He stopped her, released her hand, dug in his pocket for the keys and used his own to lock the door behind them.
Then he grabbed her hand again and walked her to the truck.
“You look nice,” she noted.
“Thanks,” he replied, distracted, thinking about her ass in his truck. More to the point, thinking about reclining his seat and dragging her ass over to his side and what he’d do with it when he got her there.
On this thought, a thought that wasn’t helping him keep his c**k from getting hard, he opened her door for her as she asked, “Where are we going?”
“The Eaves,” he answered, pulling gently at her to maneuver her in his truck.
But she’d stopped dead so he looked at her.
“That’s very expensive, Jake,” she whispered.
“Babe, you’re you,” he replied. “And you’re you in that dress. Where the f**k else would I take you?”
He saw her draw in a soft breath, and that was sexy as f**k too, making him wonder how he could make her do that with his hands, or his mouth, before she luckily took him from this train of thought and pointed out, “You took me to The Shack yesterday morning.”
“And gave you the best omelet in the county.”
“This is probably correct,” she murmured as if to herself, her doing this reminding him she could be cute, which finally made him grin.
“It’s definitely correct. Now get your ass in the truck.”
She looked into the truck and hesitated a second before she put her f**king fantastic shoe on the running board and he put his hands to her waist to heft her up.
He got her ass in the seat and she looked at him. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure I could get up on my own.”
“Well, you’re there, Slick,” he noted.
She opened her mouth to say something but he stepped out of the door, ordering, “Buckle up,” before he slammed it.
He moved around the hood, hauled his ass in at the other side, buckled in and started her up.
He sent them down the lane and did it deciding to get the tough stuff done first.
“I’ll be over tomorrow, first just me to box up Lydie’s stuff, and then some guys are comin’ over. I’ll be around about ten. They’ll be around at eleven. You gotta know what you want done with the den by then, babe. I’ve got a place to store Lydie’s furniture. You want it sold, I’ll get Con on putting it on Craig’s List. You got a use for it and decide you want it back, just let me know.”
“All right, Jake,” she whispered.
“That’s done,” he replied. “But just sayin’, the boys are over hauling furniture around, you’re gonna have to feed them. You don’t have to go whole hog. Pizza is good.”
“All right,” she said, louder this time. “And thank you. I don’t know what to say about all you’re—”
He gentled his voice when he cut her off with, “You don’t have to say anything, Josie.”
He heard her sigh and pointed the truck toward town.
“If you like, the kids can come over,” she offered. “The Fletchers are coming for dinner tomorrow night but I can make enough for all of you.”
“Not sure Reverend Fletcher wants to break bread with the owner of the local strip club,” he replied.
“Oh,” she whispered, then again louder, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“We’ll come over Monday night. Con’s off work and Ethan’s been talkin’ your meatloaf up. Con’s feelin’ left out.”
“I would enjoy meeting your eldest child but I can’t do Monday night. Maybe we can do Tuesday?”
“Can’t do Tuesday. Con’s workin’,” he told her. “What do you have on Monday night?”
“I’m having a drink with Boston Stone at the Club.”
His chest seized and his hand tightened on the steering wheel as his lips forced out, “Come again?”
“I know,” she stated even though he didn’t know until she gave it to him, “It’s irritating.”
He looked her way and saw she also looked irritated. Then again, as polished as she was, Josie still tended to let it all hang out.
He looked back to the road and asked, “He on you about selling the house?”
“He’s told me he’s given up on the house,” she shared. “He wants to”—a pause then, with frustrated emphasis—“get to know me.”
Jesus. Shit.
“He’s makin’ a play when your Gran just died?”
“Yes, and he isn’t easy to put off. So I’ll put him off face to face.”
No, she wouldn’t.
Jake would put him off.
Therefore, he declared, “I’ll deal with it.”
He felt her eyes on him. “Pardon?”
“I’ll deal with it,” he repeated.
“How?”
“Don’t worry about how. Just know it’ll be done and me and the kids’ll be over Monday night.”
“I…” Another pause then, “Maybe I should phone him and be clearer about how I feel about not wishing to get to know him.”
“Babe, what’d I say?”
“What did you say?”
“Yes, what’d I say?”
“I don’t—”
“I’ll deal with it.”
She fell silent.
He simmered.
Boston Stone, f**king dick.
Jake barely knew him but from this shit, he knew he was a f**king dick.
That said, the man was perfect for her. All his money, his class, his power. It wasn’t surprising Josie caught his eye. He had the money to get the best of everything and he was the kind of guy who had it in him to know exactly what the best was. And he didn’t have to know the guy to know he frequently indulged in both, what with the ass**le lording his shit all over town.
She decided to change the subject and he knew this when she asked, “What are the children doing tonight?”
“Amber, pouting because she had a date with Noah that she had to break because she’s grounded. She also has no access to the phone so that means she can’t call his ass and talk with him in her bedroom for hours like she normally does. Ethan’s probably eating a shitload of crap so he’ll have a stomachache that’ll wake him up at about two in the morning, which means my ass will be up at two o’clock in the morning. And Con’s always got his old man’s back. In order to look after Ethan and make sure Amber doesn’t do anything that’ll get her into more trouble, one of his girls is comin’ over rather than him takin’ her out.”