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CHAPTERFOUR
Gavin
God, those fucking hourglass hips were haunting me. The sliver of tan skin when her white t-shirt crawled up her belly. The dip of her jeans, her belly button. Joey Bennett is nothing like I thought she would be.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thought about her under me a million times, but I’ve never seen her before. She was a piece of disposable paper until last night. I thought I wrote her off. She couldn’t have gotten my letter. It’s still unmailed, next to the bourbon in the office.
My God, Joey fucking Bennett was in my guest room, snoring like a fucking chainsaw all night long, and all I wanted to do was stay up and listen ‘cause I couldn’t believe my luck.
I don’t deserve it, but maybe now, I may have something to keep me out of the bottle. Being friends with Joey sounds much more fun than anything I’ve been doing lately, and fuck if she’s not the sexiest woman alive, just to torture me.
She was sound asleep before I sat her in my truck. I talked to Robin and was fucking furious to know Joey was planning on sleeping in her car last night. She has never backed down from anything, and not coming to me first feels shitty. Piece of paper or not, she’s my best friend, and I want her safe under my roof, not in some sketchy bar parking lot.
Although rationally, I know Robin would have taken care of her, I didn’t want that. I wanted to be the one to take care of her. Protect her from assholes dressed up like rodeo stars trying to pull tail in dive bars when they roll through town. Motherfucker deserved a lot more than the one punch he got, but I needed to get her out of there. My blood was volcanic. I erupted like a jealous lover, but fuck if I’ll apologize. No way on God’s green earth will I ever apologize for my actions last night. That sleazeball put his hands on her without asking; that shit doesn’t fly in my book.
If she’s pissed at me when she gets up, I’m prepared.
With no chance of getting any sleep at all, I cleaned the place spotless last night. Made sure blankets were by the couch and brought out some of the candles I use when we lose power out here. We’re not in the city, so it happens a few times a year and can be unpredictable. I have a backup generator, but some smell nice, and I’m hoping she’ll like them.
Yeah, dumbass, she’ll stay ‘cause your house smells nice.
I roll my eyes at myself but place a few more above the fireplace. I’ve also made a shit ton of pancakes and went out early to grab eggs and blackberries fresh from the garden that grows wild on the west side of my inherited property.
I mentally high-five myself for getting the honey from Ms. Doris and wonder if Joey would like the Farmer’s Market.
Just as the coffee pot beeps, a blood-curdling scream comes from her room, sending a cold shiver up my spine and instantly causing my chest to ache. Is she ok? I take off in a sprint and take the stairs two at a time. When I reach her room, I don’t bother with the door handle, all I can think about is getting to her as fast as possible, so I plow through it. With my weight behind it, the force of my shoulder sends the door off its hinges and the frame splinters. Inside, I find a shell-shocked Joey, with wild raven hair sticking out around her soft face. She screams again, this time at me, and then I notice Billy the Kid in bed beside her. A chunk of her hair in his mouth.
“Damn it! No! Down! Wrong room, you crazy goat.” My growl is weak as my four-legged friend kicks out of the blankets he’s shared with Joey, seemingly all night. She’s looking at me like I’m nuts leaving with the animal. I wonder what is more jarring in her hungover state. Laughing quietly to myself, I take the intruder back to my new room, the master bedroom, and lay him on the dog bed in the corner. I’ll leave the door propped open, but he usually sleeps in.
“Friend of yours?”
Joey stands with her back to me, pouring herself a cup of coffee, and I take a moment to center myself. My eyes travel down her long messy hair to her snug waist and ample backside. Fuck what I wouldn’t give to bite that fucking cheek right now. Fall to my knees and sink my teeth…
I clear my throat, feeling like an even bigger asshole. She’s my best friend, and I’m gonna keep my hands to myself. I say those words forgetting the reasoning as she turns and those bright hazel eyes lock with mine. Her tongue licking her lip forces me to break the spell. I wonder if they taste like coffee.
“Yeah. Sorry about him. That room used to be mine. My little buddy is spoiled around here, now that it’s just me. I’ll keep him in my room, though. He shouldn’t bother you again.”
“He didn’t bother me, just scared me. Plus, you hulking out was kind of unexpected as well…oh, and the whole drinking way too much and feeling terrible is not helping.”
“Yeah, I imagine, but it does serve you right for not coming here first.”
Her face sobers. Gone is the snark, replaced by embarrassment.
“Last night was not at all what I wanted for our real-life meeting.” She shakes her head, and the look she gives me makes me want to go slay a Dragon. Anything to make it better.
“I’m not sorry for protecting you, Joey. This wasn’t what I wanted either, but what the hell were you doing? After all this time, you suddenly come to visit? Oh, but stop off to get hammered and not make it all the way to my house?”
Damn it. That’s just making it worse. Tears fill her eyes, and my chest breaks open and threatens to spill all the secrets I’ve kept locked away. The ones about her. They’re the only ones she doesn’t already know.
“Hey! At least I showed up!”
Fuck! She got me. I fold and take a moment to calm down. I wanted to meet her so bad I finally couldn’t take it. I made a plan and sold a bunch of my shit. Then got a short-term gig flying tech guys out of Silicon Valley to meetings around the world. Thanks to a client, I got a place in California and was gonna be financially set to take a trip anywhere. First stop, Starlight Bay, to pick up Joey, then together, we were going to soar the skies until the gas ran out. Stopping for new adventures along the way. Unfortunately, I met the woman of my nightmares in the form of a roommate. She was supposed to help pay the insane utilities but caused so much damage to my rental that I left with almost nothing.
Then my mom called to tell me my grandpa had passed, leaving me everything. She told me I needed to come home, and I didn’t fight it. I wrote Joey and told her a vague version of what happened, how he had a heart attack, but my letters got shorter, and the last one I sent was weeks ago. Guilt washes over me like a familiar skin.
“You put yourself in danger, and I wish you wouldn’t have come!” I shout at her, hating it instantly.
She shakes her head at me. “I don’t think that’s true, and if it is, I’ve lost my best friend today.”
