Page 128 of Driftwood Daffodil

“But she’s yours, Gio. I would never disrespect you like that.”

Those words smacked me in the face like a bucket of ice water. What the hell was I doing? I was ready to tear one of my best friend’s faces off for who? Novalee fucking Ford.

“I’m sorry.” I took a step back before I did something I would regret. “I just…”

“It’s okay,” Atlee interrupted. “Let’s just get her out of here.”

That was a good idea. I could beat Nova’s ass in the morning for not taking better care, after I got her somewhere safe.

“That might be hard to do,” Darry said while tipping his chin.

We both looked in the direction he was indicating and froze.

Nova stood about ten feet away stroking the grey fur of an animal she had cradled in her arms.

She smiled over at us and sang, “I found a puppy.”

“That is not a fucking puppy,” Atlee muttered as the opossum opened its long snout and hissed.

GIOVANNI

Ever try to wrangle a drugged-out girl? It wasn’t easy. Especially when that girl was Novalee Ford. She had no self-preservation instincts as it was, otherwise she wouldn’t keep poking me – but when her inhibitions were removed, I was left with some ‘touchy feely, you smell good and I’m going to say everything I think’ version of her.

After I whipped that opossum out of her arms with Darry’s jacket, she tried to chase after it. Atlee had to tackle her ass. Then came the headache of getting her in my Range Rover.

She ran around it like we were playing some maniacal game of tag, then climbed on top of it and declared she was the lizard king. I had to use a chocolate bar and lure her inside like fucking puppy.

I wasn’t even going to mention what happened when I gave her keys to Atlee, so he could take her truck home. Let’s just say it was a good thing Darry had another chocolate bar stashed in his jacket. Thank God for his little brother’s weakness for sweet treats.

Now I was trying not to crash while the toddler on crack in the passenger seat kept pawing at me.

“This is so soft,” Nova purred while sweeping her palm over my chest. “How did you make a shirt out of blood?”

I’d like to make a shirt out of her blood.

“It’s better than the one you’re wearing.” I was going to burn that fucking thing first chance I got.

Her bottom lip popped out as her eyes dipped down to her chest. “What’s wrong with my shirt?”

Besides the fact that her tits were practically hanging out for every jackass to drool over?

A snorted giggle rang through the air. “I have boobs.”

“I noticed.” I grumbled.

“Oo who’s Mr. Grumpy?” She sang while crawling over the center console.

I’d show her grumpy when I tanned her ass.

“Don’t be grumpy… you’re too warm to be grumpy.”

Nova smashed her cheek against me and rubbed up my arm like a cat, making me roll my eyes.

For fuck sakes. “Stop that.”

“Why?” She murmured and crawled a little closer.

“Because I’m trying not to kill us.” Which was kind of hard to do when she was practically on my lap.

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