“Now, that sounds good.”
“And my parents will be here.”
There was a long silence as they continued walking up the driveway. Did he not want to meet her family?
“You know by bringing me, everyone is going to assume we’re serious,” he said, gazing at her.
Surprised at his comment, she glanced at him. A frown sat on his face like he’d just learned the Rangers had lost.
“Yes, and if we aren’t seriously dating, what are we doing?”
“I mean they’re going to think we’re getting married.”
If things worked out between them, wouldn’t they eventually get married?
“Usually a period of dating leads to the couple pledging their undying support of one another in front of a minister and committing the rest of their lives together. I’m not ready to commit myself to you, but we are dating. Right?”
He let out a sigh and shook his head at her. “You always break it down to the basics.” Jason opened the gate to the backyard, and they entered the family zone.
“Hi,” Amanda’s cousin, Mary, cried as she ran to hug her. “I’m so glad you came. And you must be Jason.”
“Nice to meet you,” he replied.
“Later, I’ll grab you and tell you all kinds of horrifying family stories about Amanda.”
Jason laughed.
Amanda frowned at her. “We’re not going to bore him to tears with stories of our misbegotten youth.”
“Catch me later, Jason. I’ll fill you in on all the gory details,” Mary teased.
Amanda spotted her mother. “We better go check in. See you soon.”
She led a reluctant Jason over to her mother and father, who stood talking to several of her aunts and uncles. As she walked towards them, her mother separated herself from the group and hurried to her.
“Hi, sweetheart,” she said, kissing her on the cheek. “And you must be Jason. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Thank you, it’s nice to meet you, too,” he said, his voice less than excited.
Well, he wasn’t exactly wowing them. In fact, he didn’t even seem to be trying to impress her mother. Her father would be the most critical one, her mother more laid-back. But so far, Jason was just being there, and that was a huge disappointment.
“Amanda tells us you work at Ramson and Company,” her mother said.
“Yes,” he answered.
Her mother stared at him. “What do you do there?”
“I’m a technical engineer.”
Just then her father strolled over, and Amanda watched him size up Jason. Her mother introduced the two of them, and her father shook Jason’s hand.
“Dear, Jason is a technical engineer for Ramson and Company.”
“What kind of business do they do?” her father asked.
“Oil and gas equipment.”
“That’s a great business here in Texas,” her father responded, making polite conversation.
Obviously, he didn’t appear impressed with Jason either. She was just reading their body language, but so far her parents seemed to be less than thrilled with her date.
“Yes, it is. We stay busy.”
Her father waved at someone. “Excuse me.”
Amanda stood there with her mother. “Where is Aunt Rose?”
“They’re not coming till later,” her mother said, taking her by the arm and walking across the lawn.
“How long does this last?” Jason asked, looking bored as he followed alongside them.
“Usually until midnight,” her mother said.
He turned and gazed at Amanda. “Babe, I’ve got to be home by five.”
“Oh, I know I told you it would last all evening. After dark, we bring out the guitars, and everyone sings and dances.”
“I don’t sing, and I definitely don’t dance,” he said, raising his brows.
Amanda frowned, and her mother stepped away from the two of them to speak to another family member. Frustration seized her insides and wrung them out, while she kept a carefully controlled smile on her face. It wouldn’t be good to have her first fight with Jason in front of the family.
“You can take me home and then come back,” he said, looking into her eyes. “I’ve got things to do.”
“This is our date day. What is going on after five?”
“I’ve got to work,” he said.
She wasn’t born yesterday, and he hadn’t mentioned anything about working this weekend. Lying to get out of spending time with her family irritated her, but what could she do? “Okay, well, let me at least introduce you to the rest of the family.”
She dragged him around the yard, introducing him to her aunts, uncles, and cousins, who politely spoke to him.
Afterwards, they sat with family members until her cousin, Mary, came up to her. “Hey, girl, come with me. You’re needed in the kitchen.” She glanced over at Jason. “I’ll bring her right back.”
Thirty minutes later, Amanda walked outdoors, hoping to find Jason with a coke in hand, standing around talking to her uncles or at least her father.
Instead, she found him sitting close to the pool, his phone out, playing a game. How could you bring someone around to show them off, when they didn’t even try to blend in with your family? Was this what being married to him would be like when they visited her family?
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, there you are. I got bored, so I dug out my phone. I’m playing Bejeweled.”
“I thought maybe you would get to know some of my family. I hoped you’d be talking to them,” Amanda said, her insides tightening with frustration.
He looked around and shrugged. “Maybe later. Do they serve alcohol at these functions?”
“No, my uncle Jim is a pastor. Not going to happen at the family picnic at his house.”
Jason snickered. “I guess not.” He glanced at his watch. “When’s lunch ready? I really need to get home by five.”
Again, his insistence that he be home by five. Did he have another date tonight? Or was this just his excuse to get out of the family gathering?
Her uncle Jim came to the door. “Let’s all gather around in a circle for prayer before we eat.”
Amanda walked over to join in the prayer circle. When she glanced around, Jason sat in the same chair by the pool, his phone in his hand, still playing games.
“Jason, come on,” she said, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice. She took her father’s hand.
Her father looked down at her and smiled. “Coming around the family is always a good test.”
She nodded, her stomach clenching, her insides seething. “Yes, it is, Daddy. Yes, it is.”
Jason put his phone away, ran over and grabbed her left hand. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Amanda glanced over at him and smiled, but somehow the smile didn’t reach her heart.
***
Lacey sat in her office and glanced at her watch to see the time was after seven. Her last client had just left, and exhaustion oozed from her every pore. After her roller coaster weekend of highs and lows, Monday had drained her batteries of all reserves.
Now, she wanted to go home, heat up her TV dinner, and veg in front of mindless television. Something boring and dreadful where she could stare at the pictures and let her mind go numb.
She took out her keys, grabbed her purse and laptop, and walked to the door of her office. Opening it, she ran smack into Reed.
“Oh,” she said startled. “Do you know how to knock?”
“Well, I would have if you hadn’t opened the door,” he said, his gaze giving her the once over in a way that left her warm and tingling.
Her breath caught in her throat, and her pulse started doing the mambo. What this man could do to her body had her yearning for his touch.
“I was just leaving,” she said, all business, ignoring the signals from her body.
“I see that. How about I walk you to your car?” he asked, as he held open the door.
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sp; “Okay,” she responded, not knowing how to react to him. She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him and snuggle into his hard chest, as scenes from the other night flooded her memory, her body warming.
“I’ve tried to catch you all day.”
She’d avoided him, not ready to have this discussion. “Monday is one of my busiest days.” The office was quiet as they walked down the hall to the door that led to the corridor. “You didn’t do any shooting today?”
“No, I worked on editing the film we took this last weekend. It turned out really good.”
Relief washed over her, leaving her breathing deep and shallow. No more filming her seminars. They were almost done. “Good. I can’t wait to see the finished product.”
He held the door open while Lacey walked through and then shut it behind him. She turned and locked it.
“Are you busy tonight? I thought we could go have dinner,” he invited, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck as he leaned close to her.
She shook her head. “I can’t.” She turned and walked quickly toward the elevator.
He put his hand around her wrist, halting her in the hall. “Can’t or won’t?”
His touch sent her pulse racing, like the start of a gun or a race car engine. She gazed into his green eyes. The man wasn’t stupid. He had to feel her standoff vibes. God, she wanted to go with him, but then her mind replayed Amanda’s voice warning her about being involved with Reed.
She stepped away from him, needing to put distance between the two of them. “You know my belief on one-night stands. You know I don’t sleep with someone without fully getting to know him and figuring out if we’re compatible.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know all about the twelve steps dating program,” he said, clearly not willing to give up.
“No, it’s a way to keep from getting hurt. I broke all the rules the other night,” she said, remembering the feel of his naked body sliding down hers, skin against skin. Her heart rate skyrocketed like she was running a marathon. She pushed the thought away. She had to remain focused.
“And had a great time. Maybe your twelve step program needs a tune-up.”
She stared at him as anger simmered through her on a low burn. Whirling around, she started walking toward the elevator. “My program doesn’t need a tune-up. It works fine. I broke the rules of the program, that’s all.”
He kept up with her determined strides. When they entered the elevator, she punched the parking garage button.
He took a deep breath. “What now?”
“You do your documentary, and I continue to see clients and teach them how sleeping with someone without knowing them is not in their best interest,” she said, not looking at him. Knowing if she stared into his emerald gaze, she’d be tempted to throw her program to the wind and fall into his embrace.
“Even when you enjoyed the other night?”
She turned to face him. “Don’t do this. Don’t lessen what happened the other night between us.”
“I’m not. In fact, I want to do it again. I want to take you to dinner and then back to my place and experience the passion you can’t deny exists between us once again,” he said, reaching out to brush a piece of hair away from her face.
His touch made her catch her breath, the feel of his fingers on her face shaking her resolve.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t do sex purely for pleasure. I want a committed relationship between me and the person I’m sleeping with. And you have made it abundantly clear you do not want a committed relationship. It’s better if I end this now, before I get hurt,” she said, trying to remain focused on reaching the parking garage, ignoring the signals from her traitorous body.
He stared at her for a moment. “Yeah, we do want different things in life, but why can’t we just have some fun together? We can’t undo what’s happened already, and I know you enjoyed it. Why can’t you just live for the moment?”
Almost there, she kept telling herself, afraid to breathe in the small space, knowing the air was permeated with the scent of Reed. “Yes, I did enjoy having sex with you. But I’m the kind of woman who becomes emotionally involved, and you’re the type of guy who just wants a fuck buddy.”
The elevator bounced as it came to a stop, and the door opened.
“I’m very particular about who I sleep with. I expect more from him than just a rumble between the sheets.” She turned and stared at him, his green eyes warming her insides, turning her legs into jelly. God, she wanted him so bad, but it was wrong.
“Do you want a relationship with me? Do you want to settle down someday? Get married? Have children? Buy a house on the beach?” she asked, watching his facial expression to see his response to her demands.
His forehead scrunched up in a frown, and he didn’t say anything.
“That’s what I thought.” She got off the elevator and turned to him. “It was fun, Reed, but it should never have happened. Let’s forget it, so that one night doesn’t ruin our working relationship.”
“I don’t want to forget the night we spent together. It was fantastic, and it could be again.”
Her heart plummeted to her feet, and she knew she had to end this now. “I can’t have sex with you again without a relationship.”
He clenched his fists and said with deadly calm. “Then get prepared. There are all kinds of relationships that don’t involve marriage. You want a relationship, then that’s what you’ll get.”
He turned and walked away, leaving her standing in the parking garage, shocked at his outburst. Shocked at his declaration. What did he mean?
***
Reed stormed away from Lacey, needing time to think. He wasn’t surprised at her reaction, but she’d sneaked into his thoughts all day at the oddest moments. He’d been unable to keep away from her and wanted to pick up where they’d left off the other night. The rational part of his brain expected her reaction today, but he’d held out hope she’d welcome him with open arms this evening.
And now he’d vowed they were going to have a relationship. What the hell was the matter with him? He didn’t do relationships. Not since college when he’d thought it was forever, only to find out all it took was the promise of a sports car to tempt her away.
In his past, the objective had been to get the girl in bed and keep her there as long as possible. The objective here would not be any different. The high and mighty relationship coach would be enticed with the possibility of the two of them in a relationship, except the goal was to get her back in his bed.
And he’d do whatever it took to get her there.
His cell phone rang, and he glanced down at the number, surprised. He picked it up. “Hello.”
For a moment, he listened. “Where are you?” He responded to the answer with, “I’m on my way.”
Tonight, maybe things had happened for the best, maybe it was good the lovely Lacey had denied him the pleasure of her company. But now, he had to come up with a plan to have a relationship with her and get Lacey back in his bed, before the documentary was complete.
There was no denying the attraction he felt for her was stronger than anything he’d ever experienced, but could it be because she was forbidden fruit?
***
Reed pulled up in front of the kid’s house. Jose sat outside on the porch, his chin in his hands, his eyes swollen and bruised from the beating. Reed got out of his car and walked up the sidewalk to him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hunter,” he said, glancing up at him.
The kid was tall and lanky, not muscular, more boy in a man’s body. A boy who lived in a shithole of a neighborhood, where violence happened every day. Reed saw something in the way the camera and boy lived and breathed together. With training, the kid could find a new way of life without drugs and violence.
Reed eased down to the concrete porch beside Jose. “Looks like you took a pretty good beating. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, nothing that hasn�
�t happened before,” he said quietly.
“You want to tell me what happened?”
The kid sighed. “When the hall monitor wasn’t around, the group of kids that Big Bob hangs with surrounded me after class. They grabbed my camera and started filming. When I tried to take it back, his homies took hold of me, and that’s when the fighting started.”
“Did you tell the principal?” Reed asked, knowing that regardless of what happened, this couldn’t be good.
“It was my word against theirs. We all got ISS.”
“What’s that?”
“In school suspension.”
“Yeah, that’s not good.” Reed sighed and patted the kid on the back.
“Even worse, they broke my camera. It won’t turn on.”
“Where’s the camera?”
“In the house.”
“How much of your film project is on there?” Reed asked, angry that this kid couldn’t seem to get a break from life. Yet, the boy was still trying to get the scholarship.
“All of it. I was almost done.”
“Go get it.”
The kid jumped up and went into the frame house. In less than a minute, he returned and handed Reed the camera. “They broke the lens.”
Reed turned the camera over in his hands as he examined the case that held the disk. “But the disk is still inside, and it’s not damaged. I’ll do my best to get what you’ve shot out for you. In the meantime, I have an old camera in the car you can use.”
The kid’s expression lit up; the hang dog look gone. “You’d do that for me?”
“Here’s the deal,” Reed said, as he gazed at Jose trying to appear serious. “You’ve got natural talent. But unless you learn how to use that ability, then you’re just a kid with a camera. I’ve been helping you because you’re gifted and could learn an occupation that could take you away from all this. But you’ve got to help yourself and the way you do that is by staying out of trouble. Avoid fights. One more session with ISS or any other blemish of any kind on your record and the board at the Los Angeles Film School will not even consider you. Are we clear?”
The Relationship Coach Page 18