Dating A Metro Man

by Donna McDonald

“Eddy still makes the best turkey club in town,” Jenna said, taking another bite from her sandwich. She picked up a pickle and crunched.

  “So how are you and Cristo doing?” Alexa asked, noting that Jenna stopped chewing and swallowed hard.

  Jenna shrugged. “He’s fun. We’ve gone out a couple more times,” she said easily.

  “He’s very sweet. I like him,” Alexa said. “But why did you and Allen break up? You never really said.”

  “Allen and I weren’t going anywhere in our relationship. You know how that is, Mama,” Jenna said flatly, not really wanting to get into it or admit the breakup had been Allen’s idea.

  Alexa nodded, not put off by Jenna’s stall tactics. That and she had grilled Allen until he’d finally confessed that he had broken things off with Jenna when he realized she still had a major attraction to Seth.

  “Certainly,” Alexa said. “I guess I’m just a bit surprised you didn’t go back to dating Seth.”

  Jenna choked on a swallow of beer and glared at her mother when she recovered. “Why would you think I’d go back to Seth? You know how I feel about him.”

  Alexa shrugged. “No, I don’t know. You were smiling at him at Lauren’s product launch party and co-conspiring with him about her pregnancy test. The two of you were looking really friendly there for a while.”

  Alexa smiled and wanted to laugh as her stubborn daughter shook her head furiously in denial. She was as stubborn as Paul and could hold a grudge longer than most people remembered the thing that had made them mad.

  “Not going to happen,” Jenna said. “I am trying to be friends with him, but that’s just for the sake of the family connection. There’s no need for the two of us to be fighting at every wedding, funeral, or dinner for the rest of our lives. We’re practically related now that you and Casey are married.”

  “Related? Hardly,” Alexa said dryly, truly laughing now. “Anyone with eyes can see that you two are still interested in each other in a major way. The chemistry is obvious, honey.”

  “Hardly,” Jenna said, mocking her mother, who only smiled more widely at her sarcasm. “I’m careful to keep my interactions with him strictly PG, or PG-13 if you count the swearing.”

  Alexa raised one eyebrow. “Really? That crotch grab at the house a couple weeks ago seemed more deserving of an R rating at least,” she said, wanting to laugh at the blush creeping up Jenna’s face.

  “I did not grab. I was brushing food from his lap,” Jenna told her sharply.

  “I suppose the prominent erection Seth got that we all politely ignored afterward wasn’t your fault,” Alexa suggested.

  “Can’t you be like a normal mother and just let me be mad at the man who hurt me?” Jenna demanded.

  Alexa laughed and put a hand over Jenna’s. “No. I can’t. You didn’t sleep with Allen, the hottest guy on the planet, when you had over two months worth of chances. Jenna, we both know why. I don’t know what kind of magic spell Seth Carter casts over you, but you are not going to break it by pretending you’re not sexually interested in him.”

  Jenna shook her head. “I don’t want to be interested in him—sexually or any other way,” she said, sounding like a petulant child even to her own ears.

  Alexa laughed. “Well, you are. Now go seduce the man so you can make a real decision about your feelings. For all you know, Seth Carter might be terrible in bed. Maybe he can’t pay attention long enough to get the job done. Maybe he’ll stop to take a phone call in the middle of things. You might find you hate him for making to do lists for work while he’s doing you. Who knows?”

  Jenna finished the beer and laughed despite her irritation. Her mother was outrageous and awful, rarely like a normal mother at all. But she was also wonderful and caring, even though her comments were totally off about Seth. He was bad—but not that bad. The man kissed with precision, and the slightest erotic touch set her to trembling in his arms. She had no doubt that Seth could more than get her there if he could ever make it a priority.

  “Seth would not be terrible in bed,” Jenna said firmly, laughing and smiling. There was no reason to be upset with her mother for telling her version of things. It would be easier to get over Seth Carter if she could believe for even a moment one of those awful things would be true.

  “Oh, how do you know?” Alexa challenged, lifting her chin and narrowing her eyes. “You told me you never got that far with Seth. I’ll bet you that blue dress Sydney specially made for me that the man starts and stops so often during the act that you never get a Seth-Carter-induced orgasm out of him.”

  “I’m not sleeping with Seth just to win a stupid bet with you,” Jenna told her mother, laughing at how unbelievable the conversation was. “Daring me to have sex with men is just wrong. You’re a horrible, horrible mother for suggesting such a thing.”

  “Fine, I’m a horrible mother who cares about her daughter being happy,” Alexa said, resigned. “Since you’re not interested in Seth that way, I guess I won’t tell you what Casey said about Seth’s new agitated state after they had dinner last week. He told me Seth was acting like a frustrated teenager.”

  “I’m so definitely not interested in Seth Carter’s frustration,” Jenna said snidely, lifting her empty bottle to Eddy at the bar and holding up a finger for another one. She was annoyed to notice her hands were shaking. She refused to acknowledge the flicker of hope that jumped in her gut.

  Alexa shrugged and sipped her red wine as she waited. Jenna could fool a lot of people, but not her. The girl was dying for the man and wasn’t doing a damn thing about it, which was both unhealthy and unwise. While she waited for her daughter to come to her senses, Alexa passed the time counting to see how far she got before Jenna caved and asked more questions.

  Jenna squirmed in her seat and wrestled with herself. Her mother was baiting her. That was obvious. The question was why. Her mother had never been a fan of her and Seth’s relationship. But now Jenna didn’t buy her innocent it-doesn’t-matter-to-me look either.

  “Do you want me to date Seth? Do you honestly think he deserves another chance to break my heart?” Jenna demanded.

  “No. If he breaks your heart again, I’ll probably kill him. I liked Allen and was happy you were dating him. He’d have been good for you, and to you. I like Cristo, but don’t think the handsome Spanish weight-lifter is going to score either. He’s not even half as charming as Allen,” Alexa said pointedly. “I want you happy in all aspects of your life, Jenna. Seth is either the answer or he’s in the way of it happening. Your obsession with him is making another man an impossibility.”

  “If I dated Seth it would just be to scratch a long-time sexual itch,” Jenna said harshly. “I seriously don’t like him. The more I date other men, the more I realize Seth was incredibly rude to me while we were together. He was constantly working and rarely finished more than five minutes of conversation with me before I had to share his attention with a text, an email, or a call. I am not going back to that.”

  “Good,” Alexa said. “You don’t deserve to be ignored. No one does. But if you can’t keep your hands off the man when he’s around, something has to give, honey. Trust me. Denial is not healthy or fun.”

  “What if I can’t move on afterward?” Jenna asked, realizing as she asked that it was her true fear. “What if I like being with Seth so much that I end up being ignored in every other way for the rest of my life? I do not want to be a human slave to a freaking technosexual.”

  “Never going to happen, baby. That’s just you not trusting yourself,” Alexa said, reaching out and linking her fingers with her daughter’s. “Just because you watched me unsuccessfully pine for a man doesn’t mean you can’t do better with the one you so obviously want. Maybe you’ll end up being the only thing that draws Seth out of business mode to have a real life. My blood flows in your veins. Holding a man’s interest will not be a problem for you once you invest yourself in the relationship.”

  “You have to say that,” Jenna said pathetically,
so wishing it could be true. “You’re my mother.”

  “No, I have to say that you need to face your emotional fears and move through this challenge one way or another. Some relationships are just meant to be, sweetheart. You’ve been separated from Seth more months now than you dated him, and he’s still the only man you want. That’s some pretty strong destiny,” Alexa said quietly. “I’d be telling you this even if I hated Seth. You don’t want to be stuck dating hot guys that do nothing for you for the rest of your life. They don’t make men any hotter than Allen Stedman.”

  “Okay, as uncomfortable as it makes me to talk about Allen that way with you, I admit you have a point,” Jenna admitted. “Maybe I’ll think about dating Seth again just so I can get him out of my system.”

  “Maybe you can start back up by emailing and texting first. After some suitable time, then you can meet for dinner to see if you’re still hot to sleep with him,” Alexa said, joking. “That process seems to work well for those online dating sites. It should appeal to Seth and his obsession with technology.”

  Jenna laughed. “I’m never going to get what I want from a technological relationship with the man. I want my hands on more than just his damn data.”

  “Data? Is that what they’re calling a man’s package these days? Wow, I am really getting old. I’m glad Casey still uses terms I can understand,” Alexa said, snorting and laughing as Jenna grinned and drank her beer.

  The mother in her was glad that her daughter was at least not being stubborn anymore.

  And the friend in her was happy because it looked like Seth Carter was going to get another chance with her daughter after all.

  Chapter 5

  His week of waiting was up and now Seth stood outside Jenna’s apartment contemplating what he would say to her. Regina had declared him sufficiently aware this morning and told him to do what he had to do to fix the rest of his life.

  So here he was with his frustrated libido straining at the end of a very short leash, hoping the woman he wanted still wanted him back.

  As he raised his hand to knock, Jenna opened the door. It was a toss up which one of them was more surprised.

  “Seth? What are you doing here?” Jenna frowned. She so did not need to see him seconds after she had turned down yet another date with Cristo. Her plans for the evening had been to swing by a job site and then head to the mall for some therapeutic shopping.

  “Sorry. Looks like you were headed out,” Seth said quietly, putting his hands in his pockets. “Can I have just a few minutes?”

  He had to work hard to keep his gaze on her face and away from the short khaki skirt that fit every one of Jenna’s curves and showed off her legs. She wore a white shirt and short sweater over it that emphasized her breasts. Seth sighed and tried to clear his head of lust so he wouldn’t babble like an idiot.

  Jenna wanted to refuse to talk to Seth but she was too curious. He was nervous, edgy, and uncomfortable. It was such a contrast to his normal calm that she found herself motioning him inside.

  Seth stepped into Jenna’s small living room. He didn’t sit, but rather stood at the end of her couch.

  “You seem upset, Seth. Are you all right?” Jenna asked.

  “I’m not upset,” Seth denied automatically.

  Then realizing what he’d done, Seth laughed without much humor, remembering when he had said the same to her.

  “Sorry. Yes, I’m suffering a little, but people don’t actually die from my problem. Though I have wished myself dead a few times in the last week,” he told her, smiling at the irony.

  Instead of laughing, Jenna just looked confused. “But you’re not ill?”

  “No, I just need to tell you something. I’m trying to figure out how to do it without sounding like a crazy person,” Seth told her, running a nervous hand through his hair and sighing.

  He watched Jenna walk to a chair and sit while she waited. The skirt slid up her thighs several inches. He closed his eyes and prayed for self-control while he got out the words.

  “When we met, you scared the hell out of me. No, that’s not right. What I felt for you scared the hell out of me. I was just getting my life together. Casey was coming to live with me. I was in my second year of building a business. It was a crazy time. I—I found a way to handle what I felt for you, but in the process I didn’t allow myself to acknowledge your side of things.” Seth stopped, searching Jenna’s face for some glimmer of comprehension, but didn’t find any.

  “Look—when you said that I never understood you, I didn’t want to believe the problem was me because I was trying so hard to be a nice guy. So I went to therapy to find out what was wrong with us,” Seth said, pacing in front of her.

  Jenna struggled to talk around the lump in her throat. “You—you went into therapy—to talk about—us?”

  Jenna looked at him as he nodded. Seth looked as gorgeous to her as ever, as calm and controlled as ever, with the exception of his eyes which looked—Jenna couldn’t think of a good description. Words like scary, dangerous, and overwrought came to mind.

  “Since there is no us anymore, I’m not sure I want to know what you concluded, Seth. I think if you left right now, I’d be okay with you not ever telling me what happened in your therapy,” Jenna said honestly, standing again and hooking her purse over her shoulder.

  “The problem was mine, Jenna.” Seth walked to her and stood just inches away. He could tell she was ready to bolt. He put his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her.

  Seth watched as Jenna looked at him with a mixture of panic and longing. His body hardened, and he felt exactly like he did the first time he ever laid eyes on her. He belonged to her—with her. And she belonged with him.

  It hadn’t taken Seth long to discover that Jenna Ranger was smart, hard-working, and incredibly beautiful, even if she didn’t seem care about how she looked most of the time. She loved her family, defended her mother even though Alexa drove her crazy, and was a loyal friend when she gave someone a place in her heart.

  When she kissed him the first time, Seth had seen his first glimpse of heaven on earth. It had been the same with every kiss since. His world wasn’t ever going to be complete until this woman was a part of his life. There were no substitutes for her.

  “I worked hard to restrain the desire I felt for you because I thought I didn’t have time for it in my life. I got completely back in touch with all that passion this week, and I’m bringing it to you now. Even if you still don’t want to date me, I for damn sure don’t want you walking around not knowing how much I want you and have always wanted you.”

  With the panic setting in at his words, pride was the only reason Jenna wasn’t running for the door. This was her house. She wasn’t going to run away in a panic. She would simply leave with dignity, Jenna decided.

  “Seth, I’m leaving now, and you need to also. Maybe we can talk about this later,” Jenna said, her voice breaking with nerves.

  When she started to step away, Seth’s hands shot out of his pockets to catch her arms. His grip was tighter and more desperate than he intended, but now that he was actually touching her, Seth couldn’t rein in his need enough to be gentle.

  “You can slug me after this if you have to, but I’ve got to kiss you one time while I feel this way. You’ve got to know how it really is, how it’s been all along. I don’t want to scare you, but I have to kiss you,” he insisted. “In fact, I think I will die if I don’t.”

  “Seth, I seriously don’t think this is a good idea. Not now—not like this,” Jenna was panicked at the firm grip he had on her. He was bigger and stronger. She’d have to really hurt him to break away.

  “Kiss me back,” Seth commanded. “Get it over with and go on if you have to, but kiss me back, Jenna.”

  “I’m having déjà vu. We did this already. It didn’t make a difference,” Jenna said, her voice flat and cold.

  “I promise you that was a very different version of me,” Seth said, absolute sureness ringing c
lear in his statement. “You will never be kissing that passionless man again.”

  Jenna’s panic climbed another couple of notches.

  Seth held one of her arms gripped tightly in one of his hands while he pulled off her purse and tossed it in the chair with the other. Stepping a fraction closer, Seth cupped Jenna’s beautiful face with a hand that trembled in anticipation.

  Idiot, he thought. You could have had this all along.

  Jenna saw Seth’s eyes change colors and opened her mouth to say something to make him stop, but his lips were on hers before she could get any words out. There was heat. God, there was heat coming out of Seth and into her. His lips practically sizzled moving across hers and the sound of satisfaction he made in his throat and chest had excitement dancing along Jenna’s nerve endings.

  Arousal, always instantaneous when Seth touched her, raced through her blood like lightning.

  Too late Jenna realized Seth had not been calm at all since he walked through her door. He had come to seduce her. Panic surged again, followed by the resistance Jenna had spent months building against her own feeling of desire for this man. Both warred with the arousal swiftly building inside her until Jenna thought she would lose her mind fighting him and herself.

  Seth’s kiss was demanding and proof of his intention was hard and insistent against her belly. Jenna trembled all over, some real fear mixed with a level of excitement she’d never felt before with him. Her mind rebelled at Seth’s unrestrained passion, but her body was screaming yes. As Seth’s grip tightened and his body grew harder and more insistent against hers, it was obvious that his body had heard.

  Seth devoured Jenna’s mouth, his lips sliding across hers and his tongue dipping inside to explore. Jenna’s mouth was water to him after a long walk across the desert his life had become without her. He put his hand on the back of her head and tangled his fingers in her hair. Tugging up her chin, he left her mouth and kissed her neck across her madly beating pulse. Then he came back to her mouth and felt her tremble in his arms.