by Tina Gayle
“She’s not sure yet. She doesn’t want to have an abortion. But she also wants to go to college. She can’t do that and have a baby.” John Paul’s unhappy face showed his misery. “You know my dad, Ms. Jillian. He’ll go ballistic when he finds out. Mom will cry and carry on.” He hung his head. “I don’t know what Susan is going to do.”
She walked out from behind the counter. “You tell her to come see me. If she wants, I’ll take care of her until the baby comes, then she can put it up for adoption or I’ll adopt it.” She patted his arm, “Whatever she wants to do. We’ll work something out.”
Confusion marked his face. “But Ms. Jillian, you’re about to have a baby of your own. Why would you want another one?”
“You can never have too many babies.” She handed him his check. “You run along home and have your sister call me.”
John Paul pocketed his check and headed out the front door. “Thank you, Ms. Jillian.”
When the door closed, Derek stared blankly at her. “Do you really want to adopt another baby?”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to save a child. As I told you a long time ago, a child is a precious gift. If Susan is willing to have her child, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help her.” Fueled by her strong emotions of the subject, she continued. “Most people say they don’t believe in abortion, but when the question comes to their own front door, they turn away, talking and laughing at the unwed mother behind her back.”
She knotted her hands on her hips. “Well not me, I’ll do whatever I can to help Susan.” Her finger pointed at him. “And if you don’t like it, you better get out of my way.”
He grabbed her hand and bought it to his lips for a kiss. “I’m behind you all the way.”
Jillian stepped into his arms. “Thank you. I like having you on my side.”
“Ditto, kiddo.” Derek picked up the receipts in one hand and guided her down the aisle with the other. “Let’s get going. I’m starved.”
Chapter Thirteen
Thank goodness it was Friday, a hot steamy week in more ways than just the weather. The heat shattered only by an approaching storm. Dark and threatening, clouds gathered on the horizon, mirroring her escalating desire. Would Derek finally make love to her?
With only an hour and a half before quitting time, Jillian wanted to call it a day. She had already sent John Paul home. The store was empty.
Most people wanted to arrive home before the rain started. The weather forecast had announced tornado warnings until nine o’clock. The store should be quiet until closing time at six.
“Derek, what do you...” She stopped as Cheryl Henderson walked in. Her husband, standing by the door watching the approaching clouds, held it open for her.
“Hey, Derek, Jillian. So glad you guys are still open.” Cheryl, looking young and pretty in a bright yellow halter top and short blue-jean shorts, had Jillian cursing the drab khaki-and-green of her own clothes.
“What brings you out in weather like this?” She forced herself to smile.
“Oh, it’s just a little rain.” Cheryl waved her jeweled hand, dismissively. “I need a cooler. Derek, could you please be a dear and get me one from that high shelf?”
He nodded and walked down the main aisle to retrieve the ladder. Cheryl followed him. “Which one do you want?”
A manicured finger landed in Cheryl’s mouth as she considered.
Jillian stared at the Cheryl's shoes. How can the woman walk in her four inch heels?
The bell over the door rang again.
“Hey Jill, I’m surprise to see you’re still open.” Karen Ann stepped inside with a curious look. “What with the weather and your hot date.”
“The rain will probably mean we’ll have to postpone our outing to another day.” Jillian continued staring down the aisle where Derek was on the ladder reaching for a blue cooler.
Cheryl stood smiling up at him, giggling. “I really can’t decide which one I like best—the red or the blue.”
“What is he doing?” Karen Ann whispered.
“He’s...”
“Derek, maybe you should let me go up and look at them, that way you wouldn’t have to bring them both down,” Cheryl purred.
Jillian twisted the rag she’d been using to wipe down the counter.
Karen Ann nudged Jillian. “Look at her ogling his backside.”
Her gaze fell on Derek. He didn’t appear to notice that Cheryl was admiring his body. “No problem, we should have at least one on the floor anyway.” He set down the blue container and climbed back up the ladder.
“I like to watch his muscles when he lifts things. Always was a sucker for biceps,” Jillian commented.
“I like the tight jeans. It shows off his nice round butt.”
Jillian scrutinized his firm backside. “You’re right. Makes you want to give it a love pat.”
Karen Ann whispered, “You probably shouldn't let him up on a ladder when customers are in the store. Cheryl is enjoying the show as much as we are.”
“Good point. I’ll have John Paul take down a few extra coolers tomorrow.”
Karen Ann glanced back out the door. “I better go. I don’t want to get caught in the downpour that’s coming. See you tomorrow.”
Jillian waved and turned as Derek put Cheryl’s purchase on the counter. “Is this all?”
“Yes. Derek has been more than kind to get this one down for me.” Cheryl smiled at him and handed Jillian her credit card. “I’m planning a picnic tomorrow and I’m going to need it.”
She handed her customer the receipt. “Are you still dating that accountant from over in Longview?”
“Yes, he’s such a sweetheart.” Cheryl picked up the cooler. “I just hope it’s not too wet after this rain.”
Derek held the door open while Jillian watched Cheryl’s size-five body walk through it and to the counter. “Why don’t we close up? It doesn’t look like we'll have any more traffic in here today.”
“If you lock up the front door, I’ll close out the cash register.”
****
They made it inside the car before the rain started, falling in sheets across the pavement. Derek inched slowly through town, slowed by the treacherous streets. A trip that usually took five minutes lengthened to fifteen. Finally, he drove into the garage and cut the engine. “Now, what do we do?”
Jillian scowled at the distance between the garage and the back porch. It wasn’t a long way. But with the rain coming down so hard, they’d be soaked as soon as they stepped out into it.
He stood beside her. “Do you have an umbrella?”
“Yes, but it’s in the house.” She considered their options. “We could make a run for it. After all even if we get wet, we have dry clothes in the house. Or we could stand out here in the garage all night.”
“Is there a tarp or something out here in garage that we could use to protect us from the rain?”
“Probably, but I’m not afraid of getting wet.” Jillian stepped out into the rain and ran for the door.
“Wait.” He quickly caught up with her and took her arm, making sure that she didn’t lose her footing.
She brushed the rain from her face when she reached the porch. “It’s always refreshing to go for a walk in the rain.”
“You got to be kidding. You’re soaking wet.”
“Yes, but it’s much cooler than walking in the summer heat.” She sat in the rocking chair, and tugged off her shoes and socks. “No point in tracking in the mud.”
He unlocked the door, held the screen door open for her. “Why don’t you head on in and get changed?”
“Okay.” Jillian walked into the house, stripping off clothes as she made her way to the laundry room, which was located just off the breakfast nook. The dryer held a load of towels. She grabbed a few, dumped her clothes in the washing machine, wrapped a towel around herself and one around her hair, and then turned for the doorway with a towel for Derek.
Dripping wet, he stood in the
middle of the breakfast area surveying her. His heated stare revealed he had been watching.
She smiled, and handed him a towel. “Best get out of those wet clothes. I put mine in the washing machine. If you’d like, you can change in there.” She pointed to the room behind her.
“I’ll put on some coffee to warm us up.” She walked past him to the coffeemaker. When the door of the laundry room shut, she turned to stare at the door. Had seeing her naked tempted him? She shook her head. It hadn’t worked a few nights ago.
Might as well settle in for a nice boring evening at home. Knowing Derek, after dinner he’d probably head out to the workshop to play. If she’d known how much time he'd spend out there, she would have never shown it to him in the first place. Jealous of the time he spent away from her, she wished she knew what he was working on. But she didn’t want to invade his privacy.
After the coffeepot was full of water, she changed her mind. No point in making coffee. She'd heat up dinner instead. The laundry door squeaked open. She turned.
He entered the room. A towel hugged his hips, leaving the wide expanse of his chest and abdomen bare. Jillian gulped in air. With the magnetic pull of his athletic body, she grabbed the counter to fight the attraction.
Their eyes met. Heat sizzled. As if by magic, she stood in the circle of his arms, his lips inches from hers.
“I can’t wait any longer.” His mouth covered hers with a force that robbed her lungs of air.
Towels landed on the floor. Hands sped over flesh. Lips, tongue, mouth consumed her, devouring her with his need. But it wasn’t enough. She moaned and wiggled in frustration. Her fingers reached for him.
He broke the kiss with a groan. “No, not here.”
“Derek,” she cried. “You can’t stop now.”
His hands captured her head. Gray eyes sparkled with his desire. “I have no intention of stopping. I just want to make love to you in a bed.” He scooped her up into his arms. “We’ll continue this upstairs.”
She amused herself by whispering ideas of what they could do in his ears. “There are a number of positions we haven’t tried.”
Derek lowered her to their bed. “Like you soft and willing beneath me.” His eyes blazed with a flame that she knew she’d ignited. He lowered his body over hers.
“No,” she argued and rolled him onto his back. Her hands pinned his wrists to the mattress. “I like having you under me.”
His gaze narrowed. She lowered her lips to his. What started slowly quickly escalated to a driving hunger. His mouth took command, building the power between them into a force that rocked Jillian to the tips of her toes.
His captured hands broke free, roaming over her body, guiding her into position. Her arms were braced above his shoulders, her legs straddled him, and she wiggled seductively. His hands ran along her back, encouraging her movement.
The need for air forced them to break the kiss. She rose up off his chest to stare down at him, while his hands fondled her breasts.
“Your breasts are fuller now that you’re pregnant.” He tugged her close for a taste. His mouth covered her breast, teeth skimming her flesh. A deep drawn breath escaped to brushed across her sensitive skin. His lips pulled on her budding nipple, making desire rush through her. Heat liquefied, need screamed.
Ready to spiral out of control, she gasped with surprise when he shifted their positions. His body now above her, he drove into her. He slid in and out, his throaty groans growing longer and louder.
Energy exploded between them. Jillian surrendered to her husband completely. Her arms and legs wrapped around him as her mind went numb. After she caught her breath, he rolled over again.
Happy with her place above him, she straddled his waist and rose above him. “Now, I have you where I want you.”
“You think so.” He put his hands on her waist and rocked his hips sending her crashing into his chest. His arms circled her and held her against his chest. “Now I have you where I want you.”
“Good. Then we’re both happy.” She lowered her head and kissed his delectable lips.
The tiny flame of passion soon grew into an inferno. Consumed, she fought to satisfy her mounting hunger, twisting, turning, rocking. She raced to her release with him a heartbeat behind her.
Moments later, completely spent, she relaxed beside him. This was the way she remembered their being together. A passion so demanding that it took everything they had to fill the need.
Tired and sated, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep.
****
The ringing telephone jolted Derek awake. He grabbed for the phone, not wanting the noise to wake Jillian.
“Hello,” he whispered as he felt her move beside him.
“Hi, Derek. You okay?” Jason’s voice rang through the phone.
“Yes,” Derek grumbled and shifted his pillow under his head. He wrapped his arm around Jillian and pulled her close. “What do you want?”
“Is it okay if Kelly and I come see you guys tomorrow?”
He didn’t want to see his brother. “We don’t close the store until six.”
“That’s okay. It just means we’ll leave the house later or stop on the way down. We’d like to spend the night, if that’s all right. That way we’ll have more time together.”
Derek relayed the request to Jillian. She nodded, and he answered. “If you want to.”
“Okay, then we’ll see you around six-thirty. Don’t worry about dinner. We’ll order a pizza after we get there. ‘Bye.” Jason hung up the phone before Derek could answer.
With a sigh, he replaced the receiver. “I guess you heard that.” He threw back the covers and step out of bed.
“Yes.”
“You know the only reason they are coming to visit is because they want to check up on me.” He yanked a pair of shorts from his dresser drawer and slipped them on. The heat of her gaze followed his movements.
With a quick look at the bed, he noticed the mischievous sparkle in her eyes. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never make it downstairs for something to eat.” He grabbed her hand and tugged. “And I’m starving.”
“You know Derek, you really shouldn’t be so hard on Jason.” She retrieved a nightshirt and underwear from the dresser. “He was worried about you after your mishap in the Middle East.”
“Hey, right.” Derek stood by the door watching her. Intent on their conversation, she didn’t hide her body but slipped on her clothes in a reverse strip-tease. Her panties traveled over miles of legs. Her cotton shirt caught on the edge of her breasts, stopping again at mid-thigh.
“Honestly, when you think about it, you’re the only family he has left.” Jillian strolled to him. In her bare feet, she barely reached his shoulder.
“What do you want to eat?” He swung his arm around her and ushered her out the door. If they didn’t get out of the bedroom soon, they were not going to make it out at all.
“We can warm up the casserole we had last night if you want.” He followed her down to the kitchen. From behind her, he enjoyed the view of her hips swaying and her shirt rising. With a sigh, he opened the refrigerator and extracted the casserole dish.
“Derek, Jason once told me that you took care of him after your parents died. He said you did a great job. But that you didn’t want to give the job up.”
He didn’t answer. What was there to say? He hadn’t wanted the job but as the oldest son he’d done his duty. His parents would have expected him to do whatever he could to help his brother. Derek placed the dinner in microwave.
She pressed the issue. “Is that true?”
“What?”
“That you can’t give up the job of being Jason’s parent?”
Derek rehashed the past. Yes, he’d tried to make things easier for Jason, bought the condo so he would have a place to live after college. Derek had hoped it could be their home together, but it hadn’t really worked out that way. Jason had never paid rent, but then, he did take care of the place while
Derek was away on assignment. Was there a problem with that? “I don’t know.”
“Jason said you don’t treat him like an adult. If he makes a decision you always second-guess him.” Jillian placed plates on the table and pulled out a chair. “Do you, Derek?”
He liked to help his brother, but was she right? The bell on the microwave sounded.
“Look, I don’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just want you to try and understand his side of it.”
Derek carefully centered the casserole dish on the table and sank into his seat.
“Are you going to answer me?”
“You don't understand the situation.” He lifted the lid off the dinner.
“Then why don’t you explain it to me.”
“It’s not that simple. Our relationship has been years in the making.”
“You could try talking about it.” She dished out her food.
He stared at his plate, unwilling to discuss the matter. “No, Jillian it’s not your problem.”
“I disagree. I love you both and I don’t like seeing you hurt each other.” She continued. “Why can’t you let me help?”
“No! This is between Jason and me.” The woman is as stubborn as a mule.
“Fine.” She stood and left the room.
Derek watched her leave, knowing he should call her back and make her eat. But—well—he didn’t want to deal with her probing questions.
He finished dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, and headed back upstairs. She would probably still be angry, and he’d have to apologize.
The house dark, rain drumming against the windows, he ascended the stairs. They creaked under his weight. What should he say?
A caring person, Jillian was always trying to fix other people’s problems. Yet, he didn’t want her involved in his relationship between Jason and himself. They didn’t need her meddling, but of course if he told her that, she’d never let him back into bed.
In the bedroom, he could see her lying under a sheet. He removed his shorts and climbed into bed. She lay quietly beside him, not touching him.
