Page 100 of Never You

“She’s my niece. I’m her aunt. That’s my husband. My sister was her mother.” She points at Christopher, who’s briefly been introduced to me, grilling burgers behind the barbeque. “We took her in after the crash.”

My head starts to spin, and I’m not sure if I’m hearing her correctly.

“What crash?” I ask, a lump forming in the back of my throat.

She sighs, closing her eyes for a brief moment. “I already assumed she didn’t tell you. When she was nine, they took a trip to the Bahamas. The plane had a malfunction. It crashed into the sea in front of the coast of Miami. My sister and my brother-in-law didn’t survive, along with a hundred other passengers. Only ten people survived. Rae was one of them.”

A tight feeling forms around my throat, and I just blink, shocked. It feels as if time slows down while a cold shiver makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

The planes.

How did I miss that?

“She doesn’t fly,” I breathe, suddenly realizing why.

June shakes her head. “When we arrived in Miami, the government arranged a flight for us back to North Carolina, along with the bodies of my sister and brother-in-law. But we couldn’t get Rae onto that plane. She went ballistic. The only option was to drug her, but I refused. We rented a car to get back home. She has refused to fly ever since. I tried. Johnny tried. She doesn’t fly.”

“I didn’t know.” It’s all I can say, trying to wrap my head around what I just found out.

“I know.” June’s voice is soft and friendly, but there is an urgency detectable. “I don’t want this to be one of those cliché things, where you get schooled and questioned by every person in the family about the girl you fell in love with. Because, yeah, my mother isn’t the only one who notices the longing looks across the yard. I think the whole party knows.” She gives me a coy but loving smile. “And I’m pretty sure I know her well enough to know she feels the same. But she’s been hurt and never fully recovered. That Sean Kent guy screwing around didn’t help, although she’s too proud to admit. Caring for someone scares her. She will push you away. But she’s worth sticking around for.”

My chin moves a bit up, my shoulders relaxing as I exhale deeply, believing every word she’s saying.

“I know, ma’am. And I want to fight for her.”

30

I’m catching up with my next-door neighbor Rita when two big arms slide around my waist as a kiss is being pressed to the crook of my neck. Goosebumps trickle down my skin, accompanied by a heavy flutter in my stomach, my knees growing weak.

“Hey, baby,” Jensen whispers in my ear, then tugs my back against his chest before he offers a wave to Rita. “Hi, I’m Jensen.”

“Rita,” she replies, fluttering her lashes like she’s about to take off.

“Do you mind me stealing her away for a second?” He must be using all his charm because Rita’s cheeks turn a rosy pink, and she nods her head with a flirtatious smile.

I mumble asorrybefore he walks us backward, leading me to the gate on the right side of the yard that leads back to the driveway. When we are out of sight, he presses me against the sheltered part of the carport, his lips finding mine with passion. I moan against his mouth, fisting his shirt in my hand while my pussy is screaming to be touched.

God, this man turns me on so bad.

“I’m pissed at you,” he breathes against my lips between kisses.

“You don’t seem pissed,” I muse, grinding my hips against his body.

The bulge pressing against his zipper tells me he ain’t as pissed off as he’s telling me.

“I am.”

“Hmm, why is that?” I’m only half listening, too occupied digging my nails into his back. He awakens every fiber in my body, effortlessly sucking me into his energy, dying to bury myself in his arms. As soon as he’s within a two-yard radius, I can’t break loose, even if I tried.

“It’s your birthday.” I can hear the disappointment in his voice, and my guilt makes me pause as I look up at him with regret in my eyes.

It was a shitty thing to do, not telling him it was my birthday. I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want him to feel like he had to do anything about it. He was going to be pissed about that either way, but I thought it would just be a family dinner, like we always do. I figured I could tell him when I showed him the guest room, when we were alone. He’d probably growl at me, we’d have dinner with my family, and then I would make it up to him later. Never in a million years did I expect to walk into a surprise party with half the neighborhood present.

For my twenty-first birthday? Sure.

My twenty-fifth? I guess.

But not for my fucking twenty-fourth.

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