by Lacey Legend
Jared didn’t respond, just slid out of the car and shut the door, albeit with a bit too much force. His heart beat so fast he felt sure everybody in the lobby could hear it as he walked through, but they just waved at him, apparently oblivious to his inner turmoil.
“Hey.” A.J. greeted him first.
“Hi.” Jared grinned like an idiot in response. He couldn’t help himself.
“How’s the leg?” A.J. asked.
“Sore, actually,” Jared admitted, “I may have overdone it a bit this weekend.”
“Let’s see it.” A.J. gestured for him to take his pants off.
“Whoa, I don’t know what kind of guy you think I am but it definitely takes more than a kiss, even that kind of kiss, to get me out of my clothes,” Jared joked.
“Funny,” A.J. commented, not so amused. “Did you want that date or were you just going to talk yourself right out of it?”
“Touche,” Jared said and pulled his track pants down to show A.J. the scar on his leg. She bent down and palpated around the wound. Jared hissed.
“You definitely overdid it,” A.J. agreed. “Why didn’t you tell me it was that bad?”
“It wasn’t,” Jared said as he pulled his pants back up. He stepped toward her so that their noses practically touched. “Nothing about Saturday night felt bad, except maybe when you left.” He reached up and touched his fingertips to her cheek. “You are so beautiful, do you know that?”
A.J. exhaled sharply. “Wow. How often have you said that one?” She stepped back, putting some distance between them.
Jared’s eyes burned through her. “Never.”
“Right.” A.J. turned away from him but he could feel her respond to his attentions.
He crossed the room, took her arm, and turned her toward him. “I have never said those words to another woman.” Jared didn’t let her respond, didn’t let her call him a liar, he kissed her. He put his arms around her, determined to kiss the truth into her. For a second she hesitated, held back, but then she arched into him and returned the kiss. His fingers trailed along her sides causing her to shiver. Jared pressed her up against her desk.
A.J. paused the kiss and put her fingers over his lips. “We shouldn’t do this here.”
“Why not?” Jared asked and leaned in for another kiss.
“Because it’s unprofessional,” A.J. began, “and you are technically my patient.”
“Actually, I’ve got that figured out,” Jared began. “I’m good with PT at this point, it’s more about training and getting back in shape. So, discharge me from PT and we can date, no ethical issues at all.”
A.J. laughed. “We still can’t do this here.”
“Then let’s go somewhere else,” Jared suggested. “I have a few ideas if you’re up for it.”
“I can’t, I still have work here,” A.J. protested.
“I know. The kids, right?” Jared asked.
“Yes.” A.J. nodded. “I can’t let them down. It’s our thing.”
“I know.” Jared nodded his head. “Sheesh, you thought I was suggesting we do something dirty?”
A.J.’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Seriously?”
“You think you’re the only one with skills?” Jared taunted. “Come on, let’s go.” He led her out of the office and toward the pediatric wing.
“What did you do?” A.J. hesitated at the double doors.
“Come on, it’ll be fine,” Jared assured her. “I’m actually pretty good with kids as it turns out.”
“Again, I ask, what did you do?” A.J. arched an eyebrow at him.
It was unbelievably sexy but he managed to suppress the urge to push her into one of the empty rooms to show her what he really wanted to do.
“Me? Now why do you suspect me of nefarious behaviors?” Jared feigned offense and pretended to stab himself in the heart. “You wound me.”
“Don’t quit your day job,” A.J. scoffed playfully and proceeded down the hall without him.
“Right now my day job is recovering from a terrible injury so I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands.” Jared caught up to A.J. “You can’t walk in there before me. I’m up first.”
“Are you really taking over here?” A.J. gaped at him. “You aren’t kidding, are you?”
“Not so much,” Jared smirked. “Remember, I have had a lot of down time on my hands. Now, don’t mess this up, we’ve worked really hard on this.”
Jared greeted the kids silently, made sure they were all set, and inserted himself in the middle of all of them just like they planned, before calling A.J. in. He couldn’t have planned it better. When she saw all of the kids holding up signs they decorated for her, tears welled up in A.J.’s eyes.
“Oh, you guys!” A.J. was on the verge of squealing but the kids rushed her with a group hug. She looked over their heads at him and mouthed “thank you.”
Jared unveiled the rest of his surprise, a big screen television for the pediatric common room complete with Blu-ray player and an entire library of movies. He brought in a popcorn machine and scheduled a movie afternoon for the kids to get their minds off their illnesses for a while. Jared had no idea that most of these kids were long term inpatient cases and several had never even been to a movie theater. Sure, this would make A.J. happy but after being laid up in a hospital for a month, Jared had to do something for these kids who were cooped up for far longer.
“You did all of this?” A.J. slid her arm around his waist.
“Yep.” Jared nodded, “after being inpatient for a while I developed a healthy respect for long term patients. These kids need some fun in their lives. I was thinking about a game system but then realized there would be a lot of fights if only two or three people can play at once.”
“Good thought.” A.J. grinned. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I’ve been feeling useless for a while now. I never have this much time on my hands to just think,” Jared confessed. “I really wanted to do something for somebody and these kids ask nothing in return. They just want to be kids and part of that is watching movies and eating popcorn.”
She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He liked it. The way A.J. looked at him had definitely changed. “You are very different that I thought you were,” she said.
“I tried to tell you that but you didn’t want to listen,” Jared teased.
“Funny, very funny.” A.J. punched him playfully in the arm. “How are you going to settle the argument over what to watch first, genius?”
“There is no argument,” Jared said simply, “the kids and I agreed that the first movie would be my all-time favorite childhood film.”
“This ought to be good.” A.J. rolled her eyes. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“Hey! I have great taste in movies!” Jared called over to one of the older kids, “Go ahead and start the movie, Jake.”
Jake gave them a thumbs up and hit some buttons on the player. The opening credits rolled and A.J. started laughing. “This is your favorite childhood movie?”
“The Karate Kid is a classic,” Jared argued, and then, complete with gestures, began quoting the film, “wax on, wax off.”
“You aren’t one of those people who has to say every line in the movie two seconds before the actors do, are you?” A.J. asked.
“Of course not,” Jared replied, “and while this is a lot of fun, I really do have better ideas for a real date, if you accept.”
Several of the kids “shushed” him. A.J. stifled a snicker but nodded her assent. “I’m willing to give it a try.”
“Good. Meet me at this address at seven,” Jared whispered and slipped her a piece of paper.
“Okay,” She whispered back.
“Don’t be late,” Jared said, a little too loud because he got shushed again. “I have to go; Rick will be waiting for me. I’ll see you at seven.”
He took off before she could change her mind or ask him questions. Jared had a lot more to do before seven.
C
hapter4
“Come in,” Jared held the door open for A.J. and welcomed her into his rental.
He’d accepted assistance from Rick’s family to make his house less bachelor pad and more mod-chic as Marie so aptly named it when she reminded Jared that women did not appreciate gaming systems and fast food bags.
“Not bad for a rental,” A.J. remarked, surveying the front room. She wore a simple dress, green, and cut to emphasize her curves. “I’m not sure I would have come at all if I’d known it was your house, a bit forward for a first date, isn’t it?”
“I wanted to cook for you,” Jared said simply. It was definitely a bonus that his bedroom, complete with newer, king-sized bed, sat just a few steps away.
“You mean you ordered take out,” A.J. teased.
“No, I mean, I actually cooked a meal for you.”
Jared led the way to the kitchen. Without a dining room, he was forced to create a more intimate setting with a smaller table for two. Not without its charm, the vintage café table complete with candles and a long-stemmed rose in a vase drew a subtle gasp from A.J. Jared smirked, maybe he stood a chance at breaking down A.J.’s icy front after all. He gestured for her to have a seat,
“I hope you like eggplant Parmesan.”
“You, Mr. All Star, made eggplant Parmesan?” A.J. sounded incredulous. “I was expecting mac and cheese at best, maybe something tossed on the grill.”
“I know what you expected,” Jared mocked, just enough, “you expected a fancy restaurant with a lot of extravagant touches.”
In truth, it’s what he’d planned, but Marie dissuaded him. Once she found out he could cook, well, all bets were off and his plans changed.
A.J. seemed a little disappointed that he’d figured her out. “Yeah, kind of. This is much better.”
“I agree.” Jared served the salad first, a fresh kale, spinach, and romaine with juicy strawberries and a homemade vinaigrette dressing. “My mom taught us all how to cook before we were allowed to leave her house. She went to culinary school and never quite got away from it.” Jared felt strange revealing such intimate stories to A.J. but she seemed to be eating it up. “Most guys buy cars and homes for their moms when they make the big time but I didn’t. She never asked either, never commented on the gifts she didn’t get.”
“You’ve been making millions of dollars and you haven’t done anything for your mom?” A.J. frowned, disappointed.
Jared’s mouth twitched. “You really have no faith in me, do you? No, A.J., I didn’t forget my mom. How could I? I just didn’t think a car or a home was enough reward for everything she gave me, everything she sacrificed to do right by our family. It took a long time to do things the way I wanted, but eventually, I bought her a restaurant and gave her all the money she needed to remodel it and make it her own. Then, I bought a house for my family that was closer to the restaurant. Mom’s made it the most successful place in town.” Jared dug into his own salad to avoid A.J.’s gaze.
“Wow.” A.J. set her fork down. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I try,” Jared responded coyly. “Not many people know that I paid for Mom’s restaurant, so if you could keep it on the down low, I’d appreciate it.”
“Wait, nobody knows?” A.J. studied him, challenged him. “How is that possible?”
“Like I said, it took a long time.” Jared shrugged. “I wanted to make sure she would own it free and clear, no debt for the start up, and I didn’t want to be tied to it so people would accuse her of using my fame to gain her own.”
“You really thought of everything,” A.J. admitted. “I’m impressed.”
“Thank you. So was she,” Jared replied. “Of course, if I messed up this eggplant, she’ll never forgive me.”
He pushed away from the table, collected the salad dishes and deposited them on the counter. He opened the stove to remove the ceramic dish bearing their main course. It looked amazing and smelled even better.
“That looks delicious.” A.J. breathed in as Jared set the dish in front of her.
“Again, thank you.” Jared offered a mock bow and served A.J. first. “This is my mom’s recipe and the first gourmet meal I learned to cook.”
“Impressive.” A.J. cut into the eggplant, blew a few times onto the piece to cool it, and took a bite. Her eyes flared as she chewed slowly. A small moan escaped her lips, much to Jared’s delight. “This is the best eggplant parm that I’ve ever had.”
“Now that is a real compliment.” Jared took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and ultimately agreed with A.J. “Except that my mom makes it better than this.”
“I think she would be proud,” A.J. assured him and took another large bite. Jared took her cue and shoveled in a little more himself. “I’m sorry, we should be talking, but I’m starving. I only had time for a power bar and some of that popcorn today.”
“Then by all means, eat,” Jared smirked, “we can’t have you wasting away into nothingness.”
She glared at him for that crack and made a show of shoveling another bite into her mouth. A.J. chewed slowly and watched him closely as if waiting for something. Jared simply held her gaze, a half-smile plastered on his face. She finished chewing and swallowed, chasing it with a drink of wine, the first she’d had. “Why are you doing all of this?”
It was Jared’s turn to be surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, why me? Why all of this?” A.J. asked. “Why go through all of this trouble, the wedding, the kids, this date?”
Jared leaned toward A.J. “I thought you knew. I like you.”
“Right.” A.J.’s voice changed. She tensed and turned cold again. “I’m not interested in being your toy while you recuperate.”
“Who said I was looking for a toy?” Jared asked defensively. “I genuinely like you. I want us to be friends.”
“I see.” A.J. set her fork down. “Do you do this for all of your friends?”
“Only the ones I want to keep,” Jared answered automatically. “Honestly, there are not many people I care to keep close because I find that most people want something from me. You clearly do not because you hate me, or at the very least, just want me gone from your life. I don’t like how it feels and I want to change it.”
“So, it’s a game to you,” A.J. stated slowly.
Jared’s stomach sank, not how he wanted this to go. “No, that’s not it. Dammit, you are impossible.” He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated and annoyed by her suspiciousness.
“Not impossible, guarded,” A.J. stood, “and I think it’s best that I go.” She made it to the doorway to the living room before he moved.
Jared grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her up against the wall. He leaned in until they were nose to nose.
“Why are you so impossible?” Jared asked again, this time in little more than a whisper. “You are different. Beautiful and brilliant and…” Jared trailed off. “I want you, I want you for more than just a friend.”
A.J.’s breath caught in her throat. Something behind her eyes changed as they stood there, locked in a silent war. She challenged him with every breath, waiting for the punchline that he never delivered.
“I’m going to kiss you now.”
Jared took a breath before slanting his mouth on hers; he tugged at her lower lip gently, slid her wrist up the wall and over her head. He pressed his body against hers, a challenge to stop him, but she didn’t. A.J. submitted, even arched into the kiss. She moaned into his lips, a sound that drove him to deepen their connection. Jared pulled back, just enough to look into her eyes again.
“Do you believe me now?”
A.J. blinked at him. “No.”
“Then you can’t leave yet.” Jared pushed closer to her, covered her entire form with his body, and slid the hemline of her skirt up to just below her ass. “I’m not done convincing you. In fact, I think it’s going to take quite a while to properly convince you.”
He kissed her again and traced across her cheek
, down her jawline to her neck. Jared released A.J.’s wrist and slid his hands down her body, relishing every curve until he reached the swell of her ass. He pulled the bottom of her dress up and grabbed her surprisingly bare ass with both hands. The knowledge that A.J., the object of his desire, wore a thong to their date was almost too much for Jared to take. He pressed his bulge against her thigh, and was rewarded with a gasp as A.J.’s hands grasped at his shoulders, slid a hand up into his hair and guided his head back to her neck.
Jared didn’t need to be told twice. He traced the curve of her neck with the tip of his tongue, relished the salt on her smooth, chocolate skin. Jared’s hands massaged A.J.’s ass, then slid down her thighs, supple beneath his callouses. He nibbled at her earlobe then worked his way back down to the tops of her breasts, just visible above the neckline of her dress.
