Served Cold

by Marie Harte

  Dex swung Riley into a huge hug. “How is it you keep getting prettier? Your skin is flawless. Gorgeous. Look at the play of shadow over you. When can I shoot you?”

  “Excuse me?” Ann arched a brow.

  Jack slung an arm around her shoulders. “I’m assuming he means with a camera.”

  “Huh? Of course.” Dex shook his head. “Academics. Am I right?”

  Riley snickered. “Teachers in lurveee.”

  Ann blushed.

  Jack only smiled, and Riley’s eyes grew wider.

  Dex glanced from him to Riley. “What?”

  “Nothing. Look, I gotta go. I have to find Maya before she gets a gun and shoots you. As in, not with a camera.”

  Dex sighed. “Still mad about the prom, huh? She swore she’d get even with me.”

  “You know Maya. She holds a grudge.”

  “Yeah, but she’s so pretty while being mad. I forgive her.”

  Even Ann smiled at the charmer.

  Jack didn’t like that. “Okay, we’re out of here.” He leaned down and whispered to her, “I have five more hours.”

  “Geesh. Going to count down to the last second, eh?”

  “You got it.”

  Jack said his goodbyes before dragging Ann away with him.

  “I wanted to hang with Riley.”

  “Well, I want you all to myself. Unless you’d rather blow me right—”

  She slapped a hand over his mouth.

  “Jackson Samuel Bloom, watch your mouth.”

  He laughed and licked her palm. She wiped her hand on his jacket, muttering under her breath. Then she grabbed him and yanked him with her to the car.

  As he drove them back to her house, he wondered about something. “You don’t care if I drive, do you?”

  “Why would I?” She seemed puzzled.

  “Some women would see me driving as a statement of control.”

  “You do have five more hours. Then…payback.” She smirked at him.

  “So if there was no bet, just you and me hanging out, would you want to drive?”

  “Would you care if I did?”

  He thought about it. “No. You’re a good driver.”

  She nodded. “There’s your answer. You’ve never been sexist or racist as long as I’ve known you. You’ve never treated Maya or Riley different, which is more than I can say for half the school. And you’ve never acted like having a smart girlfriend was a crime.”

  “I love smart women.” One smart woman in particular.

  “You always treated me with respect.” She frowned. “Well, almost always.”

  He didn’t want to talk about the past. “Now, today, do you feel good being with me?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” She looked out the window as she asked, “You like being with me, don’t you?”

  “Yes. And not just for the sex. That’s amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I like you a lot, Ann.” He decided to push. “I’d like us to keep seeing each other. After the bet.”

  “Seeing each other.”

  “You know. Dating. Boyfriend-girlfriend. Being exclusive.”

  “Oh.”

  They drove the next few minutes in silence. He was dying to know what she thought about his idea.

  Once inside, she turned to him. “What do I get out of it?”

  “Excuse me?” He hung up their coats, straightening out the sleeves so the jackets were even, then noticed her surprised expression. “What?”

  “Nothing.” But he saw the smile she tried to hide.

  “What? Spit it out, Weaver.”

  She grinned. “I just think it’s cute that you’re a neat freak.”

  “Oh.” He glanced at the closet, and she laughed. Having her in a good mood, he took advantage. “So you and me. Us.” She stopped laughing and backed away as he advanced. Finally, she took him seriously. “What do you think?”

  She stopped moving when she backed into the wall. He stood over her, feeling like a conquering hero and loving it. He freely admitted he got off on being in command, but only because he knew she was as strong as he was, and she let him take charge. He needed that trust from her. Maybe, once he felt sure of her feelings, they could revisit the past and clear the air. But right now he needed a hold on the woman.

  He hated to keep resorting to sex, but it seemed to work. She softened after he pleasured her.

  Jack put a hand around her neck. Gently, but he kept her right where he wanted her. Judging from the increase in her breathing and dilation of her pupils, she liked his hand right where it was.

  “You and me, Ann.”

  He used his other hand to unbutton her blouse. He slipped his hand inside and past her bra to tease her nipples.

  “You’re cheating,” she moaned.

  He loved that she knew he intended to manipulate her with sex yet couldn’t help herself. “I’ll do anything to get you.” And keep you. “Come on, Ann. What could it hurt?” As soon as he said the words, he knew he’d made a mistake. Her eyes darkened with memory.

  He didn’t want her lingering on their past mistakes. He wanted her looking toward a better future. So he pinched her nipple and kissed her. His hand on her neck remained, but he didn’t tighten it. Restraining her served to heighten her desire. And before he knew it, the minx had opened his jeans and had her hands on him.

  “Ann. Fuck.”

  “If I say yes, what does that mean?” She stroked him, rubbing her thumb over his cockhead.

  He widened his stance, mentally begging her to cup his balls, to drop to her knees and suck him off. That was an image he wanted to commit to memory.

  “I—ah—it means… You… God, Ann.” He moaned and started humping her hand. “You and me, angel. Just us. No one else.”

  “No cheating,” she clarified. “I’d have to trust you.”

  “And I’d have to trust you,” he added and nearly came when she squeezed him.

  “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do right now.”

  “I’ll prove it to you. We can make it work.” His heart lightened with hope while his cock hardened with lust. “Now on your knees.” He checked his watch, barely able to focus. “I have four hours and twenty-six minutes left to boss you around.” Though right now he wasn’t sure who was bossing whom.

  She dropped to her knees, pulled his pants and underwear down, then drew his thick shaft to her lips. She stared up at him as her tongue darted out to lick his slit.

  “Shit. Ann. Oh God.”

  She smiled and watched him watching her. Then she took the crown of his cock between her lips and sucked. “Hmm.” She bobbed over him, and their gazes locked.

  He wondered what she saw as she sent him spiraling in pleasure. It didn’t take him long before he reached his end. He shouted her name and clutched her head as he spent, and she swallowed him down.

  “Best. Girlfriend. Ever,” he said between breaths.

  She grinned and licked him up, then rose to her feet. “That was sixty seconds well spent.”

  He might have been more upset about the jibe if he could get his brain to function.

  She laughed. “I swear your eyes nearly rolled up in your head. You have a sexy O-face.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Oh, he’s blushing,” she teased. “Seriously. I bet you could make real money in amateur home movies. You know what I’m talking about. Quit your day job and show some skin for sin.” She wiggled her brows.

  “Ann Weaver.” He feigned shock as he tucked himself back into his pants. “I can’t believe you even know what P-O-R-N is!”

  Her own cheeks burned red, and he laughed. “You should see your own O-face. I’m game. Let’s film it.”

  “No way. Uh-uh. I’m a teacher.”

  “With a sexy-as-hell body and the ability to make me come in less than a minute. I’m a teacher too, but I can admit to liking sex.”

  “Liking it is just fine. Filming it? No.”

  He pulled her in for a hug and a kiss. “I was kidding, Ms. St
ick-in-the-Mud.”

  “Stick in the—”

  “Four hours and eighteen minutes to go,” he said checking his watch. Then he smacked her ass. “Now go get naked and spread out on the bed. We’re far from done, wench.”

  “That’s Ms. Weaver to you.”

  “Oh, the naughty schoolboy and his teacher. Good one. That’s what we’ll do next.”

  Ann pretended shock, but the pretty red staining her cheeks showed she was more than interested.

  Oh yeah. He had it bad for teacher. Real bad.

  Chapter Eleven

  Figuring Jack would want some space on Sunday after spending almost every second of their weekend together, Ann mentioned he might want to leave so she could do some household chores.

  Jack sat at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee. “I’m good. So what chores do we have to do?”

  “We?”

  “Sure. I figure if I help you dust, you can help me figure out what to get Julie for the surprise party my mother is planning. You know, to celebrate the new baby.”

  She stared at him. “You want my help? I don’t really know Julie. Why not ask Dan?” She felt silly, but shopping together felt as if they were taking their relationship to the next level. They were already having sex. He wanted them to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Then what? Move in together? Get engaged? What about her grand plans for revenge? Not easy to finish if she fell in love with the guy.

  His thoughtfulness toward his sister-in-law wasn’t helping her resolve, either.

  Great going with that, Ann. Why don’t you sleep with him again to prove how over him you are? She could almost hear Maya’s scathing voice ripping her a new one.

  “Ann?”

  She shook herself. “What? Oh. I guess. I need to clean up the kitchen, dust and pick up the living room. You know, house stuff. And I definitely need a shower.”

  “You can clean the shower and yourself at the same time. That’s how I do it.” He looked around, no doubt noting the mess of dishes in the drying rack, a few in the sink and the random assortment of cans and boxes of macaroni she hadn’t gotten around to organizing yet.

  She grinned, feeling a little more on even keel. “You have issues, you know that?”

  “I don’t follow.”

  She pulled out a chair and sat next to him. “It’s kind of cute, your addiction to cleanliness.”

  “I wouldn’t say I’m addicted.” He concentrated on his coffee, taking small sips.

  “I would. Maybe it’s an OCD thing.”

  His cheeks turned red. “Shut up.”

  “Look at you. All embarrassed because you and Mr. Clean are in a monogamous relationship.”

  “You know, you’re a lot prettier when that mouth is occupied with other things.” His smirk made her blush.

  “Fine. I’ll get the cleaning stuff.”

  He actually hummed while he dusted. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen and heard it herself. He seemed to enjoy cleaning up while she put the groceries away and straightened up the dishes.

  After a while, she realized the house had grown quiet. She tracked him down in her bedroom, straightening up her clothes.

  He noticed her and raised a brow. “What? We made a mess in here.”

  “Oh? You’re wearing your mess. That’s my stuff on the floor.” After her harried week, she’d foregone being neat. Normally she put things away, but this side of Jack intrigued her. Seeing him so domestic made him seem more real. More human. More…

  She stopped him when he grabbed her laundry basket. “Okay, that’s enough. Go watch TV or read a book. I’m going to shower.”

  “But I could—”

  “You are not washing my dirty clothes.” Gross and embarrassing. “Go downstairs. I’ll shower, then we can go get Julie something.”

  He brightened. “Actually, I think I’ll head home for some fresh clothes. I’ll be back in half an hour.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed her, pulling her in for that familiar, unmistakable warmth that she knew would be her undoing. Being with Jack was starting to become the norm. She liked it, liked him, more than she should.

  He moved away with a sigh. “You know, there’s no rush. Why don’t we…” He nodded back to the bed.

  “Nope. We hit the sheets, we’ll be there all day. We’re shopping, remember?”

  “Fine.” He turned to leave, and she swore she heard, “I’ll get you later.”

  Once alone in the shower, she tried to wash away her concerns. Easier said than done. The soap suds swirled around the drain, but her confusion still remained.

  She’d thought she was doing the right thing by getting herself together, confronting the past—in particular, Jack. But she didn’t want to revisit the pain of old mistakes. She wanted to take charge of her life and put her troubles far behind her. But it seemed as if Jack planned to make her a part of his future.

  And maybe she wanted that too.

  Confusing sex with love. A familiar pattern. Remember, he dumped you once. What’s to say he won’t do it again?

  After finishing her shower, she dried and dressed. She planned on putting a bit of distance between her and Jack, though she didn’t intend to tell him that. The sex between them was new, and sure, they’d always been good together. But the rest, the dating, the sharing, that took its toll. A few more days in his company and she was pretty sure she’d be ready to say goodbye. He’d no doubt act like an ass soon enough.

  One could hope.

  Jack returned when he said he would. They decided to walk downtown, a short trip into the heart of Bend. There they perused each store—even the ones that had nothing to do with a baby. Testing him, Ann tried to bore him to death by shopping for hours, and not just for Julie, but for herself as well. Her excuse being she rarely took the time to go shopping.

  She hadn’t expected him to like being with her that much.

  “No, I like the blue one better.”

  She turned to see him eyeing the dress she’d tried on, as she looked at herself in front of the store mirror. “Really? You like this better than the pink one?”

  “Brings out the blue in your eyes.” He winked.

  To her astonishment, he wasn’t joking around or mildly tolerating her, but offering what appeared to be a sincere opinion.

  “You’re having fun, aren’t you?”

  He laughed. “Yeah. Why not? If I wasn’t out shopping with you, I’d be working on something for Dr. Singer or hiking at Todd Lake. And after our trip last week, hiking turns me on. Not cool when you’re by yourself in the woods and end up passing curious hikers, let me tell you.”

  Her cheeks felt warm. “Oh, um. Okay.” She hurried into the dressing room to put her own clothes back on. Then she took the dresses she’d tried on and placed them on the return rack.

  “You’re not going to get it?” he asked.

  “Nah. Just window shopping.” On her salary, she needed to be bowled over to splurge on clothes. Though she loved the dress, she didn’t love the price tag.

  Jack plucked the dress off the rack and took it to the counter.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Buying you this dress.” He noted a pair of earrings near the counter that she’d coveted earlier. “Those too.”

  “Jack.”

  The saleswoman smiled and added them to the purchase. “Good choice.” She rang up the sale and handed Jack the bag. He grabbed it and Ann’s hand and left the store.

  “Where to next?”

  She felt awkward, both pleased and weirded out that he’d purchased her something. Especially considering her conflicted feelings for him. Then another thought hit her, this one mortifying.

  “You didn’t have to buy me anything.” She tilted her chin up. “I can afford it, you know.”

  He sighed. “This isn’t going to be a big deal, is it? It’s just a dress.”

  “And earrings.”

  “So? I plan to strip the dress off you at some point.
It’s more a present for me, really.” He nodded to more stores. “Now, where to next?”

  She gave in and took him to a baby store, where they selected a stuffed owl and some neutral-colored onesies for the baby.

  “Do you think Julie will want to learn the baby’s sex?” she asked as they left.

  “Probably. Julie likes to know what’s what. Dan too.”

  They hit a bistro for lunch and ordered sandwiches and drinks. Jack insisted on paying, despite her protests, and then they took their seats while they waited for their order to appear.

  “I could have paid,” she said.

  “Look, it’s my weekend. I’m in charge.”

  “You lost your authority hours ago,” she reminded him.

  “I know. So you should ease me back into being a normal guy by letting me do whatever I want.”

  “I should, hmm?” She was such a sucker for that bright blue joy in his eyes. When he grew so animated and happy, she had a hard time refusing him anything.

  “Yeah.” He sipped from his drink, watching her. “So…”

  “Go ahead. Say what’s on your small, male mind.”

  He laughed with her. “You’re so funny when you’re insulting. And everything about you is pretty.”

  “Jack, stop. I’ll get a big ego if you keep flattering me.”

  “Nah. You’ll shrug it off, like you do all my compliments.” He studied her from the top of her head to her toes hidden under the table. “Yep. I like the whole package.”

  Unfortunately, she really liked him too. What to do about that?

  “You had a point?” she prodded.

  “Julie’s pregnant with her second. My mom’s on me to settle down, but I keep telling her I don’t have time. What about you? Ever thought about kids?”

  She shrugged, keeping it casual and not trying to read too much into that segue. “Sure. I always figured I’d be a mom someday. But I’m only…” She did the math and felt her biological clock start ticking. “Well, I’ll be thirty next year.”

  “Still young.” He nodded. “You have plenty of time to start a family.”

  “I’d like to do it the old fashioned way. I know too many single moms having a hard time. I’d prefer to get married first. Then again, I’m sure my single friends did too.” She sighed. “It’s scary. Relationships don’t last anymore.” She looked at him, uncomfortable at the intensity in his eyes. “What?”