by Jo Leigh
He nodded and tugged her closer.
“I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “This thing we have—I mean I know we’re just friends. That part’s perfectly clear but it’s still kind of...”
“Hey...the reason I hesitated was because I hadn’t been listening at first. I was too busy thinking about a quickie. I’m sorry.”
She gave him one of his favorite smiles. “Seriously?”
He nodded, making sure to meet her gaze. She needed to know he wasn’t messing with her.
“So I guess this makes us friends with benefits.” She winced. “I never dreamed my name and that phrase could exist in the same sentence.”
“Okay, then, let’s say we’re good friends who happen to like sex with each other.”
She nodded. “Who like it very, very much. Except on Skype.”
“Yeah,” he said, cringing. “No, we won’t do that again.”
Jenna laughed.
“Spring break sounds good,” he said. “We’ll talk more about it later. Right now, we have a shuttle to catch.”
“Kiss me first?”
He shook his head. “If I kiss you now,” he said, bending his head until his lips brushed hers, “we’ll miss our flights for sure.”
Jenna sighed. “Yes, the real world awaits.”
He caught the hint of sadness in her eyes. Was he being a selfish prick? Jenna needed to start dating, find a man like Payton, but someone whom she could trust to be faithful. A man who could fit in to her nine-to-five life and always be there for her.
Rick wasn’t that guy. She knew that as well as he did, but sometimes the truth got lost somewhere between the head and the heart. And yeah, he obviously was a selfish prick because he doubted he was capable of letting her go yet.
15
OMG, SHE WAS really doing this.
Jenna followed the crowd, hoping they’d lead her to baggage claim. She was so excited about seeing Rick that she’d forgotten to watch for the signs. They’d talked about her trip to Oklahoma ever since Chicago. She could see how a lot of travel could seriously affect a romantic relationship, but with Rick, everything was simply a matter of mastering expectations.
A perfect example was the fact that she had no problem with Rick having to work three days out of her six-day visit. Because of the active weather season, that was all he could manage. She had a hefty workload herself, and they’d have their nights together. In his town house, which she was incredibly excited to see in real life instead of over her laptop.
Her fellow travelers began to splinter off and she forced herself to stay focused until she spotted the baggage claim sign.
“Jenna!”
She heard his voice, but she couldn’t see Rick at first. And then there he was, dodging in and out of the crowd to get to her, and the butterflies in her stomach kicked in again.
To think when he’d told her he would meet her at the airport, she’d told him not to be ridiculous. He had work, and she knew how to get a taxi. But he’d insisted, and now she was ridiculously glad.
When his smile mirrored her own, she revised her theory about long distances being a problem. Reunions were awesome.
“Hi.” She barely got the word out before he kissed her right in front of the luggage carousel, ignoring the crowd and holding her as if he feared she’d turn around and leave.
People anxious to get their luggage forced them to move. Jenna saw her own suitcase tumble down onto the carousel, but she didn’t have a chance to grab it. Rick had pulled her into a semiprivate kiosk area near the car rentals and swept her into another kiss the moment he could. A kiss that quite possibly could set a record. She refused to let go, and Rick hadn’t given up his claim, either.
Would it always be like this? Wanting to climb inside him, to live and breathe this second for an eternity?
A strategic bump against her hip told her he was a little too excited to be in public, and she wondered if her carry-on bag was big enough to hide it for the walk to the car.
Rick eventually leaned back to catch his breath. She hadn’t even finished panting when he dived back in, pulling her tightly against him.
“Excuse me.”
The voice did not belong to Rick. She knew this because she was kissing him back with equal enthusiasm.
Parting reluctantly, she discovered a nice-looking older gentleman wearing a suit with a badge over his breast pocket.
“If you two wouldn’t mind holding off until you’re out of the building. Perhaps somewhere outside of the parking lot, it would be greatly appreciated.”
Could have been worse. Could have been the police.
As it was, the minute they were in the clear, their eyes met. They both burst out laughing. The hysterical kind, where it was impossible to stop even though her stomach ached and her eye makeup had to be streaming down her cheeks. “Okay, we have to stop,” she said.
“Fine.” Rick held up his hands. “I’m completely over it.”
“Good,” she said, but then she looked at him when he looked at her, and they had to go through the entire business again. Luckily, he managed to catch her bag before it made another trip around the carousel.
The long haul out to the parking lot finally cured them, which was good because she hadn’t stopped by the bathroom on their way out. God only knew what she looked like. Thankfully, they turned down the final row.
Rick’s Jeep was a rugged beast of a Wrangler, a Rubicon, which was interesting. Aside from being an actual river in northern Italy, crossing the Rubicon meant passing the point of no return. If she climbed aboard, would she be irrevocably committed to this odd yet wonderful relationship? She wouldn’t mind that a bit.
Rick opened the passenger door. “What’s that smile for?”
“Just wondering why this is called a Rubicon.” She said the last word in her lowest and most dramatic voice.
“It’s one tough son of a bitch,” he said, just before he hurried around to the driver’s seat. “I’ve crossed some wicked rivers in this Jeep. So I guess the designers wanted it to represent breaking boundaries and going where no four-wheel drive has gone before. Although, they probably just used the name because it sounded butch.”
She was still chuckling as he paid the parking fee, but instead of leaving the lot, he pulled out of the line and parked near a fence.
“You hungry?” he asked. “Jet-lagged? That’s almost a six-hour flight.”
“I’m fine, actually.”
“Would you mind if we went by my office first before we go to my place? Not for too long, I promise.”
“No. I’d love it.”
“Good, because I have a conference call I’ll have to take, but more importantly I want to show you off.”
“Oh, great way to not make me nervous.”
“No! They’ll love you. I didn’t mean—I meant to say show you around—”
She put her finger on his lips. “I’m teasing. As long as I can have you to myself tonight, I’m in,” she said.
He leaned over to kiss her again, and when he looked into her eyes as if he’d never seen anything more wonderful, her butterflies had butterflies.
* * *
ONCE AGAIN, JENNA was amazingly impressed with Rick. The building where he worked was beautiful, designed not just as a laboratory that specialized in studying severe weather, but as an educational facility open to visitors of all ages. She desperately wanted to bring her whole school here, including the teachers. But mostly the kids. They’d love it.
The tour lasted longer than expected since his conference call had been pushed back an hour, but Jenna didn’t mind one bit. Watching Rick interact with his colleagues deepened her appreciation for what he did, which was a lot more science than chasing storms, and showed her how important he was to everyone there. She swelled with pride w
atching how everyone treated him. That they liked him was clear, but they respected him just as much. Even the interns. So much for believing Rick when he talked about how they all must hate him. She had a feeling he encouraged them to rise above what they thought they could do, which was never easy, but almost always worthwhile.
“And this is where I work when I’m not on the floor,” Rick said, holding the door for her. “As a rule I don’t spend much time in here. Although lately, yeah. When I work late I call you from here.”
Jenna grinned. When he worked late... That was always.
His office wasn’t very big or glamorous: a desk, a computer with a huge monitor, some bookshelves. “Sit,” he said, offering her a chair. “You look like you’re running out of steam.”
Boy, was she ever, and the chair looked inviting. But when her gaze caught on a large framed photo on his wall, she went straight for it.
The picture was grainy, but that didn’t matter. Almost the whole frame was filled by a massive tornado, black as night, its funnel a gigantic vacuum, sucking up everything it touched. That was terrifying enough, but in the foreground, looking impossibly small and vulnerable, was a man running for his life. The more she studied it, the more it looked like...
Her heart nearly leaped from her chest. She waited until she knew her voice would work. “Is that you?’
“Yeah, I know. It’s embarrassing,” Rick said. “That was in Kansas, about ten years ago. When I was still young and stupid.”
“You were awfully lucky,” she said, astonished she sounded so calm. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve assumed that person hadn’t survived. Not just any person. Rick.
“Extremely lucky. That could easily have gone sideways.” Rick came up behind her. He stared idly at the picture while gently rubbing the small of her back, then smiled at her. “I’m sorry about the delay. Hard to predict these conference calls with so many people involved.”
She looked into his eyes and could’ve melted right there. She wondered if he even knew he was touching her. “I’m not sorry,” she said. “This has been wonderful. Everyone thinks so highly of you. But that’s no surprise.”
He just laughed. “I think they’re all jealous that I have such a beautiful friend.”
“I seriously doubt that, but thank you,” she said, while inside, her chest tightened, and not in a good way. It made no sense. He’d given her a compliment, and yet his use of the word friend had been like a soft punch to the gut. She’d called him a friend dozens of times. Because that was what he was. So...what the hell? “I hope I get to meet Antwan.”
“You will. He’s still in the meeting. Covering for me, actually.” Rick lowered his hand. “I have to go in a few minutes, after that I promise I won’t be long. I can bring you coffee, water, soda. We’ve got pretty decent vending machines if you want to go to the break room yourself.”
“Lead on, Macduff,” she said, “or as Shakespeare actually said, ‘Lay on, Macduff. And damned be him who first cries, “Hold, enough!”’”
He leaned into her. “God, English teachers are hot.” She glanced at the open doorway. Anyone could walk in and see them. He just laughed and said, “Come on, the break room is next door.”
He pushed his door open farther, and she completely expected a group of his coworkers to leap out of the way and pretend they weren’t eavesdropping. But nope. They were all grown-ups here. In her job it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between the teachers and the students.
As she passed, he whispered, “I’m so glad you’re here.”
The ache in her gut eased. She was glad, too. Glad she hadn’t spooked herself out of coming. It was scary, though. Six whole days. But since he only had three off, it was very much like a long weekend, and they’d already done that, so what could go wrong?
The break room was literally right next door to Rick’s office. She stopped at the entrance and scanned the place. “Why can’t our teacher’s lounge be like this?” The room was bright and cheerful with nice tables, two microwaves and well-stocked vending machines.
Rick poured her a mug—a real mug, not a foam cup—of coffee. “It’s not as good as the coffee at the smart apartment.”
“Nothing is. I wonder when I’m going to stop comparing.”
“Let me know. I think it might have doomed us for life.” He checked his watch and frowned. “I’ve got to go pretty soon. If you need singles...”
He was reaching for his wallet.
“I’m fine,” she said. “Thanks. I thought I might check my email while you’re gone. Go through all my social media.”
“You can use my computer if you don’t want to do it on your phone. The password’s taped to the inside of the top desk drawer. You’ll like using it.” He grinned. “You can look at my tornado escapades on my YouTube channel. I won’t be gone long enough for you to stream a whole movie, but we do have smoking-fast internet here. Anyway, I’ve got to go.”
“Fine. Don’t worry about me. I think I’ll accept the offer and wait in your office.”
He followed her into the hall, and then all the way into his office.
“What are you doing?” she said, laughing. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll miss watching you zip through all those photos and whatever. It’s very enlightening, seeing what you like and dislike on Tumblr and Reddit and Instagram and...”
“I’m never telling you anything again,” she said, blushing. “I only use Tumblr for work.”
“Right. I suppose you can quit whenever you want to.”
“I’d watch that smug look if I were you.”
He looked at the door, and then moved closer to her. Close enough that she needed to put her coffee down on his desk.
“I like knowing what matters to you,” he said, his voice very soft. “I wish I’d had time to do more with the town house, but the bedroom’s all set up.”
“I know.” She lowered her voice. “Skype sex, remember?”
“I thought we were never to speak of that again.” He leaned in, and she could feel his breath on her cheek. “Next time, I’ll come see you. Maybe do a presentation for your students.”
“Yes. Yes, I was just thinking that. I want it to happen so much.”
“I do, too,” he said, but it didn’t seem as though he was listening anymore. He didn’t even hesitate before he kissed her.
The spell broke seconds later when a distinctly Jamaican accent said, “Stop that right now. I’ve been waiting all day to meet her. Get a room later.”
Rick stood aside. “As you may have guessed, this is Antwan Clarke.”
“And you’re the lovely Jenna,” he said. “I’m glad you’re here for a few days. Maybe he’ll actually leave at six instead of hanging out here every night. It’s not good to work so much, even if it’s good work.”
Antwan was a tall, lean, dark man with shiny black hair, black slacks, a white button-down shirt and a pair of great-looking Converse shoes. His smile was as welcoming as the rapidly cooling coffee waiting for her. “You look different when you’re not on Skype,” she said. “And leaning at a forty-five-degree angle.”
“And you’re much more beautiful in person. I’d love to speak to you more, but I have to go to the same conference call as Rick here, so maybe lunch one day before you leave?”
“I’d love it.”
Rick turned to her but he didn’t kiss her. “See you soon.”
The two men left and she finally had the coffee she’d wanted along with a big chocolate-chip cookie she had in her purse. But she was still hungry and after she’d finished checking email, she gave in to temptation. Taking her wallet with her, she stopped just before entering the break room. Was it possible she’d actually heard her name?
“She’s the one he met in Boston, right?”
“I don
’t know but she’s hot,” another man said. Someone Jenna immediately liked.
“He’s taken a hell of a lot of time off. According to Bev, he’s got like weeks of vacation built up. He never went anywhere with Faith.”
“Damn, she was hot, too,” the first man said. “Rick’s getting up there. Maybe he’s looking to get serious.”
“Who knows? I was a year younger than him when I got married.”
“If I had a woman like what’s-her-name, I’d think about getting married, too.”
The men started talking about a fantasy football league, so Jenna scurried back into Rick’s office, closing the door behind her. She sat down again in front of his computer, but the screen was dark, acting like a big mirror. She needed to chill. Relax. Any other time, she’d have been preening about those men calling her hot. And thrilled they’d thought Rick was lucky to have her. She just couldn’t muster the energy.
She took her phone out of her purse and tried reading on her Kindle app. It was a great story that had made the last half of her flight go by quickly. But now she couldn’t concentrate. She kept looking up at the picture of Rick on the wall and thinking how cold his office was. She put down her phone, rubbed her arms and then turned on the computer.
Instead of going right to Tumblr, she typed storm but she froze before she got to the second word. Instead, she shut the machine down, and went back to the break room, grateful to find it empty and that the coffee was fresh. She took her cup and a Danish back to his office to wait, although she wasn’t sure why she’d paid for a pastry. She had no appetite at all.
* * *
EVEN THOUGH RICK lived close to work, he was grateful to finally pull in to his garage after a quick stop at the store. Jenna had caught a chill back at the office, and he wanted everything to be perfect when she saw his place for the first time.
Relatively perfect, if you ignored the alarming number of unpacked boxes in every room.
“Your own garage?” Jenna looked at him, then at the boxes near the door that led into his kitchen. “I can’t think of a single apartment building in South Shore that offers a private garage.”