Accidents Make the Heart Grow Fonder

by Tara Mills

  “This compact is ruined.” Sabrina slammed it into her wastebasket and picked up a pen next. “No big deal. It was almost gone anyway.”

  “Uh-huh.” Tanya moved to sit on the edge of the desk, her initial amusement giving way to concern. “So…”

  Sabrina rose from her knees and set her purse on the desk, then sighed, drew out her chair, and slumped onto it heavily. “You really want to know?” she asked with a groan.

  Tanya nodded.

  “Another nightmare.”

  “What happened?” Tanya said sympathetically.

  Sabrina snorted. “What didn’t? First he shows up late but I don’t even notice because I’m crashed on my couch, making nice deep pillow lines in my face.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Then, after I make myself presentable, we go back to his place—it’s a really cool building, by the way, and there’s a pool and hot tub on the twenty-fifth floor—”

  “Would you get on with it?”

  “Anyway, we have a little wine and make up these mini personal pizzas, and while they’re in the oven he shows me around some more, and he’s got this exercise room with all this equipment and I’m thinking ‘nice, I’ve got to try this big monster, it’ll be a hoot,’ and I sit down and grab the pull bar and end up smacking Jackson right in the jaw with the other end.”

  “You didn’t!”

  Sabrina groaned behind her hands. “I did.”

  “How do these things happen to you?”

  “How the hell should I know? So there he is, flipping out, and I’m apologizing like crazy, but now he doesn’t want me anywhere near him. I felt like total crap because he went all cold on me after that, and he’d been thawing so nicely, too. Damn it! I threw a big bucket of ice water on the guy.” She whacked herself in the side of the head.

  Sabrina took a moment before saying, “You’ll never guess what he does for a living?”

  “What?”

  “He’s the news director at KBHY.”

  “You should get him to arrange a tour!”

  “I know!”

  “So go on. What happened after that?”

  “Well, after we ate, Jackson took me home, but this is where things took a big turn. We’re in the elevator, right? And he asks me not to move—told me, actually.”

  “Don’t move?”

  “I know. I’m all confused, but he insists, so I’m like, okay, whatever, and he comes stalking slowly toward me and without another word just lays one on me.”

  Tanya lit up like a solar flare. “He kissed you?”

  “Oh, my god, I’ve never been kissed that way before. Picture him as this powerful dragster and I’m like the flaming tarmac. The funny thing is, he started out all cautious, you know, like he was afraid of getting too close to me.”

  “Can you blame him?”

  “No,” she admitted with a laugh. “But then we’re both like hello, completely blown away. It was incredibly intense. I still can’t get over it. The guy didn’t lay a hand on me. There was no tongue involved, and it still felt like he’d just taken me up against the wall. My body was burning and my brain was completely fried.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know,” Sabrina said, nodding, her eyes huge. “How can a simple chaste kiss,” she held up her finger at the word chaste, “feel so unbelievably sexual?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Me neither. Frankly, just imagining what it would be like if he actually touched me at the same time scares the hell out of me.”

  “I’d be excited.”

  “Oh, without question, but I’m still very afraid.”

  “Was that the only kiss?”

  “Yes, but trust me, it was enough to keep me tossing and turning for the rest of the night.”

  “Makes you wonder what he thought of it all, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m trying not to.”

  ****

  Jackson’s call caught Rob before he left for work.

  “This is a little early for you, isn’t it?” Rob asked.

  “I’m always up early. I just don’t go into work until noon.”

  “So what’s up?”

  “I need a referral,” Jackson said.

  “A referral.”

  “A referral,” he repeated.

  “What kind of referral?”

  “What kind do you think?”

  “You want me to recommend a psychiatrist?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m losing my mind.”

  Rob laughed. “Okay, what’s really going on?”

  “Isn’t it unethical for you to treat your own brother?”

  “It was a simple question, and I doubt you need treatment. Talk to me.”

  “What would you say about a guy who knows something is bad for him but he does it anyway?”

  “I’d say that he’s behaving normally.”

  “You would?”

  “Sure. People drink, smoke, eat the wrong things, drive too fast, and tailgate knowing it’s not a good idea. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

  “Huh. Okay, well, let’s say there are always bad consequences for doing this thing but he still can’t stop himself.”

  “Like an addiction.”

  Jackson hemmed and hawed. “Sort of, but that seems like a stretch. I’d say it’s more like a gamble with bad odds, yet he still feels compelled to play.”

  “Gambling’s an addiction too.”

  “Fine, call it an addiction without a positive payoff.”

  “So what’s your poison?”

  “Her name’s Sabrina.”

  “Ah.”

  “And there’s a ‘park your car here’ sign pinned to my back and she’s right behind me with her foot on the gas pedal.”

  “I see. It’s simple. Keep a safe distance.”

  “But here’s the thing. I can’t help finding her irresistible even when she does flatten my ass.”

  “So you keep stepping in front of her and…”

  “She wipes me out—every fucking time.”

  Rob chuckled. “Maybe you do need help.”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “How irresistible?”

  “Oh,” Jackson groaned weakly, “I’m sinking fast. Throw me a lifeline, quick.”

  “Wish I could, but we all go under eventually.”

  “I don’t know what to do about this.”

  “Yes, you do. You’ll fight it, kick your feet, and pull back, even when you’re moving toward her, and you’ll love every scary second of it.”

  “You’re not the one with the bruised jaw this morning.”

  “She punched you?”

  “In a roundabout way.”

  “When do I get to meet her?”

  “Are you sure you want to?”

  “She’s only a danger to you, right?”

  “As far as I’m aware. It’s what she tells me, anyway.”

  “Cool. Hell, yes, I want to meet her.”

  “So that’s a no for a referral?”

  “Correct. You have to take your knocks and deal with it.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  “I’m glad you called anyway.”

  “Hey, before you hang up, how did it go with the speech therapist?”

  “I like her and its going good. Maybe we could double.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Look, I’ve got to hit the road or I’ll be late for my first appointment. Let me know how it goes with your bruiser, okay?”

  “Will do.”

  Jackson hung up with a snort. Thanks, Rob, that was helpful. He stalked over to the refrigerator and poured himself a tall glass of orange juice.

  Doomed. Rob already considered him doomed. Damn it, he was probably right. The urge to call Sabrina and arrange to see her again was so strong it felt like his legs were going to fold under from the weight of it.

  He walked around the counter and took a
stool, thinking hard about all the things they could do that wouldn’t be particularly dangerous to him. He needed to Sabrina-proof his apartment, like you did with a toddler, but instead of locking the lower cabinets, wrapping cords, and putting electrical covers over every unused outlet he’d be hiding the knives, locking her out of the exercise room, and barring her from the balcony. What did that leave? The kitchen should remain off limits, but now the bedroom, possibly, hopefully—god, yes, hopefully—they’d be okay in there with its large soft surfaces and broad expanses of cushy carpeting. Then there was his bathroom. Please don’t discount the bathroom, because the Jacuzzi was meant for two, as was the large shower with the sturdy grab bars and fun accessories.

  What was he doing? They’d had one kiss, a hell of a kiss, granted, but one kiss and already he was boning her in every room and on every surface he could think of? What the hell was wrong with him? This is what comes from a lengthy sexual dry spell, that’s all. He was simply susceptible to Sabrina’s pretty face and curvaceous body, her shapely legs encased in black thigh-high stockings, the barely there transparent panties, and the black bustier that pushed more of her breasts out than it held in.

  Mistake. Thinking of her like that was a big mistake, because now every muscle in his body was tighter than a bodybuilder on steroids and he needed to move, walk it off. He slammed down his empty glass and stormed over to the balcony and went out. The wind buffeted him, and he leaned his face into it and squinted against the chill. It wasn’t enough. Ripping his shirt out of his trousers, he attacked the buttons and bared his chest to the snapping cool morning air, but it had no effect.

  Damn. He spun and went stomping back inside to take his third cold shower in less than six hours.

  ****

  Simon Yeager caught Jackson in the station’s parking lot a few hours later.

  “Ah, Jackson, just the person I wanted to see. I fixed our outing on the Mary Belle for the nineteenth. Let your crew know, okay? Spouses and significant others naturally—but no kids.”

  “Sounds good. They’ve been asking.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. Lunch is included.”

  “Great.” Jackson caught the door for his boss and followed him inside.

  He met Van in the corridor and waved him into his office. Jack collapsed into his chair and set down his briefcase. Covering his face with his hands, he groaned, “I need your help this morning.”

  Van sat down. “Shoot.”

  “I’m not prepared.”

  “In what way?”

  “I can’t concentrate this morning. I’m screwed. I can’t read the paper and comprehend one goddamned word.”

  Van’s eyebrows shot up. “Why’s that?”

  “Personal reasons. The point is, I can’t very well handle today’s assignments if I can’t even follow the day’s news.”

  “I see your predicament.”

  “Talk me through it, okay?”

  “Sure, no problem.” Van’s smile quivered at the corner. “You called her, didn’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  Interesting that he didn’t ask who. “The bruise on your jaw was a big clue, but your total lack of focus is the dead giveaway. What’d you do, try to kiss her and she clocked you?”

  “Not exactly. I did kiss her, but that was after this.” He pointed at his jaw.

  “Brave man. So what’s bothering you more?”

  “I already had this conversation with my brother this morning.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  “I don’t know,” he grumbled. “Why am I so fixated on Sabrina? She’s a bankable risk to me, and yet I did the unthinkable and asked her over last night anyway. I need to forget her, move on to safer pastures, but I can’t. I’m not a masochist, Van, far from it, and I’ve been plenty pissed off by her careless abuse, and still I can’t keep my head on straight.”

  “Life’s a bitch.”

  “No shit.”

  “So you kissed her.”

  “And really screwed myself up.”

  Van reached back and hauled on the door, slamming it closed.

  “Thanks,” Jackson said with a sigh.

  “No problem.”

  “Yes, I kissed her. Dumb, it was a dumb reckless move. I thought I had it under control by making her stand perfectly still with her hands in plain sight.”

  “But she grabbed you anyway?”

  “No,” Jackson said, shaking his head in bewilderment, “she just stood there, exactly like I asked, and shot me to the moon. I’m not kidding. I thought my shoes were burning, along with a few other choice parts of my anatomy.”

  Van frowned in confusion. “This was just a kiss?”

  “What happened last night was no ordinary kiss. We were both rocked on our foundations. Shook the hell out of me. I have no idea how she’s coping with it this morning, but I’m pretty messed up, and I can’t get my head around anything else.”

  “Hmm. Maybe you need to kiss her again, take it to the next level, so you aren’t obsessing about where you stopped it.”

  “That’s not it. You don’t understand.”

  “Guess not.”

  “That kiss was like heroin.”

  “That’s what I’m saying. You’ll need more to reach that same high, so if you kiss her again, the same way, you’ll just neutralize the effect it had on you.”

  “And make myself an addict.”

  “When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound so great.”

  “Yeah,” Jackson said with a snort.

  Van threw up his hands. “I’m only trying to help.”

  “Before I forget, Yeager set the company party for the nineteenth. Remind me to mention it at the meeting, okay?”

  “Are you going to bring Sabrina?”

  “Do I look crazy?”

  “Yep.”

  Chapter 18

  Jackson hated that both Van and Rob were right. For two days he stalked around his phone, pulled it out of his pocket, tossed it around his desk, glared at it, rubbed it like a smooth stone, popped it open then snapped it closed again. Indecision wasn’t something he was used to wrestling with, so it really grated on him. And this was just at work. At home it was worse, so much worse.

  Sabrina haunted his apartment like a seductive scent. How many times had he stood exactly where she’d stood in front of his windows and simply looked out at the view that captivated her? Recalling her womanly shape, all curves and softness, drove him to distraction. He remembered how hard it was to fight the urge to walk up behind her and slide his arms around her waist and pull her tight against him. Her body brought a stringed instrument to mind. It was meant to be cradled, played, and coaxed into exquisite music.

  He could see Sabrina sitting on the stool watching him cut vegetables and sipping his wine. She smiled in his mind like she had in reality. It was there, at his kitchen counter, that he’d noticed the asymmetry of her face, her left eyebrow and eye slightly higher than the right and the laugh line around her mouth only on that one side. It gave her a wicked playful look that he found impossibly compelling. He recalled the loose wisps of hair, too long, that she brushed aside or tossed with a flick of her head so she could see. The way she peeked out from the bangs she was obviously growing out was too damn irresistible. The woman gave him no peace, no peace at all.

  ****

  Nate skidded into Sabrina’s office in mid bitch. “They keep changing my wines! Did you know about this?” He stalked over and held out a sheet of paper.

  She took it with a frown. “Hmm. Did they say why?”

  “What’s it matter? We’ll have to re-do the menus again. Seriously, Sabrina, can we look for another distributor? I’m tired of this shit.”

  “Let me make a few calls, see what I can find out.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Nate?”

  He stopped on his way out and turned, “Yeah?”

  “Don’t let it get to you. It’ll work out.”

  She was flip
ping through her Rolodex when Tanya dropped by. “Now what was his problem?”

  “Wine.”

  “They’re not taking away that Pinot that I like, are they?” Sabrina handed her the flyer. “Those bastards!”

  “I’m going to call Maxine at Vino Varietals,” said Sabrina.

  “Good. She’s been courting us for a while. Maybe it’s time to give her a shot.”

  “Well, let’s see what she can offer first. She’s hungry for this account. Bet we can get a break on a few of our more popular labels.”

  “No doubt.”

  “Was there something you needed?” Sabrina asked.

  “Just nosey.”

  Sabrina grinned. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

  “ ’Kay, I have to get back to the kitchen anyway. See what else I can get into.”

  “You do that.” The phone rang just as Sabrina reached for it.

  “Oasis.”

  “Sabrina Eckhart, please.”

  “This is Sabrina.”

  “Hi, it’s Jackson.”

  “Oh, hi.”

  What was he calling her for? She’d pretty much given up on ever hearing from him again. A man can only take so much abuse, right?

  “Listen, I was wondering if you’re free on the nineteenth.”

  “The nineteenth?”

  “A week from Saturday.”

  “Maybe.” Listen to her. Maybe? If he asked her over to dance naked on his desk she’d be there with bells on. “What’d you have in mind?”

  “The station is throwing a party for the staff on the Mary Belle. There’s a catered lunch. I was hoping you might like to go as my date.”

  His date? “You do realize that I can’t guarantee your safety,” she said hesitantly, despising her compulsion to warn him.

  “Well, I figure there are life vests, flotation rings. Even if you knock me overboard by accident I’ll probably survive. Just wait until we get into open water first, so I don’t land on anything and break my spine, okay?”

  Sabrina gave a feeble laugh. “I’ll try to hold off that long.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes, and I know—it surprises me too.”

  Sabrina smiled. “Well, it sounds really nice.”

  “Let’s hope so. Anyway, I’ll pick you up around eleven a.m. on Saturday the nineteenth.”