“Because she might have rescinded her offer, and then where would we have been? This is the only place in town to stay. Even if you preferred to sleep in the bus station, that’s probably only a lean-to on the sidewalk.”
“It just seems sort of dishonest,” Michelle answered grudgingly.
Jonathan grinned suddenly. “Not unless you plan on having illicit relations.”
Caroline returned at that moment. “Supper won’t be ready for a bit,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind waiting.”
Michelle suspected that the woman might have had trouble supplementing the meal to accommodate two more. “You weren’t expecting us,” she said. “Isn’t there a restaurant in town?”
“Jody’s Burger Joint has great hamburgers and pizza,” Sue Ellen said as she and her sister came back into the living room.
“That sounds like a winner.” Jonathan smiled at the little girl who was about ten or eleven. “Why don’t I take all of us to the Burger Joint?”
“I already started dinner,” Caroline protested.
“Save it for tomorrow night,” he told her. “I’d feel a lot better about inconveniencing you if you’d let me take you out to dinner.”
“Please, Mama, can we go?” Sue Ellen begged.
“It would be so much fun.” Maybelle added her plea. “We never get to go there anymore.”
“Well, I guess I could put the food in the fridge,” Caroline said uncertainly.
Jody’s Burger Joint was a family restaurant, as well as a hangout for young people. There was an ancient jukebox in the corner, and a cleared space in front of it where the youngsters could dance. Caroline and her daughters knew everybody in the place, which wasn’t surprising in a town that small.
Jonathan insisted on ordering more than they could possibly eat. When Caroline objected he said, “You can take it home for tomorrow’s lunch.”
Michelle was once again struck by his sensitivity. Jonathan was a man who spent lavishly, yet he was aware of what it would be like to have to watch pennies. But best of all, his generosity was always unobtrusive.
Maybelle was fascinated by Jonathan, but Michelle was also an object of interest. During dinner the young girl inspected Michelle’s hair and makeup critically. “What kind of mascara do you use to make your eyelashes so long and thick?” she asked. “Or are they false?”
“Maybelle! Mind your manners,” Caroline exclaimed.
“It’s all right.” Michelle- smiled. “No, they’re not false.”
“Mama won’t let me use mascara,” Maybelle said in a discontented voice.
“You don’t need it, you have a natural beauty. Men like that in a woman,” Jonathan said with a solemn face.
She looked at him with shining eyes. “Do you really mean it? I mean, about my being pretty?”
“You must know that already. I’ll bet you drive all the boys wild.”
“Tommy Hoskins helps her with her homework,” Sue Ellen volunteered. “Maybelle can’t do math, but I get good grades in it.”
“Yours is easy,” Maybelle muttered, shooting her sister a poisonous glance.
“Math isn’t difficult once you get the hang of it,” Jonathan said. “What kind of problems are giving you trouble?”
When she reluctantly told him, he took a paper place mat and showed her certain rules to follow. Maybelle’s face lit up as she began to understand what he was telling her.
“Your husband is very good with youngsters,” Caroline remarked. “Is he a teacher?”
“No, he’s an engineer,” Michelle replied. For all she knew, he might be.
Somebody put a coin in the jukebox while they were lingering over coffee and dessert. One of Maybelle’s friends came by to ask her to dance, and Sue Ellen went to say hello to some of her own friends.
While the girls were gone, Caroline talked about her husband and the problems of raising two children alone. Michelle glanced over at Jonathan. If he was bored, it didn’t show. He was giving Caroline his complete attention.
When the girls returned, Caroline glanced at her watch and gasped. “Just look at the time! I don’t know how it got so late. These youngsters should have been home in bed an hour ago.”
“Do we have to go, Mama? Can’t we stay a little longer?” Maybelle pleaded.
Caroline shook her head. “You girls have school tomorrow.”
As they walked back to the house laden with take-out cartons, Michelle had a sudden, disturbing thought. She and Jonathan had left their luggage in the trunk of the car. What were they going to sleep in? It was bad enough that they had to share a bedroom. This made things even worse!
He frowned as he noticed the perturbed look on her face. “What’s wrong?” he asked in a low voice, lagging behind the others.
She told him the problem. “Can we go back to the car and get our suitcases?”
“It’s a long walk and there are no lights on that rural road. I’m not even sure I could find the car in the dark. We traveled quite a distance into that grove. Even if we found it, there are probably snakes in there, maybe even a stray alligator.”
She shuddered. “Okay, you convinced me. We’ll have to do without.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re going to sleep in the nude,” he groaned. “The picture will stay with me and I’ll never get any sleep.”
“I don’t want to know what you’re wearing, either,” she said tartly.
“Will it disturb you, too?” he asked softly.
It already had! Knowing Jonathan was lying nude just above her was a mind-blowing thought. “This has been such a traumatic day that I expect to fall asleep the minute my head touches the pillow,” she answered, as coolly as possible.
“Lucky you.” He chuckled.
When they were in their bedroom with the door closed, Jonathan began to get undressed. “Caroline is a nice lady, isn’t she?” he remarked, as though they were a normal couple coming home after an evening out. “I wish there was something I could do to make her life easier.”
Michelle avoided looking at him. “I feel sorry for her, too, but she’s doing a good job raising those girls.”
“Yes, they’re nice kids.”
“You made another conquest,” Michelle said lightly, trying to match his casual attitude. “Maybelle thinks you’re really cool.”
Jonathan laughed. “She’s young enough to be pleased by any male attention. In a year or two she’ll think I’m an old man.”
Michelle stole a quick look at him. Jonathan was years away from being old. He’d stripped off his T-shirt, revealing his broad, muscular shoulders and chest. His tapered, lean torso was as perfect as a bronze statue.
He glanced over at her and held out his shirt. “Do you want to sleep in my T-shirt?”
“No, thanks, I have my own.”
“Mine might be more comfortable. It’s bigger.” He stepped out of his jeans, then noticed that she was sitting on her bunk bed, still fully dressed. “Aren’t you going to bed? I know it’s early, but there’s nothing else to do. We don’t even have a newspaper.”
“It doesn’t matter. We want to get up early, anyway.” She took off her shoes, but nothing else.
Suddenly Jonathan realized what was bothering her. He came over and hunkered down in front of her, forcing her to look at him. “Aren’t you being a little foolish, honey? You’ve seen me in bathing trunks, which were as brief as these jockey shorts, and I’ve seen you in a bikini bottom and nothing else.”
“Don’t remind me.” She smiled faintly.
“I’m trying not to think of it myself, or I might forget I promised not to seduce you. I want you so badly it hurts, but you have to want me the same way.”
Michelle’s long lashes veiled her eyes. She wanted him every bit as much, but it was more than desire for her. She was in love with Jonathan; there was no use denying it. One night wouldn’t be enough, but it was better than nothing. It was time to stop being cautious and follow her heart.
Michelle had delayed
her decision too long. Jonathan straightened up and looked down at her. “Okay, angel, I get the message.”
“I wasn’t going to—” She stood so suddenly that she bumped her head on the upper bunk.
“Be careful!” He smoothed her hair gently. “Did you hurt yourself?” When she shook her head mutely he said, “Well, I’ll climb up top so you can undress. Get some sleep, honey.”
Michelle wanted to grab his legs as he went up the ladder, to prevent him from leaving, but she just watched wordlessly. Couldn’t he see that she didn’t want him to go? But how could he? She was always sending mixed messages. How was he to know tonight was different?
Jonathan squirmed around in the bunk bed, trying to adjust his long length to its narrow confines. When he saw her still watching him, he laughed. “It’s a good thing you didn’t want to make love. Only a couple of elves could make out in these beds.”
Michelle forced a smile, realizing it was probably better this way. “See, I did you a favor.” She turned out the light.
“Then why don’t I feel grateful?” he teased.
She got undressed in the dark, trying not to think about how different it would be if Jonathan had undressed her. He wouldn’t have left her panties and T-shirt on as she had. She’d be lying nude in his arms right now, while his hands moved in an intimate exploration of her body, and his mouth fanned the flames of desire.
Michelle turned over abruptly and banged her knee against the wall.
“Are you okay?” he called in a low voice.
“Yes, but you’re right about these beds. They’re built for munchkins.”
“Just look at it as an adventure that’s almost over. Tomorrow we’ll be on our way again.”
Almost over. The words were so final, as though they were written in stone.
Eventually Michelle fell into a troubled sleep. It was toward morning that her bed shook and something nudged her in the side, waking her abruptly. When her eyes flew open, she saw Jonathan. He was hanging onto the upper bunk, swearing under his breath while he struggled to get a footing on her mattress.
She stuck her head out and stared up at him. “What on earth is going on?”
“I turned over and fell out of the blasted bed!” he growled, letting go of the framework and sinking down beside her. He gingerly touched his scraped shin and swore some more. “If I hadn’t grabbed the edge as I went over, I could have broken something vital.”
Seeing Jonathan in a child’s bed had been funny enough. Picturing him rolling out of it in the middle of the night struck Michelle as hilarious. She put her hands over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
“I’m glad you think it’s so damn funny!” He scowled.
“I’ll bet that’s the first time you ever fell out of bed,” she gasped.
“Fortunately, you’re right.” His smile broadened and he started to laugh as hard as she was.
“Shh.” She put her hand over his mouth. “You’ll wake the entire household.”
They held onto each other, trying to stifle their merriment. Gradually it subsided and Michelle wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. You could have gotten hurt.”
“Not really. I was just looking for sympathy.”
“And I laughed at you. That wasn’t very nice.”
“No, but this is.” His lips brushed across her cheek.
The mood changed like lightning. Michelle was suddenly aware of being in Jonathan’s arms, not as shared partners in a joke, but as a man and a woman with urgent needs:
When he lowered her head to the pillow she put her arms around his neck. They were wedged in the narrow bed facing each other, their bodies so closely joined that she could feel his passion. It echoed her own as he twined his legs around hers so they were like one person.
“Sweet beautiful Michelle,” he murmured, sliding his hand under her T-shirt. “You’re going to be mine, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” she breathed, arching her body as he caressed her breast.
“I’ve never wanted anyone this much.” The pale moonlight was reflected in his golden eyes as he stripped off her T-shirt and gazed at her avidly. “You’re so perfect.” He touched his tongue delicately to one nipple, sending a ripple of pleasure through her. “I want to know every inch of you.”
Michelle felt the same way. Her hands moved restlessly over his lithe torso, tracing the straining muscles in his back, the width of his shoulders.
“You’re wonderful,” he groaned before claiming her mouth for a deep kiss that engaged all her senses.
She was like a violin responding to his expert touch. Her body vibrated with pleasure as he explored it intimately. When he parted her legs and stroked her arousingly, Michelle’s excitement escalated to a fever pitch.
She and Jonathan were in a secret world of mounting ecstasy where no one else existed. Then suddenly the real world intruded. A child’s voice came from the other side of the wall.
“Mama! Where are you?” It was Sue Ellen.
Caroline’s muffled voice answered her. “It’s all right, baby. You’re here in my bed, remember?”
“I woke up and I was scared. Everything looked different.”
“Shh,” Caroline said, as Michelle had earlier. “You’ll wake everybody up.”
Jonathan had stiffened momentarily. Then he relaxed and whispered in her ear. “They’ll go back to sleep.”
“No, we can’t.” Michelle drew back as far as possible in the narrow space, afraid to trust herself in his arms. She was going to suggest that they take the mattress to the far corner of the room, but Jonathan was staring in her incredulously.
“I don’t believe this! How could you let things go this far and then suddenly change your mind? There’s a word for women like you, and it isn’t a pleasant one,” he said bitingly.
“You don’t understand! I didn’t mean—”
He cut her off savagely. “You’re right. I didn’t understand, but I do now. I’m supposed to be the con man and you’re the one who’s been playing games. Did it amuse you to let me think you wanted me?”
“You know I wasn’t pretending,” she said in a low voice.
“No, for a few minutes you almost lost control, didn’t you? I nearly got to you. Wouldn’t that have been a laugh? The lady spider, caught in her own web.” He picked up his jeans and shirt and went toward the door.
“Where are you going?” she whispered.
“What difference does it make?” he asked curtly.
Michelle hugged her knees to her chest and silently watched him leave the room. How could things have gone so wrong? Jonathan didn’t give her a chance to explain that she didn’t want their first time to be a hurried coupling with no opportunity to express tenderness and joy.
She forced herself to face the fact that there wouldn’t be any first time—not now or ever. It would be useless to try to explain, even after he cooled down. Jonathan had made up his mind about her, and from the look of disgust on his face, he wasn’t going to change it.
Michelle rested her forehead on her knees as waves of misery washed over her.
Chapter Six
Michelle stared into the darkness for a long time, but toward morning she fell into a deep sleep. She was awakened by sounds coming from the kitchen.
She dressed hurriedly, wondering if Jonathan had returned from wherever he’d gone during the night. What would she do if he just left her stranded here? It might be preferable to having to make conversation with him, she told herself wryly.
When Michelle reached the kitchen, Caroline was stirring something at the stove while talking to Jonathan, who was sitting at a square wooden table. His long body was relaxed and he had a smile on his face.
That wouldn’t last long, Michelle thought as she hovered in the doorway.
Caroline turned and saw her. “Good morning, you’re just in time for breakfast. Sit down and I’ll serve it up in a jiffy.”
“Thanks, but I’ll just have coffee, if it’s already made,” Michelle said.
>
“The grits smell awfully good,” Jonathan remarked. “You should try them. I’m going to have some.”
Nobody could tell by his pleasant tone that anything was wrong between them. Michelle was grateful that he was being adult about it, but she missed the warmth and camaraderie they’d shared before. Be grateful for small favors, she told herself grimly.
“Coffee isn’t enough to start the day right,” Caroline scolded. “You’ll get hungry halfway to Miami.”
“I located a rental agency that agreed to deliver a car,” Jonathan said. “It should be here within an hour.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be glad to see the last of this place,” Caroline said ruefully. “Jonathan told me what happened last night.” As Michelle gave her a startled look she continued, “I’m just thankful he didn’t get hurt falling out of that little bitty bed.”
“I’ve survived worse things than that,” he commented in a dry voice.
The rental car was delivered as they were finishing breakfast and they left soon after that. Caroline didn’t want to accept payment for her hospitality, but Jonathan insisted.
“It’s way too much,” she protested. “I really shouldn’t take it.” She looked at the wad of bills, clearly torn.
“I’d be very upset if you don’t,” he insisted. “Say goodbye to the girls for us.”
“I will. You drive safely now, you hear?” She stood on the porch waving until they were out of sight.
Michelle was dreading the trip to Miami. She and Jonathan had managed to talk civilly to each other while Caroline was there, but during the long ride they wouldn’t have a buffer.
Her fears were ungrounded. He made idle small talk while they drove to the gas station where his car had been towed. After retrieving their luggage from the trunk and making arrangements with the station owner, they were finally on their way.
Jonathan waited until they reached the highway before broaching the subject that was on both their minds. “I want to apologize for my behavior last night,” he said quietly.
“I’d like to explain mine.” Maybe he would listen to reason, she thought hopefully. He seemed so much more approachable this morning.
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