Passionate Kisses

by Various

  She flew up from the porch as Danielle ripped her car into the driveway. The fiery black-haired woman dashed across the yard as Allison took another step toward Chelsea.

  “Allison, stop it now,” screamed Danielle as she wrapped her arms around Allison’s waist. Danielle carried the screaming sister back to the car and threw her into the front seat. The door slammed shut.

  “Do you need some ice?” Mom asked, eyeing the fat lip.

  “No. I’ll be okay,” Chelsea said. “She does have one good punch though.” She smiled even though it hurt like hell.

  Patty let out a nervous laugh. “Doesn’t she? I got one of her whoppers once. Whew!”

  “What for?”

  “Oh, it’s no big deal,” Patty waved as if the incident had been a pesky fly.

  “Come on, Mom.”

  “Damn it’s good to hear you say that…you know, call me mom again.” Her mom reached out to hug her. “Okay, I’ll tell you even though I don’t think I should. Allison blamed me for you

  leaving. She had said I should’ve been a better mother. I told her she should watch her mouth or find another place to live, so she popped me a good one. I guess I believed in my heart she was right. Are you sure you don’t need some ice? It looks nasty.”

  A soft breeze began to blow but it did nothing to ease the heat in the air. She wiped at some more blood trickling down her mouth.

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “I understand now, but at the time I didn’t. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

  “I should be getting back. Jordan might have something planned for us. Besides, I don’t want to be here when Allison gets home.”

  “Don’t worry about her. She’ll blow her steam and then get over it,” her mother said with another swat at an imaginary fly.

  She laughed, knowing Mom was right.

  * * * *

  Chelsea found Jordan’s house empty. She wondered if she would be having dinner alone or maybe she should pick her mother up for dinner if Jordan didn’t show. It would be nice to spend as much time with her family as possible before returning to Oregon.

  “Jordan?” she called and walked through the living room, then the dining room.

  Once inside the kitchen, she spotted him through the sliding glass door. The setting sun gave his bronze tan a wonderful glow. Having his back turned toward her gave her the chance to check out the parts of his body the swim shorts didn’t cover. The sliding door creaking open made him turn. He smiled at her and waved his free hand.

  She looked up at the red hues dancing across the sky. A soft breeze blew the scent of the blooming gardenias around them. The white blossoms had the most exquisite scent she had smelled in her life.

  “It’s beautiful out here. Those trees are wonderful.”

  “I remembered they were your favorite. Hungry?” he asked.

  She knew most of this house had been done for her, for when she returned. Had he always known she would? Well, it certainly wasn’t playing out as it probably had in his fantasies for so many years. Had he ever thought he’d be saying goodbye to her a second time? Okay, goodbye for the first time because the last time, she didn’t even give him a chance to utter a word. Not a word she could hear, anyway.

  “Smells good. What are you grilling?”

  “Steaks. Potatoes are in the oven,” he said. “Why don’t you take a dip in the pool and relax until dinner. I just threw the steaks on, so it’ll be a little while.”

  “That would be wonderful. Do you have some sort of icepack I can use?”

  “There’s a gel pack in the door of the freezer. What happened?” Jordan asked while flipping the steaks over.

  “Allison punched me.” She turned toward him so he could have a peek at her lip.

  “Wow. That should be an interesting story to hear.”

  “One for another time. I’m going to slip into my suit and grab that icepack before my lip gets any bigger.”

  He was standing half turned toward the pool and half toward the door. It was as if he had turned to follow her in, then caught himself, or maybe got caught up in the memory. He used to tell her everything going on with him but these days were different. He never told her any of his thoughts.

  The way his gaze focused on the pool made her wonder what he was thinking now. Was it about her, or maybe finding Elizabeth? Another thought came to mind then; was he pretending interest to keep her there until they found the little girl? A sinking feeling flowed through her.

  Sighing, she set out to do what she had come in to do. Five minutes later, she headed out to the pool with a book under one arm and the icepack held on her lip. The steak still sizzled on the grill,

  sending the delicious smell into the air. Jordan swam in the pool. His muscles tensed with each stroke slicing through the water. For moment she stood there mesmerized by the sight of him. Oh, he was so sexy.

  Not wanting to get caught staring at him, she walked over to the pool steps and went down until the water barely reached her thighs. She took a place on the top step and opened her book while she held the gel pack with her other hand. She read the first sentence under the chapter one heading before her eyes turned back to

  Jordan, who was swimming the length of the pool. His taut back muscles were barely visible underneath the water, but the sight of him made her intimate areas grow hot anyway. The urge was so powerful she could barely sit still on the step.

  “This is torture,” she whispered without meaning to. But it was. Watching the sexy man move smoothly through the water, with the droplets glistening on his tanned skin, and not being able to touch him tortured her. He looked up at her, then ducked his head back under the water.

  She tried to ignore him coming closer to her. It worked for the most part until she felt his strong hands slide up her bare thighs. She squirmed away from him and pretended to be focused on her book.

  “Your bikini looks great.”

  “Thanks, but it’s an old one.” She tried to ignore the fact his hands were massaging her thighs, urging them to open so he could explore her feminine valley. She crossed them instead as she shook her head.

  “Oh, this one is great.” He slid his finger up her tummy, and then traced the outline of the bikini against her pale cleavage. “It shows the perfect amount of you.”

  She shifted as much as she could while her eyes stayed focused on the page in front of her. She forced herself to not respond to his touch or his comment while hoping he didn’t push his luck by kissing her. His lips were something she’d ever be able to ignore that.

  “Chels. What’s on your mind?”

  Did this guy have some sort of emotion detector or what? Maybe he knew her better than anyone else in this world. “Nothing.”

  “Oh, cut the crap. I know you better than that, Chels.”

  Okay, here we go again with the radar. “Yeah, right. You haven’t been around me for ten years.”

  “But I still know you. Nothing you say can change that, so quit your lying and tell me what’s on your mind.”

  She had to lie or she would end up upstairs naked underneath his bulky tanned body. “Nothing. I’m reading.”

  “Put the book down.”

  “Hold on. This is an interesting part,” she said. As if she had comprehended a single word she had read. She couldn’t even think straight with his hands kneading her flesh. She could feel them working their way up to the edge of her bikini bottoms.

  “Come on,” he urged.

  His fingers play with the hem of the bottoms. The more his hands explored her body, the more distracted she became. “Nope,” she replied with a shake of her head. Her eyes continued to stay on the page even though her mind was totally on him. If she looked up, she would turn to putty in his hands.

  “I want you to swim with me.”

  “You do not,” she said. “You want to make love.”

  His laugh sounded smooth like satin against her ears. “And you don’t?”

  She held the book
up higher, hoping to block the view of his face. “I’d rather read.”

  “I don’t believe you. Tell me the last sentence you read?”

  “What reason have I given you to not believe me?” She flipped the page in her book.

  “ Your nipples are hard.” He ran his finger over one.

  Heat rose to her cheeks. “It’s cold.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with hard nipples, Chels. The problem is, you’re denying me being the cause of those hard nipples.” He reached up and took the book out of her hand. It landed with a thump on the cement next to the pool.

  She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it before any sound escaped. A magnetic force drew her to him. Before she knew it, her arms were wrapped around his shoulders and she leaned forward until her lips met his. The pain from the cut shot through her face.

  She flinched back. “I forgot about my lip.”

  “It’s okay. I can do enough kissing for the both of us.” His lips found the curve of her neck.

  She leaned her head back and let a moan escape her lips as she felt the walls she’d built slowly begin to dissolve around her. His hands slid her legs apart so his body would fit nicely in between

  them. Her body molded itself around his as he moved backward away from the stairs. She loved the way her body felt while against his.

  His mouth made trails down her bare shoulder and then her arm, settling on one of her fingers and giving it a gentle suck that shot fireworks through her body, before he moved his way back up her other arm and the other side of her neck. She was held against him, feeling secure in the strength of his body, the gentleness of his lips, and seductive as he pushed her up against the swimming pool wall. He pulled her bottoms down, leaving her exposed, wanting, and ready for his naked erection.

  A moment later, he pushed into her, filling her.

  “Um…hello,” said a female voice from by the sliding glass door.

  CHAPTER 15

  Jordan got up, blushed, and let go of her.

  She searched around for her bikini bottoms. “Allison,” she said as she adjusted her top while scanning the water. Where were those bottoms? “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “They’re over there,” replied Allison with a hearty laugh.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Chelsea, pretending to be stupid.

  “Your bikini bottoms. By the way, you can see everything when the pool lights are on,” Allison said with a wink.

  She snatched the bikini bottoms and slipped them on. Jordan swam some more laps while she walked over to Allison.

  “Did you come to hit me again?” She touched the split in her lip.

  “No. I want to apologize. It was wrong of me. Can we sit down?” Allison asked as she motioned toward the lounge chairs next to the pool.

  “Sure. How did you know we were out here?” She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her, suddenly self-conscious even though her sister had seen the most intimate parts of her body.

  “I stopped by to see Lisa. When I mentioned I wanted to talk to you, she informed me that you guys were home. No one answered, but your door is unlocked. That was one great swim, I must

  say. I’m jealous.”

  “Thanks,” she mumbled. She had never been the one to exploit her sexuality like her sisters.

  They each flopped down on a chair. Their eyes turned toward Jordan, who climbed out of the pool. He walked by, water glistening on his tanned body.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Jordan,” Allison said. “It’s good to see you grew up…nicely.”

  Jordan’s cheeks reddened as he shifted his eyes toward the barbeque grill. “Oh shit!”

  Flames blew up from the grill. He snatched the bucket used for a trash can and dumped the contents onto the ground before filling it with water and flooding the grill. Sparks and flames sputtered down

  until nothing was left but a black mess all over.

  “So much for our steaks. These were the last two. Chels, do you want me to cook you something else?” asked Jordan.

  “No thanks, Jordan. I would like to visit with my sister for awhile. You can eat without me.”

  He walked over and planted a kiss on her forehead, sending heat up to her cheeks.

  She glanced away from Allison and watched him walk to the house.

  “It’s great you guys are back together,” Allison said.

  “We’re not.”

  “Well, I don’t believe that for a second. Anyway, I’m sorry for interrupting your underwater adventure.” Allison laughed, which was music to her ears even though Allison’s claims embarrassed her.

  “We weren’t having an underwater adventure.”

  “Don’t play dumb with me. I saw you guys bumping fuzzies.”

  “Really, Allison, enough.”

  Jordan appeared with two tall glasses of lemonade. “Thought you ladies might be thirsty.”

  “Mm, I am. Thanks, Jordan,” replied Chelsea.

  “Would you like to join us?” asked Allison while both of the women took glasses from him.

  “Thanks anyway. I have some paperwork to get finished tonight. It’s good to see you, Allison,” he said, then turned. “Chels, if you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”

  Once Jordan went back inside and the door shut firmly behind him, Allison leaned back on the chair. Chelsea watched her sister sip the drink and wondered what the reason was behind the visit. Why the sudden change of heart?

  “Listen, Chelsea. Even though I reacted that way to you earlier, I really am glad you’re back in Wilson.”

  “I still say I deserve it.” She touched the split in her lip. “It still hurts like hell though.”

  “Mom is pissed at me, but I was shocked to see you there. All the emotions from you leaving reappeared all of a sudden.”

  “She shouldn’t be mad at you.”

  “It’s pretty messed up what I did. I should never have hit you.”

  “I’m not broken. Besides, it wasn’t the first time you’ve hit me.” They started to giggle and then really looked at each other and laughed harder. They laughed so loud and hard they had tears

  rolling down their cheeks and Chelsea’s side started to hurt.

  “Damn, it’s so good to have you back. I missed you so much, little sister.”

  “I missed you too. Believe it or not, I did.” Laughter tears turned into real ones and Allison reached over for a hug.

  How had she lived her life so long without her sisters? They were mean sometimes, mouthy, and they swore like sailors, but they loved her. She had a great family here and she had run away and planned on doing it again as soon as Jordan said she was free to go. She had missed out on a lot and was going to miss out on so much more in the future. At least she could enjoy it now, while it lasted.

  “So I want to know what the deal with you is. What really happened? Why are you here? I mean, if you and Jordan aren’t together, then why did you come back?”

  She listened to the question but did not want to answer it. Here was the very sister she’d been closest to, the one who could tell if she happened to attempt a lie. She could either divert the subject, which would be hard to get past Allison’s attention, or just say she didn’t want to tell Allison, driving a bigger wedge between them, which was what she wanted to avoid. She didn’t want to be further from her sisters than she already had to be.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready to share yet.”

  Allison almost spit the lemonade out of her mouth. “What? You could always tell me anything before.”

  “Because I’m ashamed, Alli.” She was the only one allowed to call her headstrong sister that.

  “It’s me, Chels. You don’t need to be ashamed to tell me anything.” Allison reached over to give her hand a squeeze.

  “Just between us?” She took a sip of her drink.

  “Of course, but will you tell Danielle? She deserves to know the truth too.”

  “Yes, I’ll tell Danielle,” she said and then took a
deep breath. “It started when I got pregnant.”

  “Okay,” her sister said with a soft smile.

  It urged her to continue. She began telling Allison about her past. She included everything, walking in the dark alone, delivering Elizabeth and leaving. Why she had left, what it had been like being totally alone after giving Elizabeth up. Allison sat quietly and nodded at the appropriate times in the story, but she never once broke into Chelsea’s revelations of the past.

  “I’m so ashamed,” Chelsea whispered once she had her story out. She dropped her head to hide her tears and flushed cheeks.

  “You were young. You felt like you had no other options. Why should you be ashamed?”

  Allison reached over and grabbed her hand. “I would have left with you.”

  “I couldn’t face you guys. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.”

  “Chelsea, I’ll always love you. You’re my sister,” Allison’s voice lowered and it was her turn to look ashamed. “Besides, you aren’t the only one to do something to be ashamed of.”

  “What are you talking about, Allison?” She gave Allison’s hand a gentle squeeze.

  “At least you gave her to someone who would love her. When I got pregnant with Hannah, I didn’t know what to do. Before I told any of you about the pregnancy, I drove over to Phoenix.”

  “For what?” asked Chelsea even though she knew what she was about to hear.

  “To get an abortion,” whispered Allison. She wiped away the tears, then changed the subject by asking, “So you guys are looking for her?”

  “Yes, but we aren’t getting very far. We only know she went to live with Monique’s sister when the Markales died. Muriel is the midwife who delivered Elizabeth.”

  “I wonder if Danielle can find out anything since she works in the nursing field.”

  “When will you be seeing her?” So there was hope in finding Elizabeth.

  “Tomorrow. She comes into the diner for lunch. Do you want me to ask her?”

  “Yes. That would be great. Call me or stop by. I should be here. Do you think I’m evil?”