“Was there anything you can remember about the car or the occupants? Anything at all?”
“The whole incident is pretty much a blur.”
Officer Winters continued to make notes. This all seemed surreal to Andrea. “What do we do now?” she asked.
“I’ve been in touch with the school. Stuart and Eric both deny participating in any bullying, claiming that it was a misunderstanding. But if they are involved in this incident, and if the eyewitness can identify the driver, we might be closer to the answer. The witness insisted that there were three in the car. If we could get the woman to come forward...” He flipped his notebook closed. “I’ll be in touch when we find out more.” He stood and looked at each of them. “If you have any more information about the accident, please call me.” He placed his business card on the table.
With that he walked to the front door and Jake followed him. “We will see what we can find out about the woman in the car.”
“That would help,” the officer said then left.
“I’ve got to get to the library for a couple of hours before tomorrow morning’s class,” Shannon said. “You’re not going to work, are you, Mom?”
“Not a chance. My head still hurts a little. I may just lie around and be lazy.”
“I’m ordering bed rest,” Shannon said, winking at Jake.
Once they were alone, Jake and Andrea sat across from each other at the table. “You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Physically, I’m fine. Emotionally, I’m a wreck.” She touched the bruise on her forehead to steady the trembling of her hands. “What if it was Stuart who hit me? And what if Chloe was in the car?”
“It would explain the expression on Shannon’s face,” Jake mused.
“Were you able to contact Eric’s father?” she asked.
“He and his wife are on vacation in China.”
“Leaving Eric free to do as he pleases. Not a good sign.” Andrea shifted in her chair, trying to ease the ache in her shoulder. “Shannon has been very happy at Cambridge High School, but I can’t let her stay there if she’s going to be continually bullied. And if they caused my accident, that’s a scary escalation. Maybe I should look into a private school. What do you think?”
Jake gave her a smile that warmed her heart, made her feel safe and cared for. “Let’s let the police do their job. Meanwhile we’ll keep in touch with the school about their progress. I expect the next action will be to expel the two boys or at least to suspend them.”
“Do you think this will stop them from bullying Shannon and Kyle?”
“I hope so,” he said.
How wonderful it felt to have someone involved in her life to talk with about things big and small. “What would I have done these past few weeks if you hadn’t been here?”
He pulled both of her hands into his as he leaned across the table and kissed her. “I am here as long as you need me,” he whispered against her lips.
She clung to him, not wanting him to stop. “Thank you,” she replied.
“You’re welcome.” He stood and moved toward her, his smile warm and intimate as he put his arms around her. “You are a beautiful woman. You know that, don’t you?” His dark eyes searched her face.
“I need to hear those words.” She wound her hands around his neck and pressed her body to his.
“I haven’t said those words to a woman for a very long time.” He gently caressed her face, her lips, the skin of her throat, driving her crazy with need.
“Is this what you really want?”
He eased away to looked in her eyes, his sincerity evident. “Why not? We’re both free...” He kissed her, his tongue moving over her lips. “You’re a very sexy woman.”
“You obviously don’t get out much,” she kidded him, suddenly anxious to pull away. She’d wanted him all this time, but now she was afraid...of how easily she could be hurt by him.
“And you’re not good at taking a compliment.” He smoothed away the hair clinging to her cheeks. She rested her hands on his shirtfront, the warmth of his skin radiating through her fingers. She wanted him, ached for him...
His arms slid around her; his mouth sought hers. She wanted so much, yet she held back. Was this how real attraction was supposed to feel? The eagerness? This sense of losing it all in the moment?
The pressure of his body eased, his hands sliding up to her shoulders, holding them. “Maybe we should save this for later,” he whispered.
Disappointment fought with relief.
“I don’t want you to think I’d take advantage of you, or the situation.” His dark eyes showed a depth of vulnerability she hadn’t seen before.
“No, of course not,” she managed to say as she pushed back her need. Whatever might have been between them wouldn’t happen now. The moment had slipped from them. Her pride forced her to step out of his arms. “Why don’t I make you something to eat?”
“Not for me, thank you.” He hesitated. “I want to talk to you about something else.”
“Sure,” she said, feeling as if she’d let a special opportunity slip through her fingers.
“I’ve let this go too long.”
“Let what go too long?” she parroted, afraid of what he might say—almost certain his words would hurt her.
“I care deeply for you,” he said gently and with feeling.
The words flowed around her in a soft wave. She absorbed their meaning, letting herself believe them. She cared about him, and caring was such a nice place to start. “Those are the best words I’ve heard in a long time,” she said, trying to sound anything but vulnerable. Never vulnerable.
“I don’t know how to say this, but I’ve never met anyone quite like you in my life,” he said.
Everything hung suspended between them.
She was afraid to ask what he really meant, afraid that she’d make the wrong assumption. She was crazy about him, but she didn’t trust her judgment where men were concerned. She didn’t want to risk being hurt, regardless of how strongly attracted to him she was.
“I want to get to know you better. I want to be part of your life.”
“What do you want to know about me?” she asked, the air between them charged with feelings she’d long kept buried.
“What about your hopes and dreams?”
His attention and support these past weeks had been so much more than she could have imagined when they’d met that day in Melody Chapman’s office. His interest in her life, his caring, opened a part of her heart she’d thought would never respond to another man again.
“I want Shannon to be happy.”
“And what about you? What about your happiness?”
She saw how serious he was. “I want to meet someone, someone like you,” she said feeling exposed as his eyes swept her face.
“Andrea, I think it’s time we faced our feelings,” he said gently.
Her breath caught in her throat as he continued to focus solely on her. “This is so new to me, so much more...than I expected. You’ve changed everything in my life, and I’ve never cared for anyone like I do for you,” she said, suddenly aware how much those words expressed her true feelings.
He touched her cheek, a caress that left her craving more. “I will never hurt you Andrea. Do you believe that?”
“I do,” she said, touching his throat with her fingers, feeling his skin warm and inviting beneath her fingers.
It was as if they had known each other forever. She wanted him to stay here with her, give her a little time to let his caring words sink in.
“Why don’t we have dinner together?” she said, then remembered he’d already refused her offer of food. Recklessly, she pressed on. “I could make dinner. You could help me,” she said, feeling a little foolish at the sudden change in topic.
She’d like to let him be a whole lot more, but for now... She’d promised herself that they would take it slow.
A quick glance told her that he didn’t seem to think her suggestion of a meal to be as absurd as it felt to her. She dug out the waffle maker and all the supplies she needed. “My cooking skills are best in the breakfast department.”
“I happen to remember a lasagna you made—better than my mother’s, I might mention.”
She glowed at the compliment. “Okay, let’s see. I think we can start with my breakfast and go from there. I’m considered to be the best waffle maker in Shannon’s world.”
“I’ll get out the bacon. That’s my specialty.” He opened her fridge. “Where would I find a frying pan?”
“Here.” She opened a drawer and pulled out the cast-iron skillet.
Their hands brushed as he took the pan, creating a tingling along her arm. His eyes locked on hers as he put the skillet on the stove and pulled her closer to him, his hard body aligned against hers. “Are we sure we want to eat?” he whispered against her ear, making her breath come in small snatches.
“Yes,” she breathed, feeling her body melding to his.
“How are we going to make a meal if we don’t take our hands off each other?”
She turned her face up to his. When she did, he lowered his head and kissed her, his tongue circling hers, heating that place deep in her belly. She clung to him, her lips begging him not to stop. She slid her arms around his shoulders, lacing her fingers behind his head.
“To new beginnings,” he whispered close to her mouth as his hands slid up her body.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FUELED BY HIS demanding touch, she sank into his embrace. “This would be a lot easier on the sofa.” He nibbled gently on her earlobe. “What do you say?”
“Are you planning to carry me? My legs don’t seem to be responding.”
“I’ve got you,” he said, picking her up and holding her close as he entered the living room. He’d waited a long time to have this woman to himself. He planned to make every minute worthwhile.
“I’ve never been carried anywhere in my entire life,” she murmured, kissing his jawline, his throat, while her hands eased beneath his shirt.
His blood ran hot, his body tightening. “Careful, or we’ll both end up on the floor,” he said.
She trailed kisses over his neck and undid one button. “Would that be so bad?” She grinned at him, reaching for another button.
He eased her to a standing position in front of the sofa without losing contact with her body. She finished unbuttoning his shirt and pulled it free of his pants.
It had been a lifetime since he’d felt this raw need, this feeling that if she walked away, some part of him would not recover. He could not express the intensity of what he felt—the emotion and the risk...
She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I feel it, too.”
How had she known? Had he spoken his thoughts out loud? Was this shared connection real or simply their physical need for each other? Could he trust these feelings burning through him? He’d become so accustomed to being professional, to being objective and distant. Caring, but not too much.
The phone blared. “Let’s ignore it,” he said.
“What if Shannon needs a ride?”
What should he say? If he had his way, they’d ignore the phone, but with all that was going on in Andrea’s life, he was not going to push it.
She checked the caller ID. “It’s Chloe.”
“Now?” Jake said. “Do you suppose she wants to help Shannon?”
“I hope so.”
Standing only a few feet away, he listened to Andrea’s part of the conversation. He tried to control his thoughts, but they ran away ahead of him. Why had she answered the phone? And what did that action say about her wish to be with him? Wouldn’t it be some kind of twisted logic that when he was ready to commit, he latched on someone who didn’t want to?
“No. Shannon’s at the library with Kyle. Did you try her cell?” Andrea asked, her eyes connecting with his, worry evident on her face. “Is there something I can help you with?...You want to talk to her...Oh, I see. Then maybe you could call tomorrow morning.”
She hung up the phone, looking pensive. “Chloe sounded as if she’d been crying. Maybe I should have asked to speak to her mother.” Andrea glanced at him, her thoughts clearly on the conversation she’d had with Shannon’s friend.
* * *
ANDREA DIDN’T UNDERSTAND the change in Jake. Yes, she was disappointed they’d been interrupted and regretted answering the phone. Especially because it had created an emotional gap between them she couldn’t get her mind around. Did he understand why she felt compelled to answer it? She had other people in her life to consider. Surely he wasn’t as selfish as Scott.
Just when it seemed like they were on the same page, that one interruption made her wonder if they’d ever really connected. She’d wanted it so much maybe she’d misread him. “I could make fresh coffee,” Andrea said, feeling stupidly self-conscious.
“That would be nice.” His eyes swerved to his watch.
Nice. How she hated that word, the blandness of it. It was pretty clear Jake had somewhere else to be, and he was tossing her a neutral compliment, not too personal, but not impersonal, before he left. “Look, why don’t we agree to take a rain check?”
He frowned. “Why would we?”
“Well, you just checked your watch, so I assume you have somewhere else to be. And I haven’t checked in with the office.”
His gaze was unrelenting. “You’re not going to get off that easy.”
“Meaning?” she asked, daring him to say more.
“You aren’t comfortable with me being here, about where things stand with us. Otherwise you wouldn’t have answered the phone.”
“That’s not true.” But that he thought she was trying to ditch him stung, made her wish she didn’t care for him as much as she did. “You know what’s going on in my life right now.”
“But that’s not all that’s going on in your life. I’m here. You’re here. We have something going on between us.”
“I’m aware of that. I...I’m sorry that taking that call...” She didn’t know what to say, her anxiety rising through her at what he might be about to say.
He came toward her, taking her shoulders in his powerful hands. “Here’s what I think. You have a lot on your mind right now, and you don’t want to date someone, especially someone who could remind you of your problems.”
So he was going to take this moment to step away from her, from them. She sighed inwardly. She wasn’t going to coax him to stay. Not when she already battled her own doubts. But as she faced him she decided to say what she was really feeling. If this relationship was to have a chance she had to be honest with him. “You’re not being fair. You know how important it is to me to take care of Shannon, to look after my mom. Surely you can be a little more considerate.”
“I have been. I will be. It’s just that we can’t put our lives on the back burner all the time. Shannon is your daughter. But you’re far too protective of her.” His voice softened. “You and I have a chance at something special. Let’s not lose out on that.”
How had they gone from almost having sex to this?
Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “Life happens to all of us, and it can be especially hard on teenagers—”
“Don’t give me your esteemed words on teenagers and how they deal with problems.” She seethed at the idea that somehow she was the one in the wrong. Yes, she was scared about entering into a relationship, but he had no right to hold her very real life against her.
“I didn’t intend to,” he said, his tone
cool, withdrawn.
“And don’t pull your King Kong routine on me.” She called him on the way he stood straight and attempted to stare down at her.
He seemed to deflate. A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “I wasn’t.” He gave a low chuckle. “What are we doing, you and me?”
“Pardon?” She wasn’t willing to let him off the hook yet, despite how charming he might be.
“I’m attracted to you. You’re attracted to me. Why can’t we simply enjoy each other?”
The phone rang again. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, what next?” Andrea went for the phone. “It’s Shannon.”
“Mom, Kyle and I may be out past our curfews tonight.”
“What’s going on?” She glanced over at Jake.
He was at her side instantly.
“Because Kyle and I are going...out for coffee, if that’s okay.”
Andrea noticed the pause but didn’t know what to do about it. “I—I don’t know. When will you be home?”
“We won’t be late.”
Jake gave her a questioning glance.
“Shannon and Kyle want to go out for coffee,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to say.”
“She’s asking. That’s a good sign. Give her a chance to show you she can be trusted to make her own decisions,” he whispered.
She drew confidence from the assurance in his eyes.
“Shannon, I need to know what time you’ll be home.”
A silence ensued in which Andrea could hear Shannon’s muffled voice. “Kyle says we’ll be in by midnight.”
“That seems late.”
“Mom!”
“Where are you going?” she asked, stalling for time.
“We’re just going out for coffee at the Second Mug. Please try and see this my way. I need to have time with Kyle away from school.”
With his head close to hers so he could listen in, Jake put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “Let her go,” he whispered.
She met his glance, aware of what it meant to take his advice despite their earlier argument. “Honey, I’ll see you no later than midnight. Agreed?”
Unexpected Attraction Page 21