He stepped closer, leaving only a few inches between them. He smelled deliciously rugged and somehow familiar. She may not need this type of complication, but there was no denying how much she wanted it.
JED COULDN’T TAKE his eyes off of Josie’s mouth. Maybe it was the way she was licking her lips, her eyes locked on his chest like she wanted to touch it. Or lick it. His cock twitched with the thought. She had the most delicate features—a slightly upturned nose, smallish, seriously beautiful eyes, and high cheekbones—as if each one had been meticulously carved. And then there was her full and luscious mouth and the adorable little beauty mark just below the left corner of her mouth. He’d fantasized about her mouth on his—on him—even more the last two nights than he had over the past several years. When she lifted her gaze to his, a pulse threaded between them like a heartbeat.
Utterly lost in her, he leaned closer, wanting to kiss her. The sound of her breath hitching jolted him from his fantasy seconds before he made the mistake. He shifted, as if he had intended to lean against the doorframe the whole time, and said, “How’d it go?”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. She shot a glance into the living room, where Hail was giving Penny a lesson in construction vehicles, and said, “It was good. I can’t believe you went to all this trouble. Thank you, and Penny said you bought books for Hail? You don’t have to buy him things. He’s not used to getting so many gifts.”
“I thought I could teach him something, but your boy is like a construction-vehicle savant.” He didn’t want to embarrass her in front of Penny or Tracey, so he nodded toward the hall. “Can I talk to you privately for a sec?”
She followed him a few steps away, and he pulled the prepaid phone he’d bought for her from his pocket.
“Moon…” She shook her head. “I can’t take that.”
“Sure you can, for Hail. His school needs a way to get in touch with you no matter where you are. If you’re in the car, at work, wherever. It’s paid for three months.”
She sighed, her pretty brows knitting. She was still petite, like she’d been as a teenager, but her slim hips now curved in at her waist and her small breasts were slightly fuller, giving her an even sexier figure.
“You don’t have to do all of this for us,” she said.
“Everyone needs a hand every now and then. If not me, then who? What are your plans tonight?”
“Um…? I’ll be with Hail…”
“My roommate, Quincy, and I are having a bonfire. I seem to remember a certain someone telling me they had a thing for s’mores.” He leaned closer and whispered, “I have chocolate and I’m hoping you have more gingerbread, which is way better than graham crackers.”
Surprise shimmered in her eyes. “How can you possibly remember that I like s’mores?”
“Does that mean you don’t remember much about me?” He cocked a brow at the embarrassment in her eyes. “I remember a whole hell of a lot more than that, too. What do you say? Come hang with two of the coolest guys in Peaceful Harbor. Penny will probably be there, and Quincy’s brother, Truman, and his wife and kids might come by. You can bring Tracey if you’d like.”
She shifted nervously from one foot to the other. “I, um…I haven’t talked to Sarah or Scotty again yet. I want to, but not in a big group like that, so if they’re going to be there…”
“If they were going to be there, I’d have told you. I’d never knowingly put you in an uncomfortable situation.” He put the phone in her hand, wrapped his hand around hers, and said, “I programmed my number and my address into the phone. Come by if you’d like. No pressure, but I think Hail would have a blast.” He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand and said, “His mama just might enjoy herself, too.”
Chapter Four
JOSIE GOT HAIL settled in his booster seat and closed the car door feeling like she might throw up or pass out. Or both. She couldn’t even blame Tracey or Sunny for pushing her to go to Jed’s bonfire. No one had to push. Josie’s and Hail’s life had been so focused on making ends meet these last few months, a little fun with new friends sounded like exactly what they both needed. It would also be a good chance for Josie to get to know Penny better. But as she stood outside her car in the cold December night, it wasn’t just fun that was on her mind. She wanted to see Jed and see what lay beyond their electric connection.
Her stomach tumbled, and she leaned back against the car.
“Are you sure you’re the same girl who got into a car with a guy she hardly knew and drove all the way from Florida to Maryland?” Tracey asked from the other side of the car. “Because you’re green around the gills, and we’re about to go have fun.”
“Then it was life or death. I didn’t have time to be afraid of what lay ahead, because I knew what was waiting for me back home.” She’d never been nervous like this with Brian, not even the first time she’d gotten in the car with him. She’d lived in such a terrified state for so many years, she’d basked in his kindness. So why was she so nervous around Jed? He was just as kind as Brian. But he was also hot and interested.
That’s the difference.
When she’d left Florida at thirteen years old, she’d been focused on survival and on escaping her hellish life, and Brian hadn’t looked at her like Jed was looking at her now. At least not until years later.
“I’m just a little nervous,” she finally said. As proven by my need to change my clothes six times. She’d finally decided on her favorite jeans and a black sweater. Not that it mattered. She’d have her parka on all night anyway. But it had been so long since she’d worried about being pretty, it had felt good to primp a little.
“About Jed? Because we could feel the sparks flying between you two from across the room.” Tracey flashed a knowing smirk. “If you want to be alone with him, I’ve got your back. I’ll distract your little man.”
“I’m not hooking up with him.”
“I meant to talk!” Tracey said with a laugh.
“Sure you did.” Josie was smiling as she settled into the driver’s seat. She glanced at Hail playing with the truck Jed had given him, and then she headed for Peaceful Harbor.
The drive went quickly, though in her head it seemed to take forever as she revisited the feel of Jed’s hand holding hers, the brush of his thumb, and probably even more enticing, the pure joy in his eyes when he’d been playing with Hail. She’d had no idea something like that could feel so good, and so different. Hail was a pretty easy kid compared to some. He was well liked by the women at the shelter, his teachers, and other children, so it should come as no surprise that Jed liked him, too. And it probably shouldn’t feel different. But it did. It felt important.
As they crossed over the bridge into Peaceful Harbor, her nerves buzzed.
“It’s that road,” Tracey pointed up ahead to the entrance to Whiskey Automotive. “Sarah said Jed and Quincy live above the shop.”
As Josie made the turn she said, “You spoke to Sarah?”
“She called to see how I liked orientation. But don’t worry, she and Bones are having dinner with his family tonight, so they won’t be here.”
Josie relaxed a little, but she also hated worrying over whether she would run into Sarah or Scott. She needed to move past the discomfort of the distance between them and get to know her siblings again.
The flames from the bonfire came into view, along with several dark figures, pushing thoughts of Sarah and Scott aside. The bonfire was in the middle of the field beside the auto shop, reminding her of the night she’d first met Jed. That field had been by a trailer park; this one was bound by trees to the right and the auto shop to the left. The shop was dark, but the lights in the apartment above cast a soft glow on the Whiskey Automotive sign.
“Mama, look!” Hail said excitedly. “Is that the bonfire?”
“Yes. Do you remember the rules?” She’d given him a long talk about fire safety during dinner.
He pushed his truck across his legs as he said, “No running around t
he fire. Don’t ever reach into the fire, even if my marshmallow falls off. If I see a spark on the ground, don’t touch it.” He squealed, “Now can we make marshmallows?”
They climbed from the car, and Josie grabbed the container of gingerbread she’d brought from the back seat.
“Moon!” Hail waved as Jed walked toward them.
Josie’s nerves strung even tighter as he closed the distance between them. She was acutely aware of everything—his determined steps, the strong outlines of his shoulders straining against his black leather jacket, and the secret expression in his dark eyes.
He ruffled Hail’s hair. “Hey, bud.” Then he set his blue-gray eyes on Josie and said, “I’m glad you made it.”
“Come on, Hail.” Tracey took his hand and said, “Let’s go check out the bonfire.”
Josie knew Hail was safe with Tracey, but still she said, “Be careful, please.”
“Always,” Tracey called out as they walked away.
“I wasn’t sure you’d show up.” Jed stepped closer and said, “I’m glad you did.”
Responses flew into her mind—I wasn’t sure we’d show up either. Hail needed the break from the shelter. Even the lie, Tracey talked me into it—but when she opened her mouth, “Me too,” came out.
“You’re nervous.”
“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to call a girl out on stuff like that?” She shifted on her feet.
A grin slid across his lips. “Told you I didn’t know squat about this stuff. Come on, I’ll introduce you around.” He put a hand on her back as they walked across the grass and said, “Is that my gingerbread?”
“You might have to fight Hail for it.”
His eyes found hers again, and a jolt of electricity passed between them. She’d loved Brian for what felt like a beautiful lifetime, and yet she’d never had sizzling heat coursing through her veins like this. This was raw and primal. Maybe that should scare her, but nothing about Jed had ever frightened her.
“Mama! Penny’s here!” Hail hollered, breaking through her lust-induced haze.
“Come on, Jojo. Let’s show your boy a good time.”
Did he know how much it meant to her for him to put Hail’s happiness above all else? She tried to focus on the people around the bonfire instead of how deeply that touched her. Tracey was sitting on a chair between Hail and an adorable little girl wearing a sparkly, fluffy dress beneath her coat. She recognized the burly, bearded guy sitting with a little boy on his lap and his arm around a pretty woman as Truman Gritt, the guy Josie had seen in the pictures from the fundraising rally on the Dark Knights website. The big guy beside him, with longer, lighter hair and no beard, was his brother, Quincy.
Penny stood and embraced Josie. “I’m so glad you came. Hail said you brought gingerbread, which happens to be one of my favorite things. May I?” She reached for the container in Josie’s hand.
“Sure.” Josie handed her the container. “We made it a few days ago, so it’s probably not the best. Sorry.”
Penny already had a piece in her mouth. “Delicious!”
Jed reached into the container and snagged a piece, winking at Josie.
“I want gingerbread!” The little girl in the fancy dress ran over in her shiny white shoes. Her long dark hair was pulled back with a pink headband, and her eyes lit up when Penny knelt beside her so she could choose a piece.
“This is Kennedy, Tru and Gemma’s little girl.” Penny pointed to the couple who was heading over to greet them.
Kennedy spoke around a mouthful of gingerbread. “Hi! I’m a winter princess.”
“A beautiful winter princess,” Josie said. “I’m Josie, Hail’s mom.”
Kennedy nodded and grabbed another piece of gingerbread. “I’m giving this one to Hail.” She skipped happily past her parents toward Tracey and Hail, who were roasting marshmallows.
Jed kept a hand on Josie’s back as he said, “This is my roommate, Quincy—”
“His awesome roommate,” Quincy interrupted. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too,” Josie said.
“And this is Quincy’s brother, Truman—Tru—and Tru’s wife, Gemma,” Jed said. “Guys, this is Jojo—Josie—Sarah and Scott’s sister. I think you’ve already met her son, Hail.” He tickled the chin of the adorable little auburn-haired boy in Truman’s arms. “And this little dude is their boy, Lincoln.”
Lincoln buried his face in Truman’s neck.
“Hi,” Josie said. “Your kids are adorable.”
“Your son is, too,” Gemma said. She was petite, like Josie, with emerald-green eyes and wore a pretty gray knit cap pulled over her dark hair. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Kennedy dragged Hail toward a blanket on the grass where a big calico cat was lounging alongside a bunch of toys and yelled, “We’re going to play with Big Mama! And Hail wants to go to the Touch Museum!”
“Big Mama’s one of the cats that live at the auto shop,” Truman explained. “Kennedy’s a little bossy. Feel free to step in.”
Truman was bigger and broader than Jed, and a little menacing. His hands and fingers were covered in tattoos, and several more decorated his neck. Josie would bet the rest of him was covered, too. But he had deep-set, kind eyes, and when he pressed a kiss to Lincoln’s cheek, it softened that frightening edge.
“It’s okay,” Josie said as they joined Tracey by the fire. “Hail spends a lot of time with me. He’s used to bossy women.” She sat down, and Jed sat beside her. “I guess Kennedy loves the Touch Museum? I haven’t taken Hail yet. Isn’t that an hour away?”
“Just about an hour. We took the kids last weekend,” Truman said. “She can’t stop talking about it.”
“I don’t know anything about a Touch Museum except that it sounds X-rated,” Tracey teased. “But this is cool. I’ve never been to a bonfire before. Thanks for inviting me.”
“We’re glad you came,” Jed said, brushing his leg against Josie’s.
The darkness in his eyes sent her stomach into a somersault.
Josie stole a glance at Hail, who was busy giving one of Kennedy’s dolls a ride on the truck Jed had given him. Kennedy sat with her dress fluffed all around her, rocking a doll. “Kennedy’s dress is really pretty. It must be fun having a little girl who likes dressing up. Hail couldn’t care less about clothes, but give him dirt to dig in and he’s a happy camper.”
“Kennedy loves dressing up. I swear she thinks she’s a real princess,” Gemma said. “Bear’s wife, Crystal, made her that dress. We run the Princess for a Day boutique in town and put on birthday parties and events for kids. You should come by sometime. We have lots of boys’ costumes, too.”
“I want to go,” Tracey chimed in.
“That sounds fun. Thanks.”
“You should have seen the guys on Halloween.” Penny put a marshmallow on a stick and said, “Kennedy wanted to be a football player, and she got all the guys to dress up as cheerleaders complete with pom-poms. It was hilarious seeing all those brawny, tatted-up guys with their hairy legs and biker boots.”
Everyone laughed, and then they all began roasting marshmallows.
“Did you dress as a cheerleader, too?” Josie asked Jed.
Jed scrubbed a hand over his chin. “Have you seen how cute Kennedy is? There’s not much I wouldn’t do for that kid, so yeah, I did.”
She laughed. “I would pay to see that.”
“Hey, at least I have great legs,” Jed said.
“Kennedy has had everyone wrapped around her little finger ever since Tru brought her home,” Gemma explained.
“Brought her home from where?” Tracey asked.
Truman kissed Lincoln and said, “This guy is mine and Quincy’s baby brother, and Kennedy is our sister. But Gemma and I are raising them as our own.”
“Wow,” Josie said. “That’s amazing.”
“That’s family,” Truman said.
“Our mother was an addict,” Quincy explained. He leaned his elbows on his thigh
s, holding his marshmallow over the flames. His hair fell around his face, and he flicked it away with his chin as he spoke to Josie. “I’m a recovered addict. But back then I was a mess. Tru didn’t even know the kids existed until the night our mother overdosed.” He turned an awed expression toward Truman and said, “But he saved them. He saved all of us.”
Josie’s heart ached at the expression in his eyes, and the emotions billowing between him and Truman.
“Hey, we all saved each other,” Truman said. “Gemma and I met that same night, and Lord knows she saved me in a hundred different ways. And that was after Bear and his family gave me a job and a place to live.” He nodded toward the shop. “I lived upstairs before Quincy and Jed moved in.”
“They helped me, too,” Jed said, turning a thoughtful gaze to Josie. “The Whiskeys gave me a job at the bar and the shop and a place to live, and along with the rest of our friends, they gave me a family.”
Gemma reached for Truman’s hand. Then she took Penny’s and said, “They opened a door to their family, and we all became part of it.”
“And Sarah and Scott,” Josie said, feeling like she might cry. “They’re part of it, too.” Jed took her hand, and she was thankful for something to hold on to.
“We’re all here for you, too, Jojo,” he said. “And when you’re ready, you’ll find your way back to your family.”
“Does anyone else feel like they want to cry, or hug, or something?” Penny asked.
Quincy pulled her up to her feet and hugged her tight. “I’ve got you, babe.” He slid his hand to her ass and squeezed.
“Hey! Hands off the goods, book boy,” Penny said, making them all laugh. She turned to Josie as she sat down and said, “I swear the dude thinks he owns me.”
Mad About Moon Page 6
