Page 39 of Hooked on a Feeling

“He does,” John said.

“Starr Young.” Officer Lowe scribbled on his pad while he blew out a whistle of air through his teeth. “What is it with women dropping their panties for the Davenport brothers? And what’s the Davenport family gonna think when they learn about your relationship?”

“Again, none of your business.” John scowled. “Besides, I don’t give a fuck.”

“It’s not permanent anyway,” Starr chimed in. “No one should have a problem with who we sleep with. It’s our own business, and that fight was between our grandparents. We are paving the way for better relationships.” She folded her arms across her chest, clearly as mad as John was about Tyson’s harassment.

Lowe pulled the two tickets off the pad and handed them to John. “You can show up in court and hope for the best.” Officer Lowe chuckled. “Course if I were you, I’d want the easy way out so I could get back to this fine piece of ass.”

John saw red. In that moment, Lowe wasn’t a man of the law who protected other people; he was the fucking dirtbag John had dealt with in high school. His fist connected with Tyson’s face, a crack echoing in time with Starr’s scream.

Chapter Fifteen

“Dude, you punched a fucking cop yesterday.” Judge grinned like a wild maniac.

“This is never going to come off your record,” Jersey said. “Dad is never retiring at this point. You fucked us all.”

The officer slid the metal doors of John’s cell open, and John nodded to his cellmate, who the cops had brought in last night on an assault charge. “See ya, man.”

The officer nodded toward the exit. “You can get your belongings from the checkout station down the hall.”

“Lowe was being a dick.” John didn’t have to go to the little window to collect anything.

“Did you commit a felony?” Judge asked, pushing the door to the police station open. John followed them out and blinked hard against the morning light.

“Yep,” John answered.

“Florida takes battery on an officer of the law very seriously. You could get jail time,” Jersey said.

“Oh shit, Judge Johnson will drop it to a misdemeanor. He’ll be fine.” Judge flicked the button on his truck, and they all hopped in, John taking the back seat.

“Does it matter if Lowe was harassing Starr?” John asked.

“What happened?” his brothers asked simultaneously.

“He caught us fucking in the bay,” John said. “Was being a pervert. Finally, I convinced him to walk up to the main building and wait for us. Once we got up there, he was talking shit about Dad going off on that stupid feud and how Lowe had caught me sleeping with a Young. Wondering if Dad knew. Not to mention the shitty sexual bullshit he was saying about Starr. I went ballistic when he insinuated that anyone would be fucking Starr because she is a hot little thing. No, ‘a fine piece of ass,’ I think is what he said.” John clenched his fists. He wasn’t raised this way. Not to hit a cop. Never.

In fact, he was angry with himself. Disappointed. Thirty-two years old, and this might be the first time in John’s life that he was going to make his mother ashamed of him. Not to mention that Jersey and Judge were right. Their dad was not going to give him the position. “This is so fucking bad.”

“It might help your case that you’re well known in the community. A lot of people like you, including Judge Johnson,” Jersey said.

“Building the judge a yacht doesn’t mean I have him in my back pocket. Plus, I sort of deserve whatever I get.” John gripped the back of the passenger seat and let out a growl. “I let him get the best of me. Cocksucker!”

“You went and fell in love. Unbelievable.” Judge let out an annoying laugh.

“I didn’t—”

Jersey held up his hand. “Save it. You did. Belle is always telling me that men who are in love will always do something heroic for the woman they love. You have proved that point. I’m texting Belle right now to tell her.”

John sat back in his seat and let the blur of buildings and houses clear his mind. What was Starr going to think of him? His parents? He closed his eyes, relishing the way the black faded across his brain, making him wish he was ten and hiding in the closet. “Does Dad know?”

Judge shrugged. “I’m assuming he does. Haven’t seen him. But there was a brief snippet about you on Channel 7 this morning. So yeah, I’m sure they know.”

“I hit a cop.”

Jersey snorted. “Tyson’s a jerk. Always has been. Everyone knows it. What did Starr do?”

“I don’t even know. It happened fast. It was one punch, I waved the white flag, and he arrested me. Made his nose bleed.”

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