Page 7 of Volatile

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Chapter Three

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Jon relished the achein his arms, the tightening of his muscles when he came down hard on the walnut, gaining satisfaction when the wood split in two. The sweat dripped down his chest, and he was hot as fuck, but he wanted to swing that ax until he had nothing left inside him. He wanted to crumble into an exhausted pile after a job well done.

A whistle caught his attention, and he swung his head around and smiled. Cherise was standing there with a glass of lemonade, imitating a stereotypical horny housewife flirting with the hired hand.

He set the ax down and gratefully took the glass, chugging it all. He raked his eyes over her slowly. “You sure you’re not into men, sweetheart?”

I can see why Ian is so fond of you, sweetheart. You’re just his type. You may be submissive, Julia, but you’re far from trained. You’re wild and running free. You need someone to tame you properly.

Cherise ran a finger over his bicep, snapping the intrusive thought from his head. “If I ever switch over, you’ll be the first to know.” She fanned her face, and he blew her a kiss.

Jacque yelled out the back window, “Hey, what’s going on out there?”

“Just playing with your girlfriend, that’s all.” He winked at Cherise, and she performed a dramatic swoon that ended with him catching her.

“Well, stop it. She’s mine.” Jacque came out the door and up behind Cherise, grabbing her around the waist. “You’re just jealous that I found someone hotter than you.”

Jon laughed and grabbed the heavy tool again, cleaving another log in two. He’d put in another good half hour of work, and then he’d need to leave to clean up for his afternoon session. Jacque had called him the night before after a tree had fallen on her property, and he’d come over that morning before the sun was barely up to take care of it for her. The tree wasn’t overly big, maybe a good fifty feet, and nothing a chainsaw wouldn’t take care of relatively quickly. He’d finished off by chopping the pieces into sizes she could use in her fireplace come winter.

“Jon, that’s plenty. You must be drained,” Jacque said.

“Nah, I’m good.” He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “I’m almost done anyway.”

He hauled and stacked the logs neatly in her shed, despite her protest. Yes, she was fully capable of doing this part later herself, but he’d offered to help so he was going to finish the job. His body was screaming at him, but at the same time, he was content. Best workout he’d had in a long time.

Rubbing his shoulders, he went over to Jacque and Cherise where a fresh glass was waiting for him. He downed it before taking a seat. It was another unseasonably warm spring day, warmer than he’d like for humping wood, but a little sweat was good for him. He looked up—had the sky always been so damn blue? Shit, he really needed to get out more.

“I never got a chance to ask—how was your first meeting with Lily the other day?” Jacque said, and Cherise leaned forward, obviously interested as well.

Jon wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. “I agree, something else is up, but I think I’ll be able to work with her.”

Cherise reached over and patted his hand. “Good luck. Ivy’s beside herself. It’s really taking a toll on her. Older sister syndrome, you know. She feels responsible.”

“Yeah, but I have a much better chance of making headway if Ivy steps back, which I’m not even sure she’s capable of doing.” He turned to Jacque. “Now I see why you turned this case over to me.”

“That’s not why, and you know it.”

“Ivy’s very protective over Lily,” Cherise said, “and she has a strong personality. Just put yourself in her place. I know you’d take down anyone who hurt someone you cared about, no questions asked.”

“Speaking of Lily...” Jon stood up. “I need to take off, get home and shower before I have to be in the office.”

After a round of thank-yous and goodbyes, he loaded up his car with his tools and made the short drive home. He was sticky, grimy, and couldn’t get his body under the pounding water fast enough. The hot stream recharged him, making him ready for his first appointment of the day.

He waited for Lily in the small lobby, watching her through the window as she came up the path to his office door. The jeep pulled away from the curb as soon as Jon opened the door, noting a man behind the wheel.

Lily stepped inside. “Boyfriend?” he asked, and she snorted.

“Yeah, like I’d ever go for someone like that.”

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