by Darla Jones
“Are you certain?” He searched her pretty face. It was true there had been no further incidences except the park.
She nodded and forced a little smile. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “I need some time for all this about my birth parents to sink in.”
“Why don’t you stay home from work tomorrow?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. I don’t have to be there until one. It’s our new Wednesday hours again.”
“I hope no patients show up, and Dr. Wilson will forget the whole idea.”
“Ha, ha.” She gave a fake laugh. “We’ll be very busy, I’m sure.” She wrapped her arms around his flat mid-section and rested her face on his chest. “I’ll be better off working, believe me, if I were home all day, I’d go stir crazy.” She raised her head and planted a light kiss on his lips. “Thank you for being with me at the funeral. You are a wonderful man, and I appreciate your concern. You’d better go now. You have to pick up Jon at your parents.”
Reluctantly, he agreed and squeezed her to his body. Then his lips found hers and smothered them with an unrestrained passion, and his body instantly responded. He wanted nothing more than to haul her into her bed and make love to her until she pleaded for mercy.
“Good night.” His voice was husky as he went out the door. So much for taking his father’s advice.
****
The next morning, Jean read Sara’s letter slowly and then shook her head in amazement. “Wow. It’s one thing to discover your birth mother, but to think your adoptive father was actually your birth father. It must blow your mind.”
Knowing she was lonely and heartbroken over Stu and since Jean didn’t need to be at work until three o’clock for the evening shift at the hospital, LynAnn had invited her for brunch. Their simple meal consisted of scrambled eggs and hash browns, but by the looks of her friend she hadn’t been eating.
“Pretty much,” LynAnn confessed. “I’m not sure the whole thing has soaked into my brain yet.”
“It was certainly nice of Jeff to go with you. I hate to admit it, but maybe I was wrong about him.” She paused to sip her coffee. “He certainly cares about you.”
Adore is the correct word, LynAnn thought to herself. Don’t people adore their puppy? But Jean was right, how many men would have been so thoughtful, and although she knew she could handle the funeral herself, it was comforting to have him there. “Yes, he has been wonderful to me,” she admitted.
Jean laid down her fork and studied her friend’s face. “How do you feel about him?” she asked nonchalantly and picked up her toast.
LynAnn took a bite of potatoes to avoid her question. “That’s pretty personal, don’t you think?”
But her friend wouldn’t let up. “Ah, come on. If you can’t tell me, then who can you tell?”
LynAnn began listing his good points. “He’s great company, has a great sense of humor, and, like you said, he is very thoughtful and kind. He’s good with the children, and they think the world of him. He’s easy to talk with and…”
Jean waved her hand to stop her. “I didn’t ask you for his resume. I asked how you feel about him.”
She was silent a moment before she replied, “I feel like I’ve been a burden to him, and sometimes I wonder if he’s only being so good to me because he’s too involved in all the strange events and now he doesn’t know how to get out. He asked me to stay at his house again and I refused, but he didn’t seem too upset. I think he was relieved.”
“Before he left—” Jean paused to sip her coffee. “—Stu told me Jeff was different since he’s been dating you, and I guess he must be. Perhaps he’s never met a woman quite like you. You seemed confused about your feelings, and maybe he is too.”
She had her doubts. Jeff didn’t remind her of a man who could be confused about anything. “We have sweet rolls for dessert.” She changed the subject.
After they ate, Jean helped with the dishes. “Have you heard from Stu?” LynAnn handed her a plate.
“I hadn’t seen him since the day I caught him coming from the laundry room, but he did come back while I was at work and removed all his belongings. It makes me so sad to admit our marriage is over. I still love him, but if he doesn’t feel the same way anymore there’s no sense dragging it out. I wish I knew what I did wrong.”
After drying her hands on a dish towel, LynAnn reached for her shoulders. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and you can’t blame yourself,” she admonished her.
Her friend hung her head. “I wish it were true.”
LynAnn ran her fingers through her ebony hair. “It is true, Jean. You did nothing wrong. You were a wonderful wife.”
The anguished woman lingered long after the dishes were done, and LynAnn sensed she didn’t want to be alone in the upstairs apartment she once shared with Stu. She played with Cassie and Matt and then helped get them dressed for daycare before she finally headed up the stairs.
Images of Sara and her parents swirled in LynAnn’s brain, and she was glad the children were distracted for a while.
Chapter 17
Saturday evening after dinner together, LynAnn and Jeff frequented a different lounge. She guessed he didn’t want to take her back to the lounge where she thought she’d seen Todd. The neon flashing lounge was packed with the gyrating younger set. The music blared, and she had to shout to talk with him. Some of the crowd, although they held drinks in their hands, didn’t look of legal age to consume alcohol. “Let’s get out of here,” he suggested after a few minutes.
“Gladly,” she agreed, pretending to wipe sweat from her forehead.
When they were settled in his car, he paused before starting the motor. “It’s early. Would you like to go for a drive?”
“Sure, at least your Buick is quiet.”
He gave her a big smile.
She settled into the bucket seat and once on the road, she mentioned Stu. “Remember the day my apartment was ransacked, you were outside and I was alone with Stu?”
“I remember.”
“Stu said, ‘Look at the trouble you’re in already with him,’ meaning you, Jeff.”
He made a face. “What an odd thing to say. Stu meant I was trouble, I guess. You know, something else bothered me about him then. He said they hadn’t heard any noise and he and Jean were both upstairs. I would think they had to hear those dishes smashing.”
She remembered everything about the day quite vividly. “I recall him saying that, too. I know Jean worked night shift the night before and sometimes when she’s trying to sleep during the day she turns on a box fan for white noise.”
“Ah, the fan running would explain Jean not hearing anything, but what about Stu?”
“Maybe Stu was sleeping, too,” LynAnn suggested. “He was right when he said my trouble started when I began dating you.”
Frowning, Jeff took his eyes from the road and glanced her way. “You had no problems or any strange occurrences before then?”
“No.” She shook her head in denial. “I think the madness wasn’t about me at all. It was about you, but at least now it’s over.”
“It’s possible,” he agreed. “In my mind I’ve been running over all the characters I’ve sent to prison since I’ve been the DA, and the list is fairly long.” He tossed her a sideward glance. “I suppose you’re still hashing over things about your aunt or I mean, Sara, your birth mother.”
“Yes, sometimes I get angry and sometimes I feel sad for all of them, especially Naomi, my adopted mother. She was a good mother to me, actually she was the best mother anyone could have, and now I wonder how it must have hurt her to look at me. I was a constant reminder of my father’s affair.”
“It shows how much she loved you.” He concentrated on the road. “At least now you know who your birth mother was and you found your roots.”
“I guess you’re right, but Sara didn’t have to listen to my father, she could have raised me herself.”
“She wanted to do what was best for you, not her.”
Wit
h a sad slow nod of her head, LynAnn agreed. Jeff was not as emotionally involved as she, and he could be more logical. It felt so good to have him to talk with.
The night was cloudless, and the stars hung close as if they hovered right over the next ridge. They rode in silence for a long time and she noticed he checked his rearview mirror often, but said nothing. She pushed all thoughts away except the man beside her, wishing the night could go on forever. Although deep inside a voice kept reminding her forever didn’t exist with Jeff. There was a time when she wanted to bring up their first meeting, to tell him how much he’d hurt her, but there was no point now. He didn’t remember, and it was just as well.
Eventually, he drove back to her apartment. Once they reached her door, she opened it, stopped abruptly, and closed it again.
“What’s the matter?” he asked quickly, his body already posed like a stealthy cougar ready to pounce, assuming more problems waited behind the door.
“Ah…I think my babysitter and her boyfriend are busy,” she said shyly, hoping her face wasn’t as red as it felt. The teens on her sofa were indeed busy. Bare skin had flashed before her eyes…lots of bare skin. She rapped on the door, and loudly declared, “We’ll be back in ten minutes.” Mortified by her discovery, she wrapped her arm around Jeff’s waist and steered him back to his car.
“How old are those kids?” he asked with a chuckle once back in his car.
“Too young. If Becky’s parents knew, they would hit the roof.”
Not at all embarrassed, he burst out laughing. “Don’t be so hard on them. They’re getting in some practice. Come to think of it, maybe we should practice,” he teased.
“Very funny,” she retorted.
He laughed again. “Maybe they could give us some pointers.”
“Jeff, I didn’t think you need any pointers.” Still embarrassed, she giggled.
“Me?” He pointed to his wide chest. “Are you kidding? I need all the help I can get. Do you think I’m some kind of porn star?”
“Not a porn star, but experienced.” Uncomfortable with the subject, she tried to tease.
Suddenly, he became very serious, and his dark blue eyes locked on hers. “I know enough to realize when you’re ready it will be good for both of us, but you have to be ready. I’ll wait.” He paused expecting her to respond and when she didn’t reply, he continued, “You have to want me as much as I want you, and you can’t until you’re over your fear.”
“It’s not fear,” she quickly replied. “I have to be sure of you…sure of myself. What if I’m never sure? What if I’m never ready?” More and more she felt desire flame through her body when he kissed her, but feeling the emotion and acting on it remained miles apart.
He pulled her into his arms. “It’s already happening. It started when I put my hand over yours on our first date. You felt it the same as I did. I’m sure you did. You trusted me then, and you have to keep on trusting me.”
LynAnn felt confused. Maybe he was right. Slowly but surely the man had made her feel like a desirable woman again. She was alive again, and she wanted to know love. But Jeff didn’t mention love. She wondered if he ever thought of her in terms of love. If he did, he couldn’t say it. It was obvious he desired her and his actions toward her were so sweet and so caring, perhaps she’d have to settle for the fact he cared for her.
Eventually, they went back to her apartment. Becky wasn’t able to take her eyes from the floor as she scampered by them, and the two red-faced teens were out the door in a blink.
Jeff made himself comfortable on her sofa. First, off came his jacket, then his tie, next his shoes and lastly he unbuttoned several buttons on his shirt. She fought back the urge to laugh. Weeks ago if anyone had told her a man would come into her house and make himself at home as he had, she would have called them a liar. But now it seemed as normal as taking a breath.
She went to the fridge to get them sodas and as she passed by her phone she noticed a message, when she pushed the button she recognized Rev. Tom Barnes’ number. The minister hadn’t given up on her yet. She would ignore him.
When she returned with the drinks, Jeff rubbed his shoulder and grimaced. “What’s wrong with your shoulder?” She’d noticed him rubbing it several times throughout the evening.
He winced and continued to rub his shoulder. “I guess I pulled a muscle when I worked out this morning.”
“Let me help you,” she volunteered, placing the drinks on the coffee table and joining him on the sofa. She began massaging his neck and shoulder through his shirt.
“Umm,” he groaned. “It feels better, but my shirt is in the way.” It took a millisecond for him to strip off his shirt and toss it aside.
Not embarrassed because she had given plenty of male patients back rubs, LynAnn continued her ministrations. His flesh was warm and yielding and his big muscles rippled under her touch. She felt him relax and continued her rhythmic motions and then leaned closer to inhale his male fragrance. Those darn pheromones were working on her again. From her position behind him she wrapped her arms around his bare chest and in the next instant her lips replaced her fingers, and she kissed him on the spot she loved so much and then trailed kisses down his shoulder. He tasted like sweet nectar. She heard and felt his sharp intake of air.
Suddenly, he jumped to his feet. “If I had known taking my shirt off would do this to you, I would have done it a long time ago.” His gaze flew from the ceiling to the floor as if he didn’t know what to do next. “I guess I’ll have to work out more often so I keep in shape.”
LynAnn reared back, surprised. This was completely out of character for the man who was always so confident and sure of himself. Perhaps Jean was right he might be as confused about their relationship as she.
She bolted to her feet and looked up into his face. “I wouldn’t care if you had love handles”—she placed her hands on either side of his flat waist for emphasis— “or a beer belly. I’d love you anyway.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Why did she say the love word? She couldn’t look at him. “How about some soda?” She started for the fridge, but he caught her hand and pulled her back to him.
“We have soda,” he reminded her and settled into the sofa and patted the spot next to him. “Come here, sweetheart,” he softly commanded. “I want to kiss you until you beg me to stop.”
He swept her into his arms before she was actually seated. His lips met hers, and just as quickly his tongue invaded her mouth with such passion, she moaned. When he finally released her mouth, his lips went to her neck and then lower to the exposed area above her breast. His hand gently cupped her breast, and she let out a low moan.
His kisses continued, and like a quick change artist, he managed to open all the buttons on her blouse before she realized what had happened. His sensuous lips captured hers again and true to his promise he kept on kissing her. His fingers found her nipple through her lace bra and heat surged deep within her. He pulled her to his body, and she felt his arousal. She found his wide bare chest and pelted it with kisses and heard his low groan.
Once again, he leaped to his feet. “If you want me to stop, I’ll stop.” Breathing heavily, he nervously ran his fingers through his hair.
It took a moment for LynAnn to realize what he was saying. She didn’t have to think about it: The answer was don’t stop. “I do want you as much as you want me,” she managed to get the words out of her mouth. “But I don’t use birth control and…”
“I have it.” He paused and not taking his eyes from hers, he murmured softly, “Be very sure, LynAnn.”
He was giving her a chance to change her mind, but her mind was made up. She nodded and then whispered back, “Jeff, I’m very sure.” Perhaps it wasn’t love on his part, but she wanted to feel like a whole woman again. Her fears were gone. She was sure. Yes, she wanted him.
He sucked in a deep breath and gave a slight nod. His gaze scanned the sofa and then the living room. “I don’t know
how those teens managed on this little sofa, but I need more room.” In an instant, the coffee table was moved out of the way. Then he spied her children’s sleeping bags in the corner and unrolled them in front of the sofa and tossed the pillows from the sofa on top of them. She guessed she was the pink princess and he was Highway Burner, at least that’s what the bags said. He stretched his shirtless, lithe body out on the floor and motioned her to come to him. Without a second thought, she did. Highway Burner had to be in low gear because he slowly and gently teased her body with his lips and tongue, removing her clothes as he went. When she was completely free of clothing, he turned on his side and rose up on his elbow, and his gaze slowly took in her body. “Oh God, you’re so beautiful,” he moaned.
LynAnn intended to be an active participant and gathered him in her arms. Her lips worked over his big chest again while her hands opened his belt on his pants at the same time. In an instant, with his help, his pants were gone. He was also beautiful. “Jeff,” she moaned his name. She wanted him.
“Not yet, sweetheart,” he murmured into her breast. “We have all night.”
She exhaled a deep breath. Lord, have mercy, she couldn’t take much more.
Later, much later, he finally entered her quivering body, and LynAnn thought she might die at the sheer ecstasy of their joining. It was a slow and intense.
Afterwards, he rolled on his back taking her body with him as he did, and she laid her head on his chest trying to catch her breath. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Wonderful,” she replied, noticing his chest was moist with sweat. “Can we do that again?”
He chuckled. “I’m not seventeen anymore. You’ll have to give me a chance to catch my breath.”
Euphoric and spent, LynAnn slept some and thought he did, too. Sometime through the night they made love again. Later, she wrapped herself in his big shirt, covered them with a blanket from her bed, and cuddled back into his arms.
When she awoke again, it was light, and his eyes were fixed on hers. “Good morning, my sweetheart,” he murmured, and his lips teased hers while he caressed her body with tender touches. Then he abruptly halted his actions. “Oh, we have a problem,” he groaned.