Page 65 of Say it Ain’t So

“The hell was that?” I asked, glancing over her shoulder to the empty sky beyond the window.

No. Not empty. I saw now what I hadn’t before. Outside the window was a fire escape. But the sight didn’t calm me.

“That was Frank!” Joss twisted, turning toward the window as much as she could while locked in my arms. “And he brought a friend.”

“Who the hell is Frank?”

Joss pointed up at the sky, at the giant black bird flapping in the air.

Crow bro.

As in, an actual crow.

That explained the noise.

She twisted away and bent at the waist, her ass coming uncomfortably close to my still-hard dick—considering what we’d been doing before the interruption, or what I’d seen under her robe as she climbed out the window—and when she stood again, she had a basket in her hands.

“Frank’s my crow bro.” Her smile lit her whole face. “He brings me trinkets in exchange for nuts.”

The trinkets, as I looked through the basket, appeared to be garbage. Shiny garbage. Anything from pop tabs to bottle caps, strips of metal and the occasional piece of wire. I picked up a flattened beer can that looked like it’d been hit by a BB gun.

“Nuts?”

Joss reached beside her and grabbed a can of peanuts from the table next to the window. “Unsalted peanuts.” She rattled the can. Outside, Frank and his buddies cawed.

Joss shook some peanuts free and held her hand out the window. After a minute, a huge crow came to the railing of her fire escape landing, tilting its head like he was asking her what the hell she was doing.

“Come on, Frank,” she said, a happy little coo in her voice, the kind you’d use on a baby or a dog. “It’s okay, he won’t hurt you.”

“Who won’t hurt him?”

“You, silly.” She didn’t turn to me when she said it, but she did bend out the window, shoving her ass back into my dick.

“Joss.” I gripped her hips and groaned at the reminder of what we’d been doing before Frank so rudely interrupted us. But that thought flew away as Frank opened his big-ass wings and hopped down from the railing, coming straight up to Joss’s hand. “Holy shit.”

“There you go, buddy,” she cooed again as the bird plucked a peanut out of her open palm.

“How’d you do that?” I asked, my voice just a whisper in her ear.

She nudged me with her cheek, her smile growing as Frank snagged another nut. “Lots and lots of patience.” She let out a sigh that felt weighted even though her smile held. I edged back, looking closer at her face.

“What’s that for?”

“Hmm?” Frank snagged the last nut and hopped back onto the rail. Joss turned to me, her smile faltering when she saw the serious look on my face. She brought her hand to my chest, dropping her attention to where her fingers splayed over my breastbone.

Then she swallowed hard.

“What’s the sigh for, baby?”

She licked her lips before she snagged the bottom one between her teeth. “Patience.” She lifted her gaze. “I’ve had it in abundance.”

“What do you mean?”

“It hasn’t been easy, Rylan. When I left home…” Her voice cracked and she dipped her chin. I took her free hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. “I had to leave everything behind. I had to change my name and leave my family and the few friends Peter allowed me to have. I’ve had no one here in Chicago. Not until I started working for Lee and Van took it upon himself to make me his friend.”

It was habit, the way my hand balled into a fist at the mention of Van. I liked him, I really did. Liked him before I knew of his budding friendship with my wife. But with Joss…

I couldn’t help the protective streak in me anymore than I could help the jealousy that raged inside of me at the thought of him touching her.