All That Jazz (Butler Cove #1)(28)

“Neither do you,” I argued.

“I know enough from chatting with him that he’s not the guy for you.”

I stared at Joey and could feel the frown on my face. His eyes flicked away, and he ran a hand through his hair. Then he closed the door and walked around the front to his side.

I focused on what my heart did as I watched him, which was beat double time. That was not good. I made a decision.

He climbed in his side and slammed the door.

“I can’t grab a burger,” I said, drawing his eyes to me again. “I forgot I have plans tonight.”

His gaze narrowed, then he glanced down at the phone in my hand. “You have plans you suddenly remembered?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah.”

“With Chase?”

“Yes.” I nodded, losing count of how many times I’d lied to Joey today.

“Wow, you really meant that Jay Bird name huh? You really think I’m an *.”

I swallowed, speechless. I felt like shit. I’d somehow managed to turn the whole lovely day to crap.

“Right,” he said. “Let’s get you back to Butler Cove.”





THE DRIVE BACK was excruciating. The silence was awkward and filled with tension. I couldn’t think of one thing to say to break it or get back to the friendly chatting we’d had earlier. Instead I pulled out my phone and texted Chase.



Me: No plans. You want to grab a burger?



There was no response.

I sighed and put my phone down, leaning my head against the truck window. I needed air. “Can I open the window?”

“You don’t need to ask.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

I cranked the window down, letting the salt marsh breeze in, and laid my head against the frame. The warm air streamed over my skin and through my hair. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. As chagrined as I felt, I tried to tell myself it was better this way. When Joey was being nice, it felt like it slid dangerously toward flirting. And flirting would mess with my head. Mess it up more than it was already. I should be thinking about Chase. Good looking frat boy Chase.

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes we were pulling into the driveway of the Butler house. I blinked my eyes and stretched my stiff neck. My phone had slid to the seat next to me. I grabbed it.

“Oh shit,” said Joey, his voice grim, and he killed the engine.

“What?” I said looking up at him. He shifted close. Too close.

“I’m so sorry,” he said and winced. “But you remember that favor?”

“What? Well, yes but—”

His mouth closed over mine.

Oh my Holy God, his mouth. His lips were soft. Minty. A warm hand ran around the back of my neck, and a hot tongue slid over my bottom lip. A thousand sparklers detonated under my skin. The shock of it dropped my lips open, and the tongue slid inside.

Heat and hunger shot through me. Without thinking, I met his tongue with mine.

A groan sounded, like an echo of my own aching response to the taste of him. Oh my baby Jesus, that groan was from him. The hand on my neck tightened. God, my body. Burning. His mouth. Strawberries. Chocolate. Silk and heaven. Oh God, oh God. This was, this was … Joseph was kissing me.

Joseph was still kissing me.

Joseph was freaking kissing me?

I ripped my mouth away from him. My fingers went to my lips.

His blue eyes blinked open as if a fog suddenly cleared, and he sat back abruptly. He looked as shocked as I felt.

“Fuck,” he muttered and scrubbed a hand down his face. Then we both jumped as a fist pounded on his window.

Who the …? Wait. I blinked. There was a girl standing outside the truck. “Is that …?”

“Courtney? Yeah.”

“From Butler Cove High? Your ex from senior year? I thought she moved.”

“She did. To stalk me at college.” He sighed.

“Are you kidding me right now? Your stalker is the chick you went out with in high school? She followed you to college?” I snorted a giggle.

If Joey wasn’t annoying enough in his senior year, he had to go and start dating the most vapid girl there ever was. Okay, now I was just being bitchy. She was super nice. Like really, really ridiculously sweet. Like a meringue. All air and no substance. Gah. Bitch again. What was wrong with me? I don’t care. I don’t care.

“We dated for, like, two seconds,” he said, his voice grim.

Courtney banged on the window again and glared at me. She’d had brown hair in high school. Now it was blonde. And wavy. Not altogether unlike mine. Huh.

“Is she stable?” I asked.

“She’s stalked me to college and back and is now banging on the window after watching me kiss you. What do you think?”

I swallowed, wincing. “Uh, no.” And about that kiss I wanted to add but swallowed that thought. There were more pressing matters. “Is she going to attack me? She looks a little pissed.”

“Oh shit,” Joey said, exhaling roughly and grabbing the back of his neck. “That scenario didn’t occur to me when I asked you for help.”

“And you’re supposedly the smart one out of the both of us.”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay.” He breathed out. “Let’s do this.”