“I was gentle. I just wanted to see where he stood. He didn’t need to know that you’d already told me about him. I was just ascertaining his intentions. Your father would’ve given him a much harder time than I did.”
Jayne let out a soft laugh, knowing that was the truth. Her dad would take it as his duty to at least try to scare the ever-living shit out of Seth, all in the name of being a dad. “You weren’t that bad.”
“So he’s your boyfriend, huh?” The happy glow in her mom’s eyes made up for the embarrassment she’d felt earlier.
“Yes. But behave from now on, Mom. You sounded just like Charity for a minute.”
“Why thank you. She learned it from me, though.”
Jayne had a good time catching up with her mom as they put together the ingredients for a simple meal. Jayne filled her in on what the doctor had said, and they reminisced over everything she’d been through. She was reminded of that feeling she’d had back in December, perched on the precipice ready to really start living. Her body still ached a bit with unrelieved tension, reminding her of what she’d hoped to be doing that evening.
“Have you called Grace and Charity to let them know you’re in town?”
“No but I need to.”
While Jayne washed the dishes and tidied the kitchen, her mother sat on the couch with her feet up and chatted on the phone with Grace.
As Jayne returned to the living room, she overheard her mother say, “No, Grace. Jayne hasn’t showed me her tattoo yet.” She nailed her daughter with her blue-green eyes and arched her eyebrow. “But I’ll be sure to ask her about it.”
Jayne thought she heard Grace’s faint voice on the other end of the line, saying, “Oh, crap.”
Her mom chuckled, and they chatted for a minute longer before she ended the call. “So…Can I see?”
“Yes, but it’s not completely healed yet.”
“Where is it?”
Jayne cringed. Practically everywhere!
Somehow, she’d thought that this bit of body art wouldn’t be of any interest to her family members, but she should’ve known that was a mistaken assumption.
Evidently, her face gave her away as her mom said, “Wherever it is, it must be spectacular, if you’re blushing like that. I wanna see.”
She followed Jayne into the bathroom and gasped melodramatically when she revealed it. “Holy crap! I want one!”
“Mom!” Jayne pulled her T-shirt back down and zipped her jeans.
“It’s fabulous! I want a tattoo.”
“Dad would shoot you with a bazooka. You know that.”
“How much?”
Jayne paused for a second and then giggled at her mom’s shocked expression. “He’s not charging you?”
“I don’t know. In our sessions, the price never came up.”
What a dolt! Never once did you think of the cost? I wonder why he never said anything.
“Wow, he must be really, really good if he keeps you so distracted that you never asked how much he’d charge.”
“It just never came up in the conversation.”
“Is he expecting sex from you in return?” Her mom’s eyes went steely in a heartbeat.
“No!”
Jayne’s cheeks filled with heat, and her mom, with her quicksilver moods, switched right back to doting-but-slightly-inappropriate-Mom.
“Oh, you’re still saving it.”
“Mom!”
Her mom hugged her gently. “I’m proud of you for waiting. You won’t regret it. I just took one look at Seth and figured that you might not have been able to resist. He’s hot.”
Kill me now. “Mom! Holy crap! How long are you here for?”
Her mom snorted with laughter. “Okay, I’ll behave. I couldn’t help it. I may be your mom but I’m not blind.”
Chapter Nine
Seth smiled Friday afternoon when he saw the caller ID on his cell phone. “Hello, Jayne.”
Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance. Because of daytime heating, they’d experienced thunderstorms nearly every evening that week.
“Hi, Seth.” Her voice sounded muffled as something rustled in the background. “I miss you. How’s your week been?”
“I miss you too. It’s been okay. Lucy wants to meet you. I told her you were busy with your mom.”
Customers had kept him busy all week, and his houseguest had kept him occupied in the evenings. He was happy to spend time with her but also frustrated. He knew it was much the same for Jayne with her work and her mom, who was evidently a pistol.
“Busy doesn’t begin to cover it. She’s redecorating, Seth. While I’ve been at work every day she’s been redecorating. She says it’s to make up for not coming to see me when I moved in or a latent nesting instinct. I think my mother’s a pod person.”
Seth chuckled, drawing Lucy’s attention from where she was perched on a stool behind the reception counter, leafing through a fashion magazine. “What?”
“She’s a pod person. Not my mom. Some other chick. I swear it.”
“Why do you say that? Has she wrecked your house?”
“Actually, she’d done a pretty good job. She used to never be interested in home fashions but she’s coordinating things and matching things…and accessorizing. I stopped her from painting, since I’m renting, but sheesh.”
“Sounds pretty good to me. So why is she a pod person?”
Lucy arched her eyebrow at that comment, and Seth had a sudden thought that Lucy and Jayne’s mom would probably get on famously. Lucy was all about the accessories. Maybe they’d hit it off if he and Jayne introduced them, opening up a little free time for him and Jayne to see each other.
“She’s…” Something rustled again, and he thought he heard her chewing. “Ow!”
“Are you okay?’
“Yeah, I poked myself.”
“She’s what?”
“She’s all…sexy.”
“What?” Do I want to know?
“She’s sexy. I called Dad.”
“What did he say?”
“He agreed. He thinks she’s sexy too. She was wearing a T-shirt around the house last night that said ‘Damn Sexy’ on it. She said that Grace and Charity got her hooked on Hips and Curves last winter. You know what’s worse?”
“Don’t tell me. Garter belts and stockings?”
“No, Mr. Funny. She was planning to run to the convenience store and I told her she couldn’t go out wearing that T-shirt and you know what she told me? Ow!”
He could hear more rustling and chewing. He could tell she was a little agitated, but he was enjoying this other side of Jayne he was getting a glimpse of. Evidently she had a colorful family just like his.
“Jayne, where are you?”
“Lemme finish. I told her she couldn’t go out dressed like that and you know what she said? ‘I guess that means my “I Have the Pussy So I Make the Rules” T-shirt is out of the question too?’”
Seth burst into laughter that drew Lucy from behind the reception counter to sit next to him so she could hear the conversation. “What did you say?”
“Are you kidding? I was speechless. This is my mom who ran carpools and was president of PTA. When I asked her where she got the ‘Pussy’ T-shirt she said she got it at a biker rally in Austin. Seth, my mom—at a biker rally?” Seth laughed even harder. “What’s so funny? Ow!”
“I was at that rally in Austin, working. I remember the shirt she’s talking about.” If he recalled correctly, it had been displayed with panties that had “Addicted to Fucking” on the butt, but he didn’t mention that part. He bit his lip as he envisioned this funny Jayne on the phone dressed in both.
Jayne was quiet for a second, and then she burst into hearty laughter. “My mom is a total perv, isn’t she?”
“Congratulations, honey. I hope it runs in the family. You didn’t answer my earlier question. Where are you, and why do you keep saying ‘Ow’?”
“I poked myself with a knife. I’m in my closet.” Thun
der rumbled again, a little louder. “Ooh, did you hear that?”
“Yeah, we have another storm in the forecast tonight. Why do you have a knife in the closet? And why are you in the closet?”
“That’s where I hid the fudge. I’m hiding. From my sexy decorator, Energizer Bunny mom. Dad said she’s a real dynamo these days, and I had to make him stop talking. Blech!”
“You’re in the closet hiding, where the fudge is?”
“Yup,” she said, over a bite of chocolate. “How’s Lucy? Can we trade houseguests for a day? Mom could come over and decorate your house. She’s awesome and everything, but I’m getting claustrophobic.”
“Said the woman hiding in the closet…eating fudge.” Lucy covered her mouth with her hand so Jayne wouldn’t hear her snicker but waved at the phone. “Lucy is fine. She says ‘hi.’ She’s been hanging out at the studio the last few days watching the front counter for me.”
“Hi, Jayne,” Lucy called softly. “What kind of fudge you got?”
Jayne giggled in his ear. “Tell her it’s chocolate with pecans.”
She sounded like her sense of humor had returned now that she’d gotten all that off her chest. “Would you like to get together tonight? We don’t have to spend every waking moment with our houseguests, you know. Or they can come with us.”
“Don’t you have plans for this evening yet?”
“No. We could go dancing. Do you think your mom would like to come with us?”
“I don’t know.” He could hear more rustling.
“Careful with that knife.”
“I left it in the closet with the fudge. I may need more later, you never know. Mom? Mom?” Seth heard only silence on his end of call until he heard what sounded like her scampering. “Ew! Oh my gosh, Seth!”
Seth stood up so that Lucy could no longer hear. “What’s the matter?”
“Um,” she said as he heard the sound of a door closing quietly, “I think I almost interrupted my parents…”
“I thought your dad was at home.”
“He is. My mom was on the phone with him. I think they were…”
“Jayne. It’s your mom and dad. How bad could it be?”
“Imagine your mom and dad having phone sex.”
Well, since you put it that way. He had a full-body shudder, and Lucy giggled. “Thanks for planting that in my mind.”
“Now imagine that you know what they sound like.”
“Stop. I got it. Ask her later and get back to me. But you’ll go out with me”—he turned to Lucy for confirmation, and she nodded eagerly and clapped to herself—“with both of us to The Dancing Pony?”
“Sure. As soon as the dynamo is done working Dad over I’ll get a confirmation from her too. I guess the stormy weather makes them horny.” Seth chuckled when he heard her making a gagging sound. “I’ve missed you. I can’t wait to see you. I’m sorry to be such a drama queen-slash-prude. It’s just…”
“Two people making love.” The statement was true, but he secretly enjoyed her reaction to the situation as she shuddered audibly.
“Lalalalalalalaa, I can’t hear you.”
A gust of wind outside blew leaves in swirling eddies along the sidewalk outside, and he noticed the sky had grown a bit darker. “See you tonight, Miss Prude.”
“You got it, handsome.”
* * * *
While rain poured and lightning flashed outside The Dancing Pony, Jayne sat snuggled up to Seth and giggled as she watched Lucy Carter on the dance floor with one of the single cowboys who frequented The Dancing Pony.
After eating supper at O’Reilley’s, they’d made it to the nightclub moments before the rain had started coming down heavily. It had been hot and dry in Divine, and the break in the weather that week had energized Jayne. Of course, she could also attribute that to the reassurance Dr. Hawks had given her when he’d called late that afternoon and told her the blood tests had all been clear.
She leaned against Seth and quietly said, “Don’t take this the wrong way but your sister is kinda hot.” Lucy was dressed in black jeans, blinged-out cowboy boots, and a low-cut, silky top that accentuated her curves and cleavage.
His chest rumbled against her shoulder as he squeezed her to him. “I guess I’ll be beating the cowboys off of her.”
Jayne watched as Lucy grinned at the amorous cowboy and placed one hand on his chest, pushing him back a few inches as she kept the other hand on his shoulder so he knew she had boundaries but didn’t want him to back off entirely. The cowboy flirted with her and kept dancing, his hands still on her hips.
“She seems like she’s doing okay.”
“She’s a pistol.”
“I can tell. Does she like it here?”
“Very much. She told me that she’s thinking about making a permanent move. She’s got loose ends that need tying up in Temple, but she likes it here, and I think a clean slate would be good for her.” He gave her the details about the fire.
“Have the investigators found evidence of arson?”
“The results are inconclusive so far. They’re still looking for her ex-fiancé. His parents sound like elitist snobs. I imagine he’ll turn up soon, with a neat alibi. Want to dance?”
Jayne nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Jayne glanced over at a table near the bar, where her mom sat talking with Grace, Charity, her husband, Justin, and several of their friends. She was willing to bet that when Grace requested a song for the girls, her mom would join them on the dance floor. This new side of her mom was disconcerting, but she was happy to see the zest with which her mom was living her life.
Seth’s hand was warm around hers as he drew her onto the dance floor. “Alone With You” by Jake Owen started to play, and Jayne didn’t have any problem with it when Seth pulled her as close to him as it was possible to get. “Baby, I’ve missed you in the worst way this week.”
“Did you need a cold shower on Monday night?”
“Yes. You?”
“My hands shook all evening. Mom kept me up late talking and I didn’t feel better until after I’d had a hot bath before bed. I missed you even more then.” The telltale burn in her cheeks must’ve hinted to him that she’d needed to take the edge off her tension.
Seth bit his lip and groaned. “Baby…did you touch yourself?”
“You really want to know that?”
“Hell, yes. I’m getting hard just imagining it.”
Jayne felt a tremor of arousal ripple through her, and her smile felt devilish on her lips. Seth groaned again as she giggled. Could she tell him what she’d done? She’d almost felt bad for masturbating when it really and truly was Seth that she’d longed for.
“I couldn’t help it. I thought about you all evening, and what it would be like, and…”
“You needed to come?”
Jayne’s pussy quivered in reaction to his question, imagining that was exactly how he’d say it when they were together. His voice hinted of sins he wanted to commit with her flesh, and she shuddered with renewed need.
Her whisper was faint. “Yes. I needed you.”
“What did you do?”
More heat rushed into her cheeks as she considered how much detail to share. “The bath helped, until I started imagining you in there with me. I dried off, locked my bedroom door, and…got out my toys.”
The gleam in Seth’s eyes was incendiary. He leaned down and kissed her, his tongue sliding seductively across hers, curling her toes inside her cowboy boots. He tugged at her lower lip with his teeth and made a panty-soaking, growly sound. Her cunt clenched hard then reverberated with echoes, making her wonder if she’d had a little orgasm right on the dance floor. Surely not. People didn’t do things like that, did they?
“What kinds of toys, sweet Jayne?”
“Oh…my little vibrator and lube. And…” Oh, man. Do I tell him?
Her hesitation drew Seth’s interest, and he arched his brow. “And what else, baby?”
“Nipple
clamps,” she whispered, hoping no one nearby could read lips.
Seth bit his lip and clamped one hand on her ass cheek as he ground his rock-hard cock against her. She glanced around, but everyone was involved in their own conversations, having a good time. She was so hot, she thought she might crumble to a pile of ash at his feet.
“I’m imagining you in your nipple clamps. What did you do next?”
“I lit candles, turned off the lamps, and got into bed.”
“Naked?”
Jayne giggled, beginning to get into the spirit of their sexy conversation. Part of her couldn’t believe she was talking about playing with herself, and the rest of her was unbelievably turned on and wondering if she’d also enjoy talking dirty. “Yes, naked. The light was dim and the scent from the candles was sexy. I pulled the covers all the way down, lay on the bed, and spread my legs.”
Seth’s eyelids slid shut and he leaned down to press a hot kiss to her shoulder above the neckline of her top. “Go on, storyteller.”
Her heart contracted with delight at his words. “My pussy was so wet from thinking of you, I didn’t need any lube.” She’d been practically dripping by the time she’d opened her legs. “I thought of you, imagining what you’d look like, naked in the candlelight with me.”
“Oh, fuck.” His husky words were drawn out on a groan. His cock was hard and very large, insistent against her abdomen, and her pussy trembled at the thought of being filled tight with his big, hot organ. Sizzling arousal, mixed with a tiny bit of fear for this first experience, filled her, and she hoped that tonight was the night.
“I slid my nipple clamps onto my nipples, nice and tight so they stung, and I felt them with every move I made.” The tension built up in her body as she imagined it along with him. “I slid my fingertips between my pussy lips and stroked my clit, fantasizing that it was your fingers touching me, kissing me…licking me. I turned on my vibrator and rubbed my clit.”
Heather Rainier Page 11
