Authors: Marie Harte
“Thank God.” Joy snorted. “I know all about the type that go there. No offense, Johnny.”
“None taken. I know my type too.” He chuckled. “She was smart for not dating me. But then, well, I wore her down. Took me only four years and eight months, but I got her in the end.”
Lara did the math in her head, shocked he was right. Johnny seriously knew when they’d first met. How endearing. Especially since she’d committed the same date to memory.
Pretty Johnny Devlin is so much more than a pretty face. Is it any wonder I’m in love?
“What’s with that smile?” Kristin asked.
Lara immediately coughed and drank some water to cover her happiness. “Nothing. Just thinking”—Johnny’s foot slid against hers—“that I didn’t just go out with him. I made him work for it.” She turned to her dad. “He took me to see
Ouija Death and the Doll
, Dad. It was awesome.”
“Now that’s a date.”
Her mother sighed. “I don’t know where I went wrong with those two. All that scary nonsense. I’d much rather watch a love story.”
“Me too, Mom.” Kristin shrugged. “Lara and Dad are bent.” She pointed at her daughters. “Just like you two. Don’t think I don’t know you’re in love with Scooby-Doo for the monsters.”
Kay shook her head. “Aw, Mom. I like Daphne’s neat dresses.”
“And I like Scooby!” Amelia shouted.
Joy scolded, “Don’t yell, Amelia.”
“Okay!”
Lara’s father groaned. “And we were doing so well this lunch. Not one spill…”
“
Dad
,” Kristin and Lara said together. It was like the kiss of death, because no sooner had he mentioned a spill than Amelia managed to knock Johnny’s glass over, into his lap.
“No problem.” Johnny righted the glass and mopped up the small spill. “It was nearly done, and I only had water.”
“Amelia.” Lara frowned at her niece, who promptly went from laughing about it to crying.
“That’s my cue to go to work. Time to head off for the job.” Her father stood in a hurry, held out a hand to Johnny, and shook it.
“You have two more hours,” Joy said with a frown.
Amelia screamed her apology to Johnny.
“Yeah, I’d better get going.” Her father bolted for the front door.
Johnny laughed through it all, then motioned for Amelia to come closer. She approached him with dread, but he only lifted her up and set her down on his wet lap. “It’s okay, Amelia. We pink-unicorn lovers need to stay strong, even when we’re wet.”
She sniffled, grimaced at the wet seat of her pants, and threw arms around Johnny. “I’m saw-wy.”
He rubbed her back and smiled. “It’s okay, sweetie. But maybe you should be more careful with glasses, huh?”
She nodded and hugged him tighter.
Lara’s mother laughed. “You’d better not have any girls, Johnny. You’re a soft touch.”
“And you’re not?” Kristin asked her mom. To Johnny, she said, “I’m impressed. She apologized and stopped shouting. You’re two for two.”
He smiled at Lara. “I’d say three for three, but I’m not so conceited I don’t know that number could change at any moment.”
“Oh, he’s a keeper for sure.” Her mother beamed at him. “A man that smart deserves cheesecake. I made you one, since Lara said it’s your favorite.”
Lara blushed when he gave her a look.
“You know all my secrets, hmm? Well, you’re halfway right. Cheesecake is a favorite, but second to Lara’s chocolate chip cookies.”
“She makes the best,” Kay agreed and moved to stand near Johnny, giving her sister occasional glares for taking up Johnny’s lap. Then Johnny moved Amelia so Kay could sit on his other leg. With a happy smile, Kay joined Amelia, taking Johnny’s attention.
They continued to talk desserts while Lara and Kristin cleared the table. In the separate kitchen, Kristin said in a low voice, “Okay, Mom’s right. He’s a keeper. Any man who can handle my daughters without breaking a sweat or trying too hard has my vote. But if he hurts you, I’ll make him wish he’d never been born.”
Lara nodded and held out a pinkie. Her sister took it and shook. “Deal.”
* * *
The ride back to her place happened in companionable silence as they listened to Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party.” She would never have pegged Johnny to like so much of what she did, and it made her wonder.
“Did Rena tell you I like this song?” she asked out of the blue.
He blinked and glanced at her. “No. Why?”
“No reason,” she grumbled.
“I’m sensing tension.”
Keep it inside, keep it inside…
“Why did you say you loved me last night?”
He grew still. They pulled into her apartment lot, and he parked the car in silence.
She cleared her throat. “I believe the quote was, ‘God, I fucking love you.’ Explain.” She crossed her arms over her chest, irritated and not sure why. Maybe because he’d said something so monumental, and she had a bad feeling she’d read into it all wrong.
“I, um, why don’t we talk upstairs?” He left the car in a hurry and waited for her to join him. After locking up, they walked to her apartment in a weird tension that hadn’t been between them since they’d started dating. Or was it hooking up?
Once in her apartment, she closed and locked the door behind them. Then she watched Johnny pace and run his hand through his hair.
“This is fascinating. You look completely freaked out.” She tried to tease, but she felt too tense herself to sound truly amused.
He must have heard her insecurity, because he stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m waiting for you to answer my question.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her arm, edgy.
“Well…what do you want me to say?” He looked so cautious, so ready to bolt at any moment.
Her annoyance faded as the love she felt for him mixed with compassion and, yes, amusement. “I want you to tell me the truth, not what you think I want to hear.”
After a moment, he answered. “I know women,” he said bluntly. “I know how to please them, to make them laugh, to make them feel good about themselves. But you, Lara Valley, frustrate the fuck out of me.”
“Huh?” She hadn’t expected
that
.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking. I think I do, but then you do the opposite of what I expect. If I knew what answer you wanted, I’d give it to you. And yeah, I’m a complete pussy, because I’m afraid if I give you the wrong answer, you’ll dump my ass for good.”
She laughed, and his dark expression deepened. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. Okay, maybe I am. I’m just not used to the bar Romeo being so weirded out by a simple question. You’re the one who mentioned the l-word, big guy. Not me.”
“And that’s part of the problem,” he growled.
Fireworks went off inside her, until she realized what owning up to her own feelings would mean. A serious acceleration of their relationship, and she still had three more nursing terms to go. She’d worked so hard to get to her place in life, and she didn’t want to ever grow to resent Johnny. Not when she loved him.
She stepped close to him and drew him down for a kiss. Gradually, his unyielding frame softened, and he shared a tight embrace.
She pulled back to cup his cheek, in love and scared and happy, all at the same time. “I’m sorry for pressuring you. We’re at such a great place right now. I don’t want anything to change.”
He seemed to sag in her embrace. “Me neither.”
“I love making love to you.” She stroked his smooth cheek, knowing that in only a few more hours, he’d have sexy, dark stubble there.
“No argument from me.”
“And I love spending time with you. So much so I sometimes want my clinicals and classes to speed up so I can get back to you. That’s not a great feeling to have when going through school, you know.”
“I’m a distraction,” he said with pride. “Good. Because you distract the fu—crap out of me.” He cleared his throat. “I might have said something in the heat of the moment.”
Disappointment swelled. “Hey, it happens.”
“Something I meant to say when we weren’t fucking like rabbits and my head wasn’t about to explode, while I filled you up the way I did,” he confessed. “But we can save that for another day, okay?”
Her heart pounded when she realized he’d in fact
meant
the l-word. And that realization made her hesitate.
A hurt look appeared on his face before it vanished as quickly, making her wonder what she’d seen. “Why complicate what we have? We’re dating, we’re happy, and next week is Halloween.” His bright grin broke her unease. “So let’s enjoy what we have and live in the moment. Life is about the now sometimes, you know. It’s not always a five-year plan.”
“Good advice.” Then, because she couldn’t let him think he was the only one battling feelings, her heart racing out of her chest, she confessed, “I agree we shouldn’t complicate this. So I’m only going to say this once—I fucking love you too.” She ignored the shocked look on his face and pretended she hadn’t said such a monumental thing. “Now how about I bake some cookies for you, so you have something to eat besides me when I’m studying for next week’s quiz tomorrow, and you’re mopey because I have no time for you?”
He blinked. “I, ah, yeah, sure. Want some help?”
“With my secret recipe?” She liked the mingled pleasure and shock on his face. “Well, only because it’s you. You can’t tell anyone though.”
“On pain of death.”
“Wait.” She left and returned, holding a genuine Suzy Oozy. “Swear on her.”
He laughed out loud and swore his oath. Then he hugged her tight, no words spoken, and showed her a better way to make cookies. Naked and with Johnny.
Chapter 19
Johnny had a hard time holding a thought in his head lately. All week he’d been bobbling orders and forgetting shit. He couldn’t accept what Lara had told him, and he dwelled on it constantly. Had she meant that about loving him? Or was that her way of easing him down from admitting what a complete sap he’d been?
He’d only once said the l-word to a woman, back in the tenth grade when he’d had a major crush on Rachel Delaney. Well, not counting Amber, the woman he’d thought of as a mom before she’d left him and his dad for greener pastures. Granted, he’d been all of eight years old back then, but he’d become way too attached, despite knowing better. He’d seen his father screw up countless relationships by that age, but Amber had treated him like he mattered. Like they mattered as a family.
Depressed and not sure why, considering he had the hottest girlfriend on the planet, who seemed to be just as into him, he stared around at the Halloween party, thrumming to some amazing DJ fresh from a European tour. Somebody knew somebody, and they’d landed a hot ticket, which only increased the buzz about the party.
Without the invitation, he doubted he and Lara would have been able to get in.
“This is fuckin’ awesome.” Foley stood next to him, his arms crossed, watching the scene. He wore a cop uniform, and Sam had laughed more tonight—sober—than he had since Johnny had known him. Then again, Foley masquerading as law enforcement was damn amusing. “And quit laughing at my badge.”
“The sexy police? Really?” Johnny grimaced. “Even for you, that’s cheesy.”
“What do you mean, even for me?”
Sam had shown up in prison blues, looking every inch a convict. Or serial killer. Either way, he fit in with the party. “Here.” He handed them beers. “Lou’s coming.”
“Always late, that guy.” Johnny took a swift chug, needing the alcohol for reinforcement.
“You and Lara look good.” Foley nodded in her direction.
Johnny glanced over to see her with Del, Rena, and a bunch of McCauley fiancées, laughing about something. The family Del was marrying into came with four brothers, her fiancé the oldest of the bunch. The other guys seemed okay, and he’d admit he felt better that they all seemed coupled up, at least. Because according to Rena and Lara, they were a sexy, hot bunch of fantasy material. He could only be thankful Rena hadn’t managed to push Lara into reading her romance books. It was tough enough trying to act all confident and dominant when he felt like a scared boy wondering when she planned to cut and run. He’d been so damn happy lately. He could almost feel the tugging on the rug about to be pulled out from beneath him.
“I like her costume,” Sam said.
“Yeah, well, don’t like it too much,” Johnny warned. Lara had dressed up as the girl from
The Exorcist
. He’d accompanied her as the priest.
“Sure thing…Father.”
Foley and Sam laughed long and loud.
He scowled. “What’s with all the joy, Sam? I’m not comfortable with your happiness.”
“He’s finally getting laid,” Foley explained.
Sam flushed. “Shut up, copper.”
Johnny grinned. “Shaya warmed up to you, did she?”
“Maybe.”
“She’s a good girl.”
“We have a mutual understanding,” Sam said. “Besides, she’s leaving in another month. We’re just hanging out ’til she moves back with her sister down South.”
“Oh. Okay then. But you better treat her like gold before she leaves. ”
Sam and Foley exchanged a glance, then exchanged bills.
“What’s that about?”
Sam shrugged. “Foley thought I was shitting him about you being a mother hen. But it’s true. Ease up, man. I’m not gonna fuck Shaya over. Seriously though, with this many hot chicks around, you’re wasting opportunity with all the protective crap. There are some fine women at Strutts, you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask
you
. And I don’t need opportunities when I have the real deal. Ah, here comes my demonic princess.”
Foley groaned. “All this sweetness is killing me, priest. Come on, Sam. Let’s go find Del in the crowd before Father Love Bunches makes me throw up.”
“Amen.”
Johnny gave them both the blessed finger, then put it away when Lara and Rena arrived.
“Nice gesture.” Rena chuckled. “You make a hot but not believable priest.”
“And just who are you, my child?” He tucked a possessive arm around his gorgeous girlfriend.
“Meet Selena Blackwood.”
Rena looked amazing in a cropped top, short coveralls, and brown work boots. She had a fake tool belt around her waist and her hair done up in a clip that let stray curls dance around her face and neck. As usual, she had a joyous glow that only added to her beauty.