by Joanna Blake
“Kissing you, what's it look like?”
I jerked backwards, my back against the passenger door.
“Oh no you don’t!”
His eyes were hungry as he ran his hands over my hips, tugging me towards him. I felt an answering call in my belly. Stubbornly I was squashed it down.
“Don’t pretend you weren’t thinking about it too.”
“I- what?”
“Ever since I saw you I wanted to do this. You felt it too.”
“Felt what?”
“Animal attraction.”
I frowned at him. I knew what he was saying, even if he was saying it badly. I had felt it. But I was never, ever, ever going to admit it.
“I am not an animal!”
He grinned at me and yanked me forward.
“I am.”
This time when he kissed me I was prepared. I held perfectly still. I knew he wasn’t going to take this any further than a kiss. He wasn’t a creep. He was just incredibly arrogant.
I was pretty sure he simply could not imagine a woman alive turning him down.
But I wasn’t like the local girls he was used to dealing with. I wasn’t fooled by his incredible good looks, amazing body, wealth or charm. I was going to show him what it felt like to be turned down. I would be cool as a cucumber. I would-
His hands were sliding all over me, warming and soothing me. That’s when he deepened the kiss. I heard myself whimper as he urged me to open my mouth. The moment I did, his tongue dipped inside, swirling against mine. I was kissing him back before I knew what had happened.
It was incredible. Hot. The most explosive kiss I’d ever had.
It was a disaster.
By the time he lifted his head, I was breathless. I didn't want to be kissing Jackson Delancey. But I hadn't wanted to stop kissing him either.
“Why are you doing this, Jackson?”
“You know why.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I want you, woman. Isn’t that obvious?”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. The man thought I was going to just tumble into bed with him? Because of a so-called animal attraction?
“That’s too damn bad.”
“I’m not asking for much, Angelina. Just one night. Let’s just do it a couple times and get it out of our systems. Then we can go back to disliking each other.”
My jaw dropped. The man had gall! He had nerve!
He had a point.
It was true, we didn't like each other. And that was making this explosive spark between us all the more potent. But I wasn’t going to admit it. I had to be honest with myself. I felt it too.
I was drawn to him, and I didn’t want to be.
It was a bit disconcerting to realize he felt the same way. He flat out said he didn't like me. I should have been annoyed but instead I felt oddly flattered.
Of all the men in the world, it had to be him.
Opposites do attract after all... The expression was right. But if he had his way, he just wanted sex.
And only for one night.
For some reason that thought was like a splash of cold water. I turned away from him, putting my seat belt back on. I wasn’t angry anymore. I almost felt… hurt.
“Take me home please.”
He ran his hands through his hair and nodded.
“Sure. But this isn’t over.”
I had a terrible feeling that he was right about that.
Chapter Eight
Jackson
The damn woman had turned me down. After I’d kissed her silly. And she’d kissed me back!
She was the most oppositional woman I’d ever met.
She was a pain in ass. A real ball buster. A stuck up prude!
She was also the first woman to get more than half-hearted interested from me since- well- ever.
I’d dated my share of girls over the years, especially in high school. Plenty of girls. More than was reasonable, truth be told. But the past decade had been almost exclusively meaningless flings and only when I was worn down or drinking. They took care of a temporary need, but nothing more.
No entanglements. No relationship. No repeats.
I didn't need a woman in my life. I had my mother's memory of a perfect woman. My little cousin Phee, who was like a sister. And Mrs. G of course.
More recently I had Elle and Cesca, who I was starting to think of as sisters too. My brothers were all on the verge of settling down. But not me.
I was just overdo for a one night stand, is all.
That’s what I was after with my new, pain in the ass, gorgeous as hell next-door neighbor. One night of pure unadulterated, break the headboard sex. Then we would go our separate ways. It was just what I needed.
Right?
I glanced at her. She was staring straight ahead, ignoring me. She looked annoyed with me. Not that that was anything new.
But it didn’t matter. She’d kissed me back. The second time anyway. I touched my cheek where she’d slapped it and grinned. The woman was passionate all right. I would not have to worry about her being a cold fish in bed, that was for damn sure. I turned into her long driveway and stole a glance at her again.
This time I let my eyes wander over her tits and down to her long, lean legs.
Hmmfff… the girl was put together right!
“Jackson!”
I looked up, stopping just in time. I’d almost hit Elle’s car. Whoops.
It wasn’t my fault Angelina’s legs were so damn distracting.
She was glaring at me again as she undid her seatbelt.
“You are a terrible driver!”
I leaned towards her. Enough was enough with this woman. I wasn’t having her sass for another damn minute!
“No. I’m not.”
“Yes. You are.”
“I’m a fine driver. I was just distracted.”
“By what? We are in the middle of nowhere!”
“By you.”
Her pretty little mouth opened in that way she had. It drove me absolutely nuts for some reason. I liked shocking her, I realized. So I decided to do it again. I reached for her and pulled her against me. My tongue plunged into her sweet, warm mouth again and again. I wasted no time putting my hands where I wanted them. On her hips so I could hold her against my raging hard on.
She had damn good hips. Soft and just right for a man’s hands. They’d be perfect leverage when I-
“Ouch!”
I stared at her in shock. One minute she was kissing me back and the next she was-
“Ouch!”
She’d slapped me. Twice in the last fifteen minutes.
That had to be some sort of a record. I rubbed my cheek, trying to figure out if I could take another swing at her without getting slapped again.
“You have quite a temper, Miss Angelina.”
“It’s Ms. Randall!”
I smirked as she got out of the car, slamming the door behind her. I watched her ass as it shimmied a bit with each step. She was stomping her cute little feet, angry as all get out.
She slammed the front door behind her too. I got out and stretched, then meandered over to the door. I wondered how long it would take her to remember that it was her car, and that I still had her keys.
I leaned against the door jam, whistling as I looked up at the stars.
A minute later the door slammed open. I hadn’t known it was possible to angrily open a door, but she did it. The woman had style, that was for sure.
I smirked at her as she huffed at me. But she didn’t realize that I was the big bad wolf in this scenario. Not her.
She was the little piggy.
“Forget something?”
She glared at me, holding out her hand.
“Keys.”
I lifted them up slowly and dropped them into her palm.
“Now go!”
“Sure thing. Just send Elle out. She’s my ride and it’s getting chilly out here. Unless you’d rather keep me warm…”
; She started to say something and then stopped. I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. I stifled a laugh as she shut the door in my face again. I spoke real loud just to be sure she could hear me.
“See you tomorrow sunshine.”
Angelina
The man was impossible! He was incorrigible! He was a jerk!
I was upstairs, cleaning ferociously. The bathroom was already clean. Or cleanish. My room was getting there. I sprayed some vinegar onto a crumpled up newspaper and rubbed it briskly over the window facing my bed.
I loved the view from up here. Unfortunately when I woke up this morning, I’d realized that it was filthy. I’d already cleaned it once. I suspected it might take a few tries to actually get the years of accumulated dust and grime off of it.
Downstairs I heard Casey and Elle walking to the front door.
“Bye Elle!”
“Good night Casey. Night Angelina!”
“Goodnight!”
I had come upstairs to avoid talking to them. They were engrossed in their conversation, and I was not fit company for anyone, feeling the way I did. I was still angry after what had happened.
Enough so that I’d neglected to mention that Jackson was outside cooling his heels. I snorted. I was glad he had to wait outside. Maybe it would cool down his other… body parts as well.
He certainly wasn’t welcome in here.
Not after what he’d done. He hasn’t just kissed me, he’d manhandled me! The man flat out admitted he didn’t like me and then he’d kissed me again! Three times!
I was beginning to think he had kissed me just to get a rise out of me.
The worst part was, it had worked.
I was annoyed, even as I felt myself responding to him.
He knew it too.
I forced myself to calm down and went downstairs to run Casey’s bath. I laid out her evening meds and made her a cup of licorice tea to help her sleep. All of it was routine, which gave me plenty of time to think.
Out of everything I’d learned tonight about my new neighbors and this town, one thing kept circling in my mind.
Jackson Delancey was a real son of a bitch.
But damn, the man could kiss.
“So?”
“So what?”
“You like him.”
I shook my head adamantly.
“No. No I do not.”
“He’s very handsome.”
I shrugged.
“And he was staring at you all night. I could practically see the sparks.”
“Trust me Case, there were no sparks.”
“Uh huh. Sure. So where did you guys disappear to then?”
I looked at her, handing her a glass of water. She took it wordlessly and waited. I handed her her pills one at a time, using a little teacup so we didn’t get our germs all over them. It was best to minimize her risk for infection. The damage to her body included a severely weakened immune system.
We’d learned that the hard way.
The best thing was to not wear shoes in the house, wipe down handles and doorknobs regularly and wash our hands. We had so many hand soaps and creams it would make your mind spin.
But it worked. Casey’s body needed time to heal, not fight off every cold and flu that made the rounds. And she was getting better, slowly but surely.
“I’m waiting.”
I handed her another pill.
“He took me on a detour.”
“He did? What happened?”
“I asked him to take me back and he did. That’s it.”
“That’s definitely not it.”
“Take your pill.”
She grinned and took her pill. Then she wheeled herself into the bathroom. I helped her into the tub and started to leave.
“Come on Ange. Sit and tell me. I never hear any gossip.”
I sighed and perched on the toilet seat. After I wiped it down of course. We used a lot of wipes in this house. Most people would say we were neurotic. But it was so important to protect her as much as we could. That included keeping me healthy too, so I didn’t pass anything onto her.
“Fine. He kissed me.”
Casey squealed and splashed the water.
“I knew it! How was it? He’s gorgeous Ange admit it.”
“He’s an oaf! He totally manhandled me!”
She was laughing as I frowned at her.
“I wouldn’t mind being manhandled now and then.”
“You are a bad girl, Casey.”
She nodded happily.
“Yes I am. So, did you kiss him back?”
“Not the first time.”
“The first time? How many times did he kiss you?”
I chewed my lips, thinking.
“Three times. And I slapped him three times.”
“You didn’t!”
I finally smiled. It was kind of funny when you thought about it. It had been like slapping a brick wall. Even his face had muscles.
“I did.”
“That’s not like you Ange.”
I sighed. It really wasn’t. I don’t think I’d ever slapped a man before in my life. I was a pacifist. In the past I would have just avoided someone I didn’t like. That’s just what I would have to do with him.
It’s too bad the man lived right next door!
“I know but he was so damn arrogant! He just grabbed me out of the blue. Then he suggested we sleep together so we could get back to disliking each other with that out of the way.”
Now Casey was cackling like a witch. I watched her with a sour look on my face. Eventually I started laughing too.
“Well at least he’s- practical!”
She leaned back and sighed dreamily.
“If only Prince Charming would come along and make an offer like that to me someday…”
I threw a loofah mit at her.
“You are an ass sometimes you know that.”
She nodded sleepily. She’d only been in the water a few minutes, but I could tell it was time for her to go to sleep. Even just going out to dinner took a lot out of her.
“Okay, enough excitement for today, let’s get you in bed.”
A half an hour later she was settled and sleeping soundly. Meanwhile I was wide-awake. I didn’t drink wine very often. You would think it would help you get right to sleep. Instead it was keeping me up for some God forsaken reason.
It wasn’t just that either. It was him. Jackson Delancey was wreaking havoc with my peace of mind.
My fingers slid over my lips again and again. I could still feel him. For some strange reason I almost thought I could still smell him! He’d smelled like evergreen and leather. It was very manly and very appealing. I’d never smelled anything so delicious in my life.
This was ridiculous! I didn’t even like the man! I extra didn’t like him!
Finally I gave in and turned on the light. I did some unpacking in my room, careful not to wake Casey. By the time the sun was starting to light up the sky I was ready for bed. I glanced at my alarm. If I lay down now I could get a few hours sleep before Casey got up.
The next thing I knew someone was banging on the front door.
Chapter Nine
Jackson
I’d gotten up early as usual and wolfed down my breakfast before anyone else even made an appearance. I took care to wear a shirt that Phee had said looked nice on me. Brushed my teeth again for good measure and was ready.
Mrs. Garretty handed me a basket on the way out the door.
“What’s this, Mrs. G?”
Her soft blue eyes twinkled at me.
“It’s not polite to go calling empty handed.”
“I’m not going empty handed.”
I held up my tools. She rolled her eyes at me affectionately. She’d been a second mother to all of us over the years. I loved her dearly, even if she was meddling.
“Not the same dear. Here, take this to go visit your lady friend.”
Seemed like everybody had a vested interest in ge
tting Angelina and I together. Especially me. Of course, they might stop helping if they knew I just wanted to screw her six ways from Sunday.
I had no intention of settling down. But I had amended my plans a bit. I did want more than just a fling, for once in my damn life.
But not a relationship. Just the thought had made me break in hives for years. Something long standing with Angie might do the trick though.
I lay awake half the night carefully planning my attack and adjusting my goals. I didn’t just want one night. I wanted sex with her, as much as I wanted, on demand, indefinitely. After the way she’d kissed me back, I knew she wanted me too.
Whether or not she was willing to admit it.
She’d kissed like an fallen angel. She hit like a bantamweight. She was pretty much the ideal woman for me.
I just need to keep her too busy in bed to go around slapping me again.
I smiled to myself, imagining the future. We could screw when we wanted to, and dislike each other the rest of the time.
It was a perfect plan.
I just had to convince her of it.
Of course, 'casual' did not mean I would allow her to be with other men. I was not the sharing type. No, I’d keep her way too busy for that. Maybe I’d lay a nice brick path in between our two properties. I could go back and forth at night as the mood struck me. From our house, right up to the back door of hers.
Yes, that was an excellent idea.
Over at dusk and gone at dawn. With very little sleep in between. Oh yes, I could see making that a regular occurance. Every damn night if I had my way.
I was grinning as I drove over to her place. I hoisted my tools and the basket of food. Then I rang the doorbell, waiting expectantly.
Then I rang it again.
And again.
Seven minutes later the door opened. My eyes grew wide at the sight of her. Angelina stood in the doorway in a slinky, semi-sheer tanktop, slouchy pajama pants with fuzzy bunny slippers. Her gorgeous hair tumbled over her shoulders. Her face was still soft and unguarded from sleep.
She looked sexy as all get out.
But that wasn’t even the best part. Oh no. That was below her neck. Her nipples looked like they could cut glass. I could see them clearly, as well as the outline of her perfectly round, bouncy looking tits.
