As Hot as It Gets

“Huh?” Max said blankly.

With a faint smile, Dylan polished off his beer, then slammed the bottle on the railing. “Gotta go, boys. I’ve got two drunk lovers to grind up against.”

As the blond soldier headed for the spiral staircase, Jackson noticed the expressions on the other men’s faces, and couldn’t help but snort.

“He’s joking, right?” Hunter said warily.

The question was answered when they all saw Dylan enter the throng of dancers and yank Claire in the middle of a Dylan-and-Aidan sandwich. Her delighted laughter rose over the pounding bass line and drifted up toward them, and a moment later, Claire spun around and kissed Dylan with the same degree of passion she’d given Aidan.

“Son of a bitch,” Duke muttered.

“So he’s doing both of them?” Max demanded, looking impressed.

Jackson nodded. “The three of them are together.”

“For f**king purposes?” Lancelot drawled.

“For relationship purposes,” he corrected. “It’s dang unconventional, but they seem to make it work.”

There was a beat of silence.

Followed by Duke’s deep sigh of resignation. “Fine. I take it back. You Fifteeners are the wilder bunch.”

Mia’s heart raced nervously when a pair of headlights appeared on the road. She rose from the bottom step of Jackson’s porch and peered at the approaching vehicle. The hum of an engine cut through the darkness as Jackson’s pickup slid into the driveway, and her pulse grew even more erratic

He was home. Finally. She’d been worried she might have to wait out here all night.

The engine died abruptly, and then Jackson was striding toward her, his chiseled features creased with unease.

“What are you doin’ here, sugar?”

She swallowed a lump of guilt. “I came to apologize.”

His whiskey-brown eyes softened. “How long have you been sittin’ out on the porch?”

“Three hours.” She shot him a sheepish look. “I was on my way over pretty much ten minutes after you left.”

“For chrissake. Why didn’t you call me and lemme know you were here?”

“I did. You didn’t answer your phone.” She bit her lip. “I figured you were avoiding my calls.”

Frowning, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, checked the screen and cursed. “It’s dead. I didn’t even notice.” Now he sighed. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have stayed out this late if I’d known you were waiting for me.”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” she ordered. “And I’m demanding you retract your earlier apology, too.”

His lips twitched. “Oh really?”

“I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I was a total dick to you before.”

“Naah, you were just upset. I know you didn’t mean to be a dick.”

“I didn’t, but that’s no excuse.”

She climbed onto the top step so she could look at Jackson without having to tilt her entire head, and when she met his gaze, she hoped he could see the genuine remorse in her eyes.

The wave of shame and guilt had hit her literally two minutes after he’d left her apartment earlier. She hadn’t been kidding—she’d driven to his house almost immediately, and the frustration she’d experienced when she’d realized he wasn’t there had been twisting up her insides for three very long hours.

“I overreacted,” she said quietly. “I was pissed off about my mom showing up, and I took it out on you. I’m so sorry for yelling, and for accusing you of encouraging Danny. It was never your place or responsibility to talk him out of anything, and I’m sorry for saying what I did.”

“Apology accepted, darlin’.” His smile was infinitely gentle. “And I’m sorry if I overstepped when I told you how to handle the situation.”

“No, you were right. I can’t stop him from having sex. All I can do is make sure he’s smart and safe about it.”

“Which he is,” Jackson assured her.

“Then I’m not interfering. And by the way, I’m not going to tell him that you broke his confidence. He doesn’t know that I know about him and Angie, and I’m not going to tell him.” She felt awkward as she added, “I really do appreciate your being there for him, Jackson. Aside from his coach, he doesn’t have any male role models. I know he likes you, and I think you’re a good influence on him, I really do.”

“Thanks for sayin’ that. It means a lot.” Jackson stepped onto the porch, his keys dangling from his long fingers. “You comin’ in?”

She searched his gorgeous face. “Do you want me to?”

“Always.”

“Then yes, but I can only stay for a little bit. I have to be up early tomorrow.”

They walked into the dark house, but rather than switch on any lights, Jackson led her down the shadowy corridor toward his bedroom.

“I keep meaning to ask you…” He paused, looking slightly embarrassed. “What’s the deal with your father? You never talk about him.”

Sadness jammed in her throat. “That’s because I never knew him. He took off when I was four months old.”

A groove cut into Jackson’s forehead. “Wait, then does that mean you and Danny have different fathers?”

“No, we were sired by the same ass**le. I know, the ten-year age difference is confusing.” She dropped her purse on the floor and plopped down on the edge of the bed. “My dad ran off with another woman after I was born. He was a truck driver, and I guess he was f**king around a lot whenever he was on the road. Mom, of course, was a wreck. Her husband had cheated on her, she was raising a baby by herself, but instead of learning to stand on her own two feet, she immediately went on the hunt for a new man. From the ages of one to ten, I had five different stepfathers.”