There was some truth to the gossip that she and Brandon had been sexually incompatible. Even from the beginning, it had never been quite as amazing as she’d hoped it would be. They’d been together since college. He’d been the first and only man she’d ever been with and the simple truth of the matter was that sex with him had always been just okay. She’d never really felt that spark the way some people talked about. But now here she was, with a total stranger, and she felt breathless and quivery and hot and he hadn’t done anything more than put his hand on her back. This was bad. Or good. Maybe very good. Holy crap.
Then reality came crashing back down on her. It wasn’t a real date. He wasn’t interested in her. He was there as a favor to Zoe. End of story.
* * *
As they walked from the bar, Jack could feel the glare of the other woman at their backs. Whatever her issue was with Lacey, it was clearly intense. But he had other things on his mind. With his hand at the small of her back, he was acutely aware of the dips and curves of her lush body. That intense desire that he’d felt for her at the first scent of her, that had only gotten stronger with his first sight of her, had ratcheted even higher at the first touch.
Stepping outside into the cold crisp air, he paused. “Where do you want to go? I’m not too familiar with Cupid’s Point.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s not like this is a real date or anything. We were just supposed to meet to get our stories straight before the Valentine’s Ball this weekend,” Lacey offered.
Jack stepped back from her for a moment. “Yeah. I think the plan has changed.”
Her face fell. “You’re not going with me to the Valentine’s Ball?”
“Oh, I’m going… I was talking more about classifying this as not a ‘real date’” Jack offered. Then a thought hit him, one that he wasn’t happy about at all. “Unless you don’t want a real date.”
Her eyes had widened. “Well, I’m not opposed to it. Just… surprised.”
Jack nodded and then said, “You don’t have to decide now… let’s go somewhere, get a bite to eat, get to know one another and then you can decide.”
Lacey glanced back at the bar. “Okay…Our options are pretty limited here unless you want pizza. Nightlife in Cupid’s Point consists of this bar and another bar that may not have actually washed the glasses in a decade.”
Jack grimaced at that. “No to the bar and yes to the pizza.”
“Alright. Pizza it is,” she said. “We could take my car, but I don’t think you’d be very comfortable in it.”
Jack followed the gesture of her delicate hand to the small, hybrid hatchback. It was the size of a clown car. He could probably fold his six foot four frame into it if he had to, but no one would be happy about it. “I’ll drive,” he offered.
She laughed. “Somehow, I thought that would be your answer.”
Jack grinned as he led her toward his truck. He opened the door for her and gave her a boost up into the large truck. It was probably unnecessary, but he was taking advantage of every opportunity to touch her.
Once she was in the truck, he walked around to the other side and climbed in. Starting the engine, the truck rumbled to life and music filled the car.
“I love this band,” she said.
He smiled. “They’re one of my favorites… but if you don’t mind, maybe we can talk instead of listening to music?”
“Sure. What would you like to talk about?”
Jack eased the truck out of the parking area. “What’s Instagram Barbie’s beef with you?”
Lacey laughed. “You say that jokingly, but she does actually have a huge following on Instagram.”
Jack rolled his eyes. Of course, she did. He had no problem with people using social media to build a business, but when they lost sight of anything real or genuine and their whole life was staged to get the most likes, it was just sad. “I’m not surprised… But seriously, what’s her issue?”
He could see her hesitate, but finally, after a long pause, she said, “I don’t really have an answer for that. My parents divorced when I was little. My mom and I moved back here and Mom went to work in my grandfather’s medical practice as an office manager. I started second grade here and the minute I walked into class, Brittany shoved me, called me ugly and set about making sure that every day in school was a misery. It’s only gotten worse since… but then three months ago, I walked into the condo that I shared with my fiancee and found Brittany in bed with him.”
He let out a low whistle. “That’s a bitter pill to swallow. And she’s always so in your face?”
Lacey laughed bitterly. “Always… though I think it’s been worse lately. I don’t know why though… but since talking about her would literally cause milk to curdle, why don’t we talk about something else. Like how you know Zoe?”
It was clear that talking about Brittany and the animosity of unknown origin was upsetting to her. “I’ve known Logan for years… I only met Zoe recently,” he admitted. “But she did me a favor and helped me help one of my clients who was hiding out form her stalker ex-husband.”
Lacey’s lips formed a slight ‘o’ in surprise. “Wow… it makes my job seem boring in comparison.”
“What’s your job?” Jack asked he eased onto the highway.
“Well, I don’t actually have it anymore. I worked as a receptionist and secretary for Brandon until the fiasco with Brittany… Now, I’m working part-time in my grandmother’s dress shop.”
“It’s not boring. It’s an opportunity to figure out what you want out of life… and you’re not encumbered by or obligated to anyone else to impede you on your way.”
A smile spread across her face, lifting the fullness of her lips and making her eyes sparkle. “I like that. I like the idea that I’m free to make my own choices now.”
They continued chatting, Lacey directing him where to turn until they reach a small, single-story brick building covered with neon beer signs and a parking lot full of cars. It was clearly a happening spot in Cupid’s Point. As they got out of the the truck and moved toward the building, Jack knew he couldn’t wait anymore. So he stopped a few paces from the truck and reached for her hand, halting her progress toward the restaurant.
Turning back to him, she said, “You’ll like this place… it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the pizza is amazing.”
“I’m sure it’s awesome,” Jack said, “but there’s something I have to do before we go in.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
Jack tugged her hand until she stepped closer to him. “This,” he said, and leaned in to press his lips to hers.
It was like a shot of potent whiskey. Hot, fiery, burning through him like a wildfire. The taste of her was sweet and addictive, the feeling of her in his arms, of the softness of her lips beneath his, it was perfection. But they were also standing in the middle of a parking lot and his inner bear was growling, and he knew he had to be careful. So the kiss, while impossibly hot, was also necessarily brief. He couldn’t afford to lose control. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her off.
Stepping back, he murmured, “Wow.”
She looked up at him, her lips parted and her eyes sparkling. “Yeah, that was a wow for me too.”
He smiled at that and wished fervently that he could just take her right back to his truck, drive straight to her house and continue what he’d just started. But he had the feeling Lacey wasn’t the type to move so fast, and his bear—raging at him to stake a claim—would just have o wait. “Now let’s get some pizza,” he offered.
3
Full from the pizza, slightly buzzed from the pitcher of margaritas they’d ordered to go with it, Lacey was leaned back in the seat, staring up through the moon roof at the stars above as Jack drove them away from Poppy’s Pizza and Burger Barn. “I’ve had fun tonight. I know you only agreed to this as a favor to Zoe, but thank you for making it such a good time.”
He glanced over at her. “I agreed to come
down here and take you to dinner and escort you to the Valentine’s Ball as a favor to Zoe… But I’ve got to be honest, Lacey, I feel like Zoe did me a favor. Do you want me to take you back to the bar for your toy car?”
She laughed. “It’s not a toy. It’s a perfectly acceptable, economical and ecological vehicle. That being said, I probably shouldn’t drive. I think I had more than my fair share of the margaritas.”
He chuckled. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but you did put them away tonight! Of course, I ate most of the pizza, so…”
“It’s really good pizza, though,” she offered helpfully. “But I probably shouldn’t drive. Do you care just to drop me at home? I’ll pick up my car tomorrow.”
It was only after she said it that she realized that might be interpreted as an invitation for more than just a ride home. Did he think she’d invite him inside? That maybe she’d ask him to stay? The truth was, she was tempted. She’d had just enough to drink to try and talk herself into it.
He handed her his phone. “Plug in the address.”
Lacey did as he asked. “I could give you directions.”
“You could… but if you’re too tipsy to drive, you’re too tipsy to navigate.”
Lacey laughed and did as he’d asked, plugging her address into the navigation app. “But not too tipsy to type?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you drunk text me later and I can be a better judge of that?” He teased.
Lacey was still giggling, more than a little buzzed, as she leaned back against the seat. They didn’t talk much, but it still felt very comfortable with her. She was acutely aware of the heat of him next to her, of the breadth of his shoulders and the long length of his legs. It didn’t take long to get there. Nothing in Cupid’s Point was very far from anything else. As they pulled up to the gate, his eyebrows shot up and a low whistle escaped him.
“This is a heck of a house for a recently unemployed secretary,” he observed.
“Not exactly. The house belongs to my grandparents, who are both retired and wintering in Florida. I live in an apartment over the garage,” she answered. “The code is ten-nineteen-fifty-five.”
He grimaced. “This is your grandparent’s house and that’s their wedding date, right?”
“How’d you know?”
He shook his head. “Everyone who knows them could probably guess. That needs to be changed. It’s not safe.”
“It’s Cupid’s Point,” Lacey replied. “Nothing bad ever happens here.”
“If I had a dollar for every person who has ever said something like that to me, I’d be able to afford a house like this one,” Jack said, as he eased the truck through the gate and then along the length of the drive. He pulled around to the side of the house and parked near the detached garage. It was a huge space where her grandfather parked their RV and his boat. The large open floor plan apartment above it was three times the size of the tiny little condo she’d shared with Brandon. But that condo had been hers and she missed that level of independence. Of course, if she ever managed to move out on her own again, she’d miss the heated pool and hot tub, too.
Jack parked the truck and got out, walking around to open the door for her. Memory stirred in Lacey. Brandon had done things like that for her, but only when others were watching. When they’d been alone, it had been a different matter altogether. He’d left her to carry in groceries alone; he’d conveniently forget his wallet when they went out for dinner and leave her to pay the bill. And, of course, he also paid her salary, so he knew just how little that was. And whenever she’d complained about being short on money, he’d just tell her to ask her grandfather for a handout. Jack had paid for everything that night, except her single glass of wine at the bar.
“You’re a very nice man, Jack Carter,” Lacey offered.
He stepped closer to her, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body through the layers of their clothes. “I might have an ulterior motive.”
“I think I’m okay with that.” She sounded breathless and giddy. She was breathless and giddy! She hadn’t known it was possible to have such a visceral and instantaneous response to anyone.
“That kiss earlier… that was just a preview,” Jack murmured. “It doesn’t really count.”
“A preview to what?”
“To this one,” he said.
It was all the warning she had. His lips descended on hers and everything else just faded into nothingness. She felt that touch all the way to her toes. Her blood heated, her heart raced, and when she gasped for breath, he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue inside, tangling it with hers in a way that made her knees go weak. Somehow, of their own volition, her arms wound around his neck. She’d pressed her body firmly against his, and he’d walked her backward until she was trapped between the side of his truck and the firm, hot press of his body against hers. It was way more potent than the margaritas she'd drunk.
Needing to be closer to him, needing to feel that impossible burn that she’d thought would forever be out of her reach, Lacey hooked one leg around his drawing him even closer. She could feel the hard ridge of his arousal against and it fueled her own desire.
Then he was pulling back. “We’ve got to slow down,” he said. “You’ve had too much to drink for us to take this any further.”
Lacey knew he was right, but as he stepped back from her, she felt immediately bereft. For once in her life, she wished she could be that girl who just seized what she wanted. But a dozen doubts and fears assailed her. “I should go in… before I do something really foolish and forward and potentially regrettable.”
“I’d only regret it if it wasn’t absolutely what you wanted,” he said, stooping to retrieve the purse she’d dropped. “So, go on up. I’ll wait here to make sure you get inside okay.”
Lacey accepted the proffered bag and dug her key from inside it. “This really was amazing, Jack. I haven’t… well, I haven’t dated a lot. And I’ve been trying this online thing and it’s just been awful. I’d given up on there being any decent guys left.”
“Don’t put me a pedestal, Lacey. I drink, burp and cuss at a basketball game with the best of ‘em”
She laughed just, she was sure, as he intended. “I’ll take that under advisement. So, I guess I’ll see you on Saturday?”
“You’ll be seeing me before then… My business partner has informed me that I have to take some time off whether or not I want one. I’ll call you in the morning… but not too early, Miss Margarita. I’ve got plans for you?”
“What?” She asked. “Don't keep me in suspense!”
He grinned. “Just wait. It’s only going to make it better. But for now, I’m gonna stand here and make sure you get upstairs okay.”
Lacey was still smiling as she walked away. She climbed the stairs to the small deck that served as her front porch. Unlocking the door, she stepped into her apartment and immediately knew something was wrong. All the lights were out and she never left the apartment completely dark. She hated walking into a house with no light. Before she could even think of what might be wrong, she heard it. There was a slight thump, and then a pair of hands seized her by the shoulders, shoving her back against the wall.
“Where is it?” The attacker growled.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lacey cried.
“Don’t lie to me, bitch! I know you have it!”
* * *
Jack had climbed back into his truck, but he hadn’t started the engine yet. He was still reeling from lust. Despite his good-natured teasing with Lacey, that kiss had lit a fire in him and he was struggling to contain it, struggling to keep his bear in check. Letting Lacey walk away from him was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Cursing under his breath, he slid the key into the ignition. Before he turned it, he heard something that made him hesitate. He cocked his head, listening for a second. Then he heard something much more distinct and much more alarming, a thump followed by a shriek.
He was out of the truck and running up the stairs. The door was closed but not locked as he twisted the knob and went inside. It was pitch black, but he could see the hulking shape of a man looming over Lacey as she cowered against the wall, her hands up in front of her face in an age-old gesture of self-defense. He could see the fear in her face.
At his entrance, the attacker looked up, muttered a curse and then tugged Lacy back to her feet. As Jack moved forward, the unknown man shoved a shaken and stunned Lacey toward him. They went down in a tangle of limbs as the intruder fled.
By the time Jack had disentangled himself from Lacey and gotten to his feet, he heard the footsteps fading in the distance. He could go after him and probably catch him, but then he’d have to leave Lacey alone.
“Are you hurt?” He asked.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He shoved me and I hit my head a little.”
“You didn’t lose consciousness?”
“No,” she said. “I’m just shaken up… more scared than hurt, I think.”
Relieved she was safe, Jack knew it was time to figure out what was going on. “What the hell was that about?”
Lacey shook her head. “I don’t know. When I came in, the house was dark but I always leave a light on, so I thought it was weird. And then he was just there… he came out of the darkness and started demanding that I tell him where it was.”
Jack frowned. “Where what is?”
Lacey shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know. He never said.”
A break in looking for something specific. This wasn’t just someone looking for electronics to boost or jewelry to hock. It wasn’t random, it was targeted and that meant Lacey was in danger. “Has anything else happened before this?”
The Bear’s Blind Date: A Howl’s Romance Page 2