That thought sent a shiver down Jordan’s spine.
Rob had been her first lover, and she had been his. It was always amazing to her that when all her friends spoke of losing their virginity, they all said how awkward it was, but with Rob, it had been beautiful. They had been so in love at seventeen and so confident of their future together that making love had been as natural to them as the simple act of breathing.
Just the thought of how they used to meet after school and go to the beach or to his father’s boat to be alone and make love had Jordan smiling. If she closed her eyes, she could almost still feel his hands on her body.
It had never been that good with anybody else. Well, she had only been with Eric after Rob, and between the two, there had been no contest. Rob was, by far, a more caring, thorough lover.
She longed to find out if the sparks would still be there, if her body would still quiver at his touch.
When Rob arrived at five o’clock sharp, Jordan had her answer.
He climbed out of the truck. Seeing her standing in the doorway, he walked very slowly toward her, like a predator stalking its prey. He was a man on a mission, and Jordan stood frozen to the spot. Rob stopped short in front of her and, without any notice, cupped her face and brought his mouth down on hers.
Jordan willingly opened underneath his command. His tongue darted inside and she leaned heavily into him, clinging to the front of his shirt for dear life. Oh, how the man could kiss!
As his arms wound tightly around her tiny waist, Jordan released the shirt and threaded her fingers through his silky brown hair at the nape of his neck and sighed. Blood swept through her veins on a wave of heat, warming her. His tongue found hers and gently persuaded hers to join in mating with his.
When his large hands started to travel up Jordan’s rib cage and touched the sides of her breasts, she let out a whimper of need and did, indeed, quiver.
She lifted her mouth briefly from his to regain her breath. “Rob…” she sighed.
He wasn’t ready to release her yet. He had been away from her for too long. He had ached for days with the thought of touching her, and he was greedy in his need at the moment. He pulled her so close he could feel her nipples poking through the fabrics of both their shirts and she could feel the proof of his desire gently pulsing against her belly. At the sound of approaching footsteps, he reluctantly released her.
“Who’s killing who?” she whispered. He smiled and shifted uncomfortably before going inside the house to start collecting luggage and loading the truck. Once they had everything secured in the back of the vehicle and everyone was buckled in, they headed into town and to his restaurant for dinner.
Jordan did not allow the boys to indulge in video games this time because she was eager to get on the road. Remarkably, they didn’t argue.
“So what’s this hotel like, Rob?” Joseph asked. Bless his heart; her son loved going away from home and staying in hotels, any hotel.
Jordan had only recently learned from her sister that Joseph had confided in her that he loved going to hotels because his home life was so miserable. While Eric was still living with them, there was constant fighting going on, and once Eric left, times were tough. To Joseph, a night at a hotel meant a reprieve from the dismal life they had been living.
“Well,” Rob began, “ I couldn’t get us into the resort I had wanted to tonight, so we’ll just get a room at one of the smaller ones and then check into the Virginia Crossings Resort sometime tomorrow.”
“What’s the Virginia Crossings Resort like?” the boy asked, intrigued.
“Well, from what I can tell, because I’ve never been there, it’s kind of a formal, colonial-style place. It’s got swimming pools and a golf course, plenty of stuff to do to keep everyone entertained including an Xbox 360 system in the room. I booked us a two-bedroom suite.” He looked at Jordan to gauge her reaction.
“Is that all right with you, Jordan? One of the bedrooms has two full-size beds so you and the boys can use that one, and the other bedroom has a king-size bed—for me.” His eyes were dark with desire and Jordan wished the sleeping arrangements could be different, that the second bedroom with one bed could be for the two of them. Being a responsible parent was one of the most difficult things she had to do that day.
Just once, she wished she could kick her conscience to the curb and do what she wanted. Everyone else these days did and to hell with the consequences—but that wasn’t her and she knew it. Jordan knew she would do the right thing and lie in her bed and dream of being wrapped in his arms in the aftermath of mind-blowing lovemaking.
Rob watched as Jordan swallowed and licked nervously at her lips, and he seemed to read her mind. The action of her tongue fascinated him.
“That sounds fine,” she croaked as she tried to clear her throat, hoping he couldn’t see right through her, but knowing full well that was exactly what he was doing. He always could. “What about the place for tonight?”
He took his last bite of pizza before answering. “Well, it’s a smaller hotel, a Best Western. Now that the park is only open on the weekends, due to the off-season, places fill up fast. I had to take what I could find. Besides, it’s only for one night.” He shrugged and stood to leave, praying she wouldn’t freak out when they arrived at tonight’s destination.
“Everybody ready?”
* * *
An hour later, Jordan’s worst fears were confirmed—she knew this hadn’t been a good idea. Standing in the lobby of a Best Western, she nearly let out a cry when the clerk handed them one room key.
“Yes, sir, that’s one room reserved for Tyler,” the man behind the check-in desk said.
“One room?” Jordan hissed as she leaned over the desk, careful not to alert her sons to her dismay.
Rob stood there silently signing the necessary paperwork. “Sorry, ma’am. It’s one of the last rooms in town. I can try to check around elsewhere, but I don’t think we’ll have much luck for you.” In all fairness, the man did seem sincerely sorry for their inconvenience and tried to be optimistic for them. “It’s a nice size, nonsmoking room with two queen-size beds, a refrigerator, and a microwave. I’m sure you’ll all be very comfortable. Will you be needing any extra pillows?”
Jordan nodded numbly and wanted to say “only if they come with extra beds—in an extra room!” Still, she couldn’t suppress a look of anxiety in Rob’s direction as he turned to collect their luggage.
“Now what?” she said.
“Thank you,” Rob said over his shoulder as he guided Jordan by the elbow away from the desk. “Now, we go up to our room and try to convince these children of yours to get some sleep.”
“Where?” she cried again. He kept her moving up to the room without answering any of her questions.
Luckily the boys were too wound up to notice their mother’s dismay. Rob kept an eye on them and smiled.
Joseph was daring his brother to ride one of the monster coasters and Jake, trying not to look terrified at the prospect, puffed up his chest and accepted his brother’s challenge. Rob had never had a brother, but he certainly remembered similar dares with his sister. He wished Jordan would relax enough to enjoy the exchange going on between her sons.
Once inside the room, he turned on the TV for the boys to find something on cable that interested them, while he pulled Jordan over by the vanity alcove to speak with her in hushed tones.
“Look, I knew if I told you they only had the one room, you would have backed out of the entire weekend and that would have devastated the boys.” When she started to correct him, he placed two fingers over her mouth to silence her.
“I’ve thought it all through, Jordan. We have two beds here.” He pointed toward them for dramatic effect. “You and Jake take one; Joseph and I will take the other. It’s not ideal but it’s only for one night. Nothing inappropriate is going to happen. No one will be s
carred for life over it, right?” Rob gently placed his hands on Jordan’s shoulders and then began to slowly caress her arms.
“Please, please make this fun for the boys and try to relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t let them see you all freaked out.” His tone was soothing, silky, and, worse, he was making complete sense. She would have agreed to anything at that point just to continue to hear the deep baritone of his voice and feel his hands on her bare arms.
“Okay,” she said and reluctantly stepped away from him. She walked fully into the room to check it out. Begrudgingly, Jordan admitted to herself it would be fine for the one night. The room was plenty big for all of them, and by the time she had the boys settled and sleeping, there’d be hardly any time for her to worry about anything before they were packing up and heading to the larger resort.
She announced to the boys that they needed to take their turns in the bathroom, showering and getting ready for bed. Once they were clean and pajama clad, they all agreed on a movie to watch before going to sleep. Personally, Jordan had no interest in watching a movie, but it kept her mind off the fact that Rob was lying on the bed not three feet away from her, sprawled out and looking far too attractive for his own good. Forcing herself to at least pretend she was interested, Jordan turned to make a comment to Jake about the movie but found him already asleep. Joseph, apparently, was going to be a night owl.
Jordan excused herself to take her turn in the bathroom to get ready for bed. She spent as long as she could in the small space, trying to get over the wave of nerves crashing over her at the prospect of Rob seeing her in her nightie. It seemed so personal, so intimate, so childish. So exactly what her body was screaming for! They’d never spent a complete night together before. As young lovers, it had all been about stolen moments and curfews.
Even with the kids in the room, there was a part of her that told her it felt right. Not that she would share a bed with Rob in front of her children—certainly not—but it felt right being there and sharing a room, the four of them, together. It felt nice to be away from the pain and drudgery of the last year and to feel like part of a family again.
Jordan did not regret for one moment the end of her marriage, but she did regret the feeling of loss over the full family unit. Her boys desperately needed a father in their lives and it obviously wasn’t going to be Eric. Would Rob even want to be the father her sons needed? Would it be hard for him to raise another man’s children as his own, particularly Eric’s?
If she hadn’t been so spiteful and so unwilling to work things out with Rob at eighteen, she wouldn’t even need to be thinking these things because the children in that room would be his. No amount of worrying or regret was going to change that, but it still caused an ache deep in her heart at all they could have had. Still she was thankful for her marriage to Eric because he had given her the two wonderful sons she now had. For that reason alone, she would never regret marrying him.
Pushing all negative thoughts aside, Jordan checked her reflection in the mirror.
You’re not eighteen anymore, Jordan. You’re a thirty-two-year-old divorced mother of two. Did you honestly expect to see anything different in the mirror? Would Rob still find her attractive after all these years?
Gathering up her courage, Jordan flipped off the light and emerged from the solitude of the bathroom.
She heard Rob’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of her. She was wearing a simple white cotton nightie that came to a little above the knee. It had thin straps and a scooped neckline with tiny buttons down the front. It was in no way sexy, in Jordan’s mind, but from the look in Rob’s eyes, she felt as if she were standing before him wearing nothing at all.
Averting her eyes, she climbed into her bed next to Jake and tried to focus on the movie. Joseph was beginning to look like he was losing the battle with keeping his eyes open and Jordan encouraged him to shut them and get some sleep. With Jordan’s permission, Rob turned off the television and all but one small light, and moments later, the only sounds in the room were those of the two sleeping boys and the pounding hearts of the two adults.
“I guess it’s my turn in the bathroom,” Rob said as he stood and stretched. His jeans hung low on his hips, and the top button was undone. Jordan had to force her eyes away. “You could join me in there,” he suggested softly, and for a split second she considered it.
“I don’t think that would be wise.” Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was sure there was a reason for her to feel that way, but sitting there and looking at him, she couldn’t remember what the reason was.
Rob turned and looked at her before closing the bathroom door. His eyes were dark with desire and Jordan would have given anything to go in that tiny bathroom with him, but it was the little snoring body next to her that reminded her of why she could not.
Jordan tried to force herself to relax, but couldn’t. She heard the shower turn on and when she closed her eyes, all that was visible was the image of Rob naked under the steamy spray, water coursing all over his skin, soap suds clinging to him, his muscles gleaming with beads of water… She groaned and placed a pillow briefly over her face.
At the sound of the water shutting off, Jordan decided it would be best for all involved if she feigned sleep. The bathroom door opened and she could smell the clean scent of his soap and shampoo and heard the faint rustle of sheets as he climbed into the bed opposite her.
Waiting until the last light was turned off, she opened her eyes, needing one last look at him. She was surprised to find him lying on his side, watching her, longing written all over his chiseled face. Slivers of moonlight spilled into the room through the curtains, and it was just enough to see what they each needed to.
They lay like that for some time, each on their side, facing one another from opposing beds, just looking. Her body longed to reach out and touch him, but the space between the two beds made that impossible.
It was torture to be this close, close enough to smell one another’s scents and hear each other’s breathing, and not be able to do something about it. Not to be able to touch Rob was almost more than she could bear. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt such longing, such frustration.
Eventually, her body began to calm itself and she accepted the inevitable. There would be no meeting in the bathroom, no stolen kisses. Not tonight anyway. Tomorrow night in the bigger suite, however, all bets were off. If her body was still as on fire as it was right now, she might be willing to risk being alone with him in his bedroom depending on how far away it was from the boys.
Jordan smiled at him weakly and whispered good night before closing her eyes, feeling light and happy.
Sometime later, Rob had looked his fill and closed his own eyes, happy to have Jordan there and be the last thing he saw before going to sleep. It wouldn’t be the first time. Only this time, she was really and truly there and not just an image burned into his mind.
* * *
A day at a theme park under normal circumstances was hard work. A day at a theme park with two overexcited boys was pure exhaustion. Jordan was extremely thankful for Rob because there was no way even in good health that she could have kept up with her sons. He went on every thrill ride with them.
Twice!
The closest she came to a thrill ride was the log flume. Not that the ride in and of itself was thrilling; quite the contrary, it was pretty tame. The thrill came from sitting between Rob’s hard, muscled legs with her back pressed against the solid wall of his chest while he took advantage of the fact that the boys were in front of them and nuzzled her neck. Jordan wiggled against him and could easily feel his growing arousal pressed firmly against her bottom.
It was a little comical to watch him gingerly climb out of the log at the end of the ride. At her look of barely contained laughter, he walked up behind her and smacked her on the bottom.
“Witch,” he whispered. Jordan let out a shriek o
f delight and walked away, her head still swimming from the sensations his touch had surfaced in her.
Throughout the remainder of the day, they carried on like a family. Jordan took Jake on some of the less-than-thrilling rides while Rob took Joseph on more of the coasters. Meeting up at dinnertime, Jordan cringed at the fast food fare but seeing as this was supposed to be a total day of fun for the kids, she put her adult tastes aside and indulged in a chili dog, fries, and an extra-thick chocolate milk shake. Completely sinful but totally worth it.
Later that night as they settled in at the resort, Jordan collapsed on the oversized sofa, her body screaming with fatigue. She forced one eye open to look at her surroundings. The suite was beautifully decorated with Thomasville furniture in jewel tones. It had been newly renovated, and Jordan couldn’t remember ever staying someplace so nice, not even on her honeymoon.
The boys remained unfazed by their surroundings, even Joseph, who normally carried on and on about how nice a hotel room was. No, tonight both he and his brother were so worn out from the events of the day that Jordan knew it would be a breeze to get them to go to sleep.
Without a word of complaint, the boys stuck to their nightly ritual of showering before bed. As each headed in the direction of the bedroom, Jordan reminded them they had to share a bed because the second one was for her. They each mumbled in return but did obey. They were too tired to put up much of a fight anyway. She still felt a wave of disappointment at the thought that she couldn’t share a room with Rob.
Rob felt comfortable that they were on their way to winding down and finally took a seat on the sofa next to Jordan. She sat up briefly and he took advantage of her position to ease in beside her so she could recline against him.
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