Chapter 9
WEST
Iwas an asshole.
Not as much as Langston, but nevertheless, what I just did, the text I sent, firmly set me in that category. Though technically it wasn’t an outright lie, more of a fudging of the truth.
Could I get my clothes on without help? Yes, I could.
Did I want to do it alone when I knew all I had to do was shoot a desperate, pleading text to Juno, knowing she would come over?
That would be a firm hell no. Not when I was eager to see her again.
Last night, that small taste of her, not just what I licked off my fingers and her lips but the intimacy of that moment, lit a fire inside me I knew would never burn out.
It had been there before, a small flickering flame in my gut when I saw her, but now it was an inferno eating me alive with the insistent need to be around her, see her, touch her.
All my thoughts and needs revolved around Juno now.
Grabbing a T-shirt out of the closet, I headed for the front door, knowing she would be by any second.
Her response to my pitiful text came only a few minutes ago, and her place was only a couple down from ours.
Tapping the screen, I scrolled to Langston’s text, smirking at his response just like I did the first few times I read it.
He was so close to breaking. I could feel it.
Last night pushed him even closer to the edge of joining me in the glorious free fall toward Juno.
All he needed now was the last bit of confirmation that she wasn’t a threat to his family here in Anchor Bay.
How we would get that, fuck if I knew, but it needed to happen soon.
Staring at the short list of ongoing texts, my stomach flipped. What if Juno found it weird that I only had the family I’d made here at Uplift as friends? What if she couldn’t accept the life I was forced to live to survive before I moved here?
Or found me damaged if I opened up about those horrible years of bouncing around foster homes that each ended up being worse than the previous?
A violent shiver racked my whole body just thinking about those dark, lonely moments.
But before those shame- and pain-filled memories could take root, taking me down a black hole that I wouldn’t emerge from until Langston could pull me out, a knock on the front door jerked me out of my head.
Hand slightly shaking, I palmed the knob and pulled the heavy wood door open.
My heart literally skipped a beat and my lungs stopped working at the sight of a sleepy Juno on my front porch.
Fuck, what it would be like to have her look like that in my bed, all soft and rumpled, hair a little crazy, lids still heavy.
“You play dirty,” she grumbled.
I started to respond that it wasn’t dirty, that I really needed help, only to snap my lips shut.
It wasn’t my needy text she was referring to; it was how dressed—or undressed—I was, based on how her eyes were now wide open and scanning every inch of my bare chest, stalling at where my unfastened jeans rode precariously low on my hips.
“Fuck.” Rubbing a hand down her face, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“I just need help from a friend.” I emphasized the word, remembering what she’d said last night, that it was a one-time thing and after, we would go back to normal.
I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell for that to happen for me, though, and from the way she was eye-fucking me, it wouldn’t be possible for her either.
When she stayed rooted on the porch, I gently wrapped my good hand around her firm bicep and guided her inside, then shut and locked the door. Even though it was my place and not Juno’s, I didn’t want to leave Finley interrupting us again to chance.
“Shut the front door,” Juno exclaimed.
I eyed the closed door and then her. “It is.”
Those aqua eyes rolled while a smile pulled at her lips. “It’s an expression, a less aggressive way to say ‘shut the fuck up.’”
Still utterly confused, I pushed the center of my black frames up and pulled both brows in tight. “But I wasn’t saying anything—”
“Oh my goodness, you’re adorable. I’m talking about that.”
I followed where her blue-painted nail pointed. GG sat on the back of the couch, staring at Juno like it was love at first sight, her fluffy white tail twitching back and forth in utter excitement.
“Who in the heck is this beautiful kitty?” she gushed.
Before I could warn Juno that GG was actually a secret assassin—at least that was the way she acted around strangers—she marched over to the couch and scooped the cat into her arms.
And yet the meanest, surliest pussy ever born didn’t attack or look two seconds from reaching down Juno’s throat and tearing out her heart.
No, GG actually sighed and relaxed in Juno’s arms. I couldn’t help but gape at the sight as Juno whispered in baby talk while rocking GG back and forth around the room.
When Juno’s excitement-filled eyes met mine, she froze. “What?” Clearly, my astonishment and fear that GG was waiting for the perfect moment to strike were written all over my face. “I won’t hurt her if that’s what you’re worried about. Oh, and I’m not allergic. Genetic lottery if you ask me.”
“It’s more the other way around.” Now that the shock had worn off, I was slightly pissed at the attention-seeking cat. She’d stolen Juno’s focus from me.
Asshole, just like her owner.
She carefully set GG down onto Langston’s chair, which the cat protested, swiping at Juno’s hand to pick her back up.
With one more soft swipe behind the ears, Juno turned her attention back to me.
If I were a lesser man, I would’ve stuck my tongue out at GG in a taunt, but I wasn’t about to stoop to that level with a fucking cat.
Instead, I flipped her off. Which I swear she returned with a sassy meow, flicking her tail aggressively as she pranced away.
“Sorry. If you can’t tell, I’m more of a cat person than a dog person, and I couldn’t resist. How did I not know you owned a cat?”
I shrugged and tossed the T-shirt over my shoulder.
“Doesn’t really come up in meetings, I guess, and this is the first time you’ve been here.
Thanks for coming over to help, by the way.
Lang is on a run to Anchorage to pick up—” Remembering Brandon said to keep our mouths shut, I cut myself off with a cough. “I just need some help with all this.”
I pointed to my bare chest and unfastened jeans. Which was where her gaze stayed while chewing on the corner of her lower lip.
“West… I….” Groaning, she turned, gaze searching until it landed on something in the kitchen. “I need coffee for this.” She gestured over her shoulder at me.
“Did you just wave at all of me?” I chuckled, following her. “If you’re going for the coffee, I think it’s still hot. Langston always makes enough for me when he has to leave early.”
Rather than asking for a mug, Juno started opening one cabinet after another until she found them. Inspecting each, she carefully chose the one I knew was Langston’s favorite and filled it to the brim with steaming dark liquid.
“Did I wake you up?” I reached around her, snagging a mug and setting it beside hers.
She nodded while filling mine.
“It is ten on a Saturday, and we got in late.” Biting back a smile, she tried to hide it behind the cat-shaped mug. “I had fun last night, and not just what happened in the closet.”
Her mentioning it had flickers of those few minutes flashing in my mind, making my cock twitch. Considering my pants still weren’t secured, that would be a problem fast. Clearing my throat, I took a sip of coffee, burning my tongue but welcoming the distraction.
“It was nice actually being out, having dinner somewhere other than Dave’s. Did you know that was my first time there? That restaurant?”
Leaning a hip against the counter, I shook my head. “What have you been doing since you got here other than work and working out with Oliver?”
“Book club.” Her smile grew. “Hanging out with the Uplift girls. I’ve babysat for Hudson and Calista once or twice while they went out. And I’ve played a lot of video games. A lot.”
The way she said it made it sound like she didn’t know how to feel about that.
“But you like doing that, the online gaming stuff, so why does it sound like you’re ashamed or embarrassed by how much you play?”
“Because… I don’t know. It’s a waste of time?” she said. I arched a brow. “At least that’s what others think.”
“Others?” My mug thumped on the counter when I set it down with more force than necessary.
But instead of giving me a direct answer, she just waved me off and avoided my questioning gaze. “And I feel guilty. I’m in this beautiful place with people who go outdoors to do fun things for a living, and all I do is stay inside and play video games. And eat snacks. Can’t forget the snacks.”
“What kind of gamer would you be if you did?”
A timid smile pulled at her lips. “Exactly. But I just get lost in the online world. Sometimes it feels easier than reality.”
I took a sip of coffee, the steam fogging the lenses of my glasses. I couldn’t see her, but her soft giggle filled the small kitchen. Taking them off, I used the soft cotton T-shirt to clean off the lenses.
“I guess I can relate. It’s why I love motors and fixing broken things as much as I do. I get lost in the problem, trying different tricks until something works. I can lose hours while problem-solving an issue, but it keeps my mind off other things.”
Juno nodded and tucked a piece of light brown hair behind her ears.
I reached out and tugged at a loose strand. “I love the new hair color, but why?”
“Needed a change, I guess. While I enjoyed being blonde, it was never my first choice.” She peeked up through her long dark lashes, which only made her unique eye color pop even more. “You know what would be?”
I angled my head to the side, contemplating my answer. “Blue?”