Well, maybe Montana can show up and get you some ice cream.”
“No, hey.” She jumped up from the couch. “You can’t get out of this. I want my treats.”
“Do you now.” He winked at her. “Ask nicely.”
She wrinkled her forehead in a mock scowl. “Give me my ice cream and cookies, or I’ll have to hurt you.”
Joe threw back his head and laughed. “If that’s nicely, I don’t want to be around when you’re ticked off. Come on. We’ll dish it up. I have more video to watch.”
Shay followed him into the kitchen, her body heated just from their close proximity. How on Earth had she allowed herself to agree to this “friendly” evening? She was torn between wanting a repeat of last night—no, more than last night—and wanting to hide until Joe finally left the house and the city.
Sighing, she plated the cookies while Joe dished up the ice cream and they carried their food back into the living room. She set the cookies on the coffee table and picked one up. Biting into it, she hummed with pleasure as the sugary flavor exploded in her mouth.
“Shay?” Joe’s voice broke into her thoughts. “You okay?”
She drew in a breath. “Just enjoying my treat. Mmm. This is yummy good.”
“They always were your favorite.”
“I can’t believe you remembered.”
“It’s hard to forget,” he told her. “I don’t think there was ever a time I was at your house you weren’t eating those cookies or begging for them.”
He remembered? The thought gave her a warm feeling. Of course, then she’d just been Hank Beckham’s little sister. But now? Had last night changed how he looked at her?
Drive yourself nuts, why don’t you, Shay?
“Well.” She licked her fingers. “Thank you for remembering. And for getting them today, although it wasn’t necessary.”
He looked at her as if about to say something then shook his head. After sliding in a new disk, he hit Play again.
It took every bit of Shay’s willpower to sit there quietly watching game video and discussing the details with Joe. What was going on here? Were they just going to keep pretending last night hadn’t happened? She was ready if he ever made another move, but she was pretty sure she couldn’t make the first one herself. Staying in the house with him under these circumstances was going to be a strain on her self-discipline. Maybe she could bunk with a girlfriend until Joe left. Her problem was her few friends from the past years were in New York, people she’d chosen now to disconnect herself from.
She hadn’t exactly made time since she moved back to reconnect with anyone. In fact, it depressed her to realize how much time had passed since she saw or spoke to any of the people she used to hang out with from Granite Falls. She’d left home for college and apparently left them behind, too. Why? Was she just so focused on herself, on getting away from Granite Falls, she wanted nothing to do with them?
No help there. If anyone was going to leave, it would have to be Joe, and that didn’t look like it was going to happen.
Argh! She wanted to pull her hair.
Damn Hank, anyway.
“Shay?” Joe’s deep voice cut into her thoughts. “Are you with me? I just asked you a question.”
“What?” Oh, great. Her mind had been wandering again. He probably thought she was bored to death. She set her ice cream dish on the table. “Oh, yes. Sorry. I thought the guy was terrific. Great hands.”
Joe’s deep laugh rumbled in the air again. “Nice try. That was ten minutes ago. Here. Let me have your ice cream before it turns into soup.”
“No, no, no.” She gripped the bowl. “I was paying attention. Truly. And I want my ice cream.”
“Then let me get you some that isn’t melted.”
He stood up and reached to take the bowl from her. When his fingers touched hers, she nearly dropped the bowl. The color of his eyes darkened now to polished onyx, the savage heat so incendiary it could have singed off a complete layer of her skin. They stood there, frozen, staring at each other. A muscle twitched in his jaw and electricity jolted through her to her breasts and her pussy. Her hands shook.
Lordy!
Joe opened his mouth as if to say something, closed it, then practically grabbed the bowl from her.
“I’ll get us some fresh ice cream.” He looked over at the plate, a corner of his mouth turning up in a crooked grin. “I see you did a number on the cookies. I guess we need to put out the rest of them. Then I’ll pop in another video.”
Ice cream. Cookies. Video.
Okay. She made herself move, one foot in front of the other as she walked toward the kitchen. Was he playing some kind of game? One minute he looked like he wanted to lick every inch of her naked body. The next he was treating her as if nothing had happened between them. And damn it! Something had happened. Now that she’d decided she wanted it to happen again she was having trouble waiting for him to make the next move.
She certainly wasn’t about to throw herself at him. She’d watched women do that for years. No, whatever happened she was going to wait for him to take the lead. But she’d certainly be a willing participant.
She just had to keep her emotions under control. No way could she let Joe be aware of her real feelings for him. Ever. She’d never let him know she’d been in love with him all these years.
Love. Crap.
Yes, Shay. You’re in love with him. It’s your little secret, and it’s going to stay that way.
Because she knew it was pointless. He’d never see her as a woman, never have those feelings for her. It was easier just to be at odds with him. Then she’d never get hurt. Everything she’d ruthlessly suppressed over the years, that she buried behind a snarky attitude whenever she was with him, had just boiled over last night and now here she was.
God. Make up your mind, Shay. Bring it up, don’t bring it up, but quit driving yourself crazy.
For one fleeting moment she’d thought, from the look in his eyes, he might feel the same way. Yeah, right. Joe might be in lust with her, but that’s all it would ever be. Of course, she could always tell him she thought he’d turned into Joe Montana.
Yeah, right.
Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Why did life have to be so friggin’ complicated?
“Cookies?”
Joe’s voice nudged her into awareness. “Oh, yeah. Cookies. Coming right up.”
At least, she thought, it seemed like they were going to be friends instead of adversaries. Maybe she could get through his stay without letting her real feelings show, as long as he wasn’t here for too long. She was strong. She could handle it. As she plated the
