Page 38 of Justice for Radar

We strolled hand in hand, quietly talking about this and that and nothing at all really and with every step, she seemed to grow more comfortable, more confident, and I liked that. I wasn’t surprised, per se, but I was definitely delighted with this version of Justice. She was sweet, funny, and unsurprisingly, kind. We walked for about an hour and then I realized we were getting a bit far and so I turned us back.

It was pretty close to full dark when we got back to the marina, Jussy with a pocket full of shells. We threw on our boots for the short ride home and I said to her, “Come here,” before she could get on the bike behind me.

“What?” she asked smiling, and I lifted myself up and scooted back. I pulled her down onto the bike in front of me, her back to the handlebars, and hands on her ass, pulled her close to where she was sitting in my lap. She yipped and put her hands on my shoulders to steady herself and looked down at me from her superior height brought on by the position we were in curiously.

“I know you head home the day after tomorrow, but I don’t want to give you up,” I told her. “I want to kiss you. I want to know you, and when you go, I most definitely want to keep in touch,” I said. “I just need to know if you want the same.”

She stared into my eyes from inches away, searching them out in the gloam of twilight, and I waited patiently, letting her see that I was dead fucking serious.

She cradled my face between her hands and pressed her lips to mine as though she were afraid if she didn’t take the leap right then and there, that she never would.

She tasted just as sweet as I thought she would her tongue hot and velvet against my own as it boldly swept over mine. I kissed her back, just as hot, just as fierce, and I cursed myself that I was going to try tonight when I got her home. I was going to make us some drinks, curl on the sofa with her, and watch something and then I was going to take this woman to bed. I wanted it – wantedher, so fucking bad and I hoped like hell she would be down with my plan and would let me love her body.

She tore her mouth from mine, gasping, looking to the sky for a moment. I touched the side of her face and brought her forehead to mine and said gently, “Breathe, just breathe. Everything’s all good.” I sighed and looked up, groaning, “God I want more of that,” before I captured her mouth with my own once more.

She whimpered against my lips and scooched forward, writhing against me just a little and I know she felt my boner through my shorts. I half groaned, half growled into her mouth and felt her gasp, and it was a good gasp. Not afraid, no that gasp was most definitely one of desire.

“Well, shit. Look at you go.” Justice jumped and tore her mouth from mine once more and I rolled my eyes.

“You fucker,” I grated out at Atlas who laughed.

“Where you been all day, man?”

“Sugarland,” I said. “And then a sunset walk on the beach. You fuckin’ mind?” I gave him a warning look and a wink. “I’m trying to romance this woman right here.”

Justice had the back of her hand pressed to her swollen lips and her face turned away from me and my partner.

He jerked his head in her direction and grinned, forcing down a laugh. I glared a warning at him.

“Catch anything?” I asked and Atlas shook his head.

“Naw, but it was good times on the pier,” he said, shifting his stance, his pole bouncing, his cooler dangling from his other hand, a bucket at an awkward angle with it.

“Better luck next time,” I said mildly, and he nodded. When she realized she wasn’t going to be made fun of or some shit, Justice eased her posture and turned to look. Atlas gave her a kind smile and a wink, and her cheeks flamed but she didn’t look away.

“Right, I’ll let you two lovebirds go back at it,” Atlas said, and he wandered away, across the lot to his old pickup he used to go fishing and haul shit if he needed to.

I shook my head, Justice gazing after him and then turning back to me.

“You two have known each other a long time, haven’t you?” she asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah, we knew each other before either of us joined the club,” I answered. “We both worked for the same bail bonds company but didn’t really connect and become friends until after my best buddy died.”

“Oh, I’m sorry again… that your friend died…”

I shrugged and though it hurt, the hurt had dulled with time.

“Was a long time ago,” I said and sighed.

“Yes, but sometimes things like that no matter how old hit like it was just yesterday,” she murmured, and I looked at her.

I bit my lips together and nodded, finally letting them go so I could say: “Let’s go back to the house, I’ll make us up a couple of drinks and then we can watch a movie or something before going to bed.”

She nodded, and I let her get up. “That sounds good, actually,” she said, and I smiled.

What sounded good was having her lithe body up against mine on the couch, where I could slide my hands over her and learn her body, wake up those nerves, and low-key excite us both before we retired to the bedroom.

Even if she grew skittish or decided she didn’t want to go that far, I would be cool with it. The truth of the matter? Having her at the house made me realize I’d been lonely for a while. Deprived of physical contact, and I probably needed something good just as much as she did.

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