Page 20 of Attraction & Repulsion

“. . . and did you go?” Raegan asked. Was there a hint of hope in her voice?

Carson shook her head. “No. I’m not ready for dating. At least, not yet.” Or ever.

“Mind if I join?” Jax had appeared out of thin air, towering over them.

Raegan looked a little annoyed at him for interrupting their girl talk, but said, “Yeah. I need to go get the cake ready anyway. You can keep Carson company.” Raegan lifted her hand, and Jax hoisted her up.

“Don’t you need some help?” Carson asked.

“No, I got it.” Then Raegan grinned wickedly. “Butdon’tthink our conversation is over.” The gold chains around her neck clanged as she turned and strolled back to the house.

Jax took Raegan’s place on the ground. He must not have worried about getting grass stains on his white shirt as he leaned back on his elbows, his long legs sprawled out in front of him, and let out an exhausted sigh.

“Long day?”

“I covered a buddy of mine’s swing shift. I’ve been running on six hours of sleep for the past three days,” Jax said.

“Hunter and Raegan have a huge, expensive bed inside.”

Jax smirked. “Don’t tempt me. I’m just glad I have the next four days off.”

Putting her plate of a half-eaten hotdog and two blueberries on the grass, Carson unfolded her legs and leaned back on her hands, digging her fingers into the cool soil. Then, thinking about the tiny critters who made their home in the lawn, she quickly retracted them.

It had been a while since the last time she saw Jax at the auction a month ago.

Oh. The auction and the stupid green dress.

Hunter’s date with Gloria turned out to be a blast. Besides her wandering hands, he’d thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the old woman.

“How was your date?” Carson asked. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she regretted them. She did not want to know how well it went.

Except her question seemed to drain him. The smile on Jax’s face faded, and his body sagged even more. He stared down at his black Vans.

“That bad?” she asked, trying to sound sympathetic. Secretly, her insides were dancing with glee.

“Worse,” he said. “She was supposed to meet me at the restaurant but showed up almost an hour late. Then she was downing martini after martini. When she wasn’t drinking, she was talking about either herself or her ex-husbands.” He paused to rub his eyes with his forefinger and thumb.

“Classy,” Carson murmured sarcastically.

“That’s not all.” Jax stopped rubbing his eyes. “She got so drunk she started taking her clothes off. The cab could not have picked her up soon enough.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Carson was sorry. But only a little.

“Thanks, but I feel bad for her though,” he said. “I really have the best luck with women, don’t I?”

A scuffle drew their attention back to the house. Hunter was wrestling with a few of the guys, hooting as they took jabs at one another. Someone put him in a headlock, and he reciprocated by hooking his leg around theirs to trip them up.

“Are they always like that?” Carson asked.

Jax glanced back at her, looking grateful that she changed the subject. “Yes, but they’re family so you get used to it.”

“You like being a firefighter?”

“I do.”

“What made you decide to be one?”

Jax gave her his full attention, the scuffle forgotten. “When I was a kid, my dad was drunker than usual. He fell asleep with a lit cigarette—yes, it does actually happen—and the carpet caught fire. My oldest brother saw the flames, and by the time the fire department came the fire was completely out. We ended up having to toss the couch and curtains. It took my ma a while to scrub the black off the ceiling so we didn’t have to look at it anymore.

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