Not the time for thoughts of her. Not the time to discuss what happened. Both had spilled enough of their guts today. Now was the time to heal, to move past and enjoy each other.
Small voices cut through the fog of his brain, alerting him they no longer had the cove to themselves. Breaking apart, both sat there. Hearts racing. Eyes locked.
“Come on, there’s more to this date than getting hot and heavy with a voyeur duck or giving some unsuspecting kids an early education lesson.”
Out of all the dates Cherry had been on, and she’d been on some pretty spectacular ones, from private concerts to dinner for two at a castle, she had never enjoyed any as much as today’s. Rappelling down a mountainside couldn’t hold a candle to kissing Jason on a cliff overlooking the ocean. They’d left their lookout to hike a few trails, during which time her mind kept whirling around the fact that she’d told him about her past. The full monty, so to speak. She’d been engaged to Ari, yet she had never been able to bring herself to tell him. Yet here she was, spilling her secrets to a guy she’d only known for a month like a little kid confiding to Santa their deepest desires.
Just not my darkest secrets.
Ocean air, chocolate, and Jason Valentine’s kisses were clearly an intoxicating combination.
Now they sat huddled together under the twinkling fairy lights in the outdoor patio at Simpatico in Jamestown looking over menus. They’d hiked for hours, covering who knew how many miles. Famished, she wanted to order one of everything, not to mention it all looked so yummy, and decided when Jason ordered the bruschetta and steak, that it was safe to go with the rigatoni Bolognese. Hey, if they both had garlic breath, neither would notice. At least she hoped later she’d have a chance to find out.
“Thanks for today. I had a really great time.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t even come close to comparing to some of your dates.”
She touched his arm with the tips of her fingers. “It’s not where you go, it’s who you’re with that makes the date. Trust me when I say I know from firsthand experience. You can be in what should be the most romantic setting in the world, but if you’re with the wrong person, it’s just a beautiful location. Nothing more. Being with you is what I wanted. It didn’t matter what we did or where.”
He linked his fingers with hers and smiled, a sweet half smile that reached all the way to his eyes. Tonight they were more blue than green, intense as always. “If you could plan a fantasy date for me and you, what would it be?”
A dozen flickering candles and an oversized whirlpool tub. “Zip-lining,” she told him without missing a beat. Heat played along her cheeks and the fantasy continued to play out in her head. A vase of stargazer lilies to scent the air. Giant skylights overhead so they could count the stars and look for the man on the moon. A bay window would sit next to the tub overlooking the ocean with the windows open to let the sound of the rolling waves float through the air.
Jason’s finger caressed her hand. “You sure you’re thinking about zip-lining?”
She laughed. “Among other things. Seriously, though, doesn’t it sound like fun? I love being outside, so today was perfect. But with my skin I have to be careful, as I tend to look like an overcooked lobster in no time. Climbing up through the trees and then flying down under all the foliage sounds perfect. One of these days, I’ll cross it off my bucket list. Maybe you can join me?” Somewhere along the day, probably between hearing about his past and confessing to her own in front of him and a rogue duck, she’d decided maybe she could trust him, that she wasn’t just part of his business plan.
“With that and other things.”
The waitress delivered their meals and the conversation turned to other interests. The whirlpool fantasy stayed, actively playing out in Cherry’s mind. Man, did she wish she had a hot tub. She’d learned he didn’t do a lot of cooking. If you could slap it on the grill, he was set; otherwise, call it in or have it delivered. The only other thing he did in the kitchen was make bread from scratch.
“That’s kind of bizarre. Tell me, how did you learn to bake bread?”
“Brody’s mom. She got it in her head when we were about thirteen that we should know our way around the kitchen, be able to fend for ourselves one day, as she put it. The only lesson that stuck with me was baking bread. The guys give me shit. They’re jealous because when they tried to make bread it turned out like bricks. Dave makes a killer marinara sauce and Brody has a few more skills, which allow him to throw together a couple of meals. Mrs. Nichols figured between our collective mix we’d be fine and stopped forcing cooking lessons on us when we were around fifteen.”
“She sounds like a smart woman, one who cared enough to try to prepare you for life and who knew when to walk away from a losing battle.”
“More like got tired of us destroying the kitchen. Not that we didn’t have to clean it until every appliance shined and the place was spotless.”
They talked some more. Ate some more. And flirted some more.
If she could relive this day over and over for the rest of her life, you’d hear no argument from her. It’d been perfect in every aspect.
Two teen girls stopped at their table, giggling. “Hey, aren’t you Cherry from Finding Mr. Right?”
Cherry slipped her hand out from under Jason’s, setting it casually on her lap. Plastering her camera-ready smile in place, she took in the girls. So young. Impressionable. “Hi, that’s me, and you are?” She held her other hand out to them in greeting.
More giggling. “I’m Alex and this is Ali. We watch the show all the time. You were one of our favorite bachelorettes.”
Alex slid a shy look at Jason before focusing back on Cherry. “We were really sorry things didn’t work out with you and Ari. You two seemed like soul mates.”
“I was rooting for Jake,” Ali said.
“Hey, are you going to be on Love in Shangri-La? I’ve heard some rumors that you’ll be on the next season.”
The teen looked hopeful, and Cherry was going to crush her in a moment. No time like the present to learn life is not all roses, kid. “They did invite me to participate, but sorry, my schedule won’t allow me the time off.”
Alex and Ali’s shoulders slumped, little frowns graced their flawless faces, and a part of Cherry felt bad for letting the girls down. Ali perked up first, turning to Jason.
“Aren’t you the banker from Cherry’s season?”
Jason looked to Cherry first, his brow raised, before turning his full smile on the girl. Their former disappointment disappeared under Jason’s attention. “Not me, I’ve never been on the show.”
“Oh, really, you should think about it. You’d have women lined up for blocks to audition for your season.” Alex elbowed her friend in the ribs. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean . . . that was rude. You obviously don’t need to be on the show since you’re on a date with Cherry, and she’s, like, one of the sweetest women you could ever meet.”
“Ah, thank you. Would you girls mind taking a picture with me for my scrapbook?” Cherry pulled out her cell phone and handed it over to Jason.
Both girls gushed and handed their phones over to Jason for pictures of their own after Cherry agreed they could take pictures too.
A woman from a few tables over called for the two girls, and as soon as they got autographs they skipped happily away from the table. Cherry envied them a little. Not the drudgery of high school or having to answer to someone all the time. At sixteen, drama came and went with the blink of an eye. What seemed like the end of the world today would mean nothing tomorrow when another crisis hit you or your friends. And at sixteen, everything from a pimple to a failed test to the boy you liked liking someone else was a major, life-ending event.
“You amaze me. You were so nice to them, even after the way you were treated.”
Cherry looked over at the girls, who were busy showing their mom the pictures and laughing away. “The fans were amazing—so fun and generous. Everywhere I went, they’d come out to
meet me, and all they wanted was for me to be happy. To find my happily-ever-after.” Glancing down at her place mat, she pushed the memories away. “It was the media and Ari who made me regret going on the show, not the fans.”
Jason leaned over until his head touched hers. “You made their night. Now let me take you home and see if I can make yours.”
Chapter Thirteen
The drive from Jamestown back to Providence whizzed by, the conversation minimal as they both let the radio fill the air. Jason drove straight to her apartment. He walked her to the front door, took the keys, and unlocked the door before handing them back. She leaned against the door, staring into his eyes—serious, intense as always, and filled with something else; lust maybe.
“Want to come in?”
“Yes.”
His lips came down on hers, teasing, tasting as his hand came around and opened the door. He walked her backward into the apartment, never breaking the kiss. The door closed softly behind them and his arms locked around her, pulling her in close. Her fingers played with the edges of his silky hair. It held a faint scent of salt from the ocean air.
“Where’s Tucker?”
“He’s having a sleepover with his Auntie Tawny.” Pulling away, Cherry tilted her head back and looked up into his face to watch that slow, lazy smile spread. “Want some coffee?”
“Not quite what I had in mind. Kind of craving something sweeter, something along the lines of cherry pie.”
“Oh.” Even to her, her voice sounded breathy, shocked, and a bit sexy.
“That okay with you?”
The look of pure desire, the deep husky timbre of his voice drove all ability to speak right out of her, so she simply nodded. Jason stepped away, locked the front door, and stepped back to her, scooping her up in his arms. She pointed him in the right direction and toed off her sneakers as his strides ate up her small space. They reached the bedroom and he gently shifted his grasp, wrapping his arms around her torso.
His mouth slammed down in a kiss full of pent-up passion that stole reason and thought, leaving behind only raw emotions. Passion and need. The need to consume, to be felt, to satisfy. His hands slipped under the edges of her shirt and trailed it up and off. She returned the favor. The soft touch of his fingertips skimmed along the edges of her bra, sending little shocks through her body. His hand cupped her breast, gently kneading, while his mouth nibbled along the sensitive skin of her neck.
Cherry reached down and unbuttoned his jeans, slipping her hand inside as she stroked his length. Iron wrapped in silk.
Her bra fell to the floor, and the next thing she knew she was stepping out of her capris. Jason lifted her and tossed her onto the bed, sending her into mild shrieks of surprise and amusement. He slapped a foil packet down on the nightstand and joined her on the bed, devoid of jeans. The guy knew how to move fast when called for.
She spread her knees, reached for him, welcomed him. Jason crawled his way up, kissing various pulse points on his way, stopping for a moment to play with her belly button and nuzzle her ribs until she burst into laughter.
He made his way up her body with hot kisses until he reached her mouth. He nibbled, stroked, explored. She ran her fingertips over his shoulders and down his back, reveling in the play of his muscles as they tightened and relaxed.
Hot and achy, she about exploded when Jason stroked her. She made room for him, wiggling closer. “Now,” she pleaded, and hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him closer.
“I thought I was the impatient one,” he murmured back, reaching for the foil packet.
“Do not toy with me, you’ve been teasing me all day. There is only so much a woman can take before she breaks.”
He sat back, ripped the package open, and slipped the condom on. “What happens when you break, do you go all cave woman on me?”
Cherry leaned forward to steal a kiss as she reached down and cupped the base of his erection and massaged him, alternating between hard and soft, just enough to give him a little payback. He groaned and grabbed both of her hands, pinning them above her head as he and Cherry fell backward on the bed. Jason caught himself, bracing his weight with his arm.
“You’re beautiful,” he said as he slid inside.
“Deeper,” she demanded as he stalled and she rose to meet him. “Hard and fast, I won’t break,” she told him as he stretched her with his thick girth. She rose to meet him stroke for stroke, giving him everything she asked for in return.
The two became one. Moving in unison. Breathing in time. The world ceased to exist outside of their sphere. Only their needs, desires, wants mattered. She didn’t know exactly when this man became important to her, when he became more than a thorn in her side, more than another person passing through her life, and became someone of worth.
She didn’t want it to happen. Had put her walls up, shored them up, and felt confident in their strength. Yet here she was, falling rapidly down the rabbit hole into a world she didn’t know. She barely heard the click of the lock as it slid closed on the magical world she slipped into. Fire rushed through her body, melting the synapses while sending her straight over the top. Rocking mind and body through the orgasm of the century, she stopped thinking, stopped being able to think, only to feel.
Jason’s body tightened up and he whispered her name and collapsed, making sure to shift so that his weight wasn’t all on top of her. Together, arms and legs entangled, breathing in sync, they let the world zip on by while they reeled from the fireworks still shooting through their bodies and minds.
Wow, that was amazing, mind melting, and more than she had expected.
“I thought we were going to take it slow?” She pressed a kiss into his shoulder. It was the best she could do with her limbs and body drained of every last drop of energy.
Jason lifted his head to look at her. “You said fast and hard, but give me a moment and I’ll give you slow.”
The air shifted around Jason as Cherry scooted out from under him. It was more than getting comfortable. He could feel it in the sudden tightening of her muscles, see it in the play of concern across her face before she looked away. He could practically see the wheels in her head spinning round and round, and if he didn’t do something quickly he’d lose all the ground he’d gained today.
“I said I was going to make your night, but you made mine.”
“Aw, you’re going to make me blush.”
“Want to tell me what’s putting that crease between your brows?” He reached up and ran his finger down the line.
“Nothing important.” Cherry rolled over onto her back, pulling the covers up to her chin.
“Your frown says otherwise. You know us men, we have delicate egos, constantly needing to be stroked and soothed,” he teased.
“I don’t think your ego could take any more stroking.” Cherry ran her nails playfully down his chest.
“Trust me, it could stand daily ministrations.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Stop worrying, this”—he pointed first to himself and then to her—“whatever it is, is a good thing.”
Chapter Fourteen
The happy tune Jason had been whistling was cut off as he took in the central room of the community center. This was not how it looked when he’d left Friday. Hell, it hadn’t sustained this much damage from the hurricane.
Every window in the community room had been smashed out. Graffiti covered the walls—those that were still intact, as most were destroyed, with the drywall in pieces on the floor. Chunks of concrete littered the ground from where someone had taken a jackhammer to the floor.
“Dave! David, where the hell are you?” Jason yelled at the top of his lungs. Not even a cricket replied. Where was his crew? The front door had been unlocked when he arrived. Jason walked from room to room, making a quick inspection—more of the same kind of damage—then headed out to the parking lot to find his guys. “What the—” he asked of no one. Only his truck was parked in the lot.
He turned to go inside when both
Dave’s and Tim and Bobby’s trucks pulled into the lot. Waiting for his crew, he made a fast mental calculation of the cost the damage would set them back and winced.
Arms folded across his chest, he met his guys. “Who opened the center this morning?” Three pairs of confused eyes stared back. “Frickin’ A. Are you telling me none of you have been here this morning and unlocked the place?”
Tim and Bobby nodded.
“Jase, what’s up?” Dave asked.
“We’ve got a major setback. Who locked up Friday?”
“I did, boss.” Bobby scratched his head before he nodded as if to emphasize he’d thought about it and was sure.
“Okay, you guys better come in and take a look.”
All four of them walked into the center and exploded. Good thing no kids were nearby or they’d all be getting demerits.
“Why didn’t they just blow the place up?” Dave turned in a circle. “It would have been less work.”
“Man, I just finished drywalling this room.” Bobby stood staring off into one of the classrooms.
“Who would do this? Why?” Tim asked.
Jason ran his hand through his hair, scanned the room, and shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t see any benefit to keeping the center closed. No one profits from its closure. This is the second attack since we’ve been working, and you can’t tell me it’s a coincidence. Last time I could write it off as bored teens and take the hit on my bank account. This.” He held his hands up. “I’ve got to call Cherry and Tawny and have them come down here. They need to see this. We’ll have to wait for them before we can do anything, but I’d say plan to work some overtime.”
He pulled out his phone and dialed Cherry’s number. When she answered, he told her he needed her at the center ASAP and she might want to bring Tawny, then hung up.
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