Chapter 18 #2
“I thought I was going to go out of my mind when those assholes got so close to you, Joci. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her for a kiss.
“I’m fine, babe. Thank you for worrying.”
Jeremiah’s smile grew across his face.
“You called me ‘babe.’ That’s the first time you used an endearment for me. I love the way it sounds coming from your lips. Let’s make out.”
Joci laughed, but they heard Gunnar and Ryder coming back into the house. “Okay, we’ll finish this later. Now, think about that for the rest of the night,” he whispered in her ear.
The boys came in carrying their packages and putting beer and wine coolers in the refrigerator as Joci and Jeremiah walked into the kitchen.
Deacon’s wife, Julie, and Janice started mixing drinks and playing bartender.
The kitchen had a breakfast bar, and they used that as a bar.
As soon as everyone had drinks, JT proposed a toast to a great weekend.
Everyone cheered and sipped at their drinks.
The boys had also bought snacks and dips, and those were spread out on the kitchen table.
Joci began talking to some of the girls and trying to get to know them. Julie was an artist with a vividly creative mind. Janice was very sweet and closer to Joci in age. Joci knew her already, but they hadn’t had the time to get to know each other.
Jeremiah sat on the sofa and patted his knee for Joci to come and sit on his lap. Suddenly, LuAnn jumped in and sat on his lap first. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him, but he pulled his head back as soon as he saw what was happening.
His jaw tight, he growled, “Get the fuck off my lap, LuAnn.”
She acted pouty and said, “Dog, you know you want me.”
Jeremiah put his hands on her hips and picked her off his lap. When she was standing, he gave her a little shove.
“I’ve told you this is inappropriate. Enough.”
Jeremiah stood up quickly and walked over to Joci and grabbed her hand and pulled her out on the deck. Once they were outside, he turned to her and framed her face with his hands, holding her in place.
“I love you, Joci. I did have a talk with her. I swear it.”
“I believe you, baby.” Joci sighed heavily and wrapped her arms around Jeremiah.
“You don’t sound sure.”
He pulled away and looked at her. She closed her eyes and sighed again.
“I just hate having to deal with her every time we do something with your employees. How much temptation can you handle?”
“She’s not a temptation to me. I couldn’t give a shit. You’re the only woman I want. You’re the only woman I will ever love. Ever.”
Just then, the door opened up, and JT, Ryder, and Gunnar walked out onto the deck.
“Everything okay out here?”
Joci and Jeremiah smiled at them.
“Yes, everything is fine. How about in there?” Joci said with a smile.
Gunnar was the first to make a comment. “I would like to wrap my hands around her throat. She is such a piece of trash, and I hate how awful she is to you. When Chase said she wasn’t riding with him, I had hoped she wasn’t coming at all.
Then she showed up with Boyd, a guy she met in a bar last night. ”
Joci looked at Gunnar, then at JT, and finally at Ryder. “I’m okay. I don’t like it either, but it is what it is at this point, so we have to suck it up and deal with it. Only Jeremiah can change the situation.”
* * *
Ouch, that stung. Talk about being sucker-punched.
But she was right. He just felt like he owed it to Lance to make sure LuAnn had a job.
Never in his life did he think he would find a woman like Joci and have a woman like LuAnn try to fuck it up for him.
He would never try to harm another person’s relationship—ever.
It was beyond him that someone would do this to him.
“I’ll take care of it. Right now, let’s try to enjoy the weekend and not let one person ruin it. If we all stick together, we can have a great time,” Jeremiah said.
JT nodded. “How about we talk about the house then?”
A grin grew across his face. He looked at Gunnar, who smiled.
“We’re excited to move in. Now that I know the house is available, I can hardly stand to stay in my shitty apartment,” Gunnar stated.
Joci said, “Jeremiah and I finished moving today. I’ll go over next week and clean so it’s ready for you guys. You can move in any time after that. If you don’t want the furniture I left there, we can get a storage unit and move it there.”
JT let out a whoop, then high-fived Gunnar. People started filtering out on the deck to see what was going on. Gunnar and JT told them they were moving into Joci’s house next week, and they were excited. They talked excitedly when LuAnn had to get her two cents’ worth in.
“Can’t you afford to live on your own anymore, Joci?”
Joci looked at LuAnn and took a deep breath. “I certainly can. After all, I have a house that I bought on my own. What do you have?”
LuAnn lived with her sister in her sister’s basement. She turned and walked back into the house to make herself another drink. JT smirked and high-fived Joci.
Conversation resumed, and the mood lifted. They were going to be okay. They were okay. The remainder of the evening, everyone had a great time. LuAnn was quiet and drank heavily, to the point that Boyd had to carry her to bed around ten o’clock.
Joci seemed to enjoy herself, which helped Jeremiah enjoy himself.
Later in the evening, Jeremiah sat in a big brown leather chair and winked at Joci as he patted his lap, knowing the little joke was not lost on her.
She gladly climbed on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
She leaned into him and whispered in his ear.
“Dog, you know you want me.”
Jeremiah squeezed her tight and kissed her on the lips. “You’re right about that. More than I can get my mind around.”