“Right,” Johnny agreed. “What time do you want me to have him home?”
Marissa frowned, unsure how to work the situation. “He has school tomorrow. His usual bedtime is nine.”
“Then I’ll have him back here and in bed by nine, and I’ll just hang around until you get home.”
Marissa breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be great. I promise I won’t be late.” She grabbed her purse from the sofa. “I’ll give you my house key.” She hurriedly pulled the key from the ring of keys she earned, then handed it to him. “Then I guess I’ll see you later,” she said. She leaned down and kissed Benjy on the cheek. “And I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Hey, Benjy, why don’t you grab your ball and glove? Maybe after dinner we can play catch in the park before coming home.”
“Okay!” Benjamin disappeared down the hallway and into his bedroom.
Marissa checked her watch, getting more and more nervous. She didn’t want Johnny here when her date showed up. It didn’t feel right. “You coming, Benjy?” she called down the hall.
“Yeah,” he said, running out of his room, glove and ball in hand. “Okay, let’s go,” he said to Johnny.
“I could use something cold to drink before we take off,” Johnny said.
Marissa eyed him narrowly, suspecting that he was lingering on purpose. She strode into the kitchen and had just begun to pour a glass of cold lemonade when the doorbell rang. She finished pouring, then closed her eyes as she heard Johnny greet her date for the evening.
Terrific. Nothing like an old lover meeting a potential new one.
When she returned to the living room, a handsome, dark-haired man stood beside Johnny. “Ah, here she is now,” Johnny said.
Marissa thrust the glass of lemonade into his hand, then smiled at the other man “Hi, Frank, I’m all ready.”
“Great. Shall we?” Frank placed a hand in the small of her back and led her through the door and into the pleasant evening air. “You look terrific,” he said as they walked toward the car where she could see Lucy and Dr. Derrick in the back seat. “I rarely do the blind date scene, but I think I’m going to have to thank Derrick and Lucy for talking me into this one.” His smile was warm and filled with interest.
Pleasure swept through Marissa. She’d forgotten just how good masculine attention could feel. It had been forever since she’d last basked in the glow of knowing somebody found her attractive and wanted to know her better. She consciously shoved thoughts of Johnny out of her head and instead focused on giving herself entirely to the evening and the man who was her date.
They decided to eat dinner at the only Italian restaurant in town. Within minutes they were seated at a private table in the corner of A Taste of Italy. As they waited for the waitress to take their orders, Frank and Marissa performed the courtship dance of becoming better acquainted.
When the waitress appeared at their table, Marissa ordered ravioli and a glass of red wine.
“Why don’t you have a glass of soda instead,” Frank replied. He smiled, his brown eyes warm and friendly. “That’s what I’m having.”
Marissa shrugged. “Okay,” she agreed, although she thought it odd he would want her to change her drink order.
The meal was pleasant, the conversation quick and filled with laughter, but it didn’t take Marissa long to realize that despite the fact that Frank was handsome and seemed to be a genuinely nice guy, there were no sparks for her... none whatsoever.
When they were finished with the meal, Derrick and Lucy ordered after-dinner drinks, and Frank ordered a soda refill. Marissa followed Frank’s lead, wondering if perhaps he had an alcohol problem.
As they left the restaurant Lucy and Derrick walked ahead and Marissa decided to broach the subject with Frank. “I guess you aren’t much of a drinker,” she began.
“Oh, I enjoy a drink now and again,” he replied. He looked at her curiously. “Your ex-husband told me that you were having a little problem with the bottle.”
Marissa stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Frank in astonishment. “What?”
Frank shrugged. “It’s not a problem with me, Marissa. I have several friends who are recovering alcoholics.”
“But I’m not a recovering alcoholic,” Marissa sputtered. “I mean...I’m not an alcoholic at all.” Damn Johnny. He’d tried to sabotage her date before it had even begun. “And he’s not my ex-husband,” she added.
“Oh, I thought...” Frank broke off with a frown. “Then what is his relationship to you?”
“At this moment he’s nothing but a baby-sitter.” She drew a deep breath in an attempt to control her anger. How dare he! How dare he involve himself in any way in her personal life. He might be Benjamin’s father, but that was the only role he had claim to.
She smiled at Frank. “Forget him,” she said, “and anything he said to you. He’s nothing but an arrogant, conceited pain, and when I see him again, I’m going to kill him.”
Frank laughed and grabbed her hand in his. “And I promise if you do, I’ll post bail.”
Chapter 9
Benjamin and Johnny were the only two people enjoying the last light of day at Mustang’s town park. They had eaten dinner at The Pizza Palace, seemingly the “in” place for kids to take mothers for Mother’s Day dinner.
Conversation was nearly impossible between the two because the noise level in the restaurant was thunderous. Eating pizza with Benjamin had given Johnny an opportunity to obsess about Marissa.
Obsess. He knew that’s exactly what he was doing, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why. Granted, she’d looked like a million bucks when she’d opened the door to greet him.
Seeing her in that sexy red dress with her hair a tumble of curls had momentarily made his head swim and his senses reel. He’d wanted to run his hands down the cool silk, feel the heat of her flesh beneath. He’d wanted to tangle his hands in the soft fall of curls, pull her against him so he could lose himself in her.
He’d taken a certain perverse pleasure in the fact that Frank whatever-his-name, had been shorter than himself, and had a nose that arrived into a room a full minute before he did.
“Okay, sport, time to head home,” Johnny said as he looked at his watch.
“Ah, come on, Dad. Just a little bit longer,” Benjamin replied.
“No way. I promised your mom I’d have you home and in bed by nine” He jogged over to his son and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I need to go by your mom’s rules so she lets me spend time with you whenever we can.”
“All right.” Together they walked to Johnny’s pickup. Moments later, they were in the truck and headed back to Marissa’s house.
“Does your mom date pretty often?” Johnny asked, instantly cursing himself for his need to know. It’s just natural curiosity, he tried to tell himself, although he knew a bar when he heard one.
“Nah.. this is the first time I ever saw her go out on a date,” Benjamin replied.
Johnny felt a rush of satisfaction flood through him. So, this wasn’t a fifth or a tenth date with Frank, but rather a first.
“Where did your mom meet this Frank guy?”
“She didn’t know him until tonight. He’s a friend of the guy Lucy is dating,” Benjamin explained.
Not only a first date, but a blind date. Johnny’s satisfaction grew by leaps and bounds. It wasn’t until later when he had Benjamin tucked into bed and he wandered into her living room that he once again found himself obsessing about her.
What if she and the Italian Stallion hit it off? What if after a single date Marissa realized she was head over heels in love with the man? Johnny made himself comfortable on the sofa and looked at his watch.
Eleven. Surely she would be home anytime. After all, she’d said she wouldn’t be late. And what did he care if she came in starry-eyed and singing the praises of Frank?
He sure as hell didn’t want her in love with him. In fact, he wasn’t even certain Marissa was capable of true
love. After all, in the last ten years she apparently hadn’t made a love match.
Maybe she was a woman who never really gave her all to any man, a woman who held a piece of herself back, making absolute love impossible.
He’d once believed her capable of love, had thought she loved him heart and soul. Ten years ago when they’d been lovers, he’d had no hint of her holding back. She’d appeared to come to him fully, with no pieces in reserve. And he’d come to her the same way, vulnerable, open, believing their love was sanctioned by God and as durable as the land beneath their feet.
He’d been a stupid fool, and he would never again be a fool for any woman...especially for Marissa Sawyer. He never again wanted to feel the yawning emptiness he’d felt when he realized Marissa wasn’t coming to the jail to see him. Marissa hadn’t loved him enough to believe in him.
It was almost midnight when he heard the sound of a car pull into her driveway. He moved to the front window and peered out, watching as Frank and Marissa got out of the car and approached the house.
They stood in the glow of the porch light for a moment, then Frank kissed her cheek, turned and walked back to the car. Johnny moved away from the window as he heard the front door creak open.
“That wasn’t much of a good-night kiss,” he said sarcastically. “He must not have been overwhelmed by you.”
She glared at him, her brown eyes sparking with barely controlled emotion. “Is Benjamin in bed?” she asked as she tossed her purse onto the sofa.
“Sound asleep,” he replied.
“How dare you!” she began, moving so close to him he could see the golden flecks in the center of her eyes. “How dare you imply to Frank that I have a drinking problem. The only problem I have in my life at the moment is you.” She poked a finger into his chest to emphasize her statement.
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her tight against him. “And I’m a problem that won’t go away in twelve steps,” he said. He felt the quickening of her pulse, the sweet shudder of desire that swept through her.
Without warning, driven by a need bigger than reason, he crushed his mouth to hers, his hunger for her hot and fluid in his veins. She opened her mouth to him and her arms wrapped around his shoulders, as if she felt his need and responded with a need of her own.
The back of her dress was cool beneath his touch, but he could feel the heat of her skin radiating from within. The erotic sensation of the warring temperatures heightened his tactile pleasure and he caressed his hands up and down her back.
“I’m mad at you,” she said as the kiss ended, but she didn’t move from his embrace.
“I know,” he replied and pressed his lips against the skin just behind her earlobe. Her breath accelerated and she dropped her head back, allowing him access to the sweet-scented column of her throat.
“I really want to hate you,” she confessed, her voice a breathless whisper against his neck.
“The feeling is mutual,” he replied, then his mouth covered hers again, making any further conversation impossible.
He didn’t want to talk. He didn’t even want to think. He just wanted to be with her. The fears that had assailed him initially upon his release from prison, fear of being an inadequate lover, fear of being intimate, were momentarily silent, overwhelmed by desire, mute beneath his screaming need for her.
“Marissa?” He broke the kiss and placed his palms on either side of her face. With the single utterance of her name, he was letting her know what he wanted.
The gold of her eyes expanded, nearly swallowing the darker brown of her irises. “Yes,” she murmured, letting him know she understood what he had silently asked and wanted the same.
Blood surging inside him, he swept her up in his arms and carried her down the hallway past Benjamin’s bedroom and to the master bedroom on the right.
She’d left on a small lamp on the nightstand, its pale golden light spilling soft illumination around the room. Johnny gently placed her on the bed, the poppy flowers of the bedspread perfectly matching the crimson of her dress.
With his gaze holding hers, he grabbed the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head. He dropped the shirt onto the floor, then joined her on the bed.
The pleasure he’d gained by smoothing his hands over the back of her dress was nothing compared to the slick, cool material against his bare chest.
His lips sought hers and she tangled her hands in his hair, pulling him closer...closer still. Beneath the smooth bodice of her dress, he felt the hardness of her nipples, attesting to her state of arousal.
Their tongues danced, flicking and rolling around each other in a tango of temptation. His hands stroked down the sides of her, loving the curves of her body, the fragrance of her that filled his senses.
He broke the kiss and stood once again. “Turn over and let me unzip you,” he said.
Her eyes flamed with the same fires that lit him and she turned over on her tummy, allowing him access to the zipper that ran from the top of the dress to her lower back.
Johnny unzipped it slowly, teasing not only her, but himself with each inch of revealed bareness. And with each inch he exposed, he paused and kissed the smooth skin, loving the taste of her.
When he reached the end of the zipper, she turned over and he pulled her to a sitting position. With infinite gentleness, he removed the dress from her arms. It fell to her waist, revealing a lacy red bra. She lay on her back, allowing him to pull the dress from beneath her and completely off her body.
“Turn off the light,” she said, her voice husky and low. She splayed her hands across her stomach, as if self-conscious. He could guess what she was thinking, that her body wasn’t the same as it had been ten years before. But, she was as lovely as he’d remembered.
“No, I want to see you,” he replied. “I need to see you.” He’d made love to her so many times in the darkness of night, in the fantasy of his dreams, he wanted—no, needed—the reality of the light so he would know this was not just another dream.
He stood once again, this time to quickly unbutton his jeans and kick them off. His briefs followed and when he once again returned to the bed, he gently removed her panty hose, pulled off her wispy red panties, then unsnapped the bra and removed it as well.
Naked, they hugged and their lips met in a kiss of ravenous hunger, of unbridled passion. Johnny felt himself getting lost in a haze, and he welcomed the unconsciousness, the lack of clear thought.
His hands sought and found her breasts, and he touched the turgid tips, reveling in Marissa’s gasp of pleasure. He moved his mouth along her jaw, across her collarbones and touched one of her nipples with the tip of his tongue. She moaned, a throaty moan that sent sweet memories rushing through him....memories of other times they had made love, and she had moaned her pleasure against his throat.
As he kissed her breasts, teasing and nipping their peaks, her hands tangled in his hair, then swept down his back, leaving trails of fire each place that she touched.
Johnny knew he had little control, that his years of abstinence would make the final act over almost before it began.
He caressed the length of her body, wanting to take her over the edge before he sought his own ultimate pleasure. His fingers moved down her stomach, pausing as he encountered slight ripples that marred the smoothness of her lower abdomen
Stretch marks. He knew instantly that it was these she had been trying to hide with her hands, why she’d wanted the light off.
He kissed each one lovingly, knowing that those marks had been part of the process of Benjamin’s birth. She cried out, a soft whimper of delight as his fingers touched her intimately. She was ready for him, hot and wet, and her hips moved against him, her back arching as his touch grew faster.
He watched her face, loving the deep flush of her cheeks, the golden glow of her eyes as their gazes locked. Her lips were reddened and swollen from their kisses and he thought she’d never looked as beautiful as she did at this moment.
And then she
was there...stiffening against him. She closed her eyes and her fingernails dug into him as she rode wave after wave of pleasure.
He didn’t give her time to catch her breath. Instantly he entered her, closing his eyes and desperately trying to hang on to control as her muscles tightened around him.
For a long moment he didn’t move, afraid that any sort of movement would take him over the brink. He was surrounded by her...her scent...her heat...the very essence of her filled him, and momentarily cast away the darkness that had been inside him for so long.
He heard the thunder of a heartbeat, but didn’t know if it was hers or his own, and in any case, it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but their union. Her hips moved against his, and he matched her rhythm with deep strokes of uncontrollable desire.
Faster... deeper... they moved in perfect unison, taking and giving as they reached for release, sought a momentary eternity in each other’s arms.
Afterward Johnny rolled over on his side and pulled her into his embrace. Marissa knew making love with him had probably been a mistake, but she had no excuse other than she’d wanted him.
She’d endured too many years alone, too little physical contact with members of the opposite sex, and too many fantasies about making love with Johnny one last time.
There would be no self-recriminations. She’d wanted him, and she was old enough, smart enough to be able to make love to him and not involve her heart She couldn’t afford to give him her heart ever again.
Making love with Johnny was everything she’d remembered. She couldn’t deny that his skill and his passion had made making love with him an unforgettable experience.
And now, she couldn’t ignore how good it felt to rest her head upon his firm, muscled chest, how much she liked the feel of his strong arms holding her.
She touched him just beneath his hipbone, where a scar slightly puckered his skm “It really is in the shape of a heart,” she murmured.
“Yeah, old Tornado definitely got the best of me.” His breath fanned the top of her head. “Still mad at me?” he asked softly.
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