“Why not? I’m thinking about starting an exercise program, and he’s the person to ask since he’s my doctor and clearly works out, right?”
“Well, obviously he does.” She groaned inwardly as soon as the words left her mouth. Learn when to shut up, Kate.
Jake cleared his throat. “I have some books I can lend you on the subject.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
Kate shifted in her seat and turned to her younger son, hoping to clear the tension in the room. “Drew, did you have fun today?”
“You bet. Me and a bunch of guys had a contest and I won.”
“What was the contest?”
“Whose mom is the hottest MILF.”
Frozen with her wine glass halfway to her lips, the air whooshed from her lungs. Water sprayed from Jake’s mouth onto his nearly empty plate.
Alex’s head jerked in his brother’s direction. “Dude!”
“What? She doesn’t know what that means.” Drew stared at her, his eyes rounded in horror. “Do you?”
“Yes, I do. How do you know?”
Alex slapped his mother’s shoulder. “Aw, c’mon, Ma. You should be flattered. That’s the second year in a row you’ve won.”
“You should not be having contests like that.” Kate’s face burned so hot she feared she might set her napkin ablaze.
“Why not? I won fair and square. Right, Coach?”
Jake’s eyes shifted from her to Drew. “I-I. Uh…”
“What’s the big deal?” her son continued. “I mean, Billy told me his dad saw you in a bathing suit and couldn’t believe you had two kids.”
Kate slammed her hand down on the table. “That’s enough!”
Drew stared at her as if she’d just taken away Christmas. “I’m sorry. I thought you’d be flattered.”
“Dr. Harris, I apologize for my sons’ behavior. They're usually very polite and courteous when we have company.” She finally found the courage to meet his eyes. His bottom lip clenched between his teeth. “You think this is funny?”
“I think it’s outrageous.”
She balled her hands into fist. “I don’t see what’s so hysterical about this.”
“Oh, come on, Kate. If I had a mom who looked like you, I’d probably have the same contest.”
She gaped at him, her pulse rocketing that he thought she deserved the title.
“I, uh—maybe.” He grew interested in tracing a pattern with his fork in the tomato sauce on his plate.
Kate lowered her head into her hands, feeling like she stood in front of him, naked. “Boys, help me clean up.” She grabbed her dish and rose from her seat.
They’d cleared most of the table before Alex took her aside. “What’s for dessert?”
“Oh, dear. I don’t have anything. I’ll run to the corner store.”
“Drew and I will go. You can finish the kitchen.”
“How about I go to the store and you finish the kitchen?”
Even though she was alone with Jake several times during the day, being in her home made the situation more intimate. Much scarier.
“Ha, ha, ha, no. We’ll go.” Alex held out his hand. Kate gave him some money and sent them off.
She returned to the dining room and collected the rest of the dishes. “The boys will be right back. They went to get dessert.”
Jake jumped up and gathered the wineglasses. “Why did you do that? I have dessert at my house.”
“Of course you do. Several different kinds of anything sugary, I’m sure.” She walked into the kitchen and placed the dishes next to the sink.
Jake leaned against the counter. “Thank you for inviting me.”
Kate busied herself with filling the dishwasher, attempting to ignore the adorable way he arranged the utensils into groups. “Well, I’m a little upset with myself. I usually would’ve invited a new neighbor over long before now. I shouldn’t have waited just because you’re my boss.”
“Hey, don’t forget lunch and coffee. Maybe someday soon I can return the favor.”
She smiled at his offer. “That’s not necessary.”
“I know.” His gaze felt heavy on her face, but she wouldn’t—she couldn’t—look at him. Because she knew if she did, gooey things would happen to her, making it hard to speak. “You’re a very generous and caring person, Kate.”
Great. After all that, she felt gooey anyway. Change of subject. Fast! “You don’t go out much?” She finally braved a glance at him.
He shook his head.
“Not even with friends?”
“I don’t have any out here.”
She ran the dirty casserole dish under the stream of water. “I hadn’t realized.”
Jake shrugged.
“Well, I can think of least one person who’d love to go out with you.”
He gulped. “W-who?”
“I’ll give you a hint. She wears bright red lipstick that’s hard to get off.”
“Oh, God.” He lowered his face into his hands.
Kate grinned. “That’s really sweet.”
“What?”
“The way you are with women. You have—I dunno—there’s kind of an innocence about you.” Finished with the pots, she reached for the coffee and set it up for dessert. “And you wonder why I treat you like a kid.”
“As your boss, I feel I should leave the conversation at that, but as a man, I must say there’s a point where my innocence ends.”
Kate raised her hands in submission. “Whatever you say, Doc.” She turned on the dishwasher. “The boys should be back soon. Do you want to sit by the pool?”
“Sure.”
After grabbing a few bottles of water, they settled into lounge chairs. Damn, why did he have to pick the lounge right next to her? His hand brushed hers as he placed his bottle between them on the patio. Heat radiated up her arm. She jerked it away, staring into the sky. Fluffy pink and lavender clouds. Pretty, but not enough to get her mind off how close Jake was.
“Kate, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“What’s a MILF?”
She gripped her bottle so hard it nearly burst. He can’t be serious. “You’ve never heard that term before?”
“I have, but I’ve never figured out what it meant.”
Relax, silly, you’re an adult. Stop acting like a shy teenager. “It means mother I’d like to, um…”
He quirked a brow. “Fuck?”
Narrowing her eyes, she studied the grin on his face. “You already knew, didn’t you?”
“I just wanted to see if you’d answer me.”
She unscrewed the bottle cap from her water. “That was a bratty thing to do.”
“Brattiness is for kids.” Jake swung his legs over the edge of the lounge and leaned closer to her. “I told you, there’s a point where the innocence ends.”
Her heart pounded as the sensual waves of desire washed over her. She fought like hell not to dump the contents of her bottle over his head. Or better yet, hers, if only to cool herself down.
“I can see that.” She focused her stare on the sky again. “Kiddo.”
Jake backed away with a sigh.
Crisis averted.
***
“How about cookies?”
Alex shook his head. “Boring.”
“You don’t want cake, you don’t want cookies, and you don’t want doughnuts.” Drew threw his hands in the air. “What’s left?”
“I don’t know. The actors on those soap operas are always eating chocolate candies or chocolate covered strawberries or something.”
“So why can’t we get a chocolate bar?”
“Nah, they eat those little round ones. The ones we don’t like.”
Drew picked up a package of dark chocolate truffles. “Should we get them anyway?”
“Don’t you think Mom will find it odd if we buy something we don’t like?”
“Yeah. Damn, I hate how smart she is.”
“Hey, guys!”
> Alex gulped as Jaime Marsh and her younger sister Sammie approached them. Tall, pretty Jaime had the best smile and the shiniest dark brown hair he’d ever seen. His insides twisted every time she looked at him.
His squeaked out “hi” was overshadowed by Drew’s suave, “Ladies, always a pleasure.” He gave a small bow, and the girls giggled.
Where the hell had Drew learned to be so cool around girls? And he was only friggin’ thirteen! Meanwhile, Alex’s tongue felt two sizes too big for his mouth.
“Are you guys enjoying your summer so far? I can’t believe how hot and humid it is,” Jaime said, but her eyes stayed with Alex.
“Pretty good.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve been in the pool a lot.”
“Check this out.” Drew stuck out his leg and ran his finger along the new scar on his shin. “Sixteen stitches.”
Sammie gasped. “You got hurt again?”
“What can I say? I play hard.”
As Alex watched his brother show off his battle scars to the girls, a gloomy knot grew in his gut. If Dad were here, he could teach him how to be charming and confident.
He wished he had someone to talk to, but his friends would tease him unmercifully. Confiding in his mom just made him shudder, and he feared his uncles would still treat him like a little kid.
Coach wouldn’t.
At the thought of their dinner guest, Alex nudged Drew. “We better get moving. Mom’s waiting.”
“We should, too.” Jaime gave Alex a shy smile. “Was good seeing you.”
“Cool. Yeah… cool.” Groan! God, he sucked.
“Jaime, Sammie. I hope we run into you again soon.” Drew offered a wave as they moved toward the register.
Alex waited until they were out of earshot, wanting now to just get home. “So what do we get?”
Drew scanned the store, until eyes locked on the freezers. “How about ice cream?”
“Oh, yeah! For some weird reason, Dad used to love watching Mom lick ice cream cones.” He grabbed a half gallon of vanilla and a box of cones. Maybe he wasn’t the smoothest guy in school, but at least he knew how to plan. “This is going be so cool.”
Chapter Nine
“KATE, ARE YOU OKAY?” Jake asked, after she’d checked her watch for the third time in under two minutes.
“The boys don’t usually take this long at the store.” She turned in the lounge chair and glanced toward the house.
“I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I know I worry too much.”
Jake understood how she felt. “It’s a lot harder when you’ve lost someone close to you. It makes it more real.”
Cringing at the note of sadness in his voice, he forced a smile. That didn’t seem to fool her, if her questioning stare was anything to go by. He turned away before she could ask any questions.
“You ready for coffee or would you prefer something else?”
He ran fingers through his hair. What he needed was a shot of whiskey. “Do you have any beer?”
“Beer? Oh, that’s right. The drinking age is twenty-one.”
Jake stopped scratching his head. What the hell did the drinking age have to do with her having beer? “Yeah, so?”
“Just checking. I’m sorry. I don’t have any.”
He rose from his chair. “I’ll go home and get one.”
“I have wine, iced tea, and soda. There’s no need to leave.”
“No biggie. I’ll just hop the fence.”
In one fluid motion, he scaled the four foot wooden fence, feeling Kate’s eyes on him. He glanced over his shoulder. She stared, her tongue sweeping over her lower lip. Jake’s cock jumped to attention. God, to feel that tongue on him.
As if realizing she was ogling, Kate offered a small wave and hurried inside.
Adjusting his shorts, Jake gingerly entered his house. He rushed over to the fridge and grabbed a beer, running the cool bottle over his face. His heart pounded against his ribs. Not working. Undoinghis zipper, he shoved the cold bottle into his shorts. The sudden temperature change had the desired effect. If he kept this up, he was going to need some ‘alone time’ real soon.
Jake waited until his shorts hung a little looser before heading back over the fence. Kate and the boys walked out with dessert.
“Oh, good, perfect timing. I hope you like ice cream—look who I’m asking.” Kate handed over a cone. “Of course you do. You like anything sweet.”
Taking it from her, he wiggled his eyebrows. “What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.”
He sat down on the lounge and licked his dessert. The smooth, creamy vanilla slid down his throat. “Mm, this is good.”
“Isn’t it? It was already semi-soft by the time the boys got home.”
Semi-soft. If only.
Jake almost dropped the ice cream in his lap as Kate closed her eyes and ran her tongue across the side of the cone, savoring every drop.
She licked her lips and went for another taste. He never saw anyone make love to ice cream before, but that’s exactly how she ate it; as if it were a sexual experience.
Swallowing hard, Jake imagined again what she could do with that tongue, how she would catch his eye as she ran it up the length of his cock. That dollop of ice cream at the corner of her mouth beckoned him. His body shook from suppressing the urge to lean forward and swipe that cool cream from her lips.
Cold penetrated his hand. He jerked out of his daydream as ice cream dripped over his fingers. “Oh, jeez!” He sat forward so as not to make a mess of his shorts.
“Drew, please get Dr. Harris a napkin.”
“No, I need to wash my hands.” He got to his feet.
She hopped up as well. “I’ll help.”
Jake closed his eyes and breathed in as she walked past. The sweet, refreshing scent of gardenias filled his nostrils. “Really, Kate, I think I can wash my own hands.”
“And how are you going to do that while holding a cone?”
Okay, good point. Still, did she have to talk to him like she would one of their patients?
Anger bubbled inside him as she took his dessert and tipped the cone into a bowl. He had the sudden urge to pull her close and show her how much of a man he really was, but her sons were right outside.
Not that it mattered. She would probably laugh at him and pat him on the head before sending him home because it was past his bedtime.
And that really pissed him off.
Drew opened the sliding glass door, Alex right behind him. “Gosh, it’s hot. And the friggin’ mosquitoes are coming out. Coach, you wanna play a video game?”
Kate mussed her son’s hair. “I’m sure Dr. Harris doesn’t—”
“Video games?” Jake perked up.
“On second thought, maybe that’s a good idea. You go ahead. I’ll bring in the coffee.”
The guys headed off to Drew’s room while Kate filled two mugs. She grinned as she listened to the hoots and hollers echoing from her son’s room, Jake being the most vocal.
He really did have a special way with children. Obviously her kids were not immune.
After one last wipe of the kitchen counters, she took the cups and went to join the fun.
All three sat on Drew’s bed, so intent on their game they didn’t notice her standing in the doorway.
“Ah, you beat me again!” Jake handed the controller to Alex. “Your turn and I’ll play the winner.”
“That’ll be me,” Drew boasted.
Kate leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb. “Of course you’ll win. You do nothing but play this and football.”
Alex jumped up from the bed and grabbed the coffees from her, placing them on the side table before taking her hand. “Come on, Mom. You play, too.”
“Me?” Her son dragged her into his room. “I don’t know how.”
“It’s easy,” he said.
“Yeah, come on, Kate,” Jake added. “Give it a try.”
Her oldest child sat her down next to Jake. Drew put the controller in her ha
nd and explained the different controls.
Kate stared at the foreign object, trying to remember what each button was for. “Uh, okay.”
Jake nudged her with his elbow. “I’ll go easy on you.”
“Thanks.” She started the game determined to wipe that smug grin off his face. It took a few minutes for Kate to get the hang of it, but once she did, she was hooked.
Steering her tiny red Porsche, she swerved around the other cars and managed to force Jake’s black Camaro into the wall. “Ha!”
“Hey, that’s mean.”
“Isn’t that the way to play?”
“Yeah, but I was going easy on you.”
She maneuvered the Porsche around other cars until the game stopped and the screen flashed winner, player two. “I won?” Kate jumped to her feet and did a little dance.
Jake snorted. “Let’s play again.”
“You don’t like to lose, do you?” She sat. Ready and willing to kick his ass again.
“I don’t like to lose to a cheater.”
“I did not cheat. Did I, boys?”
Alex raised his hands and backed up. “I’m staying out of this. Hey, Drew, don’t we have that other game in my room?”
“What other game?”
Alex swatted him on the back of the head.
“Oh, that game. I think you used it last. Let’s go get it.” Drew followed his brother out the door.
Kate chuckled at her sons’ playful bickering as they climbed the stairs. Jake took full advantage of her momentary loss of concentration and pushed her car into a tree.
“Hey!”
“That’s the way you play, Kate.”
She focused hard, enjoying the rush of competition. They were neck-and-neck. Then Jake hit rogue tumbleweed and spun out just as Kate crossed the finish line.
“Yes! In your face, Harris!”
He glared at her. “You’re fired.”
“Oh, right, as if you could get along without me.” She nudged his shoulder with hers, offering a wicked grin. “C’mon, let’s play again. You know you want to.”
Jake’s eyes bored into hers. “Yeah, I want to.”
Kate’s grin melted, the air turning hot. Desperate to dampen her suddenly dry lips—she’d need a whole tube of lip balm at this rate—she quickly swiped her tongue over them.
Crazy Little Thing Called Matchmaking Page 7
