“Are you all ready for your Kama Sutra tip of the night? We’ll deal with a basic this time—kissing. Are all your kisses the same? They shouldn’t be.”
He might not be able to listen to Katie talk about kissing. It brought up some potent memories, and the way things were turning out, he wouldn’t be kissing her ever again. But he left the radio on.
“Vary the pressure of your kisses and don’t forget to use your tongue. Guys, if you are in the mood to give your lover an all-over tongue bath interspersed with playful kisses and love bites, you’ll reap the rewards. Speaking from recent personal experience, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this move.”
Jess drew in his breath so sharply he choked. She was talking about last night! He couldn’t believe it. Not only was she talking about it, she acted as if she held fond memories of the event. How could she, considering how she felt about him now?
Hell, he would never understand women. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was inviting him to come over tonight after the show. She wasn’t, of course. She’d made it clear today what she thought of him.
“I need to take a short break for one of our marvelous sponsors, but don’t go away! When we come back, I have a real treat for you. The star of more than twenty X-rated movies is in the studio, ready to tell us what life is like behind those cameras. He’s speaking to us anonymously, so we’ll simply call him Dick Johnson. Stay tuned!”
As Jess sat in the car, dazed and confused, he wasn’t thinking about the coming attractions. Instead he was trying to figure out why she’d made such a pointed reference to having sex with him last night. Had she guessed that he might be listening? So far, her comments seemed totally aimed at him.
What that meant, he had no idea. If she was hoping he’d show up at the studio the way he had last Friday night, she would be disappointed. And if she thought they could pick up where they’d left off, sexually speaking, that wouldn’t be happening either. He’d progressed beyond the point of having sex for its own sake. He wanted commitment or nothing.
“I’m back! And before we start talking with Dick, I have a brief comment concerning the construction project in the KRZE neighborhood. It seems that the building next door will go up, after all. The KRZE studios will move to a new location on Main Street and this building…will be torn down. Those are the facts, and I thank all of you for your support.”
So that was that. Jess couldn’t believe how calmly she’d delivered the news. She believed her grandmother’s house would be demolished in two weeks and she’d announced it on the air as if giving a weather report. Jess admired that. He admired it a lot.
“And now let’s hear from our distinguished guest. Dick, how did you get involved in making these films?”
“I learned to be flexible.” Dick laughed. “I mean mentally flexible. I was already flexible physically. Still am.”
Dick didn’t sound all that old. Jess wondered if Katie would be attracted to a retired porn star. God, he hoped not. He didn’t want her to be attracted to anyone. But if he didn’t do something, she would drift out of his life again.
Thirteen years ago he’d let his pride keep him from contacting her to explain his actions. She’d blown up at him, and he’d decided not to give her any more information. If that was the way she’d wanted it, then he wouldn’t lower himself.
As a result, he’d lost thirteen years. Now he was repeating the same damned pattern and he stood to lose…the rest of his life. Maybe she wouldn’t take him back if he told her about the plan to relocate the house, but he should at least give her another chance to hear him out.
“Please tell us about that mental flexibility,” Katie said.
“I’d planned on being a Hollywood leading man. When it became obvious that wasn’t going to happen, I had to consider other options. I found a director I could trust—a woman, as it turns out—and we did a bunch of films together. Got married along the way. We had fun and made enough money to retire to Tucson.”
Jess relaxed a little. The guy was married. But Katie wouldn’t always meet happily married men. Jess decided a visit to the station was in order.
“Sounds like a success story,” Katie said.
“It is. But I could have had a miserable life if I hadn’t been willing to bend, rearrange my goals, face reality.”
Jess turned up the volume to catch Katie’s reply. He would love to know if she agreed with that philosophy. But just then a car with no muffler cruised past, and whatever Katie had said was drowned out.
Maybe it didn’t matter. He was going to the station, and that was that. He would talk her into listening to what he had to say. If necessary, he would beg her to listen. To hell with his pride. Their future was too important to let that get in the way.
On the way down the mountain he listened as Katie delved into the juicy details of Dick Johnson’s movie roles. He discussed his most favorite positions and least favorite. Then he gave some examples of porn-film bloopers that were hilarious.
When he described how a woman fell forward off a table during oral sex and almost broke his nose, Jess found himself laughing. It felt great to laugh. He hadn’t thought he’d ever laugh again after that scene with Katie today. At that point he’d thought holding on to his pride was everything.
It was nothing. So what if she didn’t trust him completely yet? They’d had only a few days to build that trust. The evidence against him had been damning, and he couldn’t blame her for thinking the worst. She didn’t know him well enough to question what she’d been told.
When the call-in portion of the show started, he decided to give her some warning that he’d be showing up at the station. After grabbing his cell phone from the holder on the dash, he punched in KRZE’s number.
As he expected, he had to wait in line behind several other calls. She got a huge response from her listeners because she was good at what she did. And she made it look easy, which was the mark of real talent.
Maybe he and Katie were supposed to have this thirteen-year break in their relationship. They’d each had a chance to grow into the people they were meant to be. Speaking for himself, he hadn’t been mature enough to handle being with Katie until now. Hell, he hadn’t been mature enough until about thirty minutes ago.
“This is Crazy Katie. You’re on the air.”
“Hi, it’s Jess.” It was very weird to hear himself on the radio.
“Hi, Jess. What’s your question?”
He wondered if the listeners could hear the quiver in her voice. “No question, just a comment. This mental flexibility thing sounds like a great idea.”
“I agree. Thanks for calling, Jess.”
It wasn’t much to go on, but he’d take it. He pulled into the KRZE parking lot a little before ten. Might as well go in and face down Ava. He wanted to be in the lobby waiting when Katie came out.
He wasn’t surprised when Ava gave him the evil eye. She was loyal to Katie, and he liked that.
She finished up with a caller and sat up very straight in her chair. “I’m in my official position here, which means I have to be nice to you. But if you start any trouble, I’m calling the cops.”
“I’m not here to start trouble.” Two barrel chairs upholstered in pigskin sat against the lobby’s far wall. He chose one and sat down. Then he glanced around, checking for cracks in the walls. They looked solid. He hoped to hell they were.
Ava glared at him as she took another call. Then she folded her arms on her desk. “Tell me, how does it feel knowing that you’ll be responsible for sending this whole place to the landfill?”
“That might not be the outcome.”
“Aha! I knew it. You’re going to sell it off in pieces, aren’t you? Get people to haul off the adobe bricks and the doors and windows before you bulldoze the foundation. The house will die a long, lingering death instead of a quick one. Won’t that be special?”
“You know the house can’t stay here.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to be
the one to destroy it.”
“Better me than a stranger.” He glanced at his watch. Katie should be coming out any minute.
Then he heard her voice in the hall, along with a deep baritone. Dick Johnson was still in the building. Jess stood.
Dick Johnson turned out to be a tall, silver-haired guy of about fifty-five. Katie was turned toward him, and she was laughing at something he’d said as she walked into the lobby. When she caught sight of Jess, she stopped laughing and froze.
Jess stepped forward. “Katie, I need to talk to you.”
“I can have the cops here in five minutes,” Ava said. “Just say the word.”
Katie swallowed. Then she glanced at Dick. “This is a…friend of mine, Jess Harkins. Jess, this is my guest on the show, Dick Johnson.”
“Actually it’s Benjamin Creighton,” the man said, extending his hand. “I see your name all over town, Harkins.”
“I’ve been fortunate.” Jess returned the actor’s firm handshake. “I enjoyed your interview.”
“You called in, didn’t you? I remember a Jess who made a comment about mental flexibility.”
“That’s right. It’s a worthy goal.” From the corner of his eye he watched Katie. She was breathing as if she’d just climbed a flight of stairs and her hands were clasped tightly in front of her. His heart wrenched as he thought of how relaxed they used to be with each other.
“Well, Katie, I need to shove off.” Benjamin took Katie’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure. I’ll be in touch.”
That’s when Jess noticed the guy wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. “I suppose your wife is waiting for you,” he said. Not every man wore his ring.
“Unfortunately no. About two years ago she decided Tucson wasn’t exciting enough for her, so she moved back to L.A. We had a friendly divorce.”
Jess had the insane urge to yank Katie’s hand out of Benjamin’s cozy grip. Yikes, a former porn star! He might be old enough to be her father, but he looked sleek and fit. And he’d know all the right moves. Jess hadn’t arrived a minute too soon.
“Goodbye, Benjamin.” Katie smiled.
That smile was entirely too friendly for Jess’s taste.
“Nice meeting you, Harkins.”
“Same here.” Jess’s jaw clenched and stayed that way until the guy walked through the heavy oak door and into the night.
Katie turned to him. She looked wary but not totally unfriendly. “You had something to say?”
“Are you going to see him again?”
“Who?”
“Dick. I mean, Benjamin! Whatever his name is.”
Behind him Ava blew out a breath. “She can do that, you know. You have no claim on her.”
“Yes, I do! Katie, I love you!”
Her eyes widened.
Jess groaned. “Damn. I didn’t mean to say that.”
“B-because it’s not true?”
Man, if he’d had a blueprint for screwing this up he couldn’t have done a better job. “It’s true. But before I said that I wanted to tell you—”
“Wait.” She moved closer and her expression softened. “I have something to tell you. It’s okay. It’s okay about the demolition. You tried to explain the whole thing to me, but I wouldn’t let you. I should have trusted you to have a good reason for jumping on that contract.”
“That was a rotten thing to hear, and I don’t blame you for being—”
“And one more thing.” She put her hands on his chest. “I love you, too.”
His jaw dropped. “How can you?”
“I can’t seem to help it.”
Ava sighed. “Oh, brother. Katie, you need a serious intervention. This is the creep who’s going to bulldoze this old house that you love!”
“That’s okay, Ava.” Katie gazed up at Jess. “I love him a lot more than I love this house.”
“Sheesh.” Ava blew out another loud breath. “There goes the revenge plot. And I was coming up with some really good ideas, too.”
Jess barely registered what Ava was saying. He was too busy looking into Katie’s eyes and trying to process what she’d just said. He put his hands around her waist. “You love me? For real?”
“Yeah.” She smiled, and it was a much warmer smile than she’d given the porn star. “For real.”
“But I haven’t even told you what I’m doing about this house!”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Ava cleared her throat. “Excuse me, but it does matter to some of us in this room. I love the house, too, you know. I want to hear what this genius has in mind.”
So Jess told Katie about moving the house.
Astonishment sparkled in her eyes. “Jess, that’s brilliant!”
“It’s not a bad idea,” Ava said. “It might work.”
“And it might not,” he said. “It could fall off the flatbed during the move and then it really will be a pile of rubble. I can’t guarantee that won’t happen.”
“But knowing you’re going to try…” Katie’s eyes misted. “You have no idea….”
“I think I do.” He drew her close.
“I guess you do, at that.” She gazed up at him, love in her eyes.
“If you two are going to start with the kissing, you might want to move into the conference room,” Ava said.
Jess continued to hold Katie’s gaze. “For what I have in mind, even the conference room isn’t private enough.”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Ava said. “Get out of here, you two. Get a room.”
“Consider us gone.” Jess wrapped an arm around Katie’s shoulder and started toward the door.
“So I take it you won’t be meeting Cheryl and me for margaritas later on?” Ava called after them.
“Good guess,” Katie said, laughing.
“Don’t forget, men come and go, but girlfriends are forever!”
Jess glanced back at Ava. “Just for the record, this man is staying.” Then he hustled Katie out into the warm October night.
“For how long?” Katie asked as he helped her into his Jag.
“How long what?”
“Are you staying?”
Leaning down, he kissed her gently. “Forever.”
Epilogue
“I SHOULDN’T HAVE HAD coffee this morning. Something more soothing would have been better. Maybe warm milk.” Katie’s tummy quivered as she rode in Jess’s truck. A sign announcing Wide Load had been attached to the roof of the cab.
Ahead of them shimmied the wide load itself, her grandmother’s house. Jess was humming “Over the River and Through the Woods.”
“You’re not helping, you know, with that humming,” Katie said.
“Who says? It’s helping me.”
“So you admit you’re nervous? While they were jacking it up and loading it on the flatbed, you looked cool as a Sno-Kone. You even made jokes with Gabe.” Katie gasped as the flatbed rounded a bend and the house swayed.
“I’m nervous. I’ve never moved a house before.”
“But you think it’ll work, right? I mean, getting it on the truck was the hard part, wasn’t it?”
He hesitated. “All of it’s the hard part. That’s a very sharp curve we have to navigate before we get to the property.”
“Maybe we should have picked a different lot.”
“You love that lot.”
“I do.” It was a mile down the road from Jess’s house, and the view of “A” Mountain was even more spectacular than Jess’s.
“Okay, here we go.” Jess sucked in a breath as the flatbed started up the winding road leading past Jess’s house. “Come on, baby. Hang on.”
“Are you talking to me or the house?”
“Both. If you have any influence with your grandmother, now would be the time to use it.”
“Funny you should say that. I’ve been thinking about how happy she’d be right now.”
Jess nodded. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“Right.” Katie crossed the fingers of both hands and concen
trated on the house, balanced so precariously on the flatbed. But much as she wanted the building to make it to the lot in one piece, she was prepared for failure, too.
Whenever she thought of the love Jess had shown by deciding to move this house, she got a lump in her throat. If he managed to save the house, she would be forever grateful. If the house tumbled into a ditch, she would be forever grateful. He’d tried. That was all that mattered.
They passed Jess’s house with the Sold sign in the yard. He’d put it on the market as a show of faith that moving the house would work. They’d have their wedding in the backyard and live in it until they were old and gray. He’d told her that keeping his house as backup was the chicken’s way out, and they didn’t want to start out as wimps.
But the curve looked ten times worse than it had when they’d driven the road last night. And the house looked ten times bigger and more unstable than she’d imagined.
As the flatbed entered the curve, Katie glanced at Jess. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He didn’t take his attention off the house.
“No matter what.”
“That’s good to know. Oh, shit. Look at the way it’s tilting.”
Katie didn’t want to look, but she made herself. If the house went down, she should have the courage to watch it go. Holding her breath, she willed the house to right itself.
“Straighten up, damn it,” Jess murmured. “Straighten up.”
The curve seemed to go on forever, and the house tilted even more. Katie groaned and fought the urge to cover her eyes. She should have picked a different lot, one that didn’t have a curve like this. She should have—
With a rumble the house straightened.
Jess blew out a breath. “Thanks, Grandma.”
Katie looked at him in surprise. “You really do think she’s watching over this move, don’t you?”
“I don’t know, Katie, but that house is what brought us together after all these years, and when I got the brainstorm of moving it, I knew I wanted us to live in it together. You said that your grandmother and grandfather had a—what did you call it?—a great love affair. And so do we.”
Talking About Sex... Page 21
