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“Only time I see you in here is when you’re pickin’ up an order for two.”
Speaking through a smirk, he confirmed her suspicion as he told the kid, “Small black coffee, large Caramel Rhapsody.”
“You know what time it is, right?” teased Billie as she grabbed the cups for his order.
“Why do you think I got a large?” he shot back, reaching for his wallet.
Billie laughed. “She shut down the shop last night. I’ll throw in an extra shot on the house. Maybe she’ll go gentle on you with an extra jolt of caffeine.”
“’Ppreciate it.”
Swift and precise behind the espresso machine, Billie had Lawson calling out his farewell in under two minutes. He could feel the heat of Justice’s beverage through the cup, and he acknowledged Billie had made her drink extra hot in order to endure the trip. What would usually be an eight-minute journey became thirteen, given the school zone Lawson had to drive through, and he felt every extra second. As the morning continued to pass, his patience began to wane, his longing taking its place.
When he was honest with himself, and he admitted that wasn’t always the case, he knew no one would ever satisfy him the way his songbird did. It wasn’t just about the sex—though, he’d yet to meet her match. She had legs for days, and the feel of them wrapped around him while he moved inside of her was heaven. More than that, their history couldn’t be beat. He’d never fallen in love with anyone else not merely because he didn’t want to, but because it wasn’t possible. No one knew Lawson the way Nora-Jean did, not even Justice. And no one knew Nora-Jean the way Lawson did.
At sixteen and fifteen years old, no one quite understood the depth of their love for one another. Adults saw is as puppy love. Their friends recognized it as their first love; but even back then, when they were young and naïve, it was more than what people could make out on the surface.
Nora-Jean was the first person to look at Lawson and see him as a man. He was her safe place to land, and she was the one who nurtured the protective spirit within him. War and the mental toll it took on him was what tore them apart, but it was Nora-Jean’s love that gave him the courage to enlist in the first place.
Without her, he’d been less of a man. Not weaker or afraid—but wilder and more reckless. He’d sought out the company of other women, but he never let them have his heart. It was cruel and selfish, he knew, but until the previous night, he’d been too much of a coward to do the right thing; to take back what he wanted—what belonged to him. Now that he was no longer bound by cowardice, he wanted nothing more than to make things right.
Justice lived on the east side of Shelby in a townhouse near the country club. She looked like a badass on the outside, with an entire arm covered in tattoos and her pixie cut hair, but his sister was a lady with good taste. She also made good money,her reputation at the shop drawing customers across state lines. Lawson understood why people trusted her with her guns—he did too, and he had the ink to prove it.
It was almost seven-thirty when he pulled into her driveway. He killed the engine, grabbed his keys, then stacked his coffee on top of hers before exiting the cab of his truck and heading for her front door. He sorted through his keys with one hand until he found the one he was after and let himself inside. Lawson knew how much Justice hated it when he wore his boots in her house. Nevertheless, with his hands full, he made his way down the narrow entryway with his feet still covered anyway.
Holding on to both cups, he took the stairs to the second floor two at a time. He made no attempt to enter her bedroom quietly, but the carpeted floor muted his footsteps regardless. The sun was beginning to rise, and the faint light peeking through the blinds made it easy for Lawson to make his way to her nightstand, where he deposited both of their coffees. He then switched on the lamp and sat on the edge of the bed—none of which made Justice so much as stir.
“Lady Jay,” he muttered, hoping to wake her gently.
Still nothing.
“Lady Jay, wake up.”
She rolled over, as if defying him in slumber.
Lawson shook his head, then went in for the kill shot. Reaching for her waist, he pinched, and she squealed as she batted away his hand and sat upright.
Scowling, she didn’t bother to brush away the hair which had fallen over her eyes as she all but growled, “What the hell?!”
“Good mornin’,” Lawson replied, amused.
Justice glanced toward the window, then glared at her brother. “Go away. I’m sleepin’.”
“Brought you coffee,” he said, tilting his head toward her nightstand.
She looked at the coffee, returned her glare at Lawson, then held out her hand in silent demand. He was happy to acquiesce. She took one indulgent sip, sighed, then took another. Finally, she swept her bangs out of her face and cast her eyes on her brother—her glare a little softer.
“I don’t know what time it is, but the sun isn’t nearly high enough for me to be awake. This better be good.”
Memories from the previous night flashed before his eyes, and the smile that tugged at both corners of his mouth couldn’t be helped.
“Whatever plans you have tonight, cancel ‘em. I need a favor.”
“Son of the law—if you don’t get to the point—”
“I slept with Nora last night.”
Justice gasped, her mouth falling open as her eyes grew wide. Whatever vestiges of sleep she was trying to shake off were instantly eradicated by Lawson’s announcement. She thrust her coffee back at Lawson, and he took it with a chuckle.
