Mackenna finally stopped pacing and sat down in the armchair.
“What news?” I asked.
“Apparently, I wasn’t the only one dealing meth. When the cops showed up last night, they found a couple hits in Jaxon’s pocket. It gave his parole officer reason to search his house. Guess they found a shitload of it, packaged and ready for sale.”
My jaw dropped. “Holy shit.”
“Yep. He’s going back to the slammer, probably for a long time.”
I glanced over at Mackenna. Expression hopeful, she was sitting up straight while gripping the cushion so tightly her knuckles were white.
“Are you sure?” I asked Jay, needing confirmation.
“Positive,” he said, and Mackenna deflated with relief. “I do have some bad news, though,” he continued. “You’re not gonna get paid for the fight. Colin is pissed. Says you didn’t fight fair.”
“I don’t even care about the money. It was never about that.”
“No, I guess it wasn’t,” he mused, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Anyway… I’ve gotta get going. Time to face the music and all.”
I nodded, remembering a time not too long ago when I had to do the same. “Good luck, man. And thanks for letting me know.”
“Wait!” Mackenna rushed out, nearly falling off her seat.
“Who’s that?” Jay asked, sounding a little paranoid.
“Mackenna,” she replied, then added, “Connelly.”
There was a three-second pause before he chuckled. “Well, I’ll be damned. Guess I don’t have to wonder why you wanted to fight Jaxon anymore. ’Sup Mackenna?”
Moving to the seat next to me, she spoke softly into the phone. “I need a favor, Jay.”
“Lay it on me, Beautiful.”
Shaking my head at his shameless flirting, I put an arm around my girl.
“There was a girl with Jaxon last night,” Mackenna said. “A young girl. Is there any chance you know who she is?”
“No, but I can find out. Tell ya what. This’ll be my last hurrah. I’ll do some digging before I turn myself in,” he said. I had no idea how he could sound so cheerful when facing significant jail time, but that was Jay.
Seeming relieved, her face relaxed. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. And I’ll even forgive you for almost getting my boyfriend arrested,” she added with a laugh.
After Mackenna rattled off her number and Jay said he would text her with the information, we said our goodbyes.
I set my phone on the coffee table and our eyes locked.
“Now, where were we?” I asked, going back to the button on his jeans.
Lightly pushing Jimmy’s shoulders, I had him sit back on the couch while I kneeled in front of him. After unzipping his pants, I tugged them down.
Jimmy’s voice stopped me again.
“So you’re really not mad at me?”
When I looked up at his face, battered and bruised, I ached for him. He’d done something incredibly selfless.
I knew how easy it was for people to look the other way when it came to domestic violence—I lived it. Even after people found out about the secret hell I’d been living in, they didn’t stand up for me. They didn’t lend a helping hand or a kind word.
Because of Jimmy, Jaxon was back behind bars and the heavy fear I’d been carrying around was lifted. I wouldn’t have to carefully survey my surroundings every time I left my house. I wouldn’t have to lay awake at night, wondering if tonight was the night I would have to face my demons.
Jimmy literally fought my war for me.
His vulnerable eyes searched my face before he continued. “I’ve spent so much time earning your trust, Mack. But I don’t even deserve it.”
“You didn’t lose my trust,” I told him with a shake of my head. “I understand why you didn’t tell me. Honestly, I’m grateful for what you did. But I have to say, I hate seeing you hurt.”
“It was worth it,” he said confidently. “Please forgive me?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. Now are you going to get naked or what?”
He snickered, but it turned into a groan when I wrapped my hand around his thick shaft. I pumped up and down a few times before sucking on his tip. He loved it when I did that.
I was rewarded with a sexy grunt and a jerk of his hips.
Then I stood up to shed my clothes. When Jimmy tried to lift his shirt over his head, he let out a hiss of pain.
“Let me help,” I whispered. I got his arms out one at a time, then carefully avoided the injuries on his face as I lifted it over his head.
My eyes fell to his ribs, the daylight shining through the window lighting up everything. I placed a light kiss over the area before moving up to a bruise on his chest. Next was his jaw, his cheekbone, his lips.
“You don’t have to do anything.” My mouth brushed against his. “I’ll take care of you, okay?”
His pouty lips parted as he watched me straddle his lap. A quick breath left him when I positioned his dick at my entrance. Some of my hair fell over my breasts and he smoothed the long strands away before resting his hand on the side of my neck.
“So beautiful,” he said huskily, rubbing his thumb over my pulse point.
“Tell me when you’re close, okay?” I leaned in to rub my nose over his.
Seeming lost for words, he just nodded.
I started sinking down onto his cock, loving the familiar, slightly painful stretch. Even with how wet I was, getting his size inside me took work.
Once he was fully seated, I rotated my hips in circles. With a gasp, Jimmy’s head fell back against the wall behind the couch.
“Am I hurting you?” I asked, concerned.
“Baby, the last thing I’m thinking about right now is the pain.”
This was a position we hadn’t done yet. Usually, I loved letting Jimmy take control. On top. Behind me. Against a wall. It was so freeing to surrender to him.
But this.
I felt a sense of power as I moved over him. I watched his face while he watched my body. His hands came up to cup my breasts and he pinched both nipples at the same time.
I let out a shuddering moan as I rocked faster.
His palms traveled down to my ass, and he grabbed handfuls of my flesh.
Panting, I ground my clit against his pelvic bone and my eyes rolled back at the sensation of his cock hitting my G-spot.
“Baby, you gotta slow down,” he rasped. A naughty smile spread over my lips when I did the exact opposite. His fingers flexed on my ass cheeks. “I’m serious, Mack. You’re gonna make me come already.”
“I’m almost there,” I breathed out as I felt my inner walls flutter.
With a rough grunt, Jimmy closed his eyes. Like maybe if he couldn’t see me, he would last longer. It didn’t matter, though, because I wasn’t kidding about being close.
A keening sound ripped from my throat and my fingers curled into the back of the couch behind Jimmy’s shoulders. The feeling of coming on his cock was indescribable. For several seconds, my body reached levels of pleasure I didn’t know existed.
Jimmy’s hands moved from my backside to my waist, and he lifted me up and down several times, pumping my body over his cock. His strength never ceased to amaze me, the way he was able to pick me up like I weighed nothing.
Suddenly, I was flipped onto my back and he was thrusting hard.
I gasped at how deep he went.
He drove into me four more times before pulling out, and ropes of cum shot onto my heaving chest and stomach.
Like always, the sight of Jimmy stroking his dick caused me to want him all over again.
Resting his forehead against mine, he gave me a grin before kissing my lips. “So good, baby. Always so good.”
When he reached to the floor to get my T-shirt, he winced and his hand went to his ribs. I took the shirt from him and cleaned myself off.
“I’ll go get us some clean clothes,” I told him as he carefully reclined on the cushions. “And you
need ibuprofen.”
“And kisses.” He grinned.
“And kisses,” I agreed before leaving the room.
The rest of the day was spent with me spoiling Jimmy. I changed out his ice packs, brought him food on the couch, and kissed every hurt place on his body.
And I fell even harder for him. He wasn’t just my boyfriend.
He was my best friend.
And now he was my hero, too.
Taco Tuesday at Buck’s was insane. Apparently fifty-cent tacos drew a big crowd. I’d been warned about how popular it was, but I wasn’t prepared for half the town to be packed into the narrow tavern.
The roar of laughter and voices made me flinch.
I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I reminded myself that this was for Jimmy.
Just for this occasion, I’d traded out my leggings for skinny jeans, and my usual T-shirt for a white summery top with a lace trim around the low-cut neckline. And of course, my starfish necklace was right where it belonged—over my heart.
Lacing my fingers with Jimmy’s, I led him to the back for his surprise. Three tables were pushed together, and the whole gang was there. The social anxiety I was suffering was totally worth it when I saw Jimmy’s face.
Grinning from ear to ear, he looked to me. “What’s going on?”
I made a sweeping motion to everyone. “Well, with the help of Angel, I sort of put together a send-off party.”
Angel and I had been texting back and forth over the past few weeks since she got back from her honeymoon. We hadn’t hung out yet, but I had a feeling I would need her friendship in the coming months as I coped with Jimmy’s absence. I couldn’t even imagine what life was going to be like without him.
Hank spread his arms. “Surprise!”
Jimmy’s smile fell, and his eyes moved from Beverly and Ernie at one end of the table to his coworkers and friends at the other. He glanced back at me. “You didn’t have to do this.”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “I wanted to. We’re all so happy for you.”
Forcing out those words was difficult. Keeping the smile on my face was even harder as I told the bold-faced lie. The last thing I wanted to do was celebrate Jimmy leaving, but he deserved to have this last gathering with people who were important to him.
We took our seats and Colton told us he already put in an order for one hundred tacos. Leaning forward, he flipped the lid on a rectangular box in front of us.
It was a cake. A hilarious cake. The white icing had black lettering that said ‘We wish you the best… Just kidding. You’re dead to us now.’ Then there was a drawing of a guy in auto shop coveralls getting hit by a car.
Jimmy laughed. “Wow. That’s pretty morbid.”
“It was a custom order,” Angel supplied with a giggle. “We got it from the same place we got our wedding cake.” She nudged Travis, and he handed Jimmy a blue envelope.
Jimmy ripped it open and took out the card. The front said ‘Good luck!’ and he guffawed at the inside. Scrawled with a blue pen, someone had written ‘Seriously, though. You’re dead to us now.’
“Ah, shit guys.” Snickering, he held up the satirical card. “Very funny.”
Our dinner arrived on three different trays full of tacos, various toppings, and dips. Plates were passed around and we dug in.
In between scarfing down tacos, I silently observed the conversations happening around me.
Jimmy was exchanging playful jabs with Colton about his terrible boxing skills. Everyone laughed when Travis relayed the latest auto shop story about when they found a cat hiding in Loretta Davey’s car—and the best part was, the animal wasn’t even hers. Angel chattered on about Brielle’s upcoming wedding in the fall, while Beverly and Ernie seemed lost in their own world, canoodling in the corner.
Everything was fine until questions about Jimmy’s school year came up.
“Where are you going to live?” Brielle asked. “The dorms?”
Jimmy nodded slowly. “That’s the plan.”
“What class are you looking forward to the most?”
“Well.” He paused to take a sip of his Pepsi. “I thought speech 101 sounded pretty cool when I signed up for it.”
As Brielle started talking about her nursing classes, I felt an unwelcome pressure behind my eyes, a tightness in my throat, and a burning in my chest.
This was supposed to be a happy occasion, so it was a bad time for me to get emotional.
Needing a break from thoughts of Jimmy’s departure, I excused myself to the bathroom. The heavy door swung shut, blocking out some of the noise.
Blowing out a breath, I gripped the edge of the sink and stared at my reflection. I didn’t recognize the desperate, lonely look in my eyes. I wasn’t this girl, dependent and needy. I was Mackenna Connelly, reclusive songwriter extraordinaire.
Jimmy didn’t need to see me like this. We had a deal. I’d offered him a summer of no-strings-attached fun in exchange for intimacy, and we both got what we wanted.
A second later, the door opened and Angel slipped inside.
“Hey, are you okay?” Her blue eyes held so much empathy, it made me want to spill everything. Instead, I went with the short answer.
“Honestly, no.”
“I know what you’re going through right now. Travis and I almost had to do the long-distance thing. I’m glad it didn’t come to that, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. When you’re in love with someone, you stick it out,” she said optimistically.
I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded. When her arms wrapped around me, I had no choice but to hug her back. Even if I didn’t know Angel that well yet, it was nice to get comfort from someone who understood my pain.
But what she didn’t realize was that Jimmy and I weren’t supposed to last forever.
Angel pulled back to give me a kind smile.
“Take as long as you need in here. If anyone asks where you are, I’ll just tell them you’re having taco-induced diarrhea,” she said brightly.
I laughed, unsure of whether she was joking or serious, and she walked out, leaving me alone with my turmoil once again.
After allowing myself a minute to wallow, I went back out to the table with a smile plastered on my face. I ate tacos, contributed to some conversations, and I laughed at the appropriate times.
But all the while, I thought about what Angel said. She wasn’t wrong about sticking it out for someone you love.
The problem was, I didn’t know how Jimmy felt about me.
And I hadn’t exactly been open about my feelings either.
Later that night, I tried to show him. As soon as we got home, I led Jimmy up to bed and made love to him like it was the last time.
No words were spoken, but I used my body to communicate all the things I was too afraid to say.
Thank you.
I wish you didn’t have to go.
I love you.
Goodbye.
Over these past couple months, my priorities and goals had changed. I’d come to Tolson on a mission to prove I could stay out of trouble and earn a second chance at college.
But I’d gained so much more than that.
This morning when I woke up with Mackenna starfished to me from head to toe, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
I couldn’t leave her.
I couldn’t leave the job I’d come to love.
I was supposed to move back to Ohio on Saturday, so it was a little last-minute to be making life-altering decisions. But at my going-away party last night, everything felt wrong. Talking about my classes and my future away from Tolson—it was all so wrong.
I wanted to stay.
But before I went shouting it from the rooftops, I needed to get my ducks in a row.
I paced the floor outside Hank’s office. I’d gotten done with my work over an hour ago, but I was stalling so I could get a chance to talk to my boss alone. Colton had just left for the day and Travis was gone on a haul, so it was just us n
ow.
During my time here at the shop, I had worked hard. I’d tried my best to learn the skills they’d taught me and keep up with the workload.
And in the process, I found my passion. A career I was excited about. Mechanics. Motor oil. Trucking.
I wanted all of it.
Hank’s jovial voice carried out into the garage. “You’re gonna wear a hole in the concrete if you keep walking back and forth like that.”
I smiled at Hank’s no-bullshit attitude.
It was now or never.
Walking into the office, I gestured to a small chair against the wall. “Can I sit? I have something I want to talk to you about.”
His computer chair creaked as he leaned back. “Of course.”
I squared my shoulders as I took a seat. “I’ve really liked working here. Loved it, actually. I know when I started it was meant to be temporary but, the thing is, I’d like to stay in Tolson. Become a certified mechanic. Get my CDL. I know my last day is supposed to be Friday, but would you consider keeping me at the shop permanently?”
Hank’s face remained passive during my rambling. My future depended on what his next words would be, and I held my breath as I waited for his answer.
Suddenly, he threw his head back and laughed. In an instant he was out of his chair, hugging me and slapping my back a few times.
Letting out an uncomfortable chuckle, I returned the action.
He was still smiling when he sat back down. “Well, I’ll be damned. I owe Colton fifty bucks.”
“What?”
“We had a bet going on whether you were gonna go back to Ohio or not. He won.”
Placing a hand over my chest, I pretended to be wounded. “Nice to know I’m just a bet to you guys.”
Hank smiled. “We got ourselves another Tolson resident. I guess we’re almost up to a population of 325 now.”
I grinned, but he still hadn’t given me the answer I needed. “So… That’s a yes?”
“Hell yes, that’s a yes! Welcome aboard, son.” He grappled with some papers from his desk. Pointing at various numbers on the spreadsheet, he started talking about the trucking company. “Now, I think we’re going to change some things. Travis and Colton don’t need to be away from their families on long hauls, and you can’t take deliveries across state lines until you’re twenty-one. We’ve got enough local business to keep it going. Hank and Sons Midwest Transport.” His hand glided through the air as he told me the new company name. “What do you think?”
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 70