Dog Days of Summer Read Online Free Page B

standing in the group, as well as a few others. Sandy was a beautiful woman, with long, brown hair pulled back in a braid or ponytail. She was the most vivacious person Joci knew, with a personality that rivaled the sun.
    “ Hey, there! How are you guys?” Joci said as she hugged Sandi.
    “ We’re good. I haven’t seen you this week. Busy?”
    Joci nodded. “You know, getting all the items needed for tomorrow and the tickets and such ready, I had to keep at it so I could finish on time and enjoy tonight.”
    Joci hugged Jon. “Hey, big guy. How are you?”
    Jon was a great looking man, about six feet tall, short dark brown hair, and laughing blue eyes. Sandi was madly in love with Jon, and Jon was madly in love with Sandi. Joci envied their relationship. She had always hoped for a relationship like theirs.
    “Doin’ good, Joci, but you have to stop being too busy to have lunch with Sandi. She likes her girl time!”
    Jon leaned in a little closer to Joci. “She drove me crazy wondering where you were and how you were doing.”
    Joci laughed. “Sorry, Jon, I promise to keep in better touch with Sandi.”
    Sandi and Joci had lunch once a week to touch base and catch up. It was something they started doing years ago when the kids were little.
    Joci looked at Sandi and hugged her again. “Everything is fine. I’m fine. Gunnar is fine. But, I do need to talk to you. Jeremiah asked me to leave with him tonight.”
    “Mom…I’m headed over to see the guys.” Joci smiled at Gunnar as he started to walk away. With a wave, he was off.
    Sandy absently waved at Gunnar, quickly turning back to Joci and said, “Tell me.  What did you say?  You better have said ‘yes’ this time.”
    “ Hello, Joci. You look beautiful.”
    Oh, Gawd! His sexy voice made Joci shiver. Shit, her body reacted to that man before she could even put a thought to it. Joci slowly turned to see Jeremiah standing next to her and handing her a bottle of water. Joci never drank alcohol when she was on her bike. Taking a deep breath, Joci looked into Jeremiah ’s eyes.
    “ Hi, Jeremiah. Thank you. How are you?”
    Jeremiah leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Breathe, Joci.”
    Dammit, how did he know she couldn ’t breathe? She had taken a deep breath when she heard his voice and forgot to let it out. Joci looked at Jeremiah and blushed. She heard him chuckle, and her face flamed a bright red. Great!
    “ Hello, Jon.” Jeremiah held out his hand and he and Jon shook hands. “Sandi.”
    Sandi nodded. “Hi, Dog. Looks like we’re going to have great weather tomorrow.”
    Jeremiah looked up at the sky. “It sure does. That means more riders, which means more money for the cause. Gotta love that.” They bobbed their heads in agreement.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Joci undid the cap on her bottle of water and took a long drink as he watched her. God, she was beautiful, stubborn as hell, but so beautiful. She took his breath away.
    He knew he affected her. He watched her when she was near. He could see the muscles in her neck moving with each exaggerated swallow. When he spoke to her, she licked her lips and looked him in the eye, not blinking. God, if she only knew what that did to him. His cock twitched every time he thought about her. And when he saw her, it had a life of its own, his stomach flipped, and his breathing became unsteady. She had been avoiding the inevitable, though.
    He had asked her out four times now, and she refused every time. But this morning, things changed. Jeremiah looked at his watch. He hated walking away from Joci, but he was anxious to get this meeting finished to begin his time with her.
    “ We better get this show started. If you’re ready, come on over to the side of the building.”
    He nodded at Sandi and Jon, gave Joci a little wink, and walked away. Joci needed to sit down. God, that man affected her whole body, her whole nervous system. Her knees were weak and she was lightheaded. Sandi laughed at