by Robin Kaye
Kendall missed being able to reach over and hold Jack’s hand. She missed everything about him—the way he smiled, how quick he was to wrap his arms around her. She missed his kisses—all of them: the sweet, quick ones; the long, deep ones; the nibbly ones; and the I-have-to-have-you-now ones—yeah, especially those. She missed the way his beard felt against her cheeks, her thighs, her stomach. God, she missed everything about him.
She slid onto the bench opposite David, took a close look at him, and wondered who he really was. She’d thought she’d known him better than anyone else, but now it was as if she were looking at a stranger. What if she felt the same way about Jack when, or if, he returned? She brushed her thigh and felt his letter in her pocket. She carried it with her wherever she went. She’d read it so many times, she had it memorized. She heard his voice in her head. Like she was having a conversation with him. “David, I don’t have a lot of time, so talk to me. Why did you come here?”
“I went back to our place and you were gone. Why did you leave me?”
“David, you moved to San Francisco. You left, took your name off the lease, and divided our bank account. Did you expect me to stay in an apartment I couldn’t afford? Or did you forget that I lost my job? You were gone. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you in San Francisco. I really am. But I’ve moved on.”
She almost felt bad for him—almost, but not quite.
“You call this moving on? What do you have—a part-time job at a rinky-dink hospital and a handful of psychos? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Kendall took a deep breath and refused to take the bait. “Why, exactly, are you here?”
David’s mouth hung open; then he closed it, his lips pressed together like the seal of a pressure cooker rattling the steam gage. “I’ve decided to take you back.”
“Why? I’m a modern-day Betty Crocker with a Carl Jung fetish, remember? I thought you needed someone who could hold her own at cocktail parties and do more than point out the personality disorders of your clients. I thought you needed an equal—or as close as you could find.”
“I do. That’s why I’ve decided to take you back. You already know what my needs are. You know how I like my clothes hung, what type of food I prefer. You’re reasonably proficient with choosing the correct wine, and you’re an adequate hostess.”
“Well, thanks all the same, but I wouldn’t want you to lower your standards.”
He reached over and grabbed her arm. “You need me, Kendall. You are nothing without me.”
She was just about to kick him in the balls when a big body stood way too close to the table to be polite. Her gaze was level with his fly and headed north over a flat stomach covered in royal blue cashmere, up past his chest to a corded neck, and then his face. The eyes that bore into hers were ice blue. Jack. And he was wearing his pissed-as-shit look. “Hey, sweetheart.” He shot her that stronger-than-a-defibrillator smile, then stared down David with a get-your-paws-off-my-woman silent threat.
David reacted as if he’d been burned and placed both hands under the table.
Jack slid in beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his chest. “Sorry I’m late.”
God, he felt good. All the tension she’d held seemed to slide right off her.
He leaned in and kissed her—not a little peck either. The kiss was between a damn-you’re-hot and an I-need-you-now kiss.
She felt her cheeks flame and her nipples perk up.
He brought his mouth to her ear and whispered just loud enough for David to hear. “I thought we were supposed to meet at your place before heading to Grace and Teddy’s.”
“Um . . . I’m sorry about that. I had an unexpected visitor.”
His brow went up. “I can see that. Are you going to introduce me?”
“Jack, this is David. David, Jack. David recently moved back to Boston from San Francisco. He just dropped by to say hi.” She slid her hand over Jack’s thigh to make sure he was real. To make sure she wasn’t dreaming this time.
His hand covered hers and then squeezed. It was just like she remembered: big, warm, and callused. Jack.
David puffed up like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and glared at Jack. “Who the hell are you?”
She pulled her gaze away from Jack and looked across the table at David. His normal modus operandi was subtle cynicism, veiled cuts, and snide retorts meant to sound smart and witty. This David was new—abrupt, direct, and openly rude, with a dash of desperation.
Jack ignored the question and turned his body into hers. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I finished that big job and then spent all afternoon humping shingles onto the roof of the cabin.”
“A roofer?” David leaned in, all of his attention targeted on Kendall. His reddening cheekbones accentuated fine white lines bracketing his lips. “You’re fucking a roofer?”
Kendall couldn’t believe David went there.
She checked Jack’s reaction, expecting the exact opposite of the ear-to-ear grin she found. Not only was he grinning, but he looked thoroughly amused.
He might be enjoying this, but she certainly was not. “Well, you know what they say about the rebound guy, David. Women go for the exact opposite of what they had.”
“That’s quite step down—even for you. You must have gone diving in the shallow end of the gene pool to find this guy.”
Kendall tilted her head into the crook of Jack’s neck and felt lips brush her hair.
Jack leaned back in the booth.
“It’s an honest living, I like it, and I don’t have to wear a tie.” Jack looked over at her. “Sweetheart, are you ready to go?” He checked his Rolex. “Your parents are expecting us.”
He stood and helped her out of the booth. The door banged open and in strode Jaime, looking as if he were ready to brawl. “Jack, Kendall. What’d I miss?”
Kendall shook her head. “Nothing. We were just leaving.”
Jaime saw David and clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “David. David Slane. How are you doin’?” He slid into the booth, flashed an I-got-this grin at Jack, then waved them off. “Have a good time, kids.”
Jack pulled out his billfold, peeled off a Benjamin, and tossed it on the table. “Candy can keep the change.”
Kendall gave David a good-bye nod and then led Jack out of the diner before David found his tongue.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jax was led out of the diner by a very determined Kendall. She’d grabbed his hand and was halfway down the block and still hadn’t dropped it. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that was a good sign. He hoped to God it was, because it had just occurred to him that he had no idea how to do what he needed to do. All he knew was that Kendall held his hand and he never wanted to let her go.
Kendall turned to cross the street.
“Where are we going?”
“My office. I need to finish closing up.”
He knew it—hell, he knew her. Leaving the lights on was driving her nuts.
“Do my parents know you’re here?”
“If they don’t already, they will soon. This is Harmony. There were plenty of people in the diner, and I’m sure every cell phone in the place was in use. They probably have pictures of me kissing you and of David’s reaction—it might be on YouTube by now.”
Kendall stopped in front of her office, still holding his hand. The light coming through the window lit her face as she bit her lip and watched an old lady in a Caddy do what might eventually be a twelve-point turn. “Are you driving again?”
“Yes, I’ve been cleared for everything. But I left my car here after the accident, so today was my first opportunity.”
“What kind of car do you drive?”
“Aston Martin DB9. Why?”
“Where is it?”
“Across the street.” He raised his thumb to point over his shoulder.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, I do. Why?”
She smiled at him and then looked away
again. Her eyes got big, and then she blew out what looked like a relieved breath. “I thought old Mrs. Montgomery might take out your fender, but she made it without a crunch. Of course, she backed up traffic on Main Street.”
He turned and, sure enough, there were stopped cars. He just didn’t know if it was for old Mrs. Montgomery or to stare at them.
“In Boston, people would have been honking and cursing the whole time. But not here. That’s why I love living in Harmony.” She stopped and smiled up at him before turning to unlock the door. “When did you arrive?”
“This morning. I called Jaime to beg a ride, and we stopped at the Home Depot in Concord to pick up the roofing supplies I needed.”
“You did?”
“I told you I was humpin’ shingles up to the roof all afternoon—I had to unload Jaime’s truck. Then I ran to the lake house, grabbed a shower, jumped in my car, and came to see you. Jaime said you had patients until six.”
“Really? What else did Jaime say?”
“Just that he’s your paint-it, haul-it, and reach-it boy. That you pay him back in leftovers, and you’re dangerous when you’re mixing milk shakes and liquor—he mentioned the Chunky Monkey mudslide incident.”
“He didn’t have to drink four of them. The man’s a pig.”
She unlocked the door and he held it open for her. “It’s small, but I just needed a waiting room, an office, and a restroom.”
He followed her through the waiting room, and she flipped on the lights in her office. It was a warm, professional-looking space with a comfortable couch, pillows, two chairs, an end table, bookshelves, and a desk. Artwork and her diplomas decorated the walls.
He pulled her closer. “This is great. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thanks. I am too.” She blushed but smiled. “I’m still contracting with insurance companies—that takes time, but it’s getting there.”
“It’s one thing to talk about starting a business. It’s another to actually do it. To make a plan and follow through. Are you happy?”
“Here in Harmony? Yes, I like my job at the rinky-dink hospital and working with my psychos, as David put it. I love my apartment. Tonight I was headed upstairs when I found David in the waiting room. I knew he was back in Boston, but I had no idea he’d show up here.”
“I thought you looked surprised—and not in a good way.”
“You saw us?”
“From across the street. I watched you help your last patient with the baby and was about to cross the street when David walked in. I’d been standing there like a dumb-ass, trying to figure out what to say to you. But when I saw David, I didn’t know who he was or what to think.”
“I didn’t know what to think either. It was so strange. David’s never been aggressive. He’s never grabbed me like that. He’s changed, and not for the better.”
“I had a feeling something was wrong, but I thought it might just be wishful thinking on my part. But then Jaime called and told me you texted him about David showing up. I was relieved. I didn’t think you’d be interested in reconciling with him, so I hung back. I thought you’d want to handle him on your own.”
“I did.”
“When he touched you, though, all bets were off—the man’s lucky his hand is still attached.”
“If you had waited a few moments longer, I would have handled it myself. Still, I’m glad you showed up when you did. I think David got the message—and so did the entire town. I doubt he’ll be back.”
She took his hand and turned off the lights as they walked through. “Come on up. I’ll show you my apartment.”
He followed her back into the entry and up the steps, off to the right. He stood behind her while she unlocked the door. The entire time his fingers itched to touch her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck while she fiddled with the lock. “I missed you every day—all eighty-two of them.” He brushed her hair aside and kissed that place where her neck met her shoulder, right by the beauty mark. “I dreamed about you every night.”
Her stomach muscles tensed under his hand, and when the door swung open, he lifted her up and carried her in, her bottom tight against his fly. He kicked the door closed behind them. “I’ve loved you every second I’ve been away—all seven million of them. But I still managed to do what I had to do to get back here.”
Kendall turned in his arms and grinned at him. “Me too. I missed you so much. I knew we needed that time apart—I just didn’t think we needed as much time as you gave us. I was really beginning to wonder if you were ever coming home.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it took me a while to set everything up to allow my assistant, Anne, to run things from Chicago. Anne has told me often enough that she’d had a lot of practice doing my job when I took a leave of absence, so this should be a cakewalk for her. I can handle most of my work from here. It took some doing, but we’ve finalized plans to have Anne run the Chicago office. I might need to go back a few times a month. That would be manageable, right?”
“Manageable?” Kendall’s eyes widened. “You’re moving home to Harmony?”
“If you want me to. Kendall, if the past three months have taught me anything, it’s that I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that no matter how I live my life, I don’t want to live it without you.”
“That’s good. That’s really, really good.”
“I’m back to being a human calculator.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes. “I can deal with that.”
“I’m great at my job—maybe better than before, but it doesn’t mean anything without you. Nothing means anything without you.”
“I know the feeling.”
“Anne and I have gotten really close in the past three months, and she can’t wait to meet you. As a matter of fact, Anne, her husband, Mike, and their three boys are coming out for Fourth of July. Rocki and her family will be here too.” He thought the Fourth of July would be a great time to get married. Everyone could come up to celebrate; they’d have the whole family together, and he’d never forget their anniversary.
“Okay . . . You want me to meet your assistant?” Kendall looked confused, as she had that are-you-nuts? tilt to her head and a furrow between her brows. Shit. He was doing this all wrong.
“Whataya say? Do you wanna spend the rest of your life hanging out with me?” Marriage was hanging out together for the rest of your life. . . . He really needed to sell that idea.
She kissed him and nudged him backward. “I bought a really big couch with you in mind.”
“We can make love every chance we get.” Okay, what else? Think, Jax. Think.
She walked him back until he ran into the very couch she mentioned.
“It’s green.” Wow, that was brilliant.
“Uh-huh. Sit.”
He did, and she climbed on his lap, straddling him so they were face-to-face. He pulled her tight against him and groaned—she fit him even better than he remembered, and he’d remembered everything. “I thought we could keep checking off items on your sexual bucket list.” He’d really be enjoying this if he wasn’t scared spitless and his heart wasn’t doing its damnedest to break out of his chest.
“Jack?”
“We can sleep together every night.”
“Jack?”
“Wake up together every morning.”
“Jack.”
“Oh, and do you think you could manage to never look at another man the way you look at me?”
Her eyebrow rose at that and she pulled back a little. “Do you think you could manage to never look at another woman the way you look at me?”
“Sweetheart, I never have. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. And Harmony is the only home I’ve ever known. All I could think of when I was in Chicago was coming home to you. That’s all I wanted. That’s all I can ever imagine wanting. Would—”
“Jack.” She placed her fingers over his lips.
Really? She was interrupting him n
ow?
“I don’t think my parents are going to be happy about us hanging out together for the rest of our lives. Besides, I have plans, goals, lists, and timetables to keep.”
“Huh?” He asked through her fingers. His grip on her waist tightened. Was she letting him down easy? He broke out in a cold sweat. He tried to breathe but couldn’t manage it. The sound of the ocean filled his ears. He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t.
“I want to get married and have a few kids. So, will you marry me, Jack?”
Marriage? She wanted to marry him? He pulled her hand away from his mouth and kissed her, crushing her against him as relief vied with euphoria. He pulled away, rested his forehead against hers, and closed his eyes. Thank you, God. “Kendall, I was leading up to that.”
“You were rambling. Besides, it’s one thing to make a plan and another to actually follow through.”
He picked her up and flipped her on her back, then reached into his jacket pocket. “I would have gotten to it eventually.” He opened the velvet box he’d been carrying around for almost three months. “Kendall, will you marry me? I love you. I’ll love you forever. And I don’t want to live another day without you. These last nineteen hundred, eighty-two-and-a-half hours have been torture.”
She gave him one of her sexy smiles. “If I say yes, does that mean we can christen the couch?”
“Sweetheart, you can count on it.”
She kissed him. “And so can you.”
Continue reading for a preview of the first book in Robin Kaye’s Bad Boys of Red Hook series,
BACK TO YOU
Available now from Signet Eclipse.
“I think you killed him.”
Ten-year-old Nicoletta said it with such immutable calmness, Breanna Collins wondered if this wasn’t the first time a strange man had entered Nicki’s room at three in the morning and been taken down by a woman wielding a cast-iron frying pan.
Bree’s heart traded punches with her sternum, winding her more than a ten-mile run uphill. She sure as hell hoped Nicki’s assessment of the intruder was right. Better a dead burglar than a live one.
