I chuckle and playfully smack her fine ass. “Hop to it, woman. I’ve got shit to do.”
She sticks out her tongue, and I lean down to bite it, but she pulls away from before I can. With a giggle, she bids Grace and Emo goodbye.
“See ya later, Grace,” I offer. My eyes slide to Emo, and we share a dark look before Eden and I leave.
What Emo showed me today may end up being nothing of importance. Both about my father not being my father and what happened to Jenny’s parents. But some internal voice tells me otherwise.
I just need to find out what it is.
EDEN
WHEN WE PULL UP TO JENNY and Judge’s house after leaving Grace and Emo, I turn in my seat and face JW. I feel incredibly happy right now, so I give him a silly grin. “I miss you already.”
His laugh is light as he shakes his head. I’m glad to see the euphoria on his face. It’s a big difference from the expression I saw when he first walked in Emo’s kitchen after talking to him.
“Pretty corny, huh?”
He lifts his hand and separates his thumb and pointer finger by a fraction of an inch. “Just a bit. But I still like the meaning behind the words.”
I jerk my chin down once. “Good, because they were true.”
Still smiling, he pulls me to him by my braid until our lips meet. The kiss is heated and leaves me wanting so much more, but we’re in a car in someone else’s driveway.
“How long will you be?” I ask once we pull away.
“Couple of hours maybe. I’ve got paperwork I’ve been putting off.”
“Okay.” I hesitate for a moment. “Is everything okay with Emo?”
He turns his face away from me to stare out of the windshield. His expression changes from light and flirty to something dim and bitter.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.”
I reach over and grab his hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He looks back at me and forces a smile. “I’ll tell you later.”
Picking up the hand I place on his, he brings it to his lips. Goose bumps form on my arm when his scruff rubs against the tender skin on the back of my hand. He hasn’t shaved in a couple of days. The prickly hair on his face looks hot as hell on him, and I bet it would feel even better against my thighs.
Down girl, now’s not the time.
“Pack your stuff. I want you to stay with me from now on while I’m home,” he tells me.
“Are you sure?”
I really fucking badly want to stay with him, but only if he truly wants me there.
“I’m sure. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”
“Alright.”
I get tugged to him for another scorching kiss, and this one leaves both of us breathless when we separate.
“You better go now before I put off that paperwork even longer.”
Laughing blissfully, because that’s exactly the way I feel, I get out of the car. At first, I stand there, wanting to watch him drive away, when I realize he’s waiting on me to go inside. Such a gentleman sometimes. With a wave, I spin on my heel, practically bound up the steps, and hear JW pull away as I walk inside.
The TV’s on, but Jenny’s not in the living room. Judge’s office door is closed, so I assume he’s locked himself inside again. Dropping my purse and phone on the small table by the door, I go in search of Jenny. The kitchen is empty, so I make my way down the hallway to her and Judge’s room, stopping by the door that leads outside and not finding her in the backyard either.