26. Julie
26
I ’d expected to have mind-blowing sex this weekend. As much as I know we’ve crossed a line there’s no coming back from, deep down, I secretly hoped we’d cross it. And by the time I hit my first orgasm, I couldn’t wait to wake up in Jason’s arms.
I stayed awake a little longer than he did, followed the rhythm of his heart underneath my ear. Trailing his six-pack with my fingers. Smiling at the thought of lying in bed together all morning.
What I didn’t expect was to be rudely pulled from my unclaimed plan because Ford decided to sleep off his buzz at the local police station.
I like the boy, I really do. He has a big mouth, a heart of gold, and some definite trauma hidden underneath those mischievous eyes. But man, does he have a knack for getting in trouble.
Ten minutes after Jason paid Ford’s bail, we’re waiting in front of the police station for him to come out. When he finally does, my sympathetic heart twitches a little.
Gone are his playboy smirks or the cheekiness in his gaze. His caramel skin is covered in deep bruises, etched with some blood along his cheekbones. His once crisp white shirt is partly tucked into his deep blue jeans, stained with smudges.
Being a professional hockey player, he’s not shy to throwing punches. He shouldn’t do it at a bar, though.
The whole sight sells his bad boy image, but it’s the way it looks like he’s carrying around his soul tucked underneath his arms that makes me want to pull him in my arms and tell him he’s not alone.
I glance at Jason, who’s grunting at the sight of him. “Don’t yell at him.”
I doubt Jason Spencer preaching is gonna do any good right now.
“I’m not making any promises.”
Ford lifts his arms, a deep sigh released from his lungs. “I’m sorry, man.”
“Are you? I told you, you need to get your shit together.” Jason doesn’t yell, but it’s not far off. “Hockey players get a very long leash, but once it snaps, you’re done. You’re hanging by a thread, Ford.”
I clear my throat, offering Ford a small smile before I follow my gut. I swing my arms around his neck, pulling him against my body. “We care about you, Ford.”
“No, we don’t,” Jason sputters.
I glare over my shoulder as I let go. “Yes, we do.”
Ford twists his gaze from me to Jason, and I cock my head at him, silently challenging him on the lie. I know for a fact Jason loves Ford. One, he said so himself when he found out we were bunking together, and two, we wouldn’t be here if he didn’t.
And I know why. Ford reminds him of Hunter. A troublesome kid with the biggest heart and purest intentions, but fears that are loud enough to drag him down.
They are the ones who need to know they are not alone. Who need to hear how we care more than anything.
My lips press together in a flat line, scolding Jason with my eyes until he rolls his.
“Fine,” he mutters reluctantly. “I care about you. Dickhead .”
“Dickhead?” Ford scrunches his nose, but I nod.
“We had to bail you out, so you’re kinda a dickhead.”
Ford mumbles something I can’t decipher, but Jason cuts him off.
“Just get in.” He clicks his car open, and I meet his eyes. “What?”
Something tingles in my tummy when his grin expands.
He hides his emotions well, always the pragmatic one, but it’s moments like this when I fall for him even more. When he’s grumpy and moody, but would still move mountains for the people he cares about.
“Nothing.” I shake my head while he steps into my space. “You have the biggest heart. It’s sexy.”
Without hesitation, he wraps his arms around my back, tucking me against his body. “Sexy, huh?”
I crane my neck, meeting his lips as they almost touch. He smells like soap and some citrusy stuff he put in his hair from the hotel before we left. I bite my lip, my thoughts shooting back to last night within a heartbeat.
His mouth brushes over mine with a sexy smile.
“I’m thrilled you two finally boned—you’re welcome, by the way—but can we get going?” Ford blares from the open window. “My hangover is killing me.”
“You’ll live.” Jason kisses me until I feel it in my toes, and when he lets go, I’m instantly bummed by the lack of his body in my space.
We get in, but not before I escort Mutt from the passenger seat to the backseat, sitting like a prince next to our hockey kind.
“Who the fuck is this?” Ford backs up against the door as if a rottweiler just bared his teeth at him instead of the small fluffy dog that’s looking at him with a stoic expression.
“That’s Mutt.” I beam, twisting my body at him from the passenger seat.
“That doesn’t explain anything.”
“He is a domesticated carnivore, also known as a dog,” Jason adds, driving from the lot and onto the road. “They tend to bark, much like you, and have a very good sense of smell.”
Ford flips him off in the rearview mirror, and I can’t hold back my laugh.
“Why do we have”—he glances at the sweet dog with a disgusted look—“a mutt ?”
“He’s a rescue. We’re looking for a new owner.”
“Because Jason wouldn’t do?” Ford jokes.
“Because Jason has his hands full with hockey playing manchildren,” Jason counters, resulting in another middle finger aimed his way from the man in his backseat.
“Baby, we do need to find him another owner.”
I twist my head to Jason’s stern expression, a guilty smile creeping on my cheeks. “Do we really?”
Jason nods as determination flashes in his eyes. “Yeah, we do.”
“Okay, fine,” I murmur like a little girl. “Got any ideas?”
“Actually, yeah, I do.”
“You do?”
A sly grin forms on his face, and my eyebrows lift in question.
“What are you up to, Jason Spencer?”
“You’ll see.”
I settle with that answer, resting deeper into the leather.
I turn back when Jason drives onto the highway and my phone vibrates in my pocket. The number is unknown, knotting my stomach a little.
“Julie?” I hear when I answer.
The voice seems familiar, but it doesn’t ring a bell. “My name is Kathy. We spoke at the club the other night.”
The girl from the club.
What the hell?
A deep frown forms, and I keep my focus forward to hide it from the two men beside me. “How did you get my number?”
“Bradford Real Estate. Your phone number is still on the website.”
Of course . “What do you want?”
“Jacob Spencer raped me.” The air is slammed out of my lungs and every muscle in my body freezes. “I know I’m not the only one. I’m looking for women who want to press charges against him.”
I blink toward the open road ahead of me, shock overwhelming me like a veil that’s draped over my head. She knows . I swallow to clear the instant fog on my brain, then snap myself back into action.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The knot in my stomach turns into stone.
“I think you do.”
“I think you have the wrong number.”
Head spinning, I hang up, throwing my phone to the floor like it’s poisoned.
“Everything okay?” Jason twists his head my way.
I blink, my tongue feeling thick in my mouth.
“Yep, all good.” I croak out.
“You sure?”
I clear my throat, then plaster a smile on my face. “Yeah, it was just some telemarketer. You know how annoying they are.”
I don’t miss Jason’s skeptical expression, but a loud snore that can wake the dead echoes through the vehicle. With wide eyes, I glance backward.
Ford’s neck rests against the seat, his mouth agape and his eyes closed. He looks exactly like you think he’d look after getting arrested in a bar brawl. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s gonna be drooling over Jason’s leather in the next five minutes.
“Do you know what's bothering him?” I peek at Jason, guilt settling on my chest as I use this as the perfect distraction.
He shrugs.
“A lot of things. I know his mom abandoned him. He found his ex in bed with a guy from the Panthers. He won’t talk about any of it, though. I tried a couple times. So did Jordan. He has a big mouth, but he doesn’t say a lot.”
Clearly.
He’s fun to be around, never at a loss for words, but that same mouth also tends to get him in trouble.
Violent and TMZ-worthy trouble.
“Is his dad still in the picture?”
Jason nods, flicking on his turn signal. “He’s his hero. But other than that, it’s mostly me and Jordan.”
My heart beats a little faster for this man. It motivates me to be honest with him and ask for his help in the thunderclouds above my head. But at the same time, it justifies my reason not to. He would go the distance without asking any questions. Without thinking about himself for just a second.
Because that’s not who Jason Spencer is.
It’s why I have to think of him first.
“It’s sweet, you know? You taking care of Ford like he’s family. You really care about him, don’t you?”
“He drives me nuts, but yeah, I do.” He chuckles under his breath, rubbing a hand over his face, then reaches out to link it with mine.
The move feels intimate, calming my racing heart to a comforting pace. My fight-or-flight mode is pushed even further to the background, and I settle deeper into the seat, my head turned his way as I let my head rest.
The warmth of our intertwined fingers settles me, grounds me, and just for a brief moment, I wonder if we can just keep driving and leave all this bullshit behind.
I smile when he finds my eyes. “I always loved that about you. Your loyalty for the people you care about.”
The gaze I get in return is warm, but also laced with a little worry. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He squeezes. “I got you, you know that, right?”
A ball grows in the back of my throat and it’s taking the biggest effort to keep the tears behind my eyes.
“Jules?” He demands my attention once again. “There’s nothing I wouldn't do for the people I care about.”
I know that.
And isn’t that exactly my problem?