Jason (Blue Halo Book 2)

Courtney stood in the back kitchen of The Grind, her fingers flying over the keys on her phone.

Courtney: I’ve taken my bag out.

And that was the extent of her packing. They were camping for one night. How long would it take?

Jason: Ah, we leave tomorrow…

She chuckled, leaning her hip against the wall.

She shouldn’t be hiding in the back, not when Joey was out front cleaning, but really, what was the point of being the boss if you couldn’t sneakily escape from cleanup duty?

Courtney: Yes, I realize. But I’ve been busy.

Yeah, busy watching reruns of The Office with Eddie.

Jason: Busy with what?

Crap, the man was onto her.

Courtney: Well, I changed the colors of the streaks in my hair.

She’d thought Jason would pop in today and see them, but the man had been oddly missing. Oddly, because it was the first day in weeks that she hadn’t seen him.

Was it sad that she actually missed their usual ten-minute chat?

Maybe that was why she was being a slacker and letting Joey do all the work tonight. Because she was desperate for some Jason time, even if it was over text. The man had probably spent the day with Sage and Mason. The couple had arrived that morning, so she should have expected his absence.

Jason: No more purple?

Courtney: No more purple.

Jason: What color did you go with?

Courtney: You’ll just have to wait and see.

She grinned at the broken heart emoji she got in response. When she texted the guy, it was just so… easy. She could be fully and unapologetically herself.

“So, I’m doing the cleanup myself, am I?”

Courtney squeaked, the phone almost slipping from her fingers at Joey’s sudden voice. “God, Joey, you walk like a cat.”

He lifted a brow. “No, I walk like a man trying to sneak up on the person hiding in the kitchen.”

Sheesh, everyone was onto her tonight.

Tucking the phone into her pocket, she moved out front. “Sorry. I’ve been distracted.”

“I know. It’s okay, it’s a perk of being the boss. Everything’s done, we just need to give the floors a quick mop.” He headed over to the two buckets he’d already prepared, mops poking out of the top, and handed her one.

She didn’t deserve the guy. “Where would I be without you?”

“Oh, you’d be right here, not realizing what you were missing.”

It would be funny if it wasn’t so true.

“So, who were you messaging?” he asked as he started at one end of the room and she went to work at the other.

“Jason.”

Like he didn’t know. He’d caught her messaging him on numerous occasions already that week, most of which she’d also sent while hiding in the back. She was terrible.

“Are you guys dating?”

Her heart skidded in her chest. Ah, wasn’t that the dream? “We’re just friends.”

“Ha. I give it a week.”

“Well, if that happens, you’ll see me walking around here with a deliriously big smile on my face.”

“Yeah, I’m expecting it.”

They were just finishing the floors when Joey yawned. Okay, that was like the tenth time she’d caught him yawning that day. Not to mention the shadows under his eyes that were still there, dark as ever.

Once they’d cleaned their mops and buckets in the back room, they headed out of the kitchen. Courtney stopped in front of him. “Joey, I just wanted to check that everything is really okay with you? You’ve seemed a bit… off the last few shifts. Tired.” Exhausted, actually.

He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry, I’ll do better.”

Courtney stepped closer. “No, I don’t mean it as a criticism. You know that I think you’re the bee’s knees when it comes to this place. And I don’t see that changing. I’m worried about you.”

“I…” He paused. It was like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. “I’m fine.”

Fine? No. He was not fine. “Are you sure? Because if something’s wrong, I might be able to help. I want to help. Or I could at least be an ear to listen.”

Another beat of silence. “I was actually going to ask…” For a moment he looked uncomfortable. His jaw clenched, eyes darting away then back at her. “Would it be possible for me to get an advance on my next pay?”

Courtney was careful to keep her expression clear. “You need money?”

“I’m just a bit behind on my rent right now.”

The guy lived alone in an apartment building not far from hers. He’d been living there since he started working at The Grind. He’d never mentioned being behind on rent or having money issues before…

“If that’s not okay—”

“No.” She touched his arm. “It is. I was just surprised. Of course you can have an advance on your next paycheck. I’ll organize it now, before I leave.”

He sighed, his chest deflating as relief came off him in waves. How bad exactly was his situation?

“Thank you.”

“If you want to talk about anything…”

Joey had not only been her first employee at The Grind, he’d also been her first friend in Cradle Mountain, the ten-year age gap never posing a problem to their friendship. If he needed help, then she wanted to do whatever she could for him.

“I’m okay.”

She gave a small nod. “Okay.”

She’d just turned when she felt his hand on her arm. “Actually, Courtney—”

The front door suddenly opened. Courtney looked over her shoulder to see Jason stepping inside.

Immediately, Joey’s hand dropped. He stepped back.

Jason went still, his gaze moving from the part of her arm Joey had just touched, to Joey, then across to her. “Everything okay here?”

Jason frowned at what he’d walked into. It wasn’t just Joey touching Courtney, or their closeness that had him pausing, it was the thickness of the air around them.

Courtney took a step away from her employee. “Of course.”

There was definitely something wrong with Joey. Not only did he look a lot more tired than usual, but stress all but bounced off him.

What had he just walked into?

“I’m going to go.” Joey headed across the room, walking past Jason and out the door.

When the door closed, he took slow steps across to Courtney. “I feel like I interrupted something.” Actually, he knew he’d interrupted something. He just didn’t know what.

As he stopped in front of her, she tilted her head back to look at him. “It’s okay. He was going to tell me something. Whatever it was, he can tell me another time.”

But there was a note of hesitation in Courtney’s voice. Maybe she wasn’t sure Joey would tell her another time.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, a soft smile playing at her lips.

“I’m an impatient man.”

Funnily enough, he didn’t used to be. That impatience had only come about since meeting Courtney. Since he had to teach himself to wait whatever period of time was necessary before he could see her face again. Hear her voice.

He lifted a hand, fingers grazing the soft strand of dyed hair at the side of her head before cupping her cheek. That same awareness he usually felt when he touched her rippled from his hand right down his arm. “Sky blue. I like it.”

She swallowed, pausing before responding. “I’m glad.”

There was a lot he liked about this woman. “I think I would like any color on you, though.”

Any color. Any hairdo. Anything.

He slid his hand from her cheek to the back of her neck, his thumb grazing over the skin. So damn soft. When her eyes dropped to his lips, parts of him hardened that had no business hardening right now.

“You kill me when you do that,” he said quietly. It was literal death. “It makes it really hard not to kiss you.” Especially now, when no one else was around and he had nowhere else to be.

“Kiss me?”

His lips tilted up. “Yeah, honey, kiss you.”

Her gaze swung down to his lips a second time.

He almost growled out loud. “Courtney.” It was definitely a warning.

Her hands went to his chest, her head tilting farther back. “Maybe you should.”

Fuck.

His hand tightened on her neck. Then, in a swift move, he lowered his head, taking her lips with his own. She made a soft noise, a little between a sigh and a whimper, and something fierce and primal awoke in his chest.

Her lips were plush and warm and swiped across his slowly. His other hand grabbed her waist, tugging her closer, pressing her softness into his hard.

The pounding of her heart was like a beat in the background that crashed through the silence.

When her lips separated, she entered his mouth, tangling her tongue with his.

Another flicker in his chest.

So. Damn. Sweet.

It would be easy to take this further. To get lost in the woman in his arms. To make love to every part of her. That’s why he had to stop.

Slowly—painfully—Jason lifted his head. Her small groan of protest rivaled the one battling the slim tendrils of his self-restraint.

“I could get used to kissing you.”

Her hands went to his biceps. Clenching. Steadying herself. “And I could easily become addicted to you doing that.”

Oh, he knew all about addiction. How often did he think about her? Crave her?

“Let me walk you home.”

The sigh that released from her lips, the small step away, told him he wouldn’t be getting more time with Courtney. Not tonight.

“I need to stay for a bit and put an employee’s pay through. I thought I’d do a couple other paperwork things while I’m at it.” When she looked up, she bit her bottom lip, and damn if it didn’t take all his strength to not take that lip between his own teeth.

Jason tightened his hands on her hips, loving the way she sank into him. “But I’ll see you tomorrow?” He was driving his sister and Mason, while Courtney was going with Grace and Logan.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Her words were quiet.

He pressed a last kiss to her lips. Last for now… certainly not for long.