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“Our dishwasher aimed at a raccoon by the Dumpster when she took the trash out,” he said wearily. “She’s on edge and armed. I need to get her out of here before she does something stupid.” He ran his hand through his short blond hair. “And hell, maybe I should start paying her not to clean the dishes or set foot anywhere near the bar.”
“But then how would you keep an eye on both of us?” She hoped to make him laugh, or even smile. But he just shook his head and put on his doom-and-gloom expression.
“I don’t know, Josie,” he said. “I don’t know.”
“NOAH, BEFORE I get in your truck, I think you should know . . .” Josie paused midspeech and drew a deep breath. She stood with one hand on the open truck door and the other on her hip. The bar was at her back, dark and locked up for the night.
What now?
What more could he possibly add to his middle-of-the-night to-do list? He needed to send another message to Dominic because the first one hadn’t led to an A-OK response, and Chief Fairmore had looked pretty damn worried. Then he planned to search the woods around his childhood home for his former commanding officer. And shit, someone needed to feed and water the fucking kittens. All that before falling dead asleep for a few hours, getting up and opening the damn bar again.
“I left the vibrator in my locker,” she said, her tone practically daring him to demand that she march back into Big Buck’s and get it. Because tonight was the perfect night to say “screw you” to the people he needed to help and focus on sexual fantasies and orgasms.
He eyed Josie. Beauty and determination were one hell of a turn-on. It might not be such a bad idea. After all, who was he to play the hero?
“Josephine Fairmore, get in the damn car. I’m not leaving you alone in a parking lot beside your broken-down car just because you don’t want to share your toys. I was planning to take you back to your dad’s place anyway.”
Because I really need to get started on my list.
“Turning in early?” she challenged in a voice that said I wasn’t born yesterday. She climbed into the truck and secured her seat belt.
“No.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the main road while he filled her in on his plans for the remaining hours before sunrise.
“You’re really worried about Dominic?” she asked softly when he’d finished.
“I think your brother can take care of himself. But I don’t like seeing your father worried. And right now, I can’t have Forever’s chief of police dropping into the bar and asking questions. If Caroline had pulled the trigger on that raccoon, if everyone in the bar heard a gunshot tonight? The police would be everywhere. And she’d be headed for a jail cell.”
They rode in silence for a few minutes, passing through Forever’s dark and quiet downtown.
“Did you take away her gun again?” she asked.
“Yes.” He accelerated as they reached the town limits. “I hadn’t realized how close to the edge she was. But the stress has done a number on her. She’s more likely to get herself hurt, hit an innocent bystander, or even you. And I can’t let that happen.”
“I’m glad you took away her gun,” Josie said slowly as he turned down her driveway.
He fought the urge to press on the gas and fly over the gravel to her house, kick her out of the truck, and speed away. If he didn’t get her out of here soon, he might reach for her.
“And I appreciate your desire to keep me safe,” she added. “But I can take care of myself, Noah. I’ve been doing it for the past five years.”
He put the truck in park in front of her house and turned to her. She’d said those words as if she was still trying to convince herself. And he knew a helluva lot about that.
“You’re wrong, Josie. If I don’t take care of you, who the hell is going to look out for me? Who is going to bring me back to reality when I see a box and think it’s a bomb?”
Her eyes widened and she lifted her hand to his cheek. Her palm brushed against his stubble. Shaving hadn’t come close to making his to-do list.
“Noah—”
“Last night, you took me away from all the bullshit,” he said, looking straight into her green eyes. “You gave me a break from wondering how the hell I’m going to keep from letting people down when they need me. How I’m going to maintain control . . .”
“But I don’t need you,” she said softly.
“Are you sure about that?” He lifted his hands and cupped the sides of her face. Yeah, she was running scared. But he didn’t want to let her go. “Because I think we could take care of each other.”
“Noah, what are you asking for?” she demanded.
“You,” he said firmly.
He leaned across the center console and pressed his lips to hers. He fought his way in, kissing her deeply, needing her to feel how much he wanted to escape into that place where he could fulfill her desires—no doubts, no questions.
