“That was my observation, too.” He took his shirt the rest of the way off and threw it on the floor.
“Did I kill the mood?” She chuckled as she said it, her nervousness obvious.
“Hardly.”
“I just—”
He put his finger over her lips. “You could stand on a corner wearing a garbage bag and screaming obscenities at me and I’d still want you.”
“Still such the sweet talker.”
“It’s the truth.”
She trailed her hand down his bare chest to the top of his belt.
“Is there anything I can do to get us back where we were before I had my fit?”
“Let me think.” He rolled on top of her and groaned at the feel of his body against hers.
“You don’t need this.” She unhooked the belt and slipped it out of his pants.
“I could say the same about you.” He popped the button loose on the top of her jeans.
Her body trembled when the back of his hand brushed against her bare skin of her stomach. He enjoyed the sensation so much, he did it a second time and felt her sharp intake of breath against his hair.
The press of her hand against his fly and steady thud of her heart against his broke the last of her control reserves.
He sat back and stripped her slim jeans down her legs, taking her panties as he went. When she was naked, with her body flushed and him kneeling between her legs, he took a long, agonizing look at her. He had caressed that skin many times as a fumbling teenager. Now he was coming to her as a man.
He pressed forward, trapping her body between his elbows, and lowered his chest against hers. His muscles shook with the force of holding himself back as he pressed a trail of kisses along her jawline.
Her back arched off the bed. “Paul . . . now.”
“Yes, now.”
Five
Sex doesn’t always mean the same thing for men as it does for women. But sometimes it does.
—Grandma Gladys, The Duchess
AFTER YEARS OF WAITING AND FOUR ROUNDS OF lovemaking, Paul could barely speak. He hoped the apartment didn’t catch on fire because he’d never be able to get off the bed and rescue them. They’d been back together for only a few hours and he couldn’t move . . . couldn’t imagine another day without her.
He lifted his head and glanced around her room. With the sun streaming in the window and his need for her satisfied at least temporarily, he could see the place much better. Everything was white and blue and very feminine. The citrus scent he associated with her filled the room. There were clothes and books stacked everywhere.
The controlled chaos reflected Jennifer. She was a thundering ball of energy. She stormed in and out of his life and left him breathless with each turn. No matter how harsh the words that passed between them, he couldn’t hold onto the anger. She was smart and so sexy it hurt to look at her.
Even now she lay sprawled over half the bed, which was impressive since she didn’t weigh all that much and sure didn’t take up much room despite her height. Since he’d kissed and caressed every inch of her the night before, he could describe her without opening his eyes.
But what a joy it was to open them and look at her.
They’d wrecked the bed. There was a sheet waded up underneath his shoulder and pillows spread across the floor. Her panties hung on the lampshade, and his jeans were thrown on a pile on the floor of her open closet. He had no idea how either piece of clothing got to their final resting places.
Just when he decided to roll her over and wake her up the fun way, her bare foot slid up his calf and her arm tightened across his stomach.
“I’m hungry,” she mumbled against his skin.
“I thought you were asleep.”
She popped up with her head balanced on top of her hands. Her eyes focused solely on him. “Not anymore.”
He’d never seen anyone shift from sleep to awake that fast. “It’s still early.”
“I get up early.” She drummed her fingers on his chest. “And I could eat.”
“Oh, really?”
“I mean food.”
“Oh. Well, don’t look at me. I can’t move.” He doubted he could make his way to the kitchen for a snack. God knew he needed one. A man could only engage in so much sex before the requirement of refueling arose.
“That’s not very chivalrous.” Her bare leg swung around in a lazy pattern behind her.
From this position he could see straight down her body. He mentally removed the flimsy sheet that was half thrown over her backside. “You sucked the life out of me.”
“You seemed pretty happy with my sucking a few hours ago.”
“Most definitely.”
“So the least you can do is feed me.”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I give up. You win.”
“Good man.”
He shifted underneath her, trying to ignore the spark of life to his lower half when her body brushed over his. “Anything to make you happy.”
He got the whole way to the kitchen before he realized she had followed him. He opened the refrigerator and turned around to find her leaning against the door frame, wrapped in a wrinkled white sheet.
“What are you doing up?” he asked.
“I missed you.”
“Keep saying stuff like that and we’ll see how sturdy this table is.” He knocked against the wood to emphasize his point.
“You’re naked.”
“And I plan on staying that way.” He grabbed the eggs and a chunk of cheese and dumped them on the counter. “As far as I’m concerned, this is just a break from the action.”
“Were you this hot and ready in high school?”
“And every damn day since then.”
She stepped into the room, her bare feet slapping against the wood floor. “If we keep up this pace we won’t be able to walk by Monday.”
“That’s the plan.” He faced the cabinets and started searching for a pan.
When he stood back up, she was right behind him. She slipped her arms around his waist and pulled tight against him. “I still think waiting was the right thing all those years ago.”
He turned around and leaned back against the sink. He guided her to stand between his legs and held her steady with his hands on her hips. “I’m guessing I wasn’t a very good risk back then.”
“You were sexy and sweet but so mysterious.”
“I scared you.”
“You once showed up at my parents’ house drunk.”
He winced over that one. “Admittedly not my finest moment. I was an idiot, but in my defense I was also a horny teen boy.”
“I didn’t know how to handle you.”
“I remember sitting outside your house and hearing you tell your mother you were dumping me.” The memory still stung.
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You said I’d started hanging around with a dangerous crowd. That I was immature and hiding things from you.” He looked away from her so he didn’t have to see the sadness in her eyes. He didn’t want her pity. He wanted her to understand. “I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I just sat there.”
“I’m sor—”
“Don’t pity me.” He shook his head. “I don’t want that.”
“You were on your own by then and didn’t tell me.”
“I’m not alone now.”
“Paul—”
“I’m with you.” He tugged at the sheet tucked over her breasts and let it fall to her feet.
“What are you doing?”
He dropped down in front of her with his knees on the cold floor and her body spread out like a naked feast in front of him. He slid his hands up the inside of her thighs, opening her legs as he went.
“Are you still confused about what I want?”
She braced her hands on his shoulders. “I’m catching up.”
“I’ve always admired your intelligence.”
She pushed his head closer to her body. “Stop talking.”
>
Jennifer tried to remember when she’d felt this free. This alive and happy. Talking to Paul was one thing. Curling up against him in the middle of her bed while he pretended to read sections of the paper to her was something she’d never imagined.
When he finished one story, she pointed to another headline and let him scan the article so he could make up something to go along with the bold letters.
He shook his head and threw her a mock serious look. “You won’t be interested in that one.”
“Why?”
“There’s a dancing frog, a traffic accident and a problem with a school cafeteria. Very nasty stuff.”
“The headline says: ‘Superintendent in Trouble’.”
“Well, sure. The frog belonged to him.”
She laid her hand against Paul’s stomach and felt the muscles twitch beneath her fingers. “Even a week ago, would you have thought this possible?”
“Only in my fantasies.”
Her heart did a quick jig. “It’s pretty sweet having a role in those.”
“Nice try at being humble, but you have to know you’re the star.”
“Since when?”
He pulled back so he could look down at her. “Always.”
Since he suddenly seemed so serious, she traced her finger over his full lips. “Have I told you how happy I am you came here?”
“No more than I am that I finally got in that car.”
“Took you long enough.”
He stared at the ceiling and shook his head with an impressive woe-is-me frown. “Always complaining.”
She slid her body over his and drew his attention back with the simple touch of her palm against his cheek. “Have any other ideas of what we can do?”
“I’m only human, you know.”
She understood his point. Her happily exhausted body might not even be able to react without a refueling and a bit of rest. “We could cuddle.”
He snorted. “I’m betting that lasts for about five minutes.”
“Don’t think I can control myself?”
He threw the paper over the side of the bed. “I know I can’t.”
Six
Do not lose your head over a pretty face.
—Grandma Gladys, The Duchess
HEATHER STOOD BY THE SINK ON TUESDAY MORNING. She stopped pouring coffee long enough to look up and smile. “I’m surprised you can still move.”
Jennifer inhaled the fresh scent as she dropped into the nearest chair, craving caffeine. “You’ll notice I’m sitting.”
“So,” Heather sat across from her sister and passed a mug in her general direction. “How was it?”
Jennifer ached all over, but in a good way. There wasn’t an inch of flesh Paul hadn’t conquered. He kissed her until her ankles dug into the mattress and she begged for more. When he pressed inside her, she questioned why she ever made them wait so long.
But there was only so much she was willing to share. She and Heather had traded stories about boys and later men, whispered gossip about everyone they knew, and divulged their most secret wishes. Jennifer cried in Heather’s arms after she broke up with Paul years ago.
Despite Heather knowing everything, Jennifer wanted to keep some parts of the intimate weekend private. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”
Heather tapped her fingernails against the table. “She does if she doesn’t want her big sister to smack her.”
“Seeing him again . . .” Jennifer shook her head, afraid to say anything more and jinx it. “I can’t even describe it.”
“Try.”
“In a word.” Jennifer sipped on her coffee and peeked over the rim at her sister. “Fantastic.”
“Ha!” Heather sat back with her patented I-told-you-so smile full on her lips. “Aren’t you glad you called?”
“You’re just trying to take credit.”
“I am the one who told you to do it.”
“You did not.”
“Okay, you were going to do it anyway, but I told you that you should.” Heather waved her hand in dismissal. “So, how fantastic?
Like off-the-charts or just-getting-started fantastic?”
Paul slipped into the room and leaned against the doorway. “What are we talking about?”
Jennifer didn’t know where he found the navy sweatpants and slim gray tee, but she liked the casual look. The relaxed, mussed-from-sleep hair and sexy eyes. It was all she could do not to drag him down the hall to the bedroom one more time.
From the stupid grin on his face, she knew he’d overheard most of the conversation, so she didn’t try to hide it. “How amazing you are in bed.”
He pushed off from the wall and headed her way. “Well, a man can’t ask for more than that.”
She lifted her head for a lingering morning kiss. She could feel the smile on his lips and enjoyed the sure hold of his fingers on the back of her neck.
“I admire your humbleness.” She mumbled the words against his mouth.
“Handsome and humble. That’s quite a combination,” Heather said as she reached behind her, letting her chair rest on the back two legs. She swiped another mug off the counter and let it clang against the table.
“I’m impressed you remembered to put pants on.” Jennifer tapped his nose before pointing at the chair next to hers.
“I have a few brain cells left, but they’re fighting each other for a caffeine fix.” The chair let out a loud screech as he dragged it closer to hers and slipped his arms around her shoulders.
“I’m sure your boss will appreciate that.” It was the unspoken issue. The one she’d ignored but knew would creep up and smack her eventually. Reality had a way of doing that.
He had a life hours away from hers. She had finished college and was waiting for her marketing job to start. She could afford a few days of fun, but he didn’t have that luxury. He had to be self-reliant and responsible all the time, since he was a teenager.
She had Heather to pick up the slack if she needed it. He had no one.
“Thanks for the caffeine reinforcement.” He winked at Heather while he said it.
It was what he didn’t say that worried Jennifer. He’d ignored her comment and didn’t show any signs of coming back to it later. They’d been so busy working out the desire she stockpiled for years, so wrapped up in their intimacy and getting to know each other again, that they’d skipped over the simple details.
“Why aren’t you at work?” she asked, trying a second time to get an answer to the question that refused to leave her brain.
“What do you mean?”
“Won’t your boss be upset?”
Paul took a long drink. “No.”
The pulling-teeth thing made her want to scream. And not in a good way. It reminded her of all the things that ticked her off in the past. “Because?”
“Because I don’t have one.”
The words splashed against her with the force of a bucket of ice water. Gone was the bantering byplay. This was something she could not joke around or ignore. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“Repeat it, and try explaining this time.”
“I left my job to come here.”
The comment didn’t make any sense. It was irresponsible to walk away from a paying job for sex, no matter how long it had been or how good it was. “You quit your job to visit me for the weekend?”
He grabbed the milk and started to pour. “Not really.”
She grabbed the pitcher from his hand and thumped it against the table with such force she was surprised it didn’t crumble in her hand. “Paul.”
“What are you—”
“Talk.”
He stared at her for a few seconds too long. “I’m moving here.”
“Where?”
“Toronto. More specifically, this apartment.” His eyes narrowed.
“I thought you figured that out already.”
She pushed her chair back and stood up. He couldn’t touch her. Not now. She needed
a Paul-free-zone and zero temptation to get through this. She refused to be sidetracked by the confusion in those intense green eyes.
She put a chair and the table between them and held the back of her seat in a death grip. “Since when?”
“We talked about this on the phone.”
“No. We talked about you coming here for a visit.”
“I was talking about relocating.”
She tightened her hold. “Did you think to mention it to me?”
“I thought that’s what we were doing. Discussing and agreeing.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I should leave.” Heather started to stand up.
Jennifer pointed at the chair her sister had just abandoned. “Sit.”
“Okay.” Heather’s eyes were as wide as Paul’s. She sat there, unmoving except for her gaze, which kept switching between Jennifer and Paul.
“Did you know about this?” Jennifer asked Heather, even though she knew the answer.
“Ted mentioned—”
That was all Jennifer needed to know. She held up her hand to Heather and turned her wrath on Paul. “Explain why I’m the last one to get the memo on this event.”
“Can you calm down first?”
“No.” She seethed. It was a miracle that fire didn’t shoot out of the top of her head. “Start.”
Paul inhaled as he set his mug away from him and folded his hands together on the tabletop. “Ted and I talked. He said I could come live with you guys and gave me a lead or two on some jobs.”
“You’re unemployed.”
Paul’s jaw tightened, but his voice remained even. “I do seasonal construction work. You know that.”
“How do you get from there to moving in together?”
“I just thought—”
“What?” she barked at him, unable to control her temper as it raged like an out-of-control beast.
“I can work from here.”
This time when Heather stood up Jennifer didn’t say anything. With her face pale and her hand shaking, Heather slipped out the door. Jennifer couldn’t figure out if she was angry or relieved at not having an audience.
She did have to calm her racing heart or it would beat right out of her chest. She took a deep breath and tried to lower her voice.
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