Just One Touch - Leo & Jasmine (Crossroads Book 16)

by Melanie Shawn

  “I want you to look at me, because I want to see your eyes when I do this.”

  With those words, he thrust into her, filling her up as her walls constricted around him. She whimpered and moaned, but never broke eye contact, and he could see every last shadow of sensation as it flooded her body, because it was all reflected right there in her eyes.

  He pumped in and out of her, holding on to her slick skin to keep her safe off the ground. Safe in his arms, really. Yeah. That just felt right. Safe in his arms.

  As they exploded together into body-wracking climaxes, that was the last coherent thought he had—that he needed to keep her right there where she was. Safe in his arms.

  That was where she belonged.

  Chapter 21

  Jasmine rolled over in her bed and was surprised to feel a warm body there. Memories of the night before began playing in her head. Leo making love to her against the wall in the front room, then again when they took a shower together, and once more when they went to bed.

  Those images caused a smile to spread on her face at the same time her lids lifted, revealing a very sexy five o’clock-shadowed Leo lying beside her, still asleep.

  This was the second time that he’d spent the night at her house, but the last time they hadn’t shared a lazy morning in bed. She’d had an early shift at Barks, Balls & Bellyrubs. At the time, she’d been happy about that because she wasn’t sure how to act after a one-night stand. Or at least her version of one.

  But today was different, and not only because it was the second time they’d spent the night together. Today was Sunday. Her day of rest. The only “work” she had was a restorative yoga class she taught in the evening, but it helped her prepare mentally and physically for the week. Nan had started her habit of taking one day off a week and she’d carried it into adulthood. Her adopted mom’s reasoning was that even God took a day off.

  Normally, she used the day to recharge, catch up on laundry, errands, and cleaning. It had always been a day that she’d spent alone, even when she was with Corbin. Her ex spent his weekends golfing, or at a friend’s house watching sports, or in the office catching up on paperwork. At least those were the activities that he’d said he’d been doing. Looking back, who the hell knew what he’d really been up to?

  As insane as it sounded, in all the years they’d lived together, they had never spent a lazy Sunday in bed together. It hadn’t seemed strange to her at the time because that was all she’d known. But after waking up to Leo lying beside her, she’d decided that was going to be a requirement for any relationship she had from this day forward.

  Turning onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling. Although this was not a “real” relationship, her time with Leo was teaching her a lot of things about what she wanted in a partner.

  The night before at the wedding, Leo had put her first. She’d been feeling so out of place, anxious, and alone, and Leo had changed all of that. He’d been worried about her. Even willing to leave early just to make sure she was okay.

  She’d tried to explain to him how much it meant to her that he’d noticed something was wrong and offered to take her home, but she doubted he truly comprehended how much his actions had impacted her. He made her feel protected, cared for, and loved.

  Yeah. As crazy as that sounded, she’d felt loved.

  It was honestly one of the best nights she’d ever had.

  If she’d been at that wedding with Corbin her experience would’ve been completely different. He would’ve spent the entire night “networking”—AKA, taking any excuse to talk to other people and ignore her.

  There would’ve been no dancing because he didn’t dance. By the time the cake was cut, he would’ve had too much to drink and the evening would have ended in one of two ways: with him either passed out or picking a fight with her.

  Being with Leo had illuminated just how many things she’d settled for with Corbin. The way Leo treated her set a pretty high bar, and she wasn’t going to be lowering it in the future. She understood now that she deserved more, was worth more, than she’d insisted on in the past. The next guy that she dated, whoever he was and whenever that was, was going to have big shoes to fill.

  They would have to be a good listener. Attentive. Funny. Smart. Caring. Masculine. And good in bed. After experiencing what sex could be, she never wanted to go back to basic, vanilla, zero passion intercourse. What was the point? Messing up both the sheets and her make-up for something she wasn’t going to get any more pleasure out of than she’d get from, say, a really good mug of cocoa? Hell, no. Not anymore.

  “Mmm, good morning beautiful.” Leo’s gravelly voice sent a thrill racing down her spine.

  Jasmine’s cheeks flushed as she turned to look at Leo, and his hand slid beneath the sheet onto her bare hip. The warmth of his palm spread across her body as the tips of his fingers dug into her skin. That was all it took for certain areas of her body to light up like a Christmas tree. A tingling sensation began in her core and shot out like a sunburst. She could feel her nipples harden beneath the sheet that was barely covering her chest, and her sex contracted with need wanting him to fill her.

  “I saw the wheels turning in your pretty head. What are you thinking about?” He flexed his fingers, gripping her tightly.

  Well, now she was thinking about all the places in her body that were screaming for Leo’s attention.

  “Nothing.” Her breathless response was barely audible.

  At this point she was just happy to be able to put a sentence together at all, whether Leo could hear it or not was truly not her concern.

  He stared at her with a look she’d never seen before. Not from anyone. There was an intimacy in his milk chocolate eyes that was deeper than just care or concern. “You were definitely thinking about something a second ago. What was it?”

  “Um, I was just making a list of requirements for my future person.”

  “Your future person,” he repeated in a growl.

  If she didn’t know any better, she would swear that there was some jealousy behind his words. But she did know better. This was a little bit of fun. He was leaving in a few months and she’d decided to get the most out of whatever this was, since she was about to go on a self-imposed dry spell for the next ten to eighteen years.

  “Can I ask you a personal question?” he asked.

  “This coming from the man who’s naked in my bed,” she teased.

  He smiled and Jasmine’s heart expanded in her chest, causing her body to flood with endorphins. How one man could elicit so many pleasurable physical reactions from her was both unnerving and exciting. From one moment to the next, she never knew what he was going to do to make her feel good. A smile. A touch. A look. A word. Any one of those things could set her on fire or wrap around her like a warm blanket.

  “What made you stay with Corbin so long?”

  Hearing her ex’s name was like a cold bucket of water being dumped on her. Jasmine blinked in surprise. She’d thought he was going to ask what was on her list of future partners, since that’s what they’d been talking about. Sure, she’d just been thinking about how she didn’t know what to expect from him, but this was way out of left field. “Where did that come from?”

  “I’ve been wondering for a while.”

  “Um,” Jasmine tugged the sheet up to her chin suddenly feeling exposed.

  “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.” His hand gripped her hip, and he scooted closer to her.

  “No, it’s okay. I um…” She tried to figure out how to explain it to Leo when she wasn’t exactly clear on the reasons herself. “I’ve always wanted to be part of something. A family. A relationship. And we got together when we were so young, that I just sort of accepted that he was that for me. I never questioned it, or him. It was just what I knew.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “What about you?”

  “Me?” Leo’s forehead creased.

  Jasmine figured that since he’d opened the “
talking about the ex” door, she’d walk through it. “Why did you keep going back to your ex?”

  Leo inhaled through his nose as his lips pinched into a flat line. As she waited for his response she saw his expression change and the sight caused her stomach to flutter, and not in a good way.

  Shit. He still loved his ex. That was why he kept taking her back and why he was hesitating to answer. He must feel bad about telling her that, considering they were lying in bed naked together.

  “I guess it’s because—”

  A loud ringing sounded, interrupting Leo and startling Jasmine.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “I think it’s the doorbell.” He started to get out of bed.

  “Oh.” Jasmine had never heard it before.

  “I’ll get it.” Leo stood, as naked as the day he was born.

  “No!” Her objection came out sounding a lot more forceful than she’d meant it to be.

  Leo stared down at her, only his left brow lifted. “Are you expecting someone?”

  “No.” She shook her head as she sat up and she pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt that were draped over the chair beside her bed. “But I don’t think it would give the right impression for you to be greeting my visitor naked at,” her eyes shot to the clock on her nightstand. “Ten o’clock! I can’t believe I slept until ten o’clock.”

  She stood and turned just in time to see Leo reach his hands above his head and stretch. He was physical perfection. The sight caused Jasmine to momentarily forget what she was doing. Or where she was. Or who she was for that matter.

  Loud knocking snapped her out of her momentary lust-fueled memory loss and spurred her into action. She rushed out of the room and down the hall. Her heart was still racing when she placed her hands on the door and looked into the peephole.

  When she did, she saw wild, curly, salt and pepper hair, cat eye glasses, and signature bright red lips. In her younger days, Nanette Owens had been the spitting image of Dorothy Dandridge. And she’d aged well. She was still a stunner.

  “Nan?!” Jasmine threw the door open and her arms around the only family that she’d ever had.

  She hadn’t known how much she missed Nan until this moment. Since Nan moved to Arizona three years before, Jasmine had only seen her a handful of times. It had been ten months since her last trip to the desert to visit.

  Now that Nan was here, she held on and never wanted to let her go.

  “Whoa!” Nan tightened her hold on Jasmine. “Well, that’s a nice welcome. I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy about the surprise.”

  Jasmine leaned back so she could look her in the eyes. “What are you talking about? Of course I’m happy to see you. I’m always happy to see you!”

  Nan patted Jasmine on the cheek and smiled. “Aw, my sweet girl.”

  It was the same gesture, expression, and words that Nan had used the first time she’d met Jasmine. And just like it had the first time she’d done it, Jasmine felt loved. She hadn’t even known what it was at the time because it was the first time in her life she’d ever truly felt it. She’d learned that over the course of living with Nan. It was just one of many things her adoptive mother had taught her, but it was probably the most important.

  Jasmine would never forget that first night. She’d been woken up when the foster home she’d been living in was raided in a drug bust. She’d had to wait in the back of a police cruiser until her social worker showed up. It was still dark as she was driven to an apartment building. She’d followed her social worker up three flights of stairs, the familiar garbage bag that held all of her worldly possessions clutched in her hand, trying to numb herself to the fear of what might be waiting for her.

  It’s a new adventure, she’d tried to assure herself, the way she did every time this happened, but even to her brain, her inner voice sounded shaky. And trying to maintain that inexplicable optimism was starting to feel a little insane to her, anyway.

  When they reached the top of the stairs, a woman was standing with the door open. The social worker made the introduction, and the first thing Nan did was pat Jasmine on the cheek, smile, and say, “Aw, my sweet girl.” That was the moment Jasmine’s whole life had changed.

  Nan squeezed Jasmine’s arm, bringing her back to the present. “Well, aren’t you gonna invite me in?”

  “Sorry, yes!” Jasmine opened the door wider, when Nan walked in Jasmine looked out on the porch. “Where are your bags?”

  Instead of answering she heard Nan say, “Well, hello, handsome.”

  Jasmine froze. She’d been so surprised to see Nan she forgot that she had company. Slowly, she turned around and saw Leo, fully dressed in his button up shirt and slacks with his jacket and tie draped over his arm.

  “Hello, Mrs…”

  “Nan, you can call me Nan. And you are?”

  “Nan, this is—” Jasmine rushed to make the introductions but Leo beat her to it.

  “Leo Taylor.” He held out his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Nan. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “I’d love to be able to say the same.” Nan glanced over her shoulder to Jasmine and the look in her eye made Jasmine feel like she had when Jasmine was a teenager and Nan caught Corbin in her room.

  “I was just on my way out. It was very nice to meet you, Nan.”

  “You too, Leo.” She paused, and then said, in a slightly harder tone, “You tell Kitty I said hello, now.”

  Jasmine could see Leo fighting a smile, and she knew why. With just the slightest change of tone and a millimeter’s lift of the brow, Nan had clearly communicated a message: Don’t you dare even think about hurting my girl, young man, I know your grandmother and I can make your life hell in ways you couldn’t even begin to imagine.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Leo nodded and held Nan’s gaze as he delivered the earnest words, letting both Nan and Jasmine know the message had been received and taken seriously.

  Jasmine stood stock still as Leo passed her on his way out the door. He paused briefly, leaned down, and dropped a soft kiss on her forehead. “See you later.”

  “Bye.”

  Jasmine watched as he left, wondering what she was going to say in way of explanation of him being there, obviously dressed in clothes from the night before, and her in sweats.

  Damn, she hadn’t felt this much like a teenager, even when she was a teenager!

  “Where are your bags?” Jasmine asked as soon as he shut the door, hoping to skip the whole why was there a man at your house obviously doing the walk of shame conversation.

  “Oh no, Pumpkin. I’m the one who’s going to be asking the questions.” Nan moved to the couch, sat down, and pointed to the cushion beside her. “Sit.”

  Yeah. She should’ve known from the jump there would be no skipping that part of the conversation.

  She took a deep breath and tried to steel herself. I’m an adult. I didn’t do anything wrong. I can have any overnight visitors I want. Jasmine gave herself a pep talk on her way to take her seat. As she settled onto the couch, she bit her lower lip, falling right back into her old nervous habit.

  “First and most importantly, how are you feeling?”

  “Good. Tired, but good.”

  “I would ask if you’ve eaten today, but it seems you’ve just rolled out of bed.”

  Jasmine remained quiet, not wanting to touch that comment with a ten-foot pole.

  “Speaking of rolling out of bed, are you and Leo serious?”

  “No.” Jasmine shook her head.

  “Does he know that?”

  “Of course!”

  “I’m not so sure about that. I saw the way he looked at you.”

  “It’s not like that,” Jasmine assured her.

  “What’s it like, then?”

  “I don’t know, it just sort of…happened by accident.”

  “By accident, huh? Did you accidentally trip and fall on his penis?”

  “Nan!?!” Jasmine’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. />
  “What? Is that what happened? I’m only asking because I know you. You don’t do accidents. If this is happening, then it is serious.”

  Jasmine couldn’t argue with her on that point. She really wasn’t a casual hookup sort of person. And it wasn’t because she’d been with Corbin for so long that she hadn’t had the opportunity. Even if she’d been single, she just didn’t think she was a casual hookup girl.

  “He’s leaving.” Jasmine wasn’t sure if she was saying it out loud for Nan’s or her benefit. “Coming back to Harper’s Crossing was always temporary.”

  Nan pushed her glasses up on her nose. In poker, people had tells, and that was one of Nan’s. It meant she didn’t believe a word coming out of Jasmine’s mouth.

  Hoping to convince her, Jasmine tried to explain. “I know what this is and what it isn’t. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m not going to get my heart broken.”

  “Maybe it’s not just your heart I’m worried about. Does Leo the Lion Tamer know that this is temporary?”

  “How did you know about the lion tamer thing?”

  “Instagram,” Nan said as if that was common knowledge.

  Jasmine shouldn’t be surprised. Nan had always been a lot cooler than she could ever hope to be.

  “Where are your bags?” Since Nan had moved, she hadn’t been back to visit, but Jasmine just assumed that she’d stay with her. “You are staying here, right?”

  “Well, it depends on what you mean by here.”

  “I mean here, with me.”

  “Why would I do that when I have my own place just down the road?”

  “Your own place…What?”

  Nan’s lips curled up revealing a line of straight white teeth. “I just moved into Riverwalk Ranch.”

  “The retirement home?” Jasmine had suggested that she move there before she relocated to Arizona, but she’d said that she wasn’t old enough to be put in a home just yet. “But I thought you said—”

  “Well, that was before I found out I was about to be a grandma for the first time.” Nan patted Jasmine’s hand.

  A grandma. None of Nan’s biological children had had children yet. And Jasmine hadn’t even thought about the fact that, since she didn’t have parents, the baby wouldn’t have any grandparents on her side. Except, they would. They would have Nan.