“Took you long enough.” Jax turns, waving. “Come and say hi so we can go.”
“What am I, a toddler?”
I turn, knocking my umbrella into Jax’s as I watch a dark-haired beauty walking our way. She’s dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt like it’s just another day. Like my tongue didn’t trace every inch of her body a few nights ago. This is no hallucination. There is no way it’s possible and yet here she is walking toward me. My mystery girl.
CHAPTER8
Kylie
This hasto be some kind of cosmic joke. I can almost hear the laughter as my eyes lock with his across the scattered tombstones. There is no way that the guy my brother wouldn’t shut up about all morning is the same guy as my mystery man. Part of me wants to turn around and walk back to the car, but my brother ushers me along.
“Hurry up, slowpoke!”
I do my best to hurry through the mud and manage to finally reach them.
“Sorry, mud’s a little slippery over there.” I sigh, looking between them. “What did I miss?”
My mystery man shifts uncomfortably as I stand next to Jax. I can see that he hasn’t forgotten our night together. So much for avoiding an awkward conversation.
“Kylie, this is the guy I spent the best years of my life with, Johnathan Ronsberry. Johnathan, this is my pain-in-the-ass little sister, Kylie.”
“Really, my whole name?” He shakes his head with a smirk and sticks out his hand to me. “I’m glad we have a chance to properly meet.”
I suppress a smile as I firmly shake his hand. “I’m sorry, have we met before?”
“Well, Jax would often talk about a brat of a sister who lived back home.”
He’s playing it cool, but I can see the questions in his eyes. And he can see mine.
“And now this brat is a master’s graduate and ready to take on the real estate world.” Jax wraps an arm around my shoulders, knocking our umbrellas together. “Since you’re new in town, we should go out to dinner. Care to grace us with your presence?”
“Oh, ugh,” Johnathan stutters. “I don’t know. There’s still so much to deal with around here.”
“And there will still be things to deal with once you’ve had dinner with us. Come on, it’s the least I can do for leaving you this weekend.”
“Don’t pressure the guy.” I slide out of my brother’s grip and readjust my umbrella. Being this close to him is already overwhelming me enough. The last thing I need is to be trapped under my brother’s sweaty armpit.
I glance over at him. Johnathan. I can’t think of a better name for a man like him. If I had known, I would’ve screamed it all night long. The memories of that night resurface, and my cheeks flame.Please say no. Please say no.
“Yeah. Sure, Jax, why not?” Johnathan clears this throat and smiles at Jax. “I guess I could use a reason to escape from all of this for a minute.”
“That’s the spirit,” Jax cheers, clapping him on the shoulder.
“Cool,” I say a bit too loudly.
“Johnathan!”
I look past Johnathan to see a loud woman walking our way and waving, her other arm clinging tightly to a disgruntled-looking man.
Johnathan turns his back to us and shakes his head with a groan. “Is she seriously drunk right now?”
“You need me to stay for support?” Jax asks.
“Nah, you guys get out of here and enjoy the day. I’ll deal with my mother.” Johnathan’s eyes fall on me as he faces us before looking at Jax. He sticks his hand out between them with tired smile. “I’ll see you later on tonight.”
Jax shakes his hand with a nod. “I’ll send you the address.”
Johnathan lets go of Jax and extends his hand to me. “I look forward to getting to know you better over dinner.”