by Amelia Shea
“Fuck,” he hissed.
T snickered next to him. “I’m thinking this asshole is seeing the fucking light.” He pushed off the wall and passed by Bogs. “You need to fix that shit fast. Girls don’t like feeling like they come second to another. Trust me on this, man. Know from fucking experience.”
The guys filed out, and Kami came in. Oh hell.
“Hey, you, where ya been? I was looking for you.” She smiled and got up close in his space.
Yeah, he had definitely fucked up. He stepped back, and her eyebrows furrowed. She was confused. He hadn’t done anything to lead her on but as he was quickly realizing it wouldn’t take much. He needed to shut her down right now.
“Kami, I need to find my girl.”
“What girl?”
“Kenzie?”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you two were together.” Bogs could see past the lie. She was trying way too hard to come across innocent. He side-stepped her to pass.
“We are.”
“Well, I just thought since you were hanging with me and then seeing her with that other guy, I just thought…” Fuck, he’d definitely screwed this up, and for others to see her with Jonah and read it as something else was pissing him off. Kenzie was his, not Jonah’s.
She licked her lips and stepped closer reaching out for his waist. “You know, I’ve had a crush on you forever, Bogs. Don’t you like me even a little?”
Bogs’ face hardened. He knew women, he’d had plenty, and as much as he was oblivious to what had happened with Kenzie, he knew damn well what Kami was playing now.
“I like you as my little sister’s friend.” He reached for her hands but grabbed hold of her wrists and gently separated them, putting space between them. She may have gotten the wrong idea, and he may have unknowingly played a role in that, but he was shutting it down. There was only one girl he liked, to use Kami’s phrase, and he needed to end this and go find her.
“We could have fun, Bogs.”
He scowled and took a move from T’s book. “Not interested.” He brushed past Kami feeling no remorse. He’d been nice enough, and she hadn’t backed down. He walked to the deck, seeking out Kenzie in the group. Everyone was outside making it hard to see where she might be hanging out. Or with who.
He took two steps to Roxanne and gripped her elbow lightly. “Hey. Need you to get Kami to back off.”
Her eyes widened and glanced over his shoulder. He didn’t bother looking in the direction of her gaze. Her scowl set deep in place knowingly. “On it.”
She scooted past him. “Rox, you seen Kenzie?”
She turned back and sighed. “Well, she was walking into the house about five minutes ago, then turned around and walked into the yard.” Her brows furrowed. “Now, I think I know why.”
“Fuck.” Bogs sighed heavily.
She nudged his chest. “Go check the front and I’ll take care of Kami.”
“Thanks.” He scanned the yard searching for her, but she wasn’t there. A rod of anger jolted up his back. Neither was Jonah.
Chapter Sixteen
Kenzie had been on the front porch sitting on the steps for what had felt like an hour. She peered down at her phone. Five minutes. Still, that was long enough for him to notice she was gone. After all, she was his date, right? She sighed heavily trying to reign in her jealousy that turned into anger. Watching him flirt with the blonde was driving her crazy.
She had gone in search of him ten minutes ago. When she walked up to the back deck, she had her hand on the sliding door when she peered in and saw them. She had found him, all right. In the kitchen, alone with Kami. She watched as her pulse pounded. If he actually made a move, she wasn’t sure what she would do. Surely, one of the girls would drive her back to the house. She watched with her rapid heart threatening to beat straight out of her chest.
He was near the wall and Kami was in front of him. He didn’t look very happy. In fact, he looked almost pissed off. Maybe he was telling her to go away. If he did, she wasn’t listening. What are you doing, either go in or walk away? A desperate part of her wanted to go in and break up whatever might be going on. But where would that leave her? She needed to see how he would handle it. When Kami stepped closer, Kenzie tightened her grip on the door. She would give anything to hear what they were saying. He seemed to step around her, but she reached out. Her hands on his waist were enough for Kenzie. She backed away from the glass and made her way to the front of the house.
Either he was making it clear he didn’t want Kami, or they were sneaking up to his room.
“Idiot,” she mumbled and dropped her head into her hands. Jealousy had a way of making her feel irrational and ridiculous at the same time.
“Talking to me or yourself?” The gravelly voice surprised her from behind. She dropped her hands, looking over her shoulder.
Jonah stood by the closed door with a playful smile spread across his lips. He stepped forward and walked down the stairs, stopping at the bottom step and leaning against the rail.
“So, which is it, me or you?”
Kenzie rested her hands on the porch beneath her. “Definitely me.”
He laughed, looking out at the yard and the driveway inundated with vehicles.
“You leaving?”
He nodded. “Yeah, got an early morning. How about you, need a ride to the house?”
“No, I’m here with Bogs.” She looked at her feet and mumbled. “At least, I thought I was.”
The silence was calming. She couldn’t be sure if Jonah had heard her last comment. Hopefully, he hadn’t. Being jealous was one thing, having everyone around see it was humiliating.
Jealousy stemmed from insecurity. She had never thought of herself as being insecure, but she was definitely feeling the green-eyed monster make an appearance. She got it. Bogs was social and by his own admission, a flirt. But with her standing right there, in front of everyone? Taylor would call it a prick move and tell her to drop his ass.
“Last chance.” She looked up at Jonah. “Wanna ride?”
“You trying to convince me?”
He shrugged. “Let’s just say, if I were you and my date was chatting it up with someone else? I might look to bail out early. Bogs is a good guy, but no one is worth making yourself a fool over.”
Great, so others had noticed? Her cheeks heated.
“Okay.” She stood up and followed Jonah to his truck. She glanced over her shoulder hoping to see the door open and Bogs standing on the porch. Instead, she saw an empty porch. Jonah opened the door, and she stumbled her way up to the tall cab. His truck was a work truck. It was dirty and dusty, with papers on the floor and covering her seat. She piled them together and handed them to him when he got in.
“Yeah, sorry for the mess. I practically live in this truck between work and jobs.”
She laughed and smiled back at him. He was very handsome. He had incredible arms, very muscular and tattooed. Jonah was the ultimate bad boy by all appearances. His face wasn’t beautiful like Bogs’, he lacked the innocence and all-American boy next door vibe that Bogs had, but Jonah was beautiful in his own hard way.
She gave one last look at the Garrison house before descending down the driveway. How long would it take for Bogs to realize she left? The pit in her stomach churned. Would he notice? It was so odd the way the night had unfolded. He was so excited and eager for her to meet his family. Had she done something?
She was feeling uneasy and alone. Alone. This was the first time she had been away from Bogs. This was her chance, and right now she really needed to hear the sound of Taylor’s voice. There was a good chance, Trent had taken it from her, but she could at least try to call. She glanced over at Jonah.
“Hey, you think I could use your phone really quick?”
He eyed her suspiciously. “You lose yours?”
No, Bogs took it and refused to give it back. She kept that piece of information to herself. “Um…yeah?” She knew from her tone that she wasn’t convincing.
Jonah nodded and sighed. “Look, Kenzie, I don’t know all the details of what’s going on, but I know enough that if you don’t have your phone, there’s probably a reason for it. Now if you need help and want to call nine-one-one then yeah, you can have my phone, but if it’s for anyone else, I’m gonna have to say no.”
She folded her arms and sagged in her seat. Completely defeated.
“How long you and Bogs been a thing?”
She snorted. “What makes you think we’re a thing?”
He shrugged, his face illuminating in the soft glow of the dashboard lights. “The look he was giving me earlier when I was talking to you on the deck makes me think you both have something going on.”
She jerked her head. “What look?”
He turned his head. “Possessive. I read it as ‘back the fuck away.’” He chuckled.
“Then why did you offer me a ride?”
“Sometimes, even the good guys need a reminder, if you don’t take care of what’s yours, you could lose it.”
His face transformed to a hard-scowled profile. Even the air in the truck changed to ice cold. The truck veered off down a dark road, and the vibe she was getting sent chills up the back of her neck. She glanced over at Jonah. His eyes were trained on the road. The intensity of his face was pronounced by his clenched jaw.
“You have a girlfriend?”
Jonah blinked and chuckled giving her a side glance. She’d obviously caught him off guard with the question. But it worked, the mood shifted. “Ready to replace Bogs so soon?”
Kenzie grinned. She wished she was ready to drop him. “Not quite, but hopefully this teaches him a lesson.”
The phone rang. Jonah didn’t even make a move to answer, though he did glance down as if he was reading the name.
“I think it will.”
“Can I ask why you don’t have someone or is that too personal? I mean, you seem like a really nice guy.”
“Thanks.” Jonah shrugged keeping his hand steady on the wheel and gaze focused on the road. She imagined it took a lot to shake this guy or make him feel uncomfortable. She envied him.
“Got a lot of shit going on in my life, always have. I find women like to be the center of their man’s world.” He cocked an eyebrow with a smirk. “As they should. I just don’t have the time or attention to give.”
“Because of work?”
“Among other things.”
“Like what?”
Jonah laughed. “Feeling comfortable around me, Kenzie?”
“Damn, am I being too nosy? Shit, I’m sorry.”
“Nah, you’re fine.” He paused, and the ball of his throat shifted. “I been raising my brothers since I was eighteen. It’s not exactly the dream setting for a girlfriend when I’ve got that much responsibility.”
“I have a younger brother, too. I get it. They can be a handful.” She clamped her lips shut. It was stupid and insensitive to compare her situation to his. She wasn’t left to raise her brother when her mom died. “I didn’t mean it to come out that way.”
“I didn’t take it anyway, Kenzie. I’m sure you get where I’m coming from being the only girl, you must have showed him something like a mama’s love. That’s where we lacked in our house.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Three. One at home and one at college.”
That was only two.
“And the third?”
Jonah’s face transformed into a tight, tense stone. His temple pulsed, and she was thinking she had pushed too much. Jonah looked out the side window and made the turn. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts or deciding how to answer. He licked his lips.
“He died a long time ago.”
“Oh God, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” Talking about her mom always gave her an uneasy feeling, but there was something more in the way Jonah reacted. She didn’t know how many years ago it was he lost his brother, but it was obvious it was still very raw for him. She slumped in her seat wishing away the tension she just brought on.
There wasn’t much she could say to him. Nothing would be the right thing—she knew that from experience.
The phone started to ring again, and she was thankful for Bogs’ persistence. Distraction was what the cab of the truck needed.
“What do ya think? Time to put him out of his misery?”
She jerked her head to Jonah’s widespread grin, the corners of his eyes crinkling. She giggled and nodded.
He grabbed the phone and answered. “Yeah.”
She could hear Bogs over the line. His words were loud but mumbled, and she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“She’s with me. Offered her a ride.”
His face hardened. “You reign that shit in, Bogs. Maybe if you’d been with her, she wouldn’t be in my truck now.”
Whatever Bogs was saying obviously angered Jonah.
“Yeah, man, I hear ya. Now hear me. I’m taking your girl home.”
Jonah’s harsh face spread in a huge grin. Polar opposite of what he appeared just moments earlier. Whatever Bogs was saying was highly amusing.
“Not on your best day, Bogs. I’ll take her to the house. Let this be a lesson, man.” Jonah burst out laughing and clicked the phone off, tossing it into the cup holder.
“What did he say?”
“Let’s just say he confirmed that you two are a thing.”
“So you’re taking me to the house?”
He nodded. “Mind if I make a stop or two first?”
“Um…no, that’s fine with me.” It seemed odd since he’d commented about having to wake up early tomorrow when he was leaving the house. She figured he would be eager to drop her off.
“Good, it’s better that Bogs has to wait on you for a bit. Make him see the flip side of the coin. It does a man good to have to sweat it out every once in a while.”
Kenzie grinned. Jonah was her new favorite person.
Chapter Seventeen
If he paced anymore across the raw wood, Jonah might have to replace it. He stopped and gazed down. “Good, fuck him.” It was childish, immature, and Bogs didn’t give a shit. He saw a glimmer of light through the window pass. “Where the hell are they?”
He’d left immediately once he got off the phone with Jonah, barely even saying goodbye to his family. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so incensed he could actually feel the burning of his blood.
When he had gone around to the front of his dad’s house, he noticed Jonah’s pickup was gone, and there was no sight of Kenzie. He was headed up the porch stairs when Ethan and Emory walked out the door.
“Leaving?” Bogs asked.
“Yeah, I’ve got an early showing tomorrow,” Emory said, adjusting her bag over her shoulder with one hand while the other was clasped with Ethan’s. These two had come a long way since last year. Many people would have doubted them being together, but Bogs knew from years ago that they’d one day be together if they didn’t kill each other first.
“You see Kenzie?”
Ethan narrowed his eyes. Yes, I fucked up, I get it, asshole. Bogs glared back at his brother. He was not in the mood for another lecture or smart-ass comments. He needed to find Kenzie and fix this fucking mess.
“She was hanging with Jonah most of the night,” Emory said. Ethan lifted his brows. “You’re an ass, Bogs.” Emory laughed. “That’s the last guy any man should leave alone with their girl.”
Both Bogs and Ethan jerked their heads in her direction. His brother beat him to saying what they were both thinking. “And why is that?” There was an edge to his voice.
Emory looked at Ethan then slowly shifted her gaze to Bogs and back to Ethan. A smile spread across her lips. “Because he’s hot as hell.”
Fuck me.
Ethan furrowed his brows. “Is that so?” Bogs wouldn’t have enjoyed hearing Kenzie refer to another man as hot either but Ethan’s face was almost comical.
She held up her free hand and rested it on hi
s chest. “Not as hot as you, but the man is fine. Getting attention from a man like Jonah,” she smirked and aimed her glare at Bogs, “when your man is ignoring you? Just saying, can’t blame her for appreciating the attention. Here’s a piece of advice, Bogs, you want a girl to stay loyal to you?” She lost her smile. “Be loyal to her.”
His head was about to explode. He snapped. “I didn’t do anything with Kami. I was trying to be fucking nice.”
Emory shrugged. “Next time, try less.” She tugged at Ethan’s hand. “Let’s go, E.”
They passed by him as he remained in his spot, stewing in his own anger. Ethan whispered, “It’s not Jonah’s style to infringe on another man’s woman. He’s better than most men. Remember that for next time.”
Bogs balled his fists. “There won’t be a next time.”
Ethan smiled. “Good to hear. See ya later.”
He stormed inside and checked with a few others, none of whom had seen Kenzie in a while. He tried calling Jonah several times with no response.
He left without saying goodbye to anyone and headed to Jonah’s house, the one they were staying in. If the man knew what was good for him, he’d bring her directly there. He hopped in his truck and took off.
He called again and was almost surprised when he got an answer.
“Yeah?”
Any attempt to remain calm was fruitless. He couldn’t contain his anger. “Where the fuck is she?”
“She’s with me. Offered her a ride.”
“You offered my girl a ride without fucking mentioning it to me? What the fuck, Jonah, this how you treat friends, jumping in when ya get a chance? What the fuck kind of man does that?”
“You reign that shit in, Bogs. Maybe if you’d been with her, she wouldn’t be in my truck now.”
“I don’t need you telling me shit, man. I didn’t take off with some chick. She’s mad at me, fine, but it gives you no right to step in and get in between me and Kenzie. And let me make this fucking clear Jonah, she’s mine. Friend or no friend, you mess with her, we will have problems. Ya feel me?
“Yeah, man, I hear ya. Now hear me. I’m taking your girl home.”
