Setting her wine glass on the coffee table, she surveyed the room. Plush throw pillows and blankets dotted the sofa and loveseat. Jeremy turned on the fireplace and dimmed the lights so they had all the ambience of a romantic mood.
They sat next to each other on the sofa, and Sunny pulled off her boots, curled her feet under her, and dragged a throw across her legs. “This is nice.” She smiled at Jeremy.
“Yeah.”
They settled in to watch the movie, and it only took Jeremy about half an hour to awkwardly get his arm around her shoulders. She snuggled into his side. This really was nice. Romantic lighting, a little wine, a flickering glow from the fireplace, all the right setting, so when Jeremy leaned in to kiss her, she threw caution to the wind and leaned right back.
“Ouch. Sorry.” Their noses collided as their exuberance resulted in a facial collision.
He smiled apologetically and came toward her again. This time Sunny held still, and his hand came up to hold her face as he gingerly kissed her. He tasted like wine as their lips parted and his tongue explored hers. Sunny eased back on the sofa and his arm that had been around her got pinned between her shoulder and the cushion.
He groaned as he pulled his arm free, and she shifted to give him more room. Her legs got tangled in the throw as she shifted again to push the blanket to the floor. He continued to kiss her, and his left hand moved slowly up her leg, across her hip and grazed the side of her breast before circling behind her back and cupping her shoulder. His kisses moved from her lips down to her neck, and Sunny sighed with pleasure.
“Jeremy, when did you get home?” a female voice asked from the hallway as the light snapped on.
“Mom?” Jeremy croaked.
“Mom?” Sunny asked. “You live with your mother?”
“No. She’s just…staying with me, I guess.”
“Yeah, right.” Sunny quickly readjusted her blouse and grabbed her boots.
“No, really…” Jeremy stood and tried to do some readjusting of his own.
Meanwhile, his mom had fled back into the kitchen, and Sunny thought she could hear her laughing as she called out, “Sorry, honey. I didn’t know you had company.”
“I’d better go.” Sunny made her way to the door, boots in hand.
“Sunny, let me explain…”
But it was too late. She slipped through the door, calling, “I’ll see ya, Jeremy. I really need to get home to check on my dog anyway.”
Sunny ran barefoot across the grass, threw her boots in the car, and started the engine. Pulling away, she took one last look at his beautiful home, and shook her head. No wonder he has such a great house. He lives with his mom.
* * *
Sunny pulled her car into the driveway, got out and headed for Walter’s house, still barefoot. She hit the top step as the front door swung open to Beau and Jake, one holding a beer and both wearing sloppy grins.
“I’ve heard of a guy knocking your socks off before, but I’ve never actually seen it happen.” Jake passed her the cold bottle as he looked down at her bare feet.
“Thanks.” She took a long pull and wondered how she could feel so relaxed around Jake. “It’s been an interesting night.”
“C’mon in. I’ve got to hear this.”
So, once again, Sunny found herself on the sofa with a drink in hand and a cute guy sitting next to her. But this felt different. She was comfortable with Jake on one side of her and the dog curled into her other side.
Sunny didn’t know why Jake was so easy for her to talk to. Was it the fact that he was a stranger and she knew he wouldn’t be here for long? Or was it a deeper connection that she felt for this man? What drew her to him despite the danger that oozed from his every pore?
And he was dangerous. Whether he had killed Walter or not, this man had seen danger. His cool surfer boy attitude didn’t mask the keen intelligence in Jake’s eyes.
Sunny didn’t fill him in on every aspect of the evening. She kept the part where she made out with Jeremy on the sofa to herself, but she told him all about showing up at this strange guy’s house and how this group of people were playing an online game together.
“Have you ever heard of a game called World of Warcraft?” she asked him.
“Sure. I even have an online account and several characters.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I love it.”
“Have you ever done a raid?”
“Tons of them.”
“What level are you?”
“Level eighty.”
“Wow. You must be pretty good.”
“You have no idea.” He said this with an evil grin, and she narrowed her eyes at his double entendre. Sunny had plenty of ideas and dreams and fantasies of how good he just might be.
“Well,” she said, her mouth suddenly dry. She took a drink from the cool bottle of beer in her hand. “Do you know how to jump?”
“You mean by hitting the space bar?”
Dang! I guess everyone knew about that.
She had fun telling him all the details of the game. He laughed at her ‘Noob’ status and groaned when she explained how she got the whole raid killed by drawing an agro-attack from the ‘Boss’.
“So, you say another character helped you? Why do you think they were doing that?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. I figured they felt sorry for me because they knew I was a Noob and they remembered how it felt to be a beginner and need help. Why?”
“Just wondering,” he said casually, and then changed the subject. “So, how did you leave in his car and end up coming home in yours?”
She told him about Jeremy’s invitation to watch a movie at his house, and how she followed him over so he wouldn’t have to drive her back later. She gushed over his beautiful house, told him how Jeremy had said his mom helped him to decorate, and how close he said they were.
“I should have known something was up when I checked out his movie collection. I was expecting rows and rows of ‘tech guy’ stuff like X-files and Star Trek, and I guess he did have a ton of Vin Diesel action flicks, but he had quite a large selection of romantic comedies. I mean, how many guys have five Hugh Grant movies to choose from?”
“Hey, that guy is funny. He cracks me up,” Jake said, in Jeremy’s defense, which earned a raised eyebrow from Sunny.
“Well, he does.”
“Okay.”
“Besides, what does his movie collection have to do with anything?”
Sunny explained how they were sitting on the sofa when Jeremy’s mom called from the kitchen, and about her sudden realization that her date for the evening still lived with his mother. Hence her subsequent barefooted flee from the house and eventual shoeless landing on his front stoop.
“That’s hilarious. I wish I could have met this guy,” Jake said. “Can I come over for the next one? I want to have a better mental picture when you’re telling me about it next time.”
He was assuming there would be a ‘next time’? Hmmmm.
“Speaking of your dates,” Jake said, suddenly taking a more serious tone, “how’s it going with Hank the Tank? Is he still calling you all the time?”
“Um, I guess.” Sunny didn’t really want Jake to know that Hank still called her daily. “I tried to let him down easy, then I flat out told him I didn’t want to go out with him anymore,” she reluctantly admitted. “But he doesn’t get the hint; he just keeps calling me like I haven’t said anything.”
“Have you told him to stop calling you?”
“Pretty much. I don’t want to be mean.”
“Sunny, you have to be firm. It sounds like this lunk-head isn’t getting the message.”
Beau must not have liked Jake’s stern tone, because he got off the sofa and came up behind him to nudge his arm up with his snout. Jake must have been startled by Beau’s wet-nosed nudge. He yanked his arm up, effectively spilling his beer down the front of his shirt.
“Damn.” Jake cursed, and both of them jumped up to
keep the spilled beer from getting on the sofa. “This is my last clean t-shirt.” His voice was muffled as he pulled the soiled shirt over his head.
Sunny sucked in her breath as she took in the full view of Jake’s tanned abs and his muscled chest. Damn was right. Had the temperature in the room just increased by ten degrees?
Jake turned and took her arm, pulling her closer to him. “I’m serious about this, Sunny. I’m worried this meathead might be getting too attached to you. You let me know if you have any problems with this guy.”
His face was set in a look of concern, and all of a sudden, the room felt much smaller. His half-naked body seemed much closer. Her breath caught as she lost herself in his eyes, and he bent his head closer to hers.
She could smell the scent of beer on his breath and could almost feel his warm lips against hers. Sunny’s body ached with a yearning to be against his, and she rested her hand on his bare chest. He shivered as her fingertips touched his skin. His arm encircled her waist, and his hand flattened against her back drawing her closer to him. His lips were feather light as they brushed against hers, then he pulled her against him and his mouth took hers with a devouring hunger. Sunny’s body responded with an urgency she didn’t know was in her. Her hands ran up his chest and her arms encircled his neck. She filled her hands with his thick soft hair and pulled his mouth deeper into hers. There was none of the awkwardness she had felt while trying to kiss Jeremy. This was pure passion she felt as she gripped Jake’s bare shoulders.
Suddenly, he jerked upright, his back arched and he let out a strangled groan.
Jake was in obvious pain, and as she pushed back from him, Sunny realized the source of his pain were the claws of the four-legged creature who had jumped up on his back in order to not be left out of their embrace. Jake looked over his shoulder as Sunny pushed Beau from him. Angry red scratches formed where the dog’s claws had raked down Jake’s back.
“Oh, man, that hurts.” Jake winced, but the next instant laughed as he playfully pulled Beau’s head against his shoulder. “You worried you were being left out, boy?”
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” She couldn’t believe that he was playing with the dog instead of being angry that Beau had scratched him.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry,” he assured her, “this body has seen much worse damage than a few dog scratches.”
The break from Jake’s embrace and that subtle comment about Jake’s unknown past brought her to her senses. Though her body ached to feel Jake against her again, her head told her she needed to slow down, do not pass Go, and do not collect two hundred dollars.
“Ya know, I should probably go,” Sunny said. It took everything in her to get up from the sofa. She was so drawn to this man, but she had made mistakes before and there was still so much she didn’t know about him. She considered just asking him if he did something to hurt Walter, but part of her was afraid that once the truth came out, she wouldn’t be able to be with him again. Was she willing to risk not finding out the truth just to kiss him again?
“Really? You don’t have to. I’m fine.”
“It’s late and we should probably get home.” Sunny knew she needed time to think and sort out her feelings. She walked to the door before her body betrayed her and jumped him. “Thanks again for watching Beau tonight, and I’m really sorry about your back. I hope you’re okay.”
“I told you I’m fine. And I will watch Beau anytime.” He held the door for her, and Sunny escaped, still barefoot, into the cool night air. “Hey, Sunny,” he called from the doorway.
She stopped and looked back. His lean body was silhouetted against the light coming from the house, and it took all she had to not run back and throw herself into his arms. “Yeah?”
“You can trust me,” he said softly, looking into her eyes. Then he stepped back into the house and closed the door behind him.
Maybe, but right now, she didn’t think she could trust herself.
12
Peaceful is what Piper felt as she sat in the saddle astride a large brown gelding. She turned her face to the sun and sighed as the horse plodded up to the open barn door. She loved the feel of being atop the steed, the reins in her hand, and the way she moved in sync to the rhythm of the horse’s stride.
She and Cassie had spent a lot of time talking, and Piper felt herself open up more and more to her aunt. One evening, as they sat on the back deck together, Piper had confessed her dream of learning to ride. Two days later, Cassie had surprised her with six weeks of riding lessons at the Lazy G Ranch. Piper had thrown her arms around her aunt and gushed out her thanks before she even knew what she was doing.
This was Piper’s third week of lessons since summer had started, and she had been having the time of her life. She reveled in the cool morning rides and the scents of dusty earth mingled with horse and manure. She remembered this feeling from before her dad had died, when times were good and she’d been happy.
Life with Uncle Matt and Aunt Cassie had settled into a routine, and the time she spent with Drew was both thrilling and comforting at the same time. She sighed again as she recognized this feeling as happiness, and she let herself enjoy it just for now, in this moment.
“You gonna sit up there and daydream all morning?” a deep voice drawled, which brought her crashing back to reality.
Piper looked down into the grinning face that tipped up to her from beneath a straw cowboy hat and smiled at the gorgeous cowboy who had taken hold of her horse’s bridle.
“Nope.” She kept her head down to hide her blush as she swung her leg over the horse’s rump and freed her toe from the stirrup. “Just enjoying the ride.”
“You look like it,” the cowboy said. “You’re doing really well, Piper. You really seem at ease with the horses.”
“Thanks, Levi.” Piper blushed again, unused to praise. He had been her instructor the past three weeks. He and his father owned the ranch where she had been riding. Piper had been on the lookout for a candidate for Sunny’s date the past several weeks and had decided Levi would be a good match. She had shared her idea with Cassie that morning as they drove to the ranch. Cassie wanted to check out Piper’s choice so the two of them set up a reconnaissance mission to spy on the hunky cowboy as he went about his morning chores on the ranch.
Cassie had admired Levi’s muscled wiry frame as he hauled a bale of hay to the corral and easily tossed it over the fence. He spoke gently to the horses as they plodded over for their morning meal.
“He is really cute,” Cassie whispered to Piper from their hiding spot behind the edge of the barn. “And those Wranglers show off his great butt!”
“Aunt Cassie!” Piper’s eyes widened in shock at her aunt’s comment.
“Well, they do,” Cassie said, and they broke into giggles as Cassie tried to hush Piper.
Her aunt had given her the thumbs up, so as Piper brushed the dust from her jeans, she nonchalantly asked him, “So Levi, are you single?”
“What?” The cowboy looked up in surprise.
“I mean are you seeing anyone right now or would you be available to go out with someone?”
“Well,” Levi croaked, a blush creeping up his neck. “I’m really flattered Piper, but I have a policy against dating my students.”
“Your students? What?” she asked, confused. “Oh, not me! That’s gross!”
“Well, thanks a lot.”
“Sorry. That’s not what I meant. I was wondering if you would be interested in going out with this woman in my book club. She’s my aunt’s best friend, and she’s blonde and cute and funny, and don’t worry, she’s old like you.”
“Well, that does relieve my mind. And what makes you think this blonde, cute, funny woman, who is old, like me, would want to go out with a cowboy?” he drawled lazily.
Piper explained a little about the book club and their mission to set Sunny up on six blind dates.
“They trusted me to pick one of the dates, and you seem really nice, and you have
a job, and you’re like cute and all.”
“For an old guy, you mean?” he clarified. “Does she like to ride?”
“I don’t know. Probably, like I mean, who wouldn’t? She’s really cool, though. I know you would like her. So what do you think? Are you free this Saturday?”
“Well, you do have me intrigued,” Levi said, taking his hat off and scratching the side of his head. “You’ve got me just curious enough about this Sunny to want to meet her. I guess I could bring her out to the ranch and take her horseback riding for the afternoon.”
“That would be great. I bet she’d really like that.” Piper beamed up at him. “I’ll give you her number.”
She plucked his cell phone from the holster on his belt and with practiced ease entered Sunny’s name and number into his contact list. “I’ll tell her about you tonight at book club, so wait until tomorrow to call her.”
“All right, but if this turns out to be a disaster, you’re cleaning out stable stalls with me next week after your lessons.”
“Deal.” She laughed and waved to Levi, who leaned back against the horse, his hat tipped back on his head.
“You’re gonna like her! See ya next week,” Piper called as she ran toward the car waiting for her in the driveway, her cowboy boots kicking up dust behind her.
The boots had been a gift from Uncle Matt, who had proudly presented them to her on her first day of lessons.
“You need some boots if you’re gonna ride horses,” he had said. “Hope these will work for you. Cassie told me your size.”
“Thanks, Uncle Matt.” Piper hadn’t known what else to say, she was so flustered at the unexpected gift of kindness from her uncle.
Now, she stomped the dust from her new boots as she opened the car door and slid into the seat.
“How’s my cowgirl?” Drew leaned in to give her a hug.
“Awesome,” she replied, still amazed that this incredible guy was her boyfriend. Her insides went gooey as he nuzzled her neck and placed a warm kiss below her ear. She turned to him and rubbed her cheek against his soft hair. She didn’t know what shampoo he used but she loved the way his hair always smelled like Jolly Ranchers.
Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body (A Page Turners Novel) Page 10