Page 18 of Nowhere to Run
She smiled up at me as she locked her hands behind my neck.
“It was good.We laughed, talked, and got spoiled by Ashley, who cooked delicious food for us to snack on all night.That girl seriously loves to cook and is fucking talented in the kitchen.”
“I’m sure Keith will appreciate that since they’ll be staying together until the storm passes,” I commented, not realizing what I said until she pulled back and studied my face.
“What do you mean they’ll be staying together?”
Her eyes narrowed at me as I tried to figure out how to backtrack my way out of the secret I had just accidentally shared.
“I don’t know,” I stammered, shoving a hand through my hair as she stepped away from me.“I think I misunderstood what he said.Ignore me, I wasn’t fully paying attention earlier.”
“Bullshit,” she said, her eyes blazing as anger quickly rose to the surface.“Don’t fucking lie to me, Dom.I don’t care if we’re about to get slammed with six inches of snow, I will kick your ass out and let you figure out how to survive the storm in your truck.”
My eyebrows rose on their own accord with her eyes tracking it immediately.I pressed my lips together as I tried to figure out what the best move was.I didn’t want to betray Keith’s trust, even though I had already accidentally done so by telling her Ashley would be staying with him.But I also didn’t want to freeze my ass off trying to live out of my truck for a few days.
“Spill it,” Jo demanded, hand planted firmly on her hip.
“Ashley had a pipe burst in her bathroom.No one can repair it until after the storm passes, so she’s staying with Keith until it’s fixed.”
Her expression quickly shifted from surprised to angry as she shook her head.
“I was literally with her all night, and she never said a single thing about it,” Jo mumbled, consumed in her thoughts as she paced in front of the bed.“Why wouldn’t she tell me?I would have offered her a place to stay.Or hell, Axel could have offered her the apartment above the bar now that he and Charlie are moved into the new house.There were other options than Keith.”
“Maybe shewantedto stay with Keith,” I offered, knowing full well how they were both interested in each other.Everyone knew it with how they constantly flirted with each other, but Jo seemed reluctant to get on board with the idea of something happening between them.
“Don’t start with me,” she warned, pointing her finger at me.
My cock twitched at the sight of Jo being bossy.I licked my lips as I took a step toward her, a smirk on my face as I watched the way she reacted to me.Her eyes widened, but not with fear or anger.It was more like she was as turned on by me as I was by her.She crossed her arms protectively, which only drew my eyes to her chest, where her nipples were hard against the thin fabric of her t-shirt.
“Why?You can’t get mad atmejust because your friends want to fuck each other.”
A small gasp escaped her lips, her body leaning slightly toward me as I advanced closer.
“I can be mad at whoever I want to be mad at,” she countered, pulling her shoulders back as she watched me.“And they don’t need to be fucking right now.Ashley is a sweet girl who has been through a lot.I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
The way her voice cracked at the end made me pause.I noticed the way Jo’s lower lip trembled slightly, just barely enough for me to see before she looked away.
“Hey, it’s okay,” I said softly.“You don’t have to worry about that.Keith is a nice guy, you’ve said so yourself.I seriously doubt that anything is going to happen between them, but if it does, Ashley is in good hands with Keith.”
“You’re right.I’m sorry.”She shook her head and looked at the floor.“I just can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting her.I know what it feels like to be the girl no one watches out for because she looks tough.Yes, Ashley is a total badass, but she’s also so much like me.I want to protect her the way no one stepped in to protect me when I needed it.”
Tears filled her eyes as I wrapped her in my arms and held her.
I would never be able to forgive myself for not stepping in and helping Jo sooner, but I would die before I allowed anyone to hurt her again.
