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“I was still underage, so I would have ended up in foster care somewhere. But I fled before social services could get their hooks in me. For about a year, I lived on the streets in New Orleans. Rip found me outside his shop one day, sketching in this ratty old book I had. He took pity on me and hired me to keep the place clean. Eventually, I apprenticed with him.”
Her gaze bore into his as if to say, “Go ahead, pity me. I dare you.” But he never would. Many of his brothers had shit backgrounds, some so horrifying the stories made your ears bleed. Hell, his own story made grown men cry. Survive, overcome, move on. That’s what people did with shitty circumstances.
It was clear how Izzy had made it through life. Living through darkness made her strong as fuck. Made her capable of taking care of herself and surviving the harsh realities of the world. Hell, if his wife had been half as tough as Izzy, maybe that night would have turned out very differently.
Shit. He peered into his empty glass. Been a while since thoughts like that had invaded his conscious.
“Hey,” Izzy said, cutting through his morbid trip down memory lane. “You got a funny look on your face. You good?”
“Yeah.” He polished off his drink. “You’re pretty fucking fierce, you know that, Iz?”
A slow smile curled the blood-red lips he wanted to crush against his own. Looked like she appreciated the compliment. God, she was gorgeous.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Jig.”
He glanced down suddenly when he realized their hands were still intertwined. The air between them thickened and cracked with high-voltage electricity. The chemistry they shared was enough to burn the place to the ground. Friendship and chemistry—sounded like a recipe for a relationship neither was able to accept.
Orgasms. That’s what he needed. A warm, wet place to sink his cock and lose himself. That’s all he wanted, and that’s all he’d allow himself with her. Time to rip the emotions from this encounter and bring it back to the safety of the physical.
Leaning forward, Jig reached out and hooked a finger into the collar of her sweatshirt. One little tug, and her mouth was millimeters from his. “Not to mention,” he said. “You have the sweetest fucking pussy I’ve ever tasted.”
Her eyes went tire-wide, and she sputtered. It wasn’t often someone caught her off guard, but it was damn fun. As her mouth flapped opened and closed, Jig’s attention was rapt on her lips. Shiny with that bright red gloss, they looked like the perfect place to sink his teeth. He leaned in, ready to do just that—
“Oh, my god, I am so sorry.” Stephanie’s voice had Izzy wrenching back and spinning on her stool. Their friend rushed through the door over to the bar. “Were you waiting forever?”
“Ah…” Izzy cleared her throat and stood to accept Steph’s enthusiastic hug. “No. Not at all. Felt like two minutes.”
Jig snickered and discretely adjusted himself behind the bar. “Want a drink, Steph?”
“No thanks.” She waved a hand back and forth. “Mav will be here in ten, and we’re going to grab something to eat.” Stepping back, Steph looked between him and Izzy with a raised eyebrow.
Izzy’s face reddened, and she looked everywhere but at him. Then her body straightened and she said, “Oh, I got what you asked me for.” Snatching up the envelope, she handed it to Stephanie.
A mix of disappointment and relief bombarded Jig. The interruption was necessary and jerked his mind out of ridiculous fantasies, but left his body in a state of unfulfilled desire. “All right, ladies. I’m out. Good chatting with you, Iz. See you at the gym tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there by eight.”
“Good deal.” Jig accepted a kiss on his unscarred cheek from Stephanie as he made his way to the exit. Within seconds of walking away from the women, he could hear them chattering on and giggling like school girls. It brought a smile to his face. Izzy might not realize it, but her guard was coming down.
Them fucking was inevitable. It was going to happen. They had the type of attraction that couldn’t be ignored. And it would be fucking earth-shattering.
But that’s all it would be. Fucking and a shaky friendship. Because no way in hell was Jig letting a woman, even a woman as boss as Izzy, melt the thick layers of ice around his heart. He would never survive a devastating loss like he’d suffered with his wife and child’s deaths, and his life now was a hundred times more dangerous than it had been years ago. After knowing Jig a short time, Izzy had already been attacked by his enemies. No matter the conflicting emotions Izzy dredged up in him, she wouldn’t ever be more than a friendly fuck buddy. Anything more could destroy them both.
