We both jump at the sound of Sheldon’s voice. Jenson wraps his arms around me and holds me close.
“No worries,” Sheldon’s saying. “Love you.”
“He must be on the phone with Cara,” I whisper into Jenson’s ear.
He kisses my neck. “He’ll go back to the table in a minute.”
“So should we,” I say as I step back from him and begin straightening my hair. “Or we’ll be noticed. Right now is definitely not the right time or place to tell them about us.”
“I know. We’ll wait for the right moment.”
After Jenson leaves the bathroom, I wait a few minutes before opening the door and stepping out. As I hurry through the hallway, I bump into Calvin rounding the corner.
“Ms. Graham,” he says, his face masked by the shadowy light of the dimly-lit hall.
“Calvin, hello.” I instinctively cross my arms over my chest. “How are you?”
“I think I should be asking you that question,” he says, his tone laced with sarcasm.
“I’m great. If you’ll excuse me…” I go to walk around him.
“Ms. Graham.” Calvin matches me step for step as I hurry toward my table. “I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
I spin on him. “Are these questions about my father’s campaign?”
He stumbles backward. “Um, in a manner of speaking.”
“I don’t have time to play your games tonight, Calvin. I remember the things you’ve done in the past, the rumors you spread, and the lies you told. I would suggest you keep your distance from me right now if you want to continue to be invited to these mayoral events.”
“You can’t stop me from attending,” he spits out.
“Try me.” I turn away and head for my table.
Jenson’s seated and chatting with his mom as if he never left. I push in next to Sheldon, who takes one look at me and asks what’s going on. I take a big sip of my soda rather than answering him.
“You’re all flushed and bright-eyed,” he presses. “Did you get a phone call from somebody? You were gone a little while.”
I know he’s just curious and probably half-joking, but his aim is far too close to home. I deflect by telling him he’s got too vivid of an imagination.
The rest of the meal goes smoothly, but leaving with Jenson proves tricky. I tell Mom I don’t need a ride and that I may go to Bernie’s first. Sheldon overhears and says he’ll go grab Cara, and they’ll meet me there.
“Um…” I stall.
“I’ll go with you to Bernie’s, Olive,” Daphne says.
Sheldon and I stare at her.
“You’re going to Bernie’s?” Sheldon says. “You’re going to sit around and be idle, and waste time doing nothing productive?”
Daphne gives him the finger. “Fuck you, Sheldon. Fine, I won’t go then.”
“No!” I say, grabbing her arm. “Of course you should go. Don’t let our irritating brother stop you, for God’s sake.”
Sheldon nods. “I want you to go, Daph. It’ll be like old times.” He turns to Jenson. “You want to join us, J?”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Jenson says. “Does anybody need a ride?” He looks at me when he says it.
I want to say yes, but I know Daphne may chicken out and not go. “I’ll ride with Daphne,” I say. “We’ll see you there?”
He grins at me. “See you there.”
Chapter Seventeen
Daphne’s barely turned on her car before she says, “Sheldon’s always so mean to me now. Don’t you think? He doesn’t get me anymore at all.”
I look over at her frowning profile as she backs the car out of the parking spot.
“You know Sheldon,” I say. “He looks for openings. He wants to push everyone’s buttons. If he could irritate every human being on the planet, he would do it.”
“But he likes you still,” Daphne says, and it’s not until she says it like that, that I realize how much it hurts her. “Ever since I had kids, he thinks I’m no fun anymore.”
“You’re just really busy. You have a lot of responsibility, and that can make it hard to find a balance. I mean, I don’t know—I’m not a mother.”
“Not yet,” Daphne corrects me. “You will be, Olive. I know you may lose hope sometimes, but I just know that you’re meant to be a mother.”
I put my hand on her arm. “And I know you’re meant to be happy. You should hang out with us sometimes. Hire a sitter or have Todd watch Alec and Amy for a couple of hours. You need it, Daph. You need time for you.”
She sighs as we pull onto the street. “I know. Todd and I just don’t seem to enjoy being together anymore. We don’t enjoy much of anything these days.” She laughs a little, and I look at her in surprise. It’s been a long time since Daphne’s laughed at herself. “I can’t believe what a whiner I sound like! Jesus, how do you stand me, Olivia?”
I reach over and take her hand in mine. “You’ll be okay, Daph.”
We all hang out at Bernie’s until Daphne eventually starts yawning. I text Jenson that I’ll meet him at the bookstore, and I leave the coffee house.
I head across the street to the bookstore where I go over to the erotica section. I open the first book on the shelf and have made it to page ten when Jenson puts his arm around me.
“Maybe this will help us,” I joke as I show him the book.
He flips the novel to about halfway through and reads aloud, “As he grabs her by the small of her back and presses his cock between her legs, she moans and…”
I take the book out of his hands and slam it shut. “I don’t need a live read in public.”
His breath brushes my ear as he chuckles. “We’ll have more fun in private, believe me. My truck’s out front. It’s live parked.”
“Great. A quick getaway, just what I need.”
Once we’re inside the safety of the truck and Jenson’s pulled away from the curb, he reaches inside the console and flips a set of keys onto my lap.
I look down at them and then over at him.
“For my house,” he says as he stops at the light. “You ready to see it?”
“I’m ready. Let’s go.”
As soon as he pulls into the driveway, I jump out of the truck and have the door shut before Jenson’s barely opened his door.
“Hey, slow down,” he says as he hops out and shuts the door. He meets me in the driveway and kisses my head. “You nervous?”
“No!” I say too loudly.
His mouth tilts up. “You’re nervous.” He takes my hand and leads me up the front walk and toward the door.
Just a bit. Okay, fine—I’m freaking out. But I have no idea why. It’s not like this is our home. But it does mark the first time Jenson and I have lived in the same town since I was sixteen. And that’s significant.
His house is a one-story ranch painted pale green. Jenson insists that I open the door, but I toss him the keys.
“All you.”
“Should I carry you over the threshold?” he jokes as he opens the door.
“It’s not our house. It’s yours.”
“What about if it was our house?” he asks me as we step into the foyer. “Would you let me carry you then?”
“Probably,” I admit. “But that’s another parallel universe dream.”
I follow him into the empty living room and look around as Jenson turns on the lights.
“It’s really nice,” I say to him. “I love it, J.”
Jenson leads me down the hallway to the master suite. The bedroom is large with a nice bathroom that has a separate garden tub and stand-alone shower as well as double sinks. He puts out his hand to me, and as we slow dance around his empty bedroom, I say to him, “This is one of those moments we’re supposed to remember, isn’t it? Like a measuring stick in time or something.”
“Yes.” His arm around my waist tightens, and he lifts me up so we’re at eye level. When his mouth touches mine, goosebumps cover my arms. “I want to be with you, Olive.”
/> He kisses me sweetly and lets me down to the ground. “I want to make love to you. Let’s go to your house.”
When we reach my house, I put out my hand and Jenson comes inside with me, shutting the door behind us. He goes over to my phone and unplugs it and shows me his cell phone is on silent. I do the same with mine. Then, he holds up a bag from Bernie’s.
“Two pastries,” he says.
“Blueberry turnovers?”
“Of course—they’re your favorite.”
“They smell so good,” I say as I open the bag and lead him into the kitchen.
He opens my cabinet and pulls out two plates. I grab the wine, pour us each a glass, and we sit down at the table.
The dessert is delicious, and the company is the best.
But I eat my pastry nervously, wondering whether Jenson will finally share the secret I told him or whether I should ask him about it again. Before I have to decide, he taps my arm and I look at him.
“My secret that I shared with you?” he says. “It was sexual in nature.”
I bite my lip, pastry forgotten as I stare at him.
His lips quirk up. “A fantasy I’ve always had—of you and me.”
“Wha—” I clear my throat. “What’s the fantasy?”
“I told you that I dreamed of slowly taking off your clothes, piece by piece, until I’d stripped you bare.” He reaches out and gently traces my lips with his index finger, and I shiver. “Then, I’d put my mouth on you, starting with your mouth, and then moving down to your breasts, and last, between your legs.”
I grip my wine glass so hard I’m afraid it will break.
“Once you’re done screaming my name, I’d slide inside you, driving into you over and over until you come again. And again.” He leans forward and brushes his lips against my cheek. “I’d take you there as many times as you want, as many times as you need.”
“Wow.” I blow out the air I’d been holding in. “Maybe we should go to the bedroom now.”
“Hold up.” Jenson catches my wrist before I can stand. “Don’t you want to hear what your secret was?”
After the way his confession turned me on, I nearly forgot. “I suppose I need to know. What secret did I tell you?”
“First you said you’d always wanted a dog,” he says.
“And now I have one. It’s like instantaneous gratification week.” My stomach twists with nerves. “What else did I say?”
He hesitates and looks at my face before grinning. “You told me one of your sexual fantasies as well.”
If I’d been given a million guesses, I wouldn’t have expected that to come out of his mouth.
“Really?”
“Really. You want to know what it was?”
I look back at him, my defenses completely down. “I already know what it is.”
His lips part. “I need to hear you say it, Olive.”
I flush with heat. “Well, while I don’t remember saying it the other night…my fantasy has always been for us to have sex…in the shower. Me in your arms, my back against the tile wall.”
“And?” His green eyes are smoldering.
“And you drive into me slowly until…”
“Until…”
“We both come so hard we’re screaming each other’s names.” My face is so hot it must be flaming red.
Jenson kisses my cheek. “Do you remember our first kiss?”
“Did you honestly think I would forget?”
I was fifteen and Jenson was seventeen and a half. We were at a party Cindy was holding for Dee’s birthday, and we were the only two who stayed outside when the rains started. No thunder or lightning, so the adults couldn’t force us inside, and Jenson led me over to the side of the house with no windows. Best of all, there were no reporters—the paper was on strike that week.
“No one could see us when I gave you a hug,” he says. “You were wearing a pink tank top that fell off your left shoulder, and jean shorts. Your gorgeous jet-black hair was in a high ponytail.”
I sit up and stare at him. “You remember what I was wearing?”
“Every detail from that day is permanently inked into my memory.” The green of his eyes darkens with heat. “You were so beautiful and so innocent. You kissed me first. Remember?”
“Yes.” I had never felt emotions as big as what I felt that day with Jenson. I didn’t know where to put my feelings, so I did the only thing that felt right. I put my mouth over his.
By the end of a half hour, I was lying on top of him with my tongue in his mouth, and he had his hands underneath my top. The next day, I woke up and was sure I was going to hell. Not for going to second base. Mom and Dad had never made a big deal about sex. I just knew that Jenson and I weren’t supposed to like each other that way.
But later that afternoon, Jenson showed up in my driveway on his bike. We rode down to the apple orchard, and we talked. He told me that we weren’t doing anything wrong, and we couldn’t help what was in our hearts. He said he couldn’t imagine being with anyone other than me, but he thought we should wait until I was older to do anything like that again.
So we did.
“We didn’t kiss again until my sixteenth birthday,” I say now. “You were leaving for school, but you surprised me with the best present—a dinner date and then a walk by the river.”
“I gave you my heart that night,” he says. “I’d given it to you already, but that night I did it consciously. I knew I would never care for anyone the way I cared for you, Olive. That certainty has never changed. Even when I thought our time was over forever, I never let go of you.”
When we finish dessert, Jenson washes the few dishes and I dry, and then we make our way to my bedroom.
As soon as I get within sight of my bed, panic sets in.
My palms start sweating, and my pulse is racing. It’s from this place of anxiety that I rush to my dresser, grab some clothing, and excuse myself for the bathroom.
I change into a pair of red lace underwear and bra and then put on a simple black t-shirt and pajama bottoms.
When I return to the room, Jenson’s lying on his side on my bed. I take a seat next to him and he sits up and puts his arms around me.
“J?”
His mouth goes to my neck and he rubs his hand in slow circles on my back. “Mmm?”
“How about we wait to have sex until we get to Manhattan?”
He jerks his head back to meet my gaze full-on. “What? Why would we do that?”
“Because we’ll be staying in a hotel.” I start to fidget but keep rambling. “I mean, that seems more romantic. But I do have some sex toys here. I can show them to you later—well, I can show you right now if you’d like…” I break away from him and head for my dresser across the room.
I pull out a vibrator, dildo, and a tin of body butter, and then I grab a lighter, flick it on, and start lighting candles before Jenson can utter a word. “I’m not sure body butter qualifies as a sex toy, but I’m counting it. And I’m wearing sexy underwear to celebrate the occasion, this red set I bought with Hayley a while ago. I’ve never actually worn it for anyone before because normally I think it’s making too much of a statement. I also have these essential oils, which smell really nice. I’m not sure I’m an oil kind of girl, but maybe you’re into that kind of thing. I don’t know. I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about you, J, at least in the bedroom.”
“Hey.” Jenson takes my wrist. “Can we sit down?”
I take a seat next to him reluctantly on the bed and open my mouth to speak again, but Jenson starts talking quickly. “I really appreciate all of this,” he says, gesturing toward the dresser. “Although I don’t need anything but you. And I understand your idea of waiting until tomorrow night. It’s only one more night, right? And we’ve been waiting for years for this moment.”
I nod.
“So we could wait patiently until tomorrow,” he continues as he takes my hands in his. “But the thing is, I don’t need a special place for
this night to be amazing and unforgettable. You’re all that matters. Olivia Graham, I love you.”
My breath catches in my throat. Tears fill my eyes, and I have to look away from him and out my window where I can’t see a damn thing because it’s pitch dark outside. Hearing Jenson say those three words out loud to me—it means so much. It feels like a fantasy, and yet he’s real. And he’s here. Jenson puts his hand underneath my chin and turns me to face him again.
“I’ve wanted to tell you that every day since I was old enough to know what love meant, Olive,” he says in a hoarse tone. “I fell in love with you a long time ago, and my feelings never changed. No matter what was going on or how far away we were from each other. I love you. And I really want to take off your clothes right now, including the sexy underwear you told me about, and make love to you right here. No pulling back the covers, no worrying about the candles. Let’s just blow them out and love each other all night long.”
I close my eyes and brush a tear away. Jenson puts his arms around me and says in my ear, “What do you think?”
I take a deep breath and keep my eyes locked with his. “I love you. I really do love you, Jenson Beau. I always have, and I know I always will.”
His green eyes glimmer with emotion. “Olive. I…”
But I put up my hand to stop him. “That’s why I’m so scared. Having you here with me feels so surreal, and I’m still adjusting to the reality. I love the reality, but my brain is still getting on board with my heart. I felt bad after things had to end between us. Sometimes, even though it was silly, I hated myself.” It’s an uncensored remark, one I would take back if I could, but it’s the truth, and I let it stand.
Jenson tucks a stray hair back behind my ear. “Please don’t ever hate yourself, Olive. We’ll get this right. Practice makes perfect.”
I respond by reaching for the buttons on his shirt. And this time, it’s like Jenson, and love, slip right into my heart.
He leaves a trail of kisses down my neck and down to each breast. “This is sexy,” he says as he takes off my top and his gaze lands on my red bra. He reaches a hand behind my back and easily unhooks it. “But you know what’s even sexier?”
Jenson (Wild Men Book 4) Page 16
