“Just my friend.”
“Yeah? He’s a cool guy?”
Tink shook his head and laughed. “He’s not a guy. Joe’s a girl.”
“Wow.” Nash laughed and looked up. His sister, Honey, and Brooke all watched them from the shop door, and he gently herded Tink back to his mother. Melody mouthed thank you and dropped a kiss to the top of her son’s head. With a wave of her hand, she disappeared.
Honey smiled up at him. “You have the magic touch.”
“Kids like me.”
“Huh.”
He moved closer. “Adults too.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Especially the ladies.”
“Gross.” Brooke looked at the both of them as if they had two heads. “Get a room. Geez.”
Honey laughed and gave him a look that would start a fire in any sane man’s pants. “I’m taking Brooke back to town and then swinging by my place to pack a bag.”
“Yeah?” This was different. “I thought we were heading back to the Coach House for dinner and—”
“No.”
“No?” He was confused. He hadn’t slept in his bed in weeks. Hell, he was pretty damn sure the spider plant in the kitchen was dead.
“I thought we could spend the night at your place.”
Nash played it cool. Hell, on the outside, he was Mr. Freeze. He’d given up asking her to come to his place because she always said no or avoided the question. For Honey, his place was the last frontier of whatever it was they were doing. So this meant something, her wanting to spend the night.
It meant something big.
He didn’t reply. He leaned in and kissed her hard. A full-on, knock-your-socks-off, spread-the-fire-in-your-gut kind of kiss.
“Guys. Again. Ew.” Brooke rolled her eyes and groaned.
Honey broke the kiss. Her cheeks were pink, and she worked to catch her breath. “I’ll see you in a bit,” she said before heading toward her car. Nash watched her go. How could he not? She had the nicest ass he’d ever seen, and he was going to kiss every damn inch of it—and more—in a couple of hours.
“You guys seem pretty hot and heavy.” Hudson walked up beside him, his son bundled in winter wear, cradled in his arms. The guy had been cool toward Honey for a while now, and Nash couldn’t figure it out. Just last week, he’d called him out on it, but Hudson had told Nash he was imagining things that weren’t there.
“She’s from Missouri, right?” Hudson sounded conversational, but Nash wasn’t fooled. His friend was fishing.
“Louisiana, I believe.”
“Huh.” Hudson rearranged his son and pulled down on the baby’s hat. Now that the sun was setting, the chill in the air was intense. “Could have sworn she told
Dad she was from Missouri. You know she was up there, right? At the house? Visiting him the other day?”
Nash hadn’t known, but what the hell did that have to do with anything? John was helping out the support center, and she was heavily involved. So what if she went to see him?
“What are you getting at, Hudsy?” He frowned and turned to his friend.
“I’m just saying we don’t know much about her.”
Incredulous, he opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. What the hell? “I know enough, trust me.”