Page 23 of Chasing Storm

“Uh, yeah there is.” Her hand swipes across the buffet. “I don’t get this at home.”

Elijah and I both laugh at her. “Maybe you should start cooking on a regular basis.”

With a hand on her hip, she narrows her eyes at me and jeers, “I’m not a skilled cook, Joey.”

My back hits the chair and I run my hand over my mouth, hiding my smile. She’s so damn cute when she loses her temper.

Her face softens, and she asks again, “So, we are leaving?”

I fold my hands over my stomach and my eyes shift between her and Elijah. He’s studying both of us, waiting for my reply.

“Yes, today. It’s a long drive back, and I want to see my mom.”

Teagan’s hand falls from her hip. “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Her eyes meet Elijah’s. “I’ve really enjoyed staying here. You’ve been good to us, and I’ll never forget it.”

Elijah shakes his head. “It’s nothing. And you talk as if you’ll never see me again. You forget that Joey’s working for me now.”

It dawns on me that we need to figure out how our working relationship is going to operate. “We haven’t discussed anything about my working from home. I’ve had one of your laptops. How do we want to transfer the information?”

“I have several servers for protection. My IT guy will set up an account for you, and I’ll make sure of your access.”

“Sounds good.” I smack my forehead. “Shit! I forgot about a car.”

“Done.” Teagan and I look at Elijah. “I have five cars in the garage, and another ten at my estate.” Our eyes bug out. “What? Some people collect seashells. I collect cars.” Teagan and I crack up at his admission. “Take one of them.”

“But how am I—”

“Take it, Joe. When you buy yourself a car, I’ll have one of my guys pick it up.”

Elijah and I continue to discuss the business arrangement while Teagan stuffs her face, oblivious to our presence. She tries everything laid out on the buffet and then goes into the kitchen to help the cook pack up some food for our travels.

We say our goodbyes, load the car, and we’re on the road by mid-afternoon. It’s a bad time to get started, but I don’t want to linger too long. I’ve been away from my mom a little over a month, and hearing she’s hurt has me blowing a few speed limits. Because of traffic, we arrive at the house by early morning. I drove straight through, so Teagan and I crash for several hours since Sean and my mom aren’t here yet. It’s great to be back in my own bed.

Chapter 9

I’m woken by a car coming up the drive. We slept for five hours. Joey slits his eyes open, with one hand protecting them from the sun, and the other massaging his cock. My God, the man is a walking hard-on. I know men have an erection when they wake, but Joey sports one wherever we go. He has his own flagpole. I ogle his sleepy face, with his tousled black hair and strands hanging loose over those eyes that captivated me from the start. My gaze ventures down to his muscled, bare chest, scars, and tattoos. A canvas of hardships and creativity to cover it up. He notices me staring and takes my hand, placing it on his erection.

I pull away. “Not now. Someone’s here.”

My clothes are strewn on the floor from when we came home. Slipping them on, I glance out the window to see Sean taking out suitcases from the trunk. A smile splits my face. I’ve missed my friend, and he looks fantastic.

While I skip to the door, I say, “It’s your mom and Sean.”

I run down the stairs, fling open the door, and run toward them. Sean catches me in his arms, spinning me in a circle.

I’m hanging from his neck when he stops spinning and says, “Damn, I missed you, woman.”

Tears break through, and I kiss his cheek. “I missed you, too.”

We squeeze one last time before he places me on the ground and I embrace Joey’s mom, Kara, careful not to hurt her injured wrist. She reciprocates, whispering how much she worried about us. Joey breaks from the house, jogging over to his mom, and sweeps her off her feet in a bear hug. I’m not the only one struggling with tears. Disregarding her splint, her hands pet the back of his hair while crying on his shoulder. The scene continues to create a soppy face for me, and Sean’s and Joey’s glistening eyes haven’t escaped my notice. Even though it seems like we haven’t seen them for a while, it’s only a little over a month. Joey finally puts his mom down.

Kara cups his jaw, and says, “Gosh, I adore this face. It never ceases to amaze me how handsome you are.”

Joey blushes and laughs. “I’m your son. Of course, you think I’m handsome.”

She elbows him in the side and flicks her finger between the two of them. “You have good genes.”

This makes us all laugh. Sean and Joey clap each other on the back, and we move things into the house. Two conversations are carrying on at once, filling everyone in on what has gone on in our absence. We’re wired from lack of sleep, adrenalin, and excitement at seeing one another.

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