baby.”
“Negative.” Jared stood, then guzzled half his beer. Him, a godfather? Never. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to ask me that this week.” Jared’s heart raced, shooting adrenaline throughout his system. He slammed his beer on the counter.
“You didn’t kill your son,” Pat whispered.
“I’m not having this conversation with you,” Jared bellowed. “Please leave.”
“Let it go,” Pat said.
Jared gripped the counter until his knuckles turned white.
“Lisa didn’t love you or Johnny. She didn’t leave you any choice,” Pat said, softly. “Think about it, okay?” The door rattled as Pat tugged it closed.
Pat had been right about one thing. Lisa hadn’t given Jared a choice. She’d threatened to leave town, with his child, if he didn’t toss a seventeen-year-old Ryan to the streets. So he took legal action, making sure Johnny would stay with him.
And now Johnny was dead.
“I’m going to jump in the lake,” Jared yelled to Ryan, as he jogged up the stairs. His body trembled. He had the strong urge to grab his favorite stash and get lost in the darkness of a bottle.
Moments later, he stood at the end of the dock and contemplated jumping into the cold lake, butt naked. “What the hell.” He stripped from his jeans and ripped off his shirt. Standing at the edge like he was king of the mountain, he took in a deep breath, then…
Splash!
He dove fifteen feet, making sure his hand squished in the muck before shifting his body and surging to the top. “Damn, that’s cold.” He hoisted himself onto the dock, then shook the frigid water from his naked body and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stared out over the moonbeams dancing across the dark blue water.
He snatched up his clothes and headed toward the lounge chair on the lawn, ignoring the goose bumps climbing up his numb body.
“Nice show.” Ryan’s voice rang out soft and sexy in his ears.
The towel slid an inch or two as blood rushed to places it shouldn’t. “How long have you been sitting there?”
“Long enough. And you’re nuts. That water couldn’t be more than fifty-five degrees.” She’d stretched out across a lounge chair with her hands clasped behind her head and a warm smile plastered on her angelic face. Damn woman was too beautiful for her own good.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” He waved to her, flashing his clothes.
“All of a sudden shy?” she teased, seductively crossing her legs.
“No.” He cleared his throat. “Turn around, unless you want a front row seat for the next showing.” He released the tucked in corner of the towel and chuckled when she went scarlet and turned away.
Given the opportunity, he eyed her with appreciation. Her lean body had all the necessary curves to drive a man insane, but her legs—well, wow , was all he could come up with. “Do you always sneak up on skinny-dippers?”
She laughed. “That was a repeat performance.”
“Huh?” He pulled his shirt over his head. “You can turn around now.”
“Do you even own a bathing suit?” Her sultry tone warmed his chilled body.
He sat down on the edge of her lounge chair and propped his elbow on her knee. He inhaled and smelled her fresh, rosy scent. “Of course. But I prefer my birthday suit.”
“Once, Penny and I watched you and Randy stumble to the dock, strip, and dive in. We stole your clothes and towel and had to stick cold pizza in our mouths to stop from laughing when you two hightailed it to the house, nudie.”
“So, you’re the scoundrel who stole my trooper sweats.” He dropped his chin, squeezing her thigh. The heat from her body rippled to his hand.
“Penny hoped she’d have to go rescue one of you.”
“And you?”
“I would’ve let you both drown.” Her playful smile told him otherwise.
He chuckled, then turned sullen. “Your idiot brother wants me to be a godfather. You have to talk to him.”
She traced a path down his jaw with her finger and leaned closer.
“Negative.” Jared stood, then guzzled half his beer. Him, a godfather? Never. “You’ve got a lot of nerve to ask me that this week.” Jared’s heart raced, shooting adrenaline throughout his system. He slammed his beer on the counter.
“You didn’t kill your son,” Pat whispered.
“I’m not having this conversation with you,” Jared bellowed. “Please leave.”
“Let it go,” Pat said.
Jared gripped the counter until his knuckles turned white.
“Lisa didn’t love you or Johnny. She didn’t leave you any choice,” Pat said, softly. “Think about it, okay?” The door rattled as Pat tugged it closed.
Pat had been right about one thing. Lisa hadn’t given Jared a choice. She’d threatened to leave town, with his child, if he didn’t toss a seventeen-year-old Ryan to the streets. So he took legal action, making sure Johnny would stay with him.
And now Johnny was dead.
“I’m going to jump in the lake,” Jared yelled to Ryan, as he jogged up the stairs. His body trembled. He had the strong urge to grab his favorite stash and get lost in the darkness of a bottle.
Moments later, he stood at the end of the dock and contemplated jumping into the cold lake, butt naked. “What the hell.” He stripped from his jeans and ripped off his shirt. Standing at the edge like he was king of the mountain, he took in a deep breath, then…
Splash!
He dove fifteen feet, making sure his hand squished in the muck before shifting his body and surging to the top. “Damn, that’s cold.” He hoisted himself onto the dock, then shook the frigid water from his naked body and wrapped a towel around his waist. He stared out over the moonbeams dancing across the dark blue water.
He snatched up his clothes and headed toward the lounge chair on the lawn, ignoring the goose bumps climbing up his numb body.
“Nice show.” Ryan’s voice rang out soft and sexy in his ears.
The towel slid an inch or two as blood rushed to places it shouldn’t. “How long have you been sitting there?”
“Long enough. And you’re nuts. That water couldn’t be more than fifty-five degrees.” She’d stretched out across a lounge chair with her hands clasped behind her head and a warm smile plastered on her angelic face. Damn woman was too beautiful for her own good.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” He waved to her, flashing his clothes.
“All of a sudden shy?” she teased, seductively crossing her legs.
“No.” He cleared his throat. “Turn around, unless you want a front row seat for the next showing.” He released the tucked in corner of the towel and chuckled when she went scarlet and turned away.
Given the opportunity, he eyed her with appreciation. Her lean body had all the necessary curves to drive a man insane, but her legs—well, wow , was all he could come up with. “Do you always sneak up on skinny-dippers?”
She laughed. “That was a repeat performance.”
“Huh?” He pulled his shirt over his head. “You can turn around now.”
“Do you even own a bathing suit?” Her sultry tone warmed his chilled body.
He sat down on the edge of her lounge chair and propped his elbow on her knee. He inhaled and smelled her fresh, rosy scent. “Of course. But I prefer my birthday suit.”
“Once, Penny and I watched you and Randy stumble to the dock, strip, and dive in. We stole your clothes and towel and had to stick cold pizza in our mouths to stop from laughing when you two hightailed it to the house, nudie.”
“So, you’re the scoundrel who stole my trooper sweats.” He dropped his chin, squeezing her thigh. The heat from her body rippled to his hand.
“Penny hoped she’d have to go rescue one of you.”
“And you?”
“I would’ve let you both drown.” Her playful smile told him otherwise.
He chuckled, then turned sullen. “Your idiot brother wants me to be a godfather. You have to talk to him.”
She traced a path down his jaw with her finger and leaned closer.
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