Carved in Stone

by Donna McDonald

  The brown tweed jacket was great, and he liked it a lot. And the boots were surprisingly comfortable despite the thick heel.

  As Will studied himself in the fitting room mirror, he liked what he saw. Or at least he mostly liked it all. He reached two fingers up to play with earring now gracing his earlobe, still trying to figure out how his sons had talked him into it. He was getting soft as he got older, Will decided. He used to be a lot better at saying no to them and meaning it.

  Sighing, Will strode out of the fitting room to the sales floor where his sons waited patiently to check him out.

  Shane nodded and grinned when he saw him. “Nice,” he said in approval. His father was practically eye-to-eye with him now.

  Michael just smiled as his gaze swept over his father. Then he smiled more when he saw several women giving his father the once over before repeating it several times. They had been looking at Michael, and then Shane, until his father walked out of the fitting room almost as tall as Shane and much, much better dressed.

  Jessica Daniels was in for a real surprise, Michael decided, and maybe some competition if she kept playing hard to get. His father sure didn’t look like some run-of-the-mill retiree now. Michael just had to say something about what he was seeing.

  “Dad, if the sales girls had seen you roll in on your bike, you could have gotten laid right here in the fitting room,” he teased.

  “Michael, that’s enough,” Will said harshly. “You’re being crude.” And it didn’t help that he could definitely imagine Jessica and him in that tight little room together. He barely fought off the frustrated sigh.

  Michael saw one woman point his Dad out to another woman and grinned. “No. I’m just being honest about how great you look. Jessica is damn lucky you don’t think like Shane or I do.”

  Will looked at himself standing next to both his very attractive sons. He had to admit that he did look younger and more confident. No matter how he felt on the inside, he wasn’t going to be mistaken for an old washed-out guy dressed like he was.

  “I do like most of this, but is the earring really necessary?” Will asked, touching his earlobe again.

  This got a chuckle out of Shane, who up to now had just been nodding at what Michael said.

  “Yes. Jessica is going to love the earring,” Shane told him firmly, pulling his Dad’s hand away from his ear. “There’s something about the contradiction of a giant man wearing a tiny piece of jewelry. It says you can break the bed but be completely sensitive while doing it.”

  Will snorted. “Oh, good—sensitive, but extremely horny. That was exactly the look I was going for,” he whispered dryly, making them both laugh.

  “Great. Then you’re all set,” Michael replied, laughing. “Want to ride to Cincinnati with me or drive yourself?”

  “I’ll get there on my own,” Will said, “if I have any money left for gas after all this.”

  “Dad, it’s a few hundred dollars. When was the last time you bought new clothes?” Shane asked. “I bet it was before you and Mom broke up.”

  “Okay. You’re probably right,” Will said. “Listen, I’m heading to the café for a bit to try out my new look. I’ll see you at the art show.”

  ***

  “Hey, Melanie. Brent. How’s it going?” Will said, climbing on a bar stool at the counter. His gaze took in the crowded tables with a smile. “Looks like business is still booming.”

  Melanie and Brent Madison both walked over to him like zombies and stood looking at him in shock.

  “What?” Will asked. “Is everything okay?”

  “You—well…I mean,” Melanie stammered, and then flushed. She might have melted to the floor in shock if her husband hadn’t put an arm around her shoulders for support. First the stool thing and now the hot-guy look. It was almost more than her brain could take in about William Larson.

  “Nice earring, Mr. Larson,” Brent said breezily, unable to stifle a grin at the sight.

  Will’s hand went automatically to his earlobe. “I’ve had it for several hours now and almost forgot about it. I told my son Shane it was too much.”

  Brent moved his arm down to squeeze his wife’s hand as he shook his head and smiled at William Larson.

  “No. It looks good. Nice haircut too, Mr. Larson. Makes you look younger,” Brent said as casually as he could. “In fact, you look so good that I may have to shave my head now to compete.”

  Will laughed at the idea of Brent shaving his full, thick hair all off. He knew he was teasing. “Yeah, right. A shaved head isn’t great, but at least it beats the bald spot.”

  Melanie walked up and peered into his face. “Is that really still you, Will?”

  Will ran hand over his face, trying to minimize the embarrassed flush. “Why? Is this all too much? I let my sons do this to me. They said I needed updating.”

  Melanie shook her head from side to side. “It’s not too much. You look great, just very different. You don’t look—well, you don’t look as old as my Dad anymore.”

  “I still feel as old as your Dad,” Will said softly, smiling regretfully. He had never minded being a surrogate father to any child.

  “Has Jessica seen you yet?” Melanie asked.

  Will shook his head. “No. Apparently, she has a date tonight,” he said, frowning. “I couldn’t talk her out of it, but I’ll probably see her at the art show.”

  “I wish I could be there when she sees you,” Melanie said earnestly, as she poured him a cup of coffee. “I’d love to see the look on the math teacher’s face too.”

  “Math teacher? Is that who’s she dating tonight?” Will demanded, glaring at Melanie.

  “You can’t be mad at the messenger,” she told him, arching an eyebrow at his glare. “I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that you’re going to shock Adam whatever-his-name-is too. You don’t look like anyone’s gray-haired dad anymore. You look like a movie hero.”

  “Movie hero? Oh good, that’s exactly the look I was going for,” Will said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and laughing at what he was sure was a joke. “I was going to leave a good tip anyway you know. You don’t have to flatter me.”

  Melanie looked at her husband, who bit his lip and stared at the floor to keep from laughing out loud. It was very obvious to both of them that William Larson had no clue how big the transformation was.

  Chapter 11

  Jessica had chained off her area and left her art unattended for a short while to walk around with her embarrassed date who obviously didn’t understand the artistic value of a glass vagina. After he’d criticized several other artists’ work, including Michael Larson’s metal sculptures, Jessica was fed up with trying to be polite and had left Adam to browse alone so she could return to her own work.

  As Jessica neared her display table, she saw someone had stepped around the rope barricade. All she could see was the man’s back as he reached out a tentative finger to stroke the finely crafted clitoris on the Blue Blaze model. Jessica shivered and laughed at herself for doing so, letting her gaze openly admire the man from behind. He was a little taller than she was, broad shouldered, and completely bald with an earring.

  And if the front looked as good as the back, he was also going to be totally hot. Her interest had her smiling at her carnal thoughts. Maybe her attraction for Will hadn’t ruined her for other men after all, she mused. In fact, she might even be tempted to ask the man out for a drink. It would give her an excuse to send Adam on his merry way, and one guaranteed to make sure he’d never ask her out again.

  Will, on the other hand, would not be pleased. Jessica thought of the promise he’d tried to extort from her this morning and sighed. There was simply no reason to feel guilty. It wasn’t like she had agreed.

  She ruthlessly pushed away her memories of kissing Will and immediately imagined Brooke calling her “chicken” again. Well, she was a chicken about getting more involved with Will. So what? The sexy bald stranger looked a lot safer to her and like a lot less trouble.r />
  “Looks like you’re a man who knows his way around one of those,” Jessica said, intentionally teasing him so she could judge him by his response.

  Will smiled at the flirtatious tone he hadn’t heard from Jessica in a while, but he didn’t turn for a moment.

  “Oh, I’ve touched a few of these in my time,” he said finally with a laugh, turning and meeting her gaze directly. “But I think I prefer the real ones to art.”

  “Will?” Jessica all but choked, her arms uncrossing as she came a bit closer to study him. She looked down to his boots and back up to the top of his shaved head. “That’s a very nice look for you. I really like your earring.”

  Will made a mental note to thank Shane later. His son’s other comment had also been dead on too because he could definitely see himself stretching the limits of a bed with this woman tonight. In fact, he had never seen Jessica look so tempting. Memories of how close he’d come to enjoying all of her this morning came rushing back.

  “You look pretty good yourself, Ms. Daniels. I knew you had legs, but not mile long ones that went all the way up to heaven,” Will said, teasing.

  His gaze dropped to her low heeled shoes and slowly made its way up to the denim skirt stopping several inches above her knees. He couldn’t quite see over her head, but he was looking down at her for the first time since they had met. The rush it gave him put a wicked smile on his face that Will suspected would have only made Jessica mad if she knew the cause.

  Over the short skirt, Jessica wore a gauzy white top and a denim vest too small to button over her breasts. Will forced his gaze away from them before he gave in to the urge to reach for her.

  Instead, Will looked at her wavy red hair and the long metal hoops almost brushing her shoulders. He used a finger and sent one hoop swinging, appreciating the flirty smile it brought to Jessica’s face.

  “I like your earrings, too,” Will said, drunk with the need to get her alone and try to appease the ache he had for her.

  Jessica laughed cautiously at Will’s intense perusal. Kissing her so desperately this morning, Will had taxed her nervous system to its limits. Now he was making her awareness much worse with his new look and open flirting.

  Though she wondered what had possessed Will to make these changes, Jessica pushed down the answer that came immediately to mind. No, she wasn’t going to believe Will had made these changes for her, she decided, no matter how thrilled she might be to think it. Not that she was thrilled. It was mostly surprise—just surprise.

  Well, okay, she had to admit that Will did look really good.

  And judging from her reaction even before she recognized him, Jessica concluded she was probably always going to be attracted to Will. A scary thought, but not one she wanted to analyze while smelling his cologne and thinking about kissing him.

  “So what do you think of my art,” Jessica said, trying to distract herself from her hyperawareness of Will by nodding with her chin to the table.

  “I like it better than your earlier work,” Will said honestly. “And I’m finally understanding how you figured out my secrets so quickly. We’re kindred souls in looking to our own bodies for inspiration.”

  “I know it’s bold to show such an intimate part of yourself to the world, but I wanted to celebrate my sexuality and encourage others to do the same. I think people either get it or they don’t. I’m sure you know how challenging it can be to have an artistic vision that embarrasses people,” she said to Will.

  “Yes,” Will said softly. “I know exactly how that is.”

  Jessica’s gaze was locked on his and in her face Will saw both understanding and acceptance. It was the same look she’d given him in Berea. He just hadn’t been ready for it then.

  “Jessica, what you said this morning—well, you were right about me being caught up in my own reactions. It actually helps me to see what you feel comfortable revealing to the world. Your boldness helps me believe you when you say you’re over the past.”

  “Well, I think I am for the most part, and I work really hard to live only in the present. I’m guessing my art and my sexuality are linked in ways only my therapist could ever understand. I’m sure she shakes her head in dismay about me after every session,” she said laughing. “Fortunately, artists are expected to be screwed up mentally, so I can pretend it’s normal.”

  As Jessica removed the rope barricade, Will walked back to the blue glass piece he’d been exploring when she walked up. It was damn mesmerizing, just like Michael had said. He turned the partial torso piece away from him so that it was lying in a more natural direction, and covered the piece with the palm of his hand.

  “These pieces are very sensual. This particular one fits my hand just like it was made specifically for me,” Will said, purposely keeping his voice low so only Jessica could hear.

  “Too bad. It’s already sold, or at least I think it is,” Jessica informed him, forcing the words out of her suddenly dry throat. “What is Michael’s middle name?”

  Jessica watched Will stroking the glass and had to stifle a groan at the sight of his hand moving on it. Her imagination had no problem mentally shifting his touch to her body instead. In fact, she had been thinking about him touching her all day even though she had tried hard not to do so. Adam hadn’t proved to be as much of a distraction as she had hoped.

  Will didn’t feel even a little bit of remorse ratting out his own son to prevent having to tell Jessica about the rest of his life. Tonight he preferred to talk to her about her art while she was in the mood to talk to him. Will decided he would just have to confess later. It wasn’t like he was going to have to lie.

  “His middle name is William. His full name is Michael William Larson,” Will said carefully, running his palm down to cup the bottom of the piece and then back up to the top.

  “I was guessing that,” Jessica said hoarsely, unable to look away from what Will was doing. “Michael is the high bidder on Blue Blaze.”

  “Not surprising. My eldest son is a somewhat secret patron of the arts and has exceptional taste,” Will said softly, liking the pink flush creeping up Jessica’s neck and face. “I really like the realism you’ve put into the pieces. They’re irresistible because of it. The only thing that would make them more realistic is if they were heated.”

  When Will brought his palm up this time, his slipped his middle finger inside the symbolic entrance bored through the center of glass.

  “I can’t seem to touch the end of this tunnel with my longest finger. How deep does it go?” Will asked, schooling himself to look inquisitive and to keep the grin off his face.

  When he finally looked directly at Jessica, Will saw her breathing was erratic. If the woman wasn’t about to implode with arousal, he’d eat his new boots.

  Jessica started to take two steps toward him, but the math teacher stopped her with a hand on her arm. Grinning at her frustrated look, Will removed his finger and hand from the art and turned it back around to face the general public.

  When he looked back, Jessica was scowling at the man who was touching her. Will couldn’t have been happier with the situation, especially when he heard the man asking if she was okay and commenting on her face being flushed.

  Maybe she should feel more guilty, Jessica thought, looking at Adam, whose face was the picture of concern for her. Then she looked at Will, who had covered his mouth to hide what she knew was a self-satisfied grin. Will had been intentionally trying to seduce her. Hell, he had seduced her.

  Not only had Adam not even recognized Will, he also hadn’t noticed what Will was doing to her art. He was too busy avoiding even looking at the table.

  It was the last straw in her relationship with him.

  “Adam, never interrupt a woman on the verge of a climax,” Jessica said, suddenly tired of being nice to even a good-looking man who was never going to understand her. “Look, I know you’re bored silly here. Why don’t you go on home? I’ll catch a ride with someone.”

  Will burst out lau
ghing then, drawing both their gazes. “I’ll be happy to do it. I’ve been wanting give you a ride since I met you.”

  Jessica looked at Will, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. She looked back at a resigned Adam but didn’t feel a bit of remorse for what she was about to do. It was way past time to move on.

  “Mr. Williams is a neighbor of mine. His son is showing his art here and is the highest bidder on one of my pieces,” she said, explaining away Will’s innuendo.

  Will watched the math teacher sigh in resignation, kiss Jessica’s cheek, and walk off dejected. He felt a little sorry for him but couldn’t help feeling proud of himself.

  “Just so you know, you won’t shake me off as easy as your boy-toy,” Will warned, smiling at her.

  “Just so you know, I lied about the climax to embarrass Adam into leaving,” Jessica told Will, turning her expression into a regretful grimace.

  “Give me five minutes alone with you, and you’ll never lie about a climax with me again,” Will promised, narrowing his gaze on the pulse beating madly at her throat.

  “Five minutes? That’s a little rushed don’t you think?” she asked.

  “Not after a month of foreplay,” Will stated. “But don’t worry, once isn’t going to be enough. I promise we’ll both get there before the evening is over.”

  Jessica reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out the packet she’d carried with her like a talisman. “Fine. It’s time to put up or shut up as they say. You better be serious.”

  Will bit his lip to keep the shout in, took a deep breath, and walked to stand in front of her. “Why is that in your pocket? Were you planning to use it with someone else?”

  “No,” Jessica told him sincerely. “I was carrying it to remind me of your request. You know, like carrying garlic to ward off vampires. I figured your condom would ward off other men putting a move on me until I could figure out what to do about you.”

  She reached out her fingers and tucked the condom into the pocket of Will’s now very tight jeans. Jessica couldn’t help gloating a little over his discomfort and for finally giving him the condom back.