by Alicia Rae
“I assume she is your neighbor?” he finally asked softly.
“Yes.” I lifted my hand to point in the general direction of where she lived. “She lives over there in the second building,” I clarified.
Pearl was usually roaming all over whenever I saw her. She’d seemed to know her way around the area very well.
Jason uncrossed his legs and stood to his full height. He pivoted to open my door, and I hopped up into his truck. He came around to enter the driver’s side, and then he turned the key over to start the truck.
His head tilted over at me. “It seems like she has quite a story behind her sad eyes,” he said, disheartened.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I murmured, trying to keep my emotions in check.
Jason frowned slightly as he started backing out of the parking space. His expression reflected the way I felt inside.
“What all do you know about her?” he asked.
“Not much.” I sighed. “She’s very reserved. My only hope is that she’s okay, but I can’t help this feeling I get every time I see her. It’s like she’s unhappy.”
He pulled out onto the main road and turned in the direction of the new building. “I could see that just in the few minutes I met her. What’s the story with her parents?”
“I’m not sure. She only speaks of a woman named Diane, but it’s odd that Pearl calls her by her first name.” I paused, shaking my head. “The two times I met Diane were very brief.”
“I could be wrong, but it seems as though she’s a foster child,” he said delicately.
I blinked up at him. “What would make you say that?”
Jason shrugged. “Well, she doesn’t look like she’s happy in her home life, and if you’ve only ever heard of Diane and no father, then that would be my speculation. Plus, I grew up with many friends from foster families, and she reminds me of them.” He paused. “But that’s just a guess,” he added reassuringly.
My heart squeezed. It was my fear coming to realization. I only hoped that Pearl was living in a good home and that she was being taken care of. Is that so much to ask for a child?
I blinked back tears at how much Pearl had come to mean to me in such a short time. She was a beautiful young girl, and she did not deserve to be neglected.
“I fear you might be right,” I breathed.
“Well, you’re doing the right thing by being a good friend to her,” he replied with the utmost sincerity.
“Thank you,” I said while making the effort to smile. “I just wish I could do more.”
We came to a halt at a red light. Jason rotated his head to look at me for a quick second. His eyes searched mine, but he did not speak. I was not sure what to say. All my thoughts were overflowing with concerns for Pearl and how much I wanted to help her. The only problem was that I was not sure how.
Once we arrived at the office building, my mood started to lighten. Working side-by-side with Jason made physical labor so much easier to endure. We even had a radio blaring in the background.
By eleven o’clock, he had taken off his shirt during a break from tearing out the old carpet. My eyes would sneak quick glances at him here and there, wanting to memorize every fine detail of his bare upper physique. With every yank on the Berber, his muscles rippled from his arms all the way up to the wide expansion of his sculptured shoulders. His body was in prime condition. Watching him was way more intriguing than wetting the wallpaper and scraping it off with an oversized razor blade. I vowed to myself right then and there that I would never own a house with wallpaper, no matter how cute of a design it had.
After finishing lunch, Jason tipped his head back to chug his bottled water. My gaze lingered on his exposed stomach, and suddenly, I started counting. He didn’t have a six-pack. He had an eight-pack. I recounted to make sure my eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on me. His body started vibrating when I reached the number seven this time, so I glanced up at him. He was looking at me with a mixture of heat and amusement.
My mouth parted. I was uncertain what to say at being caught gawking at his strikingly attractive body.
“Cat got your tongue?” he teased with a wicked glint in his eyes.
I struggled to find words, racking my brain for a quick denial. At the last second, I noticed the radio behind him. An idea popped in my head, and I pointed toward the music. “Nope. I was just trying to read the display behind you to see what station this is.” I felt guilty for lying, but I could not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had been right.
He actually turned to look at the radio, and then he turned back to me. His mouth lifted with a mischievous grin. “Nice try.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes at his confidence. He was probably one of those men who knew he was hot and flaunted it. I was the innocent moth, and he was the flame. I spontaneously decided to live in the moment and play with fire. My breathing paused while I slowly walked toward him. His eyes watched me curiously as he tried to figure out what I was up to.
Winging it, I kept my voice as even as possible as I said, “Seriously, this station stinks. Can we change it?”
I could tell from the look he was giving me that he knew I was bullshitting.
He humored me anyway. “You don’t like Third Eye Blind?” he questioned with a lively spirit evident in his tone.
“I do,” I drawled, deliberating on my next thought. “But I’m in the mood for something more…upbeat.”
His brows rose as he observed my every move while I continued to stroll over to the radio.
“Upbeat? Is that code for chick music?” he asked.
“No.” I laughed.
Jason moved to stand at my right as my hand changed the station. I stopped on one of my favorite stations. Lady Antebellum’s “Just a Kiss” poured from the speakers. The alluring slow-paced song instantly transpired the air in the room. Of all the songs that could have been playing on this station, it was this one—romantic and about the beginning phase of falling in love.
Tilting his head at me, his gaze bore into mine as we both absorbed the words.
“This is the kind of music you listen to?” he asked in a soft and heartfelt tone.
I saw a certain softness in his eyes that I had never seen before. The way they pulled me in deeper each time made it seem as if time was standing still. The effect intrigued and terrified me at the same time. My chest tightened, taking all of the air from my lungs, and my blood thundered ferociously in my veins. I knew I needed to look away, but I couldn’t. He was so close to me, and I felt hypnotized by him. The strong attraction brewing between us was becoming harder and harder to deny. Every minute I spent with him made me feel a little more and fall a little deeper, and I was beginning to forget all the reasons why I was supposed to stay away.
Jason wordlessly outstretched his right arm, hooking it around my lower back, and he tugged me closer while never breaking eye contact. His hard body pressed along my softer one. The sensations of his hands on me caused a warm spark to ignite within me. My breathing accelerated—or maybe it was his. I was not sure whose it was because all my concentration was on those sky-blue eyes burning into me. I lifted my hands to his chest for balance. I splayed my fingers outward to feel his toned curves, and I felt his heartbeat increasing beneath my palms.
The familiar energy between us blossomed to new heights.
“How long are we going to ignore this between us?” he finally questioned in a low, husky tone, dropping his gaze down to linger on my mouth. Then, he glanced back up at me. “Because I don’t believe your reasons for staying away,” he added.
The look in his eyes seemed to be asking for my permission, and the gesture sent the last of my defenses crashing down. He was right. In that moment, I realized I was holding the possibility of us at bay because I was scared. I was afraid of what I felt for him, especially in such a short time, and the repercussions of falling too hard.
I had no fancy words to give him. I was unsure of what was happening between us. So, in
stead, I let my actions speak for themselves. My heart was beating frantically as I gradually slid my hands up to either side of his collarbone and then to his throat before stopping on the soft stubble along his jaw. Touching him only made me yearn for him more.
He let out a slow breath. His breathing accelerated even more as his hands rose up my sides. “Kiss me,” he nearly whispered.
My heart pounded faster than ever as I surrendered myself to him, pulling his mouth to mine. A satisfied rumble escaped his chest as our lips touched. Jason caressed his tongue across my lower lip, and then he parted my lips to deepen our embrace. Electric currents ran through me while our explosive kiss knocked me off-kilter.
In the back of my mind, my subconscious leered at me, telling me that this kiss was about to change my world, and there was no going back.
By the following Friday, Jason and I had a routine. He would pick me up for work, and then I’d gawk at his rippling muscles all day while pretending to be doing something productive. Then, he’d steal kisses every chance he could get away with, and I’d happily oblige, wanting to feel his warm lips on mine again and again.
In the evenings, I’d cook him dinner—well, I would attempt to bake him dinner. Tuesday night, I’d managed to burn a pizza. Wednesday, I’d made chicken enchiladas, and I’d undercooked the rice. Thursday, I’d thought I couldn’t possibly screw up one of those Hamburger Helper meals in twenty minutes, but I had. I’d forgotten to add enough milk.
Needless to say, I was no Rachael Ray. No wonder my mother had only given me easy tasks to help her with in the kitchen. Otherwise, we would have never eaten family dinners.
Jason, however, had surprised me when he would eat each meal anyway, saying he was too hungry to care. I’d laughed at his ability to choke down my horrible food.
I did a once-over as we finished up at the office for today. All of the carpet had now been removed, revealing old rustic hardwood floors beneath. Jason had said that Kyle, Damon, and he had made a game plan to sand and refinish the exposed wood to its former glory.
Damon had still not been to the jobsite. Jason had said Damon had been having trouble with the movers when relocating to Lake Tahoe. That had been followed by a nasty breakup with his girlfriend, Beth. It had sounded like a lot of drama, and I’d felt bad for Damon. Jason was hoping things would settle down for his brother next week, so he could start helping with the remodeling at the new office building.
When the clock struck five, I came to stand at Jason’s side. He was organizing all the tools he had used throughout the day.
“Almost finished?” I asked, picking up a pair of pliers and putting them in his toolbox for him.
Jason grabbed another tool I was unfamiliar with and set it in the box. Then, he turned to face me. “Yep.”
“You were a force of nature this week,” I said, shaking my head back and forth in amazement. “I can’t believe you removed all the Berber so fast,” I added.
He was an exceptionally hard worker with no limits to his physical capabilities.
Jason grinned while closing the few feet between us. He wrapped his broad arms around my waist, pulling me closer. My breathing stalled at the glow in his eyes.
“Does that mean I finally earned a date?” he teased.
I bit my lip, contemplating my answer. We had been flirting and kissing nonstop since that day Lady Antebellum’s “Just a Kiss” had played on the radio. But to put a label on it sent butterflies rising in my stomach.
“A date?” I said unevenly, testing the words on my tongue.
“Yes, I want to take you out for dinner,” he responded. Then, the slightest hint of a dimple formed in his cheek. “I don’t think I can survive another night of burned or raw food,” he admitted with a smirk.
“Hey! My dinners aren’t that bad!” I exclaimed, not ready to own up to my horrible cooking skills. I chose to believe there was still hope for improvement.
Jason slowly shook his head from side to side. “Baby, last night’s Hamburger Helper tasted like paste,” he stated good-naturedly. “Besides, you’ve cooked three evenings in a row. Please let me treat you to a dinner out on the town.”
I wanted to protest about his choice of words. Paste? Then again, it had been awful. “Can I pick the restaurant?” I asked instead, knowing exactly what I was in the mood for.
He nodded in agreement. “Anywhere you want.”
“Okay,” I responded, tipping my head back farther. I reached upward on the tip of my toes to kiss him.
He was so much taller than me that stretching up was the only way I could touch his delicious mouth.
Jason bent forward, briefly closing his lips over mine, before drawing back. “Time to go,” he said. His eyes beamed with excitement and anticipation. “We have our first date to get ready for.”
“Yes, we do,” I agreed in an overly anxious tone.
The way he’d said first date repeated over in my mind, and I was pretty sure when I walked out of the office, I was smiling brighter than the sun.
Dropping me off at home, Jason said he’d be back in an hour to pick me up for dinner.
Wanting the perfect outfit, I must have looked over every article of clothing in my closet at least ten times before I settled on a chocolate brown dress that I’d hardly ever worn. Then, I picked out a pair of nude high heels to match. My outfit was sexy and elegant without being over the top. With its V-cut neckline and the way it effortlessly hugged my curvy hips, it was a perfect choice.
I walked over to the mirror on the back of my closet door and twirled around in front of it. My long brown hair was curled slightly at the ends, giving it a little life when I moved. Royal blue eyes reflected back at me with eagerness and excitement about my date with Jason tonight. I wondered if he was as anxious and thrilled as I was. I smiled, hoping his feelings reflected my own.
The doorbell rang, and I let out a deep breath. I prayed I was making the right decision in taking this next step forward with him. We still would be working together from here on out, and I wished things would not backfire later. I made my way over to the front door, my pulse increasing with every step. I opened it to see Jason’s gorgeous smile greeting me. He was dressed handsomely in a pair of khakis and a white-collared shirt. His left hand held a bouquet of white and pink roses.
“Hi,” he breathed, stepping toward me with his hand outstretched. “I really hope you like roses. After looking around for nearly twenty minutes at the flower shop, I kept coming back to these. They reminded me of you,” he added in the sweetest voice.
I could hear his underlying nerves. I beamed up at him, feeling like I was inwardly glowing brighter than any star on a clear night. My chest tightened at his romantic gesture, and my insides warmed. A man had never bought me flowers before.
“Thank you,” I replied on a hushed whisper, overcome with emotions from his sentiment.
I extended my hand to take the beautiful arrangement, and then I threw my arms up around his neck. The cellophane wrapper crinkled with my hasty motions, but I didn’t mind. Nothing could hold me back from kissing him senseless. He gripped my sides and hauled me against him. I felt my desire coursing through me like wildfire.
My subconscious told me that I was falling too hard and too fast, but it was also too late. The only thing that mattered was when his talented mouth mingled with mine as his hands on my body kept me close to him.
He broke our connection before I was ready to let go, but he kept his scorching eyes on me. Our labored breathing was audible as he started to shake his head.
“If I kiss you any longer, we won’t make it to dinner.”
I chuckled softly. I was torn between having our first proper date or staying in my condo, but I knew what would happen if we skipped dinner.
Jason’s eyes darkened with heat. He let out a tortured husky groan as he lowered his head to nuzzle his face along mine. “There is nothing I want more than to take you back to your room and peel you out of that stunning dress, but I’ve b
een waiting nearly two weeks to finally convince you to go out on a date with me. So, I’m not letting you off the hook,” he said in a gruff tone, making me nearly melt into a puddle on the floor.
He abruptly pulled back. “We need to get out of here right now before I change my mind,” he said with a hoarse voice before gently snatching the flowers from my grasp. Then, he strode into my kitchen, like a man on a mission.
My gaze followed him as he randomly opened every cabinet.
“Where’s a vase?” he asked.
I stifled my amusement at his flustered tone. “Under the sink,” I answered.
He opened the wooden cabinet and pulled out a pink vase with a white ribbon still tied around it. His eyes peeked up at me, and he grinned. “How fitting,” he said, referring to how the vase matched the flowers.
I laughed.
He filled the glass with water, unwrapped the flowers, and put them inside the vase before setting it in the center of my kitchen island. He strode back over to me, grabbed my hand, and led me out the door, barely giving me enough time to lock up the condo. We sauntered down the sidewalk, hand in hand, until we reached the parking lot. We both climbed into his truck.
He started the engine and turned to face me. “Where to?” he asked.
“There is a steak house not far from here,” I replied while he pulled onto the main road. “Take the next left.”
As he followed my directions, I could not help but replay our moment in my condo. It felt like a turning point in our unsaid relationship. Our chemistry was always lingering around and definitely intensifying with every kiss we shared. But him bringing me flowers and wanting to take me out to dinner made me feel like he was aiming for more than just one night in bed. I hoped I was right in my assumption because I knew my feelings for him were deeper than that.
“Maria’s Steak House is about half a mile up on the left,” I said while pushing my wandering thoughts aside.
