“Mine. I want you in my bed.”
“Sounds good to me. Are we stopping by the store or ordering in?”
Everything about Jonny softened and his eyes drifted closed.
“Fuck.”
“Ordering in then.”
“Fuck.”
“Let’s get home.”
Then I wasn’t standing in front of Jonny. I was pinned to the side of his truck with his face buried in my neck. I wrapped my arms around him. His body shook and I held on.
“Goddamn. Fuck.”
I held on tighter.
Jonny shook harder.
I couldn’t be a hundred percent sure but I could’ve sworn I felt wetness on my skin. I held on with everything I had and found it was easier to hate Anita Spencer than I thought.
13
By the time Jonny pulled into his driveway, the pressure had built. It was trapped in his lungs past the point of pain. The scene in his mother’s living room had replayed over and over like a bad highlight reel. In private, Anita had never been particularly caring but she’d never told Jonny she hated him. Thinking back over his life, reasonable deduction would draw that conclusion but he’d never wanted to believe it. Publicly, Anita had been the perfect wife, the picture of a loving mother, a good neighbor. An image she’d wrested for the truth and clung to.
All lies.
All fucking lies.
Why it mattered what everyone thought Jonny could never understand. The question had plagued his every waking moment. He’d walked a minefield every damn day. And after his father died, it had become unbearable listening to people talk about Calvin in high regard. The man was a fuckwit. But his mother? She soaked that shit in every time someone offered their sympathy, told her how wonderful her husband was, how sorry they were about Doug, how they’d done everything they could to love an orphaned child. His mother hung on every disgusting word.
Critical mass—that was where the bomb that had settled in his gut was at. The explosion was imminent and he no longer cared about the chain-reaction the fallout would cause. He didn’t give two shits if everyone in town knew who his father really was. He gave zero fucks if his mother’s drinking problem was plastered across the front page of the weekly newspaper. And if Anita cared, she shouldn’t have been selfish and driven drunk.
Jonny was no longer protecting the Spencer name. It was meaningless.
His whole damn life had been meaningless.
His truck door opened and he was surprised to see Nixon standing there.
“Come inside, brother. Bobby already went in.”
Jonny looked beyond his friend and saw lights turning on in his house. How in the hell had she gotten in?
“I gave her my key,” Nix answered his mental question.
Jonny had forgotten Nixon had been looking after his house while he’d been gone.
“Did she call you?”
He wasn’t sure how he felt about Bobby calling in reinforcements. Did she not want to be alone with him? Not that he could blame her after he’d lost his temper at the beach and shattered a glass canister. Fucking hell. Did she not trust he’d never hurt her or put her in danger?
“No. It was good timing. I was coming over under the bullshit excuse I was dropping off your mail when I was really coming to check on you. Drove up, you were sitting in your truck staring off into space, and Bobby was waiting on your porch giving you time. I gave her the key and came to you.”
Christ, how long had I been zoning out?
Apparently a long ass time. And of course Bobby would give him time to pull his shit together. Jonny wasn’t under the illusion she didn’t feel his pussy tears in front of his mother’s house. The fuck of it was, they hadn’t been tears of loss. He’d lost his family long ago. They were the result of failure and frustration.
“Let me get out.”
Nixon stepped back and Jonny climbed out of the truck, more like dragged his heavy carcass out of the vehicle and swayed when he got to his feet. Some tough guy he was. Mommy shouted at him and he turned into a sniveling cry-baby who can’t even stand upright.
Not ready to face Bobby, Jonny opted to go around the side of his house and climb the stairs to his back porch. He could at least offer his friend a place to take a load off while he told his tale of woe.
Jonny sat and waited for Nix to get comfortable before he launched in.
“Doug was my father’s biological son.”
“The fuck?”
The sheer shock on Nixon’s face was priceless and if the situation wasn’t what it was, Jonny would’ve laughed his ass off.
“Doug’s mother’s name was Carla. she lived up in PA. My dad had been dating her pretty much the whole time he was with my mom. He swore he loved both women and couldn’t give either up. I don’t know Carla’s thoughts on his double-life but it drove my mother to drink. She was a functioning alcoholic until my dad died; now she’s a raging one who refuses to admit she has a problem.”
“Jesus,” Nix muttered and leaned back in his seat. “I had no idea.”
“No one did. Carla had cancer, that was why Doug came to live with us. My dad didn’t want anyone to know what a cocksucker he was and my mom was happy to go along with the farce that they were fostering a child because she didn’t want people around town talking. After Carla died, they adopted Doug. And I use the term adopted loosely. What I mean is, my dad simply got custody of his son and my mother adopted him.”
“Jesus, Jonny.”
Nixon’s jaw clenched and his gaze went to Jonny’s backyard. He didn’t blame his friend for not being able to look at him. He’d lied to everyone—that included Nixon.
“That explains a lot,” Nix muttered.
“What do you mean?”
There was a long stretch of silence. Jonny knew Nix well. He was careful with his words, he’d mull them over before he spoke. The back door creaked open and Bobby walked out carrying two bottles in her hand.
“Want one?” She held her offering.
Thank fuck she hadn’t poured him a vodka, which was Jonny’s preferred drink. But knowing that was also his mother’s, he vowed never to touch it again. Beer he could stomach.
Jonny jerked his chin in a nonverbal answer but also gave her the words, “Yeah, babe. Thanks.”
Bobby moved across the decking in bare feet and he smiled when he caught sight of her neon pink toenails. The woman changed her polish almost daily and she loved bright colors—pink, yellow, electric blue. He’d seen the rainbow painted on those cute toes.
“Thanks, Bobby.” Nixon took his beer and gave her a tight smile.
Jonny sat back in his chair and held out his hand. “Sit with me.”
Bobby didn’t waste time settling on his lap and as soon as she curled into him, sweet peace flowed over him. The feeling that had eluded him when they’d been at the station was back in full force. Bobby was his—for better or worse she had his back. She was strong and capable. So different from his mother. Jonny didn’t have to lie for her. Coddle and protect her like a child. Bobby was his equal. Oh, he’d still protect her but she’d return the favor. They were a team.
God, how long had he waited for someone to stand up for him?
“She knows, Nix.” Some of the tension left Nix’s face but he still looked troubled. “What were you going to say?”
“Just that some stuff makes sense now. There were times when I saw your mom at a game and she’d be staring at Doug like he was the devil. I figured it was because Doug was always in trouble and she was pissed. But looking back, I never understood because he was always pulling some stupid shit but got away with it. I remember him getting suspended for vandalizing the student parking lot but a month later he rolled into the parking lot with a new car. I swear I’d catch your mom giving Doug the evil eye when she thought no one was looking. But if there were people around, she was smiling like everything was perfect.”
Doug was the devil. He’d made living in the house unbearable. Always arguing and ye
lling. He got in trouble in school, his grades sucked, he never helped out around the house, yet he got whatever he wanted.
“Guilt,” Jonny started. “My dad gave Doug everything he wanted out of guilt. That was until Doug told them he knew the truth. Then they gave it to him so he’d keep his mouth shut.”
“He was blackmailing your parents,” Nix spat.
“Fuck yeah, he was. Doug was a master manipulator. He pulled the I-know-who-my-father-is card any time he got into trouble. Right up until his dying breath. My parents would rather pay off his gambling debts than have him tell the secret. Unfortunately for Doug, he didn’t take into account that one day they’d run out of money. Doug didn’t believe that my dad didn’t have the money to cover the debt he’d racked up. So Doug kidnapped his daughter and took her to my parents to use her to get what he wanted. But my dad really didn’t have the cash. When I refused to give Doug what he wanted, he shot me.”
Jonny had to pause to catch his breath, that day playing out in his memory. Rory crying, not understanding why her dad was yelling at her grandparents. Doug jerking her tiny body, screaming at her to stop crying. His mother in a rare moment of lucidity trying to get Doug to let go of her granddaughter. His father behaving like a supreme asshole deciding that was when he’d finally stand up to the monster he’d created. Jonny would’ve left his parents to deal with the mess they’d made if his niece weren’t present. And since he’d had no way to get her away from Doug while he was swinging a gun around, Jonny had stayed. He’d caught a bullet to the thigh for his efforts. Alec Hall had been the one to save Rory. But she’d already witnessed her dad killing her grandfather and her uncle killing her father.
What a clusterfuck.
“You know how the rest of that day played out,” Jonny continued.
Bobby’s hand skimmed over his chest and came to rest over his heart.
“Hate to speak ill of the dead but Doug was a motherfucker. Aurora had nightmares for months after that asshole kidnapped her. Caleb wasn’t much better. So, I can’t say I’m sorry he’s dead. And I know that sucks me saying that to you when he was your blood. Hate that you were the one to do it. But, Jonny, I hope you know none of that was your fault. Your parents created that scene, they’re responsible for how it ended. Didn’t know your dad well, mostly because he was never around. And all I ever heard around town was what a good guy he was, so I took that at face value. Your mom just looked sad. But what mother wouldn’t when their kid was a menace to society. I’m so sorry I didn’t know what was going on. I would’ve—”
“You didn’t know because I didn’t want you to know and there was nothing you or anyone else could’ve done.”
Jonny had to shut that shit down. He didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him or his family. He’d made the choice to go along with the fucked-up charade.
Nixon’s face turned to granite and he leveled Jonny with a dirty look.
“Good thing you’re coming to work for Gemini Group, friend. We need to work on your teamwork skills.”
Jonny heard Bobby’s quick inhale. He hadn’t had time to tell her he’d accepted the job or partnership as it were.
“You took the job?” she asked, not lifting her head.
“I didn’t take it as much as Nixon told me I was accepting.”
Bobby shook her head before she brushed her lips against his neck. The easy affection soothed him further. Jonny had waited a long damn time for the woman in his arms to be exactly where she belonged. Of course, it was his fault it had taken so long. But now that she was there, he knew he was never letting her go.
Bobby Layne was the one. She was the woman he’d be watching the sunset with for the rest of his life. She’d be his partner, his wife, the mother of his children.
“Yeah, that’s what I did.” Nixon laughed. “I forced you to buy into a highly profitable business at a price that’s so low it should be criminal. But seriously, my point is, I might not have been able to do anything to help you but I could’ve stood by you.”
Damn, that felt good.
However, Nixon and his father had stood by Jonny. Wayne Swagger had been the coach who talked to him. It had been Wayne who taught Jonny to reel in his temper. Turn all of the pent-up frustration into ambition. Nixon’s dad had been the man who showed Jonny how a father should be. A lesson Nix had learned, too, and it showed in how he was with his daughter Holly. The little girl was Daddy’s princess.
“You did stand by me,” Jonny told Nixon. “You and your dad. Sometimes I think the only way I survived my childhood was because of you. I don’t know if you know this, but after you joined the Navy, your dad invited me out to the farm a lot. We’d sit on his back porch, crack a beer, and shoot the shit. He always started with what you were doing and where you were at. Then he’d sit quietly and wait for me to lead the conversation in whichever direction I wanted to take it. One of my biggest regrets was not telling your dad the truth. I think he knew but he was waiting for me to bring it up. Those hours I spent with your dad were the only time I felt like I belonged.”
“I had no idea,” Nixon murmured. “Though I’m not surprised. My dad respected you. You know Wayne, he always had a saying or quote for everything. Any crisis, crossroads, or pivotal point, he’d spout the perfect motivational proverb. So I didn’t get it then but I think I do now. One day we saw Calvin and my dad told me never to forget a man’s character is his fate. My dad was right. Calvin’s character was his fate. He bore the consequences of his actions. I truly hope you understand that, Jonny.”
He didn’t but he was beginning to.
Bobby wiggled in his lap, reminding Jonny he had a woman to take care of. So did Nix. It was time to let his friend off the hook so he could go home to his wife and daughter.
“Appreciate you coming by to check on me.” Jonny dipped his chin. “Means a lot you’d take time to come out here but I’m good.”
“Right.” Nixon smiled. “Yeah, I can see you’re good. I’ll let you two get on with your night.”
Nix stood and Jonny patted Bobby’s bottom. She slid off his lap and as soon as Jonny took his feet, he hooked an arm around her and pulled her close.
“Bobby, it was nice seeing you.”
“You, too, Nix. Tell Micky I said hi and give that girl of yours a big kiss from me.”
The man’s face lit at the mention of his daughter. Yeah, Wayne Swagger had taught his son about being a good dad.
“Will do. Jonny, see you in the morning.” He was nearing the edge of the deck when he turned back. “Happy for you. Both of you.”
Bobby snuggled in closer and Jonny gave his friend a lift of his jaw. When Nixon disappeared around the corner, Jonny dipped down and kissed the top of Bobby's head. And since he was there he took the time to breathe her in.
Peaches and vanilla.
“Since you have absolutely nothing in your house to eat, I ordered Italian.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re going to pick it up and I’m staying here to take a shower in your badass bathroom.”
“No, thank you, Bobby. Means a lot the way—”
Bobby’s hand came up and she pressed her thumb against his lips.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered.
A sense of belonging stole over Jonny. Love and contentment and gratification. The emotions were so overwhelming he did the only thing he could do. Jonny dipped his head and kissed his woman. He meant to keep it light, but the moment their tongues touched a spark caught and the kiss became less about showing her how much he appreciated her standing by him and everything to do with tasting his woman.
Jonny tilted his head, cupped her ass, and took the kiss deeper, desperate to get as close as he could. Bobby moaned into his mouth—a beautiful needy sound that made his cock throb. Later. He’d have her in his bed later. But now, he needed to end this before he took her on his back porch. Which wasn’t a bad idea. Something for another time. He slowed the kiss and smiled against her
lips when she made the cutest disgruntled sound.
“Food,” he muttered.
“Suddenly I’m no longer hungry,” she returned.
He gave her backside a squeeze and lifted his head.
“I’ll go get the food. You stay here and relax. But do not take a shower until I get back.”
A few years ago, Jonny had remodeled the kitchen and bathrooms. All three rooms had turned out great. But his master bathroom was fantastic, especially his large walk-in shower complete with nine showerheads.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in that shower fisting my cock, thinking about all the things I’d like to do to you in there. So do me a favor, yeah? Wait for me.”
Bobby’s lips curved up into the sexiest fucking smirk and her eyes danced with mischief.
“I really want to hear more about you stroking your cock.” Her hand slid down his stomach, not stopping until she was rubbing his erection over his jeans. “Will you tell me about it?”
“Fuck, yeah.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
“You should stop touching me and step back before you don’t get to eat dinner tonight.”
“Why, Jonny, are you threatenin’ to fuck me in lieu of food?”
Goddamn, when she switched to the sexy, Southern drawl it drove Jonny out of his mind.
“I don’t know, baby, keep stroking my cock and you’ll find out.”
Her hand dropped and she stepped back.
He really was a dumb fuck. He was almost positive he had a frozen pizza stashed in his freezer. He should’ve taken her to the shower and forgot about the food she’d ordered.
“Be back,” he grumbled.
“I’ll be waiting,” she singsonged and smiled.
Yeah, she would. She’d be waiting for Jonny when he got home. That thought was the only reason he forced his feet to move in the direction of his truck.
“No more,” Bobby whined.
“Tilt your ass higher,” he demanded and watched his cock disappear into her pussy. “Fucking hell, I love your ass.”
Jonny tightened his grip on her hips, unable to tear his gaze away from how her ass jiggled as he thrust into her. Hot water pounded on his back. All nine showerheads were on, drowning out the sounds of her pleasure. But Jonny didn’t need to hear her moans to know she was close. He could feel it by the way her pussy tightened, the way she wiggled her ass and pushed back to get more of his cock.
Jonny's Redemption (Gemini Group Book 7) Page 10