Joe stepped in front of them, blocking it from their view. "All of you listen to me." Three pairs of eyes locked on his face: hopeful, expectant, still dark with anger and fear. Protectiveness erupted , so strong Joe wanted to shout with it. He drew one breath, then another, but Jesus it didn't help.
"You're mine now," he told them, and he knew his voice was hoarse, trembling with furious conviction. He hadn't meant to rush Luna, to spill his guts so soon. He'd meant to give himself time, to give her and the kids time. But he couldn't hold it in. "All of you. I protect what's mine. No one is going to hurt you, and no one is going to run us off. I'll find the son of a bitch, I swear it. And when I do, he'll pay."
Luna's eyes, narrowed with rage only a moment ago, now softened with an expression far too close to concern. She gave a reluctant nod and spoke very softly. "All right, Joe."
He had an awful suspicion she agreed more to soothe him than because she believed what he said.
Willow swallowed, nodded, then gave him a trembling smile. "All right," she said, agreeing with Luna, and she, too, seemed to want to comfort him.
Women.
Austin launched himself forward, hugging himself around Joe's knees and hanging on tight. Joe almost fell over. He felt as though he'd been stomped on already, his muscles, his mind, his deepest emotions. Hell, he hadn't known he had deep emotions until the kids and Luna had dredged them from a dark, empty place.
He wasn't all that steady on his feet, and Austin hit him with the impact of a small tank. But it was more the punch to his heart than the impetus against his legs that threw him off balance.
Joe touched the tangled mop of blond hair. "Austin?"
Austin squeezed him, then said against Joe's knees, "Okay." He finally tipped up his face to give Joe a crooked, admiring grin. "I sure like it when you're disrespectful."
That ridiculous comment lightened Joe's mood, and he laughed. "Rodent.
Spencer talked to Trace."
Aha! "That--"
"And Trace told Dare. But no one told me because you swore everyone to secrecy, and I have to tell you, that annoys the hell out of me."
-Jackson and Arizona
His back to the room, Jackson said, "I need a Chris." Because Chris was gay, Dare choked and Trace laughed.
Lori FosterTag: jackson
When Alani started to speak, Jackson held up a finger. In the past five minutes, he'd had more mood swings than a menopausal woman. First turned-on, then territorial, bored, aggressive and now on alert.
Lori FosterDon't bitch about the clothes that you try on. Blush all you want--"
"What makes you think I'll blush?"
"If you don't, we won't take them.
Trace cursed. He actually wanted to hit something, but a tree would break his knuckles, he didn't want to put another dent in the truck, and Dare would hit back.
Lori FosterTag: trace
She pulled a deck from a drawer and sat across from Tyler. "What would you like to play?" She looked at Tyler.
"Strip poker?"
Carlie started to rise, her mouth drawn in annoyance, but Tyler stopped her. He was laughing. "Okay, okay. Bad jest. Sorry."
She nodded grudgingly. "So. What should we play?"
With a twinkle in his eyes, he asked innocently, "Old maid?"
She threw the cards at him, then sat there glaring.
"Well, I suppose that decides it." He grinned wryly, a card sitting on top of his head, the rest scattered in his lap and on the floor. "Fifty-two pickup it is."
-Carlie and Tyler
What the hell do you want, anyway?"
'I just want to help you."
Yeah, right. And then he'd sell her a bridge. He didn't know her, had no vested intereset in her--unless he hoped to get laid. Ha! Fat chance. He looked like he was poor, driving that old rattrap car and dressed in faded jeans.
She clenched her hands into fists. "I'm not screwing you."
"I didn't ask you to." And then, with some sort of warped amusement, he added, "I'm not that easy.
And so you were in here, chatting with God?"
Bruce stared at her face, studying her features in minute detail. His voice dropped to a soft, velvety whisper. "I wanted to thank Him for my many blessings."
The burning of her eyes increased. She would not cry like some ninny just because Bruce was happy. He was a devout and wonderful person who always looked to the bright side. Knowing that prompted her to say, "You're such a good man, Bruce."
"I'm a fortunate man, in many, many ways." He made a grand gesture toward the glass blocks. "It's a beautiful, sunny day, and my very own church is almost complete."
"It is shaping up. Everyone will like it."
His thumb moved to her bottom lip with a teasing, gentle touch. "Good friends surround me, and I enjoy good health."
"All things you deserve."
He smiled. "And I've been given the greatest gift of all."
"What's that?"
He laughed, tweaked her chin. "You."
"Me?"
He slowly nodded. "God's given me a lot. But best of all, He's given me you." He took her mouth in a long, toe-curling, stomach-tightening kiss, and in a husky rumble: "I'll be thinking Him every day for the rest of my life."
-Bruce and Cyn
As he gave a sleepy, growling groan, that hand disappeared under the sheet.
Arizona's lips parted, and her heartbeat tripped up. She cleared her throat. "Spencer?"
Freezing, without moving any other body part, he opened his eyes and met her gaze.
She frowned at him.
He didn't look super-startled, and he said nothing. He just started at her.
With his hand still under there.
"Yeah..." Semi-satisfied with his frozen reaction, she nodded at his lap. "You weren't going for a little tug, were you? Because as your spectator, I'd just as soon not see it."
-Arizona and Spencer
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