Top Shelf (Five for Fighting #4)

by Amber Lynn

  “Speaking of our plans for the day,” Jasmine said from the doorway. John startled a little to hear her that close as he was shaking things off. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  The innocent look that light up her eyes told John the apology was a joke. John tried to look annoyed, but the smile he’d had trouble losing made that impossible.

  “For some reason I don’t believe that. If you couldn’t wait to go, there are other bathrooms in the apartment.” John had given her a short tour, and since there weren’t any hallways to really get lost down, he assumed she remembered where everything was.

  John moved his attention away from the naked woman gracing the doorway and flushed the toilet before moving to the sink to wash his hands. He hadn’t had much opportunity to take in her full body, as his body generally covered some of it during their games. Her skin looked kissed from the sun, but she didn’t have a single tan line. John wasn’t sure whether it was natural, she sunbathed nude or she used a lotion to establish the healthy glow.

  “What fun would that be? We’re supposed to be an intimate couple, and I’m sure Meemaw will quiz me about how many times you shake.” John could see an evil smile transform her face in the mirror as he turned the water off.

  “If I hear her ask that, I’m breaking into great detail about the purring noise you make when I lick your inner thigh.” John moved to give her free reign in the bathroom, but she blocked the door.

  “I think you’ll be surprised to hear she’d love all those details, which is actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” John raised an eyebrow, causing Jasmine to smack his bare chest. It wasn’t hard, but his pale skin would briefly carry a red mark in the shape of her hand. “I’m not saying you should share them. What happens in your bedroom is private as far as I’m concerned.”

  Her hand had remained on his chest, and when he saw her arm draw back slightly, he reached up and kept the contact intact. “Good. I don’t have any plans on sharing any details, and I’d prefer more stories about what I’m like in bed don’t see the light of day.”

  “From what I’ve read, it’s all lies. You’d think if they wanted to make up stories, at least they’d make them good. Anyway, back to plans for the day. I need to check in on Meemaw and yesterday when I called she requested you make an appearance. I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you mind coming along?”

  Jasmine looked a little unsure of what his answer would be, as she nibbled on her lower lip. They clearly needed to sit down and actually talk instead of spending all their time in bed.

  “I’m not sure if you remember two days ago, but you did spend a whole lot of money to buy a date with me.” Her lips moved to speak, so John lifted the hand not holding hers to his chest and placed a finger on her lips. “Things have changed, probably more than you know, but that only makes me want to meet the woman who means enough to you to put up with me more.”

  Jasmine lifted her chin up and opened her mouth so the finger resting on her lips slid in her mouth. John let go of her hand and reached around to swat her lightly on the bottom. “Bad girl. We’re talking about going to see your grandma.”

  A wide smile, most likely the largest he’d seen spread across Jasmine’s face as she slowly drew her mouth away from the finger. “I’m still terrified about what’s going to happen when you two get in a room together, but I think it’s a good idea for you to see in person why I’m dedicated to making sure she thinks all her wishes for me are coming true.”

  “And her wishes for you include my goal of making it difficult for you to walk straight?” John started walking, pushing Jasmine backwards to make a little room.

  You’d be surprised. I’m trying to make a list of everything I need to warn you about before you meet her,” Jasmine said as she maneuvered around him to make use of the bathroom.

  John let her go about her business and headed to the closet. She was still without a shirt, and he wasn’t sure he had anything that wouldn’t look like a giant tent on her. He headed to the back of his closet and started thumbing through the various shirts he hadn’t worn in probably years.

  The closet was relatively large as far as John was concerned. It was roughly a ten-by-twenty foot space with wooden rods around the perimeter of three of the walls. Cubby holes for shoes and accessories lined the lower level of the walls.

  “I took the liberty of looking through your clothes yesterday, and I have to say I was a little surprised there wasn’t a spare outfit left behind from one of your previous girlfriends.”

  John snorted at the thought. “I make sure there isn’t a reason for someone to come looking for something they left behind. And if I’m moving on, I even double check under the bed to make sure they didn’t slip something lacy under there to try to retrieve later.”

  “Smart. I can’t very well leave my bra behind, because these girls need all the support they can get.” Jasmine lifted up said girls as she spoke, drawing John’s eyes away from his task. “I may see if I can’t find a good hiding place for my panties, though.”

  “That’s assuming I haven’t already found one for you. I don’t know if you’ve realized, but you’re in a different category than my previous bed buddies.”

  “You know just what to say to make a woman feel special, don’t you?”

  John shrugged. “I try. Look, there’s a lot of crazy thoughts going through my head right now, and I’m trying hard not to complicate things.”

  He turned back to his shirts and grabbed the first one he found, which turned out to be a bright pink dress shirt. He’d forgotten it was even in the closet, but it’d work in the situation. The shirt was one he’d worn a few years back at the first charity ball for the Holcomb Foundation he’d attended.

  “Care to share these crazy thoughts?” Jasmine’s left eyebrow was lifted as she took in the option he presented her. Grabbing it, she took a look at the label inside and did a little shrug of her own. “I can make it work. I don’t think you destroyed my belt, but I better double check.”

  She stepped out of the doorway, presumably to get dressed. John turned to grab a pair of jeans and a shirt for himself. He was just exiting the closet when he heard the shower turn on, and had to grunt. They’d spent plenty of time in the water, they were practically prunes by the time they went to bed.

  The move was completely unexpected since they’d been talking and Jasmine had just asked a question. John wasn’t really ready to answer the question with any level of truthfulness, and maybe she’d realized the mistake it was to ask him. He’d tried to warn her that things seemed to be changing for him, but since he didn’t understand what that really meant, he wasn’t ready to dive into a deep discussion about relationships. His friends would have a good chuckle if they knew the thought was even crossing his mind.

  John saw the shirt he’d provided was thrown on the bed. “Is that a shower for one, or do you want company?” he hollered, hoping she could hear him over the shower.

  “I think we’ve determined you are far superior at making sure I get soap everywhere.” Her voice was muffled by the water, but John heard the demand in it that wasn’t in her words.

  Even though he wasn’t going to the optional practice for the day, his stamina was being tested. It’d probably been a decade since he felt the need to try any marathons, but Jasmine was trying her hardest to see if she could make him tap out.

  Only time would tell if she could, but John had a few aces up his sleeve. Checking in with Meemaw was one of the easiest cards to pull out, and after they were done in the shower, he was all for using it. He just hoped when he finally met the woman he kept hearing about that he’d be able to convince her he and Jasmine were really an item. The crazy thoughts he’d been pondering made him think it wouldn’t be hard to act like the perfect boyfriend.

  Chapter Ten

  Jasmine was in trouble. It was clear she wasn’t the only one having a bit of an issue remembering she wasn’t looking for a relationship. But as John held on to her hand wh
ile he drove towards Meemaw’s, she didn’t bother trying to reclaim her hand. There was something comfortable about the connection, really any connection the two of them could find.

  “Have you ever sat down and really thought about the person you’d eventually find to spend your life with?” Jasmine couldn’t believe the words came out of her mouth.

  She shouldn’t have been trying to find the answer to the question herself, but even with minimal words said between their bouts of entanglement, flashes of what life could be like if she was willing to settle down played in her head. John hadn’t turned out to be the totally in charge man he’d appeared to be when they first met. He was able to take charge, but when Jasmine tried to exert her own dominance, he happily played along.

  “You sure you want to hear the answer to that? According to your directions, we’re only three blocks away.”

  The fact that he didn’t scoff at the question and brush it off only reiterated how things had gone insane within a very short amount of time. The playboy John the internet and tabloids talked about would have gone ahead and described whoever was in the seat next to him, or smartly evaded the question.

  “What in the world have we gotten ourselves into, John?” Jasmine stared out her window, afraid to look anywhere else. By that point they were just houses away from their destination.

  “I have no idea, Princess, but I’m holding on for dear life while we figure it out.”

  “Why do you call me that?”

  Jasmine hazarded a look out the corner of her eye to see John looking out her window at the houses around them. When he came to Meemaw’s, he slowed as he pulled in the driveway. Neither of them made a move to get out of the car as he took the keys out by reaching over the steering wheel with his free hand. The whole stopping of the car would’ve been a lot easier if he was willing to let go of her hand, but evidently he wasn’t.

  “I’m not sure you want to hear that fun little tale,” John answered as he lifted Jasmine’s hand up and kissed it before moving their joined hands down to his thigh.

  “Are you saying it’s not just a pet name you use for the women in your life?”

  “I’m not one to give pet names. I won’t go into the details of what lead up to me coming up with the nickname, but there was booze involved and some intimate dreaming, in which you were very insistent that I should call you that.”

  Jasmine had to laugh at that notion. She liked the sound of the nickname, especially since it was one of the only times she heard the term directed at her without a little venom. Most people snidely called her that after she asked for things on the set. She could be a real witch, but when it was someone’s job to get her refreshments, they really didn’t have cause for the underhanded name-calling.

  “You dreamt of us having sex that first night?” Jasmine hadn’t fallen asleep, so she couldn’t say the same.

  “What can I say? You leave an impression on a guy. So, we getting out?”

  If it was really up to her, they wouldn’t. Chances were Meemaw had heard them pull up and was on her way to the door. She’d probably taken a position there right after Jasmine had called to tell her they were on the way.

  “You do realize we haven’t come up with a story for how long we’ve been together or discussed basic information she might quiz us about, right?” If it was anyone else, they could probably fake it, but Meemaw knew almost everything about Jasmine, and probably more than the average person about John.

  “I figured we could get around that. I haven’t been seen with anyone for a couple months, so it’s up to your night habits as far as the time frame we give. It’s not a lot of time, but I think that will help if she starts quizzing about birthdays or favorite things. I mean just telling her the truth about spending all our time in my bed is probably easier than anything else.”

  “I guess, and we’d probably be safe to leave the time around a month, but it seems like we should’ve been a little more productive with our time, now that I’m looking back at it.”

  “I think we spent it pretty wisely. I’m totally expecting the first words out of her mouth to be asking me where your little heart shape mole is, and I never would’ve known to answer with your left butt cheek.”

  Before she could answer, a knock sounded on the window behind Jasmine. “You’ve been sitting out here for five minutes, and I’m not about to let you convince him to pull out of the driveway and make a run for it. I’m not above standing behind the car, Jasmine.”

  Jasmine smiled and briefly looked over her shoulder to verify she wasn’t dreaming up her grandma’s voice. The older woman looked to have spent a little time putting her hair together and dabbing a bit of makeup on. Maybe a bit was putting it lightly. Jasmine couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen the bright red lipstick that with the rest of the makeup made the paleness she was used to seeing seem a little less.

  She hadn’t been keeping track of time, but if they’d been out there five minutes, Meemaw more than likely started for the car the second they pulled in. The exertion probably helped put a little of the color Jasmine was seeing into Meemaw’s cheeks.

  “I guess that means we should get out of the car.” John squeezed her hand, but didn’t let go. It was clear even though he said the words, he was waiting for her to make the first move.

  “Just take everything she says with a grain of salt if she starts talking about my childhood. Agreed?”

  John laughed and leaned in to kiss her almost delicately on the lips before he finally let go of her hand. “I think it’s her you should be warning,” he whispered. “I have all sorts of ideas of stories I’m going to tell her.”

  “If you’re expecting me to come home with you, I’d rethink that idea.” Jasmine was all smiles as she got out of the sports car. She actually wanted to hear what kind of stories he could come up with, but she preferred not to have an audience for them.

  “Oh, what idea?” Meemaw asked as she held the door open. Her eyes were on John, which Jasmine couldn’t blame her for. Even dressed down in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, the man exuded his alpha nature that made it hard for anyone to look away from him.

  “He’s threatening to tell embarrassing stories about me, and I’m sure you already know how I feel about them.” It wasn’t like Meemaw had had many opportunities since Jasmine had become an adult, but when she was in high school they’d had a few mild arguments when the baby pictures were brought out.

  “Really? Why don’t you introduce us so we can get right down to the story sharing?” Meemaw let Jasmine shut the door, then the woman grabbed her arm and started dragging her to the other side of the vehicle.

  “I thought we were already past introductions, Meemaw,” John said as he hurried over so they could meet closer to house than the street. “We had a lovely talk yesterday, and anytime she gets a chance, Jasmine is always talking about you.”

  The man was smooth, and probably a little too charming for his own good. He was quick to extract Meemaw from Jasmine and practically had her to the door before Jasmine even processed his words.

  “Maybe I should be worried about what embarrassing stories she’s been telling you about me. I can’t believe I didn’t know you two were an item, and believe me, I know just about everything going on in both of your lives, so I would’ve heard the rumors.”

  Jasmine wanted to jump in and diffuse the question, but as she tagged along behind the pair, she was forced to listen. It gave her a chance to take in the sundress Meemaw had worked herself in. It wasn’t something that popped into Jasmine’s mind when she thought of a normal eighty-year-old grandmother, but it was totally Meemaw. The rich purple color looked nice against her somewhat pale skin. It was the way it clung to her shapely curves that made it seem like an odd choice. Meemaw was thin from her weight loss, but she still had it.

  “I don’t know about you, Meemaw, but when you find that special someone, you don’t always want to share them with the world. And we knew the moment we met that we had somethin
g special. Do you think the media would leave us alone if they knew we’d put our serial dating lives on hold to see how things played out between us?”

  John looked over his shoulder at Jasmine, and she almost felt sincerity behind his words. There was a small smile on his face, like he was sorry for revealing some hidden secret. As he held the door open and let Meemaw lead the way in, Jasmine became victim to another quick kiss on her cheek when she made it to the door.

  “That has got to be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I assume Jasmine told you all about my inability to keep my mouth shut when it comes to sharing happy news with my friends.”

  John had closed the door behind them and grabbed Jasmine’s hand as they made their way to the couch. Once they were sure Meemaw was settled in her chair, he pulled her down next to him.

  “She may have mentioned you tend to like to share her accomplishments, and that finding a boyfriend she spent more than a week with was a pretty major accomplishment.”

  Meemaw smacked her knee and laughed, thankfully just one slightly hearty chuckle. Jasmine noticed the table in front of the couch had a pitcher of water along with a plate of cookies and a vegetable tray. Her grandma didn’t tend to go to the trouble, but Jasmine was happy to have something to snack on. She and John still hadn’t managed to find a proper meal, and they seemed to be burning off calories at an alarming rate.

  “I’d say so, which is why I was so surprised to hear the two of you are together. I assume she’s told you about my condition, since she ran straight to you after I told her. If there weren’t pictures of the two of you together from earlier that night, I would’ve thought she’d put you up to pretending you two were together.”

  Jasmine had grabbed a cookie from the tray and just taken a bite of it when she heard the words. The crumbs of cookie she’d chewed about flew out of her mouth, but she managed to swallow before that happened.