Fool for Love by Marie Force Read Free Book Online

up, Janey rested her head
on his chest. "I take it you liked that."
    "Yeah," he said, gathering her
in close to him. "You could say that."
    "I can't stay, Joe. As much as I'd
like to."
    "I know." He decided to
celebrate the half victory—at least she wanted to stay.
    "We've got all day though," she
said with a small smile, ever the optimist.
    His heart skipped a crazy beat. "And
what would you like to do?"
    "This," she said as she kissed
him. "Just this."
    From his vantage point on the bridge, Joe looked down at Janey on the bow. She
leaned against the rail lost in thought, the cool sea breeze blowing through
the blonde hair he'd shampooed in the shower earlier. He could only imagine her
thoughts as she headed for home. Exhausted from the sleepless night, his body
ached in a number of unique places thanks to a day of erotic pleasure.
    After those amazing hours with her, he was
more certain than ever that his life would never be complete without her by his
side. But now he had to take a step back and let her do what she needed to do.
Until she worked things out in her heart and mind, he could only wait and hope
and pray that she'd come to the same conclusion he'd reached years ago.
    His cell phone rang, jarring him out of
his pensive thoughts. With a few words to the captain, Joe stepped outside the wheelhouse,
extinguished the first clove cigarette he'd had in days and took the call from
Mac.
    "Hey, man," Mac said.
"Where are you?"
    "On the boat."
    "Is Janey with you?"
    Joe's eyes were riveted to her. Even
though he wasn't working this trip, he'd insisted on seeing her home.
"Uh-huh."
    "David's looking for her. He tried
her cell a bunch of times, but I guess it was off, so he called my mother. Of
course she told him she thought Janey was with him. Now she's all up in arms
about where Janey has been the last few days." Joe wondered if it was also
possible that David had figured out what Janey might've witnessed in his
apartment.
    He suppressed a groan. The last thing
Janey would want was Linda McCarthy all over her about what had happened during
her eventful trip to the mainland. "Do me a favor," Joe said.
"Don't let your mom swoop down on her tonight. Janey is kinda fragile
right now."
    "I'll do what I can, but you know how
my mother can be."
    "Which is exactly why she's the last
thing Janey needs tonight."
    "I hear ya. I'll talk to her."
    "Are you meeting the boat?"
    "Yep."
    "Mac…"
    "Yeah?"
    Joe cleared the huge lump of emotion that
lodged in his throat. "Take good care of her, will you?"
    "You know I will."
    "Thanks." He hated the idea of
turning her over to anyone else, even her doting older brother.
    "Everything all right?"
    "Everything's fine," Joe said
with forced cheer. As much as he'd love to unload on his best friend, he
couldn't. Not about this. Not if he wanted to live through the night. Mac would
assume Joe had taken advantage of his sister at her lowest moment, and Joe
couldn't deny that if the roles had been reversed, he'd probably see it the
same way. He and Janey knew how it had happened, which was all that mattered.
    "We'll see you at the party?"
Mac asked.
    Joe's heart did a small happy dance at the
reminder that he'd see Janey later in the week at the Fourth of July cookout
Mac and Maddie were hosting at their new house. "I'll be there."
    "Thanks for everything," Mac
said.
    "It was my pleasure." Surely
that had to be the understatement of the century, Joe thought as he ended the
call and took the metal stairs to the lower deck. Approaching Janey, he noticed
tears on her cheeks that could probably be blamed only in part on the brisk sea
breeze. It pained him to think that her time with him might've added to her
torment.
    "Hey." He squeezed her shoulder
and ran a hand down her back, aware of the watchful eyes of his employees. The
second to last thing she needed was to be the brunt of the island's vicious gossip
machine.
    "Hi." Her wan smile said it all.
    They stood together at the rail, watching
the bluffs