by Claire Raye
I roll my eyes prepared to defend myself against Ellen’s constant teasing when she pounds on the window and calls Jack’s name.
“Oh my god! What are you doing?” I screech, practically falling flat on the ground to hide from him as he looks over at us. I didn’t think she meant she wanted me to ask him now. I’m not prepared to have this impromptu conversation with him especially after what happened last night.
“Asking Jack if he wants the job,” she responds swinging open the door and calling to him again. “Settle down. I won’t ask him if he wants you too, because that’s obvious.”
“Jack!” Ellen shouts across the open field to him and flags him over with her hand. She’s waiting in the doorway when he walks up and she steps aside to let him in.
He’s breathing heavy and his chest moves with each breath he takes, stopping me from thinking about anything but him naked. I memorize every part of him as he stands there; the small scar that hits right above where his jeans are slung low on his hips, the shape of his collarbone and how my head fit there perfectly when we were dancing, and his hands, his calloused, strong hands that I’d give anything to feel on my body again.
I’ve never felt such a mix of emotions in my life. My heart is racing, my stomach fluttering, a pent up mess of anxiety and nervousness; worried that I’m going to say something idiotic or that I’ve assumed something that isn’t even there.
“Hey, Lu,” Jack says, and Ellen smirks at me.
She cuts right to the chase, no small talk, no making sure I’m not being super fucking weird.
“Lauren and I were wondering if you’d be interested taking on a few other jobs around here. Obviously we’d pay you and you’re kinda already doing them.”
“Maintenance work?” Jack asks and I nod my head. “Yeah sure. Don’t have much else going on until the parts come in and it looks like you could use an extra hand around here.”
Jack winks at me and clearly he isn’t at all affected by what happened last night. He’s back to his arrogant self and assuming every woman in the world is into him, including me. He’ll probably run off after this to flirt with Penny.
“Check in with Lauren tomorrow and she’ll set you up with what needs to be done. Sound good?” she asks, looking between Jack and me, giving us both a nod.
“Always happy to check in with Lu,” Jack says, smiling at me and shooting me a flirting glance that doesn’t go unnoticed by Ellen.
“One more thing,” she says catching Jack before he walks out the door and turning to face me. “Can you watch the kids tonight? Will and I want to actually have a quiet dinner alone.”
“Of course I can. They can stay the night too,” I tell her and she thanks me, but the look on her face tells me that this isn’t the only thing she needs to say.
Ellen bites her bottom lip and lets out a slow breath. “Any chance you’re free too, Jack?” she asks, her nose scrunched and her teeth pressed together like she’s willing him to give her the answer she’s hoping for.
For fuck’s sake my sister is trying to set me up.
“Oscar’s really hoping you’ll be there,” she adds, using her kid as her excuse. “Not that they’re not excited about seeing you, Lauren, but you know.” She shrugs her shoulders, but she doesn’t say anymore knowing I realize Jack is a novelty, something new.
“Nothing going on,” Jack says. “If it’s okay with Lu…”
“It’s okay with Lu,” Ellen says and I roll my eyes, but she gives a quick raise of her eyebrows and tight-lipped smile that tells me to shut up and just go with it.
So I do.
Several hours later Ellen has wrangled up the kids and shoved them through my front door, shouting a thank you to me as she climbs into her car before I even have a chance to greet her.
“She needs a night out,” Oscar comments, flopping down on the couch dramatically. “Jack coming over?”
“He is,” I answer as I go into the kitchen to finish making dinner.
I can hear Olivia and Oscar whispering in the other room and I know they’re up to something, possibly something their mother has helped them set up. I’m interested to see how this evening plays out.
Jack knocks on the door just as I’m putting the grilled cheeses on plates. Nothing fancy but the kids aren’t too particular. Hopefully Jack isn’t either.
They’re both screaming and jumping on him when I walk into the room with the food. One of their favorite parts about staying with me is watching a movie and eating in front of the TV.
I set the plates down on the coffee table, but Olivia shakes her head and simply states that we must eat in the kitchen. This is an interesting turn of events, so I move everything back to the kitchen, setting the plates on the island.
Once everyone has convened around the island, Oscar grabs a bottle of wine from the rack and sets it down in the center.
“Having wine tonight?” he asks, looking from me to Jack and back. “Does this pair well with grilled cheese?”
I cover my mouth with my hand to hide the fact that I’m about to burst out laughing. The tears are pooling in the corners of my eyes and the smile on Jack’s face is stretched so wide.
“Absolutely,” Jack says, jumping in and saving me from the laugh that I’m trying to keep trapped. “Thanks for taking care of it, dude.”
“So tell me,” Olivia says very astutely, her grilled cheese in her hand, “do you keep your promises, Jack?”
I cough, my hand again covering my mouth as I nearly choke on the mouthful of wine Jack just poured us.
“Um, well, I would say yes, Ollie, I do.”
“Good, good,” she responds nodding her head and I watch her give Oscar a side-eye.
“Aunt Lulu only likes guys who keep their promises,” Oscar interjects, and he looks over at me and tries to wink several times but fails and it’s taking everything in me not to crack up laughing.
These two obviously have an agenda here, and as much as I want to stop them, I’m really getting a kick out of this whole thing.
“She also likes guys who are funny,” Oscar continues. “Like really funny. Not the boring kind of adult funny.”
“Okay,” Jack says, taking in everything they say in complete seriousness.
“Like this one time Mom made Aunt Lulu laugh so hard rice came out her nose. Can you make rice come out her nose?” Olivia questions and she’s dead serious, but the way she asks it makes it sound like she’s asking if Jack can pull a rabbit out of a hat.
“Well, I’m not sure. We aren’t eating rice tonight, but next time I’ll give it a try.”
I can’t get over how sincerely Jack is taking everything. Not once has he cracked a smile since they’ve started this conversation.
Their questioning goes on for the rest of our dinner with Jack answering everything they throw at him and not once does he tell them to stop or seem annoyed by any of it.
I watch him with the kids and how they respond to him and how he treats them, and there’s something about it that’s comforting, and it makes my heart clench in my chest. He’s so good to them and they adore him.
By the time we’re done, the kids are exhausted and they’re sprawled out on the couch with Jack while I clean up the kitchen.
When I walk into the living room, the TV playing quietly, Olivia jumps up off the couch and throws her arms around me.
“You sit next to Jack,” she says, grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the couch. I sit down next to him, but we’re both sitting stiffly, my hands folded in my lap.
Neither of us has looked at each other, hell we’ve barely spoken, and that tension between us is back. It’s buzzing in the room and I thank fuck that we’re here with two kids who are back to being oblivious.
Olivia is practically asleep and Oscar is on his way out, and they don’t notice when Jack excuses himself to go to the bathroom.
My leg begins to bounce on its own accord and I can’t let it continue like this. This weirdness that has now settled between u
s is far worse than the lead-up to our kiss.
Maybe the kiss ruined things, but I can’t take it back now.
I look over, checking to make sure both Olivia and Oscar are asleep, and then I tiptoe down the hallway and stalkerishly pace outside the bathroom door.
The door swings open and Jack jumps back, startled to find me hovering outside the door, but before he can say anything I whisper-shout, “Why are you being so weird?”
“Me?” he replies, affronted. “You’re the one being weird. You avoided me all day.”
“I did not,” I lie, and he smirks at me.
“You’ve always been a terrible liar. It’s written all over your face.”
His grin is cheeky and I bite my bottom lip as I feel the room begin to swirl with the desire that blanketed us last night on my porch.
“Why are you avoiding me, Lu?” he asks, and his voice is low and sexy, the words spilling from his lips like warm honey, sweet and seductive.
My breath catches in my throat, a quiet rasp, but something about it, something about his words and this night together urges me on.
“Because I want to kiss you again,” I murmur and my voice doesn’t sound like my own. It’s a soft whisper of desire that grows to a yell as my body calls out to reach for him and that’s exactly what I do.
I don’t know who makes the first move, but suddenly we’re flush against each other, the warmth of our bodies heating my already sensitive skin. Jack backs me up against the wall behind us and my heart begins beating so hard I’m practically certain it will rip through my chest.
I had no idea that a second kiss could elicit this response, that it could possibly be even better than the first. The lead up is intense and all consuming, and we’re suspended in nothing, like we’re the only people in the world.
“Jack? What are you doing? I ask, my words coming out breathy and hoarse.
“Exactly what you want,” he whispers against my mouth as he clutches the back of my neck and pulls my mouth to his.
My lips part and I run the tip of my tongue along his bottom lip and Jack moans into my mouth. Grabbing the hem of his shirt, I pull him closer to me until there isn’t a centimeter of breathing room between us.
My hands trail under his shirt, exploring every inch of hard muscle until I reach the fast rhythm of his heartbeat, and I let my hand rest over it.
He slides his knee between my thighs as I slip my tongue into his mouth, tasting him; the taste of red wine and mixed with the way he smells makes me lose myself in our kiss.
He consumes me until the patter of little feet cuts through like a gunshot in a silent room.
And then comes “Aunt Lulu,” muttered by the sleepy voice of a seven-year-old.
Chapter Thirteen
Jack
Lu and I both freeze.
I’ve got one hand on the back of her neck and one hand on her hip, holding her against me. She’s got both hands under my shirt and I swear if we were alone right now, neither of us would be wearing clothes anymore.
She pulls back a little, turning her head toward Ollie, so her ear is now against my mouth. “I think we’re busted,” I whisper. Short of being naked, we’re in a pretty compromising position right now.
“What’s up, Ollie,” she says, pulling her hands from under my shirt, her fingers trailing over my skin and sending shivers up my spine.
“I’m sleepy,” she replies, rubbing her eyes.
I take a step back and Lu crouches down to face her niece. “You want me to put you to bed?” she asks.
Ollie shakes her head. “Jack,” she mumbles, pointing up at me.
I grin, bending down to pick her up. “Come on, Ollie,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, before glancing at Lu.
“Spare room,” she says, pointing toward a closed door.
I nod before carrying Ollie in there and gently putting her to bed.
“What were you and Aunt Lulu doing?” she asks, even as she rolls over, her eyes closing.
I ruffle her hair a little as I pull the blankets up. “Just talking, Ol,” I whisper. “Go to sleep.”
When I walk out, I find Lu draping a blanket over Oscar as he lies fast asleep on the couch.
“Want me to carry him to bed too?” I ask, standing in the doorway.
She looks up and shakes her head. “He can stay here,” she whispers.
I nod and we stare wordlessly at each other as though neither of us wants to suggest what happens next. I know I can’t stay though, not when the kids are here and from the look on Lu’s face, she knows that too.
“I should probably go,” I eventually say.
Lu nods and stands, walking around the couch and following me to the front door. We both step out onto the porch, the coolness of the evening doing nothing to calm the heat that’s still raging through my body. Lulu motions to the door with her thumb out.
“I guess I’ll…”
I turn, cutting her off as I press my mouth against hers in a hard kiss. Lu moans, her body folding into mine as I slide my arms around her back and pull her against me. Our mouths fuse together, tongues entwined, our lips and teeth hungry for more, neither of us wanting to stop what we started back in the hall outside the bathroom.
“Your niece and nephew are great,” I murmur between kisses. “But their timing really sucks.”
“I’m sorry,” she breathes out, pulling back a little, her fingers digging into my back.
“Don’t be,” I murmur. “But have dinner with me tomorrow night?” I whisper, my forehead against hers. “Just you and me?”
Lu nods, biting her bottom lip as her eyes find mine and she understands the full implication of everything I’m saying to her, all the unspoken things that we both know could happen the second we find ourselves alone again.
At this point it feels inevitable and something we both want to happen. God knows, it’s hard enough controlling myself now, but I know when it finally does, I want there to be zero chance of interruption—from anyone.
I grin, pressing my lips against hers in a soft kiss before murmuring, “Goodnight, beautiful,” and turning and walking down the stairs.
The next morning, I head up to the shed early and continue to work on cleaning out the crusher while I wait for Lu to appear. By mid-morning, there’s no sign of her so I wander over to her office.
I find her standing over her desk, her back to the door as she studies something intently. She doesn’t hear me as I walk in, doesn’t sense me behind her as I press a kiss to the back of her neck and slide one hand over her hip and across her stomach.
“Shit,” she says, jumping as she turns to face me.
I grin. “You being weird again, Lu?” I ask, kissing the end of her nose.
Her eyes dart around the room as though she’s terrified of someone seeing us. “No,” she finally says, still not looking at me.
I duck down, slide two fingers under her chin and tilt it up so she’s forced to look at me. “Yeah, you are,” I say grinning.
She swallows hard, her tongue slipping out to lick her lips and it’s enough that I can’t stop myself as I lean in and suck her bottom lip into my mouth.
“Jack,” she whispers, hands on my chest as though to push me away. She doesn’t though and I smile against her mouth as I deepen the kiss.
She pushes me away now though, her eyes wide as a slight flush rises over her cheeks. I slide my fingers up her neck, brushing them across her jaw as I move my hand from her stomach and slip it into the pocket of her jeans and pull her closer.
“Aunt Lulu,” comes Oscar’s voice as he strolls into the office.
“Fuuuck,” I mutter, stepping backward. “Hey, little dude,” I say, turning to grin at him as I offer him my hand.
He eyes us warily, his gaze flicking from me to Lu and back to me again. Eventually he holds out his hand and takes us through our routine before he says, “What’s happening?”
“Nothing, Oscar,” Lu cuts in, her voice shaky. “Jack was just
here to pick up the list of jobs that I need done,” she says, scrambling for a piece of paper on her desk. “These are the priorities,” she says, handing it to me. “Let me know if you need anything.”
My smile widens, as I look back at her, watching as that flush now deepens. “Oh, I will, Lu,” I murmur, winking at her. “I will.”
Then I turn, and placing a hand on Oscar’s shoulder, I say. “Come on dude, you’re with me,” before we walk out.
I spend the rest of the day doing random jobs around the property, Oscar occasionally trying to help out, but more often than not, wandering off when he gets bored.
There’s more than enough work to keep me occupied for several weeks, if not longer, and even though it’s not wine making, which is my true passion, I find myself not minding. I like the idea of helping Lu out and as I spend several hours restringing a row of grape vines, my thoughts consumed with wondering what it would be like to do this indefinitely.
I don’t want to give up wine making, but this is a vineyard, so it’s not like I’d have to. I’d even keep doing odd jobs around the place to help out if Lu would give me a shot at making some of their wines.
I know the current guy she uses and while I think he’s more than capable of continuing to produce the stuff they are known for, I also know there’s more potential they could tap into.
And maybe I’m the person to show her that.
Eventually, I finish up and head over to the restaurant to organize some things for tonight before heading back home to take a run. Before I go, I send a quick text.
Me: I’ll pick you up at 7
I wait a few seconds, but she doesn’t reply, so I plug in my earphones and head out to burn off some excess energy so I don’t jump her as soon as we’re alone. Halfway through my run, my phone vibrates with a new message.
Lu: ok…is it weird that I’m nervous?
I grin, slowing to a jog so I can type out a reply.
Me: don’t be nervous, it’s just me and I promise I’ll be on my best behavior
Lu: you’re NEVER well behaved!