by J. H. Croix
She giggled and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to my lips. “I didn’t plan it because of you. I figured it was best if he wasn’t underfoot when the guys came today to work on the boiler.”
I stepped back reluctantly, but aware we needed to be decent when the service guys came by. Grace hopped off the counter as I buttoned my jeans. “The timing is perfect. We’ll get it taken care of before winter. You got anything else planned today?”
She shook her head. “I was going to go to the grocery store.”
“We’ll do that together and grab dinner out tonight.”
I could tell she was mulling something over.
“What?” I asked.
Grace was tugging the stretchy cotton skirt she wore back down around her hips. She caught my eyes and rolled hers. “You’re always messing up my clothes.”
I grinned, not the least bit sorry. “Isn’t that what clothes are for?”
“In our life, I guess so.” Grace lifted her mug and took a sip.
It crossed my mind for the second time this morning that she was drinking tea.
“What’s with the tea? I know you love your coffee. Don’t tell me we’re going to do some kind of cleanse.”
Grace went quiet, her cheeks flushing slightly before a slow smile curled at the corners of her mouth.
“What is it?” I stepped closer to where she stood with her hips leaned against the counter.
“We three are on our way to being four.”
My heart lunged to a rapid beat in my chest. “You’re pregnant?”
Grace swallowed, biting her lip as she nodded. “Yep. My period was due two weeks ago, and I figured I might as well do a test just to see.”
Joy exploded, and I lifted her in my arms, spinning around.
She squeaked. “Oh my God, Boone. I spilled my tea!”
When I felt a splash of the warm liquid hit my arm, I stopped spinning, and eased her down. “I think I have super sperm.”
Grace burst out laughing. “Oh my God. Super sperm or not, I’m pregnant.”
I sobered, resting my forehead against hers. “This is the best news.”
“It happened awful fast.”
We’d only decided to try again last month. So yeah, it was quick. I only hoped I wouldn’t be the anxious wreck I was during her last pregnancy.
I murmured, “I love you, you know?”
“I think I do. I love you too.”
Then, the woman who’d held my heart since she was just a girl leaned up and pressed a kiss to my cheek. Tugging once again on the heartstrings that tied us together.
Talk to Boone
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Thank you for reading Still Go Crazy - I hope you loved Grace & Boone’s story!
Up next in the Swoon Series is If We Dare. Walker is tall, dark, and hot, hot, hot. He’s definitely not looking for love, but he does need a date - a fake date for a wedding.
When Walker rescues Jade from the dumpster—no need to wonder why—she figures she owes him a small favor, so she offers to be his date. Jade consider herself man-proof and can totally handle a weekend with Walker.
There are two problems. Walker didn’t expect to want Jade, and Jade sure as hell didn’t expect to want Walker. What’s supposed to be a fake date starts to feel as real as the fire burning up the sheets.
Their romance is burning hot, emotional & oh-so-swoony!
Keep reading for a sneak peek!
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Excerpt: If We Dare
Jade
“Hey!” I called, my eyes trained on the jerk who was getting a little too handsy with a woman at the bar. I’d served her and her friends a few minutes ago, and tonight was her twenty-first birthday.
The woman in question, Megan something or other, tried to laugh it off, politely taking a few steps away. It was crowded in the bar tonight though, so there wasn’t far for her to go. The man immediately closed the space between them.
“Hey!” I called, quickly lifting a section of the counter at the back of the bar, slipping out and aiming right for the group where they were standing.
Megan wasn’t alone, but her friends were tied up flirting. Striding up to the man, I tapped him on the shoulder. He turned back, a leer affixed to his face. “Oh, hey, hot bartender, what can I do for you?” he slurred.
I silently cursed the other bartender on duty tonight, Joe, who tended not to pay too much attention to just how drunk people were getting and continued to serve them. That was a problem for another evening though. Narrowing my eyes as I looked up at the lumbering jerk standing before me, I rested a hand on my hip. “Back the fuck off. It doesn’t look like she appreciates your attention.”
Megan’s eyes met mine—I only knew her name because I’d carded her—a look of relief passing across her face. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
“Since when do you speak for all women?” The man punctuated this sentence with a long burp, which got a few guffaws from his friends surrounding him.
Glancing around, I cast a sharp gaze. I had no problem throwing every single one of these guys out. “Like I said, back off. Consider this my last warning.”
The asshole still didn’t get it. He leaned down, getting a little too close to my face and slurred. “Fuck off. Get back behind the bar and serve my friends some drinks.”
Perhaps I should’ve been afraid, but I wasn’t. For starters, the bar back and Joe were around and nearby. I also had friends here tonight even if they didn’t happen to be in this precise corner of the sprawling Lost Deer Bar where I was only covering a shift as a favor tonight.
“That does it. You’re out of here,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder toward the door as I reached for the guy’s arm.
“Hell no! I’m not fucking leaving,” he grumbled, reaching for poor Megan who was pinned against the wall at this point, doing her best to look invisible. He snatched her hand. Well, fuck it.
Ignoring the rumble of voices around me, I lifted my boot and kicked him right in the knee. I decided to go for that instead of his balls as a starting point. In the back of my mind, I was legitimately wondering where the hell my help was.
The guy cried out in pain. His broad square face turned a mottled red as he dropped Megan’s hand—that was my goal, so I took that as a win—and stepped toward me. Next thing I knew, he’d grabbed me by the waist with both hands and heaved me in the air.
I didn’t scare easy, but now a little bit of fear bolted through me. I was known for getting myself in a pickle here and there, and I just might’ve gone and done that now.
Before I could make a peep, a voice came over my shoulder her. “Put her down. Now.”
Whoever spoke wasn’t waiting. Next thing I knew, a hand shot out, slamming into the guy’s elbow. Something happened at his knees too. He stumbled and cried out sharply. Just as I began to tumble loose from his hold, my savior caught me with one arm and pulled me against his side.
I glanced up into the face of Walker Flint. My body felt as if it had been touched by a live wire. With Walker holding me fast to his side with one arm, I wasn’t going anywhere. I might not like it in my mind, my body thought it was fucking awesome. Walker was nothing but pure muscle and lean power as he held me close.
The jerk who’d grabbed me was still groaning about his knee, but gathered himself together enough to glare at Walker. “You fucking dick.”
He made a move toward Walker who simply lifted one arm and grabbed him by the wrist. Whatever he did brought the man to his knees with a yelp.
“Now, you’re gonna fucking leave before I kick your ass,” Walker said.
His low, fierce words sent a sizzling thrill through me. I was not the kind of girl who got all hot and bothered over men being tough. And yet, here I was, my body nearly vibra
ting at the force of Walker’s presence and my panties getting wet from the sound of his voice.
I stole another glance at him. I knew him because he worked with my older brother, and they were friends. Walker was hot. His face looked as if it had been carved from marble. He had strong cheekbones and a straight nose paired with a square jaw. He even had a dimple in his chin. To make matters worse, his lips were bold and sensual.
I didn’t think I’d ever seen the guy crack a smile. His eyes were an icy silver. Ever since the first time I’d met Walker, we’d rubbed each other the wrong way. For God’s sake, the man could not relax.
Not that I minded that issue just about now. He leveled his cool gaze at the guy’s friends, adding, “Why don’t y’all get the hell out of here? Sound like a plan?”
Whether it was the tone of his voice, or the look in his eye, or the fact that whatever he’d done to the guy with a flick of his wrist had brought him to his knees, they took notice. After a loaded moment, the friends appeared to think Walker’s suggestion was a good plan and started to shuffle out.
“Are we clear?” Walker asked, staring down at the guy on his knees.
“If you’ll fucking let me go, I’ll get the hell out of here.”
Walker released the guy’s wrist. “Fair enough. If I ever see you getting pushy with any woman who doesn’t want it, I might not be so nice next time.”
At that, the guy stood, stumbling on his way toward the door, which was blessedly close. Only then did Walker glance down to me. He eased his hold on me, releasing me from that convenient little spot tucked up against his hard body.
I jumped back, eying him. I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his help, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew the second I was lifted off the floor, I had no chance against the drunk man. I looked at Walker and took a breath, willing my pulse to slow the hell down and every cell in my body to stop it with the happy dance.
“Thank you. I should’ve kicked him in the balls first,” I finally said.
Walker’s lips quirked in a smile, immediately sending my belly into a series of flips. “That might’ve done the trick.”
Megan jumped in. “Thank you so much. He was so drunk, and he just wouldn’t leave me alone.”
I glanced her way. “I don’t know if you should be thanking me,” I said wryly.
“Well, thank you both. I’m going to take that as my cue to call it a night.” At that, she waved at us both and hurried through the crowd to sidle up to one of her friends.
That left me alone with Walker. I was acutely aware of my pulse, its thrumming beat careening through my body at a breakneck pace. “Well, um, thanks again I’m not sure where Joe went—”
Walker chuckled at that. “Oh, he’s making out with some girl in the back.”
“What? You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered.
“I’m definitely not kidding. You can see him,” he said, nudging his chin toward the swinging half door that led behind the bar to the kitchen and storage.
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Walker was quite right. Joe was deep into making out with a woman against the wall in the hallway. I was actually relieved to have something else to be annoyed about. I didn’t know what to think about my body’s haywire reaction to getting up close and personal to Walker, so any distraction was welcome.
“I have to get back to work, so thanks again,” I said, giving him a last glance and a nod as I strolled past him. As if to remind me that while I might be trying to ignore it, my body knew what it wanted, my belly shimmied as I strode quickly past him and stepped behind the bar again.
Walker
Jade Cole practically ran past me, and my eyes were a magnet on her, tracking every step. Her glossy dark hair fell like a river down her back, the long tresses catching the light and swinging as she moved. I couldn’t help but think how it would feel to spin that glorious hair around my fist.
Only Jade—barely up to my chin and maybe a third the size of the drunk guy she’d taken on—would think it made sense to try to kick him out like that on her own. But then, Jade didn’t strike me as the kind of girl to ever back down.
As I turned to walk away, it didn’t slip my notice that the side of my body where I’d pulled her close felt like it was on fire. Jade was a petite bundle of curves with enough sass and spirit to tempt me beyond all reason.
With a mental shake, I walked away, telling myself to remember all the reasons why I’d avoided spending much time alone with Jade. I had once spent roughly fifteen minutes in the car alone with her when I gave her a ride home. That short span of time had made me question whether I’d previously understood what the concept of chemistry meant. Chemistry between two people, that is. I didn’t quite know how it was possible, but the space in my car during that time felt as if lightning had struck, every particle in the air vibrating from its lingering power.
Riiiiight. I didn’t need to wonder what Jade might be doing tonight after the bar closed, most definitely not.
I returned to the booth where I’d stopped to catch a few drinks with the guys on my first responder crew. Dawson, as usual, was cracking jokes. Jade’s brother Lucas was nowhere to be found. Most likely because that man was about as head over heels in love as a man could be with his girlfriend, Valentina.
Slipping into the booth, I took a long drag on my beer, glancing over when I heard my name. “What?”
“Well, look at that. He speaks,” Dawson teased.
I rolled my eyes. “Of course. You’ve heard me speak plenty of times.”
“Well, you were Jade’s savior there. I was commenting that will further the legend,” he said.
“Huh? What legend?” I asked cautiously as I glanced around the table.
Wade waggled his eyebrows. “Ever since you rescued that girl from the climbing accident a few weeks back, she’s been spreading rumors about how hot you are and how you’re the best rescuer.” He added air quotes around the word best.
“What? I was just doing my job. All of y’all have rescued people. This is not just a me thing.”
Jackson winked and shrugged. “She’s just got the hots for you. It’ll blow over. Plus, you’re still considered new around here, so you’re more exciting than the rest of us.”
“What the hell? I’ve lived here for six months,” I muttered.
Dawson chuckled. “Six months is nothing. People are just curious. Plus, you’re single.”
“That’s how I like it. I plan to keep it that way,” I replied.
“That’s only going to make you enigmatic,” Wade offered.
“A-plus for vocabulary,” Dawson chimed in with a wink.
“Fuck enigmatic. There is no mystery about me. I mind my own business,” I countered.
I did, in fact, mind my own business. I also had zero interest in romance. I’d been there, done that, and taken a blow. I was all fucking set with romance.
The night meandered along. I decided to cut out early, if only because I was legitimately tired. Between some training that morning on a climbing wall, and a hiking rescue that afternoon, I was ready to try to catch some shut eye.
Stepping out into the cool spring darkness, I paused to stare at the sky for a few beats. Clouds drifted in front of the half moon, stars glittering in between them. The mountain ridge ahead was silhouetted in the darkness with a silver shaft of moonlight angling across part of it.
Lowering my gaze, I began walking toward my truck. A scuffing sound drew my attention. I didn’t see anyone as I glanced around the parking lot until my eyes landed on the dumpster in the far corner.
The moment my eyes landed on the silhouette of the bottom perched at the top of the dumpster, I knew I was staring at Jade Cole’s luscious ass.
She was kicking her legs. I didn’t know how, but she seemed stuck. My boots moved toward her. My greedy eyes took the moment to absorb the sight of her. Cut the shit, my good angel said. She’s not on display personally for you.
“Jade?” I stopped beside the dumpst
er, puzzling about how she got herself half stuck in the dumpster.
“Walker?” she returned, her tone slightly surprised.
“Yep, that would be me. Need some help?”
“Does it look like I need help?” she countered swiftly, her annoyance clear.
I bit back a laugh. “I’m not quite sure because I’m guessing you would jump down. But you’re not trying, so something’s up.”
Stepping closer, I peered over the edge of the dumpster to investigate. Nothing was immediately evident. “Uh, I’m not sure how I can help.”
“I got caught,” she muttered, reaching her hand toward her waist.
Tracking her motion, I noticed her belt loop had snagged on a hook sticking out inside the edge of the dumpster.
“Damn. Stop wiggling, Jade. That nail’s rusty and you’re gonna scratch yourself if you’re not careful.”
“Tell me something I don’t know, genius,” she retorted.
“How attached are you to that belt loop?” I asked as I leaned over to peer closer.
Jade turned her head to the side, somehow managing to be sexy as hell even though she was in a decidedly awkward position.
“Not at all. I already tried to tear it, but no luck.”
Sliding my hand in my pocket, I pulled out the small pocket knife I kept on me at all times for no particular reason, except for the fact that it came in handy time and again. Flicking it open, I stepped closer to her hips. “I’m gonna cut it, okay?”
“Of course, cut away. And, of course you have a pocket knife. You’re that kind of guy.”
