“I thought Ralph was lying about that.”
“Ralph must be your friendly neighbor.”
Sara giggled.
The flirty sound went straight to his cock. “Do you believe me now?”
“Depends.” Her smile competed with the February sun as she asked, “What did you sing?”
Hell, if he could remember. He’d been drunk off his ass. “I vaguely recall a cross between ‘Just the Way You Are’ and ‘Beautiful Girls’. With maybe a little ‘Blurred Lines’ thrown in.” At least, those would have been my choices had I been capable of coherent thought at the time. All three of the songs captured Sara—and what he wanted to do to her—perfectly.
Green didn’t just seep back into her eyes; the color flooded in, dancing with the blue in a manner that hypnotized him.
“So, what you’re saying is, I ruined you for other women?” Sara raised an eyebrow in mocking challenge.
He didn’t trust himself to speak.
As much as her teasing had eased his tension, her words increased it tenfold because of their accuracy.
Jacob feared Sara had absolutely ruined him for other women. How could anyone else ever compare?
She heaved a dramatic sigh. “I suppose I can live with that.”
Yes, but could he?
Her smile dimmed a bit and she resumed picking at a thread on her skirt. Before he could find the words to ask her what was wrong, she asked, “Since you gave me your confession, I guess it’s only fair that I give you mine, right?”
“You were with another man?” Jacob growled. He curled his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms to calm the jealousy that roared inside him. The thought of another man touching Sara—
“Easy, trigger. No one likes a man who goes off half-cocked.”
Jacob met Sara’s gaze, watching laughter light her eyes, and suddenly his anger left as if it had never been. Unable to stop himself, he chuckled at the absurdity of his reaction.
How the hell did she do that? How the hell could she make him so crazy yet calm him at the same time?
She challenged him with a look. “Dare I continue? Or should I wait and call animal control first?”
“Animal control, huh?”
“Yeah, well, you were kind of beastly. Who else am I supposed to call? A Catholic priest for an exorcism?”
Laughter rumbled out of Jacob, surprising him at its intensity.
Jesucristo, she was fun.
He swiped the mirth from his eyes and nodded at her. “Please continue.”
“Well, you kind of stole my thunder, but sure.” Sara crossed her arms under her chest with a disgruntled huff, but her smile ruined the effect. She said, “Honestly, it’s good to see that you have issues because I have some of my own as well. I don’t trust easily when it comes to sexy men.”
“Hold up. You think I’m sexy?”
“Do you want to date me?”
“Is that really in question?”
“Yes. Yesterday, you all but said we shouldn’t.”
“Yesterday, I was an idiot.”
Sara gave a brief smirk before turning serious. “What if I said I needed to take it slow because of my trust issues? Would you still want to date me?”
“Yes. So long as you repeat what you said earlier. You think I’m sexy?”
“If I said yes, will you sing for me?”
“Not even under threat of death.”
She hooked her finger in her blouse, tugging at her cleavage. “Oh, I bet I could entice you.”
Without a doubt, she could. The woman was sin on legs.
But he’d just promised her he’d take it slow. He wouldn’t last a day if she kept teasing him like that.
He stood and averted his gaze. “Nope. Still not singing.” Outwardly at least. Inwardly he sang every hymn he’d ever learned.
“You do know slow means slow, not stop, right? I have responsibilities. I can’t lose sight of those just because I want sex.”
“You do know what you look like right?”
Sara’s huff of breath wasn’t faked this time. Agitation rang in her voice, “What? You have such little self-control that because I have big boobs we can’t have any fun until I’m ready to go all the way?”
“You’re misunderstanding. If it were only your breasts, there’d be no issue. Who you are is a million times sexier than what you look like. And that’s saying something, dulzura.” He risked a glance in her direction as a fleeting look of disappointment crossed her face. Even though it was quickly replaced by warmth and a hint of awe, he hated that he’d put it there. “How about a compromise? I strip and your clothes stay on?”
Before he could rethink the stupidity of his suggestion, he unbuttoned his dress shirt, leaving it to hang open around his undershirt. His belt came next. After he slipped it from the loops on his pants, he cracked it in the air, making sure it hit nothing, yet letting it strike mere inches from her hips.
The sound from her indrawn breath nearly did him in.
“You’re right,” she said huskily. “Neither one of us should take off our clothes… yet. How about we take it slow and get to know each other until the fundraiser, then both of us can strip?”
That did seem like the smartest bet.
But then again, he’d just gotten started. It was his duty to keep going until laughter came back into her eyes, right? “Can’t handle the sexy, hmm?”
“Maybe you just didn’t do it for me.”
“No?” Giving up on his vow to not sing, he began to hum Pour Some Sugar On Me, then turned away from her, bent at the waist, and raised his ass in the air, sending her a wink over his shoulder before he started twerking. His mangled attempt sent her into a fit of giggles, so he pulled her to her feet, backed up into her, and gave his best Miley Cyrus interpretation.
“Stop… please… dear God…” Her laughter caused her to collapse at the waist, resting herself on his back until the worst of it passed.
Of course, as soon as she quieted, he had to start twerking again.
“Okay, okay,” she managed between gasps of air. “I give. You’re the sexiest man alive.”
“I knew you’d see it my way.” He pulled her into his arms for the hug he’d wanted to give her ever since he’d found out about her brother-in-law’s death.
She felt as amazing in his arms as he remembered.
She must have approved of the embrace, too, because she said, “March 22nd. Pick me up at my place after the fundraiser and we’ll head to my sister’s birthday party at my mom’s. Then afterwards…”
His smile damn near spread across his entire face. “Absolutely. But just so I know what to bring, which sister?”
“What do you mean?”
“You have four sisters, so which one?” No way would he mess up something as important as a second chance by not bringing an appropriate gift.
She stepped away from his hold. “Y-you know I have four sisters?”
The look on her face made him feel like a newly appointed king who’d just won over his people. He tapped her on the tip of her nose. “Yep. Know what else I know?”
Her head shook ever so slightly.
“I know your niece is named Tessa, I know you like fried chicken, I know you don’t have any pets and don’t ever want any, and I know you have a freckle—” Though it was likely the most unwise move he could make, he pulled her shirt down just enough. “—right here above your nipple.”
“How?”
Her raspy gasp stirred his cock. “Hmm… someone may want to pay more attention to their online privacy settings. I seem to recall a very risqué Halloween picture…”
“You Facebook-stalked me.” Sara’s expression bordered on incredulous.
He met her stare with a grin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I can’t believe you Facebook stalked me.”
“Is that better or worse than poking you? Because you mentioned something about afterwards?” He’d let her take it
as slow as she needed, but he couldn’t pretend she hadn’t put the idea in his head.
“We’ll see. But first you have to make it through meeting my sisters.” She held up her hands, giggling when his cockiness slipped a notch. “Trust me. If they don’t eat you alive, my mom will.”
“So, you plus five women, huh?” Jacob swallowed. Perhaps he should’ve thought things through more.
Sara returned his wink from moments earlier. “Text me later. I’ll give you directions to my place. Oh, wait, you don’t need those, do you?” With no more than a wave, she dashed to her car, much like she’d run away the day before at work, the only difference being the laughter that trailed behind her this time.
And what a difference it made.
19
“Kids toys, over there. Refreshment booths, to the left. Face painting, right.” Sara directed volunteers to the various stations while reviewing the checklist on her clipboard. The event was scheduled to start in two hours and the place was packed. Well over two hundred people were there to help, three times the amount on their plans.
What would Jacob think when he arrived? He and his father were due to deliver a speech to start off the day. Then the place would be alive with the smells of hot dogs, cotton candy, and fried desserts.
This morning, she'd woken to tingles in her belly and an odd sense of awareness that her next meeting with him would be as more than employer/employee. Her sister’s birthday party was scheduled for later that night.
Their first date.
And more.
After their conversation in the park, Jacob had kept his word and maintained a physical distance, never doing more than holding her hand when they’d sneak a moment alone in the breakroom, but the way he watched her walk into and out of the bank left little doubt in her mind that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Unbelievably, her attraction for the man had grown even stronger. He had a work ethic like hers, working long hours and not leaving until the day’s tasks were completed, even if that meant being the last one in the office. Yet despite spending several nights alone with him at BCF, he still honored her request and never once put pressure on her to take their relationship to the next level. Instead, he’d done everything from making phone calls for the Gallos and running errands, to stuffing envelopes and going door to door to local businesses with the rest of the staff.
And God, he’d made her laugh.
Almost every step of the way.
A part of her felt guilty for finding so much enjoyment in her life while her sister still lived in a haze of pain. A big part of her. But then there were her private conversations with her brother-in-law, that surprisingly had continued even after she’d decided to give it a go with Jacob. Whether they were a figment of her imagination or not, they felt real to her, and in each one, Christopher encouraged her to live.
Too bad he couldn’t offer her some divine intervention in the job department. After all she’d done for the Gallos her heart craved the ability to do things like this on a daily basis like Ray.
But that was just dream talk. She had to live in reality.
A reality that included a date with Jacob Ramírez this evening.
Sara waved Bel over once her friend helped finish hanging the BCF banner. “Thanks for today.”
“No problem. So, tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how nervous are you?” Bel was the only one who knew about Sara and Jacob. Like a true friend, she’d kept the secret during working hours, but she always seemed to be there to lend support when needed.
“Twenty.” Sara placed her hand over her quivering stomach.
“That bad, huh?”
“It’s silly, isn’t it? To get this worked up over just a date?”
“Honey, I haven’t seen much excitement from you in the last month and a half. If I were you, I’d enjoy it. It looks great on you.”
“But how shallow does that make me?” Sara had agonized for an hour over what to wear. Should she be sexy or professional? In the end, thanks to the unseasonably warm weather, she’d tried to pull off both, with a flirty short skirt and keyhole blouse that gave just a hint of cleavage, and only cost Sara her dignity. She’d be changing in a few hours for her date. Why did it matter what she wore to the event? “We’re here to help a family in need, my brother-in-law is dead, and all I can think about is fucking the most inappropriate person here.”
Bel chuckled. “Mr. Gallo doesn’t do it for me, but if you’d like, I can distract his wife for you so you can get the mister alone.”
“Stop it. You’re such a mess!”
“Yeah, but I got you laughing, didn’t I?”
That she did.
Sara gave Bel a brief hug, then shooed her on her way to go check on the refreshment table she’d be manning.
Ray stepped in to take her place. “I know this isn’t professional, but holy fucking shit, how did we do all this? How did you do all this?” He nudged her shoulder as his gaze encompassed the area surrounding the Spreckels Organ Pavilion among the colorful gardens of Balboa Park. Spring had started almost a month early this year, and white blossoms and their sweet scent floated on the breeze. With so many donated goods to sell for the family, the booths had spilled out from the semicircular ornate concrete colonnade into the seating area. They’d thought since the pavilion seated twenty-four hundred, it would be sufficient for their needs. In this instance, it felt wonderful to be proven wrong.
Sara waved to the little girl on stage with Mr. Gallo and unexpected grief seized her lungs, overtaking all thoughts of Jacob. The image reminded her of Tessa and the experiences her niece would no longer be able to share with Christopher.
Six weeks since his boating accident and the pain still hit her like a blow to the chest.
Sara blinked away the sting of her tears. I can’t think about that. Today is for happiness. Grieving what can’t be changed helps no one. It wouldn't help Tessa and it certainly wouldn't help the Gallos’ daughter.
But what would help, was exactly what they’d spent the last few months doing.
Like a magnet, the little girl's laughter drew Sara closer. She handed off the clipboard and left preparation for the proceedings in Ray’s capable hands. She could worry about Jacob later; for now, the Gallos deserved her undivided attention.
A knock on Sara’s door sounded promptly at a quarter to eight that evening.
Jacob.
Right on time.
And she still needed ten minutes to finish.
Before answering the door, Sara threw on a robe over her bra and panties and finished her eye makeup. Once she deemed herself acceptable, she went to greet him.
All she managed was a squeaky, “Hello.”
Incapable of anything more, she stood there drinking him in.
The man looked downright delicious in casual clothes. Muscles rippled with every move he made under the light blue cotton shirt, and the low-slung jeans hanging off his slender hips left her wishing their plans for the evening only involved the two of them. A guy in jeans and a fitted t-shirt did it for her in a big way. Always had. On Jacob, they almost stopped her heart.
Thankfully she seemed to have the same effect on him. Her robe gaped open, and he generously reciprocated with a leering gaze down her exposed cleavage.
She didn’t bother to hide her satisfied smile. Flashing him had been unintentional, but with such great results, it encouraged her to go further. She let the tie from her robe drop.
They’d grown closer the last few weeks. He didn’t talk much about his past, but she still felt like she knew him. And now she wanted to get to know him even more. Now, she wanted her dream of the other night to become a reality.
Sara shivered, though her blood flowed like liquid fire. With slow, measured steps, he backed her up against the wall, slamming the door shut behind them. She all but cooed her pleasure.
She tried to find frustration at being reduced to a whimpering girl—she didn’t coo, had never been a cooer—yet no frustr
ation came as tingles began to flirt along her skin everywhere his gaze landed. Would she ever get enough of him? Rid him from her thoughts? Dismiss him? “Jacob.” His name came out a moan as she released her hold on her robe altogether.
He stepped back to admire her more completely.
Or so she thought.
The flick of his tongue across his lips had her core clenching, her body wanting nothing more than for his tongue to trace the royal blue lace that trimmed both the outer edges of the teal panty and matching bra she wore. Yet he made no move to come closer again.
In fact, he closed his eyes as he growled, “If you don’t hurry and put clothes on, woman, we won’t make it to your sister’s celebration this evening.”
Chills danced up her spine at the gruffness of his voice. He could close his eyes all he wanted to; she wasn’t moving until he touched her. “You do know what tonight is, right? The fundraiser’s done. We can…” Her breath held while he reached out and grabbed the ends of her robe.
This is it! Wild, floor shaking sex mere seconds away.
The backs of his fingers grazed her breasts, and they strained to be freed into his grasp.
Take me against the wall. Or in bed. Or both.
Sara laughed at the deliciously naughty thoughts, wantonly running her hands down her abdomen to tease the lace of her panties.
“Jesucristo, no!” Jacob pulled her robe closed and backed farther away. “Uh-uh. Not tonight.”
Not tonight? Wasn’t that the whole point of their date? To give in to what they’d been denying themselves? She stalked him, closing the distance he’d just put between them. “Scared you can’t handle me?”
Maniacal laughter accompanied him taking another step backwards. “Absolutely.”
Her mouth closed on her teasing retort.
He was serious. He wasn’t going to touch her.
She’d finally decided to take a leap and date someone with crazy sex appeal, and he wanted to wait?
She stared at him, incredulous.
Morrow's Horizon (The Morrow Women Series Book 1) Page 15