by Amy Jarecki
“You don’t sound all that convincing to me. Promise you’ll think about what I’ve said.”
“Yeah, Momma, I promise.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, a client arrived with a Havanese past needing a bath. The dog was so matted, it appeared to have dreadlocks—the unintentional type. Rebecca told the owner she’d be willing to give grooming a try if she didn’t mind some clipping. With her schedule filled with appointments, she’d be spending the day with dogs, a nice diversion.
Filling the doggie bath, her mind drifted to Matt. The memory of his sandy hair, square jaw, and well-muscled body in a pair of Levi’s made the heat coil in her womb like an ache that wouldn’t quit. He was a sexy man, she couldn’t deny that fact. Rebecca wished she could free herself from her responsibilities just for a weekend. Steal away for three days, maybe go someplace exotic—be crazy. Her mind drifted to what could be.
Bermuda with its pink sandy beaches and the salty smell of an ocean breeze on a hot summer day. Matt, naked from the waist up, the point of his biceps defined, tanned skin taut across his powerful chest, grinning lazily while his sky-blue eyes focus only on her, hungry for her.
Together they discover a deserted beach secluded by dunes and palm trees. The waves gently roll into the shore with white foam that tickles their feet. He reaches for her hand and leads her, laughing, running into the surf. She feels the chill of the water as they venture deeper, out to the knees, dancing in circles. She tastes the salt from a wayward spray, giggling as she wipes her face. He lifts her up and carries her to even deeper water where she floats in his arms.
They talk idly, her heart racing, his head inclined toward her as if she were the only woman in the world. She gazes up into his eyes and sees lustful desire searing into hers, raising her need. He leans forward and places his mouth over hers, his kisses urgent and searching. She matches his passion, her body on fire. She needs him, must have him.
“Arf.” The Havanese complained when the water got too hot. Shaking her head, Rebecca adjusted the temperature and finished rinsing the dog. She didn’t even remember picking him up. Holy cow, I must be losing my mind.
In the two weeks Matt was away, Rebecca worked from early morning until ten at night, from grooming to training her new client dogs. Sara’s puppies were growing like weeds, Ryan talked about the upcoming track season and Amanda seemed to think of nothing else but the senior trip which was still over a month away.
Dog training classes resumed. A windy Thursday night, Rebecca had a large group in attendance. Dog show season, always kicked off with the esteemed Westminster Kennel Club, was right around the corner. Some of her students were breeders who she only saw this time of year when they were working with young dogs that would be introduced to the ring when the season began.
Rebecca split the class with Amanda teaching the larger dogs. Now a paid employee, the teen’s commitment to taking more responsibility had been noticeable. Amanda paid attention to the puppies, worked her client dogs and even helped Rebecca with the evening chores when her social schedule allowed.
Rebecca had her hands on a Maltese, examining him on the table, when the wind pulled the door, slamming it shut with a crash. She glanced over to see Matt’s heart-stopping grin, as he pulled Patches out of the ex-pen and carried him into the ring. Giving him a quick nod, her palms moistened. She smiled and sucked in a ragged breath.
Jeez, Rebecca, get a grip.
Regaining her composure, she focused on the dogs as their handlers placed them on the table, her eyes often straying toward Matt. Every time she looked his way, he caught her wandering glances and met them with a broad smile that tickled her insides.
I feel like some sort of giddy school girl. This is ridiculous. Focus. Don’t look over there, you stupid woman.
Matt made his way up to the front of the line and lifted Patches up onto the table. “You’re back early,” Rebecca said in a hushed tone.
“Yep. They let me off easy.”
“Patches missed you.”
Matt’s frown looked as sorrowful as a Basset Hound. “Only Patches?”
“Of course not.” Rebecca shot him a thin lipped smile and returned to the task at hand under the watchful eyes of her students. “Take him down-and-back please.”
Usually Rebecca could watch Matt work Patches with the discerning eye of his instructor, but his surprise appearance in the shed threw her. A smile lit up her face, which was only subdued by a questioning glance from Amanda. Matt could have fallen on his face and Rebecca wouldn’t have noticed. “Very nice,” she said.
Relieved when the class was over, Rebecca stood in front of the mirrors and faced her students. “Entries for Westminster are now closed. However, there is still time to register for the Toy Dog Show at the Pennsylvania Hotel—I call it the warm up before the big show. Fliers are on my desk.”
Matt hung back as always. “Did you enter Patches in Westminster?”
“No. It’s is only for existing champions. We should enter him in the Toy Dog Show, though. Everyone who’s anyone in the Chihuahua world will be there.”
Matt picked up a flier. “Great. I need to get him back in the ring.”
“A group of us always takes a limo into the city and stay at the Pennsylvania. It’s a little pricey, but convenient. I could make a reservation for you if you’d like.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
Amanda shook her head at Matt as she followed the last person out the door. “I’ve got a book report to finish.” When the door slammed, leaving them alone, Rebecca tingled with heightened awareness.
Matt’s large, warm hand wrapped around hers and pulled her into his embrace. She lifted her chin and her stomach flipped when she met his gaze. “I missed…” But his mouth smothered her words. Her body went limp, her head swooned as she returned his kisses. Moaning, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, inhaling his scent—a hint of exotic spice and one-hundred percent solid man. Her breath quickened. She needed more.
Matt stepped backward, yielding to her force, his grin sultry. Without looking, he took one more step back and tripped over the doggie fence. He fell back, out of control, pulling Rebecca with his momentum, and she thumped to the ground, sprawled out on top of him.
He wrapped his arms around her. His eyes wide, a husky chuckle called from his throat. “Holy cow, Rebecca, you’re on fire.”
She laughed. “I guess I missed you as much as Patches did.”
“More than Patches?” He grinned, his hand caressing the back of her neck, pulling her mouth down to within a half-inch of his. “Are you okay?”
“I hit my elbow. You?”
“Nothing could make me feel pain with your body covering mine like this.”
Throbbing elbow forgotten, she lowered her lips to his. Hot, hungry kisses turned to slow sensual searching. Hot blood coursed through Rebecca’s body, her breasts on fire, screaming for more.
“Mom!”
Rebecca moved faster than a rattler pouncing on its prey. Once on her feet, she cleared her throat. “Yes, Ryan?”
“Did you wash my Shawnee sweats? I can’t find them anywhere.”
“They’re folded on the dryer.”
“Thanks.” Ryan turned to leave and called over his shoulder. “Way to go, Matt.”
“Hey, Ryan, let’s run this weekend.”
“Sure thing, dude.”
Rebecca combed her fingers through her hair and sighed. “Thank goodness that wasn’t Amanda.”
“You think?”
***
It was after ten when Rebecca peeked into her daughter’s room. She was asleep. Amanda’s senior trip was the week of Westminster and she wouldn’t be there to help with her client dogs. Now that she had made a name for herself, she’d been contracted to show several champion dogs. She considered asking Matt to help. Even though he was green, he definitely turned heads in the ring. And he had so much natural stage presence—that couldn’t be taught. If Matt was unable to do it, she’d have to hire
an assistant.
She slipped down the hall to Ryan’s room. Rebecca knew there was no need to check on him. The boy always slept sounder than a bear in its den. She slowly opened the door.
“Hey, Mom, what’s up?” Ryan unexpectedly sat in front of his computer.
“You’re up late. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You guess?” Rebecca stepped through the doorway. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.” He looked at the floor and tapped his foot. “It’s just that this girl keeps texting me.”
Rebecca shut the door and leaned against his desk. “Sounds she likes you.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you like her?”
“I don’t know. I thought I did, but then she got all serious on me, you know?”
“I think I might. Did she want to move faster than you did?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly it. I was having fun, and then she wanted to practically get married.”
Rebecca studied the Philadelphia Eagles poster over Ryan’s bed. “Having fun is just what you should be doing at sixteen. Have you told her how you feel?”
“Kind of. She’s such a hottie, though. It would make me crazy if I saw her with someone else.”
Rebecca sighed. “That’s the choice you have to make, son. Do you want to just have fun, or do you want her to be your girl? If it’s the latter, then you’ll need to show her respect and consider what she wants—what you both want. Otherwise, you’ll have to put up with other boys expressing their interest.”
Ryan pushed his chair back. “What do you think I should do?”
“That depends on your heart. If you’re not sure, remember there are lots of hotties in the world.” Rebecca leaned over and gave him a peck on the forehead. “Why don’t you go to bed and sleep on it?”
Rebecca closed the door and headed back to her room. Her talk with Ryan had the hackles on the back of her neck on end. This was the first time he’d sounded remotely serious about a girl. She reached for her phone and clicked Matt’s number. “I’m sorry to call you so late. I was wondering if I could ask a favor… Uh…I just spoke to Ryan about a girl, and you’re running with him this weekend, right?”
“Sure am.” Matt’s deep bass resonated over the phone, tickling her insides.
“I was wondering if you could talk to him about, um, you know…”
“You want me to have the talk?”
A low chuckle rumbled from Rebecca’s throat. “You read my mind. I thought he might take the whole safe-sex thing better if it came from you.”
“Don’t they get that in school?”
“Sure they do, but would you listen to your nerdy sex-ed teacher when you’re surrounded by classmates, or a cool guy who played quarterback for UCLA?”
“Cool guy? I’ll have the talk.”
***
The snow had melted, but it was a frigid forty-degrees when Matt met Ryan for their run. They both wore sweats, skull caps and gloves, Ryan in red with Shawnee Renegades lettered across his back and Matt in navy blue. Ryan suggested the Wharton State Park just south of Medford with its web of dirt roads and tall pines.
Though he had a four-wheel-drive, Matt was dubious about driving on dirt roads in winter, but found that the sandy soil drained away the water as fast as the snow melted. Still they didn’t venture far from the main highway to be safe.
Matt stretched his hamstrings. “How can anything grow in this sand?”
“We’re in the Pinelands. The only thing that grows here are scrubby pines. I think their roots are deep enough to shoot through the sand to the good stuff beneath.”
Ryan picked a trail and they headed out on a slow jog. Matt focused on his breathing at first but once he warmed up, he could run at that pace for miles. “Have you thought about what events you’ll do in track?”
“I’m fast, so I thought I’d do the sprints and the relay and maybe the high jump.”
“No long distance?”
“Nah, there are too many other guys better than me at distance.”
“That’s good. Sprinting will make you faster for football and high jumping will help you catch balls that are overthrown. I think you’re on the right track.”
They ran on without speaking, Matt enjoying the sandy path and the seclusion of the trees. The winter sun peeked through the foliage but there was no warmth in it. White puffs escaped their mouths with each labored breath. “Your mom mentioned you have a girl.”
Ryan’s eyes flashed with surprise and uncertainty. “She told you about that?”
“Yeah. It’s cool.”
Ryan’s face pointed forward as his attention seemed to be more focused on the path in front of him. They traversed nearly a mile before he spoke again. “I like her a lot.”
“She pretty?”
Ryan shook his head. “Pretty doesn’t even come close. I don’t think our language has the words to describe her.”
“She must really be something.”
Another mile passed.
“I feel kinda stupid, you know kinda tongue tied when I’m with her.”
“Boy, I know what that’s like.”
“Yeah? So what do you do to get over it?”
“I clench my fists until it hurts. That seems to keep my brain from spazzing out so I can focus.”
“What do you say?”
“If I’m feeling self-conscious, I ask questions and get her to talk. What girl doesn’t like talking about herself?”
“I never thought about that.”
“Listening can help you relax, too.”
They had gone about four miles and decided to turn back. Matt’s breathing became more labored with the cold and they didn’t talk much on the return. Once they reached the Lexus, they stretched out their muscles and Matt continued with his plan. “What’s this girl’s name?”
“Lisa.”
“Have you asked her out?”
“No way. Well, not yet.”
Matt opened the car door and slipped into the driver’s seat. He leaned over and opened the glove compartment, pulled out a box of condoms and tossed them at Ryan. “I’m not telling you to rush things, but if you’re going to start dating you need to be prepared. You never know when it’s going to hit you and you’ll be so crazy you won’t be able to stop. Keeping one in your wallet is like having an insurance policy. You’ll probably never need it but you’ll be damned happy you’ve got it if you do something stupid.”
Ryan stared at the box in his lap.
Matt turned the key.
Red as a third degree sunburn, Ryan stared.
“You okay?”
The box disappeared into Ryan’s pocket. “Yeah.”
Matt smiled. He expected silence on the drive home.
Ryan went up to have a shower and Matt stole a moment with Rebecca. She stepped back, fanning her face at the pall. “You must have worked up quite a sweat.”
“Sorry, I’ll go home and have a shower in a minute. I just wanted to tell you that I had the talk with Ryan and gave him a box of condoms.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rebecca gaped. Should she hit him or kick his sorry butt out of her house? “I asked you to talk and you gave him condoms?”
“Well, yeah. You said talk about safe sex, right?”
“Sure, but your gift is like telling him promiscuous behavior is okay.”
“No, no, no. You’ve got the wrong idea.” Matt spread his palms to his sides. “I explained that condoms are like an insurance policy. If you keep one in your wallet, it’ll be there if you’re caught in an unexpected situation.”
Rebecca folded her arms and tapped her foot. “I can’t believe you did that.”
The pupils of Matt’s eyes constricted to tiny black dots and he turned to leave. Grasping the doorknob he stopped. “Next time you better give me explicit instructions so that I can meet your expectations. Hell, I’ve heard some schools have condom machines in locker rooms.”
T
he door slammed behind him.
***
The moment he jumped into the car, his head throbbed.
What did she expect? Here I take her kid and have the talk. I think I’m doing great and she slams me like I’m some sort of condom pushing sleaze-ball. I didn’t have to have the goddamned talk for Chrissake, that’s her responsibility. Try to help her out and what thanks do I get? Hell, I shouldn’t have told her about the damned condoms anyway—that’s guy stuff.
Matt flew into the condo and jumped in the shower. He turned the water up as hot as his skin could bear and pivoted in a full circle. After standing there with the water splashing his shoulders for a good five minutes, a long, slow sigh whistled past his lips. His mind cleared. Life sure had dealt him some crazy twists. Why did he have to fall for a woman with teenaged kids anyway?
God, at least when he was in Malibu his life was carefree. For one, the weather in Malibu was never this cold. He missed the surf, his friends, the way it was. Walking into a party with a California girl on his arm, he knew he’d have a good time.
Or would I.
His mood darkened as he remembered his arguments with Monica—always about how some guy had poured it on and she would laugh and say that she was teasing. He now wondered how much teasing she did when his back was turned.
Matt reached for the towel.
I’m glad I’m not stuck in a life with Monica but I still miss the beach.
The locals raved about the Jersey Shore. Maybe in the summer he could check it out as an alternative to Malibu. He recalled how excitedly Amanda talked about her upcoming senior trip.
There’s got to be something good about the Atlantic. It’s an ocean, isn’t it?
He slipped on a pair of boxers and tried to imagine Rebecca without any kids. But Ryan and Amanda made Rebecca that much more interesting. Something was always going on over there.
His phone rang. Snatching it up faster than a quick-draw, her number flashed on the screen. He answered.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice sounded softer than usual.
Matt reclined on the bed. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
“I guess I’m a little overprotective of the kids.”
