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“Hey, I’m the good kind of shadow,” he said, tweaking her nose. “It’s the bad shadows of the world I’m trying to protect you from.” His eyes turned from teasing to intense in an instant. “By the way, what’s this about you working at the Dawg Pit? You should’ve come to me if you needed money. You can always come to me, sunshine.” She immediately moved to object, but he laid a finger against her lips and said, “Don’t. We’ve been friends too long. You should’ve come to me. And you can get over your mad too. I’m sorry you had to see me with Holly. It hurt you. I never meant to hurt you. But until the police catch your mugger, I’m not going anywhere. So stop pushing me away, damn it. It’s pissing me off.”
The pain in River’s eyes threatened to overwhelm her. She had been hurt when she’d seen him with that woman, but she didn’t have the right, and Jeanette knew that. He had every right to be with anyone he chose. They weren’t a couple. He didn’t owe her any explanations. Still, as illogical as it was, Jeanette felt betrayed. It was this stupid crush of hers that was causing the fri
ction between them.
She moved his finger away and gently intertwined their fingers. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” she replied, meaning it. “I could’ve knocked. I should’ve been more considerate of your privacy.” She sighed. “And yes, I do need money for school. I’m on summer break, and working at the Dawg Pit seemed like a good idea.” When he started to speak, she overrode him. “I called this morning and quit. Don’t worry, I have no desire to go back to that end of town.” She shuddered. “Ever again.”
“But if you hadn’t been trying to avoid me, you never would’ve been there at all.” River lifted their linked fingers and kissed her knuckles one by one. “These last few months have been hell without you. I’ve missed you,” he admitted. When his mouth teased Jeanette’s wrist, he could feel the beat of her pulse as it quickened. The wild heat of her passion all but simmered under the surface. Just a taste. He could allow himself that much of her.
River pulled her a little closer, causing their mouths to brush together. Damn, a gentle glide with his tongue was all it took to set River on edge. There was a sweet promise hovering in the air. The promise of pleasures galore if he chose to throw caution to the wind.
Maybe this once he could touch heaven.
Jeanette wasn’t like any other woman he’d known. She drew him in, made him ache with need and unspent desire. His loins grew heavy, and his erection threatened the fly of pants. Just that quickly, he needed her. Yet this was the one woman he couldn’t have. He couldn’t give in to his body’s demands. He couldn’t take her that way, because he had nothing to give back to her. He was too screwed up. She deserved so much better than his messed-up ass. He felt bound, utterly powerless, and that was not a good feeling for a man.
He prided himself on keeping his distance with women. He liked them, all shapes and sizes, but he kept the relationships strictly physical. Somehow, without even bothering to try, this one small powerhouse had managed to tie his insides into knots. All logic flew out the window as a voice screamed at him to take what she offered.
And Jeanette was offering. She gave her consent in the way her body melted into his, the way her hands clutched at his chest, and when she let loose a small moan, he knew he had to stop lest he take her right in the middle of the living room floor. But as he pulled away without allowing his tongue to journey inside her mouth, River felt an odd sensation run the length of his spine. Too late, he realized what it was, and before he could react, he was unceremoniously yanked away from Jeanette. He stumbled over a footstool and landed on his ass.
River shook his head. “What the fuck?”
“Oh my God!” Jeanette stepped in front of him as if to protect him, hands on her hips. “Mike, what on earth has gotten into you?”
“This is him, isn’t it, Nett?” the unwanted visitor asked. “The guy you’re always talking about. The one who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.”
Well, didn’t that just piss him off? Whoever the tall blond was, he had a pet name for Jeanette. Fan-fucking-tastic, this day just kept getting better.
Chapter Three
Jeanette turned to help River to his feet, and he let her. Once he was upright, he yanked her to his side and raked her with a look that demanded she stay put until he got some answers. She glared at him as if willing him to play nice.
River decided he didn’t really feel like playing nice to a man who knew Jeanette as Nett. “I would introduce myself, but you seem to know me pretty well already.” He looked down at Jeanette, curious what she’d said about him. She blushed. With her long, shiny, dark brown hair in a wild and wavy mess around her shoulders, her cute ass encased in a pair of soft, tight, black cotton shorts and red short-sleeved T-shirt, she looked good enough to eat. And damn if River didn’t much care for the fact that another man was getting an eyeful of Jeanette looking so fucking adorable.
River stepped closer to the guy until they were toe-to-toe. “She’s never talked about you,” he said, his voice low and even, belying the storm brewing inside him. “Wonder why that is?”
“River.” Jeanette seared him with a look. “Men and your testosterone,” she muttered as she glared at Mike. “You seriously need to chill. I already have a headache, and you aren’t helping.” Mike arched a brow, and Jeanette issued one last warning. “You two will play nice and introduce yourselves like civil adults, or I’ll be the one doing the butt-kicking.”
River heard her words, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to take his eyes off Mike. The guy was all but devouring Jeanette with his gaze, and he was doing it right in front of River. That was about more than he could take. She was his, dammit.
No, wait. They were friends. Nothing more. Right?
Fuck, things were getting complicated.
“For Nett, I’ll be a good boy,” Mike said. He held out a hand as if he hadn’t just knocked River to the ground. “Name’s Mike Forrester. A…good friend.”
River clutched the man’s hand and gave it a quick, firm shake before releasing him. He didn’t much care for the way the guy had said good friend, as if to imply there was something more intimate between them. River had had just about as much baiting as he could take. “Jeanette, would you mind brewing a pot of coffee?”
Jeanette shook her head. “No way am I leaving you two alone together.”
Mike smiled brightly, as if he were having the time of his life. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”
Sweetheart? What the hell was that all about? He knew damn good and well that Jeanette wasn’t seeing anyone. She’d been too busy with schoolwork. As a matter of fact, with the exception of him and his brothers, River didn’t think there were any other men in Jeanette’s life. So where had she managed to meet Mike?
“Fine,” she muttered, “but if anything is busted, you’ll both pay dearly. I’m in no mood for any more crap today, I swear to God.”
After she was out of sight, River turned to Mike. “Who is Jeanette to you?”
Mike stared at River with interest. “Like I said, we’re friends.”
