Can I do this without hurting Jamie again?
He smirked and rested his hand on my hip, giving me a gentle squeeze. “You’re over there thinking too hard. I have a house nearby. How about ya join me?” His eyes darkened as we stared at each other, and my dick tingled and plumped.
“King will expect me home.”
“Ya work all the time? Come with me now.” He stepped closer, and I wrapped my arms around his back, groaning when I felt the firm ridge in his pants nudge against mine.
I shook my head. “Can’t. It’s family night. Dallas says we can’t do anything except family stuff tonight. He’ll be sad. He worked really hard to get King to agree to do this, and he’s not the kind of guy to get mad, but I’d still feel bad.”
Jamie rested his cheek against my shoulder. “Never pegged ya for a family man. That’s a pleasant surprise as well.” He kissed my chin, and I shivered with the rush of tingles along my skin.
“Never had one before. I don’t want to fuck it up.”
He nudged his forehead against my jaw. “I’m confused. Didn’t your da just threaten to paint my brains on the ground?”
“I grew up in foster care. That’s a lot of my problem. I hate yelling because of it.”
“Oh… sorry.”
I shrugged and embarrassment had me, especially when he gave me a tight hug.
“I’m sorry I raked ya over the coals.” He pressed a kiss to my neck. “I still never want ya rushing into danger alone. I do trust ya can handle a fight.”
I smiled at him and leaned in, wanting his mouth on mine again. He met me halfway and we kissed. It was fun and sweet and felt good. We teased our hips against each other, but I was still feeling kind of bad and was happy he wasn’t pushing things faster.
He curled his fingers around my belt buckle, and I groaned. “Come to my place tonight?” he whispered against my mouth. Fuck, I never wanted to let go of him.
“Stay here with me?” I nudged the tip of my nose against his, and he chuckled.
“Ya don’t think your da will murder me in my sleep?”
“No. Dallas won’t let him.”
He didn’t seem convinced because he pursed his lips and a deep vee settled between his brows. “Ya don’t want a wee bit more privacy?” He nibbled at my bottom lip and then let go.
Snorting, I shook my head. “King won’t be happy with me leaving. He’s been keeping tabs on me since I came back, and then… I don’t like what he did to you. Maybe I’m just being dumb.”
“No, if ya trust him, I’ll trust him, because I trust your judgment.” Jamie smiled, and I could tell he might not fully believe what he was saying, but it meant a lot that he would say it anyway.
“Thank you.”
“Besides—” Jamie glanced up at a particularly noisy seagull overhead and relaxed against my front. “—King’s a man after my own heart. We both want to keep ya safe. He can’t be all bad.” He looped his hands around the nape of my neck and drew me in for another kiss. I laughed against his lips. The part of me that had felt abandoned for so long was glowing with good feelings. Jamie coming after me, and King sticking up for me, weren’t things I ever would have imagined, and yet they’d both happened. For once, life was good.
11
Jamie
Hunter softly sucked on my bottom lip, lingering over his sweet torture. My cock sprang awake, ready for action in less than no time at all, certain it was about to experience the same bliss. He released me, and in the brightest part of my lust-dulled mind I tried to form words to ask him to keep going, but I was too befuddled.
“You’ll stay with me tonight?Allnight?” he asked, words soft and nearly lost under the hush of waves.
Staring at him, I could only nod. Hunter’s eyes held every hope in the world, and I couldn’t ruin that. I didn’t want to do anything, except what he asked. His smile was well worth any discomfort that might come from this catastrophe. King wouldn’t murder me because of my association with Killough—I hoped. At the very least, I trusted Hunter to warn me if I needed to run.
We held hands like we thought we might be swept apart by a tornado and walked back to the small redbrick home that was apparently owned by King. Hunter didn’t hesitate to push open the front door, so he must have felt at ease here. I edged into the room slightly behind him as we both tried to go over the threshold together, although we didn’t quite fit. The main living space had wooden floors and a glittering limestone fireplace that would be friendly on a cold night. Couches lined two walls, and there was a large TV hung on the one across the way. Everyone seemed to be in the kitchen, however, based on the snatches of conversation that carried to us, and Hunter urged me that way, apparently unembarrassed to haul me in front of his father.
I was damned glad he’d gotten over his mood, but this was a lot more than I’d bargained for.
Nerves struck me, far worse than running into a gunfight. I’d never been introduced to a parent, and Hunter and I barely knew each other, but I could feel in my bones this wasn’t a one- or two-month thing. Even if he hadn’t been one of the most handsome men I’d ever met, I was far too ensnared in his mystery. His quietness had me hooked. I was constantly guessing what was going on behind those sad eyes, and I couldn’t stop trying to work him out. His entire presence was compelling, and he didn’t seem to realize it, which only made me want to delve deeper into knowing him. So I went where he led, like a wee lamb to the slaughter.
