by Mimi Grace
Jason shut his eyes slowly to revel in the specifics of the moment like the shivers skipping up his spine. It was enough, but she continued to talk.
“I don’t want it to be casual. I want it to be as serious as you are about having the right pan or pot to cook with or as serious as you are about your lists. That is, if you’re willing to, if I haven’t completely missed my chance—”
Jason could hear every beautiful word she said, but the blood rushing in his ears made him feel like she was far away. She obviously didn’t know the details of her termination. She wouldn’t be saying these things if she did.
“I need to tell you something before you continue.” He resisted the need to take a hold of her hands.
She looked at the flowers again, and the vulnerability that he’d seen in her eyes moments ago, dulled as if she braced herself for what Jason had to say. And in that moment, he hated himself even more.
“Are you dating someone else?” she asked, her voice flat but the tension around her mouth betrayed her calm.
“No. It’s nothing like that. It’s… I’m the reason you got fired. I made a comment about Mark to his father, and it can’t be a coincidence you lost your job right after. And I’m so sorry, Jolene. If I could take it back, I would. But I’ll do whatever I need to do to help you get through this, whether that’s pursuing legal channels, finding a better job, or even starting that business you dream about.” He ended his very fast, very loud apology by presenting the flowers he’d bought for her. He expected to see shock or anger emanating from her, but not what he actually saw. Relief.
“You knew?” he asked.
She nodded. “Mark threw the fact in my face.” She released a little laugh that sounded tinny to his ears.
Jason shook his head, trying to absorb her reaction. “You’re not angry?”
She let out a laugh that was more like hers. “No. I’ve dumped that at the feet of the people actually responsible. All I have left for you is love.”
His eyebrows shot up. Her eyes widened. All the sirens were going off in Jason’s head that Jolene loved him. That’s what she meant, right? He abandoned the flowers on the ground, grabbed the fish bowl, and carefully placed it on the dirty carpet next to the flowers.
“I know we haven’t really talked about that or articulated our expectations,” she said, rambling.
But Jason caught her unawares when he kissed her. It was a sweet one that was more a brush of his lips against hers than anything else. “I love you,” he said as he released her lips.
Her eyes remained closed. “You don’t have to say that—”
Cutting her off once again, he went in for another kiss. This time the kiss wasn’t sweet or tame. He wanted to get his fill of her, and that involved drawing her flush against him, exploring and appreciating her scent and taste.
He came up for air and again said, “I love you.”
Her eyes were glassy and her lips pouty when she looked up into his face. “Shit, I love you too.” She grasped his neck and brought his mouth down to hers.
His hands circled her waist, but they refused to be stilled as they jumped up and down her body, recalling her curves and softness. They needed to get inside now before they put on a show for the whole neighborhood.
“God, I’ve missed you,” Jolene said. “I need you inside me.” The sound of her voice echoed in the closed quarters, and Jason tried to find the keys he’d abandoned on the floor without breaking contact with Jolene.
However, a voice severed their moment. “I just need to sneak past ya real quick.”
Jason turned toward the voice of his neighbor, Gus, a high school teacher if he remembered correctly. Jolene laughed while Jason had a fierce scowl etched on his face. His dick was hard, and the friction that Jolene’s body created against it made him clench his teeth.
“I’m sorry,” Jason managed to say. He picked Jolene up, to her squealing surprise, to make room for the man to get to the door.
Gus didn’t make further eye contact with them and entered the building.
“You’re going to get me evicted,” Jason said into the curve of Jolene’s neck.
“Okay, but can you fuck me before that happens?”
She was on top of him. Her head thrown back as his hands dug into the flesh on her hips. His grip steadied her as she moved leisurely up and down the length of his dick, but the slight pain that his hands caused also amplified the building pleasure.
There came a point when the slow movement wasn’t enough, and he flipped her onto her back and increased his pace. She felt him stretch and fill her. The sounds of their bodies connecting and their labored breathing coiled around her, and she found herself smiling when her orgasm hit. He anchored her to him at her waist and made several hard thrusts until he too came on deep throaty moans and with her name on his lips.
She found her spot in his arms as they rested.
“We need to find a better spot for our fish,” Jason said as he studied the fish swimming atop his dresser.
She loved that he called it “our fish.” She snuggled deeper into the curve of his body.
“Yeah, lest we jostle it off the surface when we have sex and incur the vengeful spirit of PETA,” she said.
“Also, the fish needs more than just that bowl. We’ll have to get it a large tank, some rocks, a filter, and a protein skimmer. Oh, and maybe even a live anemone,” Jason said.
Jolene stared at him. The pet store had actually refused to sell her the clownfish without a tank and other vital apparatuses. All the equipment sat in the backseat of her car.
“How do you even know that?” she asked.
Jason shrugged. “My high school biology teacher had a saltwater tank in the classroom. What are we going to name him?”
“We shouldn’t be sentimental, right?” She knew her head placement distorted her voice, but didn’t care.
“No, let’s do something really sentimental and cheesy. I thought something along the lines of Rowena or—”
“Nope. We’re not naming our fish after her. She hates us, remember?”
“Fine. Fine. We can think of something. He’s not going anywhere.”
It was with that statement that Jolene basked in the sudden understanding that Jason wasn’t going anywhere either. They had time.
Epilogue
One year later
One of the things Jolene loved about summertime was that the sun seemed resistant to set. She and Jason had spent the afternoon at Anthony’s college going-away party eating, dancing, and shedding a few tears. They’d just arrived home, and though she was exhausted, the extra daylight spurred her to take advantage and do some work.
As she removed her heels and shimmied out of her bra, she watched as Jason fed their fish, Gregory. The way his suit strained against his large shoulders as he stood in front of the aquarium made a familiar flutter ignite in Jolene’s body. If he caught her staring at him, there would be no chance for her to complete the things she needed to do before Monday morning. She quickly slipped into the home office they shared in their two-bedroom apartment and replied to several emails.
“I swear it’s in here somewhere,” she mumbled after peeling herself away from the Bermuda Triangle that was her email’s inbox, and riffled through her organized files. When she found what she was looking for, she triumphantly held it the air.
She was about to turn off the lights in the home office and chill for the rest of the night, when she noticed a few of Jason’s intimidating medical textbooks on the shelf were slightly crooked. One of them jutted out and another he’d replaced upside down. Jason probably had been in a hurry when he took them out because there was no way that he would’ve left them like this. Jolene pushed one to straighten it, but it refused to budge. She took the books out to investigate what kept them from settling into place and found a tiny, black velvet box. She knew what it was the moment she laid eyes on it and giddiness formed in the pit of her belly.
She shouldn’t look at the ri
ng, so at least her shock when he did finally propose could be somewhat genuine. She dismissed the thought because her fingers were already prying the box open. Jolene stifled a squeal as she gazed upon the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen with several diamonds that would catch the light at the right angle. It would be a welcomed nuisance as she got into the nitty gritty of last-minute touch-ups on her office space and executing the grand opening of her very own PR firm, BAX Public Relations.
“What’re you doing?”
Jolene let out a yelp and spun around to meet Jason’s amused expression. He still wore his outfit from the party and looked so handsome, whereas Jolene had already removed her bra and wrestled her curly hair into a topknot, but you wouldn’t know it from the way Jason looked at her.
“Nothing”—Jolene shoved her hands behind her back and crushed the box between her hands—“I was just looking for a form I need to send to the interior designer.”
He came right up close and circled his arms around her, closing his hands around hers. Then leaned forward until they were a breath apart. “You’re such a bad liar.”
“Yes.”
He raised one eyebrow. “You relented so fast. Is this real life?”
“I hope it’s real, and I wasn’t agreeing with your statement. I’m agreeing to marry you.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “I haven’t asked.”
“Get on with it, then.”
He laughed in a way where his eyes wrinkled and nose scrunched up, and she wanted to wrap herself in the sound.
“I had a proper proposal planned out,” he said.
“Plans change.”
She was half joking and didn’t expect him to actually abandon his beautiful planned proposal, but he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before getting down on one knee.
“Jason, I was kidding—”
He smiled at her but stayed where he was. “Jolene Tiffany Baxter—”
I don’t have a bra on.
“Jason.” Her heart actually pounded even though she knew what was about to happen.
“You bring brightness into my life with every moment you’re in it. There isn’t a day that I can go through on autopilot because I feel with you.”
He grabbed the ring box from her hands, and she looked upon the ring that would now be hers.
“I love you, Jolene. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much. Will you marry me?”
She was crying. Not cute, dainty tears you could blot away with the pad of your thumb, but huge globs of tears spilling from her eye sockets and drenching her chin.
“Yes. Yes. One hundred times yes.”
He stood and did his best to wipe away her tears before kissing her in a way that wasn’t earth-tilting or shattering but made her feel grounded; it defined the lines and brought everything into focus. She was more than ready to face life as long as he was by her side.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for picking up Along for the Ride. I hope it gave you everything you needed. Jolene and Jason’s story was so much fun to write, and I plan to give you more stories with different characters very soon. Also, feel free to leave a review wherever reviews are typically posted. It helps others discover this book. Again, thank you.
Coming Spring 2020
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Make a Scene by Mimi Grace
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Subscribe to Mimi’s FREE email newsletter for updates on her next book.
About the Author
Mimi Grace credits romance novels for turning her into a bookworm at twelve years old. It didn’t matter if those stories included carriages or cowboys, she could be found past her bedtime getting lost in a couple’s journey to happily-ever-after.
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If you don’t include mint chocolate chip ice cream and long-running reality TV shows, romance novels are where Mimi finds the most joy.
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She wants to evoke that same feeling in others with diverse books that are sexy, fun, and delightful. Visit her online at www.mimigracebooks.com.
