I threw it as hard as I could against the wall and watched it shatter into a million pieces.
When I pulled up to the house Jax was renting short term, I turned off my truck, grabbed the steering wheel, and took in a few deep breaths. “You can do this, Bishop. You can do this. You want to move on. You need to move on. And Abby being back in town doesn’t change anything.”
I opened the door and got out. As I walked around the front of the truck, I saw a Boggy Creek Police car driving down the road.
“Please don’t be Hunter,” I whispered.
I groaned internally when I saw that it was, indeed, Hunter.
“Hey, what are you doing on this side of town?” he asked. Jack barked and Hunter gave him a command.
“Jax is staying here while she’s in town. I’m having dinner with her tonight.”
A frown line appeared between Hunter’s brows as he looked at the house, then back to me. “You do know Abby’s in town?”
“Yeah, I saw her earlier today. How did you know she was in town?”
“I found her pulled over on the side of the road a few days back.”
“Why?” I asked.
Hunter gave me a look that silently asked if I was being serious. He chose to ignore my question. “Well, enjoy your date, and I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”
“What’s tomorrow night?” I asked.
Now with a stunned expression, Hunter said, “Kyle and Greer’s birthday dinner? That ringing a bell? We’re going to Brew’s Place after.”
I snapped my fingers. “That’s right. Shit, I nearly forgot.”
“I get it—opening season is coming up. I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your mind.”
After glancing over my shoulder at Jax’s house, I focused back on Hunter. “She stopped by to talk, and I wasn’t exactly nice to her.”
He nodded. “I get that.”
I stood there and glanced back and forth between the house and Hunter.
“You okay, Bishop?”
I forced a smiled. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
His eyes moved past me as he said, “I’ll let you go so you can get on with your evening.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the birthday dinner.”
“Hey…I don’t mean to sound like an asshole, but…if you were planning on bringing Jax tomorrow, you might want to reconsider. Abby might be there.”
Nodding, I hit the side of his car. “I hear you. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
Turning, I jogged up the sidewalk and took the steps two at a time. I lifted my hand to knock on the door, but it opened before I could. Jax stood there with a smile on her face. I gave her a quick once-over and saw she had on jeans and a tight black sweater that certainly showed off her figure.
“Hey, I saw you out there talking to the police. Is everything okay?” She motioned for me to come in.
“Yeah, that was Hunter.”
The door shut, and Jax reached up to kiss me. I pecked her on the mouth and then stepped back.
Laughing, she said, “Okay, well, are you hungry? I made tacos. I’m not much of a cook, but I do make a mean salsa and guacamole. Then, after dinner, I thought maybe I would slip into something I bought today at one of the little stores on Main Street and we could…” Her voice trailed off, and she tilted her head and stared at me. “Do you want to tell me why you suddenly look sick to your stomach, Bishop?”
I ran my hand over my face and let out a frustrated groan. “I can’t do this. Fuck! I can’t do this, Jax. I’m so sorry.”
“Bishop, at some point you’re going to have to move on and—”
I cut her off and just let the words spill from my mouth. “Abby’s back in town. She stopped by my place earlier today to talk, and I…well, I treated her like her shit and then sent her on her way. But not before I made sure she knew I was having dinner with you tonight.”
“I see.” Jax folded her arms over her chest and studied me. “You used our date as a way to hurt her.”
My eyes fell to a spot on the wall behind her. “I guess so.”
Jax remained silent for a few moments before she said, “You’re still in love with her, Bishop, and everyone around here can see it except for you.”
“It’s not like that, Jax. I thought I was ready to move on, and believe me, I am attracted to you. It’s just…even before I knew Abby was back in town, this didn’t feel…it didn’t feel right. I want to move on with my life. But I don’t think I’m ready yet.”
“Because you’re still in love with your wife.”
“Ex-wife,” I snapped.
Jax drew in a deep breath through her nose, then let it out slowly. “Bishop, I’ve been a single mom since Ashley was two. That’s eight years of learning how to date while having a kid. I’ve discovered there are three types of guys out there. There are the guys who want to date me until they find out I have a kid, and then they run for the hills. Then there are the guys who date me and are okay that I have a kid—but those are few and far between, trust me. And then there are the guys who fall for my kid, and I’m a bonus.”
“Wait a second. Are you saying I’m in the last group?”
She dropped her arms to her sides. “Bishop, you bring flowers and gifts to my daughter. The first three times you asked me out, you wanted Ashley there and centered the dates around her. The first time we were alone, you brought me back to your place. Why do you think you brought me to your house?” She held up her hand. “Wait, let me answer. You brought me to your house last night, Bishop, because deep down in your heart, you knew you wouldn’t let anything happen between us. Had you brought me to a hotel, we would have most likely had sex. Then you would have regretted it, and you probably wouldn’t have shown up on my doorstep ever again.”
“That’s not true,” I said with a disbelieving laugh.
“It’s not? Okay. Then how about this. I’m not looking for a relationship, Bishop. I don’t want to settle down with anyone. But I am a woman with needs, and I want you. No-strings-attached sex, that’s it. You don’t have to worry about hurting me and Ashley. That’s all I want from you. Sex. I want a few good mind-blowing orgasms. I want to fuck. Here, in your truck, in a hotel…anywhere. All I want is for you to make me feel like a woman. I want to scream out your name while you fuck me from behind. That’s it. Just fuck me.”
“What?”
Jax reached down and pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it to the floor. Then she started to unbutton her jeans. She slid them down to reveal lace panties that matched the black lace bra she had on. She kicked them off and held her arms out wide.
“Fuck me right here and now, Bishop. We can skip dinner. You can leave when we’re done.”
I was positive my mouth was on the floor.
When she took a step toward me, I instinctively stepped back. One of her brows rose.
“Jax, this isn’t what I wanted.”
“Why not? I’ve heard around town that you’re quite the ladies’ man. I’m yours, Bishop. Do whatever it is you want with me.”