by Marie Harte
Jack had the nerve to slide a finger down her nose. “Know? We used to date.”
His teeth were so white and straight. She wanted to punch a hole through them. Instead, she forced a smile. “That was a long time ago. How are you, Jack? You look good.” Amazing, to-die-for sexy, hotter than any man had a right to be. Why did you just tell him he looked good, dumbass? This is not the time to be nice. Remember what you did to the sugar cookie. Yet she didn’t think she could take a bite out of his groin, even if Josh hadn’t been staring at them.
“I’m good,” Jack was saying. “I transferred from Washington to teach at the OSU satellite campus here. The school is transitioning to a four year program, you know.”
“I read that.” Great. No way he’d be jobless and move anytime soon. The state-funded project had been given the green light.
“Just the excuse I needed to come back home. I sure missed Bend.” And her, by the way he seemed to stare at her. She recognized carnal hunger in that gaze.
What. The. Hell?
Twelve years ago, while he’d had an arm draped over Selena Thorpe’s shoulders, he’d announced they were done. Just like that, in front of the entire cafeteria. No explanation. No concern about breaking her heart in two. She’d erupted into embarrassing tears, and he’d looked bored by it all. After a minute or two, he’d asked when she thought she might be done crying, then walked away laughing with Selena.
She’d been the pitiful laughingstock of the school for two solid weeks before Bethany James ran off with Carl Longtree and became the new talk of the town. Then things had gotten mostly back to normal. But not this normal.
As if reading her mind, Jack said, “The past should stay in the past, right?” He smiled. “We’re old friends, aren’t we?”
“Are we?”
He laughed and hugged her again, and she was torn between wanting to slap him and wanting to kiss him—which horrified her.
“Of course we are,” he said as he let her go. “I think Josh might have told you, but I’m taking care of him until Dan and Julie get back. They’re away on business.” He caressed her cheek until she stepped back.
He sure had turned into Mr. Touchy-Feely. She wanted badly to tell him what she really thought, but with Josh hanging on their every word, she swallowed her wrath. For now.
“Nice seeing you, Josh.”
“You too, Ms. Weaver.”
She looked at Jack and let him see the frost in her eyes. His lips curled, and she gripped the strap of her bag with a tight fist. Punching him in the face would not set a good example for the little one waiting for his uncle. “Jack.” She nodded and stepped around him and his expensive car, then walked up the steps to her porch and let herself in the house.
She shut the door behind her and slumped against it, shaking from the confusing mix of rage and desire coursing through her. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, the need to go back to a happy past conflicting with the pain she still felt, even after all these years.
The past is gone. Let it go, she tried to tell herself. But she couldn’t convince herself not to care. It’ll go away as soon as I get some ass-kicking closure with Jack Bloom.
Now that she believed.
Jack drove Josh home, only half-listening to his nephew prattle on about a game he’d played at school. Ann fucking Weaver. Of course she had to look like the delicate fairy princess he remembered. But she was older, wiser, and damn, even hotter now.
She still had that same blood-red hair. Wine-red, she’d always corrected him. So deep and rich, and it still curled around her shoulders in waves. Ann seemed just the same as she had in high school, though her body had filled out in all the right places. Despite her petite size, she had really nice breasts. Which fit in his hands perfectly, if he recalled.
Man. Talk about fate kicking him in the teeth. Back in town for only two days and he’d run into the one woman he’d never been able to completely get over. Even when dating other women over the years, something would always remind him of Ann. A gesture, a smile, a scent, and he’d be transported into the past. He’d felt it back then, that he and Ann would be together forever.
And then came the rumors, the half-truths, the betrayal. Covering his wounds as best he could, he’d pretended indifference and broken off with her.
Always in the back of his mind though was the what if. What if he found her again? What if she hadn’t married? What if she was available, and this time they made it work?
“Right, Uncle Jack?”
“Um, sorry, dude. What’s that?”
Josh sighed. “Didn’t you hear any of what I said? You’re not a very good listener.”
He tried not to smile. The kid was a miniature version of Jack’s older brother Dan. Jesus, but Josh acted just like his dad. Bossy and ready to set the world on fire.
“Right. I’ll try to do better.” He paused, hoping to sound casual when he pumped the kid for information. Nope. He had no shame. None at all. “So what do you think about Ms. Weaver? Is she nice?”
“Yeah. She smells good too.”
Jack could attest to that. She’d weighed next to nothing when he’d lifted her for that hug, and she smelled incredible. Like flowers. Lilacs maybe. Lavender? Something purple, if memory served. He could almost see her smiling as she teased him about her flower garden, back when they’d been young and in love.
“Isn’t she Mrs. Weaver though? Like, she’s married or has a boyfriend?”
Josh grinned, a sly smile that warned Jack to be wary. “Dad said you’d ask about Ms. Weaver. I get five bucks.”
Jack groaned as he pulled into his brother’s driveway. “Don’t tell your dad. It was just a question.” The boy chortled. Fortunately kids were easily bribed. “I’ll give you ten dollars to keep quiet.”
“And ice cream after dinner?”
Jack nodded. “Any flavor you want.”
Josh seemed to think it over, then agreed. They hooked fingers and, sworn into a pinkie promise, Jack backed out of the driveway and took the little swindler to the grocery store to pick his winnings…where he bumped into another familiar face clearly wishing he’d drop dead. Then again, what else could he expect from the Terrible Trio?
“Well, well. Look who’s back.” Maya Werner sneered at him. Then she noticed Josh and was all smiles.
Sexy, mean and not his type. He could still appreciate a nice body though. And boy, Maya, like Ann, had only gotten better with age. He wondered if Riley would look as good and figured she had to, because it would never be his luck that women who hated him should turn ugly. Only smokin’ hot chicks with friends in town to welcome him back with a boot to the face. Or the balls.
Before he could say anything to Maya, she tousled Josh’s hair, glared at Jack, then sauntered over to the bread aisle.
“Who was that?” Josh asked. “She’s tall.”
Just an inch or two shy of him. “She’s a good friend of Ms. Weaver’s. Or at least, she was back when I knew them.” Jack guided Josh toward the ice cream and waited while the boy made his selection.
“Wow. You must be really old, Uncle Jack. You know everybody.”
Only everybody who wants to skin me alive. Like it’s my fault Ann cheated on me.
Yet some part of him still wondered. Had he pushed her into Chapman’s arms? Hadn’t they been arguing a lot more as their senior year progressed and the future’s uncertainties plagued them?
“Uncle Jack? I’m good.”
Jack noticed two gallons of nasty looking flavors in the boy’s hands. Bubble gum and cotton candy? “No vanilla?”
“I’m not a vanilla guy.” Josh shook his head.
Little did he know, neither was Uncle Jack. Jack’s thoughts launched into how amazing sex would be with Ann today. Twelve years of experience and a hell of a lot more knowledge about how to get a woman off. He just knew he could snag her if he could get her in bed.
And then what? Keep her?
The warmth that unfurled from the thought worried hi
m, and he hurried to the register to pay, then drove Josh home.
The next day after waking to his mother’s six-thirty wakeup call—did the woman never sleep?—he promised her he’d meet her and his father for breakfast after seeing Josh off to school. Josh, clearly a morning person, had to be uber chirpy about everything, while on the TV an aggravating yellow sponge squeaked and giggled throughout the boy’s breakfast. After finally shoving the kid out the door, they made it to school in record time. He walked Josh in, pulse racing at the thought of seeing Ann again.
Ann ignored him, even though he lingered to be noticed.
Playing hard to get. Fine. I’m down with that. He smiled and said in an overly loud voice, “You look super pretty today, Ms. Weaver. Have a nice day.” He heard her class giggling as he left.
Sexy redhead annoyed. Check. She might be pissed, but at least she was aware of him. Time to meet his parents.
At a popular diner downtown, he sat at their table and stared through the window at the passersby, amused to see so many people wearing high-end clothing. Ah, life in Bend. Did anyone spend less than three hundred dollars on a coat around here? Talk about trendy. Then a few hipsters in dreads and shorts and carrying skateboards passed. He loved the contrasts of this town. Rich, poor, liberal, conservative. A whole cross section of America standing on the street corner waiting for the light to change.
“Your brother and Julie are having a baby.”
He snapped back to see his mother, Laura, smiling at him. “Really?” He laughed. “I’m going to be an uncle again?”
His dad nodded. “Sure are. That’s what happens when it gets cold in Bend. The population booms.”
“Oh, Sam, hush,” his mother admonished while blushing. Then her eyes narrowed on Jack. “So when can we expect some from you?”
He groaned. “Ma. Not again.”
“You’re thirty years old, mister. You’re not getting any younger.”
He looked to his father for help, but his old man grinned. “She’s right. You’re practically ancient. And so ugly. I mean, really. I might have a few desperate friends’ daughters I could set you up with, you poor, lonely soul.”
Jack shuddered. “If you love me, keep those crones away.”
Laura glared. “I know you’re both referring to Kim and Juliette. I don’t appreciate the humor.”
The waiter stopped by with a pot of coffee, and Jack thanked him profusely. “Great timing. I was needing this like you wouldn’t believe.”
“No problem, man.”
His mother didn’t wait for the guy to leave. She continued to lambast Jack about her great friends, their beautiful daughters and how he’d be doing the world a favor by giving the world future Blooms.
The waiter didn’t even bother trying to hide his grin.
“You think this is funny?” Jack asked, knowing it had passed funny and entered pathetic a lecture ago.
“Heck yeah. I got the same spiel from my mother last week. But hey, my girlfriend and I are taking it slow.”
“At least you have a girlfriend,” Laura huffed. Then she eased back on the annoyance. “Say, you don’t have any single woman friends, do you?”
Jack choked on his disbelief. His mother had no problem embarrassing herself, her family, hell, the world, it seemed, if it would get her more grandchildren.
“Sorry, ma’am. Nope.” The waiter smirked at Jack. “What can I get you?”
“Besides a muzzle for my mother?” Jack muttered, “I’ll have the number three.”
His parents ordered, and after the waiter left, Jack watched his father subtly wipe tears of mirth from his eyes.
Jack sighed. “I thought this was a welcome home breakfast. Not an intervention for your ‘pathetic loser son’—who just happens to have his doctorate in environmental engineering, thank you very much. Mom, what gives?”
“I’m just teasing.” It hadn’t seemed like teasing. “How is your social life, anyway?”
“Um, okay, I guess. Like I told you, I broke up with Beth before leaving Seattle. But we were on the outs anyway.”
Laura tsked before taking a sip of her coffee. “That’s too bad.”
“Please. I know you couldn’t stand her. Another reason I broke it off, if you must know.”
His mother raised her gaze to his and blinked. “Oh?”
Sam laughed. “Get off it, Laura. The boy has a mind of his own. We’ll be getting those grandkids from him in his own time. That’s if watching after Josh doesn’t scare him off.”
“I love that kid.” Jack smiled. “He’s a little too much of a morning person for me, but I’m adjusting.”
“He’s so pleased to be in Ann Weaver’s class.” His mother beamed. “You know, she’s still single. Such a nice girl. Whatever happened with you two, anyway? You were in love one minute, then dating someone else the next. I always liked her.”
He shifted in his seat. “The typical high school drama. Too young to settle with just one girl. It was our senior year, and we were going in different directions after graduation. Same old, same old.”
“Now you’re back. And you’re single. And she’s single…”
A glance at her had him rethinking his strategy to win Ann over. Why not use his mother’s knowledge? A smart guy knew when to bend. Besides, it might get her off his back about finding someone else. He just had to figure out what he planned to do with Ann once he got her before his mother made plans of her own. “So about Ann… What else do you know about her?”
His father groaned. “You’re in it now, boy. Even I can’t save you.”
“Sam, shut it.” Laura leaned closer. “Ann Weaver lives just two streets down from Dan and Julie.”
That he knew. And then she filled him in on what he didn’t know. Now he just had to figure out how to use it to his advantage.
Chapter Three
Wednesday afternoon Ann sat at her desk, still laughing about the day’s events.
Bonnie, a fellow teacher from the neighboring room, popped her head in. “Still here?”
“Almost done.” She couldn’t help it. She had to tell someone. “Did you hear what Garrett did at recess?”
Bonnie’s wide grin turned into a full-on belly laugh. “You mean when he dropped his pants?”
“And introduced everyone to his little butt, the Grand Canyon, and his front, the Eiffel Tower? How do they come up with this stuff?” Ann started laughing all over again, so hard she cried.
Which was how Jack found her moments later, trying to catch her breath.
“Is this good laughter, or hysterical find-me-a-straightjacket laughter? You deal with a lot of kids, so I’m not sure.”
Bonnie coughed and wiped her eyes. “Oh, the good kind. Sorry. Can I help you?”
“I’m here for her.” His self-satisfied smile turned on—annoyed—Ann to no end.
“I teach his nephew,” Ann clarified lest Bonnie tell half the school she had a boyfriend. Ann had her eye on the new fourth grade math teacher down the hall. And Bonnie liked to talk.
“Uh huh. Well, I’m off. See you tomorrow.” Bonnie winked at Ann before leaving.
Ann groaned. “Why did you have to say it like that?” She glared at Jack. “Now everyone’s going to think I’m dating one of my kids’ parents.”
“Uncle. You’re in the clear.”
She fumed. “Is there something you want?” His slow onceover made her blush. Damn him. She looked around. Seeing no one nearby, she decided the time had come to tell him off, to get the closure she’d needed for twelve long friggin’ years. She stood up and rounded her desk to face him. “I think it’s time we had this out.”
“I agree.” His suddenly serious expression took her aback. No more innuendo or jokey attitude.
“Yes. You had no right—”
“But not here.” With that said, he grabbed her by the arm and glanced around.
“What are you doing?”
He pulled her into the small office that connected her class and Bo
nnie’s. He checked the doorknob of Bonnie’s room. Finding it locked, he once more concentrated on her.
“Jack? Let go of me.”
He released her. “Just ensuring us some privacy.” He leaned by her to close the door they’d just come through.
The office wasn’t that big to begin with, but with both doors closed, she felt as if they stood on top of each other. The lack of windows and dim lighting didn’t help diminish the feeling of intimacy between them either.
She planted her hands on her hips, focused on being irritated instead of nervous at being so close to him. “I got your note that Josh went home with Brian today.”
“Good.” He took a step closer.
“So you didn’t need to come by.” She backed up and hated herself for it. When he took another step toward her, she forced herself to remain firm. “I think you should go.”
“I thought we needed to talk?” He had the temerity to raise his hand and stroke her hair, the same way he used to back in high school, when they’d been young and in love.
“Get off me.” Her voice shook, so she cleared her throat and tried again. “You were terrible to me in high school, and I—”
“Let’s agree to leave the past in its place. What’s done is done. If I can forgive and forget, why can’t you?”
She sputtered. “Forgive and forget? Are you—” Before she could add “kidding me,” he kissed her. No soft press of the lips, but a hungry, hot devouring of senses as his mouth stole over hers.
Shocked at the wealth of feeling from a simple kiss, she couldn’t stop trembling. Her knees threatened to buckle, so she gripped his open jacket to keep her balance. He pulled her in closer, forcing contact between his chest and hers. The man radiated heat, as well as a carnal attraction she was helpless to refuse.
He groaned and put his arms around her. His hands spanned her waist, and when he pulled her closer to his impressive erection, she realized the passion between them hadn’t dimmed one iota.
His tongue penetrated, stroking and seeking as he if had a right. Too bad her body hadn’t gotten the memo that he was persona non grata. Her breasts tingled. Her panties had grown wet. And her mouth refused to close while she welcomed his invasion.