Page 84 of Long Road Home

And how ridiculous. How was it possible a woman could be almost thirty and still act like she was thirteen?

I sighed, exhausted from wasting so much energy on her, thinking of her, being afraid of her. She’d consumed space in my brain for far too damn long.

“Get her the hell out of here, Jefferson,” Jordan said, still standing, arms shaking. “Before I do it for you.”

“Actually,” Gavin said. “There’s no need for me to get her out of here. Not when she’s not anything to me.”

That grabbed a reaction from Jenni. Quickly, she spun to him. Pressed her hand to his shoulder. He picked it off and flung it to the side like she was a speck of dust. “Gavin, honey, you don’t mean that.”

“I do. You’ve gone too far. Your pussy was sweet but your mouth is shit and I’m done with your crap. Plus, you’ve never learned a man doesn’t enjoy teeth on his dick.”

She jerked back. “Oh please. You don’t mean that. We’re good together. You’ve said so.”

He glared at Jenni with sharp, dark eyes so deep it was impressive she didn’t burst into a pile of ash. “You’re a bitch, Jenni. And I’ve warned you to let shit go. Since you can’t do that, you’re gone. The only thing you’re good for is spreading your legs and even that has lost its luster.”

Rebecca poorly stifled a giggle, covering her mouth.

The rest of us looked ready to explode.

All except Gavin. He wasn’t laughing.

He kept his glare focused on Jenni until she huffed and rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You don’t know anything.” She flipped her hair and flounced off, but I saw the roll of her shoulders, the wobble of her chin she tried to hide.

He’d beenharshwith her.

I still thought it was hilarious.

“You won’t have any problems with her,” Gavin said, gaze roaming the four of us. I imagined what we looked like, a mixture of awe and laughter being fought by all of us. “And if you do, let me know, I’ll handle it.”

“You think we trustyou?” Jordan asked. He spit the words out, clearly not thinking that what Gavin had just done and said was awesome as I did.

“Got no reason to, but you still have my word.”

“Why?” Rebecca asked. Her expression twisted into confusion. I wasn’t as lost as the rest of them. Gavin Jefferson had always been a jerk, but I knew why he was like that. I’d been walking to Jordan’s ranch one day, years ago, sneaking out of Tillie’s house and walked the miles out of town to get there. I’d hit the edge of Jefferson’s land that bordered Jordan’s to see Gavin’s dad. He slammed his fist so hard into Gavin’s gut, that at fifteen years old, he’d fell to his knees. He didn’t see me. I never mentioned it, but ever since then, it was always obvious why Gavin was such a jerk to everyone.

He rapped his knuckles on the table and shrugged. “Maybe it takes some of us longer to grow up than others.”

With that strange proclamation, he walked away. My focus stayed on him until he walked straight out of the bar, everyone giving him a wide berth, not acknowledging him.

“That was weird,” I said.

Rebecca turned to me and smiled. “That was freaking awesome.”

Twenty-Seven

Jordan

“Well, that dinner was certainly interesting,”Destiny said, walking up to the front door of Tillie’s home.

I didn’t respond. I was too busy checking out her ass swishing back and forth temptingly as she walked in front of me. After Gavin left, I spent the rest of dinner half-listening while Rebecca filled Destiny in all the drama she hadn’t quite figured out including the entire long story of her first husband cheating on her with that wench. Then I’d spent the rest of dinner alternating between wanting to figure out a way to run Jenni out of town for good, and wanting to rip Destiny out of the booth, haul her ass back here and throw her to the couch and fuck her brains out for being so damn awesome.

Every single time she stood up for herself she impressed the hell out of me.

I tossed my keys to the small table by the front door after we walked in and slammed it closed.

Destiny jumped at the noise and spun around. “You okay?”

“Upstairs,” I said, prowling toward her, my intent clear. “Get your ass upstairs and naked now.”

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