“Uh, what?”
“I was asking you why we needed to go to Reilly’s.”
River shook his head, trying to disperse the images that kept building up. Jeanette spread out, open and smiling. Jeanette on all fours. Jeanette on her knees. And in every damn one, she was gloriously in the buff.
He frowned, not at all happy that he had to put his love life on the back burner. “He needs help with the twins. Want to come with me?”
“Oh! I’d never miss a chance to play with Cameron and Chet.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” River moved to turn off the kitchen light.
Jeanette squinted at him. “Is this just a ploy to keep an eye on me?”
He winked. “Nope, but that’s a bonus.”
She looked down at herself and asked, “Should I change?”
“Not on my account,” he replied, his voice gruff as he stared at the juncture between her thighs. Damn, the shorts fit her like a glove.
Her head snapped up. “Um, okay.” She moved to put on a pair of sandals. “Ready?”
More than you know. “Yep.” As she started to unlock the front door so they could leave, River noticed a smudge on her wrist. He lifted it. A bruise. “Did the mugger do this?” When she nodded, River stiffened. “That bastard,” he grumbled as he leaned down and kissed it.
She cleared her throat and snatched her arm back. “It’s not that bad,” she assured him. “I bruise easily. You know that.”
“Are you sure you’re up to babysitting?” He stroked his hand down the length of her hair. “How’s your head?”
“Actually, it’s much better. The meds must be kicking in.”
“Good.” River followed her out the door and waited while she locked it back again. “So, your friend, is he studying law too?”
“No, he’s majoring in accounting. We had a few classes together our freshmen year. We’ve been friends ever since.”
River still wasn’t comfortable with Jeanette being friendly with other men. But he couldn’t very well tell her who she could talk to and who she couldn’t. That was a little too archaic, even for him. “He’s special to you.”
Jeanette walked to the other side of the street, where there was a small parking lot. “Yes, he is. We’ve seen each other through a lot.”
River was momentarily sidetracked from their conversation by the sway of her hips. He liked walking behind her. That way he got to watch her heart-shaped ass bounce back and forth, and it also allowed him to put himself between her and any other male who might try to get a similar thrill.
Her dark hair hung down around her shoulders in soft waves. He’d noticed she’d been wearing it like that more and more lately. And she’d traded her baggy sweats for skirts. The new feminine look suited her, although he’d liked her tomboyish ways as well. She wa
s hot no matter what she wore.
River realized that yet again he’d lost the thread of their conversation, but Jeanette reminded him when she said, “Mike is pretty easy-going, doesn’t take life too seriously. Some consider him for a real pushover, but he’s had a hard life and knows how to take care of himself. He’s no easy mark.” She paused and looked over her shoulder at him, her face creased in worry. “You really should be more careful around him. He’s not one to toy with.”
That had his male pride going for a nosedive. Did she think he was a total wimp? He reached out and tugged playfully on her hair. “I’m not exactly without my own bag of tricks, woman.”
Jeanette was instantly contrite. “Well, of course I know that, dork. It’s just that Mike can be oddly protective where I’m concerned.”
When they reached her car, River came to an abrupt halt. “You don’t really expect me to get in that, do you?”
“Are you seriously going to insult my car? You always insult my car.” Jeanette’s hands went to her hips and her brows creased.
His lips kicked up to one side. “I didn’t mean to knock it, sunshine.” She squinted suspiciously at him. “I’m sure it gets great gas mileage,” he continued, hoping to appease her. “For a toy car, it’s actually very cute.” She tried to swat his arm, but he dodged her. “I’m just saying that we may have a slight problem with my size.”
Jeanette looked at it again, then at him and started laughing. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”
She drove an old VW bug. He would never be able to comfortably get his bulky frame inside without maybe detaching a few limbs. And he was rather fond of his limbs just where they were.