"What do you mean? You weren't looking forward to coming back to Justice?"
She released a long sigh. "Not really. After my grandmother passed, I just couldn't bring myself to come back."
His head whipped around. "Is that why you stayed away for so long?"
"Yes, but then my asshole boyfriend broke off our engagement and Pappy needed help, so I decided I needed a change of scenery."
"Your boyfriend is a fool. There's no way in the world I could ever do that to you."
* * *
Denim stared at him, eyes wide and intense. Jax could tell from the expression on her face, his comment surprised her. "Thanks. That means a lot."
"I'm only telling the truth. You wanna tell me what happened?"
She adjusted on the seat and stared out the window. "I caught him cheating with my best friend." On the drive to the restaurant, Denim poured her heart out, talking about finding the two of them together. There was no denying the disappointment in her voice.
"But you know what? I'm not as devastated as I thought I would still be. I'm starting to think that maybe I was more upset about him betraying me than I was in love, because I've barely thought about him the last few days."
Jax took her hand and laced their fingers together. Selfishly he wanted Denim all to himself. "I hope I have something to do with that."
Denim was blushing again as she said, "Maybe."
He pulled into the parking lot and brought the car to a stop. He knew she was attracted to him. He saw it in her eyes. It was also obvious in the kisses they'd shared.
He turned in the seat. "To be totally honest, I was glad you didn't come back to Justice."
Her eyes widened. "Why is that?"
"Because of the way you made me feel. That year I was just starting the Change and I was confused as hell. When I rode you to Pappy's that day on my moped my hormones were racing. You smelled so good, all I knew was I had to kiss you."
Denim swallowed. "And now that I'm back?"
Their eyes locked as he said, "Now that you're back, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." He couldn't stop looking at her, either-at those earthy cinnamon – colored eyes. Did she realize her mere presence kept him aroused? Jax leaned over and pressed his mouth against hers. Hard, demanding, and explosive. Confident he had given her enough to think about, he ended the kiss, then climbed out and hurried around to open her door. Jax helped Denim out the car. Clasping her hand not only felt intimate, but it seemed normal. The way it should be. He led her to the door of the restaurant. As soon as they stepped inside, the smell of charcoal beef hit their noses and he heard Denim's stomach growl. "It's good to know I'm not the only one who's hungry," he teased.
She gave him a smile that caused his stomach to knot.
Within minutes, they were escorted to a table near the window. They took a seat and he rested his elbows on the red-and-white-checkered tablecloth. Jax watched while Denim glanced around the room, eyeing the country and western photos and memorabilia mounted on the walls until their waitress arrived. A pretty teenager's face lit up the instant she spotted him.
"Hey, Jax!" she exclaimed merrily.
He smiled with recognition. "How are you doing, Bridget? How's your dad?"
She gave an exaggerated eye roll. "A handful, but things have gotten much better."
He looked toward Denim. "Bridget, this is Denim. Bridget is Aidan's friend," he explained.
Denim shook her proffered hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same here," she said, then changed to her professional mode. "Today's special is a twelve ounce, bone-in ribeye, baked potato and coleslaw, for nine ninety-nine."
Denim looked at him and nodded. "That sounds good to me."
He held up his fingers. "Make that two. And I'll also take a sweetened tea."
"Me, too," Denim stated.
Bridget scribbled across a small pad. "All right. Two specials with iced teas coming right up."
As soon as she moved toward the kitchen, Jax leaned forward and said in a low voice, "She's really had a hard time this last year."
Denim looked at him with interest. "What do you mean?"
"Her father was diagnosed with dementia. Bridget spent a lot of time trying to get her family to accept it and help her take care of him," he replied with sympathy and anger pooling in his eyes. "She was finally able to get him around-the-clock nursing care."
"Thank goodness for that."
With a nod, he leaned back on the chair. "She's a good girl."
Curiously, Denim crossed her arms. "What happened with her and Aidan?"
Jax stared at her and paused before saying, "He doesn't believe in mixing breeds. His mate is going to be a Were."
She stared at him, studying his eyes, and he could tell she saw what he was thinking.
"You feel the same way … don't you?"
"Mixing breeds complicates things," he said, stalling for time. "But, I'm starting to think I might be a little more open-minded to the possibility."
The corner of her lips tilted upward. "I hope I have something to do with that."
"Maybe."
She laughed as he tried to keep a straight face, but eventually Jax gave in and laughed along with her.
Bridget returned with their drinks and Denim thanked her, then brought the straw to her lips and sipped. "Wow! This tea is really good."
"That's why folks buy it by the gallon."
"And I thought Pappy's had the best iced tea in the state." She laughed.
"I guess we'd better not tell him," Jax teased, with a wink.
They talked about Justice and the people they both knew until their food arrived. His stomach growled the second Bridget lowered the plate to the table. As soon as she was gone, Denim cut into her steak and took a bite. "Oh, it is good!"
Jax felt that sound all the way down to his groin. "Told you," he said and cut into his own. It was rare, just the way he liked it. They were both quiet, enjoying their food and listening to the soft sounds of country music in the background until he finally broke the silence. "So tell me something about your plans after college."
"Well, I am hoping to find a great job managing a business," Denim told him between bites.
"What kind of business?"
She shrugged. "Maybe a restaurant franchise. I've been working at Pappy's forever, and then I've worked as an assistant manager at a diner at home for the last three summers, so I think I have a pretty good idea about how to successfully run a restaurant."
He gave her a long intense look and said, "You ever think about coming back here and help Pappy run the diner?"
Denim's eyes widened before she drew a long breath. "Pappy would love that."
"And what about you?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. I guess I would have to give it some thought. Being here for the summer is one thing, but year-round … I never considered that possibility."
Jax leaned across the table and made sure he had her full attention. "Then maybe it's time for you to give it some thought." What he couldn't tell her was that now that she knew there were Weres in Justice, he wasn't allowed to let her out his sight. He just hoped he could convince her to stay on her own.
Dishes were cleared and dessert was served while they lingered and talked about anything and everything. They had a lot in common and shared a lot about the last eight years of their lives with each other. Jax couldn't get enough of staring at her beautiful caramel-colored face and that wild dark curly hair that refused to cooperate no matter how much she tried. He didn't want the evening to end and judging by the way she kept refilling her coffee mug, neither did she.
After the bill was settled, Jax escorted Denim out to his car. She was quiet on the drive back to Justice. "What are you thinking about?" Reaching over, he took her hand in his.
Denim glanced briefly his way before staring out at the traffic ahead again. "I'm thinking about how different life is here now that I'm twenty-one."
Their eyes met and he smirked. "I hope that's a good thing?"
"Oh, it's definitely a good thing," she whispered and her words caused his loins to stir.
By the time Jax pulled into the driveway, the house was quiet and the only light on was the porch. Pappy was probably sound asleep and Jax decided that was probably better than him waiting on the front porch. He came around and opened the door. Denim stepped out of the BMW and tried to skirt around him, but he shifted, too.
"What?" she laughed.
Jax also chuckled. "Thanks for having dinner with me."
"The pleasure was all mine," she said softly. The word pleasure had a weird affect on him and he felt his insides heating. Pleasure was something he'd been missing in his life before Denim returned to town.