“This has nothing to do with feelings,” I challenged as I ran my hand down his back and around his hip to rub provocatively against his rock hard length. I hadn’t had many lovers but I knew enough to know he was exceptional and I was more than curious about how he’d feel buried deep inside of me. His head reared up at my touch and he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth with a gasp when I enclosed him tightly in my hand.
“This is just physical need JT,” I murmured. “Don’t get me wrong, babe. I’m definitely enjoying your desire. But what I really want to know is what you’re feeling in here.” My hand traveled up to rest on his heart.
“Lord knows I wish I could explain what I feel when I’m around you.” He pulled back and took a step away from me while running his fingers through his hair and exhaling deeply. “I’m trying desperately not to feel anything. You’re my best friend’s sister for crying out loud. Not just any old friend; but my best friend since birth. What if we pursue this relationship and things fall apart? Have you thought about that Jordan?”
He paused a moment as if needing to collect himself before choking out the next logical consequence. “Jordan your whole family…well…you’re the only family I’ve got besides my brother Derek. If I lost all of you…”
When his voice cracked on the last words, my heart ached with the force of an alligator snapping at its prey. I reached out to grab his hand and felt ashamed for pushing him so hard. The thought had never crossed my mind until he’d spoken the words. What if, indeed? JT’s only living relative was his Aunt Mary and she lived thousands of miles away. He barely knew her. But my family had always been JT’s home away from home—even before his parents had died—and even more so after they were gone. Was it selfish of me to want to push him into seeing where a relationship might take us?
“But you won’t lose us,” I reassured him. “We’ve known each other our whole lives. The last four weeks have been amazing with you. I know what I feel and I don’t think there’s anyone else out there who’s as wonderful as you are.”
“You can’t know for sure.” He leaned against the storage room shelving and stared at a spot above my left shoulder. “You haven’t even been on a second date with any of the morons you’ve met. What if you’re just attracted to me because you subconsciously want to fulfill Grannie’s wishes and compared to all the deadbeats you’ve met, I’m looking pretty damn good?”
I knew he was trying to be serious but I couldn’t help the grin that tugged at the corner of my mouth. “You think I’m attracted to you just because of Grannie? That’d I’d risk pissing off my brother and shackling myself to someone to make someone else happy? Well then you don’t know me very well.”
“Maybe you have a point,” he conceded and slowly approached me again. “But I’m not going to be bullied into rushing into a relationship. The timing isn’t right.”
“So all those things you said to Jared earlier about you being unable to commit to a relationship now. That was meant for me?”
“Jordan,” he sighed and leaned down to brush his lips softly against mine. “The pressure is too much. I can’t support you and give you the attention you deserve over the next year while I’m finishing college.”
“You can’t,” I said, raising a brow to him. “Or you won’t?”
“I don’t know.”
I stared into his deep blue eyes and hesitated at the depth of pain and confusion I saw reflected back at me. There was some validity in what he’d said to me. But I wasn’t willing to give up on him. He was going to be mine eventually.
“Ok. Take your time and figure it out. But in the meantime I’m going to continue dating to give Grannie hope and to prove to you and me that you’re The One.”
***
J.T.
I gazed down at Jordan’s pert expression and knew she had me by the balls. I couldn’t tell her that I wasn’t willing to commit to a relationship, yet still expect her to abstain from dating other men. Hell! I’d basically challenged her to find someone better. But that didn’t mean the idea sat well in my gut. I consoled myself with the knowledge that she hadn’t found a single kiss-worthy date in the past four weeks. Until it dawned on me that the odds were now probably in favor of her meeting someone who wasn’t a complete idiot. They couldn’t all be jerks.
“Fair enough,” I said, trailing a finger along her bottom lip. “But before we go back up, I think it only right to remind you of what it feels like to kiss a frog…or perhaps a prince. That’s for you to decide.”
A burst of emotion exploded in my stomach, like fireworks on the Fourth of July, as I watched the desire light up in her dark eyes at my slow, deliberate descent to her mouth. I focused on her lips, deciding on the best course of worship; slow exploration of every nook and cranny or red hot branding? As my lips found hers, I pulled her body against mine, gently enclosing her in my arms, and I knew this was a kiss of pure love. Not a kiss stolen in front of a camera or fueled by alcohol or anger. But a kiss meant to brand her with the depth of my feelings. She may be going on other dates but she’d damn well remember this kiss…and me. My hands explored her back and bottom at the same torturously slow pace as my tongue traced her lip and then I slipped it into her mouth to find hers. Her tongue was pure silk against mine, warm and delicious.
I had no idea how long the kiss would have lasted if the heavy pounding on the stairs hadn’t warned me of someone headed down to the basement. I reluctantly pulled back and straightened my shirt as Jordan did the same. She quickly grabbed for the box of trash bags and we both turned to see Derek come around the corner towards the storage room.
“There you are.” He reached out for the box of trash bags. “Awesome. Aunt Mary sent me down here to get these. Everyone’s pretty much done eating. Almost time for the cake.”
We followed Derek back up the stairs. My head reeled with everything that had happened in the last thirty minutes. What the heck was I going to do? I needed time to think.
“Mike should be here soon,” I said, glancing over at Jordan. “Did you know he’s a DJ in his spare time? He agreed to come over for a few hours to entertain all of the kids.”
Derek shot me an irritated glance. He hated when I called him a kid. Maybe it was time for me to accept that my little brother had finally grown up. He’d be eighteen by the end of the summer and could technically make his own decisions then.
“Most of my friends should be here soon,” Derek said. “Can’t wait to show off my new wheels. Promise you’ll stay, Jordan. It’ll be a good time.”
She nodded her head and smiled at him. “Of course I’ll stay. But you have to promise to take me for a ride soon in your car. You know I’m jealous, right? I can’t believe Grannie got you a Camaro when she knows it is my favorite car.”
A sheepish grin appeared on his face. “You bet. Just name the day.”
We all hung around with Mike as he set up his gear. Mike teased Jordan relentlessly about her date the night before and her miraculous recovery from what he deemed to be a certain hangover. I fulfilled my hosting duties as the majority of the older neighbors cleared out of the party just as the younger crowd trickled in. I kept a tight lid on the beer, making it clear to my brother that any underage drinking would put an immediate end to the party. I couldn’t afford to be busted for supplying alcohol to minors.
The rest of the evening passed enjoyably. We all danced as a group and I felt certain that Chloe had gotten the message that I wasn’t interested in her. She seemed to have redirected her full attention to Jared who was only too happy to focus all of his energy on her. It gave me the opportunity for a little sexy dancing with Jordan that I otherwise wouldn’t have dared to do. Jared could be so clueless about his surroundings when he was into a girl.
When day turned to night and we’d had our fill of dancing, Jordan and I made our way over to sit down with my Aunt Mary, Mrs. Billette and Grannie, who entertained us for an hour with stories from their youth; stories that included both my parents and Jordan
’s father. I smiled over at Jordan knowing she was every bit as glued to their words as I was. She’d only been eight when her father had died of a brain aneurysm. Her memories of him must be somewhat fuzzy whereas my memories of my parents were as clear as day.
“I hate to be the one to break up the fun,” Grannie said. “But it’s well past my bedtime.”
“Of course,” Mary said, standing up from her chair. “You must be exhausted. Please allow me to drive you ladies home on my way back to the hotel.”
Grannie patted Jordan on the arm and turned to her daughter-in-law. “Just give me a few minutes alone with JT.” Grannie waited for them to walk away before she dug an envelope out of her purse and handed it to me. Taking my hand into hers, she locked her eyes on mine and spoke from the heart.
“Congratulations in advance for obtaining your Masters in Accounting. Very likely I won’t be here for the actual graduation party so I want to give this to you now. Go ahead. What’re you waiting for? I want to watch you open it…so it’ll...be as if I was there to celebrate with you.”
“Grannie,” I started but paused to swallow and clear the sudden lump in my throat. “You don’t have to do this.”
I squeezed her hand and then tore open the card. It was your typical graduation card…best wishes…and all that stuff. But the check for twenty-five grand written out to my name was anything but typical. My jaw dropped at the sight of such a substantial amount of money. It was an incredibly sweet gesture.
I lifted my head to meet her eyes dead on. “You know I can’t accept this Grannie.”
“I know no such thing,” she said in a stern, don’t-even-think-about-arguing-with-me sort of tone. I sighed. This was going to be a fight and I didn’t want to argue with Grannie. But there was no help for it.
“This money should go to Mrs. Billette or Jared or Jordan in the future.”
“What? You think because they’re my blood relatives, I should give this money to them and not you? Are you saying you’re not like my family?”
I scratched my head thinking of the best way to approach this without hurting her feelings. Of course she was like my family. But damn it all…this wasn’t my birthright.
“Yes, you’re like family, but—”
“Did I change your diapers when you were a baby?”
“Probably. But—”
“Have I been to all your birthday parties and football games?”
“Yes. But—”
“Have you called me Grannie your whole life and kissed me hello and goodbye every time you’ve seen me?”
“Yes, Grannie, I have.” I sighed in frustration. Why did I have the sinking feeling I wasn’t going to win this argument? “But that’s not the point. You’ve already given Derek a car with prepaid insurance. This is twenty-five thousand dollars. I would feel terrible accepting this money when in my heart I know it belongs to Jordan. And Jared.”
“Well you don’t have the right to tell me what to do with my money,” she said tartly. She must have seen the determination in my eyes because she added, “But would it help if I promise you that I’m quite wealthy and you’ve no need to worry about the sum I plan to leave behind to my other family members? I had planned to live well into my nineties and have the funds to do just that.”
I sat back in my chair and ran both my hands through my hair in defeat. I could feel the threatening sting of tears in my eyes and forced myself to breathe deeply to calm my racing heart. Did she have any idea how much this generous gift meant to me? Words could not express the range of my emotions. So I kept it simple.
“Thank you, Grannie,” I whispered and buried my face in my hands.
“It’s important to me that you know how very proud we all are of you JT.” She rested her hand gently on my shoulder. “Your mother and father included. Raising your thirteen-year-old brother, when you were arguably a child still yourself, well, that was both a blessing and a burden. I confess I didn’t understand your parents’ decision to grant you legal custody of your brother, but having watched you in the past five years, I can see the wisdom in their choice. You’re a strong, intelligent, patient and caring young man. Pretty cute too. But stubborn as a bull.”
She knew me well. I stood up to offer her my hand and then enfolded her in a bear hug. “I’m going to miss you so much, Grannie.”
Chapter Seven
Self Reflection
Jordan
“Two chai tea lattes for the beautiful ladies.” the young man behind the counter called out while flashing me his killer smile, the one clearly meant to let me know he was interested.
Or maybe it was the phone number he’d written on the side of the cup that clued me in. Either way, the guy definitely looked like jail bait; I guessed him to be in high school. I thanked him politely and handed one of the cups to my best friend before weaving my way through the tables to the corner booth overlooking the crowded street where a couple was just getting up to leave. Perfect timing. The cafe was a favorite hot spot with its trendy music and contemporary décor so finding a prime seat was difficult.
I had been going crazy thinking about JT and our messed up situation over the past few days and jumped at the invitation from my best friend Leah to go shopping for the afternoon. Anything to take my mind off JT. After hours of trying on clothes and browsing through shops it was time to take a break and enjoy a drink and gossip. I couldn’t wait to hear about Leah’s recent family vacation. Leah settled onto the bench seat and brushed her rich auburn hair out of her hazel green eyes. She leaned in and rested her forearms on the table, getting comfortable.
“I’m so glad we finally got back from our vacation. I’ve been dying to get you alone. Well? Come on. Dish about the blind dates. How’s it been going? I still can’t believe your grandmother came up with this whole scheme. And that you agreed to it. I’m so jealous.”
I inhaled the rich cinnamon scent of my latte and let the warm liquid ease down my throat. A grin lifted the corner of my mouth as I contemplated her question. Entertaining? Catastrophic? Depressing? Oh, where did I start? So much had happened in the past few weeks while she had been gone. How did I tell Leah that the blind dates weren’t really the highlight?
“Honestly?”
She nodded her head vigorously with a face splitting grin, barely able to contain her excitement. If she was a dog, her tail would surely have been thumping against the seat. I felt bad that I was about to crush all of Leah’s hopes.
“Epic fail.” I said, burying my face in my hands for a moment before exhaling sharply. “It’s worse than my worst nightmare.”
The transition from enthusiastic voyeur to crestfallen puppy eyes was enough to set me off into a fit of giggles. I could hardly blame her for being disappointed. What girl doesn’t dream of being swept off her feet on a first date? Only this was going to be a thousand times better because it would be happening twice a week. My choice of so many men.
A grin played on my lips at my naïveté. “Sorry to burst your bubble. I thought it was going to be a wonderful adventure, full of excitement, and love and romance. Instead it is one ridiculous situation after another. Most of the time I wish I could just go home within thirty minutes of the date starting.”
“Bring it,” Leah said, settling back in her seat for the long haul. “I’ve got to hear this; eight losers in a row? How is that possible? Grannie must be pissed. Sounds like a big fat waste of money to me.”
“Yep.” I started counting off my dates on my fingers. “First there was the guy still totally hung up on his last girlfriend. Ugh. I felt like Dr. Phil.”
“That’s just so wrong.” Leah said with a disgusted look, followed closely by a giggle. “Don’t guys know they’re not supposed to talk about an ex-girlfriend unless asked?” Still, her curiosity seemed to get the best of her. “But did he say why she dumped him?”
I chuckled and then bit my lower lip. “Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he asked her to marry him after their third date?”
I stuck my tongue out. “Shut up. Do you want to hear more or not?”
“I’m all ears.” She laughed and made a confession of her own. “I haven’t had a date in over two months. Hearing about a bad date is better than not having any dates at all. I couldn’t even score a date on our vacation in my bikini. How depressing is that?”
I giggled. “That’s pretty depressing.”
“Right?” Leah shook her head. “Keep going.”
“Next was the photographer,” I said, drumming a finger on my pursed lips. “The guy was actually pretty hot and had a good sense of humor. But he was sleazy.”
“What’s sleazy about a hot photographer?”
“He wanted me to pose nude for him.”
“He asked you that on a first date?” Leah squeaked and threw her hand over her mouth. Her head was shaking back and forth in denial.
I rolled my eyes. “Umm…hmm. Made my skin crawl; but not as much as my third date. He launched immediately into a story about why we might never have kids if we got married because he had to have a testicle removed. Can you believe it?”
Leah’s mouth dropped open in utter shock and then she burst out laughing. “Who says that shit on a first date? Seriously. T.M.I.”
“I have no idea what some of these guys are thinking. Add to my dates a total name dropper (ugh), and then a guy that couldn’t keep his eyes from roaming the restaurant for other women. I mean, come on. I shudder to think about being with that guy for the long haul.”
I didn’t even want to repeat the horrors of Mac ‘N Cheese guy.
“What a pig,” Leah said and took a sip of her latte.
“In hindsight maybe I should’ve taken Bryan up on his offer to set me and some friends up with a front row table at the male strip club where he works,” I said, wagging my brows at Leah. “He was date number six. It would’ve been the most fulfilling evening of this whole dating scene.”
Date Night (Wish Come True Book 1) Page 7
