She carefully set GG down onto Langston’s chair, which the cat protested, swiping at Juno’s hand to pick her back up. With one more soft swipe behind the ears, Juno turned her attention back to me. If I were a lesser man, I would’ve stuck my tongue out at GG in a taunt, but I wasn’t about to stoop to that level with a fucking cat.
Instead, I flipped her off. Which I swear she returned with a sassy meow, flicking her tail aggressively as she pranced away.
“Sorry. If you can’t tell, I’m more of a cat person than a dog person, and I couldn’t resist. How did I not know you owned a cat?”
I shrugged and tossed the T-shirt over my shoulder. “Doesn’t really come up in meetings, I guess, and this is the first time you’ve been here. Thanks for coming over to help, by the way. Lang is on a run to Anchorage to pick up—” Remembering Brandon said to keep our mouths shut, I cut myself off with a cough. “I just need some help with all this.”
I pointed to my bare chest and unfastened jeans. Which was where her gaze stayed while chewing on the corner of her lower lip.
“West… I….” Groaning, she turned, gaze searching until it landed on something in the kitchen. “I need coffee for this.” She gestured over her shoulder at me.
“Did you just wave at all of me?” I chuckled, following her. “If you’re going for the coffee, I think it’s still hot. Langston always makes enough for me when he has to leave early.”
Rather than asking for a mug, Juno started opening one cabinet after another until she found them. Inspecting each, she carefully chose the one I knew was Langston’s favorite and filled it to the brim with steaming dark liquid.
“Did I wake you up?” I reached around her, snagging a mug and setting it beside hers.
She nodded while filling mine.
“It is ten on a Saturday, and we got in late.” Biting back a smile, she tried to hide it behind the cat-shaped mug. “I had fun last night, and not just what happened in the closet.”
Her mentioning it had flickers of those few minutes flashing in my mind, making my cock twitch. Considering my pants still weren’t secured, that would be a problem fast. Clearing my throat, I took a sip of coffee, burning my tongue but welcoming the distraction.
“It was nice actually being out, having dinner somewhere other than Dave’s. Did you know that was my first time there? That restaurant?”
Leaning a hip against the counter, I shook my head. “What have you been doing since you got here other than work and working out with Oliver?”
“Book club.” Her smile grew. “Hanging out with the Uplift girls. I’ve babysat for Hudson and Calista once or twice while they went out. And I’ve played a lot of video games.A lot.”
The way she said it made it sound like she didn’t know how to feel about that.
“But you like doing that, the online gaming stuff, so why does it sound like you’re ashamed or embarrassed by how much you play?”
“Because… I don’t know. It’s a waste of time?” she said. I arched a brow. “At least that’s what others think.”
“Others?” My mug thumped on the counter when I set it down with more force than necessary.
But instead of giving me a direct answer, she just waved me off and avoided my questioning gaze. “And I feel guilty. I’m in this beautiful place with people who go outdoors to do fun things for a living, and all I do is stay inside and play video games. And eat snacks. Can’t forget the snacks.”
“What kind of gamer would you be if you did?”
A timid smile pulled at her lips. “Exactly. But I just get lost in the online world. Sometimes it feels easier than reality.”
I took a sip of coffee, the steam fogging the lenses of my glasses. I couldn’t see her, but her soft giggle filled the small kitchen. Taking them off, I used the soft cotton T-shirt to clean off the lenses.
“I guess I can relate. It’s why I love motors and fixing broken things as much as I do. I get lost in the problem, trying different tricks until something works. I can lose hours while problem-solving an issue, but it keeps my mind off other things.”
Juno nodded and tucked a piece of light brown hair behind her ears.
I reached out and tugged at a loose strand. “I love the new hair color, but why?”
“Needed a change, I guess. While I enjoyed being blonde, it was never my first choice.” She peeked up through her long dark lashes, which only made her unique eye color pop even more. “You know what would be?”
I angled my head to the side, contemplating my answer. “Blue?”
Her tiny nose scrunched up. “Pink. Rose gold, more specifically. It fades so beautifully.” Her wistful sigh made my heart clench. “But that would require a lot of work and constant maintenance for the color.”
I twirled the loose curly strand around my finger while keeping my gaze locked on hers. “I like this color, and I liked the last one, and I know I’d feel the same about the pink. Everything looks good on you, sweet cheeks.”
