by Lori Foster
“Left it by the bed, huh?”
Luna said, “Well …” and heard a snicker.
With the same irreverence Joe often displayed, Alyx said, “Yeah, that’s my brother. I’m glad to hear things are going so, uh, well.”
Perhaps outrageousness ran in the family. “If you want to speak to him, he’s right here.”
“He’s looming again, isn’t he?” Alyx had a penchant for theatrics, given the aggrieved sigh that sounded in Luna’s ear. “Joe always looms when he’s feeling protective. Believe me, I know it well.”
Luna couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure you do.”
Beside her, Joe crossed his arms impatiently. His thick lashes were at half-mast, giving him that sensual, in-charge look that so appealed to her. She shrugged. Alyx seemed in no hurry to speak to him.
“Well, I’d as soon talk to you, Luna, so tell Joe to get lost.”
“Easier said than done.”
Proving her point, Joe sat on the bed next to her and said loudly so Alyx could hear, “What do you want, Alyx? We’re in a hurry here.” As he spoke, he picked up his shoes and socks and began pulling them on.
“A hurry, huh? He’s such a bad influence on me.”
Again, Luna laughed. “No, he doesn’t mean in a hurry for that.”
“Don’t I wish,” Joe grumbled, and Alyx started laughing again.
Luna rolled her eyes. Brother and sister were too much alike. “I don’t mean to be rude, Alyx, but I only have a few minutes. We have to go pick up Austin and Willow.”
“Ah, the squirts. How’s Joe taking fatherhood?”
“Oh, no, he’s not …” Luna glanced at him, then stalled. Actually, Joe was as comfortable, as loving as any father could be. “He’s doing great. The kids love him.”
“ ’Course they do. Who wouldn’t love Joe?”
Such a loaded question. Luna stared helplessly at Joe and shrugged. She sure couldn’t resist loving him.
Alyx took pity on her silence and cleared her throat. “Luna?”
“Yes?”
“Tell Joe I’m coming for a visit. In fact, I’m already on the road. Thing is, I need some directions.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She turned to Joe. “Your sister is coming for a visit.”
“Yeah?” He grinned and leaned toward the phone so Alyx could hear him. “What prompted this, or should I even ask? You know, that curiosity of yours will get you into trouble one day.”
“Hey, Trouble is my middle name.”
Luna gave up. She handed the phone to Joe. “Your sister needs directions.”
Joe took the phone and paced to the sliding doors that led to the wraparound porch. He stared out at the lake while playfully haranguing his sister and alternating giving her directions.
Luna didn’t know if she was ready to meet Joe’s family. Doing so hinted of a more binding relationship, though Joe had never said anything of the sort. She had him on temporary loan, and she really didn’t want to get more entwined emotionally.
Joe disconnected the phone and slid it into his pocket, then looked up at Luna. “Hey, what is it?”
Realizing that she stared at him with longing, Luna dredged up a smile and shook her head. “Nothing.”
“Luna.” He came to her and took her shoulders. “I know you better than that. You’re fretting. Did my goofy-ass sister say something to upset you?”
“No, of course not.” And in an effort to change the subject, she said, “Alyx sounds really nice.”
Joe took her arm to lead her out of the room. “She’s a pain in the ass, but I love her. You’ll love her, too. I promise.”
They went down the stairs together. Because they were running a few minutes late, they didn’t say more until Joe had them on the road. Luna kept checking her watch, until Joe said, “Quit worrying. If we’re a few minutes late, no big deal.”
“It’s irresponsible.”
“No, it’s human. Get used to it. Little mix-ups are bound to happen on occasion. You can’t be perfect.”
Luna was just disgruntled and worried enough to say, “Why not?”
Joe laughed. “It’s not part of the job description. The wisest people in the world are the ones who know they’ll make mistakes, especially when dealing with kids.” When Luna looked away, Joe said, “Hey, what’s with the long face? You still worried about the social worker?”
“What if I don’t do a good job, Joe?” The day had been crazy enough to really hit her on a gut level. What if the kids got uprooted again because Ms. Grady found her lacking? “Joe, what do I know about kids? Nothing. Not a damn thing.”
He reached over and brushed a knuckle along her cheek. “It doesn’t matter how much experience you’ve had, babe. You’re a terrific person.”
“Yeah, right.” She lifted her arms and waggled her fingers, saying with mystic drama, “Luna the loony. Luna knows all, sees all.” Disgusted, she dropped back in her seat, groaned and covered her face. Not since she was a young girl had she suffered such insecurities. She’d long ago accepted herself, and under normal circumstances, she liked herself, too. “I’m an ex-psychic’s assistant, for crying out loud. And you know what I did before that?”
Joe looked back to the road. “No, what?”
Luna twisted in her seat to face Joe. “I bussed tables. Before that, I sold lingerie in the mall. And before that, I modeled the stupid lingerie for a small company.”
Joe’s expression warmed with interest. “No shit? Got any pictures left?”
Luna slugged him, and despite her worries, she felt her spirits lift. “No, and even if I did, I wouldn’t let you see them. That was back when I was skinny and young.”
“As opposed to being older and … what?” He shot her that killer grin that made her stomach tingle. “Not skinny?”
“Nicely put, Winston.”
He laughed and gripped her thigh. “I love the way you look, Luna. Haven’t I proven that already?”
The L word threw her for a second there, but she quickly recouped—even though her heart remained in her throat. “Thank you.” God, she sounded like a sick frog. “The point is that none of those jobs have qualified me for trying to raise two kids.”
Joe didn’t remove his hand; instead, his fingers started roaming, teasing, stroking. They slid a little higher, scooting the material of her dress along her thigh in the process. “Regardless of what some overqualified children’s specialists might say, the only thing that’ll ever qualify you for raising kids is raising kids. And even then, you’d need to finish the job and see how well you’d done to be able to call yourself experienced.”
Luna only half heard him. It hadn’t been that long since they’d made love and she was still warm and soft from the pleasure of it.
“So,” Joe continued, unaware of her distraction, “you’re as ahead of the game as anyone. The important things that you need, you have in spades.”
Luna deliberately tried to block the effect of those strong, rough fingers. “Such as?”
“Sympathy, understanding, compassion and concern.”
“How could anyone not have compassion for Austin and Willow? Look at all they’ve gone through.”
“Exactly.” He sent her a smile. “And there’s loyalty and responsibility. They know they can count on you.”
“Of course they can. We’re family.”
Joe smiled. “Patience. You’re giving them time to adjust to us, listening no matter how many questions Austin asks or how much the two of them bicker.”
“They’re just working things out,” she said, dismissing his compliments because they were nothing. The bickering could be tiresome, but she supposed all kids carried on in that way. She knew Joe’s cousins, the Winston brothers. They were grown men, and yet they were forever twitting each other. And when Joe was involved, too, they seemed to take berserk delight in trading insults. Why should a nine-and fourteen-year-old be any different?
Joe squeezed her thigh to regain her attention. H
e kept his tone low, warm. “You also have plenty of love to go around.”
Damn it, there was that L word again. Cautiously, not quite sure where he was going with his remarks, she said, “You think?”
He nodded slowly. “You’re the most loving woman I’ve known.”
Luna drew a blank. No response came to her beleaguered mind.
“That’s all anyone really needs, right? Security and love and understanding.” He patted her leg and released her. “You give them all that and more. Trust me, you’re doing a terrific job.”
The compliments, especially coming from Joe, filled her up and gave her the reassurance she needed. “I hope you’re right.”
“ ’Course I am.” He pulled down the street to the school. “Would you mind dropping me off to pick up my truck? It’s ready today, and no offense to your car, but there’s not near enough leg room for me. I wanted to visit the security supply store again, too, and I’d rather make the trip in my own truck.”
“No problem.” After all that love talk, she could use the time away from him to regroup.
“The thing is,” he continued, “I’m still worried about something happening. I want your word that you’ll go straight home and stay in the house until I get there.”
She didn’t mind his protective nature, but that was going a bit far. “Joe, no one has bothered us during the day. Our troublemaker only strikes at night, remember?”
“I know he’s only struck at night so far.”
Joe looked so determined, Luna gave up. “Yes, I’ll stay in the house. I have to get dinner started anyway, and I’ll put the kids to a few chores. You won’t be too long, will you?” Joe wasn’t the only one who worried. She hated for him to be off alone.
“No, I’ll make it quick, I promise.”
Knowing Joe, he wouldn’t be comfortable away from them, so Luna believed him.
The kids were sitting on the front steps with Julie when they arrived. Joe parked next to the curb, then, staring at the teacher, murmured to Luna, “What the hell did she do with herself?”
Luna had been wondering the same thing. Julie’s hair was half up, half down, giving her a wanton, somewhat appealing appearance. Her dark eyes glittered with laughter, and a bright, sweet smile lit up her face. A becoming flush heated her face and left her skin dewy. She had one arm around Willow, but her attention was on Austin.
“She looks …” Luna felt at a loss for words.
“Sexy.” Joe grunted in surprise. “Imagine that.”
Luna gave Joe a quick glance, saw he was more surprised than interested, and shrugged. “Yeah. I never thought of her that way.”
“I doubt anyone would have. She’s usually so nondescript.” Joe climbed out of the car and circled the hood. “Everything okay?”
Austin jumped up and ran toward him. “Look. I got an earring like yours!”
Luna joined Joe on the curb, saw the mangled paperclip pinching Austin’s earlobe, and started chuckling. “Just what is that supposed to be?”
“Ms. Rose wouldn’t let me pierce it for real. She said the paperclip would have to do for now.”
Still with her arm around Willow, Julie came toward them. After bending a fond look on Austin, she said, “It’s been a rather hectic day.” The top button of her blouse was undone and she’d removed her suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of her blouse.
Austin bounced next to them. “Can I get a real earring like Joe’s? Can I?”
Feeling a little conspicuous with the way Julie raised her brow, Joe tugged at his earring. To Austin he said, “Yeah, sure. When you’re forty.”
“Are you forty?”
“Close enough.”
“But I don’t wanna wait that long.”
Julie sighed heavenward, blowing a long tendril of brown hair from her face. She was a tad sweaty, limp, and she seemed very real and approachable. “Austin, you’re forgetting your bug collection inside.”
“Oh, yeah.” Exhibiting boundless energy, Austin ran off for the school while Willow grumbled under her breath and sent a killer glower at her little brother.
Julie gave a fond chuckle. “Austin’s been more interested in telling me all the ways he intends to emulate Mr. Winston than doing any actual work. Earrings, knives, fighting lessons … He’s been a handful today.”
“He’s been a brat,” Willow corrected.
Luna fretted, especially when Julie didn’t disagree with Willow. Why had Austin been misbehaving so badly? “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him.”
Julie nodded. “All in all, he’s been amusing, if somewhat wild. We ended up in a game of chase, and I don’t mind telling you, he’s fast.”
“You had to chase him?”
“I chose to chase him. It was a game, nothing more. Don’t worry. Boys his age can only keep that energy contained for so long before the young male animal inside breaks free.” She smiled, letting Luna know she wasn’t overly concerned. “I actually enjoyed myself. I like to play every now and then, too.”
Joe choked, then quickly cleared his throat and started surveying the sky, the parking lot, anywhere rather than look at Julie.
“I didn’t mind Austin’s antics, but Willow isn’t feeling well.”
For the first time, Luna noticed that Willow had her arms folded around her middle. “What is it, Willow? Are you sick?” She put her hand to Willow’s forehead, but she didn’t have a fever.
Willow glanced at Joe, then away. She stared down at her feet and tightened her arms around herself. “No, I’m okay. Just a stomachache.”
Austin raced out of the school with a cardboard square covered with bugs. Luna promptly backed up, and Willow threatened to flatten him if he got too close—which apparently he’d been doing off and on while they were at school. Joe moved in for a closer look and in the process shielded Willow with his body.
Luna watched him, amazed. His instincts as a guardian of young children were much more natural than hers.
“We only used dead bugs,” Julie explained, “so some of them are pretty smashed. But he found some very interesting specimens.”
At the top of the cardboard square was a big red-eyed locust, making Luna cringe. “It’s going in the trunk.”
“Thank you,” Willow said with feeling.
Joe stowed the collection, then scooped Austin up like a sack of potatoes, holding him under one arm. “Why don’t you ladies drop me and the Great Bug Hunter off to get my truck? After we go to the security store, we’ll pick up a pizza for dinner.”
Willow made a show of putting her hands together in gratitude, but she still seemed pale and pinched. With Austin held almost upside down under Joe’s arm, screeching in hilarity, Luna quickly agreed to that plan.
They bid Julie goodbye. She’d already begun dragging herself back to the schoolroom and sent a feeble wave toward them.
On the way to the body shop, Austin remained outrageously obnoxious and loud. Despite Luna’s repeated requests to calm down, he continued to harass his sister until Luna said with grave meaning, “I better take him home with me, Joe. I don’t think you want to have him in stores while he’s acting like a wild animal.”
Rather than giving him pause, Austin started begging and complaining and making outlandish promises of angelic behavior. He even kicked the back of Luna’s seat once.
Wide-eyed, Luna stared at him. She was a little aghast at his verbal velocity and volume. So far, she hadn’t had anything like this to deal with. Sure the kids got loud. They were kids. She wondered if Austin’s awesome display meant he no longer feared she’d send him away. Was he now comfortable enough with her to test her a bit?
She wished she had some answers. She wished she had more experience. He kicked her seat again, and without thinking about it, she said, “Austin.”
He quieted long enough to blink at her. It was the very first time she’d yelled, and Luna was as honestly surprised as Austin appeared to be. She tangled a hand in her hair, harried, confused. Joe patted her leg to enc
ourage her, and damn if he wasn’t wearing a small smile.
After an indrawn breath, Luna said, more calmly this time, “Show me you can quiet down and behave, and maybe, maybe, I’ll still let you go with Joe.” If she didn’t let him go, she’d only be punishing herself, so she prayed her tactic worked.
Thankfully, it did. Luna was so relieved as Austin made a subdued exit from the car, she felt as limp as poor Julie had looked. Joe surprised her by stopping her as she went around the hood to slide in behind the wheel. He caught the back of her head, tipped her face up, and kissed her square on the mouth, lingering for a heart-stopping moment before he pulled away.
Still close enough that she could feel his breath, he said, “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
Luna peeked around. Austin stood next to Joe, his face frozen in repelled consternation. In the backseat, Willow had her nose to the car window, a half smile curling her mouth.
“Yes, well.” Luna cleared her throat, patted Joe’s chest, and said, “Drive careful.”
Always ready to copy Joe, Austin reached up for her. When she bent down, he hugged her neck and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. He hitched up his shorts and said, in a manful voice, “We’ll be careful. Don’t worry.”
Stupidly, tears stung her eyes. Willow climbed out of the backseat and went to Joe. Without saying a word, she gave him a hug, then went around to sit in the front seat and put on her seat belt.
Joe looked very pleased with himself. “Come on, Austin. We’ve got stuff to get done.”
Austin skipped beside him toward the body shop entrance. “Women worry, huh? That’s why we kiss ’em goodbye.”
“Yep. They worry.” Joe put a hand on his head. “Plus it’s just nice kissing them.”
“It wasn’t bad,” Austin admitted, but he looked pained saying so.
The sigh of contentment blossomed inside Luna. Together, the four of them made a family—a wonderful, complete family. And whether Joe Winston had intended it or not, he was in the center of that family.
Austin adored him, Willow admired him, and Luna loved him more than she’d ever realized possible. Joe might not want to admit it, but he felt the same about the kids. Maybe he even felt the same about her. All she had to do was find a way to make him realize it. Well, she was done playing fair.
