thought to sell the house, too, and buy a small place in New York to be near her family. Namely her.
Those words had shocked Emma. Joyful was her grandmother's life. The house and the grove had been in her family for decades. It had been heartbreakingly clear how lonely Grandma Emmajean had become, and how selfish Emma had been to stay away just because of some embarrassment she'd suffered as a teenager.
She'd asked Grandma Emmajean not to do it, and had promised to come for a long visit once she was well enough. Nothing would have stopped Emma from keeping her promise. Nothing…except the twist of fate that caused her much-loved grandmother's tired heart to stop beating in her sleep the following week.
"You must have been pretty upset with your parents for not telling you," he said. "They're still trying to keep their princess safe, huh? Bet that one was hard to forgive."
He understood. Instantly. Unlike anyone else, Johnny could sympathize with her anger at her parents. They'd been so worried, they'd denied her the chance to grieve the most important person in her life. Like always, they'd protected her. "Yes. It was."
"They ever find out why you left Joyful before graduation?"
She listened for an edge in his voice, but didn't hear it. "No. Grandma Emmajean kept them from hearing everything."
He gave a dry chuckle. "Good thing. I remember how much they fought against you staying with her and going to Joyful High for a year."
She vividly remembered the conversation when she'd told Johnny about her life. It had been eleven summers ago. Spotting him tinkering under the hood of his truck on the side of a country road near her grandmother's pecan orchard, she'd stopped to give him a lift. Her heart had
?
pounded wildly, sweat making her hands slick on the steering wheel.
It had been dangerous. Exciting. Thrilling to finally be alone with the baddest of the bad-boy Walkers.
During their brief ride, when he'd teased her about picking up strange guys, she'd told him how happy she was to live like a normal teenager. With her parents busy getting on with their jet-setting lives on the other side of the globe, they couldn't constantly protect their "little girl" from danger.
At seventeen, being alone in a small car with the object of her most torrid virgin fantasies had ranked pretty high on Emma's danger meter. Considering the tense, aware atmosphere between them now, she suspected things hadn't changed much.
Not even thinking about it, Emma moved her hand to her face as she stared out the window. Another memory filled her mind… of the teasing kiss Johnny had given her that day to thank her for the ride. It had been on her cheek, but not high up, not chaste and friendly. Not at all. He'd kissed her close to her mouth, as if wanting to taste the tiny dimple in her cheek. Then he'd shifted to brush his lips against the corner of hers. Even more amazing, he'd stolen a wicked taste of her lip gloss with a heart-stopping flick of his tongue.
Right before he'd gotten out of the car, that sexy hunk who'd already had her shaking in her seat had moved his mouth to her ear, nibbling on the lobe as he whispered, "I have such a thing for ankle bracelets." Reaching down, he'd caressed her calf, then stolen her anklet right off her leg. She hadn't even had the strength to protest as he'd put it in his pocket.
His wicked expression had told her he'd taken it as a souvenir.
The pounding in her heart had said, let him .
That had been the last time she'd been alone with Johnny for a while. Because the next time she saw him—when he was home from college for Thanksgiving weekend—she'd been wearing another guy's jacket. So she could never tell him that from the first time she'd laid eyes on him, she'd fallen headfirst into the most intense infatuation of her life. She couldn't have owned up to her many erotic dreams after their one, much-too-brief kiss.
No. Those were not exactly the kinds of things a girl could tell her
Those words had shocked Emma. Joyful was her grandmother's life. The house and the grove had been in her family for decades. It had been heartbreakingly clear how lonely Grandma Emmajean had become, and how selfish Emma had been to stay away just because of some embarrassment she'd suffered as a teenager.
She'd asked Grandma Emmajean not to do it, and had promised to come for a long visit once she was well enough. Nothing would have stopped Emma from keeping her promise. Nothing…except the twist of fate that caused her much-loved grandmother's tired heart to stop beating in her sleep the following week.
"You must have been pretty upset with your parents for not telling you," he said. "They're still trying to keep their princess safe, huh? Bet that one was hard to forgive."
He understood. Instantly. Unlike anyone else, Johnny could sympathize with her anger at her parents. They'd been so worried, they'd denied her the chance to grieve the most important person in her life. Like always, they'd protected her. "Yes. It was."
"They ever find out why you left Joyful before graduation?"
She listened for an edge in his voice, but didn't hear it. "No. Grandma Emmajean kept them from hearing everything."
He gave a dry chuckle. "Good thing. I remember how much they fought against you staying with her and going to Joyful High for a year."
She vividly remembered the conversation when she'd told Johnny about her life. It had been eleven summers ago. Spotting him tinkering under the hood of his truck on the side of a country road near her grandmother's pecan orchard, she'd stopped to give him a lift. Her heart had
?
pounded wildly, sweat making her hands slick on the steering wheel.
It had been dangerous. Exciting. Thrilling to finally be alone with the baddest of the bad-boy Walkers.
During their brief ride, when he'd teased her about picking up strange guys, she'd told him how happy she was to live like a normal teenager. With her parents busy getting on with their jet-setting lives on the other side of the globe, they couldn't constantly protect their "little girl" from danger.
At seventeen, being alone in a small car with the object of her most torrid virgin fantasies had ranked pretty high on Emma's danger meter. Considering the tense, aware atmosphere between them now, she suspected things hadn't changed much.
Not even thinking about it, Emma moved her hand to her face as she stared out the window. Another memory filled her mind… of the teasing kiss Johnny had given her that day to thank her for the ride. It had been on her cheek, but not high up, not chaste and friendly. Not at all. He'd kissed her close to her mouth, as if wanting to taste the tiny dimple in her cheek. Then he'd shifted to brush his lips against the corner of hers. Even more amazing, he'd stolen a wicked taste of her lip gloss with a heart-stopping flick of his tongue.
Right before he'd gotten out of the car, that sexy hunk who'd already had her shaking in her seat had moved his mouth to her ear, nibbling on the lobe as he whispered, "I have such a thing for ankle bracelets." Reaching down, he'd caressed her calf, then stolen her anklet right off her leg. She hadn't even had the strength to protest as he'd put it in his pocket.
His wicked expression had told her he'd taken it as a souvenir.
The pounding in her heart had said, let him .
That had been the last time she'd been alone with Johnny for a while. Because the next time she saw him—when he was home from college for Thanksgiving weekend—she'd been wearing another guy's jacket. So she could never tell him that from the first time she'd laid eyes on him, she'd fallen headfirst into the most intense infatuation of her life. She couldn't have owned up to her many erotic dreams after their one, much-too-brief kiss.
No. Those were not exactly the kinds of things a girl could tell her
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