Page 62 of Average Joe

“Bill was a con man. Married Alice for her money.” I stood straight, bracing for the weight of my confession. “Unfortunately, she figured that out too late. Alice didn’t believe in divorce, but she did move into her own home.”

Ginger trotted into the room and claimed her pillow.

“Money?” Marley whispered, staring through me, her eyes unfocused as if working something out in her head. “She barely scraped by these past few years.”

There’d been little cash left in Alice’s bank accounts when she passed, which made no sense. She’d lectured me for years on the importance of saving.

“She inherited over five million when her grandfather passed. Married Bill shortly after.” I fought against the sting in the backs of my eyes, blinking, swallowing the lump in my throat. “She was nineteen, he was twenty-two, and from what I’ve heard, a charmer, though I never found a redeeming quality in the man.”

“I had no idea.” Marley pushed to stand. “For the last three years, I paid most of her bills.” The look on her face reflected utter confusion.

“What do you mean, you paid her bills?”

Marley stared long and hard over my shoulder, unblinking. Her chest rose and fell, and she seemed resigned by the time her eyes met mine. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

Yeah, she wasn’t leaving that comment to hang in the air. “Matters to me.”

With a huff, she conceded, “She left mail laying around all the time. Shut-off notices, late notices. I asked about them once. She assured me everything was under control, but the bills kept coming.” She shrugged, her voice going soft. “I knew she wouldn’t accept my help, so when she wasn’t looking, I snagged them and made sure they got paid.”

My heart swelled. Yeah, Marley wanted the world to see her cold, hard, jagged edges, but inside, that woman was nothing but fluff.

“Stealing mail?” I teased, a pathetic attempt to cut the tension. “You little thief.”

Unamused, Marley asked, “Joe?”

“Yeah, gorgeous?”

“Why did she keep all of this from me?”

God, I wanted to kiss that pout away. “Alice was a proud, stubborn woman.” Unable to stay my distance, I edged forward, closer to her. I cupped that sad face and caressed her soft skin because I needed the warmth of her flesh under my fingertips. “Obviously, my aunt was bonkers. I mean, jewelry in the cupboards, unpaid bills when she had always been a whiz with her finances. Always digging up and replanting those damn rose bushes. I found half-smoked stogies shoved down the sink. Yards and yards of PVC pipe in the basement.”

Dewy eyes met mine. Marley released a soft laugh and dropped her forehead to my chest. “PVC pipe?”

“What the hell, right?” I chuckled. “I’d give my left testicle to hear Alice explain that purchase.”

“She used to make late-night trips to Home Depot. I caught her a few times, tried to help her unload her car, but she shooed me away like she had a big secret.”

Delightfully eccentric, my aunt. “God, I loved that woman.”

“Me, too.” Marley gave me one last squeeze, then stepped away, my chest caving with every inch of distance that came between us.

“Marley,” came out of my mouth, quick and desperate. I pulled her back to me, then caught her chin.

I wanted so much from this woman. Conversations. Laughter. Smiles. Her tears. I wanted to be the man who made her moan, the reason she was happy to wake up in the morning. I wanted more Alice stories.

I did not want her to leave.

Her head tilted up, mine down. Mere breaths separated us and, sweet temptation, her mouth was parted, those lips soft and edible, her minty breath a tease and an invitation.

“I should go,” she said on a soft exhale.

Her half-mast lids and the glow on her skin told me she wanted a kiss as much as I did. She wantedme. Still, she held back, but not because she believed I was a criminal. Deeper, darker issues lurked behind that lusty gaze.

To test my theory, I dipped closer. Marley did not disappoint. Her lids fell closed, and she readied for a taste, but I didn’t follow through. I caressed her dewy lip with my thumb, then slid my hand to the back of her head, tangled her hair in my fingers, and I held her there, wanting. But I wouldn’t take, not this time. The next move was hers to make.

Freed from the spell, her eyes snapped open, the lust morphing into that scowl I craved.

Sweet torture.

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