“If I were, you’d take advantage. Look, I like Iris.” He made a face. “Even if those steaks she brought over last nightwereovercooked, it’s the thought that counts.”
Yeah, I couldn’t defend what Iris had done to those poor, defenseless steaks.
“She’s always been nice to me,” Hunter continued, “and last night she seemed happier to see me thanyou’vebeen in the last, oh, five or six years.”
His words lanced into my chest. Had I been that much of an asshole?
“For her sake, I’ll put some feelers out, but shit, dude. I had enough time in the clink to figure out I never want to go back there again. I don’t want to live that life.”
“Easy to say, twenty-four hours out,” I muttered before I could think better of it.
“You can bitch about my past, or you can use my connections, but you can’t sit here and do both at the same time.” He took several deep breaths. “You bitch at me for lying, but I’m trying to live honestly now, and here you are, talking out of both sides of your mouth.”
His words hit me square in the chest. Guess he’d had time to do more than work out; he’d done some thinking, too. “Sorry. You’re right. I’ll quit bitching, and I’d appreciate it if you could put feelers out, if it won’t make things harder for you. Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
5
Iris
Monday morning, I dragged myself out of the warmest, coziest bed on earth. The temptation to curl up against Jackson and pretend I’d done it by accident while asleep was so strong that I leapt out of bed to avoid the impulse.
I got ready in the bathroom. Jackson wasn’t far behind me, and we both left at the same time. It was almost homey.
I’d parked behind him, and he followed me to my car. “Be careful.”
“I will,” I said, glancing around at the quiet street. Jackson only had a few neighbors out here on the edge of town, and hardly anyone else was awake. “Mom’s probably already left, so maybe I should head home after work instead of coming back here.”
Jackson pressed me against the side of my car, both of his arms coming up to box me in. I knew he was just being his usual overprotective self, but my core clenched, and I had to fight the urge to arch against him.
“You’ll come right back here until I know for sure that she’s gone.”
“I haven’t heard from her since Saturday. It’s not like she’d tell me if she left town.” Mom had never seen fit to inform anyone of her movements, least of all me. Since thinking about that sent another spike of pain to my heart, I focused on the small moment of intimacy in front of me, on saying goodbye to Jackson before leaving for work, on his warm weight a breath away from mine.
Jackson’s thumb ran down the side of my face, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “I don’t care. I need to know that you’re safe.”
Tilting my chin, I said, “I’ll be fine. I’ve always been fine.”
His eyes traced the line of my lips, sparking want and curiosity. I’d thought…since I’d moved in here…but Imustbe wrong. If Jackson was into me, I’d have noticed before now, right?
Right?
“I need you to be more than fine.” He leaned forward, his face so close that the shadow of fresh-shaved stubble on his jaw was visible beneath his tanned skin.
I went up on my tiptoes. Just the tiniest bit.
Lust flared in his eyes. I licked my lips and wondered if all my teenage fantasies were about to come true.
Sharp rustling through the branches in the empty lot next to us had him scuttling back, shoving me behind him in a jerky move, his head swiveling around.
“It was just a squirrel or something running under a bush,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Get in the car.” He didn’t even turn around before barking that order. “That was too much rustling for a bitty squirrel.”
“Maybe it was a deer, then.” They were all over the place.
He shook his head, still not looking at me. “If you don’t get in the car, you’re going to be late. Travis wouldn’t like that.” It was a weak excuse, and we both knew it.
I did as I was told, but only because I planned to spend my entire day examining the last five minutes.
