“He had no right to do that. You were so young—you needed me.”
“I did, but the thing is he was right in a way. I would have never forgiven myself if you and Meghan hadn’t had the space to really give your marriage a shot. And…”
“There’s more?”
“And I knew how badly you’d always wanted your own family, and I didn’t want you to lose the one you had because of me being selfish and wanting you for myself.”
“Shit, Olive.” Jenson runs his hand through his hair.
“I know. It was so hard, but I cared about you too much to tell you why I was pulling back. If I’d told you, you would have lost focus on Meghan. And you needed to know for sure if she was the one for you or not. In my screwed-up teenage mind, I thought it would be my fault if you had all that ripped away from you. But I hated myself for not telling you my reasons.”
He wipes at his eyes. “Please don’t hate yourself. We felt like the world was against us. I’m just glad you finally told me the truth.”
I brush a single tear off his cheek. “I just want to make clear—I never doubted the way I felt for you, J. I always wanted you. That hasn’t changed. Ever.”
“For me, neither.” His hand finds mine.
“Honestly,” I say in nearly a whisper. “I was in so much pain. And I didn’t know how to feel better. I guess part of me thought that if we just stopped being so close, we’d grow apart and maybe Meghan would help you forget about me.”
“Forget this?” His hand squeezes mine. “Forget us? Olive, it was never possible for me to forget you. Meghan and I—we weren’t ever in love.”
I squeeze his hand back. “It was a long time ago.”
“It was.” He shifts closer to me. “But the insane way that I want you has never diminished.”
My heart rises into my throat as I stare into his eyes.
He squeezes my shoulder. “Even though you’d pulled away from me, remember how I called you up the night Kyle and Connor were born?”
“Of course.”
We hadn’t had a real conversation since he told me his baby news. Then, Jenson called out of the blue and asked me to drive out to Pittsburgh the night his twin sons entered the world. I skipped my last two classes of the day and jumped in the car. I met him at the hospital where he took me to the maternity wing and pointed out Connor and Kyle among all the other babies lying behind the glass wall. I said I would have recognized them anyway because they were the most beautiful babies in the room. When I left the hospital that night, I felt what was left of my heart shatter into a million pieces.
“I can’t imagine what that was like for you.” He laces his strong fingers through my soft ones. “The fact that you came all the way out there, just for me, when it must have hurt like hell for you to be a part of something so…”
“Something that was so beautiful,” I say so quietly he has to dip his head to hear me. “Seeing you as a father for the first time is a sight I’d never take back.”
We stop talking, and silence hits the bridge. Soon, all I can hear are our heavy breaths filling the air.
“Our story’s not over, Olive.” Jenson’s lips brush my cheek. “That last kiss we had here all those years ago? Turns out it doesn’t have to be our last.”
“Really?” My voice comes out raw as I turn to face him.
“Really.” His tone dips into red-hot sexy territory. “So. What do you say?”
“Jenson.” My tone is raw. “Come here.”
His mouth reaches mine at the same time that I wrap my arms around his neck. He seeks my lips desperately and threads his fingers through my hair as his mouth melds to mine. He smells like mint and tastes like him. His lips urge mine to open to him, and I’m lost.
No one kisses like Jenson Beau. He gives me every ounce of himself like he’ll never enjoy anything in his life as much as making love to my mouth.
His kiss is rough and insistent, and he breaks the kiss just long enough to mutter how much he missed me. His hand cups my ass, and he urgently pulls me onto his lap. Every single thing about him turns me on as much as it always did, and I let out little gasps with each touch of his hand on my burning-hot skin. He trails kisses down my neck and collarbone, not stopping until his hot tongue finds my breast. He pulls aside my bra cup and draws my aroused nipple into his mouth, and I run my hands through his blond shaggy hair and hold him close to me.
The thick strands feel just as good as I’d thought they would when I saw him yesterday.
Abruptly, he shifts so that he’s on his back, pulling me on top of him. His hands go to my head, and he pulls the elastic out of my ponytail so my hair hangs loose.
“Come closer,” he murmurs. “I need you closer.”
I moan as his erection hits me in just the right spot, and I move my hips while his hands hold onto my waist tightly.
“Hayley said I need to touch your dick,” I say into his mouth.
He lets out a gruff laugh. “She did, did she? Is that what you want?”
“More than anything.” I grind into him harder.
“I can help you with that,” he says as he holds me firmly by the hips and pushes hard against me.
“Oh God, J.” I’m so close to coming already, and we’re fully clothed.
And his tongue in my mouth has me completely dizzy and distracted, so much so that I hardly notice the headlights coming toward us.
But the brightness gets my attention. I jerk up and stare at the opening of the bridge. The lights are closing in on us; they’re not at the bridge just yet, but I can tell from where they are that there’s no turning back now. That vehicle would have to go into reverse and back up to avoid coming through here, and even that wouldn’t be an easy decision. The steep hill leading down into the bridge makes it nearly impossible to back up once you’ve started down the road.
Jenson grabs my hand and we jump up. We run as fast as we can through the bridge and toward the opening at the other side. We reach the open air, and Jenson leads me down the stone steps toward the river below. He turns on his flashlight when we’re below eyesight from the road above, and we look up to see a truck driving out of the bridge. It keeps driving like it doesn’t have a care in the world or a clue that it nearly collided with us.
As I start to walk back up the steps to the street, Jenson touches my butt from behind. I keep climbing the stairs, and he keeps his hand on my ass as he follows.
I turn around and push his hand away as soon as I reach the top step. “We’re out in public again.”
He nuzzles my neck. “What if I said I don’t care?”
“I would say I’m not sure we should be making life-changing decisions like that tonight.” I stop abruptly in the middle of the road. “This is a lot to take in. You moving back here, us both single for the first time since we were teenagers. And I’m not sure how we’ll possibly make things work. My dad’s still mayor of this town, and all eyes are on my family as you well know. And with your mom working for him, she could lose her job if things go wrong and he loses the election because of our relationship…”
“Leave all of that to me,” he says. “I’m not going to put us last this time, Olive. We’ll figure things out slowly so we know what’s ahead of us, but I’m not going to give up on us ever again.”
“What about Kyle and Connor?” I say, breaking the silence between us. “Will this confuse them? I don’t want the town to judge them…”
But Jenson interjects. “I try to teach Kyle and Connor to follow their hearts, and how can they listen to me if I’m not doing the same?”
Good point.
I fidget in front of him. “Can we go slow?”
Jenson’s eyes find mine under the street lights. “As slow as you want. We’ll do things right this time, in a way that lasts. I know we tried to do things right last time, but we were worrying about everyone else but us. This time, we’ll make sure we don’t ignore our own hearts in the process.”
I squeeze his hand. “Sounds l
ike a plan.”
Chapter Six
“We’ll finish up our walk by your house,” Mom says to me the next morning, her breathing heavy from the exercise. “That way you won’t have any extra travel.”
Mom came up with the idea for our mother-daughter walks after her doctor told her she had high blood pressure. Dad teaches a class at Randolph College, and he leaves at six a.m. to do research or grade papers, and after that, he’s non-stop tied up with his mayoral duties for the rest of the day. Sheldon doesn’t exercise—says he’s morally against it, and Daphne is busy taking care of her kids, so that leaves me.
“Thanks, Mom.” It’s muggy out already, and I’ll definitely have to shower before I leave for work.
“So I’ve been thinking,” Mom begins.
Oh no.
“How open are you to a blind date?”
“Mom. NOT.” I pick up the pace even more, and Mom has to double her steps to keep up with me. “OPEN. At all.”
“But honey…”
“Subject closed. Kind of the way I am to a blind date. That’s my level of openness on the matter.” I hustle along, desperate for this walk to end.
We’re about a block from my house when Mom stops short.
“Oh, look!” She blinks like she’s seeing a mirage. “It’s Jenson!”
I turn to where she’s pointing. Jenson’s dressed up in a collared white shirt, black dress pants, and green tie that matches his eyes. And he’s clean-shaven. I feel momentarily self-conscious at how sweaty I am, not to mention my ratty gray sweatpants and skimpy white tank top that barely covers my stomach, but it’s too late to turn away. He’s clearly already seen us.
“Hi.” Jenson smiles as he reaches us and raises his to-go coffee cup in a salute. “You two are making me feel lazy.”
“Hi, honey.” Mom leans over to hug him. Her long black hair, that’s now going gray but tastefully dyed, nearly hits him in the face when she kisses his cheek. “Don’t you look handsome?”
I try to subtly wipe the sweat off my forehead, but Jenson’s watching me. He grins as my cheeks heat. Mom’s oblivious.
“And congratulations on the coaching position!” Mom says with enthusiasm. “Harold told me it hit the campus already. He didn’t have a clue; they really kept it quiet.”
Jenson nods. “They usually do until it’s one hundred percent certain. I’m headed there now for the formal announcement.”
“Thus the suit?” I say with a smile.
“Exactly. I’m more comfortable running around a football field, but today, I have to stand at a podium and answer questions. And I’m looking at house rentals after that, trying to find the right neighborhood for Kyle and Connor.”
“I’m sure the boys would love Olivia’s neighborhood,” Mom says. “And you’d be close to your cousin that way, Olivia. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
My voice comes out in a bare whisper. “It would.”
“It’s a great neighborhood, Nora.” Jenson glances at me.
His shirt hugs his biceps, and my eyes travel down his torso to his crotch. Realizing I’m staring, I raise my gaze to his face, and he winks at me like he knows where my mind is. In a lust-filled gutter is where.
“This neighborhood is within walking distance to everything,” Mom says. “I rather wish Harold and I had raised our kids here. Would have saved us some gas.”
I breathe out heavily. Mom notices and looks over at me. “Something wrong, honey?” she says. “You still out of breath from our workout?”
“No, Mom,” I say. “I’m good.”
“Jenson, we’re about done here. I have to give myself plenty of time to get ready for today’s luncheon with Harold. You should walk Olivia back to her house,” Mom suggests. “While she showers, you can go into her backyard and get a feel for her area from behind.”
Oh no, she did not just string that sentence together. Jenson turns his head away but not fast enough to hide his smirk.
“It’s hard sometimes to always be in the front,” Mom continues. “You can’t get a full view of everything.” Jenson’s smile is huge now. “Take advantage of Olivia’s backside, Jenson,” Mom says. “Get a look from that angle. I highly encourage it.”
“Mom, I beg you to stop,” I burst out, my face nearly nuclear with heat.
Jenson raises his eyebrows at me.
“Why?” Mom asks innocently. “Whatever’s the matter?”
“I just…Jenson’s kids won’t be here full-time. This may not be the best neighborhood for a part-time situation.”
“Well, even if it’s part-time right now, eventually Jenson will remarry and have more children. And this time, it will be full-time.” A smile crosses Mom’s face as she looks at Jenson expectantly. “Won’t it, honey?”
The only way to stop my mother in these situations is to separate from her, so I spring into action. I kiss her good-bye and promise I’ll let Jenson into my backyard. I swear he almost drops his coffee.
But Mom finally relaxes and lets us go.
Jenson and I don’t touch each other at all as we walk away from her. He waits until we reach my driveway before he glances back casually.
“She’s turned the corner,” he says as he reaches for my hand.
I head quickly for the front door, feeling like my mother is still with us.
“You guys go quick, huh?” Jenson says as we reach the top step.
“We try to,” I say. “Mom needs to stay in good cardio shape.”
As we walk inside and Jenson shuts the door behind us, I know I’m not going to be able to shower with him in such close proximity. I’ll want to drag him in with me, and that’s something I’m not quite ready for. Well, my body’s more than ready; it’s my heart that’s throwing out the red warning flag.
“It’s great you guys can walk together,” he says.
I nod. “I’ve learned that being twenty-four and single gives you a lot of spare time to spend as your mother’s companion whether it be walking or taking classes through Adult Ed.”
He laughs even though he knows it’s not really funny. But my joke breaks the ice. It’s nice to have him back in town. Nobody ever understood me like he does.
“So this introduction with the school board is pretty fancy, huh? Your sexy stubble’s gone.”
“You like the stubble?” he asks me.
“You know I do.”
He grins and rubs his clean-shaven jaw. “Yeah, I shaved to hopefully give a good impression to all the board members. You know I tend to veer on the side of naughty more than nice.”
“One of the things I’ve always liked about you. So what time is the big event?”
“Not till just after lunchtime. I left the house to grab a quick coffee, and then I’m heading back to have breakfast with Kyle and Connor before Meghan picks them up right before I leave for the college.”
“You look hot.” My gaze travels the length of his body.
His face flushes, and he steps closer to me, but I back up. “I’m all sweaty.”
“I know.” His eyes darken. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you since I saw you. And maybe take that sexy little tank top off of you.”
I back up another step. “Not now. I’ll be late for work.”
“From one kiss?”
“I’ll want more than that right now. Trust me.”
He licks his lips and groans. “You’re killing me, Olive.” He backs up but keeps his gaze on me when he says, slowly and with purpose, “I want to date you, Olive. I just want to make that clear up front.”
I bite my lip. “I’m not sure how to do that with you. Dating like normal people. You were right last night. This has been torture.”
“It’s been torture because we’ve been trying to pretend we can live without each other. I want this to work between us. Like a second chance.”
“You mean a last chance,” I say without meaning to.
Jenson’s intense gaze holds mine. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. This does feel like a last chance f
or us. And I’m going to make sure we get what we want this time.”
Jenson
“Daddy!!!” Connor’s earsplitting scream sounds like the world just exploded around him.
I drop the bread knife and jar of peanut butter on the kitchen counter and race down the hallway and into the guest room where the boys sleep when we’re at Mom and Dee’s house.
“What’s wrong?”
Connor has Kyle in a headlock, and Kyle’s face is bright red.
“Hey!” I push in between my sons and force them apart, grabbing each one by an arm. “What are you two fighting about?”
“Kyle stole my Superman bathing suit! Mommy said we’d go swimming today!” Connor points at Kyle whose face color is slowly returning to normal.
“Why?” I say to him. “You’ve got your Batman suit.”
“I know.”
“So why take your brother’s?”
Kyle grins devilishly. “I wanted to hear him scream. He sounds like he’s in a horror movie.”
Connor screams again, dropping a choice swear word in the process.
I spin on him. “Where did you learn that word? From one of the players on the team?”
“Nope. Uncle Colton said it to Uncle Dylan once.” Connor giggles, and Kyle joins him.
“Well, you don’t say it. Got it? Kyle, on three—give your brother back his bathing suit. And Connor, no more using the f-word. Especially not with mother thrown in there.”
“No mother f-word,” Connor says solemnly as Kyle reaches underneath his pillow and hands Connor back his bathing suit.
My cell phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out.
“Who is it, Daddy?” Connor says.
“Your uncle.” I swipe the screen to answer. “Hey, Colt.”
“J. What’s up?” My best friend’s always-casual tone is missing. Yesterday was his first day back at training camp, and the exhaustion and hint of stress in his voice is his first giveaway.
As the star tight end of the defending Super Bowl champion California Cougars football team, Colton Wild may be a famous professional football player, but to me, he’s still the same down-to-earth guy I met when I was nine years old. I recognize pretty much all his tells, the subtle and the obvious, and he can do the same with me. Colton and I were both sent to football camp for boys under fourteen one summer. We were the youngest kids there—him a year older than me, and we bonded right away.
Jenson (Wild Men Book 4) Page 5
