Never His Girl (Kings of Cypress Prep #2) - Rachel Jonas Page 0,63
be gone for at least a month,” Uncle Dusty announces. “Blue-Jay, I know you’re eighteen, but if you need me to pack up and stay with you girls until then, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.”
Tears blur my vision, but they’re not the kind you’d expect from a girl watching her father getting hauled away like this. They’re tears of relief. Tears of joy, knowing Scar and I will have one less burden to bear for a while. Even if the treatment doesn’t stick, even if it took Mike getting shitfaced on Thanksgiving to make it happen.
“We’ll be fine,” I assure him.
He eyes me a second, then nods. “I’ll be back after the diner closes to fix the door. See you in a couple hours for your shift.”
He’s so casual about it, I smile a little.
“Yep, see ya.”
Scar and I stand there a moment, as do a few of our neighbors, listening to Mike groan as he’s hoisted into the bed of our uncle’s truck. He’s never gotten clean before, but I can’t help but to hope someone’s able to get him the help he needs.
Dusty pulls off and Scar tries to jet out of the living room as I lock up.
“Hold it,” I call out. “What’d you do?”
She stops in her tracks, but is slow to face me.
Guilty. Just like I thought.
“It’s possible that I may have texted Uncle Dusty while you were scrubbing up after Mike last night.”
I wanted to kick her ass for discussing things that go on in our home with someone who doesn’t live here, but refrain when I realize this means we’ll be Mike-free for a little while.
“This is the one and only time you get a pass,” I warn, running my fingers through her messy hair.
“Okay.”
I start back toward my room, knowing I have a ton to explain to West. When I get there, he’s sitting on the edge of my bed looking like a dream. I fight the urge to smile at him, still feeling sort of uncertain about where we stand. His hair’s a mess, but somehow, it’s working for him.
Damn is it working for him…
He stands and his t-shirt’s wrinkled as hell, his jeans are riding kind of low, revealing the waistband of his boxers, and all I want is to strip him naked and keep him right here all day. But we’re not there yet.
I mean, we’re not there.
Why the hell did I say yet?
Anyway, I close the door behind me with hopes that Scarlett didn’t notice his car is still outside. A car I spotted during my tirade last night but had no idea it belonged to him. There’s sure to be a post about him staying over, which means there’s a chat with Scar about it in my future, but I’d at least like West to be gone before that happens.
“Sorry about the noise,” I say quietly. “My uncle just stopped by to take out the trash.”
West smiles and I’m positive he watched the entire scene play out from my window—Mike being dragged down the porch, then hauled off in the truck.
“Don’t worry about it.” The smile on his lips widens and I peer up when he steps closer. “I should uh… probably take off.”
I nod quickly. “Right. Of course.”
There’s an awkward pause.
“If you wanna talk, you know, about what we discussed last night, I wrote my number down on your desk.”
He points and my eyes go to the piece of paper he left there. I smile a little, remembering that I blocked him.
“Okay,” I say with a nod. “Will do.”
We linger in one another’s space, and I can’t shake the feeling things aren’t supposed to end here, but where else would they end? We’re not together. Although, I suppose I no longer consider him my enemy, but…
His arms slip around me and it’s just a hug, but it’s… a hug. From West. I’m not even sure I knew he knew how to hug. That sounds strange, I know, but I’ve considered him to be about as warm and inviting as a porcupine.
Sex? Guy’s got that down to a science.
Intimacy? I would’ve sworn he was clueless.
But this embrace… damn… it’s kind of everything right now.
My arms go around him when I lean in, letting my cheek press to his shoulder. His scent is so familiar now and I know I’ll catch traces of it all day, despite him being nowhere around. I’m more than content right here in his strong arms, which is why I nearly whimper