by Calinda B
“You ready to meet my favorite aunt and my niece?”
“What?” she said, pulling out of her mental brooding.
“You there. The gorgeous brunette in my truck. Ready to meet my aunt?”
“No,” she said, full of fret and apprehension. “What if she doesn’t like me? What if the child cries when she sees me? What if…?”
Jace leaned over and pulled her close for a scorching, searing kiss. When he let her go, he said, “Baby, enough. They’ll love you. And if they don’t, tough shit. It’s their loss.”
“Okay. Let’s do this, then.” She gave him a wan smile, and stepped from the truck, gazing at the welcoming home before her. It sat along the bank of the Sound, surrounded by a sprawling lawn. A willow tree stood to the right. A huge garden spread along the left of the cedar planked house. Goats bleated in the distance. The sharp barks of seals on the distant rocks caught her attention. “Does your aunt have to listen to them all the time?”
“What, you don’t like the sound of harbor seals?”
“I don’t…I’m not that familiar with them. I’ve heard them when I’ve been to the aquarium but I haven’t been there in years.”
“You haven’t spent much time near the water, have you?”
“Nope, not this kind of water. I just do my thing in town, in the city, spending time in the gardens of life.” She smiled at him. “I’ve spent time on a river or two with my dad but that’s a different kind of water.”
“Like I said, can’t wait to share my world with you, baby.” He draped an arm over her shoulders possessively and guided her to the front porch.
His aunt opened the door before they got a chance to knock, a beautiful, curly haired toddler sitting on her hip sucking on a pacifier. “Hello,” she said amiably, putting Zoé instantly at ease.
“Hi, Mrs. Charon,” Zoé said, extending her hand.
“Oh, let’s skip the formalities, shall we? Call me Molly. And give me a hug. You’re going to be family.”
I am? Zoé’s eyebrows rose, touched by the warm familiarity extended her.
Molly hugged Zoé with her free arm, balancing Marni precariously. When she released her she said, “You must be the woman who’s captured my boy’s heart.”
Zoé blushed, gazing up at Jace through her lashes. “I suppose that’s me, yes.”
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you.” She jiggled the toddler up and down. “And this is Marni. Marni, say hello to Zoé.”
The child stared at Zoé, in the clear-eyed, direct stare of a child, clutching her aunt, making rhythmical sucks.
“She’s beautiful. She looks like a mini-you, Jace.” Zoé extended her hand toward the little girl and fingered her cheek. “She’s even got the same green eyes. Wow.”
“I look like a chubby, female toddler, huh?” Jace said.
Marni looked up at Jace, dropped the pacifier from her mouth and said, “Da-da,” stretching her arms toward him.
Jace grasped her, swinging her up and down in his usual greeting. “Uncle. It’s uncle, baby girl.” He glanced nervously at Zoé.
She smiled, touched by his affectionate regard for the child.
“Come in, come in,” said Molly. “I thought we’d have supper on the deck tonight. It’s a pleasant evening and we have to grasp those while we can. Summer’s coming to a close.”
“Oh, no, auntie, I don’t want to impose,” Jace said.
“I insist,” Molly said, leading the way. “Your Uncle Adam had to go into town for supplies and he’ll probably stop at the brewery for a pint. Keep me company. I just made lasagna. There’s plenty. Adam can eat when he gets back.”
“We don’t want to be any trouble,” Zoé said.
“It’s no trouble at all, I assure you. You’re the first woman who’s made Jace smile in ages. And the way he looks at you, well….I can’t say I’ve ever seen him so happy.”
Zoé beamed with delight. “Thank you. I’ll be happy to help if I can.”
“You can help by relaxing and taking a load off. Would you like some wine? Beer? I’ve got amber ale in the fridge, and I just opened a bottle of Cab that’s quite nice. Or maybe you don’t drink alcohol?” Her gaze flicked toward Jace in a question.
“Wine would be lovely, thanks.”
“Beer for me, auntie. And you get a bottle of juice,” Jace said, burying his face in Marni’s tummy, making raspberries until she squealed with delight. “Apple juice for this baby girl.”
After Molly disappeared into the kitchen, Zoé said, “This deck is stunning. What a great place. You can sit, watching the water surrounded by your aunt’s potted plants. And this house is amazing! All wood paneling, sky high ceilings and windows - wow!”
“Yeah, Uncle Adam’s handy with tools. He did a lot of work on the house. He taught me a thing or two, also. I’ll show you my mad skills with a hammer and saw when we get to the house.”
“So you’re more than a sex god,” she said.
He gave her one of his emerald eye gazes - the kind that made her forget everything, rip her panties off and toss them into the wind.
“I have to let my goddess rest, leaving me with time to kill. Gotta do something to keep my hands busy. You know what they say about the devil and his workshop.”
Zoé smiled and let her attention fall on Marni. She bit her lip, considering the reality before her. She hadn’t planned on having kids anytime soon and now she lived with one? She glanced at Jace, noticing him staring at her. She rested her hand on his knee, stilling his frenetic bobbing.
“Oh. Sorry,” he said.
“I thought you might be drilling for oil. Are you nervous?”
“A little, yeah. I want you to be happy. I never imagined bringing a girl home while I had a toddler staying at my house. It wasn’t in my game plan. I look forward to her mom showing up so I can devote all my attention to you.”
“You’re so sweet with her, Jace, it’s a face melter to watch you.”
“I’d rather I was melting your panties,” he said. He turned to Marni, laid her on his lap and tickled her tummy saying, “Uncle Jace wants to melt his girlfriend’s panties.”
Marni squealed and laughed.
“Jace, stop it!” Zoé said, laughing. When she finally caught her breath, she said, “Your aunt’s really nice.”
“She is that, true. And Marni’s nice, too. And Zoé’s hot,” he said in a sing song voice as he walked his fingers up Marni’s arm. “Don’t you think Zoé is hot, Marni girl?”
Marni giggled and pushed his fingers away. “Hot,” she said. “Hot, hot, hot.”
“She’s going to have nightmares about me, Jace, stop it.”
“She’s a baby, baby. If I say things to her with a nonsense voice, it’s translated into nonsense. That’s my theory anyway.” He sat her up and rested her easily in the crook of his arm. “I like to play with her and make her laugh. It’s a hell of a lot more pleasant than when she’s having a tantrum. I don’t know how mothers do it. If I had to do this full time, I’d go crazy. Thank God it’s a temporary situation.”
Marni climbed off her uncle’s lap and took off after the family cat, a big, puffy gray fur ball named Louise. Louise sprinted in the other direction. Marni looked at Jace, pointing in the direction of the cat, saying, “Go. Go. Go.”
“I’m not chasing after that cat, Marni girl. Why don’t you find your auntie?”
She toddled into the house.
“Marni, is that you?” Molly called from the kitchen. “Come in and help me.”
Zoé smiled. “So you’re not worried that us being thrust into an instant family kind of situation will, you know…affect our…” Her face grew red and she looked away.
“Fucking?” Jace said.
“I wasn’t going to say that, but yeah.”
“Yeah,” Jace said, his expression growing somber. “I’ve thought of that. This isn’t the way I wanted my life to go down. My goddamn sister. I check with the sheriff every day. I’ve got his number on speed dial.
Jayna’s scumbag friends said something about the San Juan’s but that’s a big region and there are a lot of boats on the water. And, she could be on any one of a number of islands. What am I going to do? Knock on doors? Fucking hell.”
Marni tottered onto the deck, holding a sticky cracker. She thrust it into Jace’s hands.
“Thank you, Marni,” he said, scooping her up again.
“You know, the other night when Billy stopped by the club, I heard him saying something about partying in the San Juan’s on the Dangerous Intruder.” Zoé made a scowling face. “Is that the name of his boat?”
Jace scoffed. “Yeah.” He grew thoughtful. “Like I said, it’s a big region. And we used to head out there a lot with the boat. It’s probably a coincidence.” He chewed the inside of his cheek, lost in thought, until Marni slapped his face with her chubby hand. He grabbed it, gave it a soft squeeze and said, “No hitting. No, no.” Then he let out a huge sigh, turning his emerald greens on her. “You’re the one thing keep me going, baby. You’re the hope on my horizon.”
Zoé stroked his leg.
Molly returned bearing beverages and snacks. “Here we are,” she said, setting a heavy tray on the deck table. “Help yourself.” She lifted her wine and took a sip. “This is lovely. Washington grows great grapes.”
“It is good, Molly, thank you.”
“Well, Marni and I still have chores to do. We haven’t fed the goats or spread straw for the chickens - I’m thinking she should spend the night. You two need to settle in without having to watch a toddler.”
Jace’s face washed with relief. “Thank you, auntie. I’ll make it up to you.”
After a fabulous dinner, good conversation, wine, beer, and dessert, Zoé relaxed. She looked at Jace who eyed her hungrily.
“I think we’d better head out, Aunt Molly. I want to show Zoé the house before it gets dark.”
They said their good-byes and headed toward the truck.
Once they closed the cab doors, Jace pulled her close. He cupped her face with his hands and brought his lips to hers. She surged with excitement as he explored her mouth with his tongue.
“Fuck,” he said, when he withdrew his lips. “I’ve wanted to do that for the last two hours. I can’t wait to get you home.” He fished in the glove box for the keys he’d tossed in there when they’d arrived, stuck them in the ignition and fired up the truck.
There it is again. Instant explosion, Zoé thought, all anxieties, fears, worries and apprehension about the future burnt to a crisp by this man’s passion - by her passion…by the combustion between them. She scooted close to him and held his hand as they trundled along the road.
They pulled up to a stop sign.
A buxom young woman stood at the corner, dog at her side. She glanced up, looked at the truck and a grin spread across her face. She began waving madly.
Jace’s face grew impassive as he lifted his hand in greeting.
“Who’s that?” Zoé asked.
“Just someone from my past. Don’t trip on it, baby.” He eased the truck through the intersection.
The woman’s face fell as she watched them go by.
A cloudy thought flitted through Zoé’s mind, dampening her mood. She tried to stop it, but like a sudden storm, it took over, blinding her reason. She released his hand.
“What?” he said.
“How many women have you done in this town? How many women have you fucked in the great outdoors and taken pictures of? What am I in for, stud?”
He let out a sigh. “What are you doing, baby?”
“Answer the question.”
“A few. The world is a beautiful place. I like to appreciate beauty in a beautiful place.”
“So will I constantly run into your past? Your past could merely be a few weeks ago. There could be countless women in love with you. Will I find pictures of them all over your house?” Jealousy crept through her system, binding her insides like a spider encasing its prey.
“I don’t know about all over. I don’t have them on the walls, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“But I might find one in a drawer somewhere?”
“Shit, baby, stop with the interrogation.”
“I just want to know what I’m in for…what I signed up for.” She pointed to a breathtaking spot out the window, overlooking a bay. “Did you photograph any of them up here?”
His face grew rigid. “Only Kate.”
“So this is your and Kate’s spot?”
“It’s no-one’s spot, Zoé, it’s just a beautiful place.”
“I want it to be your and my place, not your and Kate’s.”
“Okay, it’s your and my place. I never considered it mine and Kate’s.”
“So, if this is what you do -- photograph and fuck women everywhere -- I should consider myself one of a shitload of women with whom you’ve had your way in this town. Just one of the bunch. Another face on the wall.” She crossed her arms over her breasts and scowled.
“No, baby, it’s not like that.”
His jaw muscles did that twitchy, pulsing thing associated with barely held rage, making her wonder about her questioning.
“Are you fucking jealous of my past?” Jace snarled. “The past that no longer exists until you dredge it up like a fucking excavator? Should I have lived my life as a celibate, wondering if I’d ever meet a beautiful woman who’d drive me crazy with lust and need and make me revisit everything I ever did?”
“No, but…” She turned away from him.
“I don’t trip on your past, baby,” he said, his voice menacing. “I don’t question you or even ask about it. I figure we met when we met and I’m happy we met.”
“Yeah, but I still don’t know that much about you,” Zoé said, her voice growing shriller by the minute. “So you had Kate out here, you did Debbie out there, you fucked Sally in a boat down in the water, you…”
Jace clamped a hand over her mouth, the other holding the steering wheel. “And I’m going to fuck you good and hard everywhere, claiming you in every square inch of this town once you shut the fuck up.”
Zoé bit his hand and scooted away, pressing against the passenger door. “Not if I have any say in the matter,” she yelled.
“What the hell, Zoé?” Jace sucked the place she’d bit. “You have a vicious mouth, baby. You drew blood.” He shook his hand by his side. “We were having fun.”
“You were having fun doing what you do. I’m just one of the many babes you have fun with.”
He threw back his head and groaned. “Jesus fucking Christ, Zoé, how many times do I have to say it - you’re not one of the many, you’re the one.” He pulled into a turnout. “You’re the only one, baby,” he said, anger and desperation lacing his words.
“How many women have shared the bed we’re sleeping in tonight?”
“Seriously, Zoé? That’s where we’re headed now? The number of women I’ve had in my bedroom?”
“Yes,” she said, pushing his hand away as he reached for her. “That’s where we’re headed. How many? Two? Twelve? Nine hundred?”
“I’d be dead if I had nine hundred women in my bed,” Jace said disgustedly. “Either that, or in some clinic somewhere, under constant care for a crippled dick. Jesus fucking Christ! You really want to know how many women have slept in my bed?”
“Yes!” she spit out.
“I’m hoping for one, but if things continue here, it might be none.”
Zoé’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“It means, I bought a new mattress last night at one of those open late bed stores. You weren’t answering my calls. I tried to think of everything I could to make you feel at home when I brought you here, because by God I knew I’d bring you here.”
“You bought a new mattress?” she said, in a horrifyingly squeaky voice. “For me?”
“For us!” he thundered.
“Jace, I don’t know what to say. You really did that for me?”
His pierc
ing emerald eyes penetrated her wall of jealous insistence.
“It nearly killed me when you didn’t answer my calls. And now you’re here questioning me? Questioning my actions in the past when I didn’t know you existed? Fuck, Zoé. This has got to stop.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, biting her lip. “I…I get so jealous of you and the many women you’ve had. I can’t believe you really love me. I get…I get insecure.”
“Baby, don’t,” Jace said, reaching out to touch her face. “They were only the pathway to get to you.”
This time she didn’t resist his touch. Her eyes fell closed, soothed by the warmth of his palm. “I haven’t had many partners, Jace,” she said, eyes still closed.
“That just means you’re untarnished, baby. That’s one of the things I love about you. Some of the women I…” His mouth snapped shut.
Zoé’s eyes popped open. “Fucked. Say it. Some of the women you fucked.”
His jaw tense, he shook his head. “Some of them were all used up by age twenty-five. Old inside. You’re young, fresh, vibrant, alive, not sullied by a sordid sexual past.”
“Is that what you are? Sullied by a sordid sexual past?” She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the flow of tears, pressing her thumb and finger into her eye sockets.
“No, baby, not the tears.” He sighed. “Oh, hell. I can’t change what I did in my past. I can only show you that you’re my everything. You’re my world now. I want to be a better man, baby. Because of you.” He drew his fingertip along her jaw, stroking her lips. “Open your eyes and look at me, baby. Please.”
His quiet, deep voice spiraled into her head, like a caress.
“Baby,” he said, in a near-whisper. “Open your beautiful eyes.”
She let her eyelids flutter open, feeling all kinds of stupid. “I’m sorry, Jace, I…”
“Shhh, baby, it’s okay.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly, once, twice, three times, four.
The fire of arousal kicked into instant, roaring flames. She circled his neck with her hands and deepened the kiss, teasing his mouth with her tongue. Her hands stroked his face, lined with a day’s stubble. Her fingers pushed into his thick, wavy hair. Her body pressed against his solid chest.
Message received loud and clear, he consumed her, driving his tongue into her, slipping and sliding along hers, wrapping his arms tightly around her back. He drew away, resting his forehead on hers, saying, “There’s only you, baby. I don’t even remember what another woman looks like. You’ve taken over all the spaces in my head, heart, mind, and soul.”