The realization floored her. How strange that for the first time in nearly forever, she’d found someone who tempted her to let him get closer. She could conceive of lowering some of her guard, taking a chance on what could be a fabulously erotic, exciting relationship. But he’d erected barriers even taller than her own.
She supposed it was just as well there were insurmountable walls between them right up front. Jack obviously liked to play. A lot. He wasn’t the stick-around type and she knew it. While Kate believed if there ever did come a time when she found that one right guy—her true love—she’d be a goner for life.
Much like her mother had been, unfortunately.
Over the next couple of days Kate refrained from pumping Cassie about her problems—either her old ones, or her new one, in the form of the hunky sheriff. Somehow, while they priced, ordered and set up displays, she found herself getting excited as she had before the opening of her shop in Chicago.
Knock it off, this isn’t the same thing at all!
Nope, it definitely wasn’t. In Chicago, she’d wanted her shop to be a wild success. Here, she fully expected it to be a grand failure. But at least they’d have fun failing, doing it publicly, right on the main street of Pleasantville. And, as they failed, she’d be right here in case Cassie needed her. She knew her cousin too well…if Kate had stayed in Chicago, Cassie would never have come to her if things got bad. Here, she couldn’t very well avoid it!
She managed to avoid Jack for the most part—not an easy feat considering their close living quarters. But he was usually gone during the day, and so was she. That suited her fine.
Nights were tougher. They slept mere inches apart, separated only by the width of one slim, interior wall. There were times when she thought she heard his hand brush the wall behind her head, when he’d roll over in her old bed next door. She knew from childhood experience that at times she and Cassie had heard each other’s late-night bad dream cries.
On Wednesday morning she stepped outside on the porch as soon as she got up, glad for the fresh early-morning air. Down the block, a mother rode a bicycle, with a toddler in the child seat. The woman waved as she rode by.
A nice, peaceful morning. She didn’t remember those from when she’d lived here, though, she supposed there must have been some. At least for Edie. Otherwise, why would her mother have ever come back here when Kate’s dad died?
Hearing sounds coming from next door, she stepped closer and peered into the front window of her mother’s duplex. She wished she hadn’t. Jack stood in his living room, bare-chested, wearing only a pair of loose white pants. He was stretching, moving his body with fluidity and grace. And power. It took a second for her muddled brain to realize that he was running through some type of karate moves.
He had no idea she was there. So she watched for several minutes. The sweat gleamed on his bare chest and thick arms as he swung and kicked and arched. He moved his body like a sleek animal, a finely tuned—but dangerous—machine.
Walk away before he sees you. She couldn’t, though. She couldn’t turn and walk into her house. Just one more moment of watching…. One moment stretched into five or ten minutes until finally, inevitably, he glanced up and saw her there.
He immediately stopped. They stared at each other through the glass for a minute, then Jack lifted his hand and pointed toward her with his index finger, wagging it back and forth like a parent to a kid who’d done something naughty.
Act innocent. She gave him a “Who me?” shrug.
He crossed his arms and raised his brow, waiting for her to admit she’d been spying on him.
“Oh, all right,” she muttered. As she entered the front door she immediately launched into an explanation. “I didn’t mean to watch you working out. I just stepped out for some fresh air, and couldn’t help noticing.”
“Uh-huh,” he said as he began to stretch his arms out, slowly rolling his shoulders as if cooling down from his workout.
“I mean, the curtains were open. I just caught a glimpse.”
“Right.”
His one-word answers did nothing to hide his amusement.
“Really, Jack, I do respect your privacy.”
He finally stopped moving all those yummy muscles long enough to meet her eye. “Kate, you’ve been standing there for almost ten minutes.”
She fisted her hands and put them on her hips. “You saw me?”
“No,” he admitted. Then he grinned. “But I heard your front door open, and that board on the front porch really creaks.”
She was surprised he’d been able to hear anything except his own churning pulse as he’d flexed and stretched all those lovely, hard muscles. She forced herself to look away, wondering if she’d been drooling while she’d watched from the window. She surreptitiously lifted her fingers to her chin to check.
“So, uh, were you doing some kind of karate?” she finally asked, wanting to fill the charged silence. “I’ve thought about taking some self-defense courses.”
“Tae Kwon Do. If you’re serious, I teach at a studio in Chicago. I can give you the address.”
That implied they’d see one another after they left Pleasantville, something Kate hadn’t really allowed herself to consider. “Well, I don’t know….”
“If you don’t feel comfortable in a class,” he said with a cajoling smile, “I’d be happy to work with you one on one.”
Work with her. One on one. How about one you on one me?
She gulped. “I’d better go.”
He grabbed a white towel and draped it over his shoulders. “Don’t go. I’ll make you some breakfast. I can’t promise gourmet food like diet Coke and donuts, but I can do a decent omelet.”
Considering she hadn’t bothered to do a grocery shopping trip, and had been living off fast food and 7-Eleven burritos for the past few days, Kate’s stomach overruled her brain. “Great.”
“Lemme change.”
You don’t have to on my account!
While he was upstairs, Kate went into the kitchen, glad to see Jack was keeping the place spotless, just as it had been when her mother had lived here. Kate, unfortunately, was more the slob type. And the world’s greatest chef—or even a competent one—she was not. She did, however, know how to crack an egg and was hard at it when he returned, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.
“So tell me why you want to take self-defense courses,” he said as he began making their breakfast.
“I dunno, I live in a big city and run a rather infamous store. I got a few wacky phone calls after that article.”
Jack’s shoulders stiffened. “Did anyone threaten you?”
“Oh, no. I just got asked on some unusual dates—to strip clubs, S and M hangouts and the Circus.”
“Circus sounds pretty normal.”
“I thought so, too, at first. Turns out there’s a sex show called the Circus where the animals are all people in costume who offer rides to members of the audience.”
“I think I’d rather not have known that,” he said with a groan as he diced some ham for the omelets.
“Me, too.” She made herself at home, finding his coffee supply and filling the coffeepot. “I guess some people heard about my shop and instantly thought the worst of me.”
He put the knife down to study her. “You’ve had to deal with that before, haven’t you?”
She knew he meant here, in Pleasantville. “Ancient history.”
“So how does it measure up now? How has the town treated you these first few days?”
So far, she had to admit, things had been okay. Then again, she hadn’t been out too much, staying mostly at home, at Cassie’s place or at the store. “Fine, actually. How about you? Has the red carpet been rolled out for the return of the prodigal son?”
“I’m keeping a low profile, though one of my father’s friends asked me to move back and run for mayor next year.”
“Will you?” She held her breath waiting for his answer.
“Not on your life.�
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She nearly sighed in relief. Why would it matter to you if he came back here, married the local big-haired town princess and stayed forever? She didn’t know why, she only knew it would matter.
Somehow, even though she’d told herself nothing was going to happen between them, Kate couldn’t imagine being in Chicago, knowing Jack wasn’t there somewhere, in that big bustling city, stopping traffic on the street with his smile and teaching his Tae Kwon Do classes. Tackling intruders and doing fix-it work on a needy woman’s house.
Their eyes met, and somehow Kate knew Jack had read her thoughts. He knew she liked him, and she felt drawn to him.
Kate’s eyes widened as Jack stepped close, until she was backed up against the kitchen counter, and he pressed almost neck to toe against her body. “I’m looking forward to a lot of things changing when I get back to Chicago, Kate.” He lifted a hand to her face, softly caressing her cheekbone, then touching a strand of her hair. “Changing for both of us.”
Before she could ask him to explain, he’d turned back to the stove. Kate clutched the counter and sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. By the time breakfast was ready, she felt completely calm and relaxed, or at least she thought she looked that way—no point in wondering if he knew she was still edgy and aware, and now very curious about what he’d meant about things changing between them.
“So, Jack, what else do you do in your real life. You’re an architect. Ever designed anything I’ve actually heard of?”
He answered with a question. “Like to go shopping?”
“Does Imelda Marcos like shoes?”
He chuckled. “My firm designed the new Great Lakes Mall. I managed the project.”
She gave a little whistle of appreciation. “Nice. Anything else?”
He named a few more buildings Kate instantly recognized, particularly the stores and shopping centers. “Sounds like retail’s your niche.”
“Mmm-hmm. If you ever decide to open a new Bare Essentials, let me know.”
If only you knew…
“How’d you get into architecture? Didn’t Daddy want you to follow in his footsteps and become a lawyer?”
“I prefer to build things, not tear them apart, which is what lawyers seem to spend a lot of their time doing.” He flipped their omelets onto two plates and carried them to the table. “I really built things when I was going to college. I worked for a construction company in L.A. every summer.”
“I somehow pictured you surfing your way through college.”
“Ha! I tried it once and the damn board almost tore my ear off. After I wiped out, it hit me in the head. I still have the scar.” He turned his head, pushing his hair up with his fingers. Kate bit her lip. Unable to resist, she stepped closer, until the toes of her sandals nearly touched his bare feet.
His hair was still slightly damp with sweat from his workout, and his skin still glowed with energy. She gulped, trying to ignore her response, and examined the thin scar that ran from just under his earlobe into his hairline.
If she wasn’t mistaken, she might have kissed that spot during their interlude at the theater. Her heart skipped a beat.
“Ouch,” she murmured.
He seemed to notice her sudden intensity, and her closeness. Her face was inches from his neck, and she inhaled deeply, smelling his musky warmth. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering what it had been like to kiss him. To touch him.
Lord help her, she still wanted him so much she could barely stand up. She wanted to nibble on his neck, to taste his earlobe, to feel his body get all sweaty again—preferably while it was on top of hers. Inside hers.
“You ready?” he asked, letting his hand fall to his side.
She nodded dumbly. “Uh-huh.” Ready for just about anything.
“Do you like it spicy?”
Spicy? Oh, yeah, she loved it spicy. “Yeah. Real spicy.”
“I think there’s Tabasco sauce in the fridge.”
Tabasco? Kate shook her head, hard, and realized Jack was watching her with an amused, knowing look on his face.
He’d been talking about hot and spicy eggs.
She’d been thinking about hot and spicy sex.
Please, floor, open up under me and swallow me whole.
“Kate?”
She raised a brow, trying to pretend she hadn’t been picturing some of the spicy things the two of them could do on the kitchen table. Or counter. Or floor. “Huh?”
He reached for her, his hand brushing past her hip as he touched the handle on the refrigerator door. She jumped out of the way, noticing the way his hand tightened on the handle, as if he were exerting some great effort. Possibly for control? Was he as affected as she by their closeness?
There was only one way to find out. She reached out and touched the thin scar on his neck. He flinched and glanced at her. “It must have hurt,” she said softly.
Jack didn’t pull away as she moved closer, standing on tiptoes until her lips brushed his neck. Remembering the way he’d kissed her hip in the shower, she couldn’t help kissing that hot, damp, male skin. Slipping her tongue out, she savored the faint salty flavor of sweat from his workout. She sighed at how good he tasted to her. Her touch elicited an answering groan from him, but he didn’t move away. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to kiss it and make it better,” she murmured as she moved her lips higher, kissing a path up to his earlobe. She stepped closer, for better access, sliding one foot between his, until his thigh was nestled between her legs. Kate closed her eyes briefly at the very intimate contact.
He muttered a soft curse, as if he could take no more. Catching her around the waist, he lifted her higher, pressing his leg tighter against her sex as he lowered his mouth to hers. Their kiss was explosive. Hot and wet. Deep and hungry. Kate met every thrust of his tongue, loving the way he tasted, the way he explored her mouth as if he couldn’t get enough of her. She jerked her hips, needing the strength of his hard thigh against the crotch of her jean shorts.
When they finally broke apart, Jack stared down at her, warmth and tenderness shining through the passion of his gaze. “I invited you to breakfast. I didn’t intend to leap on you at the first opportunity.”
To be honest, she’d done the leaping. But she didn’t point that out. “I wasn’t playing any get-back-at-you games,” she admitted softly. “Like Friday.”
“Good. I wasn’t playing games, either. But I think we should probably sit down and eat.”
Nodding, she took a few deep breaths, trying to forget the way he’d kissed her, the way the strong muscles of his thigh had felt against her still-aroused body. She was too thankful that he wasn’t going to tease her about her momentary lapse into mindless lust to argue.
As they sat to eat, Jack apparently looked for a quick way to change the subject. “Hey, I know what I forgot to tell you. I heard some news about the Rialto yesterday.”
“Really?”
“Apparently the city now owns it, due to a loan default. It’s sat there empty for years, but now a group of concerned citizens has announced they’re going to work on renovating it, then open it as a public playhouse.”
She smiled. “Wonderful.”
“It gets better. Rose Madison is leading the effort.”
“Miss Rose?”
He nodded. “She’s the one who told me about it. I ran into her. I mentioned we were both happy to see some work being done on the old place.”
“Did she remember me?”
“Yes. She said if you want to pay for those free movies, you’re welcome to come down anytime with a paintbrush.”
“I think I can wield a paintbrush.”
“Hopefully better than you can crack an egg,” he said with a grin as he picked a tiny white piece of shell off his tongue.
“You got me. I’m a lousy cook. But if you want me to tell you how to save money at the grocery store, I’m your woman.”
“Absolutely,” he said softly.
Absolutely? What
did that mean? Absolutely he wanted to learn how to save money grocery shopping?
Or…absolutely, she was his woman?
Too chicken to ask which he meant, since she wasn’t sure what she wanted his answer to be, Kate finished her breakfast, thanked him and then left.
But she wondered about his comment all day long. Not to mention their kiss.
* * *
JACK SPENT THE AFTERNOON out of the area, visiting some of his late father’s properties in nearby towns. They were mostly rentals, small tract houses for young families. His father hadn’t been a slumlord, but some of the buildings were old and in need of repair. The agent who was handling the sales told him he’d take care of it.
When he got back to Pleasantville that afternoon, he found the duplex empty. Kate’s SUV was not parked outside. She’d probably gone back to her cousin’s place on Lilac Hill, which was the reason Jack decided not to go to his mother’s house.
He told himself he wasn’t avoiding her. No, he was just trying to avoid temptation. He hadn’t been kidding in the kitchen when he’d said he wanted things to change between them once they got back to Chicago. That day couldn’t come soon enough for him, particularly after that kiss they’d shared.
He had also been fully aware of her desire for him. Hell, she’d worn it as if it were perfume, oozing from her every pore. So staying away from her seemed to be the smart choice.
Needing something to do, he remembered Rose’s request for help at the Rialto. He’d developed a real affection for the old theater, particularly since the day he’d met Kate. Changing into some old clothes, he drove downtown and pulled up outside the Rialto.
Right behind a silver SUV.
Drive away. Of course he didn’t. Seeing her might be foolish, since he already spent way too much of his time thinking about her, but he parked and got out of his truck, anyway.
As he entered the building he heard loud music blaring from a boom box and saw a pair of bare legs, complete with paint-speckled sneakers, dangling from a scaffold. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, recognizing the curve of Kate’s calves.
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