Chasing Trouble (Chasing Love 1)

“Whatever you say, little girl. But it looks like you got some of your mama in ya after all.” She winked and turned to leave. “Sequins and a short skirt are always a safe bet,” she said over her shoulder right before exiting.

Jenna looked down the front of her. A sparkly fitted shirt and yes…short skirt. Something very dark, very sad rose up and stung behind her eyes.

She quickly peeled the outfit off, vowing to burn it, and tried not to cry.

Chapter Nine

Huck and Ryder parked their pickups by Colt’s. At the other end of the semicircle was Sebastian’s SUV, overlooking Diamond Lake.

The slight breeze carried tiny flecks of cotton from the nearby fields, skating it along the meadow. Colt had already started a roaring fire, and all the guys were on their second beer as the sun started to fade.

Colt took a deep breath and let it sink in. The smell of the fire, the sound of the lake lapping in the distance, his best friends…

For a moment, he could almost remember—almost appreciate—his home, and how it was before his parents died and everything went to shit.

Penny pulled up and parked several yards away from the fire. She got out of her car holding a covered dish.

“What you got there, kiddo?” Ryder asked when she reached the fire.

“Oh, just some cookies.”

“Please tell me those are Penny’s famous peanut-butter-praline cookies?” Huck smiled, nearly knocking Colt over to get to the small redhead.

She lifted the cover. “Double batch for all you growin’ boys.”

Penny smiled and passed them out. Ryder handed her a beer.

“Growing?” Huck grumbled around the cookie hanging from his mouth. “Woman, this is a finely tuned machine here.”

He slapped his flat belly. Huck was cut and trim, so where he stashed all that shit he ate Colt never knew.

“I was talking about your ever-growing ego, Huckleberry,” Penny said.

Colt snorted.

“Penelope,” Bass greeted.

“Hi, Sebastian.”

Colt could have sworn he heard a small tremble in Penny’s voice. Growing up as Little Miss Diamond, Penny was the all-American girl next door, radiating wholesome goodness. But with Ryder as an older brother and dealing with drunks on a regular basis, she had gained some tough nerves over the years. Very little riled her.

“So where’s my sister?” Colt asked Penny.

“She’s on her way.”

Colt took another drink of beer. He wanted so bad to ask if JJ was coming, but didn’t want to seem like he cared too much or put suspicion out there. She’d never forgive him.

Not that he didn’t trust his friends. Huck, Ryder, and Bass were like his brothers. He could count on them with his life. But it had been made very clear that what went on between JJ and him was just that.

Between them.

He kind of liked it that way.

JJ might view it as a secret, but Colt felt like he had a membership in a very exclusive club. He got to see JJ in a way no one else did, or maybe ever had. When her tightly reined control slipped and all that gorgeous hair came down, Miss Justice changed from sexy to downright wanton with one kiss.

Great, now Colt was inflating his own ego. But, damn it, he couldn’t help thinking about her. How she lost herself in passion. How she made him feel like he held her world in his hands and trusted him not to drop it. If he could be any kind of solace for her, Colt would take what he could get, over and over. Because loving on that woman had been like no other experience he’d ever had.

“What is he doing?” Penny’s voice cut through Colt’s thoughts. He looked up to see her staring at him.