Page 29 of I'll Carry You

At last, headlights shone into the front windows and his phone buzzed with a notification. As though he hadn’t noticed.

She chewed on her lip, then glanced back at him. “All right. I guess I’ll just see you around.”

He nodded, keeping her at arm’s length. What was he supposed to say? His shoulders tensed. “Good night, Jen.” A flash of hurt crossed her features.

She started to let herself out, then stopped as though caught by an impulse. Crossing the space between them, she tilted her head to the side and stood on her tiptoes.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then dragged her lips over to his ear. “You better not leave this town before we finish this.” She stepped back with a coy smile on her mouth. “We’re on pause. Not stop. Got it?” She pulled her phone out. “What’s your number? I’m texting you later tonight.”

A chuckle rumbled in his chest.This woman.Giving her his number was the total antithesis of casual sex, but he gave it to her anyway. She slipped out into the night, and he watched her go, his jaw tight. He didn’t want to get enough of her, and it was killing him.

ChapterTen

“Mommy,can I play the caterpillar game?”

Colby’s voice sounded behind Jen, and she turned to look at him. He was already dressed for church, and she was still in her pajamas. Thank goodness for her mother. She grabbed a brush from the dresser and brushed his wavy locks to the side. “Maybe just for a couple of minutes while Mama gets ready.”

He held his hands out eagerly. Grabbing her phone from the dresser, she smiled to herself. She’d exchanged a few sexy texts with Jason throughout the night, and for the first time, she’d woken up feeling a little more hopeful about her dismal love life. But she didn’t want Colby to come across them, even if he couldn’t read. Closing her messages, she opened the game app and handed the phone to him.

He left the room with a bounce, traveling down the hallway. She closed the door behind him and went to the closet. Keeping some clothes here came in handy on days like this.

She’d spent the night at her parents’ house rather than dragging Colby to their apartment in the middle of the night. Something about sending secret messages to a guy while spending the night in her old bedroom at home made her feel like she was in high school again sneaking around, though.

And it was precisely why she didn’t want to move home. Her parents were wonderful and helpful, but she’d struggled too hard to prove she could make it on her own. Have her own freedom. She was sick of always being the screwup who had to come home with her hand out.

She threw her hair up into a ponytail and then started on her makeup. Knowing that a guy out there thought she was still sexy enough for a random hookup felt like a confidence boost. Especially when it was a man like Jason. She’d never met someone like him before.

A few minutes later, a soft knock sounded on her door. Checking her watch, she frowned. If she didn’t step it up, she’d make her parents late for church. “I’m almost ready, Mom.” She went to the door and opened it, then startled.

Dan stood at the door, arms crossed. What was her brother doing here?

“Hey.” She grinned. “What’s up?”

Dan waved her phone. “You got a text message while Colby was playing with it.”

She felt the blood drain from her face as she reached for it.Oh no.

Holding the phone back, away from her, Dan’s dark eyes grew even darker. “Who’s Jason?”

She snatched the phone from his grip. “None of your business.”

“It’s my business when your son tries to figure out how to clear the message ‘still woke up wanting to fuck you’ from his game.” Dan’s eyes flashed. He looked down the hallway and stepped inside, lowering his voice. As he closed the door, he hissed, “Can you imagine if Colby had given that to Mom or Dad to clear?”

“It’s still none of your business.” But his words found their mark. A stab of guilt went through her. “And thank you for not saying anything to them.”

She cleared the message from her screen and put the phone face down on the dresser. Her face burned. If there was one person she didn’t want to have this conversation with, it was Dan. She wished he would leave, but his stance made it clear he had no intention of going anywhere. He crossed his arms. “So who is he? I thought you were dating some guy named Brad?”

“Brad dumped me.” Jen shrugged as though it was old news. It really wasn’t, but it felt like it. “Because I kissed Jason on Friday.”

“When did this happen?” Dan looked less than pleased. God, no wonder her brother intimidated guys. He filled up the entire door frame. And he was a cop.

“When didwhathappen?”

“When did Brad dump you?”

“Um...last night.” Jen searched under the bed for her heels.

“He dumped you last night? And you’re already exchanging texts like this with Jason? Jason who?”

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