‘Ommph,’ Scott groaned. ‘Jo, I know I said earlier you could do with putting on some weight, but not on top of me.’
When Jo’s eyes narrowed, Stephen chuckled, the last traces of his black mood fading. He impulsively grabbed her hand, pulling her upright. ‘You told me you had women falling all over you, mate, but I never knew you were being literal,’ he said to Scott, intrigued by the way Jo didn’t immediately pull her hand away from his.
‘He wishes.’ Jo gave Scott a shove on his shoulder with her spare hand.
Scott’s head, still resting in Amy’s lap, pushed against her stomach, interrupting her conversation with Myf. ‘Hey!’
‘Tell me what you did was wrong,’ Scott said to Jo, wagging a finger up at her playfully.
‘It was Stephen’s fault, he scared me,’ Jo muttered sulkily, not exactly making eye contact with Stephen and only now sliding her hand out from under his on the rug between them.
‘So which play are we watching?’ Stephen asked, ignoring his twinge of disappointment at the loss of contact. The cast and crew were beginning to organise themselves near the stage, calling for their audience to be quiet, ready for the second act.
‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ Scott murmured. ‘Quite fitting given a conversation I overheard about someone’s arse this afternoon.’
This time both Jo and Stephen leaned over to push him, which resulted in a howl from Scott and a shriek from Amy that earned their group an impressive number of dirty looks from the picnic rugs around them.
‘Children, act your age,’ Myf admonished, levelling a stern look at the three of them.
The cast of the theatre company was a familiar one and had done a brilliant job with this year’s effort, leaving the five of them in stitches laughing. The mixed bouquet of cut grass, gum trees and a light, cool sea breeze created such a relaxed, jovial atmosphere it was easy to get carried up with the excitement of being outdoors in enjoyable company.
At the play’s conclusion, while they were all clapping loudly as the actors made a third curtain call, Jo realised she didn’t want the evening to end.
‘How do you guys feel about going to a pub for a post-show drink?’ She directed her question to Scott, Myf and Amy, deliberately avoiding Stephen’s eyes. She was feeling strangely shy around him tonight and very definitely aware of his body so close to hers.
‘Can’t do, petal. I have to get home to Pete,’ Amy said, referring to Wimpy, the boyfriend.
‘I’ve got to go too.’ Myf smiled apologetically. ‘Getting up early in the morning to have breakfast with my mum.’
‘Scott?’ Jo flashed Amy an irritated frown before bestowing a sympathetic smile on Myf, whose mother’s reputation as a dragon lady preceded her.
‘Meeting someone.’
‘Who?’ Jo and Amy asked in quick succession.
‘Well, that’s my cue to go,’ Scott said, smiling enigmatically, hauling himself up to stand then helping both Amy and Myf to do the same. ‘Stephen, you’re not doing anything. How’bout you take Jo home, and I’ll drop off Ames and Myf.’
‘No worries,’ Stephen replied. ‘I promised Jo I’d be designated chauffeur anyway.’ This earned Jo a raised eyebrow from Amy and an amused grin from Scott.
‘Wait.’ The thought of being out alone with Stephen left Jo feeling more than a little nervous.
‘For what?’ Scott asked, his dark eyes twinkling with mischief. He knew full well the situation he was putting Jo in and was enjoying every minute of it. She made a mental note to find out who Scott’s current lady friend was and to anonymously let her know that he had at least five children and a disturbing venereal disease he hadn’t told her about.
‘Ah . . . Stephen probably has to meet up with his girlfriend, right?’ She looked at Stephen directly for the first time all evening. His eyes were focused on her face, expression thoughtful.
‘No,’ he said slowly.
‘Oh.’
‘Cool. We’ll catch you two later, then.’ Scott clapped his hands together and turned to Amy and Myf. ‘Come on, let’s get going before a stampede happens in the car park.’
Within minutes Jo was left standing awkwardly next to Stephen, glaring at her traitorous sister’s and friends’ retreating backs.
‘So, what did you have in mind for this evening?’ Stephen asked.
‘Well . . .’ The thought of sitting in a pub drinking with just Stephen felt too intimate, but she’d committed herself now.
What to do. What to do?
She couldn’t suggest they go straight home, because that would give him the idea that she was avoiding him. On top of that, she wanted to talk to him about the whole matter of her apartment and his girlfriend, and it would be easier to do that in neutral territory.
She looked down at her feet.
‘Hey, the guys forgot their stuff.’ She pulled out her phone to call Scott and let him know he’d left behind the picnic rug and basket.
‘Don’t worry about it. One of us can return it tomorrow.’ Stephen shrugged. ‘Sounds like Scott’s got something planned for tonight anyway. Doubt he’ll be keen to brave the traffic to come back.’
‘Yeah, you’re right. Although it’ll have to be you, because I don’t think I’ll fit it all on my bike,’ Jo replied, distractedly taking in the basket’s mammoth dimensions. Amy had, as always, excelled herself with the food supplies and had packed enough to feed an army battalion.
Jo brushed the rug with her bare toes, trying to appear fascinated by its tartan pattern while dwelling on the more immediate problem of what to do with Stephen.
Stephen softly cleared his throat as if to draw her attention. ‘You know, I can’t be bothered going anywhere just yet. Would you mind if we moved the blanket and just took in the city lights for a while until the traffic dies down?’
‘Yeah, sure,’ Jo said, relieved.
‘I’m starving too. Is there any food left?’ He lifted the lid of the wicker basket at Jo’s feet and peered inside.
‘Knowing Amy, there’ll be tons of food. Come to think of it, she probably deliberately left it behind because she’s worried I’m not eating enough.’ When Stephen gave her a casual up and down, she immediately wished she hadn’t said anything.
‘I don’t know. You look fine from here.’ His slow grin sent a shiver of warmth down her spine. She tried to cover it up by folding the picnic rug and draping it over an arm.
‘Let’s go find a place to sit, then. I think there’ll be a bottle or two of wine left too.’
Jo led the way up the grassy slope towards the city lookout. She walked in bare feet, one hand holding her sandals, the other holding the blanket. She didn’t want to look behind her to see if Stephen was following, or watching her. The thought of being watched by him turned her legs to wood. She hoped to hell it didn’t show.
It took a bit of deliberation and negotiation to find the right spot. Jo wanted to sit somewhere underneath the glow of one of the many discreetly placed spotlights in the park, while Stephen suggested a spot in a darker, less populated area, arguing that it afforded them a much better view of the city lights. In the end Jo gave in because she really did like the idea of sitting in a more private, secluded spot with him. She just hadn’t wanted to be the one to suggest it.
It took minutes to get the picnic rug on the ground and for him to fish through it to produce a bottle of Evangeline’s Rest shiraz and a container of small quiches, a specialty of Amy’s that Jo knew would melt in the mouth.
‘Looks like someone forgot the glasses, but if you’re up for being a bit lowbrow, we can swig out of the bottle,’ Stephen suggested, holding up said item.
‘One of us has to drive back home tonight, remember?’ Jo congratulated herself on how responsible she sounded.
‘I’ll drive. You enjoy.’ Stephen shrugged. ‘We won’t be going anywhere for a while anyway.’ He gestured to the line of near-stationary cars trying to exit the park.
They lapsed into small talk for a while, and J
o ended up sprawling her legs out in front of her, all nerves forgotten as she teased Stephen gently about his girlfriend assuming Jo’s apartment was his.
He cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, sorry about Bridgett this morning.’
‘I should be pretty shitty with you, you know. Did you give her a key?’
‘Yes and no. I gave her my key a few weeks ago so she could drop something off, and she must have gotten it copied.’ She caught a hint of irritation in his voice and he glanced sideways at her as if to gauge her reaction.
She worked herself up to meet his gaze in the dark. ‘As I said. I should be annoyed with you.’
He gave her a relieved smile. ‘But you’re not?’
Jo paused. ‘No. No, I’m not. Don’t ask me why. I might be tomorrow after a bit of sleep, though. I only flew in last night after thirty hours of transit, remember.’ Her nerves pinged too much, and she looked away.
‘Yeah, I see.’ Stephen pulled out two of Amy’s quiches from the container, handed Jo one and then offered her the bottle of wine to have the first swig.
‘Good, because I don’t.’ Jo drank a few mouthfuls, feeling a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t done anything like this since she’d been in university. It seemed so intimate to pass Stephen the bottle and watch his lips touching where hers had been only seconds before.
He handed her the wine again then swallowed his little tart in one bite. ‘Hmm, remind me to propose to your sister,’ he groaned.
‘Get in line,’ Jo said wryly, taking another swig, and just like that her tension faded away.
Stephen laughed softly. ‘Like that, is it?’
‘I’d lock her up if I could.’
‘You know, I feel the same about Rachael. I don’t know if you remember her? Yeah? Well, she’s got a pretty bad track record too. I should feel good she at least tells me what’s going on, but it’s a double-edged sword. I just end up feeling bummed out for her every time she goes with another idiot and he dumps her.’
‘Yeah.’ Jo watched Stephen’s mouth as he took another drink. ‘So what happened between you and your ex?’ She surprised herself with her question. It wasn’t normally like her to be so intrusive. ‘I just can’t imagine a woman passing you up. I mean, you’ve acted like a bit of a dick to me here and there, but you’re still all right.’ She qualified her statement with a smile to take the sting out of her words.
Stephen leaned back, his expression unreadable. ‘Yeah. I guess I have been pretty awful where you’re concerned,’ he said softly but with no discernible irritation in his voice. If anything Jo detected regret but sidestepped the suspicion. She didn’t want to go back in time tonight. Instead, she sneaked a peek at his profile out of the corner of her eye. He was gazing out over the city lights, brow creased in thought.
‘Mm-hmm.’ Jo took another swig from the bottle. ‘So the ex?’
He heaved a sigh and held his hand out for the bottle of wine. ‘I think we just grew apart. Out of the blue she started picking fights with me about little stuff, nothing major and it escalated from there . . . one day I woke up in the spare room after trying to give her the space she seemed to need, had a think about things and . . .’ He shrugged.
‘And?’ Jo prompted, moving closer to him on the blanket until her thigh touched his. This time she allowed herself to enjoy the contact.
‘And I straight out asked her if she wanted to end it, and she said that she did if I didn’t get it.’
‘Get what?’ Jo’s brow wrinkled in confusion.
‘I’m not sure,’ Stephen said, his voice hinting at a wealth of exasperation. ‘Something. Obviously. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, and she seems pretty pissed off I haven’t worked it out yet. I guess that’s why she won’t sell the apartment we used to share so we can split the profit. She said as much the last time we talked.’
‘That’s rough.’
‘Feels it. I still care about her, you know. She was my friend before we got together. Feels like a double loss. I know it’s over and we’ll never even be friends in the future, but I really just wish she’d tell me what the hell she wants.’ Jo heard a hint of the hurt he must have felt under his matter-of-fact tone and felt her stomach clench in sympathy. She rested a hand on his knee in comfort.
They lapsed into silence again, the sound of the couples sitting around them combined with the noises rising from the city below, car horns and sirens washing over them.
‘So what’s the deal with the current lady?’ Jo asked after a while, knowing she was pushing it, but hell, he was answering what she was asking, and she was still curious.
‘Bridgett?’ Stephen looked at her sideways. ‘She was really great in getting me back on the horse after Lauren. We didn’t . . . well, in the last year or so Lauren wasn’t in the mood, you know?’
Jo didn’t know, but she made an understanding noise all the same.
‘And Bridgett was great at first. Really helped out, but now . . . It’s not like we’re in a relationship, especially not after this afternoon. She’s a great lady but I’m pretty sure she sees me as a means to some sort of end. Maybe an ego trip. The whole younger-guy thing. And I was sure as hell using her, but now, well, we’ve not been together, like together’—he made a wide gesture with his hands—’for a month or so, mainly because I haven’t wanted to play the games she’d been pulling. I decided today that we’re probably through and I know she’s on the same page, but it’s how to have the conversation without anyone’s feelings getting hurt, you know?’
‘You’re waiting for the right opportunity to end it officially?’ Jo asked. Looking down, she realised she’d been rubbing her palm over his knee for the past few minutes. His leg felt solid and warm. He didn’t seem to notice, so she didn’t stop.
She moved her hand a bit higher for good measure. It was a blatant effort to cop a feel, but then she’d always been a bit slutty on red wine. Well, actually she was anyone’s on red wine, which was why she usually avoided it at all costs. This, however, was different. This was Stephen.
She took another swig from the bottle to give herself a solid alibi.
‘Yeah!’ Stephen let out a loud exhalation of air, turning to face her with an intense stare. She’d managed to move close enough that his face was only inches away. There was a charged silence as they looked at each other before Jo held out the bottle for him again.
‘Thanks. Last one. I’m driving.’ Stephen took a gulp then set the bottle down in front of them. He glanced at Jo again, eyes dropping to her arms in the half-light.
He frowned.
‘Hey, you’ve got goosebumps. You cold? I’m so sorry, I’ve been talking about myself, and you’ve been cold.’
Jo wanted to say no. That the sea breeze was proving quite useful in cooling down her overheated libido, but before she could say so, he’d tugged her alongside him and pulled the far edge of the rug over the two of them, covering them both from waist to feet.
If Jo had a few goosebumps before, she was one large one now. Her entire left side was plastered against Stephen’s. Her hand was still resting high on his thigh, and she could feel his muscles begin to tense up as she kept softly running her palm over his jeans, knowing she should stop but enjoying the way he was reacting now that he wasn’t distracted any more.
‘So, tell me about you.’ He turned to face the view again, not stopping her from moving her hand but not acknowledging it either.
Jo grabbed the bottle and indulged in another gulp of Dutch courage before inching her hand up a few more inches, almost to the crease in his jeans where his thigh met his body. She moved her fingers slightly from side to side, feeling him tense again, and allowed herself a small smile and another sip of wine before answering.
‘About my past relationships? Haven’t been in one in ages. Had a few short-term flings but nothing major. It’s hard with my job, you know?’ She turned towards him and saw he was leaning back on his palms, head tilted back and eyes closed, his mouth curved into a faint smile.
She slightly increased the pressure of her fingers on his leg, allowing them to brush subtly up against the base of the distinct bulge under his fly. When he didn’t stop her and groaned gently, she took another quick swig of wine, put the bottle aside and threw caution to the wind and decided she’d have a chat with her conscience and inhibitions the next day when the booze wore off.
Raising her hand, she settled in squarely on his erection. She felt a rush go through her body when his eyes flew open and he gave her a searching look, meeting her reassuring smile in the near-dark, before he flopped back on the grass.
One of his hands snaked down to cup her hip, dragging her closer to him; the other hand pillowed his head to give the appearance of a guy lying next to his cross-legged girlfriend to any of the other people wandering around the park.
‘There was someone a while back,’ Jo said, looking out over the city, her hand beginning to run up and down his length through his low-riding jeans.
She was rewarded by the sound of a sharp inhalation as her fingers contacted with the tip of him peeking over the waistband. Giving it a languid pat, she began the movement all over again.
‘But . . . well he couldn’t handle me working away so much, and I couldn’t handle him . . . telling me what to do.’
‘Hmm?’ Stephen made a valiant attempt to respond, but she was much happier to feel his hips twitching slightly under her palm as she released the top button of his jeans.
Looking around to make sure no one was watching, she slid the zip down and then reached into his briefs to wrap her hand around him. His grip tightened on her hip, sending a shimmer of warmth through her lower body as she resumed the steady stroking movement, enjoying the velvet-soft feel of his skin. He groaned again, the muscles in his neck visibly bunching in response to what her hand was doing.
‘I don’t work that well with guys who don’t let me have a choice in my career. You know? I like to make my own decisions.’ She barely concealed a wicked grin and changed the way she was sitting so her thighs were pressed together, intensifying the feeling of her own arousal in response to seeing him so vulnerable and in the moment.
Unforgettable You: Destiny Romance Page 11
