“Ditto. And Jack?”
“Yeah?” His grin widened and twitched as he waited for it.
“You, my friend, are a mighty fine dirty talker.”
We both laughed and he brought his head down and kissed my forehead. “You like that, huh?”
“Love it.”
“There are some people who would be offended.”
“Well, some people don’t know what they’re missing.”
He wrapped his arms around me and rolled me back to my side so we were again face-to-face, exactly as we had started.
“I always knew you were perfect for me,” he said, giving me a squeeze.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out.” I frowned, thinking of all we’d been missing.
He kissed the frown off my face and said, “Don’t worry; it’s all worked out in the end. I’ve honestly never been this happy.”
“And I feel the same.” I put my arms around his neck and pressed my body tighter to his.
I settled in with my head against his shoulder and we stayed like that for a long time, talking quietly in the dark about the events that had led us here, occasionally squeezing each other, exchanging soft kisses, and pressing our bodies together so tightly it was as if we were trying to morph into a single being.
“Well,” I sighed finally. “It’s late. I guess I should get up again.”
“No. Just leave it.” He held me tighter. “I’m too tired to do anymore tonight and I don’t want to let you go.”
“I know, and I don’t want to get up, either – but you have to think ahead.”
“What do you mean?”
“The morning, Jack. The morning!”
He abruptly released his hold on me and shoved me from underneath until I half rolled away from him. “Hurry back!” he said gleefully.
I started laughing so hard I couldn’t move and he joined in until I was wiping away tears. “Oh my God, you ass!” I said, shoving his shoulder and moving to get out of the bed while he grinned at me. “You shouldn’t make me laugh like that. We could end up with a different kind of wet spot.”
“You don’t scare me. Now hurry!”
I stumbled across the room on shaky legs, far less gracefully than I had the first time, and went to do his bidding.
“What took you so long?” he pouted at me when I returned.
“Teeth,” I said, pointing at my mouth and baring them. I hopped as hard as I could on to the bed, but I couldn’t make him bounce.
“Nice try,” he smirked, then got up and sauntered off to take his turn in the bathroom.
I straightened out the tangled bedclothes and got myself situated on my side in the exact center of the bed. I pulled the covers up to my neck and was yawning when Jack returned.
He didn’t say a word but slid under the blankets and spooned himself against my back. I loved the feel of that and smiled in happy contentment as I fitted my body to his. What a difference a few hours had made. From total misery to pure bliss. It felt like the start of forever - and I had Jack to thank for that.
His arm came across my waist and I grabbed his hand, locked his thumb with mine and settled our joined hands together between my breasts. “Thank you for making me act like an adult,” I said quietly into the darkness.
He squeezed my thumb. “My pleasure. Love you, Ange.”
“Love you, Jack.”
I felt his smile against my hair and I was smiling, too, as we drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 26
The sun through the open blinds was warming the side of my face when I awoke an indeterminate amount of time later, plastered to Jack’s side with an arm across his ribs and a leg thrown over his thighs. His relaxed arms around me and his deep, even breathing told me he was still sleeping. I yawned, smiled in sleepy contentment, then closed my eyes and snuggled in closer. Jack’s arms tightened and squeezed.
I sighed happily at the exact same time a feminine gasp came from across the room. Jack’s body jolted, and my eyes flew open to see Peggy and Al standing in the open bedroom doorway, two sets of eyes bugging out and identical grins overtaking their faces.
Before we even had a chance to react, Al grabbed Peggy’s arm and was hustling her away, calling “Sorry! Sorry! We’ll be in the kitchen. Take your time!” and pulling the door closed behind them. And then I swear I heard Peggy let out a muted “Woohoo!” as they moved down the hall.
Thankful we were still fully covered by the blankets, I lifted my head and looked up at a wide-eyed Jack. He looked back at me and then we both laughed. “That could have been so much worse,” he said.
I agreed on a shudder. “What are they doing here?”
“I forgot that I promised to have breakfast with them this morning. So I’m guessing that means it’s already about 9:00.”
“Shit. I need to shower.” I kicked off the blankets and reluctantly pulled myself away from Jack’s side.
“I’ll come with you,” he said, moving to the edge of the bed and getting up.
“Do you really think that’s such a good idea?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I promise to behave.” He sketched a quick cross over his heart with his index finger then held up his right hand. “I swear. Hygiene purposes only.” He grinned and leaned across the bed, grabbing my hands and pulling me to my feet before turning my body in the direction of the bathroom. “Now move it,” he ordered with a swat to my ass.
“Ow.” He laughed while I rubbed my backside, then followed closely behind me into the bathroom.
I caught sight of myself in the mirror, my hair a crazy, wild mess that had taken on a life of its own, and recoiled. “Oh my God,” I said. “I look like Medusa.”
“You look sexy.” He came up behind me and put his arms around my waist. “And immensely fuckable,” he said into my ear.
I smiled at his reflection. “Eye of the beholder and all that.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, kissing my neck. “And I like what I’m beholding.”
I laughed and wiggled out of his grasp. “Don’t get started. Shower.”
He sighed and was muttering something about stupid promises and stupid breakfast while he started the shower and I gathered up our towels.
“After you,” he said with a little bow and extending his arm toward the shower.
“Thank you,” I said, lifting my head regally and stepping inside.
I immediately lost the regal and hogged the shower spray, leaning my head back and saturating my hair. I wiped the splatter from my face and opened my eyes to see a still-dry Jack staring rather intently at my chest. I grinned and gave him a shimmy.
“Jesus,” he said, returning his eyes to my face. “Don’t start that shit now. Although you just gave me an idea for later.” He wiggled his eyebrows then grabbed me by the hips and switched our positions, leaning his own head back into the spray.
I watched him, marveling at how comfortable we were in our nudity. I wasn’t embarrassed or in the least bit shy about baring myself to him – and that was unusual for me. Clothes, or the lack of them, didn’t seem to make much difference in how we interacted and I liked that very much.
I looked him over, and smiled smugly, noting with no small amount of satisfaction the bruise that was spreading over his upper arm. Over the years, I had seen most of his body, but now I used the advantage of broad daylight to look at the parts that were usually hidden. My gaze drifted down as I followed that enticing line of hair to where it trailed below his waist. I took my first good look at the new territory and liked what I saw: Slightly above-average length, major girth.
Unfortunately, “girth” was one of those words that inexplicably made me giggle. Jack opened his eyes and followed my line of vision.
“FYI, Angie,” he said with a frown. “You should never laugh when you’re looking at a guy’s junk.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that the word ‘girth’ popped into my head and that always makes me laugh.”
“Oh. Well, that’s o
kay, then. Feel free to continue your assessment.” He smirked at me then grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his hand before turning the bottle over to me. His hair was already washed and rinsed and I was still lathering when he switched our positions again. By the time I was done carefully removing the shampoo from my hair, he was completely clean – having unceremoniously pushed me out of the way to rinse - and there was a rather alarming gleam in his eye. So, despite his protests, I kicked him out, leaving me to wash my important parts in private.
I was just getting to the actual important parts when the shower door opened and a hand appeared, holding my conditioner. He must have gone across the hall to get it. I smiled at his thoughtfulness, took the conditioner and grabbed hold of his arm. I stuck my head out and kissed him soundly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I brought all your other stuff, too, so you won’t have to use my toothbrush again. Now speed it up.”
I laughed and slid the door shut on his smug face. Then I sped it up.
By the time I returned to the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, but otherwise ready to go, Jack was sitting, fully dressed, on the side of the bed he had already made. My clothes had been gathered up from where they had been strewn about the room and placed in a neat pile on the end of the bed.
Instead of walking to my clothes, I walked to Jack and straddled his lap. “I love you,” I said and kissed him lingeringly.
His arms around my waist squeezed. “And I love you. But you’d better get off of me and get some clothes on or I can’t be responsible for what might happen. And my parents have been waiting out there so long, they’re probably more ready for naps than breakfast.”
“I know.” I slid off of his lap and stood up, dropping the towel and getting a cheap thrill out of watching his hungry eyes move over my body. “I have things to take care of today so I need to get moving, anyway.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t you coming to breakfast with us?”
While I dressed, I explained the Saturday chores I needed to get done and why I didn’t like to put them off. As I talked, his eyes never left me – they also never moved above my collarbone. He was a pig, but I loved that about him.
He tried to talk me out of all of that, but I held firm. He finally let it go when I reminded him that I needed to pick up both my overnight bag and some groceries if I was going to be staying for the rest of the weekend. His cupboards were always bare.
“Okay, if you must,” he said, standing up and kissing me. I knew the mention of food would get him to see reason. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket, removed a couple of bills and handed them to me. “Can you get ribs for tomorrow? Oh, and ice cream. Maybe burgers for tonight?”
Laughing, I took the money and put it in my back pocket. “Would you like to make a list?”
“No. You know what I like.”
“Yes, I do - and I’m learning more all the time.”
He winked and took my hand. “Let’s go.”
We walked hand-in-hand to the kitchen where Peggy and Al were sitting at the table drinking coffee, not looking in the least like they needed naps.
“Good morning,” Jack and I said in unison.
They were both positively beaming at us as they returned the greeting. Feeling a little awkward, I gave Jack’s hand a squeeze before releasing it and we walked across the kitchen to the cupboards. He pulled out our favorite mugs and passed them to me. I poured us each a cup of coffee, handed Jack his and sat down next to him at the table.
“So,” said Peggy, still beaming and looking at me. “This is new.”
“Um, yeah.” I blushed furiously and looked at Jack who smiled and took my hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it.
“About time,” said Al, grinning and alternating his gaze between me and Jack.
“Yep.” Jack squeezed my hand and started laughing. Then I started laughing, leaning over and burying my face against his shoulder. Then Peggy and Al, who were practically giddy already, started laughing, too – and any awkwardness I felt evaporated.
Jack’s parents were like mine in that they never butted into Jack’s business, so it didn’t surprise me that they didn’t try to invade our privacy with personal questions. Instead, they smoothly moved the conversation in the usual directions. We made comfortable small talk while we finished our coffee then Jack stood, gathered up the empty cups and put them in the dishwasher, telling Peggy and Al that I had things I needed to do and wouldn’t be joining them for breakfast.
“Well, next time, then,” Peggy said to me as we all stood up. She gave me a warm hug, whispering, “I am so happy about this.”
“Me, too,” I whispered back. We exchanged smiles as we pulled apart and I moved on to Al.
“See ya, Al,” I said, reaching up to hug him, too.
“See ya, beautiful.” He pulled me into a bear hug, kissing my cheek before releasing me.
“I’ll walk you to your car.” Jack waited while I put on my shoes, then handed me my purse.
We stepped outside to a perfect spring day, the cloudless sky and warm, gentle breeze elevating our already buoyant moods to something close to euphoria. Finally, I felt like absolutely everything was right in my world.
“Your eyes are sparkling.” Jack wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into an embrace by the side of my car.
I slid my arms around his waist and leaned back, smiling up at him. “My mom says they do that when I’m really happy.”
“I’m really happy, too.” He kissed me softly and pulled me in closer, laying his cheek against the top of my head. “I hate to have to let you go. I already miss you.”
“You are so sweet. I’ll be back soon and then I’ll make it up to you,” I promised.
“Can’t wait.” He lowered his mouth to my ear and whispered, “I am dying to lick your lady lips again.”
I burst into laughter and pressed my forehead against his chest and I could feel his laughter rumbling there. “I’m pretty sure that can be arranged,” I told him.
I lifted my head and did a double-take when I caught sight of Peggy and Al, watching from the window, grinning like a matching set of Cheshire cats. Jack turned just in time to see them hastily moving away.
“Your parents are kind of creeping me out,” I informed him.
“Yeah, me too,” he agreed. “I think we can add them to the list of people who are happy today.”
“Obviously,” I said. “Well, go get your happy parents and take them to breakfast. I could stand here all day, but I need to get going.”
“Okay, baby.” He kissed me again, not quite so softly, then released me and opened my car door, holding it while I got in. “Be careful and I’ll see you soon.”
“Love you, Jack.”
“Love you, Ange.” Smiling, he closed the door and watched while I drove away.
Chapter 27
Within minutes of leaving Jack, I was already regretting my decision. I was smiling and shivering as I drove, reliving memories of the night before and already missing Jack’s touch. New relationships were always thrilling, but it had never been like this. Because this time, the love was already there – and what a difference that made. There was all of the excitement and none of the uncertainty. I knew exactly what I was getting into and to say I was overjoyed would be understating things.
I stopped myself from calling Jack - because wanting to hear his voice so soon after I left him seemed a little too needy – but I was bubbling over with the urge to share my happiness.
“Call Mom,” I commanded my car’s Bluetooth device.
“Angie! Hi!” My mom’s voice was high-pitched and borderline squealy when she answered on the first ring.
“Wow. You sound like you’re in an awfully good mood,” I told her. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. I’m just feeling extra happy today.”
She was feeling extra happy? That had a suspicious ring of familiarity to it.
“You know!” I accused.
&nbs
p; “Yes!” There was nothing borderline about her squeal this time. “Peggy called me. Your father and I are thrilled. Ecstatic. On cloud nine. Tickled pink…”
“Mom!” I was laughing as I interrupted her stream of synonyms.
“What?” I could hear the smile in her voice and I pictured her pacing around the house as she talked – the way she always did when she was pumped up about something.
“Don’t you think it’s just a little weird that my parents are so happy to find out I just got caught in bed with some guy?”
“Oh, please. Jack’s not ‘some guy’. My God, we’ve been waiting for years to hear this news!”
“You have?”
“Well of course. The very first time your dad and I saw you two together, we knew you were perfect for each other. Then we had to wait practically forever for you and Jack to figure that out.”
“Then why didn’t you ever say anything about it?”
“None of our business. You know we would never interfere in your personal life.”
“Well, that’s true. And I appreciate that.”
“No problem. Are you happy?”
“Happy? No.”
“What?” Her shocked whisper made me smile.
“I’m thrilled. Ecstatic. On cloud nine. Tickled pink. Elated. Euphoric. Overjoyed.” I added a few more adjectives to her short list.
“Brat! You scared me.”
We both laughed as I pulled into my driveway. “Seriously, Mom. I’ve never been happier. I don’t want to be too premature, but I see good things in my future.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Me, too. But we’ll talk later. I just pulled into my driveway. I have to pick up some stuff and get back to Jack’s house.”
“Okay. We’ll all have to get together soon.”
“Not this weekend, we won’t,” I said.
“No, I would imagine not,” she said dryly. “Let me know when you get tired of each other and are ready to come up for air.”
“Okay. See you in a couple of years, then.”
She laughed at that – even though I was serious. “Love you, honey.”
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