by Lynda Chance
“What’s the problem?” As Josh asked the question of Ethan, that smooth dark voice sent ripples through Hannah’s midsection, causing heat to pool directly between her legs. It was totally disconcerting and caught her off-guard and she tried to stay balanced on her own two feet.
Ethan continued to glare down at Ava. “Anderson brought his little sister, that’s the problem.”
Even as Hannah continued to stand behind Ava, she could still plainly see the amusing reaction on Josh’s face when his eyes landed on her friend. “She’s not that little, man. Dude, don’t be so rude. I’m sure she can handle it.” In the stone cold silence of that statement, Hannah had a perfect view as Ethan and Ava continued to glare at each other, and then she saw Josh’s gaze move past Ava and land on her. Hannah sucked in a breath as his handsome face immediately soured into lines of disapproval and became menacing. Josh’s reaction was completely different when he saw Hannah standing behind Ava and it came quickly, “Oh, hell, no.”
Panicky tendrils slammed through Hannah as Josh shoved his way between Ava and Ethan and then grabbed her by the wrist and all but marched her back outside into the black of the night. Hannah had no choice but to follow him as he dragged her along, his fingers biting into her flesh. The moon was only a small crescent in the night sky, and Hannah could barely see where she was going as he pulled her behind him until they were at least fifty yards from the house and standing together in the dry Texas dirt, the only light coming from the moon and stars. Josh turned to face her, his hand never letting go of her wrist. “Are you here because of me?”
“No,” she denied. He held her tightly as if he had every right, and Hannah only just managed to answer as the feel of those long, callused fingers gripping her flesh played havoc with her brain cells.
“Then why are you here?” He snarled the question, glaring down at her, his eyes like chips of ice glittering in the night.
“Ty needed gas money and said we could come if Ava gave it to him.”
He stood silently for the tick of two or three seconds, his focus directed entirely on her. It was unnerving to Hannah who stood so close to his body that she could feel his mercurial anger and smell his irresistible male scent. “That doesn’t ring true, princess. Ty wouldn’t want his little sister around—” He cut off his own words and with one hand still holding onto her, he spread the fingers of his other hand through his hair in what looked to Hannah like pure, unadulterated displeasure. “Oh, okay, I get it now.”
“Get what?” she asked, because there was no other comment that she could possible make under the circumstance. And she wasn’t trying to play games with Josh, she really wasn’t. She wasn’t that naive. She’d be the loser in any game that went on between them. Oh, but she did get it. She got what Josh was saying. She’d been the recipient of Ty’s narrowed speculation more than once tonight.
“He wanted you here.”
“I think he wanted gas money,” she said softly.
“Whatever. It’s not happening. You’re not going inside that party. Did he touch you?”
“Hey. You’re not my boss—I’m sorry—what?” Hannah was having trouble keeping up with Josh’s rapid-fire change of subject. And totally floored by the question he asked.
“Did. He. Touch. You?”
Chapter Three
“Josh, listen,” Hannah began softly, trying to soothe him, or maybe distract him; she didn’t know which. “I don’t know what you’re thinking—or why you think you can act like my big brother, but Ty is just Ava’s brother. I’m spending the night with her and—”
He cut her off, his voice sharp as his hand tightened on her wrist even more. “You’re spending the night with her? At Ty’s house?”
“Yes.”
“No, you’re not.”
Hannah’s head was starting to spin. “What?”
“You can’t spend the night with her.”
“What’s wrong with you? Of course I’m spending the night with her.”
“Ain’t happening, princess.”
Hannah felt a dart of anger flare up and mingle with the panicky excitement she always felt when Josh was near and more recently, when he called her ‘princess’. She tried to suppress the pleasure and focus on her anger. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Is so happening, Josh Turner.”
“You don’t understand. Ty can’t be trusted.”
“Can’t be trusted? I thought y’all were friends? Ava told me that you come to the house a lot.” Was he jealous? Seriously? How could that possibly be? And if it wasn’t so, what other reason was there for what he was saying? Josh Turner was jealous. Unbelievable. Amazing and awesome and totally, totally, unbelievable.
“Been talking about me with the little sister, huh? Yeah, Ty and I are friends, and we need to stay friends. So you need to understand that your girl time with Ava needs to happen at your house, not hers.”
“Ava spends the night at my house, too. But I’m not going to quit going to her house because … because why? You think her brother might look at me the wrong way?”
“Trust me. The guy wants to do more than look at you, I promise you that.”
“You’re crazy.” Even as she said the words, the heated looks that Ty had given her infiltrated her memory once again. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to continue going to Ava’s house. Josh was crazy if he thought that was the way it would be.
“I’m crazy?”
“Ty ran off with that cheerleader girl. He dropped us at the front door as fast as he could. He doesn’t want to be around Ava or me.”
“That’s just because he’s horn—” Josh stopped himself just before he said something he didn’t want Hannah to hear. She didn’t need to know that Ty was fucking Kayla every chance he got. And just because his buddy had a ‘friends with benefits’ style relationship with the head cheerleader, didn’t mean that the dumbfuck wouldn’t try to put the moves on Hannah, as well. Josh was well enough acquainted with Ty’s method of operation to know that he’d try to get inside Hannah’s pants as soon as he possibly could. And that fucking shit wasn’t going to happen.
Goddamnit, this situation sucked shit. Even now, Hannah’s eyes were huge and she was staring up at him with a question radiating from them. Tenth grade, man. Learn it and remember it. And a girl who only a week ago, hadn’t even known how to kiss. Would she remember how? Or would Josh get to teach her all over again? He took a few stabilizing breaths. “Hannah, let’s just forget about this for now, and I’ll take you home.”
“Home? I’m not going home! I’m spending the night with Ava. Her parents are out of town—”
“Her parents aren’t home?” His voice became even harsher, more implacable. “No damn way, princess. Not happening.”
“Do you have any idea what my curfew is? My parents are ridiculous! I’ll never get a chance like this again in my life! Besides, I can’t leave Ava here alone. We promised we wouldn’t run out on each other, and I need to get inside and find her.”
He shook his head once, his legs braced apart as he stared her down. “You don’t need to be here. It’s not the place for you.”
“Why? Because I don’t fit in? Is Rebecca in the house?” Hannah asked, not able to keep the hint of pain from her voice.
“No, not that I know of. But that’s not it.” His fingers loosened just enough around her wrist to allow him to begin caressing her skin. Hannah felt the change in him all at once as he slowly began to draw her near. She stumbled once, and then her torso was against his, and he released her wrist as his arms moved around her back. His taut features loosened somewhat as the fingers that stroked her spine gentled. “You’re not old enough. There’s drinking and smoking and … other stuff you don’t need to be around.” His words were low as his lips hovered around her ear and Hannah’s insides began melting.
Butterflies took off in her stomach as Josh’s lips touched the side of her face, caressing her skin softly. He made no move to deepen the embrace and the longer it went on,
the more her legs trembled. She wanted to go inside the party, but she desperately wanted to stay out here with Josh, as well. Hannah felt pulled in two different directions. She knew deep in her heart that she should be mad at him; she should be angry and pulling back from him and telling him that he had no right to tell her what to do. But she wasn’t mad at him, and she couldn’t really even pretend to be. All she could feel was a small thrill that he was out here with her, and that after only that one kiss the other night, amazing as it still seemed to her, he thought he had the right to tell her what to do. It was wrong of him to think that way, and it was wrong of her to like it and to allow it, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was for him to hold her. Maybe it was wrong, maybe it was shallow or shortsighted, but by goodness, at this very moment in her life, she thought she’d die a happy girl if could do it in Josh Turner’s arms.
But the moment went on for too long; she could feel his muscles tense against hers. She had to break the silence. “How … how do you know I haven’t seen all that stuff before?”
His lips moved to hers and he only lightly kissed her, but it was enough to send bottle rockets flaring off inside her head. “Have you?” he asked softly.
“No, but—”
“So I don’t want you seeing it now.”
“Why—” Hannah swallowed and then forged ahead. She didn’t get belligerent; she spoke softly, just wanting to know the answer. “Why do you care so much? Why should you suddenly get to tell me what to do? I have enough people telling me what I can and can’t do. My mom and dad, my brother Zachary—”
“But they’re not here now, are they?”
“No—”
“And somebody needs to look after you, princess. And I am your next door neighbor.”
“My neighbor,” she said flatly. “That’s the reason?”
He studied her intently. “It’s the only reason that I’ll admit to, so just drop it.”
If Josh didn’t want to talk about that, she’d let it pass. But she still wanted to go into the party. “What if … what if you took me inside? You know, stayed with me in there? Then nothing could happen to me, right?”
“Nothing could happen to you, no. But you’d see shi—things. And I don’t want you to see anything.”
“Please, Josh.”
Hannah was shocked when a low, pained vibration began coming from his throat. It sounded like a groan of defeat, like he was going to give in to her.
“If I take you in there, you’re going to do as I say. Understand?”
“Yes.” A deep spiral of heat coiled through her belly at the demand. Oh God. She couldn’t like him telling her what to do, could she? That wasn’t normal, was it?
“You’re going to stay next to me, got that? No wandering off. And we’re staying in the living room. No going anywhere else.”
“Okay.”
He turned his head away and began shaking it as if he didn’t agree with what he was doing, but nonetheless, he took her by the hand and began leading her to the front door. Hannah was in a subdued state of euphoria as she followed along behind him, amazed at what was happening to her. She was walking into a real party, she counted at least two of the people inside as friends, (Ty counted, right?) and… and she was being led inside by none other than Josh Turner, the guy she and every other high school girl in the town of Redwood Falls wanted to date.
It truly couldn’t get any better than this.
The house was filled to overflowing. Or at least the living room was. Hannah stood beside Josh, her hand entwined within his possessive grip, and looked around at all the kids taking up every available space that she could see. People stared back at them, and the thought ran down her spine like molten lava that if the kids had been gossiping about them before, they’d really be doing it now that Josh was standing in front of them with her fingers laced through his.
A keg was set up next to the adjacent dining room table, and red cups full of beer were being passed around and consumed as quickly as possible. There were guys paired up with girls, and with mild surprise she saw two guys together who she hadn’t even realized were gay.
As she looked around, she felt a blush rise up over her face when she saw a guy and a girl making out in a corner, their arms wrapped around each other. When Josh’s hand tightened around hers, she looked up and saw him frowning as he stood looking in the same direction. He edged his body around hers and Hannah knew he was trying to block her view. Hannah began searching the room for Ava, but didn’t see her anywhere.
“Who’s that with you, Turner?” The deep-male voice came from across the room, and Hannah recognized Jesse Whitaker, a boy who’d been working part-time for her father for a few weeks. She didn’t know him well, but she saw him around every now and then and knew he was on the football team.
“Nobody you need to worry about.” Hannah felt the jerk of Josh’s arm as he turned away and headed in the opposite direction, pulling her along with him.
Jesse didn’t take the hint and followed them into the hallway that led away from the living area. “Oh … little Miss McIntyre. What brings you off the ranch to socialize with the riff-raff?”
Without conscious volition, Hannah’s hand tightened around Josh’s as she heard the unmistakable contempt in Jesse’s voice. “Nothing,” she returned as lightly as she could manage as she clung to Josh.
Josh’s muscles stiffened beside her and he stood to his full height as he hissed, “Leave her alone.”
“I’m not doing anything to her.” Jesse fired back.
Josh bared his teeth and antagonism in its purest form seemed to seize him by the throat as he snarled, “Just leave her the fuck alone.”
Hannah sucked in a breath at the aura of menace suddenly surrounding her. She’d heard that word before, of course. She heard it all the time. Even Ava used it. But it was the first time she’d heard Josh say it, and not only had he employed the word, but his tone was filled with accusation and threat.
Jesse looked away from her and narrowed his eyes on Josh. “What-the-fuck-ever. I don’t give a shit about her anyway. Where’s your cousin tonight?”
With that question, Josh seemed to lose it, and for the first time, he let go of Hannah as he moved into Jesse’s personal space and crowded against him as fast as a rattlesnake striking. Josh grabbed Jesse’s collar and held it in his fierce grip, pulling the material into his fists. “Don’t worry about my cousin. Leave Katie the fuck alone, understand me? If you hurt her again, if you so much as go near her again, you breathe her name, I WILL KILL YOU, motherfucker, understand me?” Hannah stood in frozen silence as Josh shook Jesse, and then shoved him against the wall. “Maybe I’ll kill you now. How do you want to die, Whitaker? You want me to cut your fucking balls off and shove them down your cowardly throat until you choke on ‘em? Nah, that wouldn’t kill you, ‘cause you got no balls, do you? Fucking coward.”
Jesse gasped for air, and Hannah was too distressed by the encounter to do more than stand upright on her own two legs as she inched away from the two of them. Josh shoved Jesse against the wall again, forcing the back of his head against the sheetrock with a loud thump, and then let go of him, stepping back. He gave him one more blasted warning. “You best always be watching out for me, little cock-prick. Someday when you’re least expecting it, when you got nobody around you, I’ll be there. And I’m gonna make you eat your balls. But first I’m going to beat the shit out of you. You’re gonna bleed, motherfucker. Trust me when I say, you best be looking over your shoulder, ‘cause I will get you.”
Hannah stood dumbstruck as Josh seemed to turn into a different person, his smooth, southern accent deepening and becoming littered with colloquial slang in his rage, his eyes glistening with hatred and his voice hissing out in a guttural rasp.
Jesse’s face was white with terror, and Hannah knew her face was pale also. And for the first time, when Josh grabbed her by the wrist and started leading her outside again, she felt an arrow of real fear. Should she go outside w
ith him? Dear Lord, what had Jesse done to deserve that? Is that what you got when you pissed Josh Turner off?
Josh battled the demons within. He despised Jesse Whitaker, loathed him with every fiber of his being. It went against every dictate hammering inside of him not to beat the shit out of him right now. And that wasn’t all that was tearing him up on the inside. He knew he shouldn’t have brought Hannah inside. And he wouldn’t have if he’d known Jesse was at the damn party. When he’d seen the blood drain from her face, when he’d seen the fear that was evident in her eyes, he knew he’d fucked up and fucked up good. And then to top it off, she’d begun backing away from him as if he were the devil incarnate. And he guessed that to her, he was. All he could think to do now was get her back outside and away from Jesse and all the other bullshit that was going on inside. Away from everything that she was too young, too innocent to see.
Josh pulled her out to the end of the drive where his vehicle was parked, and for the second time in a matter of weeks, Hannah found her back against the passenger door of his truck as his arms caged her in. His head fell to her shoulder, and he began taking deep breaths, dragging oxygen into his lungs, as if he were trying to calm himself down.
With shaky fingers, Hannah reached up and slowly put her arms around him, holding him lightly, just enough to show him she was there if he needed her, but inside, she was trembling, not knowing if she should be standing in his embrace or screaming her fool head off and trying to pull away from him.