Tap That!

by Tracey Pedersen

  “Why not? What did you expect?”

  “I have no idea, but not that.” She laughed again, and relief swept through her as he stepped away, scratching the back of his head and looking uncertain for the first time she could remember.

  “I guess we should join the others.” His tone showed his annoyance, and she felt bad for laughing. It was her defence mechanism, though; when she was embarrassed or uncertain, she laughed.

  “Okay. Will you ask them about the calendar idea?”

  He frowned as they fell into step beside each other. “I think I’ll wait until later.”

  “Fine. I’ll get to know them in the meantime.” Silence stretched out between them as she made small talk to distract herself from the memory of his lips on hers. “Why five dates?”

  Wrong choice of topic for distraction!

  “I thought you’d negotiate down to two or three. Ten sounded like a ridiculous starting bid.”

  “I might have agreed to ten.” Again, the words were out before she had time to consider their effect.

  Jasper’s reaction was immediate as she watched the familiar cockiness return to his features. She veered toward Alyssa and he swaggered toward his group of firemen and threw over his shoulder, “I’d have been thrilled with one.”

  ***

  Watching Mimi get friendly with his crew for the next hour annoyed Jasper to no end. The sound of her laughter carried to him more than once as he ran through the site specifics with Frankie and Jason. Just one month into their full-time employment, there was a lot they still needed to learn. Unlike most other careers, on-the-job training as a fireman could get you killed.

  He watched as Ruben explained what to look for to determine the cause of a fire. The investigation for this one was already complete, so it was easier to show the clues and say exactly what they meant. The new recruits watched with interest, and Jasper chuckled as he saw Frankie’s fingers tapping on his leg.

  “Impatient to get past the tutorial?” he asked, slapping him on the shoulder.

  “No, it’s not that. I just really like to take notes; I want to write all of this down and review it later.”

  “School was the time for note taking, but we’re on the job now—hands on.” He grinned as Frankie frowned. “Relax, I’m teasing you. You’ll have plenty of time to take notes. Next time, slip a notepad into the truck and grab it whenever you need it. Don’t put it in your pocket and forget about it, though.” He tapped the yellow coat Frankie wore. “You don’t want a mini fire inside your suit!”

  Shrieks of laughter floated across the remains of the building, and he turned again to see Mimi laughing at something Shawn was telling her.

  Keep that up and you won’t be in the calendar, mate!

  Gritting his teeth, he turned back to see Ruben smirking at him. “Don’t say a damn word,” he growled before storming back to the truck.

  ***

  It was nearly four o’clock before they were ready to leave the site and Jasper hadn’t managed to pin Mimi down to organise their date. As his crew pulled themselves into the truck, he made a final effort to get her alone. He found her giggling at the back of the vehicle at Shawn’s latest joke.

  Jealousy flared in his stomach, but he reminded himself he had no claim on her.

  Claim or not, this has to stop.

  “Shawn, are you ready?”

  The man patted her shoulder and gathered the tools at his feet. “Sure am, Boss. Give me a minute and I’ll be there.”

  “Great. Mimi, can I speak to you before I go, please?”

  Wide eyes turned on him, and he knew with certainty she had been avoiding him all afternoon. He hadn’t just imagined her moving away each time he almost had her alone. He hadn’t imagined her being overly friendly with the crew and following them to avoid standing with him, either. He’d never seen her behave this way; she was usually reserved and kept to herself.

  “I see you can schmooze with the best of them.”

  She laughed and immediately confessed. “I figured I’d get in their good books, so when you float the idea of the photo shoot, they’ll want to do me a favour.”

  “As long as that’s all it was about.”

  “Are you jealous, Jasper?” Her direct question startled him.

  “Maybe. I didn’t want your dance card full before we had a chance to make our plans.”

  “Ahh… the famed five dates. Okay, when do you want the first round to take place?”

  “How about tonight?”

  “You’re keen, huh?” It was Mimi’s turn to be cocky. She stuck out her hip and lifted her hand to blow on her nails while she waited for a reply.

  The nonchalant gesture sent an instant reaction down his spine, and it hit straight between his legs. Watching her tease him sent a flush through him—a sensation he was unfamiliar with. Usually he was the one who controlled the banter, but here she was, taking him on at his own game. A tiny part of him liked it, and he licked his lips at the thought of their upcoming date. When he’d asked her out, he’d thought she was the reserved, sensible girl he remembered from high school. Her antics today proved she was so much more than that. So much more of a challenge.

  Reminding himself that he held the power whenever she was close, he pulled her toward him. Her hand dropped, and she looked up in surprise. Confident he was about to take control of their sexy tug-of-war, he moved to whisper in her ear, “I know what you’re doing and it won’t work. We’re doing the five date thing.”

  “What do you mean?” she breathed. “What am I doing?”

  “You’re tempting me, for one, and I suspect you tried to make me jealous today, laughing and fawning over everyone but me. I’m not immune, you know.”

  “I hope not.” She pushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead and wondered how much teasing he’d endure once he joined the men in the truck. “I wasn’t teasing you on purpose—that was just an added benefit. I really was trying to network with the boys. We need the calendar.”

  “I know you do, and I said I’d help. That’s not at the top of my agenda right now, though. Can I pick you up tonight? Chris’s café has an awesome menu on Thursday nights I’ve been dying to try.”

  “The café on the corner in the junction? I can meet you there, if you’d like.”

  “Are you insisting, or do I have a choice?” It was his turn to push her hair out of her eyes as a breeze kicked up. He resisted the urge to smile as she jumped.

  “Give me your phone.” He handed it over, and as her fingers moved over the screen, he could have sworn he heard a cheer from the direction of the truck. “There you go. Get me at six thirty—that should give me time to get home and shower.”

  “I could come early,” promise glittered in his eyes, “and help you wash your back, or something.”

  She leaned forward to brush her lips lightly against his. “Play your cards right and I just might let you do that one day.”

  Heat burst through him again, but it was quickly extinguished as she pulled away and let the cold air rush into her place. Before he could say another word, she’d set off across the bitumen toward the tiny office, leaving him standing there with his mouth hanging open.

  At that exact moment, Ruben leaned out of the truck and called, “Hey, lover boy, we’ve had enough of the show. Let’s go!”

  Chapter Two

  At exactly six thirty, Jasper banged on the door of the neat, white house at 22 Mayston Street. He’d been tempted to arrive early and joke about following through to help her get ready, but he didn’t want to scare her off. It was bad enough he’d had to bribe her to go on a date with him.

  That’s something I’ll never confess to anyone.

  His heart beat a little faster when she opened the door to reveal tight, black pants and an equally tight, black shirt clinging to her tiny frame. She grabbed a jacket from the hallstand, pushed her cat outside, and closed the door behind her. When they had wrangled her old gate closed, she suggested they walk the two blocks to
the café. He fell into step beside her, and they quickly walked the short distance, sharing tales of the crazy felines they’d owned over the years.

  As soon as they were seated, he filled her in on his meeting with the boys after work. “So, they’re keen. They all wanted to know if they have to be naked.”

  She laughed. “What’s their preference?”

  “Fifty-fifty. Some were dead keen to drop their pants while others were worried what their mums or wives might think.”

  “How about you?”

  “Oh, I’m all in—you know that. I’ll do whatever you ask. My mum will be fine with it.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” She chuckled as she marvelled at the turn of events that had her eating dinner with Jasper Collins. Admittedly, it was only in a café in their neighbourhood—he wasn’t taking her anywhere fancy, like a real date—but it was fun nonetheless. Maybe if she wore more makeup, or got around town in her jeans a bit less he might have considered taking her into the city.

  “When will you know when we can start?”

  “It will all depend on the printer and photographer. Tomorrow, we’ll start contacting people and see what we can come up with. We want to move fast so we can get the money in quickly and start the repairs. As soon as I have some information, I’ll let you know.”

  “Great.” He glanced past her, “Hang on.” He pushed his chair back and rushed to the door where he helped a woman in a wheelchair navigate the narrow opening. He held the door open until she was all the way through and then he cleared chairs out of the way, so she could move to a vacant table. He wished her a good night and returned to sit down as their waiter came to the table.

  “Hey, Jasper, good to see you.”

  “Chris! How are you? How’s business?”

  The waiter looked around and indicated the nearly full restaurant. “As you can see, we’re doing well. Busy everyday, which is nice.”

  “This is Mimi Fletcher. Chris owns this fine establishment.”

  “Well, the bank owns a nice chunk, but I’m getting there. What can I get you two?”

  “I haven’t really had time to look but, umm… I’ll have the lasagne.” Mimi handed her menu back as Chris poured water for them both.

  “You, Jasper?”

  “I’m going to go with the steak. Easy on the salad, eh? I don’t want to turn green.”

  “You really need to eat better. You can lecture him about that, Mimi, while I add extra vegetables to his plate. Talk later, bro.” He slapped Jasper on the shoulder as he walked away.

  Jasper grinned at her. “Every time I come here, he gives me a lecture about my eating habits. I don’t know why I keep coming back.”

  “How do you know him?”

  “We were in university together. We had a crossover course in business one day a week. I hated it, and he aced every exam, so we joined forces.”

  “What did he get out of that partnership?”

  “He got invited along each week when I went on a date. Win-win.” He grinned at her as he sipped his water, and she was reminded of how many women must have passed through his bed.

  ***

  The walk home was pleasant, and Jasper held her hand and ran his thumb across her skin. The night air was warm, and she was relaxed from the time they’d spent together. As they got closer to her house, her nervousness increased. Would he want to kiss her goodnight? Did she want him to? Would he ask to come inside for a drink? Was that code for something extra, or just a genuine wish to continue the night for a few more minutes? She was so rusty on dating practices that she simply had no idea.

  You want him to kiss you again. You want a lot more than that!

  Of course she wanted him to kiss her—and not just because he’d set her blood on fire this afternoon. It was all she’d thought about through high school, and the thought had occasionally surfaced when she saw Jasper out and about in the years since. She’d long ago given up any notion that he might notice her, however, and now that she was walking down the street holding his hand, she had no idea what to expect.

  He opened her gate and ushered her through, ducking to avoid the roses that had hit him on the way in. She dug around in her bag for her keys, but he pulled her attention back to him with a gentle lift of her chin. As he stared into her eyes, her hand stilled inside her bag. She watched his lips creep closer to hers, and time seemed to stand still as her body responded to the memory of being kissed next to the fire truck. She had let herself go, throwing her usual caution aside and blatantly asking him to kiss her. She knew in this instant that she would willingly do it again.

  As his mouth pressed against hers, every part of her body relaxed. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her as he gently explored her lips. Her body pressed against his without waiting for an invitation, and somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice thanked her for leaving the outside light off. He groaned against her in the darkness, making a thrill whip through her.

  Jasper Collins groans when he kisses me!

  She slipped her arms around his neck like she had done when they’d kissed against the truck; he pressed himself closer. One quick step and he had her backed against the wall, his hands moving to either side of her face as he continued his exploration of her mouth. The sexiness of this pose overwhelmed her and she almost forgot to breathe. None of her daydreams had prepared her for the reality of kissing Jasper.

  She parted her legs slightly and he moved to fill the space with his own. His obvious hardness surprised her, and she almost panicked and pulled away. He slid his hands around to bury them in her hair, though, as he held her mouth firmly against his. Their tongues intertwined, and he teased her as he ground against her, tasting her and promising more.

  A bite on her lower lip sent a wave of pleasure down to her toes, and she slipped her fingers inside the neck of his shirt. Feeling his bare skin for the first time increased her excitement, and she didn’t flinch when his hands slipped down to cup her ass. He squeezed and kneaded, and for a moment, she wished his hands were inside her jeans.

  If only I’d worn a skirt…

  The thought of his warm fingers exploring inside her clothing made the throb between her legs pick up speed. His fingers dug into her ass and pulled her hard against him while he moved her pelvis back and forth against his rock solid thigh. It was her turn to moan with pleasure—his expert hands knew just how to mould her to his shape.

  She gasped as he moved one hand and his thumb grazed the side of her breast.

  Oh God. Don’t stop. Don’t stop!

  Heavy breathing punctuated the silence around them as he rubbed gently across her clothing, teasing her nipple—

  ***

  Jasper couldn’t believe how sensible Mimi Fletcher responded to his awkward kiss. He expected a chaste goodbye and to make plans for their next date, but instead, he lost control and started mauling her the moment she was close. Their kiss earlier in the day was fresh in his memory and he was unable to leave without tasting her again.

  To his surprise, she absorbed the feel of him, encouraging him with her gasps and sighs. Her tongue was like heaven as she ran it across his lips and let him explore her mouth. It was dark and he was overcome by passion, pushing her hard against the wall and holding her face to get the most of her sensual lips.

  He wanted her—wanted to glide into her warm, wet recesses, throb deep inside, and satisfy his searing need.

  It’s our first date, not a one-night stand. Get a grip, you idiot!

  The onslaught of raw, desperate desire he felt in her presence surprised him. When he sought, she responded. When he tasted, she rewarded him with low, sultry sounds. His erection was out of control and he worried he’d scare her off when he pressed her against it. Instead, she slipped her fingers inside his shirt, her light touch on the sensitive back of his neck urging him on and making him bold enough to explore the maddening contours of her ass—an ass he’d admired all day. He rocked her against him, wanting to please her, an
d her low moan shot fissures of excitement straight to his dick. Her gasp as his thumb brushed across her nipple made his mouth water.

  He wanted to fill her and feel her final eruption tighten around him.

  He needed to get the hell out of here before he did something crazy!

  ***

  Jasper wrenched himself away, and his sudden movement jolted Mimi back to reality. Embarrassment flooded through her as she glimpsed the look of distaste on his face in the dim light. She’d gotten carried away and wrapped her hands around his neck, so he couldn’t escape—no wonder he had to drag himself free. Had it really been so long since she’d been with a man that she’d latch onto the first one to ask her out?

  Her first defence in any awkward situation was to laugh, and she employed that tactic now as a tight giggle escaped. “Phew, Jasper. You better get home. There’s nothing like being stuck in the clutches of a desperate woman.” She dug around in her bag, willing the keys to magically appear in her hand, so she could get inside and put the solid door between them.

  Why did I leave that damn light off?

  He stilled her hand again, just like he had before she embarrassed herself. “Hey, it’s not like that.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s our first date. We have four more chances to get hot and heavy.”

  She laughed again, a hollow sound. “Don’t worry—you’re safe from me from now on.”

  “What are you talking about? I asked you out, didn’t I?”

  “You did, and all I’ve done since then is demand that you kiss me and then pounce on you after dinner. I’m sorry.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Mimi. I wanted to kiss you—both times—I promise. In fact, I’d like to see you tomorrow to kiss you again.”

  She smiled. “I don’t have any free time tomorrow. I have my own work to do and then Alyssa and I are making plans for the calendar. I won’t be home until really late.” Regret was etched into every word.