“Things must not be going so well with that new secret girlfriend of yours.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, you seem to have a lot of excess energy. There should be a better, more satisfying way to use it up, if you get my meaning.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Jason growled.
“Grouchy, grouchy. Seriously, dude, you need to get laid. Hey, maybe Chloe can help.”
Jason choked on the water. “What?”
Danny turned to his sister. “Got any easy single friends? Apparently Jason’s girl isn’t putting out.”
“Or maybe she’s ready to put out, but he’s holding back.”
Jason shot Chloe a look usually reserved for misbehaving students. Most were cowed in less than a second. She didn’t even blink, but continued to smile serenely.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s the problem.” Sarcasm laced Danny’s voice. “What about Samantha?” he asked Chloe. “She’s smokin’ hot, dude.”
“No, thanks. I’ll pass,” Jason ground out, fed up with both Harris siblings.
“Your loss.” Danny glanced down at his watch. “Whoa. I need to get home and shower. I’m meeting my girl for lunch, and she does put out, quite well, so I don’t want to be late.”
“My brother, he’s all heart, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, you guys are two peas in a pod.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“Isn’t that what you want too—some great sex you can brag about to your friends?”
Her mouth opened, then snapped close. Tears glimmered in her eyes. “You know that’s not why I want to...” She turned.
Shit. He grabbed her wrist. “Chloe. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” He tugged her unyielding form into his arms. “I know why you want what you do. I’m just...” Frustrated? Horny? Out of his mind with need for her? “...an idiot. Please forgive me.”
She softened against him. The warmth of her sigh tickled his neck and raised goose bumps on his flesh. He cuddled her for long moments, heedless of the others milling around nearby.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked at last.
“Of course.”
She leaned back so their gazes met but stayed in the circle of his arms. “Do you talk about your girlfriends with Danny? Like that?”
He sighed. “How many times have I told you? Men are pigs. But generally, I’m not the kiss and tell type.”
She nodded. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Sure.”
“Will you show me your classroom?”
The request surprised and pleased him at the same time. “You really want to see it? Does that mean I’m forgiven?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, let me grab my school keys from the car and we’ll head in.”
****
Chloe ambled around the perimeter of Jason’s classroom, peeking into jars and reading the labels on the cabinets: microscopes, Petri dishes, beakers, safety goggles. She tapped on the glass terrarium to get the lizard’s attention. It turned toward the noise and flicked its tongue at her. She stuck out her own in return.
Behind her, Jason laughed. He sat on the edge of one of the black slate covered lab tables, legs stretched out in front of him, feet crossed at the ankles. His hair was still messily mussed from his run, and the sleeveless T-shirt showed off the lean, defined muscles in his arms.
What would his bare chest look like? Would it be smooth and sculpted like Patrick Swayze’s Johnny Castle or covered in crisp, curling hair like Kevin Costner’s The Bodyguard?
He’d held her against the hard planes. Even through the barrier of clothes, his heat had burned into her. What would his bare skin feel like against hers? Against her breasts?
How much longer before she got to find out? How many more of his damn ‘lessons’ were there before the final exam?
“So, have you always wanted to be a teacher?”
“For as long as I can remember.”
She dragged a finger over a tray of test tubes. “Why science?”
“It’s the basis for everything. Without science, nothing exists.”
“What about God?”
“Science and God aren’t mutually exclusive. Who do you think created science?”
“I never thought about it like that.”
“Those plants you’re so good with survive because of science. The process of—”
“Photosynthesis,” she said with him.
He smiled. “…nourishes the plants and makes them grow. Plants then become the sustaining force for all other living things on earth.”
“Life science.”
He nodded approvingly. His glance slipped over her before returning to hers. “That night of great sex you want?” His tone lowered. The slight husk in it skittered through her.
She tilted her head to the side. “What about it?”
“That’s science, too.”
“Right. Biology.”
He pushed away from the desk and walked toward her. The predatory gleam in his eye made her heart race. “And some physiology and chemistry too.”
“Ch..chemistry?”
“Mnn mnn. For example. If I touch you like this…” He ran a crooked finger down her cheek. Heat suffused her face.
He smiled. “In response, your nerves send a signal to your brain and the capillaries in your face widen. You blush. And if I do this…” He leaned in to trace his lips across her jaw and down her neck.
Her pulse took flight. Science had never been so sexy. Okay, so maybe his lessons weren’t so bad.
“Your breath catches and your heart races. And when I do this…” His nose brushed the sensitive skin at the juncture of her collarbone and neck as he inhaled. “The pheromones make my heart race.” He took her hand and flattened it against his chest.
Sure enough. The beat of his heart vibrated beneath her palm.
“Chemistry.” He closed the rest of the distance between them. The loose running shorts he wore were nowhere near up to the task of containing the hard jut of his arousal.
She gasped, but managed, “Speaking of blood rushing to places.”
“Which brings us back to physiology.”
“Danny’s right you know.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“You need to get laid.” She peered up from beneath her bangs and batted her eyes. “I can help you with that.”
He groaned as he claimed her mouth.
Chapter Seven
“Chloe? It’s Jason.”
“Hey. Are you on your way over?” He was supposed to pick her up in ten minutes for another one of his lesson-dates. Her toes curled with the anticipation of what he was going to teach her tonight. Each good-bye-at-the-door kiss was getting steamier and steamier. They had to be getting close the final exam. She didn’t know how much more studying she could take before she burst into flame.
“No. That’s why I’m calling. I’m still at school.”
“School? It’s almost seven.”
“I know. One of our experiments today set off the fire alarm.”
“Oh no. Are you okay? Did anyone get hurt?”
“Everyone’s fine, thank God. But there was some damage to the lab, and I’ve been dealing with frantic parents, the fire department, and the police for hours now.” Weariness laced his voice. “It doesn’t look like I’m getting out of here anytime soon. I’m going to have to cancel our date. I’m really sorry. I wanted to call sooner, but this is the first chance I got.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Sympathy warred with disappointment. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No. I’m just waiting to talk to our insurance guy. Then hopefully I can get out of here.”
“Okay, well let me know if you need anything.”
“I really am sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just glad everyone is okay.”
“Me too. The kids were great. When the alarm went off, they responded just like we pract
ice during drills. We got everyone out of there in no time at all.” He paused. “I have to go, Chloe, the insurance guy is here. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” She hung up the phone. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since lunch in anticipation of their date. The third-of-a-pound burgers at The Steakhouse weren’t to be taken lightly. She pushed off the couch and headed to the kitchen to throw together a sandwich.
While she rummaged in the fridge, her thoughts turned to Jason. Concern for him outweighed the disappointment of their canceled date. He’d sounded exhausted. And ten to one said he hadn’t eaten since lunch either and wouldn’t bother to pick up something on his way home.
She eyed the package of lunchmeat in her hand. Maybe there was something she could do for him after all.
****
Jason opened the door to reveal Chloe’s smiling face. She held up a wicker basket. “I know you said you didn’t need anything, but I figured you wouldn’t have stopped off for something to eat and I didn’t want you to go hungry.” She opened the lid to reveal sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, a carton of potato salad, and two bottles of beer.
Something tender nudged aside the exhaustion permeating his body, and he returned the smile. “You’re a wonder. I could just kiss you.”
Her grin turned saucy. “Why don’t you then?”
He framed her face with his hands and kissed her upturned lips, lingering for the measure of several quickened heartbeats. Then he laid his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes, inhaling her unique honeysuckle scent mixed with the smell of fresh bread.
As tired and hungry as he was, for a moment it was a toss-up as to which he was more starved for: the sustenance of food or the feel of her in his arms.
But then his stomach growled, saving him from having to analyze why it felt like forever since he’d held her. Thinking about her all the time shouldn’t be part of the Make-Chloe-Forget-About-Her-Crazy-Plan plan. Thinking about how her bare legs looked miles long in the shorts she wore wasn’t good either. Or how her breasts thrust against the fabric of her T-shirt. Was she wearing a bra?
She giggled. “I knew you hadn’t eaten.”
He straightened. “You know me well.” He didn’t dare analyze that either. “What do we need? Forks? Glasses?”
“Nope.” She patted the side of the basket. “I have everything here.”
He stepped aside and motioned her in. “We can set up on the kitchen table.”
“Let’s just have a picnic in the living room,” she said over her shoulder as she walked ahead of him. “That way you can relax and watch TV while we eat.”
He followed. “Tell me again why you’re single. You’re like the perfect girlfriend.” And he wanted her to be his.
She paused in the act of emptying the contents of the basket onto the coffee table, but then resumed her task with brisk movements. “If I was the perfect girlfriend, I wouldn’t be hanging out with you tonight, would I? I’d be having sex with my boyfriend instead of waiting for you to make good on your promise.”
Jason’s gut clenched. He hated the faceless, nameless guy with a sudden, irrational vengeance. But that’s just what would happen someday. Eventually she’d forget all about her ridiculous plan and find herself a real boyfriend.
And where would that leave him?
“I hope you like ham and Swiss on rye.” She handed him a sandwich.
He forced the unsettling thought of Chloe and her future boyfriend out of his mind. “Perfect. Really, thanks for bringing this over.”
“You’re welcome.” She grabbed the remote and switched on the TV. “The hockey game’s on channel 174, right?”
Damn, he loved a woman who knew her sports.
After polishing off the sandwich and a generous helping of potato salad, Jason reclined back against the cushions of the couch. He took a sip of beer. “You have no idea how good it feels to just sit here and relax.” He rotated his head slowly from side to side to ease a kink out of his neck and then rubbed the ache there.
“Here, let me.” Chloe put her empty bottle on the table and walked around to stand behind the couch. She pushed his hand out of the way and replaced it with her own. Her fingers dug into the knotted muscles of his shoulders. “Just relax.”
“Oh, God, Chloe. That feels so damn good.” He dropped his head forward and submitted to her ministrations.
Her thumbs kneaded the side of his neck, moving up into his hairline. Her soft breath on his exposed nape sent the whisper of a shiver down his spine.
Her hands moved to his shoulders. She rubbed and kneaded, releasing the tension in the tightly bunched muscle. As her hands inched lower, he leaned further to allow her access.
“Hold on a sec.” She scrambled over the back of the couch. “Scoot forward a little more.” When he complied, Chloe sat behind him and straddled him with her long legs.
He tried to ignore the tanned expanse of bare skin on either side of him as she dug her fingers into his back. She made little circles with her thumbs on either side of his spine all the way down to the waistband of his warm up pants, then returned her hands to his shoulders. Her breasts brushed against him with the rhythm of the steady movement.
He bit back a moan. The relief from the ache in his muscles morphed into the ache of arousal.
Damn. He wasn’t supposed to want her this way. Wanting her wasn’t part of the non-plan plan. Wanting to know what her bare breasts would feel like against his skin. How their fullness would weight his palm. How her long legs would cradle his hips as he moved with her. In her.
He ground his teeth together so hard his jaw hurt. Which was nothing compared to the stab of pleasure-pain zeroing in on his groin. He swallowed a curse.
He should stop her. He needed to stop her. But what she was doing felt so damn good the torture was worth it. So he fought against the raw desire coursing through his blood. Fought to remember it was Chloe touching him. Fought to think of her as he should: his best friend’s little sister. Or if he had a sister what he’d do to a guy who wanted to do with her what he was thinking about doing with Chloe right now.
And then she slipped her hands beneath his T-shirt and raked her nails lightly over his back.
Every ounce of common sense and decency was sucked out of his brain. His breath grew shallow. His heart raced as if it were in a particle accelerator. All he could think about was giving her the one great night she kept asking for. And it would be great. Of that he had no doubt. Not because of any prowess he displayed in bed. But because of the electricity zinging between them. Heating the air around them. Burning through him. Through her. Until it mingled. Mixed. Became one. One desperate desire.
They’d set the room on fire.
Chloe’s hands stilled. Her breath quickened. “Jason?” Her husky voice caught on his name. Oh yeah, she felt it too.
He froze. Willed himself to find some self-control. To think with his brain instead of his dick.
And then she pressed her lips to the skin on the back of his neck. With the force of a nuclear explosion it hit him: one night with Chloe would never be enough.
So he did the unthinkable.
He reached back to grab her and twist her around into his lap.
Her passion-filled eyes were wide. He let the moment build, intensify, as his gaze held hers.
With slow deliberation, he slid his palm from her ankle to her knee and up her thigh. Her pupils dilated. Her tiny half-moan half-sigh skittered over him, through him, and sent blood surging to his groin.
Her lips quirked in a knowing smile, and she shifted her hips. His heart pounded a fast and furious rhythm against his ribcage. His hand snaked under her shirt, then inched further, until he cupped her breast. He clenched his teeth. No bra.
The nipple peaked beneath his palm.
“Mmn. This is the best lesson yet,” she murmured. “I think we’re ready for the final exam.”
Her soft words zeroed in on his heart. So he did the only thing he coul
d do. He scooped her up in his arms and headed toward the bedroom.
****
Chloe stretched as she slowly woke from a deep sleep. For a moment she drifted on a drowsy wave of contentment, snuggling back beneath the covers and breathing in the crisp scent of Jason’s aftershave on the pillow.
Her eyes popped wide as she came fully awake. In Jason’s bedroom. In Jason’s bed.
Alone.
Like he’d left her there last night.
She sat up and brushed tangled strands of hair away from her face. Disappointment grabbed hold of her and squeezed.
When he’d carried her into the room, fantasies of her one great night swirled through her head. Based on the build-up on the couch, she’d had no doubts he’d live up to and exceed every single one of her expectations. And then some.
She definitely hadn’t expected him to set her gently on the bed and brush a kiss across her forehead. Or to whisper good night as he closed the door behind him. Leaving her alone. And disappointed. And confused. And achingly aroused.
Had she done something wrong? The thought tormented her as she lay staring at the ceiling. Sleep hadn’t come easy. In fact, in the morning light, she was surprised she’d fallen asleep at all. She should have left. But getting caught sneaking out in the dark of night would have mortified her further.
So she’d stayed. Now there was nothing left to do but face him in the light of day. Maybe the cover of darkness would have made it easier.
What was she going to say?
What would he say? Would he explain why he’d stopped just when things were getting good? He wanted her. He couldn’t hide his physical reaction. Even with her limited experience, some things were obvious. A man with a hard-on wanted to have sex.
But is that all it was? Familiar thorns of doubt assailed her. Maybe for him it really was all about science. An involuntary physical reaction. What had he called it? Physiology. The body’s natural reaction to a circumstance.
No doubt he’d have the same response with anyone. Tattoo girl or cougar woman. Last night and the other day in his classroom, Chloe had just happened to be the someone there.
What if the real reason he kept putting her off didn’t have anything to do with build-up, but it was because he didn’t want her?
One Great Night Page 7
