I close the gap between us and kiss him on the lips. Jamie is so surprised, he stumbles backward.
“Sorry!” I shake my head. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
Turning away from him, I go to the oven and use a dishtowel to pull our plates out. Jamie sits at the table, looking thoughtful.
“Isabelle?”
Embarrassed, I avoid his gaze. “Yes.”
“The next time we kiss, I’m going to do it slowly, and you won’t be sorry.”
A smile spreads across my face, and when I stare into his eyes, I see nothing but the truth shining out.
Jamie
I’ve been taking things slowly with Isabelle—it’s been a whole lot of kissing and handholding. Today is her birthday and she’s working so tonight I’m taking her and Charlotte out to dinner.
It’s six in the morning, but I know she’ll be up and busy baking. Lightly, I knock on the door. Isabelle’s face appears in the window next to the door, then she opens it.
“Good morning.”
“Happy birthday, Isabelle.”
I’m holding out a present. Beth gift-wrapped it for me. My idea of wrapping is to put it in a fancy bag. Beth has tied ribbon to it, cascading down the sides in ringlets. She did an awesome job.
“You got me a present?”
“I did.”
Isabelle lets out a squeal, takes it off me, and goes inside. With a chuckle, I follow her in. Sitting on the counter are two coffees and two pastries. Isabelle sits on a stool and points at the other one opposite her.
“Did you know I was coming?”
“I hoped you were coming.”
I put a hand to the back of her neck and kiss her lightly on the lips. “This was supposed to be a surprise.”
“I knew you’d visit, but the present is a surprise. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Are you going to open it?”
I sit and pick up a coffee.
Isabelle nods enthusiastically and rips it open. So much for all the pretty wrapping. She didn’t even notice.
Her face freezes and Isabelle looks up at me with wide eyes. “This is way too expensive.”
“Do you like it?” Tears form in her eyes, and I have no idea what to do. “If you don’t, I can send it back.” I place a hand on her knee and bend to look into her eyes. “At least I think I can.”
“No, it’s perfect.”
The hand cream came from Switzerland, and when she says it’s too expensive, it was worse than that, it was exorbitant. Isabelle is always washing her hands, and if this helps, then she deserves it.
“You don’t look happy.”
She wipes her face. “Happy tears.”
Isabelle launches herself at me, her body crushes against mine as she kisses me. I’m still on the stool, and she’s between my legs. I engulf her in my embrace, her soft body held tightly against mine. Isabelle’s hands go up under my t-shirt, and she knocks my hat onto the floor.
I pull back from her, and she moans in protest. “Believe me, babe, I don’t want to stop, but now isn’t the time.”
Isabelle is staring at my lips. “Just a little more.”
Grinning at her, I shake my head. “You have work to do, a shop to run, and I’ll see you tonight.”
She looks so disappointed, so I stand and walk her backward until she hits the counter, then I pick her up and stand between her legs. Isabelle wraps them around my waist, and I claim her mouth. My tongue caresses hers as my hands explore her body. Her taste and scent always leave me wanting more, and my cock is hard as a rock. She grinds against me, and I groan. Isabelle’s hands go to my belt, and I realize she’s more than ready. I’ve been taking this slow as I thought she had demons to battle, but as she tugs at my belt, I’m thinking she’s conquered them.
A loud cough sounds behind us. I quickly back away from Isabelle and pick up my hat, holding it in front of me. Isabelle looks stunned, her lips are swollen, and she looks more than a little disorientated.
“Happy birthday!” Charlotte bounds over and hugs her.
Isabelle gives me wide eyes, and I chuckle as I do up my belt.
“Thanks, Lottie.” Isabelle gives me wide eyes, and I laugh harder.
Charlotte’s hair is all mussed from sleep, and it’s sticking up in tufts. “Do you want your present now?”
“How about we have breakfast first?”
Charlotte nods. “Want me to make coffee?”
“I made one already. But I could make you one.”
“Okay.”
Isabelle laughs and hops off the counter.
“Wait.” I hand Charlotte my coffee. “Here, honey, have this.”
With a genuine smile, Charlotte takes it from me and holds the coffee under her nose, inhaling the aroma.
“I should go.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
“I’m going to stay here.” Charlotte sips her coffee. “Jamie, what should I wear tonight?”
“Anything you want, sweetheart. Something comfortable.”
“Jeans?”
I wink at her and nod. “If they’re comfortable.”
Isabelle takes my hand and tugs me toward the door.
“See you tonight.”
“Okay.” Isabelle threads her fingers through mine and holds me against my truck. She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses me.
“You have work to do.” I hold her at arm’s length and open the door.
“Maybe I want to play hooky?”
I kiss her lightly and pull away quickly. “See you tonight.”
“You know I’ve never had a man play so hard to get.”
With one arm, I pull her into me and kiss her passionately. I move from her mouth to her neck and nibble the soft skin, dragging my teeth down to her collarbone.
Isabelle gasps and looking her in the eyes, I whisper, “See you tonight.”
She takes a moment to focus. “Tease!”
I bark out a laugh and nod. “Yep.”
She straightens her top and takes a couple of steps away from me. “Six?”
“Happy birthday, Isabelle… and yes, six.”
With a grin and a wave, she turns and runs back into the bakery. It’s been interesting getting to know her. She never wants to talk about herself. Isabelle has shared a lot about her parents and Charlotte, but she deliberately changes the subject when it comes to the last few years of her life.
I’m hoping once we know each other a little better, she’ll be able to trust me and share all of her past with me.
Isabelle
I purchased a little black dress, a pair of red six-inch heels, and a matching clutch for tonight. My hair is tamed into submission, and I have just enough makeup on to highlight my best features.
A groan from Charlotte’s room has me running. She’s lying in bed, clutching her stomach.
“Oh, honey, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel well. I should stay home tonight.”
I nod and try not to smile. “I’ll stay home with you.”
Charlotte sits bolt upright. “No! You have to go.”
I take her hand in mine. “Lottie, I want you there tonight, and so does Jamie. He’s not like…” I pause, not wanting to say his name. “Jamie is nice.”
“He’s not like Chase, and he never makes me feel dumb.”
Those words cut right through me, and I hug her. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
“You made it right. I like it here.”
Leaning back, I ask, “What are you wearing tonight?”
“My yellow dress?”
Charlotte is going through a phase, where she seems to buy everything yellow, much like the color of the walls in her room.
“Shoes?” Charlotte crawls out of bed and holds up a black pair of flats. “No. Something lighter?”
“I have those tan ones?”
“Those sandals are perfect.”
Charlotte smiles, and I stand and leave her to get dressed. A knock at the back door has me running dow
n the stairs.
Jamie is there holding a bunch of red roses and a huge smile. “Hey, gorgeous. These are for you.”
I take them off him. “Charlotte is still getting ready. Come on up.”
As I walk up the stairs, Jamie puts his hands on my hips, and my insides melt. His touch elicits a fire inside me. When we get to the top of the stairs, Charlotte is there doing a twirl. My libido needs to calm itself down.
“Do I look okay?”
Jamie presses his back to my front. “You look amazing, Charlotte, and your sister looks good too.”
“Only good?” I ask as I break away from him and put the roses in a vase.
“Well, your sister is a vision, but I suppose you look better than just good. What do you think, Charlotte?”
“I think she looks sexy.”
“Charlotte!” I cry as I burst out laughing.
“She’s right, you do.”
Another knock at the door sounds, and Charlotte bounds down the stairs. Jamie looks at me, and I shrug.
“Were you expecting someone?”
“No.”
Charlotte comes upstairs, dragging Cutter behind her.
“Good evening, folks. Are we ready to go?”
Jamie looks at me, and I shake my head in confusion.
Charlotte grins at me. “I asked Cutter to come. That way, he can bring me home.”
“Charlotte, you didn’t need to do this.”
Jamie nods. “I thought it was only going to be the three of us?”
“Am I gate-crashing here?” asks Cutter.
Charlotte shakes her head. “No, this is better. Kinda like a double date, except Cutter is my best friend and not a date.”
“You don’t like me?” teases Cutter.
“I like you, just not like, like,” explains Charlotte. “Shall we go?”
Cutter puts a helmet on her head, and I look down at her dress.
“Cutter, how is she going to ride wearing a dress?”
Charlotte doesn’t let him answer. “I’ve got bike shorts on underneath, and I can tuck my dress up.”
“You could ride with us?” suggests Jamie.
“Two’s company, three’s a crowd.”
Shaking my head, I say, “No, you’re not.” I put my hands on her face. “Family first, always. Remember?”
Charlotte nods. “I know, but just for tonight, I thought you two might want some alone time?”
Cutter looks uneasy. “Maybe I should go?”
“No!” Charlotte says loudly.
“No,” I repeat more softly. “It’s my birthday, and I’d love for you to come. Be careful with my sister on the back of your bike.”
Cutter chuckles. “Aren’t I always?”
Charlotte kisses me. “You smell good.”
“I’m wearing the perfume you gave me.”
She smiles at me and goes down the stairs with Cutter.
Jamie watches them go, and when the door closes, he looks at me. “Are you okay with this?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure? It’s your night, after all.”
Picking up my clutch, I nod. “Cutter will take good care of her. Let’s go.”
Jamie grins wickedly at me. “We could stay here?”
“I like the way you think, but you promised me dinner, wine, and dancing.”
Jamie walks down the stairs and shakes his head. “There was nothing about dancing.”
“But it’s my birthday!”
He waits for me to lock up the bakery and says, “I don’t dance. Not unless there’s a lot of alcohol involved, and tonight I’m driving, so you’re out of luck, beautiful.”
“We’ll see.” I wink at him, and he opens the passenger side door of his truck.
“Get in the car.”
I giggle at him but do as I’m told. When Jamie gets in, I slide across so I’m sitting next to him.
“Did I tell you, you look nice.”
“I think we went from nice to sexy.”
Jamie chuckles. “Sexy works.”
When we arrive at the steakhouse, Charlotte and Cutter are already sitting at our table. He’s ordered her a soda and a beer for himself. I frown at the beer, and he holds it up.
“It’s a light beer, and I’m only having one.”
“Good.”
Jamie shakes his head at me.
“What?” I ask.
“You know who Cutter is in the MC, don’t you?”
“No?”
Cutter waves a hand in the air. “She doesn’t need to know.”
“How come you’re not wearing your cut?” asks Jamie.
Cutter shrugs. “I don’t wear it all the time.”
Jamie pulls out my chair, waits for me to sit, then takes his seat. “I don’t remember a time when you haven’t worn it.”
“Well, now you have.”
Sensing the conversation is getting heated, I pick up a menu and say, “So, what’s good here?”
Cutter says, “The steak. All the steaks and the baked potato.”
“I’m having chicken,” states Charlotte.
Cutter laughs. “We’re in a steakhouse, and you’re going to have chicken?”
“Yep.”
He shakes his head but smiles at her. “Okay, chicken for you, steak for me.”
“What are you having, Isabelle?”
A camera flash goes off, temporarily blinding me.
“What the?” I ask, stunned.
A man stands at our table. “For the social pages of the local newspaper. Could I get your names?”
“No!” I reply quickly. “We don’t want to be in the paper.”
“It’ll only be in the social section, and our readership will love it.”
“No,” I repeat more firmly.
“But everyone—”
“You heard the lady, beat it,” says Jamie.
The man holds up his hands and backs away. “Sorry to have bothered you.”
I watch him walk away. He heads for the front door, which is weird. You’d think he’d want more photographs of the other patrons of the restaurant.
Jamie takes my hand in his, and I smile at him. “What are you going to order?” he asks.
The chicken really looks good. It’s wrapped in prosciutto with a cheese sauce, but after Cutter’s outburst, I decide on a small steak.
“I’m going to have the eight-ounce fillet mignon. You?”
“The strip with green peppercorn sauce.”
Cutter nods. “I’m having that too. The strip here is good. They dry age it for six weeks, and it melts in your mouth.” Cutter grins, and it looks good on him. He’s often serious except when he’s around Charlotte. Tonight he has on a long-sleeved navy shirt and jeans. His tattoos peek through at the neck and on his hands, and his hair that’s normally falling across his face is slicked back. He still looks dangerous, but a tamed, passive kind of dangerous.
“Cutter? What do you do for the MC?” I ask.
“Whatever they need doing.” He smiles knowingly and takes a sip of his beer.
The server comes over and asks, “Are we ready to order?”
We place our orders for food, and Jamie orders me a bottle of wine. After the server walks away, I give Jamie big eyes.
“An entire bottle of wine? By myself? Are you going to carry me out of here?”
“I can do that,” replies Jamie with a grin.
Jamie
Cutter has taken Charlotte home, and I’m helping Isabelle into my truck. She’s entirely too happy—maybe a whole bottle of wine was too much. But like a champion, she drank the bottle over dinner and into dessert. I buckle her into the seat, then go around to the driver’s side. Isabelle has a smile on her face, and she giggles as I get into the truck.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Home, birthday girl.”
“But tomorrow is my day off.”
I grin at her. “Okay, what do you want to do?”
Isabelle unbuckles her seat bel
t and kisses me. “I want to do you.”
“You’ve had way too much to drink.”
“Drunk sex is good.”
“I want you to remember it.”
“Please, please, please don’t take me home,” Isabelle pleads.
“Tell you what, why don’t I take you out to my place for a while, sober you up, and then take you home?”
“No sex?”
I chuckle. “No. No sex, but I have coffee and another surprise for you out there.”
“A surprise?”
“Put your seat belt on, and I’ll take you to it.”
With a grin, Isabelle fumbles with her seat belt and eventually gets it to click into place. “Onward!” she yells.
Laughing, I start the car and put it into drive. Isabelle turns on the radio, and country music blares out at her.
“No. Just no.” She fiddles with the tuner until she comes to a rock station, and The Grinders song, “Heaven,” is playing. “Now, this is music.”
It’s not that I don’t like rock music. In fact, I like The Grinders, but I find country music to be purer.
Isabelle is belting out the chorus, and I find myself grinning at her out-of-tune singing. As soon as we pull into my driveway, she has her seat belt off and is climbing out of the car before I’ve completely come to a stop.
“Whoa!”
“Are you okay?” I ask, laughing.
“Yep. Are you stopped?”
“Yes.” Opening my door, I rush around to guide her toward my front door.
She stops on the porch and looks at my newly installed swing. “You’ve got a swing?”
“Yes, I did… for you. And I have a bench seat over there so we can all sit out here.”
“All of us?”
“You, me, and Charlotte.”
Isabelle throws her arms around my neck. “You did that for us?”
“Yes.”
“I think we should do the sex now.”
I shake my head. “Coffee.”
Isabelle smiles at me. I open the door, and she walks inside.
“I’m making coffee.”
Isabelle nods, and I go straight into the kitchen. I can hear her moving about the living room. I’m loading up the coffee machine with my back to her.
“Jamie?”
“Yes?” I ask as I pour water into the machine.
“Jamie?”
Turning around, she’s standing there in her heels and a red lacy bra and matching panties. Slowly, she walks toward me, smiling. When she’s in front of me, Isabelle raises her hand, puts it under my chin, and closes my mouth. Isabelle winks at me, turns around, and takes a few steps, then stops and looks over her shoulder. “Are you coming?” Isabelle continues walking, and I’m wrestling with my inner demons.
Spark of Time: MacKenny Brothers Series Book 5: an MC/Band of Brothers Romance Page 17
