“What, Jace?”
“Come here,” he pulled her back, closer to him. “How about a hug for starters?”
He hugged her, but she did not return his embrace.
“It seems there’s someone else here anxious to hug you, Jace. Why don’t you trap her in the hallway instead of me?”
Rather than answer, he pulled her close again and covered her lips with his.
Bree wanted to resist him, but it was impossible to. She’d never been able to resist him.
“Oh, sorry—”
Bree broke their kiss in time to see the blonde turn and walk in the other direction.
“Bet you didn’t want her to see that.”
Jace pulled back and looked into Bree’s eyes but wouldn’t release his grip on her. “What’s that mean?”
“She’s been waiting for you to get here, and don’t think I missed the exchange between the two of you when you arrived.”
“Sounds like somebody’s jealous,” he nuzzled her hair and breathed in deeply. “Bree,” he sighed.
“Stop it.” She tried to push him away, but he was determined not to let her go.
“Come here,” he said and pulled her around the corner, and out to the patio.
“Oh, sure, here’s the back door. I couldn’t have found it earlier,” she muttered.
“What’s that?”
“An escape, a way out, so I didn’t have to witness the reunion between you and your hookup girl.” Her cheeks flushed as she said it.
“My hookup girl? I thought you were my hookup girl.” He brushed his lips over hers. He had her backed up against the outside wall, his hands on either side of her. “Let’s see…the last time you and I were together, we hooked up pretty good, from what I remember.” Right before she’d let him know that was all he was good for.
“I figured, with both of us stayin’ up at Ben’s, it’d be a good opportunity for me to scratch any itches you might be feelin’.”
He tried to kiss her again, but she managed to twist away from him. “Are you serious?”
“You know me, Bree. Good ol’ cowboy, ready and willin’ to take care of you. Somebody you don’t need to worry about having dinner with afterwards.”
He saw her eyes fill with tears before she swung the door open and stormed back inside.
He could hear the words coming out of his own mouth, and even he couldn’t believe he was saying them. What was wrong with him?
He walked in behind her and tried to stop her before she got into the dining room, but he was too late. She’d grabbed her coat and was talking to her mother and Liv. He watched her walk out the front door. Her father followed.
“That was fast.” Billy stood in front of Jace. “Gotta be some kind of record. You weren’t here five minutes before you got her so mad she left.”
“Leave me the hell alone, Patterson.”
“Yep, you got your ways; I got mine. Course mine are workin’ a lot better than yours are. For example, take a look at that pretty girl.” Billy motioned to where Renie stood by the front window. “She’s carryin’ my baby, more than ready to welcome me into those warm arms every night.”
“Shut up,” Jace answered.
“Wanna know what I’d do?”
“Not particularly, but I get the impression you’re gonna tell me anyway.”