“Do you like your job?” He risked a glance up from his plate.
She shrugged. “There are worse jobs. I mean, I could have been a barnyard masturbator.”
He snickered. “Really? That was on your list of dream jobs?”
Jillian grinned thinking it was on a list, but not her dream job list.
“A kid in my Poli-Sci class has an uncle that does that.”
She licked some sauce off her finger. “I bet they’re in high demand in these parts.”
Cage stirred his straw, poking around at the ice. “My dad likes you.”
Fiddling with the corner of her napkin, she met his eyes. “What makes you think that?”
“You irritate the hell out of him.”
“And that equates to him liking me?”
Cage nodded. “He suffers from PTSD. The migraine this morning … that’s part of it. Doctors say they’re stress-induced. Anyway, he only lets people he likes get under his skin—me for instance. Everyone else he deems not worthy of his time, attention, or reaction. But you…” Cage shook his head and whistled “…you are thoroughly under his skin. I’ve never seen anything like it. You were gone by the time I got back this morning, but he didn’t even go into work and he’s been a hair trigger all day.”
Jillian let his words simmer for a few minutes before she decided to ask the question that had been on her mind all evening. “His date tonight … is she—”
“Serious? No. She’s the sister of one of his buddies from work. They go out maybe once or twice a month. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t call it serious. I think he uses her for a convenient hook-up, but don’t tell him I said that.”
Jillian didn’t know how she felt about AJ hooking-up with a woman ten hours after he’d stared at her naked body.
“Excuse me.” Cage held up a finger as he answered his phone. The confusion in his face and clipped, one-sided conversation led her to believe he was talking to someone about later that night. “Uh … I sort of have plans.” He looked up at her.
She reached across the table and patted his hand. “I should get back,” she mouthed.
“You sure?” he whispered, holding the phone away from his mouth.
Jillian nodded.
“Okay, sure. In about an hour? Cool. See ya then.”
When they arrived back home, Jillian hopped out of his truck. “Thanks, young buck. It was fun.” She blew him a kiss and smiled.
Cage shifted the truck into reverse before she shut the door. “Probably means I’m not getting lucky now, huh?”
Jillian grinned. “Depends. Who are you going to meet up with?”
Cage smirked. “Good point. Good night.”
The dangerously sexy neighbor waved as the innocent young man backed out of the driveway. His fading taillights were replaced with blinding headlights. Jillian squinted against them as they drew near. The moment she recognized the Jeep, she wished she would have hurried inside. AJ stared at her, devoid of any discernible emotion like he was looking at a lamppost. She was too busy playing her lamppost role to question why he parked in the driveway or notice the passenger door opening at the same time he opened his.
“Jillian,” AJ greeted in a monotone voice.
That’s when the woman from the passenger side walked around the front of his Jeep and slid her arm behind his waist. Jillian smiled at her, not him.
“Lovely evening. You two just get back from dinner?”
The blonde with plenty up top and a spare shoved in the trunk furrowed her brow at AJ then met Jillian’s pointed gaze again. “Um, yes. Do you live here? AJ didn’t tell me he had new neighbors. I’m Carin … with a C.”
Jillian stepped into the grassy easement. “Nice to meet you, Carin with a C. I’m Jillian with a J.” She shook her hand.
Carin homed in on Jillian’s biceps. “Damn girl, you’ve got some serious arms. I’d kill to have those.”
AJ frowned at Jillian. Jillian smiled at Carin. Truthfully, Carin’s body was beautifully all woman: nice curves, soft, and feminine. Jillian’s curves were rigid and defined lacking any sort of softness. She had sex appeal but lacked that classic graceful beauty.
“Are you married?” Carin asked.
“Yes, to my brother.”
AJ shot Jillian a raised brow that she opted to ignore.
“Oh … um … I didn’t realize that was legal.”
Jillian slipped off her heeled sandals, relishing the feel of the cool grass as she curled her toes into its soft blades. “It’s not, but we’ve been together since … well, birth so we consider it a common law marriage. Neither one of us had to change our name, and I don’t know if it was a sharing the womb thing or what, but the sex is … incredible.”
AJ rolled his eyes and it was the closest thing to showing a side of humor that Jillian had ever seen from him.
“That’s well … I mean …” Carin looked like someone just shoved the end of a shovel up her ass so Jillian decided to put her out of her misery.