The Hookup (Moonlight and Motor Oil #1)(59)

“Do you think he’ll want pancakes or eggs?” I thought for a second and added more options, “Or waffles or French toast?”

“When I turned on the ringer of your phone this morning, I saw he’d texted twelve times and phoned eleven. I think that man would eat sawdust, it was you serving it up to him.”

Twelve texts.

Eleven calls.

So fuckin’ good and so fuckin’ intense and so fuckin’ everything.

It seemed Addie might be right.

I smiled at her.

She rolled her eyes. “Spare me the post-coital bliss, cook and fill me in. Man like that will have two stables mucked out in less than twenty minutes.”

This might be true.

So I got cracking (I picked pancakes).

And I filled my sister in on what was happening.

But I couldn’t quite beat back or even hide my bliss.



Johnny

Johnny got out of the shower and reached to grab a towel.

When he did, his eyes fell on the jar by the tub.

It had been sitting there so long he didn’t even see it anymore.

But he saw it then.

He rubbed his hair, gave his body a cursory wipe and then wrapped the towel around his hips.

He secured it and went to the jar.

Ranger got up from lying on the rug in front of one of the sinks and came to him.

Johnny grabbed the jar but bent with his free hand to give his dog’s head a scratch.

He then walked with his dog at his heels to the kitchen. He opened the cabinet that hid the trash bin and tossed the jar in.

He closed the cabinet and bent fully to his dog.

Grabbing his head, he asked, “Wanna go to Izzy’s with me?”

Ranger tried to lick his face.

Johnny smiled at him. “I’ll give her a call. See if Dempsey and Swirl are good with company.”

He rubbed Ranger’s head and moved back to the bathroom to his jeans on the floor. He dug his phone out, called Iz and was not surprised with her answer.

So he pulled a comb through his hair, put on deodorant, clean shorts, jeans and tee, tugged socks and his boots on and he grabbed his wallet, phone and keys.

Then he and Ranger headed out the door to his truck in order to get back to Izzy.





You

Izzy

HEARING A CEILING fan, I opened my eyes and saw tan sheets.

I rolled and saw Johnny in sweats and nothing else at the railing on his deck holding up a cup of coffee.

Ranger was lying at his feet.

Dog and man looked comfortable in their morning repose.

That was, dog and man looked comfortable in their morning repose until Johnny’s head turned and he looked through the windows at me.

He then lifted up his free hand and crooked a finger, also at me.

Like I was mesmerized, I threw back the covers and tossed my legs over the side, pulling myself out of bed. I walked like I was in a dream (because mostly I was) to the door and through it.

Ranger shot up and came to me and I gave him some distracted pets as I made my way to Johnny.

He held his arm out.

I walked right in, pressing my front to his side.

His arm wrapped around but his hand kept moving, pulling up his tee that I’d put on before collapsing in his bed then gliding down, fingers in my panties.

I shivered.

He put his coffee mug down on the railing.

“Passed out on me, sp?tzchen,” he murmured instead of saying good morning.

“I didn’t sleep well the last couple of nights,” I explained.

“You sleep well last night?”

The day before I’d learned a lot about Johnny Gamble.

I’d learned he had a quick wit and could match Addie quip for quip, a lot of the time doing it even better than her.

I’d learned he didn’t only muck stalls, he did dishes, refilled drinks without being asked, and proved to be an excellent sous chef when you’re cooking.

I’d learned he changed diapers.

I’d learned when his head wasn’t messed up necessitating he convey a message so your heart wouldn’t get broken, he was exceptionally affectionate and sweetly teasing, but there was more.

He was appreciative.

With his eyes and facial expressions, sometimes touches, sometimes murmured words, he showed and told me he liked how I moved. He liked my legs. He liked my hair. He liked my behind. He liked listening to me talk. He liked watching me laugh. He liked seeing me tease my sister. He liked watching me respond when she teased me. He liked the little mini-dress I’d put on (Johnny was coming over to spend the day so I absolutely made an effort) that was a blue and white print with a blousy top and short sleeves and a flouncy short skirt.

He liked me and didn’t hide it in any way.

In fact, I’d never had the admiration of a man aimed at me the way Johnny did it. It was casual, spontaneous, but definite. It was a part of who he was and how he felt about me, not a path he was taking to get what he wanted.

After dinner and after after-dinner conversation, which both involved wine, and Johnny taking me back to his house, I’d barely made it up the stairs and walked a step inside when his lips were at my neck and he said, “Get your ass to bed, baby, before you curl up on the floor and fall asleep.”

I’d turned drowsily to him, eyes to his chest and mumbled, “Tee.”