Page 66 of Love Unbound
“Don’t,” she whispered sternly. The tears that had been stinging her nose and threatening her eyes finally fell and she swiped at them angrily. “Please don’t do that.”
“No,” Free snarled, striding forward until only a few feet separated them. Pointing one accusing finger in her direction, he snapped, “You don’t get to say you love me and then turn around and say this was just a fling. You and I both know that’s not what this was.”
“Wasn’t it?” Jodi snapped, raising her chin defiantly.
“No, and you know it,” Free said fiercely. “You’re running scared. You let that douchebag of an ex-husband convince you no one is going to want you, but he’s wrong. You’re scared and pushing me away, like a coward.”
“I’ma coward?” Jodi gasped, astonishment and outrage battling for supremacy. “That’s something, coming from the man that ran away and didn’t come back!”
“I wasn’t about to fuck my best friend’s daughter, who was barely eighteen years old!” he roared, and Jodi could tell he had finally lost control of the temper he was fighting to hold in. He stormed away, each angry footfall thundering against the wood porch. He spun on his booted heel to face her. “Fuck, Jodi! Why do you continue to make me out to be the bad guy when I just tried to do the right thing? You wereeighteengoddammit!”
Jodi watched wide eyed as his chest heaved, and when his eyes came back to hers, her stomach felt like it fell to the floor as he came striding toward her. She backed away, but he was quicker. His arm shot out and wrapped around her waist, hauling her high and hard against his body, and she landed against him, knocking the air out of her lungs. The fingers of his other hand fisted into the curls at the nape of her neck, and she cried out softly when he pulled, forcing her head back until she was looking up at him.
His chest still heaved, his breath hitting her in the face, and his eyes were fierce as he stared down at her. As much as she wanted to fight against his hold, this ferocity turned her on more.
“Do you haveanyidea how hard it was to walk away from you back then? Itkilledme, Jodi,” he growled, his lips moving dangerously close to her own, the fingers in her hair tightening just the slightest, bringing her mouth ever closer to his. “Because I wanted you, just like this, and I hated myself for it.”
Jodi gasped, breathless, every inch of her body on fire where it pressed against his. His eyes were the fiercest aquamarine blaze she’d ever seen as he stared down into her own.
He panted against her lips as he continued, “But if you think I’m going to let you go now, you obviously don’t know the holdyou have on me. I told you weeks ago I was just getting started, and I damn well meant it,” he snarled, a half second before his mouth came crashing down on hers.
Jodi’s arms wrapped around his waist, her fingers curling into fists in the fabric of his shirt against his back. He kissed her roughly for long moments, his tongue tangling with her own. Free’s mouth released hers long enough to nip at her bottom lip sharply, which made her gasp. White hot desire ricocheted through her, her lower body aching for him even as his mouth crashed back down onto hers. The fingers tangled in the hair at the back of her head tightened, arching her neck as he deepened the kiss, effectively stealing her breath and making her brain go fuzzy with need.
And then he released her just as suddenly as the embrace began.
She stumbled backward several steps, her legs trembling, her mind still muddled from the intensity of his kiss.
His chest heaved like a bellows as he stared at her, his fingers drifting down to the fly of his jeans, and her eyes flicked downward involuntarily, even though she already knew how their kiss had affected him. Her body was on fire, too. Her eyes flew back up to his and she swallowed hard as he growled, “I’m coming back.”
But Jodi was stubborn, her pride hurt, and despite everything he’d just said, he still hadn’t said those three words back to her. She raised her chin, willing her lips not to tremble as she said with more bravado than she felt, “I won’t hold my breath.”
She knew she’d cut him to the quick, his eyes as foreboding as the sea just before a storm, and a dark half chuckle escaped him. Fury seemed to radiate off him as he turned and stalked into the house, the screen door slapping smartly behind him.
Jodi squeezed her eyes shut, the ache in her chest making it nearly impossible to draw a breath. Heartache and adrenalinecoursed through her, and she started to hyperventilate. She refused to let anymore tears fall; wouldn’t let him see them. Raised voices from inside the house drifted out to her, though she couldn’t make out what was being said between the two.
The red headed bombshell, Roxy, exited, standing awkwardly just outside the front door. Free walked out moments later, his few belongings that had found their way into Jodi’s house over the last few weeks thrown unceremoniously into a plastic grocery bag. He stalked down the stairs to the truck, flinging the door open roughly. Roxy took a few steps toward Jodi, who raised her chin stubbornly.
“I know you must hate me right now,” the woman said, her voice steady, “and I don’t blame you in the slightest. I— Free’s the best friend I have, and he’s the only one my piece of shit ex is scared of. I didn’t know what else to do, didn’t know where to go, after…” Jodi’s anger melted at the pain and fear on the woman’s face, recognizing it from her own. One side of Roxy’s battered mouth tilted up in a rueful smile. “I never meant to cause trouble coming here. I’ve known Free for a long time, and I’ve never heard him, seen him, as happy as he is here. I know he’s a stubborn jackass, but please don’t be angry with him for too long.”
Free barked at Roxy from the truck, and she looked over at him, holding up one finger as if to tell him to wait. She turned back to Jodi. “I know my past with Free isn’t purely platonic, but he and I are just friends. That part of our… friendship… has been over for a long time.” Jodi nodded stiffly, and Roxy continued as Free barked at her again to hurry up. Roxy gave him a withering look and he grunted something unintelligible before slamming the truck door closed. The redhead turned back to her, smiling sadly again. “I’ve waited a really long time to meet you. I hope that maybe someday we can be friends. I know you’re angry with him right now, but I hope you realize how special you are toFreeman.”
Jodi inhaled unsteadily, crossing her arms over her middle tightly. She nodded again. Roxy gave her another half-smile, before turning and taking the first few steps down the stairs. She turned back to Jodi and said gently, “I’m sorry, again. I’m glad I got to finally meet you, Jodi,” and then she was down the stairs and climbing up into the truck beside Free.
He didn’t look at her as he put the truck in reverse and backed away from Jodi’s house, then put it in gear and slowly rumbled away, down her driveway. The tail lights shone brilliant red in the darkness, and they blurred with Jodi’s tears as she finally let them fall as they disappeared around the tree line drive.
Chapter 49
“I can get us ice cream?”
Jodi rolled her head on the pillow to look over at Shaun, who lay with her in the bed, her cheek laying on her stacked hands. Jodi’s eyes stung with fresh tears, and she took a deep breath, holding it in for ten seconds before exhaling slowly. Jodi shook her head though, and said quietly, her throat hoarse from crying, “Just lay with me, please.”
Jodi had called her sister, tried to talk through her sobs, after Free had left. Shaun had been there within fifteen minutes, fresh out of bed still wearing a pair of flannel pj shorts and tank top, and hair piled high in a messy bun. She had pulled Jodi up from the couch where she’d found her and held her as she’d cried wretchedly. Finally, when Jodi’s tears had slowed, she had changed into lounge pants and a loose, long sleeved shirt, and the two girls had climbed into Jodi’s large bed. Jodi had given Shaun a short version of what happened, though she hadn’t been able to ebb the flow of tears that had started again. She’d finished the retelling, and Shaun had instinctively known Jodi didn’t want advice or vitriol, instead just laying with her in the quiet of the room.
“How about some whisky?”
Jodi laughed, shaking her head again. “My head already hurts enough.” She rolled onto her side to face Shaun, stacking her hands beneath her cheek the same way.
“What happened with La Douche?” Shaun asked.
