Intoxicated

by Jeana E. Mann

  “I didn’t mean to be short. I’ve been up all night. I had a job interview in Philadelphia yesterday and I just flew back in this morning. That’s why I came by. To see if you’re okay and tell you that I got the job. To tell you that I’m moving there tomorrow.”

  “Philadelphia?” Jack’s voice cracked. “You’re moving to frigging Philadelphia? Tomorrow?” He found her hands and gripped them tight. When he said it like that, it sounded like a world away.

  “Yes.” She tried to pull her hands away but he kept them in his grip. “It’s not a great job, but it’s a good starter position. I can’t find anything here and the lease on the house is up next week.”

  “You’re leaving and you weren’t going to tell me?” Anger and hurt tinged his words.

  “I’m telling you now.” She snatched her hands back. For once in her life, she didn’t try to hide her emotions. Anger and helplessness and betrayal bubbled up like lava from a volcano. “It’s not like I owe you an explanation. You’re married. You’re having a baby with someone else. We’re over!”

  “I’m not married. The divorce was final yesterday. And if we’re over, it’s because you want it that way. Not me. It’ll never be over for me. I love you, Ally. I’m fucking miserable without you.” He took her hands again and lifted them both to his lips. “There will never be anyone else for me. It’ll always be you.”

  He loved her. The words hit her ears like the sweetest notes of music she’d ever heard. She searched his eyes. One look at the sincerity of those dark chocolate depths flecked with gold and black and she knew she still loved him, that she had never stopped loving him.

  “It’s not like it will be forever. Chelsea will have the baby – which may or may not be mine – and life will go on. And I want it to go on with you in it.”

  “It is forever, Jack. That’s the thing about kids. They don’t go away. You and Chelsea will be tied together forever with this child.” A sudden weakness turned her knees to noodles and she slumped into the chair. “We’ve already been over this. Please don’t make me do it again.”

  “I get it, Ally. I know this is hard for you. It’s hard for me too, but I never once thought that you’d leave. I thought we’d be able to work things out. Now I have this terrible feeling that if you walk out that door, I’ll never see you again.”

  Silence blanketed the room. Ally stared down at her hands clasped in her lap, and bit down hard on her lower lip to hold back the desperate emotions that struggled inside her. She wanted to throw her arms around him, to slap him for hurting her, and to beg him to go to Philadelphia with her.

  “I can’t do this without you, Ally,” he said, shifting from the sofa to kneel on the floor in front of her. He took both of her hands in his and looked into her eyes with haunting desperation. “I need to know that you’ll stay with me through all of this. You can move in here with me and work in the office. I’ll talk to David and see if we can put you on salary. Fight for us, Ally.” He turned his head and brushed his cheek across her knuckles. “Don’t make me beg you because I will.”

  They sat like that for a long time. How she loved his face. If life and time allowed, she could stare into the depths of those chocolate brown eyes forever. The rough calluses of his palms pressed against the smoothness of hers. Their hands gripped so tightly together that she could no longer distinguish her pulse from his. A thousand words were spoken in that moment, yet neither one of them made a sound.

  After a while, he laid his head in her lap. She stroked her fingers through his damp hair, feeling the smooth solid curve of his skull beneath the silky strands.

  “Everything is such a mess,” she murmured.

  “Not when I’m with you,” he replied.

  Tears stung her eyes as she shook her head. Things had progressed too far to stop now. She had accepted the job in Philadelphia and her future was there, not with Jack and his pregnant ex-wife. “I’m sorry, Jack. I just can’t.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Ally hunched her shoulders against the cool fall air as she walked to her car. Dry leaves skittered down the sidewalk and swirled around her feet. The tall buildings of downtown stood out in stark relief against a colorless gray sky. It was going to rain soon from the look of those roiling gray clouds.

  When she reached her car, she stood next to it with keys in hand knowing that once she pulled away from the curb, the chapter of her life that contained Jack Jameson would be finished. She clutched the keys tighter until her knuckles turned white. Was that really what she wanted? To walk away from the only man she ever truly loved?

  She did love Jack. More than ever. She loved his willingness to support a child that might not be his. She loved his dimples and his laughter and the wicked way his eyes sparkled when she touched his bare skin. She’d never been one to gamble, always choosing the safe options when given a choice. Jack was impulsive and dangerous, a combination that she’d always avoided, and two things that drew her to him.

  If she went to Philadelphia, it would be over forever. He was right about that. She passed a shaking hand over her eyes and suddenly it all became clear. She loved him. He loved her. It was as simple as that. She didn’t need anything else. If the love was there, the rest would come.

  Before she knew it, she was walking back to Jameson’s, running up the stairs and down the hallway, her feet barely skimming over the floor. She needed him. She couldn’t bear the thought of even one more minute without him. Forget Chelsea. Forget the baby. Nothing mattered but Jack.

  They collided in the hallway. One minute she was running and the next minute her nose was crushed against his chest as he hugged her to keep them both from falling. His breath went out of his lungs with a whoosh as she squeezed him tight.

  “What the fuck?” He took a step back to get a closer look at whatever had barreled into him. “Ally?”

  She held tight, afraid to let go. The tension left his arms as he realized it was her and he hugged her tight to him, his nose buried in her hair. There was nowhere else she wanted to be besides in his arms.

  “I love you,” she said. The words were muffled in his chest. He bent down to hear.

  “What? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

  “I love you, Jack.” This time she lifted her head. His eyes were filled with concern. “You’re worth fighting for. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t care about Chelsea or the baby. I just want to be with you.”

  “What?” He pulled her away from his chest and took a step back as if unsure.

  “Are you deaf? I said that I love you.”

  She was rewarded with a blinding smile bracketed by dimples. “I heard you, Popsicle. I just wanted to hear you say it again.” He pulled her closer, enveloping her in the scent of leather and his musky scent. “Please say it again.”

  “I love you.” She lifted on her tiptoes and turned her face up to his. Taking her cue, he kissed her. She plunged her fingers into his short hair and moaned, overwhelmed with sudden heat. This was where she belonged. He turned and pressed her against the wall, pinning her body to the plaster with his. She was reminded of that fateful night four months ago when he’d kissed her in the back hall of Felony. Had it only been four months? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

  “Does this mean you’re not going to Philadelphia?” he asked when their lips finally parted.

  “Yes, I’m staying,” she replied, breathless. “But I’m going to need a place to live if your offer still stands.”

  “You know it, baby girl.” He put his hands beneath her bottom and hoisted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her back to the apartment. When he reached the threshold, he stopped and let her slide gently to her feet. “Oh, shit. Chelsea’s here. I haven’t seen her since we were all at Felony. She just dropped by…”

  Ally put a finger to his lips to silence him. “I’ll take care of this,” she said.

  Chelsea was sitting on the sofa in front of the television, snacking on cheese curls when Ally came thr
ough the door. Chelsea looked up when she heard the light footsteps, a curious mix of displeasure and resignation on her delicate features at the sight of Ally. With a loud sigh, she closed up the bag of cheese curls, dusted off her hands, and rose to her feet with an awkward lurch.

  “So you’re back,” Chelsea said, blue eyes boring into Ally’s.

  “Yes, I’m back,” Ally replied. “And I’m not leaving this time. You are.”

  “Well, shit.” Chelsea kept her gaze on Ally, as if assessing her temerity. “I had a feeling it would go down like this.” She took her handbag from the chair where she’d dropped it earlier and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Are you sure you want this? I’m not giving up on Jack. I need child support and help with this kid. If you think I’ll just go away…”

  Ally interrupted her with a wave of her hand. “You don’t have to worry about Jack. He’ll support the baby because that’s the kind of guy he is. And I’ll support Jack one hundred percent because I love him. You’ll have both of us to help with the baby.” She took a step closer to Chelsea. “But that’s all. You can’t have Jack. He’s mine and I won’t let you come between us.”

  “It’ll never work, you know.” Chelsea sighed again, shrugged her shoulders, and gave Ally a wry smile. “It’s about time you grew some balls, girl. They look good on you.”

  Jack poked his head inside the door. “Can I come in now? Or are you ladies about to throw down?”

  “We’re good.” Ally turned to Chelsea. “Right?”

  “Yeah, we’re good.” Chelsea shrugged again and shook her head as she lumbered toward the door, one hand on her back for support. “Do either of you have a twenty? I need cab fare home.”

  Jack slapped a ten into her hand, but he only had eyes for Ally. “Lock the door behind you,” he said to Chelsea as he scooped Ally into his arms. His next words were for Ally’s ears only. “I think this occasion calls for a little cheesecake.”

  “You have a cheesecake? Seriously?” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “No, but the bakery down the street delivers,” he said with a devilish smile.

  Thank you for reading Intoxicated!

  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Ally and Jack have been begging for their story to be told for a very long time and Intoxicated is just the beginning. They will continue to appear in all the Felony Romance novels along with Karly and Randy, who have their own story to tell. If you liked this book, please take a minute to leave a review so that others will be able to find it. If you’d like to connect with me, drop by my website at jeanaemann.net or like my Facebook page.