Julia nods. “Grimaldi is litigious as fuck. He’s filed civil suits against people before, and Janelle thinks it was most likely a tactic to keep them from blowing the whistle on his drinking.”
“I really wish you’d have let me hit him.”
Jules laughs. “I don’t want him coming after you too.”
“Like I give a fuck about a lawsuit,” I mutter. “What else did your lawyer say?”
She sighs. “Lie low and wait for her to handle things.”
Playing out my options, there’s only one solution that works. One way to keep Dad resting and Julia protected. I’m ninety-nine percent sure this is going to be physical torture, but I don’t know what else to do.
“Thank you for telling me. Listen Jules, I need to get Dad’s pills and if you’re going to keep him here, he’ll need some stuff. Do you think you’ll be ok if I run home real quick?”
She nods, running her hand through her dark hair. “Yeah, absolutely.”
I climb to my feet and hold out a hand to help her up. She places her fingers in mine and lets me haul her to her feet. Looking down at her tear-streaked face, I’m lost. I’m certainly not thinking straight when I reach out and cup her jaw, using my thumb to smooth away a rogue tear from her cheek. Julia looks up at me, eyes wide, and swallows hard.
I pull my hand away before I do something toreallycross a line. “Sorry. I never could stand to see you cry.”
“I can’t stand it either.” She lets out a little laugh and gives her shoulders a subtle shake, her chin raising as she stands tall. It’s a familiar habit, one that I remember her doing even as a kid. It’s almost like she can’t stand being vulnerable and has to physically shake it off so she can put her guard back up.
I follow her back to the living room. “You’re sure you’ll be ok? Promise you’ll call 911 if that douche nozzle shows up while I’m gone.”
Julia nods and rolls her eyes like I’m being ridiculous. “Yes, I pr—Oh shit. Hang on.” She disappears and reappears with a broom.
“I need to be here while you sweep?” I ask, confused.
Julia rolls her eyes at me wordlessly, placing a warm hand on my stomach and pushing me a couple steps away from the smaller couch. She drops into a plank position, resting her stomach on the carpet as she uses the broom handle to dig around under the couch. I don’t know what she lost under there and I don’t care. Julia writhes on the floor at my feet, swearing and trying to smack whatever it is. I know I should look away, but I’m frozen. Mesmerized. Her sweater lifts as she stretches, exposing the soft skin of her lower back. Her ass is wrapped in black leggings, a juicy peach that’s so fucking off limits I’d get kicked out of eden for taking a bite.
God dammit. Now the only thing I can think about is biting her ass. Biting my knuckle hard enough to leave marks, I rip my eyes away and spin towards the door before she can see how easy it is to make me hard.
“Got it,” she declares triumphantly, jumping back to her feet and holding up her phone.
“How did it get under there?” I ask, looking over my shoulder.
Julia points it at me. “You were being grumpy, so I threw you. It just bounced weird and slid under there.”
“I wasn’t being grumpy.” I should know better than to argue with her, but I take the bait, anyway.
“Yes, you were. And you’re still being grumpy.”
“If I was, it’s only because you were being a brat.”
Julia grins and flips me the bird.
7
Julia
The corner of Mateo’s lip twitches when I aim my middle finger at him. It’s as close as he gets to smiling like a normal person, so I’ll take it. He seems determined to get out the door as fast as possible and makes a beeline for his car like the devil is on his heels. Weirdo.
I watch as he opens the car door, glancing back at where I’m standing in the doorway. He raises a hand, giving me a little wave, and I flash back to his firm hand on my jaw, his thumb stroking my cheek. I only replay it twice more before squashing it.
He’s not my type. He’s not what I want. He’s not my type. He’s not what I want.
Mateo is my oldest friend and it would be really fucking stupid to risk damaging that relationship just because he went and got all swole in the Navy. He’s the same person he always was. Steady, dependable, and serious. Just… bigger.
Besides, I remind myself for about the tenth time, I’m not his type either. He’s a rule follower. He’s serious and solemn, and I’m a shitstorm with a vocabulary that would make the FCC cringe.