“Jay, I know I haven’t been here all that long but don’t you think that’s a little risky?” Anna queried.
He gave her a frosty look. “Don’t be so negative. It’s going to be beautiful. You’ll see.”
Yes, she would. And if it snowed, she’d laugh until it hurt.
“Are you going to have your friend come and stay for the wedding?” Anna asked, curious.
“Mike?” Jay sounded evasive all of a sudden.
She leaned up on one elbow. “Yes. He’s your best friend, isn’t he? Don’t you want him here?”
“Sure,” he said with all the enthusiasm of a man planning a funeral instead of a wedding.
Anna gave him a sharp look. “Don’t you want me to meet him?”
Jay sank down on the bed and sighed. “Listen,” he began in a low, dispirited voice. “He’s my best friend. He can’t help how he looks.”
Anna frowned. From the sound of it, she thought the poor man must be terribly disfigured in some way. Come to think of it, it was kind of odd that Jay didn’t have a picture of his best friend.
“Was he in some kind of accident? I’ll be sensitive,” Anna promised. “I won’t stare.”
“Yes, you will,” Jay stated mournfully. “You won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll stare and stare. And drool. He has that effect on women.”
She stared at him in disbelief. So it was the opposite problem? And Jay was insecure? Now that was funny. But she hid a smile and said solemnly, “Then I really promise not to stare.”
“Sure, you say that now.” Jay shot her a wounded look. “I lost every girlfriend I had in college to him. He goes through women the way other guys go through socks. Only faster. We called him the Terminator.”
Anna laughed at his dramatics.
“He has this idea about the perfect woman,” Jay continued. “He thinks he’ll know her right away, so if he doesn’t connect on the first date, the poor girl never gets a second chance.”
“Well, I think that’s nice. He just wants the right person.”
Jay quirked a brow at her. “Yeah, and I hope he finds her soon or he’ll run out of single women and start looking at other men’s wives.”
She smiled, amused by his uncharacteristic pessimism.
“Jay.” She trailed a finger down his chest to get his attention. “I love you.”
He perked up slightly. “Yeah? More than rockets?”
Anna nodded, keeping her face serious with an effort. “Oh, yes. You’re much more exciting than explosives. More mysterious than Greek Fire.”
A slow smile spread over his face. “Tell me more,” Jay invited.
“Well.” Anna considered him thoughtfully as her wandering hand moved lower to close over him in a breathtaking caress. “There’s also your amazing ability to retain structural integrity under velocity stress.”
Jay sighed happily and pulled her underneath him, the better to demonstrate his structural integrity.
“I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
The End
About the author
Charlene Teglia writes erotic romance with humor and speculative fiction elements. She can't imagine any better life than making up stories about hunky Alpha heroes who meet their match and live happily ever after, whether it happens right next door, in outer space, or the outer limits of imagination. When she's not writing, she can be found hiking around the Olympic Peninsula with her family or opening and closing doors for cats.
Charlene welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1337 Commerce Drive, #13, Stow, OH 44224.
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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When Sparks Fly: Love and Rockets Page 19