The Love Laws

by Tamara Larson

  He gave a wry chuckle. “Angel. I’m pretty sure that’s going to be impossible.”

  Jamie lifted her head and was just able to make out his ragged features in the dim light. He looked like he was in pain. That wasn’t what she wanted. She’d just wanted to play with him a bit. A little payback for this afternoon when he’d been so distant. She’d never meant to hurt him. “I thought you were enjoying the movie. Do you want to leave?” She asked, attempting to remove her legs from his lap.

  Kevin held them in place with one broad palm. “The last thing I want to do is leave. I couldn’t walk normal right now anyway. But if I don’t kiss you soon, I’m pretty sure I’m going to spontaneously combust right here in my seat. So, either remove those gorgeous legs from my lap and keep to your side or climb on over here and let me touch you. It’s your choice but please quit pretending it’s just my body heat you’re after.”

  Jamie didn’t move. She couldn’t. As much as she would love to crawl into his lap and spend the rest of the movie making out like it was Prom Night, her pride wouldn’t allow her to make that move. But she couldn’t quite force herself to humbly retreat to her seat either. She was torn, paralyzed to make any gesture that might change the nature of their relationship forever.

  “Screw this. I am done playing nice.” Kevin ground out and then one of his hands was under her chin, lifting her lips to his. His grip was firm but his mouth was soft and sweet against hers, barely grazing one corner and then the other before swooping in to capture her lips in a kiss that utterly took her breath away.

  His mouth tasted buttery from the popcorn and she could feel the delicious friction of his golden stubble against her cheek as he angled his mouth to the side to deepen their kiss. She didn’t want to respond. She knew she’d regret it when the lights came up but somehow it just didn’t matter. She wanted him. Just a taste couldn’t hurt, could it?

  Unable to stop herself from responding to his touch she opened her mouth and flicked her tongue against his full lower lip. A soft grunt of approval escaped his mouth and then his soft, seductive kisses were replaced with something more primal and overpowering. The tightly coiled tension in his body left him and he relaxed against her, letting go of her chin and sliding his hand through her hair until he was cupping the back of her neck, holding her close in a gesture that made her feel both cherished and dominated.

  He devoured her mouth, making her feel almost lightheaded with excitement as his tongue slid between her lips and thrust deep. God, he was good at this. Not so much tongue it felt like he was trying to tickle her tonsils but not those irritating little butterfly licks some guys thought were sexy either. He kissed like all he wanted in the world was to pleasure her with his mouth.

  She was so busy concentrating on his delicious kisses that she hardly noticed when the hand he’d kept on her legs began sliding upward, under the hem of her skirt and past the lace band of her stockings until his fingertips brushed her naked inner thigh.

  She froze. She had to stop this. Right now.

  Instead she tightened her grip on his T-shirt and pulled him towards her so she could wrap her other arm around his neck. Then she was the one kissing him with more passion than she’d thought possible. All thoughts of stopping escaped her as he hauled her over the arm rest and deposited her in his lap, oblivious to the other theatre patrons who were mercifully several rows in front of them.

  He allowed her to take the lead momentarily as he smoothed his hand up her thigh until he was cupping her moist, satin-covered mound.

  “Jamie.” He breathed against her lips. “You’re driving me insane.”

  She nipped at his full bottom lip with her teeth and then soothed it with her tongue. “Sanity is overrated. Just touch me.” She whispered and shifted in his lap until her soft hip was pressed tightly against the prominent ridge in his jeans.

  He groaned and she captured the sexy sound with her mouth.

  They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn’t notice when the lights came on. They remained locked in a tight embrace until the sound of shuffling feet and muttering voices leaving the theatre penetrated their foreplay cocoon.

  Finally, a cat-call from one of the departing patrons penetrated their consciousness. They broke their kiss and stared at each other. Both of them were breathing hard with arousal and Jamie’s skirt was pushed up to reveal most of her thighs, but she was too shocked to cover herself or move from his lap.

  Then he spoke and it was like throwing icy water all over her.

  “Jamie.” He said, brushing back her loosened hair with the hand that wasn’t buried between her legs. “This doesn’t change anything. My room is just a few blocks away. Let’s just migrate to a more comfortable location, okay?” He leaned forward to kiss her, but she reared back like he’d tried to bite her.

  His room? Then she remembered. This man didn’t even have a home. He lived in a hotel because he couldn’t commit to anything. Not even a place to live. His living situation was symbolic of everything wrong with him and he wanted her to go there? His lair where he’d bedded countless nameless females?

  “Oh my God,” she whispered as she scrambled off his lap. It was not a graceful dismount because her legs were weak, but she somehow managed to stand up and grab his coat from where it was tangled around her feet. She shoved it at him and snatched her purse from the next seat over as she navigated her way to the end of the row. Pulling her skirt down, she began speed-walking down the aisle without even a backward glance in Kevin’s direction.

  Jamie covered her mouth with one hand. Her lips were swollen from his rough kisses and her cheeks felt tight and hot from his facial hair. Between her legs her excitement still pulsed fiercely, making every step a reminder of how close she had come to breaking all her rules in one moment of madness.

  What had she been thinking? She had just encouraged Kevin Hall – the king of the man-whores! Obviously her poor neglected pussy had terrible judgment. If the movie hadn’t ended when it did she was fairly certain she would have been straddling his lap in no time. And worst of all, she would have enjoyed every second of it. But she wasn’t that impulsive girl anymore. She’d had a brief relapse but now she was firmly back in control. Pussy, be damned.

  All she had to do was figure out how to convince Kevin they’d made a mistake. Unfortunately for her, kissing him hadn’t felt like a mistake at all. It had felt natural, perfect and oh so hot. She really wanted a repeat performance. And so much more. Too bad this new Jamie was such a stick in the mud. Being a grown up really sucked.

  *****

  “Jamie. Damn it. Stop.” Kevin called as he adjusted himself with a wince and then followed her towards the front of the theatre. He had to sprint to catch up with her before she reached the exit. She was moving like a grizzly bear was on her tail rather than the guy who’d been making her panties damp just seconds ago.

  What the hell had just happened? Things had been going better than he’d ever hoped. When she’d pressed her sweet ass into his thighs and thrust her tongue into his mouth he thought he was going to come in his jeans from that pathetic stimulation alone. Somehow he’d managed not to humiliate himself but it had been a close call. He’d never been so out of control in his life. Their chemistry was more intense than anything he’d ever experienced.

  So why was she running? Had he gone too far? Offended her somehow? Or had she just come to her senses and realized she still didn’t want anything to do with him? That was probably it, but her sensual response to him didn’t lie. She wanted him. Badly. She just couldn’t admit it for some bizarre female reason. Why were chicks so damn complicated? Couldn’t they just live in the moment without all this drama? And of course, he had to choose the most complicated of the bunch to focus on. Was he a masochist? His aching dick certainly thought so.

  One night stands were so much less work, he thought wistfully. Everyone gets what they want and no one stomps off in a rage. Was it any wonder he had avoided relationships like the plague? But
somehow he knew those simple days were long gone for him. He had entered the relationship zone and there was no going back.

  Watching her rounded bottom jiggle and sway as she hurried away from him he thought he may be either the stupidest man alive or possibly the horniest. Maybe both. This woman was driving him bug-eyed crazy. As much as he’d like to sit back down in one of the deserted theatre chairs and lick his wounds, not to mention give his raging hard-on time to subside, he couldn’t just let her go. A big part of him dreaded confronting her. Mostly because his pride just couldn’t take another hit, but he had no choice. She was definitely upset and as frustrated as he was he had to make sure she was okay.

  Just as she reached the exit he was able to snag her arm. “Jamie,” he hissed, gently turning her around to face him. “Woman. What just happened? One second you’re jamming you tongue down my throat and the next you’re running away from me like your sweet little ass is on fire. Did I miss something? Do something? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure you were the one cuddling up to me.”

  Jamie tugged her arm out of his grip and covered her face with both hands. “I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I got carried away for a minute there. Let’s just forget this ever happened, okay?” She removed her hands and looked up at him with beseeching dark eyes.

  Her words and that pleading look felt like a punch to the gut. He was confused and annoyed as hell but he still couldn’t stand to see her upset. He was so tempted to just let it go. It’s what she wanted. They could just pretend those heated moments hadn’t happened and go back to sniping at each other on the rare occasion they were forced together. He could do that. It was the smart thing to do.

  Instead he did something really, really dumb. He brushed his thumb over one of her eyebrows and used the other hand to gather her against his chest. She resisted for a moment and then her entire body curled into him. Her arms snaked around his waist and they held each other for a long time, just savoring how their bodies fit together. It was one of the sweetest moments of his life and he vowed right then he would not let her escape him without trying his hardest to convince her there was something real between them.

  “Jamie,” he whispered against her hair. “I don’t want to forget it.” She tilted her head back to look at him with huge, shocked eyes and her entire body went stiff. These were bad signs but he needed to get this out before he lost his balls entirely. So he reached for her hands, held them both against his chest and forged on before she could interrupt. “I want you. Not just for a night or a weekend or whatever. I want more. With you. Only with you. I know you don’t think I’m relationship material, and I admit I’m clueless about being in one, but if you’ll just give me half a chance I’ll try to make you happy. In the bedroom, but out of it too. If you’ll let me.”

  Kevin knew the words were a mistake the minute they were out of his mouth. The room was still dark but he was close enough to be able to watch the play of emotions cross Jamie’s face: confusion, amusement and finally a look of dawning horror were etched there in plain sight.

  He was so screwed. What had possessed him to make such a premature declaration? He’d spoken way too soon. She wasn’t ready to hear this and he was going to drive her even further away. Or possibly she was going to think he was unhinged. Maybe he was.

  All he really knew was that he’d never felt anything like this before. When he thought she was going to walk out on him again without him cementing their future together in some way he’d just panicked. He needed to know there was some kind of hope for more between them than one date. And a date made on a bet at that.

  Jamie shook her head. “Kevin. I don’t know what to say.”

  Kevin jumped on his chance to reclaim a bit of his pride. “Angel. Don’t say anything now. Just think about it. I’m not talking about a lifelong commitment. Let’s just spend some time together. Take it slow. Get to know each other. Like normal people. Why don’t I stop by the store again tomorrow and we’ll go for coffee? Talk about the weather or favorite sexual positions or current events. Whatever. Or you can tell me about your article and I’ll give you some male perspective. How does that sound?”

  The theatre was still and empty around them and his voice seemed to echo, loud and desperate in the large space. He hoped the dim lighting hid some of the disappointment on his face as Jamie gently removed her hands from his grip and stepped away from him.

  She wrung her wrists and took a deep breath. “Kevin. I’m sorry. I totally messed this up. Despite what happened a few minutes ago I’m not in the market for a boyfriend right now.”

  He crossed his arms to avoid reaching out and shaking her. “Not in the market for a boyfriend? Or not in the market for a boyfriend like me?” He asked sarcastically.

  She shrugged. “Neither. I’ve got a lot going on right now.”

  “Bullshit.” He barked. Taking a deep breath he gentled his tone slightly. “My life isn’t exactly stable right now either. But it doesn’t prevent me from going after something that I think could be incredible.” He paused for a moment, watching her face to see if she agreed, but her expression remained mulish and closed off. “Then you’re either a coward because you’re afraid to make the effort and fail or you’re just making excuses. Which is it?”

  She put her hands on her hips and raised her chin defiantly. “Fine. If you really must know. I am making excuses. I was trying not to hurt your feelings.”

  Kevin glared at her. “Jamie. I’m a big boy. Just tell me the real reason. Then I’ll leave you alone and we can both get on with our lives.”

  “The truth is that even if my life was on track, I wouldn’t want to pursue something real with you. You seem like a nice guy, Kev. But as you pointed out, you’re not exactly in a good place right now. Even if I ignored the whole man-whore aspect of your past, you’re obviously in the middle of some kind of crisis. Why would I take that on? Why would anyone? Chemistry is great but not at that price.”

  “But you admit we have chemistry?” He latched onto that bit of information like a drowning man to a life preserver. If she would acknowledge their attraction then maybe he could use that to get close to her and convince her there was more between them. Besides, he didn’t want to focus on the rest of her explanation. She’d struck too close to the truth about his situation and he wasn’t ready to deal with what was at the root of his downward spiral.

  “Kevin.” She gave him a pitying look. “I’ve been around enough to realize that real relationships are based on respect. Common goals. Shared interests also play a big role. You and I don’t have any of that. I’m looking for a guy who wants to share my life. Not just my bed.”

  Kevin nearly howled in frustration. “But I want that too. Isn’t that what I’ve been saying?”

  Jamie touched his arm gently. “You don’t even know me. And what you do know isn’t very nice. You said it yourself. I’ve been running from you and insulting you since the moment we met. If you think about it you’ll realize that the Jamie you’ve been chasing after isn’t such an angel at all. In fact, she’s kind of a bitch.” He shook his head in denial but she ignored him and continued. “I think what’s really going on here is that you’ve been successfully seducing women for so long that you’re excited by the challenge I present. This has everything to do with your ego and nothing to do with me.” She shrugged one shoulder delicately. “I’m just a novelty to you.”

  Kevin stared at her. “You’re serious? This is what you think is going on here? I’m making an ass of myself to preserve my oversized ego? That makes no sense.”

  Jamie withdrew her hand. “It doesn’t matter if I’m right or wrong about your motivation for wanting me. The fact is that I’m not playing some hard-to-get game with you. I really am immune to your charms. I don’t know how else to put it. But this…” She pointed to him and then at herself. “…Isn’t happening. Okay?”

  Kevin was so tempted to just pull her into his arms and prove her wrong. She wasn’t immune to him, no
matter how vehemently she denied her attraction to him. But he couldn’t force her. If he tried, he would lose her forever.

  What Jamie didn’t know about him is that when he wasn’t drinking himself into oblivion or staring at a blank page he was online, re-enacting famous historical battle scenes. It was his secret geeky vice. He was actually considered a master strategist among his nerdy peers. And yes he would die if anyone outside that particular online community ever found out about his hobby.

  One thing he’d learned from his obsession was that if love was anything like war then strategy was the key to winning the battle, not brute strength. Any good general knew when to retreat and regroup. He would give her some time and then try again. If she still insisted on rejecting him he wasn’t sure if he had the resources to keep fighting. A guy can only take so many direct hits to the balls before curling up in defeat. Fortunately for him, his nuts could really take a beating.

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay. I get it. I’m not getting lucky. At least not tonight. Let me walk you home anyway.”

  Jamie gave him a blank look. “Did you hear a word I just said?”

  He pushed open the theatre door and gestured for her to step over the threshold and into the crowded lobby. “Yup. Every deluded syllable. Now. Where did you want to go for coffee tomorrow?”

  Jamie groaned in frustration. “I am not going anywhere with you. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”

  Kevin watched her stomp through the lobby towards the exit, clearly in a hurry to get away from him as fast as her FMH stilettos would allow. He wasn’t entirely surprised when she turned her head as she reached the doors to see if he was following. That was all the encouragement he needed. His long legs caught up with her and he placed a gentle hand on her back to guide her through the crowded street. He grinned to himself when she didn’t pull away from his touch.

  Nope, this battle clearly wasn’t over yet. Not even close.

  Chapter Eight