Page 27 of The Widow's Dom

She shrugged. “Sure.”

Jesus, it was like pulling teeth, but he was up for the challenge and looking forward to it.

“Let me help you out. He said that man, Henry, was bothering you again.”

Janessa nodded. “He stopped to say hello. But we were in a store with people around, so I wasn’t uncomfortable.”

“Jake said he thinks he took care of that problem for good. I’m glad he was there.”

“You mean so he could tattletale?” she said in a snippy, disgusted tone.

He chuckled. “Yes. Any of my friends will do whatever they need to keep you safe. I’d do the same for them. Let’s get to what I need from you, Baby. If you ever have a situation like that, you come and tell me instantly.”

He studied her expression and could tell she wanted to fight it. “You’re going to have to pick your fights, little squirrel. Is this that important to you?”

Her shoulders fell, and she shook her head. “No.”

“Good. Now, say I’ll come straight to you and tell you,” he told her.

“I will come to you and tell you if I get in trouble.”

“Or someone is harassing you,” he added.

“Or if someone’s being a jerk. How is that?”

He wanted to roll his eyes. “Okay, I’ll take it.”

He cupped the back of her head and leaned forward to kiss her but pulled back when it started to get heated. “Thank you.”

She sighed and nodded. “You’re welcome … Sir.”

He sucked in a breath and started kissing her again. This time it got damn close to stripping her. “Jesus, woman. You go to my head.”

She laid her forehead against his shoulder and took a moment, he guessed, to calm her breathing. When she had settled a bit, he lifted her off his lap onto her seat, reached over her to buckle her belt, and then started the truck.

He drove to the end of her driveway. “Which way?”

“Go right.”

He turned onto the road and reached for her hand. “When I finally get you naked, watch out. I’ll probably be on you all night.”

She smiled. “I’ll be ready, big guy.”

He groaned, making her laugh.

They drove around for a few hours and then stopped for pizza. They ate, drank beer, and talked about anything and everything. It felt like they’d been together for years.

When he dropped her off that night and safely got her in the house, he couldn’t believe how hard it was to leave her. Fortunately, he could tell she was feeling a little lost, too.

He hugged her. “I need you to think long and hard about me living here. We don’t have to rush this. I have a place to stay. And Baby, if you want to wait, I get it, there’s no chance I’d be upset or mad, so don’t worry about that. Also, talk to your boys. Don’t get mad if they’re against it. I understand they want to get to know me. If I can’t move in right now, we’ll wait, but I’ll get to stay over sometimes. We’ll still see each other every day.”

She nodded. “You know I’m the parent. I’m the boss of them, right?”

He grinned. “Yes, I know. But I’d feel better if they gave us their blessings.”

Damn, he could tell she was trying to act tough, but her lip was in a pout, and he just wanted to haul her back into his arms.

“I better go. Call if you need me.”

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