“Truce,” Jace says the word of our childhood. He holds out his hand, I extend my own, and our handshake is steady, not a challenge, not a joke. We’re laying it wide open. His grip is firm, a change from what it would be from the years of childhood. Back then, it’d be crushing; now, it’s one of sticking to a promise not to butt into my life.
“Truce,” I reply.
“Good. Gonna grab my tab and Locke’s then head on out. He’s not as young as he used to be, something about needing sleep and shit.”
“Pot, meet kettle. You’re older than him by six months. The difference is, you slept all day.” I take my hand back and move to the cash register to tally up their total, then to the kiosk to set up the payment. Ronnie’s dad prefers the old-school way, while she prefers this century; they’ve settled on doing both, comparing what works more efficiently at the end of the year and going from there.
“Not wrong about that. Love you, sis.” Jace throws more cash down than necessary. I go about bringing him back the change, but he just shakes his head.
“Love you, too. Drive home safely, yeah?” I reply.
“You do the same.” That’s the end of our conversation. My eyes watch as Locke pops off the barstool, meeting Jace halfway, and my man gives me a subtle nod of his head, mouthing the wordsugaralong the way. It hits me square in the chest how amazing Locke is, and I’m the lucky woman who gets to have him.
--
I’m exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Everything is hitting me all at once, and the guilt is eating me alive.
I should go home, shower, and sleep for a solid eight hours, but I know my overactive mind. Rest won’t come. I’ll toss and turn, get hot and sweaty, and be even more miserable.
And while I’m sitting in Locke’s truck at the back of The Social, the lights off, the bar closed down, I do the only thing any woman would do: I text my man. I’d call him, but if he’s asleep, I don’t want to wake him up. And while I have a key to his place, I still have manners. Plus, I’ve seen the self-defense he packs at his house, and I don’t want to be on the receiving end if I catch him unaware.
Me: Hey, are you awake?
I turn the key in the ignition, firing up the truck. The weather is nice enough that I’m not overly hot or freezing cold, so it’s been fine to sit without wasting gas. I did at least lock myself in.
Locke: Yeah, sugar. You home?
Me: No, just got out. Do you mind if I come over?
Locke: You don’t ever have to ask. There’s a reason I gave you a key, Jade. I want you to use it.
Me: Be there soon.
Locke: I’ll be waiting.
A quick click of my seatbelt, tossing my phone in my bag, and pulling out of the parking spot, out of the lot, and getting on the road are the only things I’m focused on. Even when my phone connects to the Bluetooth, blaring a heavy metal song turned up way too loud, it still doesn’t bother me. Nope, I’ve got other shit on my mind, and the only person who can shut me up is ten minutes away. It’s going to be the longest drive of my life.
11
Locke
“You okay?” I ask Jade when she walks through the door. I’ve got my ass to the kitchen counter, a bottle of water next to me, and the only thing I’ve got on is a pair of boxer briefs. I heard her pull in, turn the truck off, and walk up the steps. After the text message, I opened the gate, unlocked the front door, and have been waiting for her to come inside.
“Kind of, maybe, no. Actually, I’m not. I didn’t get a chance to tell you what happened.” Her thumb goes to her mouth, and she starts to nibble on the nail.
“Well, come tell me over here, not all the way over there.” I uncross my arms. I need to have her close, want to see her eyes and get a feel of what she’s going through.
“You could always come to me, you know.” A smile tugs at my lips. Even when she’s on a rant, it makes my cock twitch.
“Sugar.” She walks toward me.
“You’re a pain my ass.” Jade throws her hands in the air.
“I’m not yet, but I can make that happen.” I’ve yet to take her ass. That doesn’t mean we haven’t played. We have, and she comes alive the second my tongue rasps over her tight hole. Then there’s the way her ass sucks my fingers deeper as she’s taking my cock inside her pussy. Soon, it’ll be my cock making her feel that way while she’s got a vibrator thrusting inside her.
“Locke.” The minute she’s in reaching distance, my hands go to her hips, and I pull her close. Her hands slide up my body, landing on my chest.
“We’ll go back to that. Tell me what’s going on.” I lower my head and skate my lips across hers. When her tongue slips out, I’m caught between wanting to deepen the kiss or make this short and sweet.
