“So this is because of my birthmark?” she shot back.
“This is because I can’t help myself,” he growled. “I haven’t been able to help myself since I watched you walk away from me in that airport. I had to chase you down. I had to talk to you.” He closed his eyes, squeezing them tight as he blew out a gusty breath. When he opened them again he found her staring up at him wide-eyed, and the fight seeped from his pores. “I don’t know why, Ellie. I just can’t help myself.”
Her teeth sank into the plump fullness of her lower lip, and God help him, all he wanted to do was rescue that tender flesh.
“Give it a chance,” he whispered. “I know it’s not perfect, but we can work it out. Just give us a chance.”
“I have to tell you something,” she said in a soft, breathless voice.
“You can tell me anything.” She hesitated, and he forced a wan smile. “Did you get pantsed in gym class too?”
“I’m being transferred to Louisville,” she said in a rush.
Her statement landed like a punch to the gut. Jack blinked to clear the fuzz from his mind, shaking his head in denial.
“Yeah. I just... I don’t see how...”
Ellie’s small, sad smile tugged at him, spurring him into action. “We’ll make it work.”
“But, Jack—”
Jack planted his hands on his hips. “Little Rock, Louisville, Lubbock... Pick any ‘L’ town you want, I’ll make it work,” he insisted.
“Why?” she asked softly.
He hung his head, his fingertips biting into the denim at his hips. “I don’t know why. I just…”
His thumb grazed the small box tucked into his back pocket and he frowned. Her silence made him nervous. He fidgeted under her steady green gaze. Jack slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the box of candy hearts. Ellie gaped at him when he shook a handful into his palm.
“Here. Hold this,” he ordered, thrusting the box into her hand.
Her fingers closed around it automatically. Her forehead creased into puzzled lines as she stared at the box. “Were you afraid we’d run out of things to talk about?”
“Nope. I just like these,” he said, sorting through the candies is his palm. A smile quirked his lips when he found the one he wanted. He plucked the tiny pink heart from his hand and offered it to her. “But this is what I really want to say.”
“Be Mine,” she whispered, her gaze fixed on the chatty confection.
“I don’t know why, Ellie, and I don’t know how. I just know I have to try.”
She nodded mutely and reached for his hand. Jack jumped when her fingertips brushed his. “May I?” she asked softly.
“Sure,” he answered in a rough, gravelly voice.
Ellie daintily sorted through the multi-colored candies. Unsatisfied, she held up the box and raised an inquiring eyebrow. “May I?”
“Knock yourself out.” She smirked, and he hastened to add, “Not literally.”
Ellie dumped the remainder of the candies into his palm and began to pick through them. She held out about three seconds before her head jerked up. “Just kiss me, okay?” she asked, clearly exasperated.
She didn’t have to ask twice. Clutching the candies in his fist, Jack wrapped his arm around her and hauled her to him. He kissed her hard and hot, pouring the crazy into her and holding nothing back. Ellie’s lips parted and she moaned into his mouth. Staggered by the assault on his senses, Jack stumbled back, pressing his clenched fist to his stomach.
“What?”
“You didn’t answer me,” he said in a ragged tone.
“I thought I did.”
Jack shook his head adamantly. “Just be mine, Ellie. We can sort everything else out.”
She tugged at his wrist again, cradling his hand in both of hers. His fingers unfurled, revealing the jumble of heart shaped pleas he held in his palm. Ellie plucked a yellow one from the mix and held it up for him to read.
He gave her a brisk nod. “I will. I will call you.” She touched the candy to his lips and he opened automatically, crunching down on his promise.
Ellie chose a green candy and held it up for his perusal. A smile spread across his face. “I want to be your guy, but you’re making it a little rough on me.” She popped the candy into her mouth and started searching for another. “You could just talk to me,” he suggested.
“Where’s the fun in that?” she mumbled, rooting through the sayings. “Really? Tweet me?”
“They have to change with the times.”
A smirk twitched her lips then smoothed into a brilliant smile as she chose a purple one from the pile. “Me plus you?” Her smile widened when he bobbed his head with gusto. “They need to put more of the ‘Kiss Me’ ones in here,” she complained.
With a flick of his wrist, Jack sent the remaining candies skittering across the floor. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her to her toes and kissing her down to her soles. Her fingers threaded through his hair and locked at the nape of his neck. His hand slid from the small of her back to the curve of her bottom. Ellie gave a little hop then stumbled back when she bounced off his body.
“Stupid skirt,” she muttered, clutching the countertop for balance.
Jack grinned. “I like the skirt. Very sexy secretary.”
Ellie met his gaze, a spark of challenge lighting her evergreen eyes. Her hands distracted him, fluttering to the small of her back. The sound of a zipper caught his full attention. His gaze dropped to the snug black skirt, flew up to meet Ellie’s gaze, then followed the soft whoosh of fabric as it fell at her feet.
Jack swallowed hard, his gaze locked on the scrap of red lace that hugged the rounded curves of her hips. She planted her hands on his shoulders. A sultry smile curved her lips. Ellie shook her head and took another leap, this time wrapping her arms and legs securely around him.
He cradled her lush bottom in his palms and forgot how that whole breathing thing went. Ellie pressed her lips to the pulse drumming just below his jaw. Her warm, moist breath heated his skin. Jack bit his tongue, trying to rein in his vivid, x-rated thoughts; desperate to prove he wasn’t the sex-starved Neanderthal that roared to life inside him.
“Didn’t you want pizza?” he managed to croak.
“Forget the pizza,” she whispered, nipping at his lips. “We’ll eat chocolates for dinner. In bed.”
Secret Valentine
Marissa Dobson
“Ashlyn Brooks, look at you. It’s unhealthy to stay cooped up in this house. It’s time to move on, get your life back in order.” My Gran came around the counter and put her coffee cup in the dishwasher. I leaned against the kitchen sink, gripping my container of Ben and Jerry’s Brownie Batter ice cream, and prepared myself for more.
My reflection stared back at me in the hall mirror. I took a quick inventory; Gran was right. My curly shoulder-length blond hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail with a bright pink scrunchie; my favorite pink pajama bottoms and black tank top hung looser than a month ago. I knew I didn’t look presentable, but the only destination on my agenda was the living room couch with my new best friends Ben and Jerry, to watch a far-from-realistic love story on Lifetime. Not only did Ben and Jerry not care how I dressed but they wholeheartedly agreed that love never lasts like in the movies. They knew, as I did, that life just doesn’t work that way.
“I know, Gran,” I said rolling my eyes. How many times was I going to have to hear that I needed to start living again? No one understood what I was going through. “I just need more time. When I go out, I feel like everyone in this small town is looking at me. Gran, I can’t face people every day, knowing they feel sorry for me since my husband took off.”
She touched my shoulder lightly. “I understand child, but this is no life either. You are young, and love will find you again. You must live and open your heart. Just think about what I say.” She leaned over to kiss my forehead “Goodnight, child.”
“Night, Gran.” I followed her out of the kitchen, headed
back to the living room with a heavy load on my shoulders. I knew she was right, but at the same time, I didn’t want to face the residents of Cedar Grove. Maybe coming back home wasn’t the best idea, after all.
As she turned toward the steps, the doorbell rang. “Who could that be this late? Are you expecting someone?”
This was going to be one of those nights, and I suspected I would never find out how the movie ended. Grumbling, I told her, “No, but go on. I’ll get it.”
I opened the door to find a kid standing there; he couldn’t have been older than seventeen. “Can I help you?”
“I have a letter for Ms. Ashlyn Brooks.”
My mood still wasn’t good. “Is that what teenagers do nowadays, steal other people’s mail? If it’s not your mail you shouldn’t take it. You’re young, but that’s a federal crime.”
The young boy stood in the doorway looking scared to death. “I...I work for Pete’s Delivery,” the kid stammered, “over on 5th Street, and he asked me to deliver this today along with my other packages. I would have delivered it sooner, but this one fell on the floor. I didn’t notice it until I picked up my girlfriend for dinner.”
Taking the envelope from the boy I nodded and complained, “Get back to your date and thanks for bringing it by. I won’t tell your boss it was late.” As he returned to his car, I inspected the envelope, wondering who it could be from.
I slid my forefinger under the lip of the envelope, noting that there wasn’t a return address. I found that to be odd, yet interesting. As the envelope came unsealed, my hands shook with nerves.
Welcome home Ashlyn!
I have watched from afar for much too long.
It is finally time I told you how I feel.
I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you,
and shall until the day I draw my final breath.
When the time is right, I will reveal myself to you.
I stood by the door in awe, wondering who in the world....
Did I know him? He must live here, since he knows I’m back in town, but who could it be? I had more questions than answers.
Gran was right that I needed to get out of the house. I just didn’t know how to move on. I needed a boast, and the best person to do that, was my childhood best friend, Kasey. I snatched my Blackberry off the table and began to text. Meet for lunch, say noon at Tony’s Grill?
****
Something happened inside me when the letter arrived; maybe things weren’t as bad as I thought. Today I planned to make a change. I couldn’t keep moping around the house. So, I got out of bed, bright and early for the first time since I moved back home, and made breakfast.
“Something smells scrumptious,” Gran said walking into the kitchen.
“It’s your favorite, buttermilk pancakes with bacon.” I flipped the pancake onto her plate and smiled as I took the sizzling bacon from the pan. “You were right last night, things have to change. I have an appointment to get my hair done with Gracie and then I’m meeting Kasey for lunch. I love you, Gran,” I said and kissed her cheek.
Leaving Gracie’s Salon, I felt like a million bucks. Gracie could work miracles. She was able to take my dull blond hair and make it vibrant again. She added golden sun-kissed highlights and gave me a haircut that framed my face. By the time I met Kasey for lunch, I was exhausted. Tossing and turning all night doesn’t produce much sleep.
As I walked into Tony’s Grill, I spotted her there waiting with a table. One of the best things about being back in town was being able to see her all the time.
She looked about to bust when I arrived at the table. “You look fantastic! I love what you did with your hair. I am so glad to see you out of the house.”
“Thanks. Sorry I haven’t been much of a friend lately. I just needed some time to myself.”
“I understand, but that bastard husband isn’t worth your tears. You should have left him long before you caught him cheating.” I went still. She must have noticed because she changed the subject. “But we didn’t meet for lunch to talk about him. Tell me what’s been going on. I have missed you so.”
It was just like old times with Kasey. She was always so full of life. She had a bubbly personality, and you couldn’t be sad too long with her around. “I’ve missed you, too,” I said giving her my biggest smile. “Things are better. Gran is wonderful. Thankfully I can work anywhere as long as I have my laptop and Internet access. But something weird happened last night...”
Kasey’s interest piqued, she leaned closer, but before I could give her the details the waiter showed up.
“May I take your order?”
Kasey sat back and let out a hefty sigh that said talk about bad timing.
I chuckled before turning to the waiter. “Two of Tony’s specials. Sound good, Kas?”
Still in a sour mood, she replied, “Yeah, sounds fine.”
As soon as the waiter was out of ear shot, she sat back up. “Spill it.”
“Oh man, I forgot to tell the waiter I wanted...” I turned slightly in my seat to see if he was still around, but before I could raise my hand to get the waiter’s attention Kasey grabbed my wrist.
“Oh no, you don’t. You will tell me everything now, and then you can order as many of whatever it is you wanted.”
I let out a quiet laugh. One of Kasey’s less attractive traits was how impatient she was. “Okay. This was weird. Last night one of the workers at Pete’s came by to deliver a letter.”
She seemed disappointed. “What is your point? We get letters all the time.”
“Not like this.” I pulled the letter from my purse.
Her eyes got big as saucers. “Who you do you think it’s from?”
“I have no idea. Has to be someone who knew me when I was younger, because he says he’s been watching from afar for too long. I was hoping you could help me figure it out. You know what has been going on around here while I was away.”
“Umm, sure.” She glanced about. “Let’s eat and catch up now. How about I stop by your Gran’s place tomorrow after work? I don’t know if we should be talking about this in public. You know how nosey the residents of Cedar Grove can be.”
****
The next night as Kasey arrived, Gran was just leaving for Bingo. “Bye girls, have a nice time. Dinner is in the oven.”
Kasey laid her coat on the back of the couch and we hollered, “Bye, have a good time!” As the door shut, I let out of an impatient sigh and asked. “Have you any ideas yet?”
Kasey wasn’t her normal bubbly self. “No, I was up all night thinking. I came up with a small list but no one I think would do this.”
“I know,” I added. “I was up half the night doing the same thing. It wasn’t until this morning I thought to get out our old yearbooks and see if that jogged my memory. Come on, they’re in the kitchen.”
“Want to hear my best and worst guesses?”
Grabbing two sodas out of the fridge, I looked at Kasey, “Sure. Hopefully they aren’t the same as mine.” I wasn’t too keen on my list.
She leaded against the counter and left out a short chuckle. “Best guess would be James McDan and worst would be Curtis Adams.”
“You can’t be serious. You think that cowardly Curtis would do something like this? When I left he couldn’t even make eye contact.”
She laughed. “Okay, maybe you’re right. He’s still as backward as ever, but he made the list because he is single.”
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Wouldn’t have guessed he was still single,” I said in a sarcastic tone. We both burst out laughing. This was the most fun I’d had since arriving back in town.
Over dinner we narrowed down the list to our top two suspects. James, who was a Doctor at Cedar Grove’s Hospital, and Drew Spencer a firefighter with an amazing body.
“Now what? How do we figure out who it is?”
But before we could make a plan the doorbell rang. “You start thinking and I’ll get that.”
I opened th
e door to another delivery man holding a large vase of lilies.
“These are for Ms. Ashlyn Brooks,” he said and shoved them into my hands.
As I looked at the flowers trying to find a card, I thought, How rude! Shoving the flowers like that. He didn’t seem to like people, so why would he get a job where he had to deal with people all the time? And then I was reminded of my sour mood a few days before.
Before I could give it much thought, Kasey called from the kitchen. “Who is it?”
I carried the vase to the kitchen. “A delivery man with flowers for me.”
She stopped making notes and looked up, her eyebrows arched. “Uh oh. Who are they from?”
I sat the flowers on the kitchen counter and spied the card sticking out of the top.
In school we were both outgoing.
Yet I was shy and couldn’t tell you how I felt.
Now I am putting it all on the line to show you how I feel.
I handed it to Kasey. “I guess that puts out James. He was always quiet and friendly, but I wouldn’t say outgoing.”
“True. But do you really think it is Drew?”
I sat down with a huff. “This is crazy. First thing tomorrow morning I am going to call the flower shop and demand they tell me.”
“Come on Ashlyn, if you do that you will spoil the surprise.”
“Kasey, I don’t know about this. I just got out of a messy divorce. Maybe this isn’t the best time to have a secret valentine. Romance and I just don’t work out. I came back home to escape, not to find love.”
“Ash, I know. But you can’t hide yourself away and become an old maid. You’re young. Be courageous and live for the moment. Who knows, maybe mystery man is your knight in shining armor. Give it a chance and let it play out. That’s all I’m asking.”
Be Mine, Valentine Page 10