His hands slipped under her T-shirt with the dancing rhinos. With an easy flick of two fingers her bra was undone; then he was touching her breasts, skin on skin, and she straightened to give him more room.
She rubbed herself against him, even as he pulled up her shirt, removed her bra and settled his mouth on her breast.
The soft, wet contact made her gasp. He licked her nipple before closing his lips around her and sucking gently. She slipped her hands through his hair and strained toward him, wanting all he had to offer.
He moved to her other breast and repeated his action. When he drew back, his eyes were dark, his pupils dilated, and they were both breathing hard.
“We should—”
Go upstairs. Do it now. Get na**d. Patience wasn’t sure what she was going to say next, although she had an idea of the context. But instead of finishing her sentence, she heard a familiar laugh from outside.
Lillie.
“Crap,” she shrieked, scrambling off Justice’s lap and reaching for her bra. “We’re in my living room in the middle of the afternoon. We can’t do this here.”
He glanced toward the door, then stood and walked over to the wing chair by the couch. It took her a second to realize he was positioning himself behind it so his condition wouldn’t be obvious.
“You’re right,” he said. “This isn’t the place.” His mouth twitched. “I can apologize if you’d like, although technically I’m not sorry.”
She hooked her bra back together and pulled down her shirt. After making sure everything was in place, she glanced at him and smiled.
“I’m not sorry, either. But the last time I made out on the sofa, I was still in high school.”
His gaze locked with hers. He didn’t speak, but she would swear she heard the words. It should have been me.
In that second, she agreed. It should have been him. Her first kiss, her first time. Because whatever she’d felt for Justice before had stayed with her all this time. It wasn’t love and it probably wasn’t smart, but it was still there. A sense of connection. Which meant walking away was impossible to imagine.
* * *
JUSTICE HADN’T BEEN sure what to expect from the work party at Brew-haha. Even so the crush of forty or so volunteers was still a surprise. Over the past two weeks Patience had put together a list of what needed to be done and collected supplies. He’d seen her a few times, but never alone or in a setting where he could take advantage of them being alone.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent so much time wanting what he couldn’t have. Even as a teenager, he’d been more focused on dealing with the situation with his father than getting the girl. He’d had feelings for Patience, but she’d been so young and he’d known he didn’t have the right.
Over the years, he’d learned to lose himself in his work. When he wanted or needed a woman, there were always plenty to be found. But wanting and not having was new to him.
On this bright, warm, spring morning, he stood on the fringes of the crowd and listened to Patience explain her plan.
“There’s a master list posted by the door,” she said, pointing to the brightly colored paper with a long list of projects. “Supplies are in the center of the room, on the tarp. Once a project is finished, please cross it out so everyone else will know it’s finished.”
She’d pulled her long, wavy hair back into a ponytail. Her T-shirt was red with a cartoon cat on the front. She looked about seventeen. All fresh-scrubbed and pretty.
He knew that Lillie was spending the day with friends and that Ava had been having trouble lately. She would be using a wheelchair. He knew the color of paint in the cans and what was on the list, but he was still separate from what was going on. Watching rather than participating.
It was how he preferred things. Only with Patience he was in deeper than was comfortable for him. Still, pulling back didn’t seem to be an option.
“Ethan and Nevada have brought tools,” Patience continued. “She’s in charge of construction. If you’re feeling the need to pound a hammer, go see her.”
A man groaned. Justice would guess he was Ethan. A tall blond guy punched him in the arm.
“Your sister is in charge, dude. Talk about humiliating.”
Ethan turned to his friend. “You notice she didn’t mention you having tools, Josh. You want to think about what that means?”
Josh laughed.
“Thank you again for coming,” Patience said. “I really appreciate it.”
“We’re all here for you,” someone called.
There were murmurs of agreement; then the crowd broke up and people started to go to work.
A tall, lithe blonde walked over to Justice and stared at him.
“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “I give up. I can’t remember your name. I’m Evie Stryker. I moved here last year and I’m still figuring out who is who.” She held out her hand. “I teach dance, if you have any daughters.”
They shook hands.
“No daughters,” he said. “I know Patience’s daughter, Lillie.”
“She’s in one of my classes. Sweet girl.” Evie looked around the room. “So, that’s Dante over there. My fiancé. And those three guys wrestling over who has the biggest paintbrush are my brothers.” She shook her head. “Okay, never mind. It’s too much. This town. The people are too friendly and they know every little thing about everyone’s life. It’s crazy. Seriously, you should get out now while you can.”
“I don’t see you leaving.”
“They caught me at a weak moment and now I can’t imagine living anywhere else. They suck you in.”
“I spent some time here as a kid.”
“And you came back, thus proving my point.”
“There you are!”
Justice turned and found himself face-to-face with Denise Hendrix. She hugged him, then smiled broadly.
“I’m still so excited you’re here, Justice. And that Ford is coming back. Did I invite you over to dinner yet? You have to come as soon as Ford is home. We’ll have the whole family over.”
“I remember those dinners,” he said, thinking those were good memories. “It was loud.”
With six kids plus any friends they’d brought home sitting around the table, there had been plenty of conversation. The Hendrix house had been one of the few places he’d been cleared to visit. Patience’s house had been on the list, as well. He’d wanted to go as often as possible. Being around other families had allowed him to forget why he was on the run. Around them he could pretend he was just like everyone else.
“We still have a wonderful time,” Denise told him. “It’s a little more crowded with spouses and grandchildren, but that only makes our times together more wonderful.”
He bent down and kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait.”
“Good.”
Denise excused herself.
Justice was about to go join a work group when he saw Ava roll into the busy space. Her wheelchair moved easily over the hardwood floors. He saw her glance around as if unsure what she was supposed to do. He quickly moved toward her.
“Taking charge?” he asked as he approached.
She gave him a grateful smile. “I think Patience is doing a good job already. I just wanted to stop by and see the town coming through for my girl.”
“There are plenty of people here.”
Patience hurried over. “Hey, Mom. Doing okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Patience didn’t look convinced. Justice nodded toward Ava. “I’m happy to stay here,” he said. “It gets me out of the real work.”
Her gaze lingered for a second. “Thank you,” she mouthed silently. “Okay,” she said aloud. “I’m not even surprised. Typical guy enjoying the act of watching other people work.”
He pulled up a chair and settled next to Ava. The older woman’s gaze was speculative.
“You want to keep an eye on what’s going on and you’re using me to do it.”
“Maybe,” he said easily.
“Not maybe. You’re different, Justice. Time has passed, so of course you’ve grown up, but that’s not the only change, is it?”
He automatically stayed outwardly calm, even as he glanced at Ava. “Are you asking or stating an opinion?”
“Both.” She studied him. “You went into the military after your father was taken into custody.”
He nodded.
“Whatever you did was dangerous. Patience and I have speculated, but I’m sure we won’t be able to guess.”
“Probably not.”
“You’ve seen things.”
More than she could ever know.
“Now you’re going to open your school here.”
He chuckled. “It’s not a school.”
“You know what I mean.” She leaned toward him. “Can you do it? Settle in a small town?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I want to be here.”
It was an honest answer, he thought. As much as the town drew him, he was concerned about fitting in. He could fake his way through any situation for a period of time. But in the end, who he was would come out.
He’d done things no man should be able to live with. Yet, as Ava had said, here he was. There were questions he couldn’t answer. Like how much of his father lived in him? Could he escape Bart’s cruel influence? Would he end up hurting the people he cared about? He’d never taken the risk. It hadn’t been worth it. He’d always been content to move on. But now he was starting to think he wanted to stay.
“Where does Patience fit in your decision?” Ava asked.
“She’s a draw. I never forgot her.”
“You’re both different people now.”
“She’s not so different.” She was older, more beautiful. But the essence of her remained. The sweetness, the humor, the unique worldview that, in her case, came out through her wardrobe of cute T-shirts.
“What are you afraid of?” Ava asked.
He turned to her. “That I’ll hurt her.”
“Then don’t.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Sometimes it is.”
* * *
PATIENCE STUDIED THE to-do list and felt the last of her stress fade away. Everything was getting done and more quickly than she could have imagined. The cleaning was done and all the plates, mugs and glasses had been unpacked. In the back room, a team worked on her shelves. Nevada kept a tight control on her team, ordering the guys around easily.
Charlie walked over. “The trim is painted. Finn, Simon and Tucker are putting up the curtain rods. Tucker has the professional experience, but Simon brings his surgeon’s precision to the experience, so imagine how that’s going. Finn’s egging them both on because it’s fun. I won’t bother telling you the trouble the Stryker brothers are getting into, but know that later, they will be punished.”
Patience laughed. “I’m not worried. Everyone is working really hard and my list is nearly complete.” She hugged Charlie. “I love this town.”
“The town loves you back.” Charlie turned her head and groaned. “Old ladies at ten o’clock.”
Patience followed her gaze and saw that Eddie and Gladys had shown up. No doubt the near octogenarians were hoping to catch sight of good-looking guys in tight jeans. The two were completely shameless. Last year Clay had arranged for some male-model friends to pose for a charity calendar. When Eddie and Gladys had found out, they’d shown up with folding chairs and stayed to watch the show.
Some of the shots had required the guys to get na**d, which had delighted the friends. They’d taken pictures with their cell phones. Charlie had been forced to edit out the “frontal” nudity pictures, much to the dismay of Eddie and Gladys.
“I’ll go make sure they behave themselves,” Patience said.
Charlie put her hand on Patience’s arm. “I’ll do it. You need to stay focused on the projects. Plus, you’re too nice. They at least pretend to be scared of me.”
“Thanks.”
“What can I say? I’m an amazing friend and you’re lucky to have me in your life.”
Patience laughed.
She watched Charlie head for the old ladies and saw the two trying to duck away. But Charlie was faster and soon they were corralled. Patience made the rounds, stopping to check on the various projects.
Simon and Tucker were glaring at each other. “It’s a thirty-second of an inch off,” the surgeon said. “Do you know what that means?”
“Nothing,” Tucker told him. “Because it’s not off. It’s even. Look at the level.”
“I’m measuring and that’s more accurate than a bubble.”
Finn leaned back against the wall, enjoying the show.
“The curtains look great,” Patience said. “I love them.”
“See?” Tucker said.
“You have to be on a ladder to see the difference,” Simon informed him.
“I’m thinking not many of my customers are going to do that,” Patience said; then she smiled and kept moving.
As she circled around the room, she passed by Kent Hendrix and his mother. Denise was staring up at her son.
“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice hopeful.
“It’s been long enough,” Kent told her. “I want to move on. Lorraine is gone and not coming back. I need to get going with my life. I’ve wasted enough time on her.”