At Peace (The 'Burg #2)(195)

We stared at each other again for a long time before Joe whispered a tortured, “Fuck… get it.”

I didn’t delay. I let him go, jumped from the bed and went to the dresser. I pulled the picture frame from the drawer and hustled back to our bed. Then I climbed into Joe’s lap, snuggled close and kept my eyes glued to his face when I turned the picture to him.

Joe’s eyes locked on the picture and the pain came back, stronger, contorting his features as I felt his body turn solid against mine.

When he didn’t say anything, I whispered, “You looked at peace.” My tears could be heard in my words but Joe’s eyes didn’t move from the picture.

“I had the world sleepin’ on my chest,” he replied, his voice low, thick.

I looked at the photo. “Funny how the world can fit in your arm.”

“Funny,” Joe repeated quietly and I looked at him to see that now he was looking at me and then his arm slid around me.

“Joe –” I started, new tears gliding down my face.

“Put him on your shelves, buddy.”

I hugged the photo to my chest and wiped the wetness from my cheeks. The only words there were to say were the words I said.

“Thank you.”

Before I could move he asked, “Girls there when Theresa gave you that?”

I nodded. “Keira said you looked hot, even holding a baby.”

A short laugh came from him. It sounded startled like he didn’t think he’d ever laugh again.

Then he looked down at my chest and muttered, “Fuck.”

“What?” I whispered and his eyes came to mine.

“He’d be old enough to date Kate,” he answered.

I didn’t know what to do with this or what Joe was doing with it so I stayed still and silent and waited.

“Fuck,” Joe repeated.

I braved the uncertain vibe and informed him, “He got even a little of you, Dane wouldn’t stand a chance,” Joe looked at me and I continued, “or Keira would make him her mission and they’d likely be fightin’ over him.”

His hand slid up my back until his fingers sifted into my hair.

“It sucks, sayin’ this, I hate to say it but I’m going to,” he said.

“What?”

“He lived, I might still be with her and you’d be next door and I wouldn’t be right here.”

Quickly, I reminded him, “For good or for bad, that didn’t happen, Joe.”

“You’d be here, alone, or… f*ck, you’d be with Haines,” he went on like I didn’t speak.

I was seeing that this was heading down the way, way, way wrong path.

“Joe, don’t. Life is life, baby. That’s all it is.”

His eyes locked with mine.

“It’d never be good with her, she wasn’t gonna change and she didn’t. But, if he lived, I’d never leave her and that’s all I’d have. Except for Nicky, I’d never have somethin’ sweet.”

I set the picture on the nightstand and moved to straddle him, pushing him to his back.

“Yes you would,” I pressed my face into his neck and my lips to his skin. “I saw you, I’d go all Tina and do everything to catch your eye. Watering my flowers in a bikini and all sorts of shit. We wouldn’t be able to fight the attraction and we’d have a torrid affair,” I told him. “It would suck and I’d feel shit but you’d leave her for me and I’d pay you back by givin’ you all sorts of sweet things.”

As I spoke, my lips travelled his neck and throat and his hands started roaming my body.

“You’re full of shit, buddy. I’d see you waterin’ your flowers in a bikini, I’d come onto you and you’d go prude and freeze me out.”

I lifted my head and looked down on him just as his fingers curled around my breast.

“Joe, you f**ked me on the hood of your car even when I was seriously pissed at you,” I reminded him. “I think we can take it as read I wouldn’t go prude.”

His thumb swiped my nipple, my lips parted and my h*ps jerked. At this, his eyes grew dark in a seriously sexy way and his lips tipped up at the ends.

“Yeah,” he muttered, “forgot about that.”

I blinked then felt my body get tight. “You forgot?”

His lips curled into a full-on smile. “Thanks for reminding me.”

Even though I knew he didn’t forget and was just f**king with me, I still heard an angry noise escape my throat and I started to pull away but Joe rolled so he was on top and his face disappeared in my neck as his thumb circled my nipple.

“We had an affair, buddy, we’d probably have to do it on the GT more than once,” he noted against my neck.

“We’d have to do it so you’d remember we did it before,” I snapped back but this wasn’t as effective as it should have been since my breathing was getting heavy and my legs were moving to tangle with his.

I felt his chuckle against my skin then his lips moved to my jaw. “We’d probably have to do it in the car too.”

“Would you remember that?”

He ignored my semi-irate question. “And be creative about other places we did it.”

“Joe –”

“In your car.”