The Promise (Neighbor from Hell #10)(59)

“Why don’t we take separate cars?” Joey suggested, licking her lips nervously because she really didn’t think this was such a good idea anymore.

“Easier just to take one car,” Jackson said, already heading toward her car.

“But I cleaned and everything,” Matt grumbled as Reed led her over to her car where he popped the back, tossed his bag inside, and-That was it.

There were no lingering touches, smoldering looks, or anything that gave away any indication that she meant anything to him, which was fine. More than fine, because that’s what she wanted. In fact, if she was going to be completely honest, and why wouldn’t she be? She’d have to say that she was actually relieved that she didn’t have to worry about him distracting her with those kisses and caresses that she liked so much. It made it easier to focus on other things.

Like this morning when she’d found herself curled up alone in her bed. Thanks to Reed, she’d been able to finish the lesson plans for the rest of the year, finally unpack her bags, Google kitty names and spent an hour trying to lure the aforementioned unnamed kitten from beneath her dresser, packed her camping gear, cooked enough food to last her through the weekend, and was ready to go by five this morning, which left her with plenty of time to take a long hot shower so that she could panic in peace. She would have preferred the safety of Reed’s arms instead, but clearly, that wasn’t an option, which was fine.

More than fine.

“What about work?” Matt asked as he reluctantly gave up hopes of taking his truck and began loading his stuff into the back of her car.

“Done,” Reed said, grabbing the large cooler that had taken her over twenty minutes and five attempts to drag outside and carried it around to the other side like it weighed nothing and slid it into the backseat.

More than fine, she tried to tell herself even as she couldn’t help but wonder if they’d notice if she took this opportunity to sneak off and hide like the coward that she was, because she really wasn’t sure that she would be able to make it through the next forty-eight hours without doing something that she was going to-

“We have a problem.”

“What problem?” Jackson asked as Joey followed Matt’s frown and nearly sighed with relief when she saw the problem.

“There’s not enough room,” Reed said, gesturing toward the space in the backseat that was just big enough for one person, which meant that she had the excuse that she needed to get out of this before it was too late.

“Joey can sit on my lap,” Matt offered with a heartfelt sigh.

“Did you want me to kill you?” Jackson drawled as he took a step toward Matt and-

“She can sit with me,” Reed finally said as he shoved his brother toward the front seat and before she could make another suggestion, she found herself sitting on Reed’s lap and trying to figure out how she was going to make it through this weekend alive.

---

“What’s going on with my sister?” Jackson finally asked the question that Reed was wondering several hours later as they watched Joey make her way across the busy Walmart parking lot.

“I have no idea,” he said, but he planned on finding out just as soon as the damn erection that she’d left him with went down.

Two hours of holding her had been bad enough, but then the asshole that was following her inside the store mentioned that they were probably going to need a few things. That’s when he caught the calculating look in her eye and the wiggling and soft sighs began. By the time they’d pulled into the parking lot she’d had him hard as a rock and ready to wring her neck when she gave him one last wiggle and took off, leaving him with no other choice but to let her go.

But god help her when he caught her because he was going to spank her-

“Any idea why she suddenly wants to go camping?” Jackson asked as he absently tapped his thumb against the steering wheel.

“None whatsoever,” Reed said, knowing that he should have that talk with Jackson that he’d been putting off since last night, but at the moment all he could think about was following Joey into that store.

“Where did you disappear off to last night?” Jackson asked as he continued tapping his thumb against the steering wheel.

“Work,” he said, narrowing his eyes as he watched Matt catch up with Joey.

Nodding, Jackson continued tapping his thumb while they watched Joey and Matt disappear inside the store. “You know that you don’t have to do this, right?”

“She’s never been camping before,” he bit out, slowly exhaling as he reached for the door handle.

“That’s not what I meant,” Jackson said as a small beep drew Reed’s attention to his phone.

“I promised to look after her,” Reed said with an annoyed sigh as he reluctantly pulled his phone out of his pocket and-Was forced to bite back a groan when he saw the incredibly inappropriate text message waiting for him that had his grip tightening on the door handle and his damn cock hardening again.

“No one would have blamed you if you’d turned her away,” Jackson said absently before adding, “Especially after what happened.”

“It’s fine,” he bit out between clenched teeth as he struggled not to think about the text that she’d—

Fucking hell, she sent another one.

“Are you sure?”