Old Habits Page 7

  I’m nervous but, again, not the same kind. Back then, I had to worry about his parents or his sister barging in without knocking and catching us snuggled up together under the sheets. Not that we ever did anything too dirty in his parents’ house but good luck trying to convince them of that.

  No, I only slept in Will’s bed during times when I had nowhere else to go. It was the only safe and warm place I knew I could always trust.

  It’s good to know that even after everything, Will still thinks so, too.

  I turn over and look at the door, feeling my heart twist a little deeper in my chest. I can’t stop thinking that any moment now, the doorknob will turn and Will will step inside. He’ll walk over and stand above the bed, silently gazing at me until he reaches down to brush a strand of hair off my cheek.

  The fantasy plays out in my head, complete with him kissing me as I open the covers to him.

  But it can’t be like that.

  It won’t be like that.

  Whatever ship Will and I potentially had sailed a long time ago and got wrecked out on a deserted island somewhere.

  I adjust the pillow beneath my head and take a deep breath as his scent invades my nose. I close my eyes and curl my toes. Warmth rolls down my spine, coursing through my limbs until it settles in my core and throbs softly with my rhythmic pulse.

  Will is in the very next room. It’d be so easy to slip out of bed and go see him. I know that he’ll feel me standing over him. He’ll open his eyes and sit up with concern for me and ask what was wrong.

  I wouldn’t even have to say a word. I could lower down and straddle his waist. He’d place his hands on my hips and draw me just a little bit closer until our lips touched.

  I’d feel his bulge growing beneath me and my core swelling to take him again. His fingers would crawl beneath my shirt to cup my breasts and my nipples would grow hard against his palms.

  Our lips would never stop moving. Our bodies would grind and tease each other. He wouldn’t object when I reached down to free his erection and I’d moan his name as I penetrated myself with it.

  My heat would spike and his hips would rock. Four years of built-up tensions would implode on us and there’s nothing either of us would do to stop it.

  I let out a soft, inaudible whimper as I come against my hand. My fingers rest as my blood pumps and my muscles twitch. Ripples of pleasure dance throughout my body and I focus hard on not making a sound.

  I roll over, burying my nose in his pillow again. Hopefully, that’s the only time I’ll have to force this urge out of my system but that dull throbbing between my legs refuses to let me go.

  ***

  Early sunlight shines through the windows. The curtains aren’t thick enough to block them out and I think to give Will shit about that but then I realize that he probably keeps them open like that on purpose.

  He’s not the same kid I grew up with.

  Back then, he was lazy and cocky and didn’t think twice about sleeping until after noon. Now, he’s responsible. He owns his own house and has a schedule to keep. The sun isn’t his enemy anymore.

  Maybe I could learn a thing or two from new Will Myers.

  I step out into the hallway in search for the bathroom and run right into Will’s bare chest.

  “Oh, sorry…” I say, hopping back and forcing my eyes down to my feet.

  “It’s okay…” He does the same but his gaze stops about halfway down my body. “Nice,” he says, gesturing to the shirt.

  I grab the bottom and force it downward to cover my upper thighs. “Yeah… I, uh…” I feign a laugh. “I didn’t want to sleep in my jeans in your bed and then I forgot I wasn’t wearing them…”

  “It’s fine.” He nods. “I won’t look.”

  “Thanks.”

  I push my hair behind my ear with my free hand, cursing to myself as my fingers immediately get tangled in whatever nest has taken over up there.

  He points to the bathroom. “Did you need to…?”

  “Yes.” I nod a few times. “But you can go first.”

  “No, I insist.” He shifts back. “You’re my guest.”

  I step forward, cutting off his path as I pass in front of him.

  “Don’t wait for me,” he says.

  I freeze mid-stride and look up at him again. “Huh?”

  He holds out his hand. There’s a piece of folded notebook paper clenched in his fist.

  I sigh. “Will…”

  “Don’t wait for me?” he repeats.

  “You said you didn’t get that.”

  “I went back and found it in my room yesterday. It fell behind my dresser. Don’t wait for me?”

  “Stop saying it.”

  “You obviously felt they were very important or else you wouldn’t have chosen them to be the last words you ever said to me, Jovie.”

  “What else was there to say? I knew how you’d react to me leaving.”

  “But you did it anyway.”

  “Because I knew you could do better.”

  “I didn’t want better,” he says. “I wanted you. Proposing was a bad idea, I know that now. Breaking up with you wasn’t much better, either. But I wanted you.” He stares at me with hard, unblinking eyes. “I still do.”

  Will drops the note and rests his hand against my cheek. I fight the urge to turn into it but my body refuses to listen. His strong fingers slide back under my ear and I tilt my face upward.

  Our lips touch. Warm breath slips between them but neither of us move. We linger together, hovering in a state of shock and wanting until I feel his bottom lip quiver against mine.

  The kiss is soft at first but grows firmer as Will’s arm curls around me. I grip his bare waist as my knees threaten to let me fall and he pulls me even closer against him. My lips part for his tongue as his hand slides from my cheek down my body, gliding from my heaving breasts to crawl beneath the bottom of my shirt.

  His finger hooks my panties as a knock pounds on the front door.

  “Yo, Will! Rise and shine!”

  We pull apart. He lets go of me and I hesitate before taking my hands off him.

  “It’s Tucker,” he says.

  “Yeah.” I wipe my tingling lips. “I should grab my stuff and get out of here.”

  “Well…” Another knock cuts the silence but he ignores it. “You don’t have to leave—”

  “Will!”

  He sighs and holds up a finger. “Just hang on a second. Don’t go anywhere. Please.”

  I smile as he rushes to the living room but reality sinks in deeper with every step he takes toward the front door.

  This can’t happen again.

  Chapter 13

  Will

  I blow a raspberry, trying to make my lips feel less numb but Jovie’s essence still overwhelms them.

  One kiss. Just one kiss and I’m eighteen again. If Tucker hadn’t have knocked on the door, I would have picked her up and carried her to my bed. Hell, I might do just that as soon as I get rid of him.

  I take a quick, calming breath and throw on a poker face before opening the door.

  “Hey, Tucker,” I say, keeping myself planted in the door frame. “What’s up?”

  “I was in the neighborhood.” His eyes drift over my shoulder. “Just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to get some pancakes or something before work.”

  “No, thanks. I’ll pass.”

  “You sure?” Again, his eyes target around me. “A man’s gotta eat.”

  “I have food here.”

  He squints at me. “All right. If you say so…” he says, taking a quick step back. “Hey, since I’m here, you wanna fill me in on what happened with Jovie last night?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “I woke her up and took her home. Talked to Hank for a bit to calm him down and that was it.”

  He nods. “Ahh… that’s strange because I was just over there and he said she never came back last night.”

  “He was pretty drunk,” I lie. “I mean,
I doubt he remembers much at all. Classic Hank, you know?”

  “So, where’s Jovie now?”

  “You got me, man. Did you try the toy store?”

  “Doesn’t open until nine-thirty.”

  I wet my lips, still tasting a little bit of Jovie on them as my patience dwindles. “I don’t know where she is.”

  “Well, I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Right.” I nod.

  His eyes flick over my head again. “So, what are you making for breakfast?”

  I grunt through my teeth. “Fine.”

  He flinches as I reach out to grab his collar. I tug him inside and take one quick scan of the empty street before slamming the door closed behind us.

  “Jovie’s here,” I whisper.

  Tucker points a finger at me. “I knew it!”

  “It’s not what you think, Tuck. I slept on the couch.”

  “Pfft! Yeah, sure you did!”

  I point at it behind him, noting the pillow and blanket still slumped along it.

  “Oh…” His smug grin fades. “Then, why lie about it?”

  “Because you’re a gossip and I don’t want everyone in town whispering and giggling about Jovie’s private family business anymore. They’ve been through enough.”

  He gasps. “I am not a gossip.”

  I raise a brow. “Then, prove it. Don’t tell anyone she stayed here last night.”

  “I won’t,” he says, fishing into his pocket for his phone.

  I glare at it in his hand. “What are you doing?”

  “Checking the weather.”

  “You just came in from outside.”

  “Checking tomorrow’s weather.”

  I snatch the phone from his hand. “Stay here.”

  Tucker crosses his arms and sulks while I head back into the hallway. Jovie’s gone, no longer standing between the bedroom and the bathroom. I check the latter first but it’s empty.

  “Jovie?” I ask, standing outside the closed bedroom door. I give it quick knock and I hear her shuffling behind it.

  It opens on her, now fully dressed. She’s combed the adorable knots out of her hair, too.

  “Is he gone?” she asks.

  “No.”

  “Does he know I’m here?”

  “Yes.”

  She steps back with rolling eyes. “Perfect. I’m sure the Mayor will be briefed by noon.”

  I move inside and close the door behind us. She scoops her boots off the floor and sits down on the bed to slip them on, moving fast with erratic, twitching fingers. Either she’s incredibly upset by Tucker’s sudden presence or that kiss shook her up as much as it did me.

  “Listen, Jovie,” I say, “if that ever happens with Hank again, I want you to know that you can come here.”

  “Okay.”

  “No questions asked. You ever need help, with anything, I’m here.”

  She nods as she zips up her boots. “Well, it won’t happen again but thanks for the offer.”

  “I think we both know you can’t predict what Hank will do—”

  “It won’t happen again, Will,” she repeats as she stands up. “Nothing about last night will happen again or… this morning.”

  I exhale. “Jove—”

  “It was a mistake.” She grabs her bag off the floor. “Plain and simple.”

  “Nothing about that kiss was plain or simple,” I argue.

  “I felt guilty and you’re really hot with your shirt off.” She gestures at my bare chest. “Plain, meet simple.”

  “I haven’t touched another woman since you left and that kiss meant more to me than our first one,” I tell her. “Complex, meet complicated.”

  Jovie closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them again. “I have to go now.”

  I step to the side to let her pass, far too beaten down to argue with her any further. Her boots stomp through the house and I hear Tucker greet her in the living room.

  “Hey, Jovie!”

  “Hi, Tucker.”

  “You all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  The door opens and closes just as fast. I wait a few moments, listening to Jovie’s boots as they stomp down to the sidewalk, before following into the living room.

  Tucker stands by the door, awkwardly chewing on his thumbnail. “So, uh…” he chuckles, “did I interrupt something here?”

  I toss his phone back to him and it bounces twice in his hands before he finally catches it. “I’ll see you at work, Tuck.”

  “See ya…” He nods slowly and backs up toward the door. “Hey, Will.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You all right?” he asks.

  “I’m fine.”

  He shakes his head, laughing quietly as he walks outside. “You two really need to get your shit together.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I say. “Hey, Tuck…”

  He throws up a scout’s honor. “It dies with me.”

  I nod. “Thank you.”

  Tucker closes the door behind him, leaving me to my own pathetic misery. I stare at the floor, feeling a strange, overwhelming sensation creeping up my ankles, taking hold of my legs and spine all the way to my forehead.

  Jovie Ross was in my house.

  She slept in my bed.

  I kissed her. She kissed me back, whether she wants to admit that or not.

  The last time we were together like this, I didn’t know it was going to be the last time. If I had known that, I would have stopped and taken the time to memorize every second of our last kiss.

  I had her in my arms again after spending years without her. There’s no way in hell I’m going to never let that happen again.

  Plain, meet simple.

  Chapter 14

  Jovie

  Fairy tales are stupid.

  They’re just not realistic. I’m not just talking about the personified animals or the magic fairy dust or anything like that. Just the idea that someday, a handsome prince is gonna show up out of nowhere, solve all my problems, and whisk me away to some kingdom somewhere where I’ll want for nothing for the rest of my days.

  It sounds awfully similar to what people say life in Clover is supposedly like.

  Welcome to Clover, Kansas! The Forgotten Paradise.

  Move here. Fall in love. Get married in the town square.

  Buy yourselves a two-bedroom bungalow on First Street and nine months later, fill it with a baby or two. Or three.

  Kick back. Relax. Because nothing bad ever happens in Clover freakin’ Kansas.

  This is Paradise.

  But what do Clover and fairy tales really have in common? They’re both fiction.

  And who the hell looks this good in a bright blue dress, anyway?

  I flick the toy box and it tumbles off the shelf to the floor.

  Take that, Cinderella.

  Also, your shoes are ugly and unfeasible.

  Okay, I might be projecting some issues on innocent cartoon characters right now but it’s a hell of a lot better than obsessing over that kiss.

  I bend down to pick up the box, casually turning it over to check for any noticeable dents before placing it back on the shelf.

  “Jovie!”

  I poke my head around the corner. “Yeah?”

  Mr. Trin holds up the phone by the register. “You have a call.” I walk over to take it but he pulls it out of reach. “You’re a little jumpy today,” he says.

  “No, I’m not.”

  He squints and drops the phone into my open palm.

  “This is Jovie,” I say into it.

  “Hey, ‘cuz. It’s Tucker.”

  “Oh, hi. What’s up?”

  “Just calling to let you know that that part finally came in and your car is ready.”

  I bite my inner cheek, suddenly remembering the crushing bill I’m about to stick on my credit card. “Cool. Thanks, Tucker. I’ll come by and pick it up on my break today.”

  “See you then!”

  I hang up and turn around to
go pretend to straighten more crap as Mr. Trin speaks up.

  “You can go now,” he says.

  “You sure?” I pause. “You’d be the only one here.”

  He stares at his paper. “The only rush this place has had so far today is you stomping around the doll aisle talking to yourself.”

  “I wasn’t talking to myself.”

  His eyes peek over his glasses. “Boy trouble?”

  I sigh. “A little, I just don’t know how to deal with—”

  “That wasn’t an invitation to chat.”

  “Okay, fine.” I yank the strings on my smock. “I’ll go get my car.”

  “Super.” He folds the paper in half and leans back in his chair.

  I grab my jacket from the office and throw it on as I step outside. I shiver, just like I did earlier this morning while I was pinned to the wall. Will Myers. His lips on mine. His hands on my ass. Mine on his toned chest and yes, I’m pretty sure I felt his erection on my hip, too. If Tucker didn’t knock in that moment, I might have even reached for it.

  This is all my fault. My design, even. Part of me knew exactly what would happen if I came back to Clover and Will hadn’t have settled down with some other woman yet. I wanted this but I was never prepared for it, if that makes any sense at all.

  I pause in front of Marv’s, quickly scanning the open garage door for signs of Will but I don’t see him anywhere. Hopefully, he’s not working the front desk. I don’t really want to see him right now and I sure as hell don’t want him staring at me while I pay a bill I can’t afford.

  I walk inside and Tucker waves at me from the stool behind the counter. “Hey, Jovie!”

  “Hey, Tuck.” I shuffle over and reach into my coat pocket for my wallet. “How much is it again?”

  He sets my keys down in front of me. “Seven-hundred and nineteen dollars and thirty-four cents.”

  I groan. “Okay…”

  “But no worries,” he says, “it’s already been paid.”

  “Paid?” I blink. “It’s been paid?”

  “It’s been paid.”

  “I didn’t pay it.”

  “Well, it’s been paid.”

  “But I didn’t pay it.”

  “Somebody paid it.”