Saying Yes: Stormy Love: Book 1

by Ella Sparkle

  “That's what I am planning,” Jenna confirmed, nodding her head. It was going to be perfect. The perfect plan.

  “I have an idea,” I said with a smile, as trying to contain myself grew more and more difficult. I couldn’t believe my luck.

  Jenna smiled. “Does it involve more kisses with you? If so, then I'm all in.” She blushed as soon as the words were out of her mouth. Jesus, it drove me wild when she blushed.

  “That could definitely be arranged.” I chuckled and wiggled my eyebrows at her which only made the blush deepen. I had to keep talking or else I was going to start kissing her again and get distracted. I jumped right in. “How about, during the time you are here, I help you say yes to some new experiences. Before you go, we can cross off some of those things that you have always wanted to do, but so far have not.”

  Jenna studied my face for a moment. “What's the catch?” She asked quizzically.

  “No catch. I like you Jenna, and I like spending time with you. The last few years I have been so focused on getting my company up and running it's left virtually no time for doing anything outside of work. This will be great for me too... I can get out and have some fun with you before you leave. It will be a nice break from working all the time. So what do you think?”

  I couldn’t help but look at her expectantly as she mulled it over. Her face broke into a huge smile. “Yes! I am all in!”

  “Is that a real yes or a yes plan 'yes'?” I teased.

  Jenna laughed and lightly swatted me on the arm. Even the light brush of her fingers against my bicep left my skin aching for more of her touch. “It's a real yes!”

  “Good,” I was relieved. It was going to be great. Just fun with no mess. “As much as I don’t want this night to end, I should probably get you home, princess, before you turn into a pumpkin. It's getting late.”

  “When will I see you again?” Jenna asked hesitantly. I almost asked her if she wanted to come home with me, but I didn’t want to push things too far, especially in light of our previous conversation outside the club. It was pretty clear the whole night had been filled with things that were outside of her usual activities. Plus, I really did want to see her again and I didn’t want it to just turn into a one-time hook-up.

  “Do you work tomorrow night?” I asked.

  Jenna frowned. “I do. I work for the next few nights.”

  I didn’t want the night to end without a plan to see her again. “How about lunch tomorrow? I can pick you up at noon.” I quickly tried to think of what I had in my schedule for the next day, and luckily, because it was Friday and we were between jobs, it was a pretty light day.

  Jenna’s face immediately brightened and I felt my heart skip a beat. “I would like that.” Her smile was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.

  “Good. Let’s get you back on the bike and take you home.” I helped Jenna climb back on and I slid in front of her. She wrapped her arms around my stomach and pressed herself up against me, resting her head on my back. Dammit, she felt good. I was so pleased I had more of this in my immediate future. More of her.

  Everything was going to work out great. Spending time and having fun with a smart, beautiful woman for the summer. She had her plans and I had mine, so when the time came, we would go our separate ways. Since there was an end date in sight and she was going to be working full time, being with Jenna would not distract me from Blaine Construction. There was no way there were any downsides.

  When we got to Jenna’s apartment, I walked her up to the front door and made sure she got in safely. We kissed goodnight and repeated our plans to meet the next day.

  As I walked down the steps to her apartment building and back to the parking lot, part of me missed her already. If I missed her after only spending a few hours with her, what was it going to be like after spending a few months together?

  I shook my head as I fired up my bike and pulled out of her parking lot. That just was not going to be an option. I was not going to fit into her plans to go to law school and she was not going to fit into mine with Blaine Construction. We were only going to fit together for a short window of time, and when the window closed, that was going to be the end.

  Chapter 22

  Jenna

  I woke up the next morning and smiled as the memories of the previous night flooded my mind. I rolled over and grabbed my phone. I noticed that there were a few new text messages.

  Mike: “Just wanted to make sure that you made it home last night. Let me know if you're OK or if I need to kick someone’s ass.”

  Cassie: “I hope you are waking up wrapped around a handsome hunk of panty-melting hotness. If not, give me a call. I need details about last night. If you are, get off your fucking phone and take full advantage of that hot man in your bed.”

  Nick: “Good morning, beautiful. Can’t wait to see you today.”

  My smile just grew bigger as I read through each of the messages and realized all of those people cared about me. I sent a quick response to Mike to let him know I was okay and one to Nick that I was excited about our lunch date.

  I called Cassie who picked up on the first ring. “Well, well, well. Good morning sleeping beauty. I'm going to guess that since you're calling me, you and Nick are not in bed together eating pizza after working up a huge appetite?”

  I laughed. “Nope, I am in bed alone and starving. No man and no pizza with me.”

  “So what happened after you left last night wild woman, Jenna?”

  “Well, he took me for a ride and we went to a bluff overlooking the city then...”

  “Wait!” Cassie interrupted. “What do you mean he took you for a ride? Like in the hot, dirty sense? Took you for a ride on his bicycle? Bought you a pony ride? I need clarification and details. Give me details!”

  “On his motorcycle.”

  I could feel Cassie smiling through the phone. “Shut. The. Front. Fucking. Door. You rode on his motorcycle with him? I thought riding a motorcycle was something you said you would never do! What happened to my best friend who swore all motorcycles were nothing but, and I am quoting you directly here, ‘a death trap’.”

  “Well, your best friend said yes and hopped on the back of Nick’s motorcycle.” The excitement of the evening was coming through my voice as I thought about riding behind Nick, pressed against him with the wind in my hair. Maybe I could get a leather jacket? I was never a leather jacket-wearing kind of woman, but maybe after my night with Nick, I could be!

  “I'm glad I was already sitting down for this conversation or I may have just passed out. So tell me, biker momma, what did you think?” I could hear Cassie take a sip of her coffee.

  “It was amazing. Unlike anything I have ever experienced before.” I smiled to myself... it wasn’t just the motorcycle ride that I was referring to. I absentmindedly reached my hand up and touched my lips.

  “I am going to take a moment, Jenna Morgan, and point out that it is unlike anything you have ever experienced before because you never allowed yourself to have these experiences before. That is the magic of saying yes instead of saying no and living under a rock.”

  The comment about living under a rock rubbed me the wrong way. “You know I wasn't always like this, Cassie,” I snapped back, a little harsher than I intended.

  “Woah there momma. Like what? A wild, wanton goddess on the back of a motorcycle?” Cassie teased. I knew she was trying to make up for the under a rock comment.

  I sighed. “No, Cassie. Unsure of myself. Afraid to try new things and step out of my comfort zone. It's just after...”

  “I know, sweetie and I am sorry if I pushed the joking too far,” Cassie’s voice was soft and I knew it was a sincere apology. “I don’t want you to spend another second thinking about that limp-dicked, loser ex-boyfriend of yours. Enjoy this moment and what you shared with Nick last night. Don’t let the king of darkness steal away your happiness.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair and climbed out of bed as I continued to talk t
o Cassie. I needed some coffee. I padded down the hallway and into the kitchen. “You're right. Sometimes it is just hard. We were together for almost four years. You can’t just erase that in a few months.”

  “I would like to erase him. Permanently.” Cassie had a bit of a snarl to her voice. She had never liked Brett and when the break up happened... well, Brett had better hope that he never crossed paths with Cassie. I turned on the coffee maker as Cassie continued, “Now I need to cleanse my brain after this terrible turn in the conversation. Tell me more about hot Nick and his motorcycle.”

  “He kissed me, Cassie. It was so electric and the single best kiss of my life. I don’t think any other kiss can possibly ever be as good as that one. I can still feel him on my lips.” I closed my eyes and leaned against the counter as I pressed my lips together. I could still feel the warmth of his body pulling me closer while his fingers clutched my hair.

  “I'm happy for you, babe. You should, and deserve to, be kissed like that all the time.”

  “None of this would have happened if you hadn't convinced me to make some changes and start saying yes. Thank you, Cass. How was the rest of your night?” I reached up and grabbed a coffee mug.

  “It was good,” Cassie said. I could instantly tell she was trying to hide something.

  I poured some of the coffee into my mug. “That’s it? ‘Good?’ What happened after I left, Cassie Charles?” I tried to use my stern voice so she would know I was onto her. Cassie was uncharacteristically quiet on the other end of the line. “Cass?” I asked, starting to worry a little.

  “Mike gave me a ride home last night. We sat in his car in my driveway and talked for almost two hours. It was really nice,” Cassie blurted out very quickly. I don’t think she even stopped to take a breath.

  I was surprised at such behavior from her. It was very un-Cassie-like. “Why didn’t you invite him inside?” I asked as I poured some cream and sugar into my coffee.

  Cassie let out a heavy sigh. “Because Mike is a nice guy and not my type. I would chew him up and spit him back out before he even knew what happened. Staying in the car just seemed like a much safer option than going inside where there is a bed, a sofa, a countertop in the kitchen, a shower, a dining room table... you get the idea.”

  Suddenly it hit me and I almost dropped my coffee cup in complete shock. “Wait!” I shouted. “Do you like Mike?”

  “He is cute, I'll give him that, but he is just so incredibly... nice. Plus I think I scare him a little,” Cassie said with a chuckle.

  “You scare a lot of people when they first meet you,” I pointed out, only half kidding.

  Cassie’s chuckle turned into a full-on, loud burst of laughter. “It is one of my more charming personality traits. Enough about me and nice boy Mike. When are you going to see Nick again?”

  I smiled as my stomach fluttered. “For lunch today. He's picking me up at noon.”

  “It's a little after eleven right now. You had better get that cute ass of yours in gear if you want to be ready on time. Wear your yellow sundress with the spaghetti straps and the little flowers on it.”

  I was suddenly hit with a sense of panic realizing I only had an hour until he was going to be there. I didn’t realize I had slept in so late. I grabbed my coffee and started to head back to my bedroom. “Yikes! I need to get moving. Cass, that dress is too short.”

  “It is not too short, just be sure you wear some pretty, lacey panties. You'll be fine.”

  “Too much, Cass!” I frantically started flipping through everything in my closet.

  Cassie laughed. “I'm hanging up now. Have a good time on your date!”

  * * *

  I quickly jumped into the shower. Once I was done, I pulled my hair on top of my head in a messy bun while swiping on some mascara and lip-gloss. I stood in front of my closet still unsure about what to wear. Finally, I grabbed the yellow sundress and threw it on. I didn’t have time to question my decision since it was noon and there was a knock on my door.

  * * *

  He had arrived. It was happening. I was going on a date with Nick. I smiled as I opened the door.

  * * *

  Chapter 23

  Jenna

  “Hi,” I said as I opened the door. Nick looked at me and smiled. I just about melted into a big puddle on the floor.

  “Hi. You look amazing, Jenna. Like a ray of sunshine. How did you know I have an absolute weakness for a beautiful woman in a sundress?” Everything he said was perfect. How did he do that?

  “Lucky guess,” I smiled. I would have to remember to thank Cassie later for the dress suggestion. So far she was totally winning with outfit suggestions. Maybe I needed to think about upgrading my wardrobe a little…

  If I looked like a ray of sunshine then Nick looked hotter than the whole dang sun. He was wearing a long-sleeve, gray Henley shirt with the sleeves pushed up and his tattoos peeking out. His brown eyes were hidden behind his aviator sunglasses, but I could feel them raking over my body.

  “You ready to go?” He asked, holding his hand out to me.

  I placed my hand in his. “Yes. Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise. Do you like surprises?” The way Nick said that made me think he was talking about more than just where he was taking me for lunch.

  “Ummmmmm... I am just going to say yes.” Actually, I really never liked surprises. I’ve always wanted to know what was going on so I could plan accordingly. However, saying yes was about opening myself up to new experiences so I was going to go with it... even if that experience was a surprise.

  Nick smiled and let out a deep laugh at my answer. “I think you're going to like this one.”

  We walked hand in hand down to the parking lot where I looked around for Nick’s bike. “Are we walking? I don’t see your motorcycle.”

  “No bike today. I'm on my lunch break from work, so I have my truck. The bike doesn’t work well on construction sites.” Nick walked over to a brand-new-looking shiny, black pick-up truck. He opened the passenger side door and helped me get in. Then walked around to the driver’s side and climbed up into the seat.

  Nick’s eyes were twinkling at me and he had a sexy, half-cocked grin on his face that seemed to bring the temperature in the cab of the truck up about twenty degrees. “Buckle up. You never know how wild a ride it is going to be,” he said with a wink.

  The double meaning of his words was not lost on me. I clenched my legs together and wiggled in my seat as I buckled the seatbelt. I turned to Nick and gave him a flirty little smile. “Looks like I'm ready for your wild ride, Mr. Blaine. Question is... how ready are you?” I was flirting again – who was this Jenna?

  For once, Nick was the one blushing. I was loving every second of it. “Your seatbelt Mr. Blaine. You are not buckled up. How can you be ready for this ride?” I gave Nick an overly innocent look and waved my hand towards his seatbelt still hanging by the door. Nick let out a whoosh of air followed by a deep chuckle. I smiled back. “That red on your cheeks is a good look on you.”

  Nick shook his head. “You never cease to surprise me.”

  “There's a lot about me you don’t know.” I intended for that statement to come out flirty, but instead, it just sounded solemn. A heavy feeling filled the cab of the truck. I tried to recover quickly so as not to ruin the moment. “Speaking of surprises, where are we going for lunch?” Good job, Jenna. He already said where we were going was a surprise and he wasn’t going to say. I mentally cringed and tried to look straight ahead out the window.

  Nick stared at me for a minute not saying anything while I tried to do everything in my power not to make eye contact with him. I started to panic that with one statement I had ruined everything. All of my old insecurities started to flood back in full force as I sat there, just waiting for him to tell me he had changed his mind and to get out of the truck. My chest started to tighten and I could feel beads of perspiration break out on my forehead. My hands felt clammy and I didn’t know what to do w
ith them so I rested them in my lap, trying to keep them still and not overly fidgety. Damnit, that was embarrassing.

  Finally, Nick spoke and I let out a breath that I didn't even know I was holding. “Hey, what is going on right now? Is everything okay?” Nick spoke softly as he took off his sunglasses. He had a look of genuine concern in his deep brown eyes. Despite his tenderness, my chest felt heavy and I felt like I was having trouble breathing.

  “I'm sorry,” I stammered, still not able to make eye contact with him for more than a brief second or two at a time. “I spoke without thinking. If you want me to get out and go now, I will totally understand.” I looked down at my hands which were fidgeting in my lap, despite my best efforts to calm myself.

  Nick turned so he was facing me. “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. Everything seemed to be all good and then suddenly you checked out and looked genuinely panicked for a few minutes. If this is too much, we can do something else. I don’t want you to get out, and you haven’t ruined anything.” He was so calm and his tone was so reassuring.

  Gosh, he was so sweet and I was such a big hot mess. The only thing I knew was that I did not want to ruin everything and I did not want him going anywhere. I started to feel the hot prick of tears under my eyelids. I was so embarrassed for acting like that. I hadn't had a panic attack in months.

  So I did the only thing I could think of. “Yes,” I said in a small voice.

  “Yes, what? Yes, you want to do something else?” Nick asked in that same gentle tone he had used earlier.

  “No! Not that! I am sorry. Gosh, I just can’t seem to get this right.” I paused and took a shallow shaky breath. “Yes, I want to go to the surprise with you. I am sorry that I am acting this way. It has just been a long time since I have done anything like this and I am obviously really rusty.” I turned to face Nick and tried to give him a small smile. He reached out and took hold of my hand. He held it so gently and rubbed his thumb across my palm. Suddenly the weight was lifted and I felt I could breathe again. I could also feel myself slowly starting to relax a little.