by J. H. Croix
“Not hungry?”
His question nudged me out of my foolish fantasies—about dinner and families. Sweet hell, I was ridiculous. My stomach inconveniently rumbled right then. Feeling my cheeks heating, I broke eye contract with him and stabbed a carrot with my fork, embarrassed as I mumbled, “Of course I am.”
Looking at me as if he saw straight into the core of me, Jeremy’s expression softened as he reached over and gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. “If it’s any consolation, my stomach’s been grumbling since I started smelling the food. Why do think I’ve been talking so much?”
“Really?” I asked. The man was just too good to be true.
Holding up his fingers, he nodded solemnly. “Scout’s honor.”
“Were you ever a scout?”
Jeremy laughed, shaking his head. “Barely. I think my brothers and I caused too much trouble or something, because one day we went to go get ready for scouts and my mom called us all back. She said we weren’t going that day and that we were forming our own Lovett troop.”
“What did you do?”
His eyes went glassy, faraway like they had that afternoon when he was talking about his mother. Hearing Jeremy talking about his family sparked something in me—that need for a big and loving, happy family. It was something I’d missed out on growing up. If I couldn’t have it, I could sure hear about it.
When he was talking like this, it was hard to remember all the stuff the ladies in the salon said about his father, about what he’d done after their mother had passed away, about the way none of the boys had ever settled down. Looking at Jeremy at the dinner table with Austin and me, I wondered why he hadn’t.
He was a natural with kids. A pang shot through me when I realized that he was going to be a great dad someday, to some lucky child with an equally lucky woman. If he ever got over his thing of not wanting to bring a child into the world. The reminder of his thoughts about the stress and worry of raising a child made me realize that while he talked about his brothers and his mom, he never mentioned his father.
Jeremy laughed at something in the memory he was replaying in his mind, finishing his dinner before he continued with his story. “We all went to get our uniforms on and mom was waiting for us in the yard when we were done. She tried her best, but we figured since we were forming our very own Lovett troop, we should be able to choose our own oath, law and motto. Let’s just leave it at it being really difficult to get five brothers to agree on those things at the ages we were.”
“Will I ever be a scout, mommy?” Austin piped up, his dinner now also done.
I had no idea what to say to that. I wanted Austin to do whatever he wanted, but I’d never been a scout. I didn’t know how old you had to be before you could start or how much it cost. It was another one of the childhood experiences I’d missed out on because all our money went to keeping a roof over our heads and occasionally to feed my mom’s habit.
In a moment of panic, I looked to Jeremy for an answer. As if he sensed my conflicting emotions, he grinned at Austin. “If you wanted to, you could join. I thought you were a cowboy for now though?”
“I am,” Austin said immediately, turning the conversation back to cowboys and their horses. Jeremy kept his focus on Austin, interjecting with questions and answering Austin’s in return whenever he could.
I finished my dinner while they talked, amazed at how the two of them had taken to one another. It warmed my heart and scared me at the same time, but now wasn’t the time to be scared. I had to trust that Jeremy was serious about wanting to be here with us. He’d said he was, and I’d seen it in his eyes earlier. I had to trust him, as hard as that might be for me to do.
After we were done with dinner, Jeremy and Austin both helped me clear the table. The three of us did the dishes together with Austin yawning by the time he and Jeremy were done with the drying.
“Off to bed with you, little man,” I told him firmly. Given half the chance, I knew he’d want to stay up for as long as Jeremy was here, but that wasn’t happening.
He started to object, but when I tipped my head slightly to the side, his mouth snapped shut and he nodded instead. “Okay, I’ll go. But only if Jeremy promises we’ll go fishing again.”
I wanted to object about him making Jeremy promise anything, but it was my turn to be silenced by a look as Jeremy shot me a meaningful one and reached out to rest a hand on Austin’s shoulder. “I promise we’ll go fishing again.”
“Good man,” Austin cheered, giving Jeremy a quick hug before skipping to the bathroom, calling out, “I’m brushing my teeth now, mom.”
“Be right there, bud.” Turning to Jeremy, I smiled apologetically. “If you don’t mind waiting, we can have some coffee once I get him settled in bed.”
“That’s okay,” he said, his eyes holding mine, darkening in a flash. That was all it took and then the air was fairly humming around us. “We should both probably get to bed, and if I stay we’ll end up…”
I clapped my hand over his mouth before he could say something scandalous. Or inappropriate. Though I could hear the water running in the bathroom, I knew Austin couldn’t overhear us with as quietly as Jeremy was talking.
I felt his lips quirk into a smile under my hand, his voice muffled when he spoke again. “I get the point. I’ll keep quiet.”
Leaning to whisper into my ear, a shiver ran down my spine as his lips brushed the shell. “You won’t be quiet the next time we’re alone. For now though, I’d better go.”
I flushed straight through and swatted his arm, trying to hide the effect his words had on me. Not that I blamed myself for reacting this way to him—he was sexy as sin and his lips were writing checks I knew his body could cash. Wanting him was a natural consequence of his raw masculinity and sexy as hell body. The man was dangerous for my sanity and had liquid need sliding through my veins at nothing more than his gruff, teasing whisper.
Jeremy wasn’t fooled by my act that he hadn’t affected me. Holding my hand as I walked him out, he pulled me flush to his side. As soon as we stepped outside, he caged me against the wall between his strong arms.
“Just a little something to remember me by later tonight,” he whispered, bending his head down and claiming my mouth with his.
Sweet hell. His kisses were downright dangerous. I melted into him, letting my tongue tangle with his and roping my arms around his neck. It was a dangerous kind of kiss, the kind that started as a kiss that was meant to end naked in a stairwell. But now wasn’t the time or place, much as my body disagreed.
Groaning as he broke apart from me, Jeremy’s thoughts seemed to be tracking with mine. Both of us were breathing fast as he rested his forehead against mine and pressed a kiss to the tip of my nose. “I really should go.”
“Good night, Jeremy. Thanks for today,” I whispered, relishing the feel of his breath mingling with mine and his hard, hot body still pressed to mine.
“Good night, Marie.”
Another searing kiss later, I watched his retreating back, my fingers raising of their own accord to brush my lips, stroking gently where his lips had just been. As achy and wanting as he left me, I knew there’d be more to come at another time.
But first, I had to put Austin to bed. As if on cue, I heard my name muffled through the door. The sound broke me out of my Jeremy induced haze of lust completely. Austin was my first priority, and he always would be, no matter what.
“Mommy. I can’t find my red pajamas,” he said as I stepped back inside.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jeremy
“Thank god it’s Friday, right boss?” one of my crew members, a young guy named Drew, asked as he passed me by. I nodded, and since the guys didn’t know me as being overly talkative, Drew didn’t wait for a reply. “See you next week.”
He slipped out the back door of the salon and was gone a second later. We were back on the salon job fulltime, and things were moving along quickly. I was confident we’d finish within the next week or so.
I had mixed feeling about finishing the job though, since working here meant I got to see Marie every day.
She was busy with her last client of the day, an elderly woman who spoke so loudly, I could hear her all the way in the back. She was telling Marie about a wedding dress she intended to buy for her Yorkshire terrier when Marie interjected brightly. “We’re all done, Wilma. Want to see the back?”
Wilma agreed, made a fuss about how much she loved it and was on her way out minutes later. I smiled to myself as I listened to the women chatter. I was getting used to it being a soundtrack to my day. No doubt I would’ve been annoyed as all hell by it if Marie’s voice wasn’t part of the din day in and day out.
She came into the back when she was done, resting her head against the wall and shaking her head like her ears were ringing. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were. Wilma talked. A lot.
The rest of the crew had already left for the day, so I felt safe walking up to her. I’d been looking for an opening to speak to her all day, and now here it was. “You okay? You look like you might be suffering from permanent hearing damage.”
Marie laughed, forming a cone around her ear with her hand. “What are you saying? I can’t hear you.”
“Ha ha,” I responded, smiling as I stepped closer to her. Reaching for her hands, I pulled them away from her ear and wrapped them around my waist instead. Pinning her to the wall, I dropped my mouth to her neck and planted kisses there. “Maybe we don’t need words to talk after all, since you can’t hear anything.”
Marie whimpered softly as I tugged her earlobe between my teeth. “Well would you look at that? I can hear you just fine again.”
“Good,” I murmured into her ear. She smelled like her, that spicy yet feminine scent, mingled with the chemicals she’d been working with all day. Still good. “It would’ve been difficult to communicate that I wanted to take you and Austin out tomorrow without words.”
She pushed me back a little, her hands resting on my chest. Reluctantly, I stepped back. Her green eyes were wide and puzzled as she looked up at me. “Already?”
“Already. I enjoyed spending time with you two. You saying no?” I cocked my head, trying to read her body language.
“No,” she whispered, then shook her head. “I’m not saying no, I’m just surprised is all.”
“Why?”
“Cause you just spent the day with us a couple of days ago.”
Vulnerability flashed in her eyes, showing me how much she really wanted to believe in me but how hard it was for her to do. I still wanted to pummel whoever had pulled this number on her, but I had to focus on her first.
“I did. And I want to do it again tomorrow. Can I?”
A hesitant smile started playing at her lips, which I took as a positive sign. Stepping forward again when she reached for my hand, I gave it to her and nearly started purring when she started massaging the pad between my thumb and index finger almost absently.
“Yes. If you want to, we’d love to spend the day with you.”
“I want to,” I told her, no hesitation at all. “If I could, I would’ve come over to spend time with you two tonight.”
“Why don’t you?” she asked, pulling me closer to her and winding her arms around my waist. This easy kind of intimacy between us wasn’t something I was accustomed to, but I could get used it. I tried not to let myself wonder why.
What I did know was that I liked her. A lot. Even if I hadn’t wanted children, Austin was a great kid and easy to be around. I liked spending time with them both. I’d all but talked myself out of worrying about the reality of getting involved with a single mother. Every time doubts started to crowd my mind and I started to wonder, I’d try to tell myself to pull back. The second I did, my internal reaction was swift. Hell no. There was no way I was giving up what I felt with Marie. I’d have to take things one day at a time, but I’d be damned if I was ready to walk away.
I had a half a mind to cancel on my brother, but Sonny had sounded troubled earlier when he’d called to ask if we could have dinner.
“I’m having dinner with Sonny. I’m not sure what time we’ll be done, but I could come by after?”
“No. No, don’t worry about that. We’ll both be happy to see you tomorrow, but you should go have fun with your brother, enjoy your time with him.”
Her voice and wide eyes were completely sincere. Another thing I liked about her was that she wasn’t pushy, she didn’t mope and sulk. She was clearly accustomed to being on her own and didn’t have expectations lined up in her mind.
I would’ve enjoyed spending time with her more, but I had a brother waiting. I dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Tomorrow it is, then.”
She didn’t let me go immediately, rising up on her toes and pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “See you tomorrow.”
The pull to stay with Marie was strong, but I’d promised Sonny I’d be there. I walked her to her car and waited until she was driving off to pick up Austin before jogging over to my truck and heading to my brother’s.
“Want Mexican for dinner?” Sonny asked by way of greeting as soon as he opened the door to my truck. I’d offered to pick him up since he’d driven us the last time. Grabbing hold of the safety handle, he swung himself onto the seat and slammed the door shut behind him.
“Sure.” I lifted my shoulder in a shrug and turned around to take us to a Mexican place near his house. “What’s up? You sounded off earlier.”
Sonny groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Can I get a beer and some tacos in front of me before we get into this?”
I shot him a look, but he wasn’t paying attention to me. He fiddled with the radio, found a station that played old rock and told me about a new car Evan was working on. We ordered a pitcher of beer and two orders of tacos when we got to the restaurant, choosing a table in the back.
This restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere with colorful decorations and deliciously spicy food. I waited for the pitcher to arrive and for Sonny and I to have a beer each poured before leaning my elbows on the table. “Okay, spit it out. What the hell is going on?”
He cringed and took a big swallow of his beer before settling his gaze on mine. “Remember when you told me not to look into your girlfriend?”
The hairs on the back of my neck raised and my fist clenched around my beer. “She’s not my girlfriend unless you count a few dinners, but yeah. I remember asking you not to look into her.”
Rolling his eyes, he sat back in his seat and crossed his arms defensively. I wasn’t going to like what he was going to tell me, that much was clear. “Yeah well, the only reason I looked into her is because of that plate you asked me to check on.”
Irritation rolled through me, tightening my shoulders. “Dammit Sonny. I...”
Holding up a hand, he cut me off. “I know, you wanted her to tell you whatever she wanted to on her own time, but it’s a good thing you asked me to check on that plate.”
“What’re you talking about?” Annoyance clipped my tone. I raised my beer and took a long swallow to keep from saying something harsh to him.
“That license plate is registered to her ex-boyfriend, and he’s a piece of work. You know she has a kid, right?” he started, apprehension in his eyes. The blue one looked dark with worry while the golden specks in the green one seemed even more pronounced as they grew darker too.
“Right.”
Taking a deep breath, he collected himself before continuing. “Well, her ex was pretty abusive to her. He’s got a criminal record and to add insult to injury, he had a history of stalking her back in Savannah. It’s not a good thing he’s nosing around Cypress Creek. If he’s nosing around you, my guess is he’s keeping an eye on her here and knows she’s seen you a few times. All of this adds up to no good.”
The air I’d breathed in a second before got stuck in my lungs. I’d suspected that her past relationships hadn’t been with great guys, but this was a different level of fucked up. “Are you sure?”
He no
dded, blowing out a deep breath and running his hands through his hair. “I’m sure. He’s bad news, bro. You’ve got to be careful.”
“I guess so.”
My mind spun with these revelations. I’d known since the beginning that while she was strong and independent, she was vulnerable too. I’d sensed the fragility and the damage that had been done to her. My initial irritation with my brother simmered into something else. I couldn’t fucking believe her ex was watching her. I wasn’t worried for myself, but for her.
Rage rolled through me in a hot wave, fury tightening into a coil inside. How many times had I wanted to beat the fuck out of whoever had hurt her? And now to hear what else she’d been through…
The rage turned cold, dark. My vision blurred and my heartbeat picked up.
“Jeremy?” Sonny asked softly. “You okay?”
“No, I’m not fucking okay. I’m pissed off that this guy has been bullying her. She deserves to be happy, she doesn’t deserve this shit.”
Saying it made me realize how completely and utterly true it was.
Marie deserved to be happy, and I had to show her that. I’d also do whatever the hell was necessary to keep her ex out of her life. Not out of jealousy, but because no one deserved to be threatened.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Marie
The receptionist at Austin’s daycare was a sweet girl who looked to be around my age. She had midnight black hair and a round face with a ready smile whenever I saw her. When she wasn’t smiling as I stepped through the doors to collect Austin, apprehension immediately prickled my skin.
Sure enough, my gut instinct was right on. As soon as she saw me, she finished with whomever she had on the telephone and waved me over. “Ms. Nix, good afternoon.”
I carefully dropped my eyes to her shiny nametag. “Good afternoon, Victoria. Everything okay here?”
Her brow furrowed and she glanced around the room, speaking quietly enough that no one would be able to hear what she was telling me. “I’m not sure. A man came in asking for Austin.”