by Jennie Marts
“I’m fine,” she said.
Jack’s mom pushed forward, searching his face. “Are you sure? You seem a little winded, and your face is flushed. I brought you an inhaler just in case. And some of your dad’s shorts.” She handed him a pair of black workout shorts then pulled an inhaler out of her bathrobe pocket and held it out to him.
“Geez, mom. I’m not a little kid.” The back of Jack’s neck was pink with color, but he grabbed the shorts then snatched the inhaler out of her hand and took a quick puff, avoiding looking at Murphy.
A grin tugged at the corner of her lips. That kiss must have actually taken his breath away.
Matt glanced around the living room. “What happened then? Why were you running across the yard in your skivvies, and why did Murphy scream?”
“Because something set the dogs off and when I looked out the window, I saw someone in Murphy’s back yard. The dogs must have scared them, because they took off running.”
The silly grin fell from Murphy’s face. “Wait. What? There was someone in my backyard? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The pink tinge that been on his neck now crept up Jack’s cheeks as his parents waited for him to answer as well.
“I just hadn’t had a chance.”
“We didn’t see anyone,” Matt said.
“I think they took off,” Jack explained. “I wanted to make sure Murphy was okay before I investigated the yard. But we should go check it out now.”
Hefting their makeshift weapons, Jack and his dad crossed the room and headed out the back door. Murphy and Barb followed them out, but waited on the porch as the men rustled the bushes and thoroughly checked out the area. Both dogs raced through the grass, sniffing and sprinting around the perimeter of the yard.
They finished their search, and Jack steered the women and dogs back inside. “There’s no one here now but we can check the cameras and see if we can get a good image of them.”
“Shouldn’t we call the police?” Barb asked.
Murphy shook her head. “I’d rather not. Even though I spent time here as a kid, I’m still new to the neighborhood, and I’ve already had the police out once. Whoever was here is obviously gone now, so it’s not going to do any good to call them out now. I think Jack’s got the right idea with checking the cameras to see if we can get a picture of the guy and then we can take that to the police.”
Jack’s mom pursed her lips. “I don’t give two hoots what the neighbors think and neither should you. In fact, I think we should inform the neighborhood watch committee that you may have had someone sniffing around your yard. Then the neighbors can keep an eye out for anything unusual.”
Jack grinned as he offered Murphy a slight shrug. “She has a point. Never underestimate the power of a good neighborhood watch group.”
“And I still think you should call the police,” Barb said.
“Let’s work on looking at the cameras tonight and if we find something, we’ll call them in the morning.” Jack looked to her for confirmation. “Is that good for you?”
She nodded.
“Okay, thanks for coming over.” He hugged his mom. “And thanks for the inhaler,” he said quietly.
“Yes, thank you so much,” Murphy agreed. “I’m sorry that my stupid problems messed up your night and got you all out of bed so late.”
“Don’t mention it.” Matt leaned down and gave her a hug. “We’re always here for you if you need us.”
Emotion swelled in her throat. She wasn’t used to having so many people watching over her or offering their support. It had always been just her and her dad and sometimes her grandpa, so most of the time, she was taking care of them, and she’d had to learn to fend for herself.
This was a new feeling. And she was afraid to let herself enjoy it too much.
Barb gave her another quick hug before they headed out, closing the front door behind them.
She turned to Jack. “You should probably get going too. You’ve got to be exhausted.”
He dropped onto the sofa. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m staying here tonight. And I’m not going to argue about it. I’m not leaving you alone when some creep could be out sneaking around your yard.”
“I’ll be fine. I don’t want to cause you anymore trouble.”
“You’re not. I couldn’t sleep at my place anyway. I was lying awake worrying about you.”
“You were?”
He nodded.
“I couldn’t sleep either.” She sank down onto the sofa next to him and gave him a sideways look. “It may have been due to thinking about you as well.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah? What were you thinking about me that was keeping you up?”
“Lots of things. But I was mainly thinking about what it would be like to finally kiss you again.” Her pulse quickened with the memory of the kiss, and her fingers itched to touch him. Her hand rested near his leg on the sofa, and she wished his mom hadn’t brought over the extra pair of shorts. He’d looked pretty great in just his boxer briefs.
“Finally?”
She lowered her head and looked up at him through her lashes. “I’ve only been wanting to for the last decade or so.”
He shook his head, his eyes clouded with confusion. “You have? I didn’t know that you ever really wanted to kiss me.”
“I didn’t know that you ever really wanted me to.”
“Oh, I did. I always did.” His voice softened, his words thick with emotion as he stared at his hands clasped in his lap. “I still do.”
Reaching out, she rested her hand on his, running the pads of her fingers along the tops of his knuckles.
Flames sizzled along her spine at the intimacy of the gesture. His fingers were long and lean, his hands strong. She touched a thin line of scarring that crossed under his thumb and remembered how he’d got the scar. It was the summer they were fourteen, and he’d cut his hand on the glass of the garage window that one of his brothers had just broken with a stray puck.
Memories of those summers flooded her mind. Recollections of times they’d spent together, laughing and messing around. And memories of how much she’d loved him.
She might have only been a teenager, but she’d known what love felt like. The deep longing and emotional connection that you only feel with that first person that you really fall in love with.
And she was feeling that longing now. In her body and in her heart.
She wanted to kiss him, to touch him. But more than that, she wanted him to want her back. She knew everything about this was a terrible idea. One night together could ruin everything great about their friendship. And he was the only real friend she had right now.
Besides that, this could never work. They were opposites in every way. For every wild and impulsive decision she’d ever made, he had made a smart conservative choice. She was reckless, he was cautious.
He would always be smarter than her, always have a higher intellect—but tonight wasn’t about being smart or wise or cautious. Tonight wasn’t about weighing options and making intelligent decisions.
Tonight was about following her heart. It was about finally being with the boy that she’d never stopped thinking about. The boy with the funny jokes and the cute smile—the one who had made her heart race and her hands shake every time she was alone with him.
The boy who was now a man.
He had the same killer grin, the same dark intelligence behind his eyes, but now he had the hard lean body of a man.
And he still made her hands quiver and her heart hammer against her chest.
She caught her breath as he lifted his hand, trailing his fingers up her arm, across her shoulder, along her neck, then brushed her cheek in a soft caress.
His touch was gentle, reverent, and she could feel the slight tremble in his fingers.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
“I can’t be
lieve it either.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“I didn’t know if you’d ever want to see me again.” She looked down at her hands. “You know, after what happened. Or what almost happened. I never saw you again after that night.”
He touched her lips, resting his finger along her mouth as he tipped his head closer to hers. “Shh. I don’t want to think about the past. I don’t want to think at all. I just want to focus on right now. Tonight. On this. On you.”
A shiver ran through her as he drew closer still, his face an inch from hers, but his finger still rested on her lip.
His gaze dipped to her mouth then back to her eyes and she was unable to look away, to move at all. She was powerless to resist—her energy taken by the strength of his stare.
Leaning closer, he brushed the corner of her mouth with his lips then cupped her cheek with his hand, holding her face as he murmured against her skin. “I just want to feel you, to touch you.”
He was saying all the right things, everything she wanted to hear, but she was done listening, done talking. She longed to feel his hands, his skin.
The anticipation was killing her, the teasing feather of his lips as they brushed across hers. A soft moan escaped her. A moan of want and need.
Fire swirled in her belly, the heat stretching through her body, like fingers of flames that warmed her core and sizzled through her chest. Her nipples puckered in response.
She parted her lips, catching her breath in a quick gasp before his mouth settled on hers.
The kiss was light at first, then deepened as his tongue slowly slid between her lips as if he were tasting her, savoring the sweetness of her mouth.
She gripped his shoulder, holding on as the kiss intensified, his body now pressing against hers.
He slid his hand from her cheek down her arm, and she arched her back as the side of his thumb brushed past her breast. His touch was soft, hesitant as his hand drifted across her chest, his fingers grazing her tightened nipple as it pressed through the thin cotton of her pajama top.
She heard his breath catch against her mouth as he touched her breast, his hand cupping it as he skimmed his thumb over her nipple again in the most exquisite torture.
He pulled back, gasping for breath, a shock of his dark hair falling across his forehead.
Oh shit. What if he has an asthma attack?
She was finding it hard to breathe herself.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gently touching his arm.
He nodded, a quick bob of his head, but his eyes were wide as he tried to slow his breathing. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Are you fine?” His gaze traveled down to where he still lightly cupped her breast, and he quickly pulled his hand away. The V-neck of her shirt had slid down, exposing the top of her breast, the fabric barely covering the tip of her hardened nipple. Even in the dim light of the room, she could see the blush coloring his cheeks. “I mean with all of this? Are you okay?”
Oh God. The man was worried about her. Worried about if he was moving too fast. Her heart melted. He was a really good guy.
And handsome as hell. The muscles in his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, and she wanted to freaking lick him. He was so hot.
And the hottest part about him was that he didn’t know how incredibly sexy he was. He didn’t know that the way he hesitated in his touch, the way he looked at her with awe, as if he were stunned and lucky to be with her, were all the things that made him so attractive. And made her dissolve into a puddle of emotion as her body ached and yearned for his.
Just the way he was looking at her now—the way he tried to keep his eyes on hers but his gaze kept slipping to her partially exposed chest and the bare strip of her stomach that showed between her pajama top and bottoms.
She didn’t think she’d ever been looked at like that before. Other guys had treated her like a possession or a trophy to be won. But he made her feel like she was the prize—valued—like she was a treasure, something he was lucky enough to behold.
And it only made her want him more.
The conservative side of her consciousness flared up. But they hadn’t even gone on a real date yet—she’d only spent a few days with him, it screamed.
Oh shut up, you stuffy old cow.
It wasn’t like Jack was a stranger. She’d known him forever.
He’d been her first crush. More than that. He’d been the first guy she’d ever fallen in love with. And she’d never got to tell him. Never got to show him.
They’d been teenagers then, only touching when they were sitting next to each other as he tutored her or playing hockey in the driveway, casually brushing against each other, tentative touches when their hands skimmed.
To hell with tentative touches.
They weren’t teenagers anymore. She was done with waiting. She wanted this man and wanted him now.
“Yes, Jack. I’m okay with this,” she said as she pushed up from the sofa and reached for the hem of her top and pulled it over her head. Lying back against the sofa, exposing her bare chest as an invitation, she reveled in the soft gasp she heard him take.
His eyes widened, and he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. Frozen in place, he only stared at her as he labored to breathe.
“Are you okay? Do you need your inhaler?”
“Yes. No. Wait.” He pulled in a deep breath. “I’m okay. It’s just that I’ve thought about this so many times. Dreamed of what it would be like. But I never imagined it would be like this. You’re a goddess. You literally take my breath away.”
Oh. My. Gosh.
Her heart ached at the pure honesty of his words.
He shook his head, letting out an embarrassed sigh. “Sorry. That’s pretty nerdy, huh? It’s gotta be so sexy to take your top off and have a guy have an asthma attack just from looking at you.”
If you only knew.
She sat up, pressing him back against the sofa as she straddled his lap. Pushing his hair off his forehead, she gazed into his eyes, trying to match his sincerity. “You just told me that seeing me half naked literally took your breath away. That’s actually sexy as hell.”
A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. A grin so cute that she couldn’t help but smile back.
“Jack Bannister. You are like no man that I have ever known. I’m sitting topless in your lap, and instead of mauling me, we’re grinning like loons.”
His smile widened. “I know. It’s ridiculous. I want to maul you. Well, I mean I want to everything you. I mean it’s not like I’m normally a real suave guy or anything. But holy hell, when I’m around you, I feel like a gawky teenage boy again that’s never kissed a girl and is completely transfixed by an amazing pair of breasts.” His gaze flicked down to her chest and color brightened his cheeks. “I don’t even know what to do with my hands.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Amazing, huh?”
He nodded. “Spectacular.”
His words made her bold, the way he looked at her bringing out her brazen side. “How about this—how about if you stop worrying about what you’re not doing and let’s focus on what we could be doing.” She pushed off his lap and shimmied out of her pajama bottoms.
Reveling in the sharp pull of his breath, she stood before him, wearing only a tiny pair of white lace thong panties. Even though she worked out consistently, no amount of skating could shave off the extra curve of her hips. But tonight she didn’t care.
He’d just told her that he thought she had the body of a goddess. Leaning forward, she took his hand and pulled him up to stand in front of her. “And don’t worry, I have plenty of ideas for what you can do with your hands.”
Still holding his hand, she turned and led him toward the stairs.
He followed, letting her guide him through the dim room.
Anticipation coursed through her, flickers of heat shooting through every nerve as she drew him toward her be
d.
“Wait.” He stopped and dropped her hand. “I can’t. I can’t do this.”
Chapter Ten
What the hell?
She turned back, suddenly wishing she hadn’t yanked off all of her clothes. “What do you mean you can’t?”
The look on his face was a mix of sorrow and regret. “I can’t. I mean, I want to. I want to more than anything. But I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?”
Screw it, she thought as she planted her fist on her hip and narrowed her eyes at him. Practically naked or not, it didn’t matter, she was mad. Why would he say all those nice things and let her tear her clothes off and practically seduce him if he wasn’t actually interested?
Okay, maybe he didn’t let her tear her clothes off. Stripping out of her pajamas might have been her own idea, and she hadn’t actually seduced him—yet.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that…well…when I saw someone in your yard, I didn’t think, I just came racing over here.”
“Yeah?”
“I didn’t even put on shoes. Or pants. So I don’t have my wallet.”
“What the hell do you need your wallet for? Are you planning to pay me?”
His shoulders slumped, making him look even more miserable. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the floor in front of her. “No, of course not. But my wallet is where I keep my…you know…protection.”
Oh brother. This was about a condom? Relief flooded her, and she tried not to laugh.
He was just so damn cute.
She softened the tightness in her hip, changing her angry stance to saucy. “Don’t worry. I’ve got that covered.”
He raised his head, a shy smile tugging at his lips. “You do?”
“Yeah. I’m a modern woman. We don’t count on men to always take care of stuff. I mean, it’s not like I carry them around in my purse, I’m not that modern. But I keep some, just in case. I’ve got a whole box upstairs.”
