona Beckett it is.” As Kat stops at a red light, I grin at her. She rolls her eyes and snatches back her license, tossing it into the console tray.
Kat asks, “When am I going to meet your grandmother? I’d like to thank her for letting me use her car for so long.”
The light turns green and I say, “Don’t forget about thanking her for having such a sexy grandson, too. And no, not my cousin Gary, either.”
Making a left turn, she laughs. “I’m all over that.”
Leaning my head against the seat, I roll my head to her and ask, “Well, can you be all over her grandson Jared, too?”
She glances at me and says, “Later.”
I heave a sigh as I tug on my bill. “I guess we can visit her, since you got off work early to get your license. Maybe she’ll even feed us.”
“Such a good grandson you are.”
Smirking at her, I say, “I have to build my strength to keep up with you.”
She incredulously laughs. “Me? Right. You can’t keep it in your pants.”
I boldly grin. “Yep. I’m out of control now. I guess you’d better drive me back to your place, so you can ravish me before we go eat.”
Kat laughs louder. “You are shameless! And definitely out of control!”
Reaching over, I drag my finger along her thigh. “Come on, Kit Kat. This is my last weekend before I start work Monday. I don’t want to spend all our time together in this damn car.” I grin, staring at her tits. “Unless we’re naked.”
She sighs and I look up to her surprisingly hopeful smile. “I know, but I thought you could take me car shopping.”
Sitting up, I smirk, pushing up on my cap, feeling suddenly inspired. “Oh, yeah, baby.”
Kat rolls her eyes and laughs. “Get that look out of your eyes, Sonic.”
Rubbing my hands together, I say, “I have some ideas for you.”
“I’m sure you do, but I already know what I want.”
I argue, “You do not.”
“I do, too.”
I scoff, “What? My ideas aren’t just for looks. They’re safe.” I shrug and lean back, crossing my arms. “A Dodge Charger comes in an automatic.”
Briefly peering over at me, she doubtfully asks, “You really want me driving the same car as you?”
I shrug. “Why not? We can even get Mr. and Mrs. or His and Hers scrawled across the hoods.” She glances at me, and I bite my lip to keep a straight face.
As Kat frowns, her nose wrinkles. “That’s not happening. I don’t want that car, anyway.”
The urge to smile disappears and I dejectedly ask, “Why not? What’s wrong with my car?”
“It’s you, not me.”
“Fuck. If you were writing me off, I’d hope you say it was you and not me,” I tease. Kat looks over her shoulder to merge with traffic and I ask, “Kind of like how blue contacts and heavy makeup aren’t you, either?”
“Yeah. Something like that.” She laughs. “But the purple hair was me?”
“I liked the purple. I’d want my teacher to have purple hair. It’s fucking hot.”
“And I’d be fired if you were my student.”
I grin. “You could always private tutor me. I need so much help, Mrs. Beckett.”
She giggles, but shouts, “Stop calling me that! It’s bad luck!”
“We’ll elope. No more bad juju.” Damn dog.
Kat laughs, shaking her head at the windshield. “We’re not eloping.”
I say, “I’m good at keeping secrets.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not. Do you know how many times I almost told you that I love you?”
Shaking my head back at her, I scoff, “Do you know how many times I told you without saying the fucking words?”
Kat sighs. “I thought maybe you were, but with everything you said about not believing in it, I kept telling myself to stop seeing what I wanted to see.”
“And I thought maybe I was, but I kept telling myself to stop feeling what I really wanted to feel.”
Kat slows the car to a red light, and turning to me, she says, “Stop, before I change my mind and fuck you in your grandmother’s car.”
Raising an eyebrow, I lick my lips and whisper, “Bring it on, Kitty Kat.”
“Oh, I will when we christen my new car tonight.”
“You’re going to make me wait that long?”
Kat pushes on my arm. “We made love last night, Jared, which sent me to work this morning with a gigantic smile on my face.”
“You’re welcome, Miss Merrick. I guess that makes me the teacher’s pet?”
Giggling, she says, “Indeed it does. You can’t wait a few hours for more of me?”
“Not when our time is limited. We need to fuck like crazy now, before we’re restricted to weekends like my sister.”
“She’s not that restricted. She could change it more easily than we can.”
“Yeah, I know, but she has her reasons.”
“I know, and I admire her for that, but Finn might have his, too. If one of them doesn’t give, then I don’t see how they’re going to work.”
“They’ve made it over two years like this.”
“Well, that may be a good sign or the beginning of the end if they can’t find a middle ground.”
“Yeah. She’s a Beckett, though.”
“Stubborn as hell.”
“Hey! I hear you Merricks aren’t that bendable, either.”
She nods. “Only when it counts.”
“In bed.”
“Yep.”
Sighing, I roll my eyes with a reluctant smile. “It’s going to suck having blue balls during the week.”
Taking her hand off the wheel, she pats my cheek as I pout. “I know, baby. I guess we’ll have to try phone sex then.”
“Both hands on the— What? We’ll actually do that?”
She shrugs and giggles at my gaping expression. “Why not? You scared?”
“Uh, no. Definitely not scared.” I’ll just be talking to her on the phone, while we’re both beating off, not that we didn’t do some of that before, but damn. I’m used to beating off in my shower alone, only having her voice in my mind.
Kat says, “And then during my breaks, I can stay with you during the week, so you can go to work with a gigantic smile on your face.”
I teasingly groan. “Baby, I’d make The Joker look depressed.”
I grin, knowing that I’m turning her on, but answer, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll help him at the shop tomorrow morning.”
“Go fishing with him or something, too.”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
She glances away from the road to me. “No, but I’m taking up all your time now, and then when we get married, we’ll be moving away soon after.”
I roll my eyes. “Fine. I’m still pissed at him about what he was doing with my sister.”
“They really didn’t do anything.”
“Tell that to Finn. If he had been there, Dash wouldn’t have acted like that, and if he had, Dash wouldn’t be getting around without the use of a wheelchair.”
“You wouldn’t have hurt him.”
“I wouldn’t? If he hurt my sister?”
I can see her rolling her eyes at the windshield. “He wasn’t hurting your sister.”
“Okay, but I most likely wouldn’t have been the one putting him in a wheelchair.”
“Finn seems like a nice guy. He wouldn’t do that.”
I take off my hat, fluffing up my hair. “You, my dad, and even Hadley all think he’s a calm, laidback guy. You’d think Hadley would know her own boyfriend, but if she thinks he’s not jealous of other guys, then she doesn’t know him. Finn might appear cool and confident on the surface, and to his fans, but shit, he’s an insecure time bomb. And that’s the impression he gave me while we were just fishing. I saw it during dinner, in the car, and at the club, too. I even heard it while he was fucking my sister.”
As I put my hat back on my head, Kat shrieks, “Holy fuck, Jared! You heard them?”
I scowl as I recall that memory. “Shit, yes. I can’t believe my dad didn’t.”
“They were that loud?”
“Not really, but the walls are thin and Finn’s voice is deep. Plus, her bed squeaked in tune with them. Goddamn it, I’ll never be able to unhear the things I heard.”
“Hadley would say the same about you if she heard us, I’m sure.”
I grin at her. “Probably, since you’re such a wildcat in bed.”
She laughs, but blandly says, “Yeah, that’s me.”
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be. By all means, scream and growl all you want. I won’t mind. I promise.”
Kat laughs more and says, “Damn, Sonic. You’re something else.”
“I think I told you that before.”
“Maybe.”
I sigh before I continue, “Anyway, I guess I’m more observant about Finn than all of you.”
“How come you perceive your sister’s boyfriend’s feelings better than you could mine, or yours, even?”
I shrug. “How come shrinks can’t fix themselves or their own lives?”
“True.”
As Kat pulls into a parking lot, I look up at the dealership sign. “Are you damn serious?”
“I did my Internet research. I’m positive.”
“Unbelievable.”
Kat parks the Nissan and grabbing her purse, she walks to a row of shiny, brand new cars. Walking up behind her, as she looks one over, I put my arms around her shoulders, holding her to me. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. This is what I want.” She digs out a paper from her purse and holds it up for me. “It’s all right here.”
Taking it, I look over the printout as the salesman approaches. I smugly grin. “Black?”
“Of course.”
“They might not have it in stock.”
“I’ll wait. I’m good at waiting.”
I tilt my head and whisper in her ear, “I’ll make sure it’s a pleasant wait, Kit Kat.”
She whispers back, “You bet your ass you will, Jericho.”
Since the dealership had to prep Kat’s new car, we have even more time to kill.
Opening the door, my grandmother looks at me and then to Kat. The light green polo shirt she’s wearing coordinates with her tracksuit pants. Her gray hair is in one of those clips with the big teeth, and she’s wearing her trademark pink lipstick.
Smiling, Grandma asks, “Is this your girlfriend?”
I nod. “Grandma, this is my fiancée Kat Merrick. Kat, this is Florence Beckett.”
Grandma steps aside, beckoning us into the living room. “Call me Florrie. Come in. Come in.”
Putting my hand on Kat’s lower back, I usher her into the house where I did most of my growing up. Grandma says, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“Same here. I’m sorry I haven’t met you sooner. Thank you very much for letting me use your car for so long. That was incredibly kind and trusting of you. I want to repay you somehow. I’d like to take your car to get the oil changed, an alignment, and—”
Grandma shakes her head and waves her hand. “Nonsense. I don’t drive much. Jared said he had a friend he was helping and needed a car. I had one to borrow. That’s all.”
I grin at my grandmother. “It’s because I’m your favorite grandson. Right?”
Grandma laughs. “Of course!” Patting my arm, she says, “Your cousin Gary is still in Texas.”
“Hilarious, Grandma,” I grumble, making Kat laugh.
Grandma squeezes my cheek, shaking my face. “You’re easy, boy. At least you pick pretty friends. You have that going for you.”
When she lets go of my face, I rub my cheek. “She’s going to marry me.”
Grandma asks, “Are you sure? Maybe she thought you asked her to trade up.”
I gape at her and Kat wheezes from laughing. I scoff, “Grandma!”
When Kat catches her breath, she asks, “Is Gary single? Maybe I should check the inventory first before I lock down my order.”
Grandma fucking beams at her, finding common ground in teasing the hell out of me.
I sulk, “Where’s Grandpa? I need moral support.”
“Golfing. He won’t be back for a while, so you’re on your own, kid.” I frown as she claps her hands together. “How about I fix you two something to eat?”
I object, “How about an apology? You owe me from that remark about trading up.”
My grandmother laughs as we walk into the kitchen. “You pout more than your dad. Where’s your sense of humor?”
“Texas.” I pull out a chair for Kat and slump into the one next to her as she smiles at me, enjoying herself, apparently.
Grandma sets out some cold cuts and lemonade. We eat, and as she and Kat get acquainted, I try to jump into the conversation, only to get shot down by my grandmother. “Now, am I asking you?”
I incredulously frown. “Uh, no, but—”
“I’m getting to know your fiancée, so hush.” I roll my eyes. Jesus Christ.
Grandma says, “By the way, a few months ago you told me you weren’t ever getting married. What’s with the turnaround?”
I nod at Kat. “Her.”
Grandma frowns at Kat. “I hope you didn’t let him dip into your cookie jar too soon.”
As I glower at Grandma, Kat shakes her head. “I have a padlock on it.”
Now frowning at both of them, Grandma pats Kat’s hand, smiling. “I knew I’d like you. Make him wait. It’ll make him appreciate you more, and maybe even better in the sack.”
“Grandma! I can’t believe… You two are… I don’t even know what to say to that.”
Grandma shakes her head as I fumble with my sandwich and a rebuttal. She asks Kat, “You’re actually going to have children with this grandson of mine?”
Kat smiles at me, and then to Grandma. “I’m considering it.”
Grandma fakes horror. “Oh, honey. I’d reconsider it.”
I drop my sandwich. “What the hell?”
Grandma says, “Watch your mouth, young man. Have respect for your damned elders.”
“Elderly,” I mutter and Kat smacks my
arm, making me laugh.
Feigning a heavy sigh, Grandma says, “I can only apologize so much for Adam’s mistakes.”
“I’m Jared, Grandma. Not Adam.”
“Well, I know that, boy. I’m apologizing for your father’s hormonal lapse in judgment thirty-some years ago.”
I scoff, “Wow. I am speechless now.”
She grins. “Excellent.”
Getting up from the table, swiping my plate and glass from the table, I say, “Well, I don’t need this abuse. I’m going out to wash the Nissan.”
Kat says, “I’ll do it. I should’ve anyway.”
Grandma says, “You don’t have to do that.”
Loading the dishwasher, I shrug. “Good. I didn’t feel like it.”
Grandma retorts, “I meant Kat doesn’t have to do it. Go wash my car, Jared.”
I frown at her as I close the dishwasher. “I’m so glad I get first-class treatment around here.”
Grandma shoots me a look. “I was only aiming for third class.”
Shaking my head, I bite my lip to hide my smile as I roll my eyes, and open the door. “I like you, too, Grandma.”
Spinning my Colts hat backward, I gather everything I need, and get started hosing off the car. Shortly after, Kat comes out to the driveway. “Need some help?”
I jokingly snap, “Are you allowed?”
She giggles. “Your grandmother loves teasing you.”
I pout. “Haven’t noticed.”
Kat puts her hands on her hips, watching me. Reaching into the bucket, I toss her the sodden sponge, and she catches it as suds splash her clothes. “Get it good and soapy. I like it slippery.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll rub it down good.”
Watching her squeeze the sponge, letting the foam escape, I say, “Oh, baby. Just like that.”
“I’ll get it creamy, since I know how to handle your hose.”
I let go of the trigger, not paying attention to the car anyway. “I do love spraying it everywhere, don’t I?”
She nods. “Steering wheels, for one.”
“Your headlights, another.” I need to do that one again.
Kat smirks as her gaze goes to my crotch. “You’re definitely fuel-injected.”
“And, Kitty Kat, I make your engine roar.”
She laughs as she begins washing the car and I work on the tires with a brush.