“I think your phone’s ringing,” Matt said, making her frown, because yes, yes, that did sound like her phone.
“It’s probably work,” Joey said, unable to help but hope that it was a telemarketer because she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that phone call just yet.
“My money’s on Jackson,” Matt said with a shrug as he reached for her plate.
“It’s too soon,” she said because she figured that she had at least another week before he called and risked making her cry.
Whoever it was, was persistent, she thought with a resigned sigh as she reluctantly pushed her chair back, send a heartfelt apology to her ass and made her way toward the living room where she’d left her phone charging. As she pushed open the kitchen door and headed down the long hallway, she couldn’t help but think about all the things that she’d never been able to do.
When she was little her grandparents hadn’t been able to afford to take them on trips, but that never bothered her because they’d made sure that she was well taken care of, had taken her to the library when she ran out of books, always encouraged her to be herself those times when she wished that she was different so that she could fit in, and made sure that she knew just how much they loved her. They’d done the best that they could and she would always love them for that.
Besides, she could have gone with the Bradfords any one of those hundreds of times that they’d invited her to go with them when they’d gone camping, fishing, visited amusement parks, Disney World and all of those places that most kids would have killed to visit. She probably should have gone, but she’d figured that Jackson could use a break from her. Well, that and she didn’t think it would be a good idea to put herself in a position where she might be tempted to shove Reed from a moving vehicle.
Speaking of Reed…
“What are you doing?” she couldn’t help but ask when the closet door was suddenly opened and she found herself being pulled inside before the door was promptly closed behind her.
“Keeping my promise,” he said as he moved to stand behind her so that he could wrap his arms around her.
“And what promise is that?” she asked as she watched his hands make their way down to the fly of the jeans that she’d changed into earlier.
“The one where I promised to look after you,” he whispered, pressing a kiss against her neck as he slowly unsnapped her pants and pulled the zipper down.
“And how exactly is this looking after me?” Joey asked as he pushed her pants down.
“Because,” he said, pausing to take her hands into his and raise them so that he could place them against the doorframe, “I’m making sure you’re okay.”
“That’s what it feels like,” she said, nodding solemnly only to moan when he pressed a kiss against the back of her neck as he slid her panties down.
“And what does this feel like?” he whispered seductively as he slowly kissed his way down her back.
“Like we’re going to get caught,” she said, closing her eyes on a moan when he pressed a kiss against the small of her back as he cupped her bottom in his hands.
“We’re not going to get caught,” he said, giving her bottom a gentle squeeze as he pressed a kiss against one cheek.
“Then what are we doing?” she asked on a soft moan as her grip tightened on the doorframe.
“I’m making you feel better,” he said as he pressed a kiss against the other cheek while he lightly ran his hands over her bottom, soothing away the pain and she had to admit that it was definitely working.
Chapter 28
“You’re missing the best part!” the little bastard that had taken his seat said as he shoved another handful of popcorn in his mouth while the small woman that he was risking over twenty years of friendship for continued staring down at her iPad.
Jackson had been his best friend since they were seven years old. They’d grown up like brothers and he’d never thought that he’d do anything to risk that. But then again, he’d never thought that he’d ever want anyone the way that he wanted Joey, which was the problem.
He was going to have to tell Jackson.
Granted, he’d known the second that he’d decided to cross that line that he was going to have to tell Jackson. He just wasn’t sure what he was going to tell him, because there was nothing that he could say that was going to make this right. But every time he tried to tell himself that they shouldn’t be doing this he remembered just how good it felt to touch her and found it difficult to care how this ended.
“You’ve seen this movie already,” Reed pointed out as he shifted his attention to the stack of files on the coffee table, reminding himself that he should be working.
“But she hasn’t,” Matt said, gesturing to Joey with a handful of popcorn.
“And somehow I’ve managed to survive,” she said with a nod as she continued staring down at her iPad while he sat there, wondering what he was going to do about her.
For a moment, he sat there contemplating his options. He could end this now before it was too late or he could continue sitting here pretending that he wasn’t thinking about her. It was definitely for the best if he didn’t think about her, he decided.
Definitely for the best, he thought as he grabbed a file off the stack and started reading something about…something. Definitely for the best, he decided absently a few seconds later when he found himself watching her. She was adorable, but then again, she’d always been adorable. But now, she was also kind, sweet, and incredibly sexy, he thought, remembering the way she’d moved on him in the truck, the way she’d kissed him and the sweet little moans that she’d made when he’d-
“Goodnight,” Joey mumbled as she got up from the couch, stumbled, righted herself and continued walking toward the stairs all while looking down at her iPad.
“Goodnight,” Matt said absently as he stuffed another handful of popcorn into his mouth while Reed sat there, watching Joey’s every step until she disappeared around the corner.
It took everything in him not to follow her upstairs. It was only the reminder that they were trying to keep what was going on between them a secret that kept him in that chair. Besides, he had enough to deal with work, he reminded himself as he stared back down at the file in his hands only to find himself thinking about her, soft, naked, warm, and waiting for him upstairs in his bed.
“Where are you going?” Matt asked him, frowning as he helped himself to Joey’s abandoned can of Dr. Pepper.
“Bed,” Reed said, tossing the file back on the pile as he got up and headed for the stairs.
Frowning, Matt pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. “It’s only ten.”
“It’s late.”
“Since when is ten o’clock late?” Matt called after him.
Since he’d been waiting three hours to get Joey back in his bed, he thought that ten o’clock was really fucking late. After what happened in the closet, and god, he couldn’t stop thinking about the closet, he’d been counting down the minutes until he could go upstairs and touch her again. He’d planned on waiting until he couldn’t see straight and was too fucking exhausted to do anything more than make it back to his room and pass out like he did every night, but the thought of Joey waiting for him in his bed had him ready to call it an early night.
---
“There,” she said with a satisfied sigh as she placed the last pillow on her bed. Finally, she thought only to frown down at the large, incredibly comfortable bed decked out with clean sheets and a faux down comforter that had been delivered a few hours ago and realized something important.