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“You’re right, Journey,” he agreed, “I don’t know you anymore. I’d like to get the chance to know you though. Say you’ll go on a date with me.”
She hesitated, looking out the passenger window at the passing scenery. He thought for sure that she was going to tell him no and he hated that she was going to turn him down again. “Just say yes, Journey,” he whispered.
“What about Lucinda?” she asked. “She’s my best friend and I don’t want to lose her.”
“Why would you lose my sister?” Ford asked. “You two have been inseparable since you were in the second grade.”
“Right, but you’re her brother and I’m betting she doesn’t want us to date. I mean, what if things go south between us and we end up hating each other? What am I supposed to do about being friends with Lucinda? It would be awkward.” Maybe she was right and it would be awkward, but he didn’t give a damn about any of that. He wanted his chance with her and hearing her excuses to turn him down again was only pissing him off.
“Why do things have to go south between the two of us?” he asked. “I mean, we haven’t even gotten together yet and you’re breaking us up already. At least give us a chance before you end us. We don’t have to tell my sister that we’re going out on a date if you’re worried about her. We can go on a date, see if we click, and then, you can decide when or if you want to tell her. I’ll leave that up to you.”
“You want me to lie to her?” Journey asked.
“Of course not,” Ford insisted, “I’m just saying that we don’t have to tell her right away about us. Let’s take some time and get to know each other again, and then, you can tell her.” He was sure that she was going to turn him down completely, but she didn’t and when she nodded her agreement, he felt like the luckiest man on the planet.
“Really?” he asked. “You’ll go out with me?”
“I will, as long as you’re really okay with not telling Lucinda,” she said. “I don’t want to upset her if there’s no reason to do so.” He wanted to insist that there would be a reason to tell his sister about the two of them because once he got Journey into his bed, he never planned on letting her back out again.
“You got it,” he agreed. “I won’t say a word to my sister until you’re ready to do so.”
“Thank you. So, when would you like to go on this date?” she asked.
He checked his rearview mirror again and looked back at her. “How about now?” he asked. “Your boss is still a few cars back and I’m betting he won’t give up following us tonight unless we give him a reason to. How about we drop by that little deli, that has my sister’s favorite soup, pick up some desserts, and take them back to my place? He’ll never know that we’re not taking it to my sister’s since he has no idea where either of us lives.”
“But how will I get my SUV and go home later?” she asked. He was honestly hoping to get her to agree to stick around and spend the night with him, but he wouldn’t push Journey into something that she might not be ready for.
“Once your boss gives up and goes home, I’ll run you back to your SUV and follow you back to your apartment,” he offered.
“Why would you follow me back to my place?” she asked. “I don’t need an escort.”
“I’m sure that you can handle yourself, but I’m also betting that your boss knows where you live. Do you honestly believe that he’d follow us around for the past thirty minutes to only give up once you’re in my place? He’ll probably check to make sure that you got home, and I’d bet he’d even want to talk to you personally to see that you’re okay and make his next move. He seems like the type of guy who doesn’t like to take no for an answer.”
“He’s not the kind of guy who takes no for an answer. I think that’s why he keeps trying to trick me into spending time with him. He’s probably hoping that I’ll eventually give in and give him what he wants.” She shivered next to him, and he pulled her hand up into his own, running his lips over her knuckles.
“I won’t let that happen, honey,” he promised. There was no fucking way that Ford would ever let some asshole like Andrew Tinsley lay one finger on her. He didn’t care who the guy was to her—she could find another job if necessary.
* * *
They ran downtown to the deli that was his sister’s favorite, not that Journey’s boss would know the difference. He loved that deli too, and Ford knew that they had fantastic desserts. All he could think about was eating chocolate cake off of Journey’s naked body while she was in his bed, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t something that she was ready for. He was still going to ask. Journey had to know how he felt about her. God, that kiss nearly set him on fire and he wanted more of that with her. He just hoped like hell that she felt the same way.
They ordered a few desserts and headed back out to his truck to find her asshole boss parked down the street watching them. He told her to pretend not to see him, but all Ford wanted to do was walk down the road, pull the guy out of his pretentious car, and beat the hell out of him. But that wouldn’t do either of them any good. The guy would just press charges and he’d end up behind bars leaving Journey vulnerable for the night.
“He’s not going to give up, is he?” she asked.
“I’m afraid not. I’ve known guys like your boss and I’m betting that he’ll follow us back to your car and then show up at your place,” Ford said.
“Shit, I can’t have that happen. I should have reported him when he tried to stick his hand up under my skirt the first time, but I was afraid that I’d lose my job. I’m such an idiot,” Journey groaned. The thought of that asshole touching her anywhere made him sick. Honestly, the thought of any man touching Journey filled him with rage that he hadn’t felt in a damn long time—since his time in the Army really.
“He touched you more than once?” Ford asked.
“Careful, Ford,” she spat, “you sound as if you are accusing me of wrongdoing here. I’m not the slimeball boss who’s made up fake meetings to get me in the corner. I told him to keep his hands to himself after that first time and he immediately apologized. And yeah, I was a fool to believe him and didn’t go to HR as I should have, but I was young and naive. I was so new to the business, I believed him.”
“Until he did it again,” Ford guessed.
“Yeah,” she breathed.
“For the record, I wasn’t blaming you for that asshole’s behavior. I’d never do that, Journey. I know you, even if we haven’t seen each other these past few years. You’re the same sweet girl who used to follow me around before I left for basic training.”
