Josie was already bent over, scratching Layla’s chin by the time he made his way around the rear of the car. He stopped to admire the view. She was wearing black capris that hugged her body like a second skin, a lime green racer back tank and multi-colored running shoes. “Girl, if that’s your uniform, it’s no wonder the guys outnumber the girls in your gym four to one.”
She laughed before straightening. “You noticed that, huh? It’s not that we don’t have our fair share of female members, but they seem to prefer the classes. I don’t know why. Personally, I love lifting weights.”
His eyes trailed over her taut body, taking in the defined muscles in her arms and shoulders. She was perfect, not too muscular, but definitely toned. “It shows.”
“Thanks.” After a charged look passed between them, she pointed toward the house. “You promised you were going to feed me. What’re we waiting for?”
“Let’s do it.” He knew she didn’t miss the double entendre. Josie was smart, but more importantly, quick, and she apparently appreciated his wicked sense of humor. Not everyone got him, but she seemed to and he loved that. “If you’re good, I may even feed you afterwards.”
“Shut up,” she said, backhanding him across the chest.
Layla followed them into the house, prancing right behind them as they made their way to the kitchen. “Go lay down, Layla,” he said, pointing to the back porch of the kitchen. She immediately followed his direction.
“Are all the women in your life so obedient?” Josie asked, biting her lip as she regarded the dog.
“Only the ones who can expect a call the next mornin’.”
Rolling her eyes as she pulled up a stool at the granite breakfast bar, she said, “Don’t expect me to help you with dinner after a comment like that.”
“You know I’m just messin’ with ya,” he said, taking the chicken out of the fridge along with the ingredients he needed for his secret sauce. “Truth is, I’m not into submissive women. I know some guys like it, but I’d much rather be with a woman who isn’t afraid to put me in my place.”
“Is that so?” she asked, rubbing her hands together with a wicked gleam in her eye. “You know what they say, be careful what you wish for, cowboy.”
He propped a hip against the corner, regarding her carefully. “Honey, if anyone could whip me, it’d be you.”
She rolled her tongue in her cheek as her eyes swept over him. “Is that so?”
“I didn’t mean that literally, so don’t get any crazy ideas. I said I’m not into being a Dominant, but that sure as hell doesn’t mean I’d be any woman’s Submissive either.” He laughed as he took a couple of long necks out of the fridge. After popping the tops off both, he handed her one. “I can’t say I’ve ever met a woman I’d do anything for. I used to give my buddies a hard time about bein’ whipped, you know, ’cause their girlfriends wouldn’t let ’em go out drinkin’ and carousin’ anymore…”
“But?” She tipped the beer bottle back, taking a small sip before she licked her lips and met his heated gaze.
“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. He was afraid of saying too much and scaring her away, but he’d never been one to shy away from the truth. “If I’d had the choice between knockin’ a few back with the boys at Jimmy’s tonight and bein’ here with you, just hangin’ out like this, this is what I’d wanna be doin’.”
A slow smile spread across her face before she said, “You’re still angling for that second date, aren’t you?”
“Newsflash. This is our second date.”
She looked momentarily stunned before she shook her head. “Nuh-uh, I never agreed to another date with you.”
“Really? ’Cause I could have sworn I heard you agree to have dinner with me.”
“Yeah, but this,” she said, gesturing to the food and drinks on the counter, “is just two friends hanging out. It’s not a date.”
“Really?” He pretended to ponder her point before adding. “’Cause I don’t ever remember ever kissin’ one of my friends the way I kissed you last night. Not even last Memorial Day when I downed a 12-pack and—”
“Okay, I get your point.” She smirked. “Fine, call it a date if that makes you feel better.”
“It does because that means I just stepped into unchartered territory.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he scooped honey into a stainless steel bowl. “I’m not a member of your one-date losers’ club anymore. Tell me something. How many of the guys you go out with call you for another date?”
“Some,” she admitted, peeling the label off her beer bottle. “But I tell all of them the deal upfront… that I don’t do second dates. Second dates lead to third dates, and with that comes the expectation for sex.”
“God forbid.”
She stuck her tongue out.
“Baby, don’t do that unless you plan on puttin’ it to good use now.”
“You’re a pig.”
“Yeah, but you’re still here, so you must like it.”
“I’m here because I’m hungry and I didn’t see any restaurants within a ten-mile radius.”
“You’re here because you wanna ravish me. Admit it. It’s okay, your secret is safe with me.”
“The only secret is that you’re a lunatic, but don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell your adoring public.”
“Get your sexy self over here and chop these herbs, woman.”
She jumped off the stool and saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
“Damn girl, you’re gonna make me re-think that whole Dom thing. I think we could make an arrangement like that work.”
“In your dreams, cowboy.”
***
D.J. was doubled over, laughing so hard his stomach hurt as Josie entertained him with stories about how her father, the former Army Lieutenant, used to scare his daughter’s boyfriends senseless.
“I swear to God,” she said, swiping the tears from the corner of her eyes, “Just like the song, he was literally polishing his guns when Johnny came to pick me up for our junior prom. I thought the poor kid was gonna wet himself.”
“That’s why my old man said he was grateful he had two boys. He never would’ve survived girls.”
“You think you’d be an overprotective father if you had daughters?” Josie asked, sipping her coffee.
“Damn straight.” D.J. grimaced. “I wouldn’t let them date ’til they were twenty.” He paused, re-thinking his position. “Make that twenty-five.”
“You’re ridiculous,” she said, reaching over to slap his thigh. “You couldn’t keep the boys away that long. Trust me, they’d find a way to sneak around behind your back.” Looking more somber, she said, “I know I did.”
“Oh yeah, what’d you do that was so bad?” he asked, sensing he shouldn’t probe because of the shift in her mood, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to know every chapter of her life story.
“I got pregnant when I was sixteen.” She swallowed, hooking his gaze.
“Seriously?” He set his beer bottle down on the ground beside him, reaching for her hand. “You wanna talk about it? You don’t have to—”
“I’d been dating Bryan for a while. We hadn’t had sex despite the fact he’d been pressuring me for a long time. I was too scared to talk to my parents about going on the pill.” She shrugged. “I was a stupid kid, D.J. When we finally did sleep together he said he’d pull out and I thought that was a safe method of birth control. What the hell did I know?”
“Did you…?” He cleared his throat. “Did you have the baby?”
“He was stillborn.” Her eyes were glazed as she blinked repeatedly, staring off into the distance. “I know I wouldn’t have been able to care for him the way he deserved, but I still miss him. I often wonder what kind of person he would have grown up to be.”
“Strong and determined if he was anything like his mama.”
“He was perfect,” she whispered, blinking back tears. “So tiny and defenceless. He would have been sixteen by now.”<
br />
“How’d your boyfriend react to the news he was gonna be a daddy?”
She laughed, the sound harsh and spiked with bitterness. “He dumped me. Said it was too much for him to deal with. I guess that should have been my first clue that he was a jerk, huh?”
“Why’d you take him back?”
“I loved him, or at least I thought I did. Now I know that I had no clue what love was, then or now.”
“You don’t think you’ve ever been in love?” He could feel his heart pounding, knowing they were charting dangerous territory. He’d already gotten to know her better than girls he’d dated for months, and the more he uncovered about her, the more he wanted to know.
“I know I’ve never been in love. I’ve loved a few guys—Bryan, my last ex, and Connor, but it wasn’t the kind of love I thought could last forever. To tell you the truth, I’m not even sure a love like that exists.”
“You’re too young to be so cynical. And too beautiful.” He squeezed her hand, struck by the fact it was usually the women in his life gushing about the virtues of romantic love while he tuned them out. He’d never had the urge to make a woman believe in love before.
“And you’re good for my ego.” She released his hand as she leaned forward. “Dinner was great, thanks, D.J.”
“So now that we’ve established I’m the exception to your rule, when’s date number three?” He stood, reaching for her hands as he pulled her to her feet.
“Don’t push your luck.” She smiled. “I have to admit, this was fun though.”
“Maybe this will change your mind.”
Just like the previous night, he captured her face in his hands before he kissed her, maybe because he sensed her urge to bolt. He could see she was still skittish and determined to continue fighting their attraction, but he was equally determined not to let her.
He took his time, slowly discovering the way she loved to be kissed. He paid attention to the subtle clues, the way she tipped her head back and her breath quickened when he dove deeper or the way her nails dug into his back when he crossed over from mellow to demanding. “Let’s take this upstairs,” he said, tracing the curve of her neck with his tongue.
Like a bucket of cold water dousing them, she pushed him away, swiping at the back of her mouth with her hand. “That was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You thought it would be a challenge because I said I wasn’t interested in sex or dating—”
“Sweetheart,” he said, gripping her upper arms, “I’m sorry if I—-”
“I don’t know why the hell I’m surprised. I knew what you were like before I agreed to go out with you. If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”
“Wait,” he said, reaching for her wrist as she stormed into the kitchen to get her purse. “Don’t go. Let’s talk about this. Come on, we had a great time tonight. I’m sorry if I pushed you too fast. We can wait as long as you want to. I’m not goin’ out with you just because I want to get you into bed.”
“You’re not going out with me, period. One date,” she said, holding her finger up. “That’s all it was, one lousy date.”
“At least have the guts to be honest with yourself, Josie. This thing between us scares the hell out of you and that’s why you’re runnin’. You want to go upstairs with me. You want to make love to me tonight, but you’re afraid to be vulnerable.”
“With good reason! You’re a goddamn man whore, D.J.!”
He felt like his head should have snapped back with the impact of her words. It wasn’t a physical blow, but it hurt more. Mainly because he couldn’t look her in the eye and deny it. He wanted to. But he couldn’t.
“You’re not even going to try and deny it, are you?” Disgust twisted her features before she made her way to the front door.
“Goddammit, Josie!” he shouted, running after her. “What do you want me to say? Yeah, I’ve been with a lot of women, okay? Are you satisfied?”
“Yeah, satisfied that I finally got to see you for who you really are. Thanks for not wasting any more of my time.” She slammed the door, prompting him to kick it.
“Get back here!” he said, throwing the door open as he watched her slide into her car and peel out of his driveway. “At least put your seatbelt on! Damn it!” He stepped out onto the porch, breathing hard as he hung his head and braced his hands on the railing.
Layla came out to see what all the commotion was about, sitting down at his feet as she tipped her head to the side. He looked the dog in the eye, muttering, “I think that one’s gonna be the end of me, old girl.”
Chapter Four
Josie was hiding out in her office the next day when Cassidy popped her head in. “I only have a few minutes before my yoga class, but I wanted to find out how your date with D.J. went the other night. Why didn’t you call me?”
He was the very last person she wanted to talk about, but Josie knew her best friend wouldn’t let it rest until she had the answers she’d come looking for. “We just grabbed a quick dinner at Jimmy’s.”
Cassidy’s face lit up when she saw the pink roses on the credenza. “Did D.J. send you those?”
“No, it was that client I told you I went out with, remember?”
“I wanna be you for just a day,” Cassidy said, pouting. “All these hot guys vying for your attention and you won’t even give them the time of day. It must be your hard-to-get thing that does it for them.”
“Oh, shut up,” Josie said, grateful her friend seemed willing to let the subject of D.J. drop. “You wouldn’t trade Drake for ten hot guys.”
“You’re right about that,” Cassidy said, winking. “Still, if I hadn’t met Drake first, I’d have been all over D.J. That guy—”
“Is a player,” Josie finished. “Everything they say about him is true.” She cursed herself for letting her bitterness seep out. “And if he tries to convince you otherwise, he’s lying.”
“Oh no,” Cassidy said, slipping into the seat across from Josie, her yoga mat between her legs. “What happened? What did he do to you?” When Josie didn’t respond, Cassidy whispered, “I’ll kill him. I warned him if he did anything to hurt you—”
“He didn’t hurt me.” She forced herself to laugh. “Please. How could he hurt me? I’ve known the guy like a minute.”
“Still, you look so sad. Tell me what happened. Please.”
Josie reached across the desk, giving her friend’s hand a squeeze. “I love you for caring so much about me, but he means nothing to me. I couldn’t care less that I’ll never see him again.”
“Uh-oh, that bad, huh?”
“Cass, go to your yoga class, will ya? You know how mad Natasha gets when you try to sneak in late.”
“Fine,” Cassidy said, huffing. “But this isn’t over. I will find out what happened, even if I have to torture one of you to get to the truth.”
***
“What the hell did you do to my best friend?” Cassidy demanded, shoving D.J. hard enough that he stumbled backward before he got his balance.
“Hey,” Drake said, grabbing his wife’s arm. “You can’t come in here and rough up my artists like that. Only I’m allowed to do that.” He tried to keep a straight face before sharing an amused glance with D.J. “Now what’d you do to get my wife all riled up like this?”
D.J. sank into a free chair, dropping his head into his hands. “I messed up. Big time.” He stared at his worn cowboy boots, wondering how the hell he was going to un-do the damage he’d done last night. “I tried callin’ her to apologize, but she won’t answer my calls. I texted her too. Nothin’.”
“I warned you, D.J.,” Cassidy said, shaking her finger at him. “I told you if you did anything to hurt her you’d be answering to me.”
“Man, you haven’t known her long enough to do that kind of damage,” Drake said, leaning against the desk as he grabbed Cassidy by the waist and pulled her against his chest. “What the hell happened?”
D.J. looked up at his friends and for the first time felt a twinge of env
y. There was a woman he wanted to be holding like that, but she wouldn’t even admit she was attracted to him. “I guess I pushed her too fast.”
“You pushed her too fast?” Drake asked, narrowing his eyes. “Please don’t tell me that means what I think it does.” He sighed when D.J. didn’t respond. “You tried to get her into bed already? Man, I told you Josie’s not like those other girls you mess around with. She’s too good for that shit. You told me you were gonna treat her with respect, that you—”
“I did!” D.J. jumped to his feet, unable to take his friends’ attack sitting down. “We were gettin’ along great and…” He ripped his cowboy hat off his head and threw it on the sofa. “Damn it. I like this girl. A lot. I asked her…” He couldn’t talk about this with Cassidy here.
“Just say it already,” Cassidy said, glaring at him.
“Fine, I asked her to go to bed with me because I wanted her so damn much I couldn’t help myself, okay? I wanted her from the second I laid eyes on her and not just because she’s a rocket. She makes me laugh. She gets my weird sense of humor. She makes me crazy. She distracts me to no end.” He rubbed a hand over his head. “I think about her all the goddamn time, which is crazy, ’cause I don’t even know her!”
Drake and Cassidy shared an amused glance before he said, “Hon, I think our buddy here’s got it bad.”
Cassidy fixed D.J. with a cold stare. “Okay, so let’s assume I believe you. How are you going to fix this mess?”
“I was kinda hopin’ you could help me with that.” D.J. knew he wasn’t Cassidy’s favorite person right now, but he didn’t know who else to turn to. “I can’t sit back and do nothin’. It’s not who I am. But I don’t want to make matters worse, either. Help a guy out here, Cass. Tell me what to do.”
“Depends,” she said, looking thoughtful. “How serious are you about making amends?”
Jaded (Music City Moguls Book 5) Page 4