Bad Boy Blues - Jessica Lemmon Page 0,40
say. Now that she was looking up at him, though, she was nervous.
Now or never.
“I didn’t really know what I wanted the day you asked me,” she told him. “It hit me when I arrived in Chicago. I was driving through lanes and lanes of traffic, gazing up at the tall city buildings. I imagined living there and having a tiny apartment to myself. Walking to work. Buying a fancy cup of coffee every morning. Sliding onto a bar stool at my favorite club and ordering a martini. Then something strange happened.” She shook her head, remembering her epiphany. “That seemed like another woman’s life. Not mine. I want to walk past the pine trees in town. I want Cup of Jo’s coffee in the morning. The only barstool worth sliding onto is the one at Salty Dog. And then I thought of the people. Lou. May. Lisa. Gramps. Jo.” She ticked off the names on her fingers. “Even Xavier, the bartender.” She fisted Brady’s shirt. “And you. You most of all.”
Brady’s smile made her feel instantly better about everything. Coming back—to the Cove and him—was the right choice.
“Staying here didn’t make sense before. Now I’m looking at you, and it still doesn’t make sense, but I want it so badly I can’t deny myself any longer.”
“What is it you want so badly, Elli Bean?” He pulled her into the circle of his arms.
“You. Of course.”
His lips shifted into a cocky tilt. “I like the sound of that.”
“I want to work with Jo. I want to be Lou’s neighbor. I want a house on the lake. My parents are selling, by the way. They offered me a very fair price.”
“That’s a nice house.”
“It’s a very nice house.” She pictured him in that house. She could easily imagine waking in the morning to coffee or kisses. Or both.
“But—” he loosened his hold on her, “—I come with my job. I can’t ask you to accept a life that isn’t what you bargained for.”
“I’ll worry sometimes. But only because I love you so much.”
He gaze intensified. “Say that again.”
“The worry part?”
“No.”
She smiled. “I love you because of your job. You’re a good man, and I was stupid to consider a life without you.”
“We all make mistakes, Bean. I never should’ve let you go.” He bent his head and kissed her. She loved being held by him. Being a part of him.
When they parted, Brady shook his head as if he was still in disbelief. “You’re sure you want to be in Evergreen Cove for good?”
“One hundred percent. I’ll have you any way I can get you. Every way I can get you. For as long as we can make right now last.” She hadn’t been going home to Chicago. She’d been running away from her home in Evergreen Cove. “I love you.”
He touched her nose with his. “I love you, too, Bean.”
“That’s a relief, or else this would’ve been really embarrassing.”
“Let’s spend the rest of the day making up for lost time.” He lowered his lips to hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “We can try out handcuffs for the first—”
“Pancakes!” came a yell from the front door. Gramps stood in the doorway, spatula in hand. “The dog and I can’t eat them all. Get your lovebird butts in here!”
Brady looked down at her. “The truck’s right there. We can sneak off without him noticing.”
“I heard that,” Emory called from inside.
“One pancake won’t hurt.” She took Brady’s hand, but he stopped her on the second step.
“All the right now we can stand, huh?”
“Was that cheesy?” She wrinkled her nose.
“The cheesiest.” The next kiss he gave her was slow and satisfying and almost made her change her mind about the pancakes.
They were still kissing when Gramps came back to check on them. This time, though, he didn’t interrupt.
About the Author
A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.
Jessica loves to hear from readers. You can learn more at: www.jessicalemmon.com.
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Also by Jessica Lemmon
Second Chance (Connected Series)
Bringing Home the Bad Boy
Rescuing the Bad Boy
A Bad Boy for Christmas
Return of the Bad Boy
Billionaire Bad Boys
The Billionaire Bachelor*
The Billionaire Next Door*
The Bastard Billionaire*
A Crane Family Christmas (novella)
Real Love
Eye Candy*
Arm Candy*
Man Candy
Rumor Has It
America’s Sweetheart*
Standalone Title
Forgotten Promises
*Also available as playable stories
on the Chapters Interactive App
For a complete book list, click here.