by Niecey Roy
Jaden set the phone down and burrowed under the blankets to stare at the ceiling. Her body was still warm from the afterglow of rolling around Cole’s bed, her lips still swollen from his kisses. She already wanted more—her body shivered with the idea of it.
She rolled over and smashed her face into the pillow. This cannot be good.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Thank God, I’m starving.”
Jaden glanced up from her laptop to eye Tatem, who plucked a piece of toast from the small plate beside her breakfast. She’d woken up famished, and before Mia attempted to burn pancakes, she slipped from the house with her computer and the excuse of catching up on blog posts. Plus, with David home, the air in the house was strained, and because she mostly wanted to tell him off, it was easier to keep her distance. Mia would be buzzing about the parade in an hour anyway.
And Cole will be there. One day, and she was already aching for a glimpse of him.
“Hi to you, too. I ordered you some food. Alison said you’d want the country-style breakfast.” Jaden nudged the plate of toast to the girl, who plopped into the booth across from her. “Jelly?”
She nodded, but didn’t wait for Jaden to pass the jelly rack. Stretching to make a selection, she said, “I swear, Alison makes the best hash browns in the world. Like, she should win awards and stuff.”
Smiling, Jaden picked up her fork and speared a piece of breakfast sausage. “I will not argue. They’re gold. How’s that post coming along?”
Tatem’s eyes brightened and she patted the messenger bag on the table. With a mouth full of fries, she said, “Like, super awesome. I brought my laptop so we can write together or whatever.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. And you’re really helping me out with the post for the fireman’s fundraiser.” Cutting up a bite of over-easy egg, she said. “Guess where that post’s going? The county’s Visitor’s Bureau website. Mia gave me the executive director’s number and I vetted your post.”
“Seriously? That’s super cool!” She blinked rapidly, her eyes moist. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Jaden pretended that she didn’t notice the strain in Tatem’s voice. “Of course, I didn’t. But I read what you wrote and the photos you chose. It’s a great piece. They’ll be lucky to have it.”
Watching the girl open up in the last week, and being a part of it, filled Jaden with a glow. There had been a time in Jaden’s life when the hurt and darkness almost consumed her. Between nights of locking herself in her room while her mom partied with friends or men in the other room, or listening to her mom blame Jaden for ruining her life, it hadn’t been easy to imagine anything more would exist for her. She’d been lucky though—she found Mia, who had been too persistent to let Jaden finish bricking up walls around her. There was so much spunk inside Tatem; Jaden hoped she found her person, her constant, before that fire could be snuffed out.
Tatem cleared her throat. “Super cool. Thanks, Jaden.”
Alison swept up to the table with a steaming plate of biscuits and gravy and country fried hash browns. She set the plate in front of Tatem. “This girl has an appetite like a teenage boy.” She clicked her tongue and perched a hand on her hip. “And not an ounce of fat on this one. I don’t know how she does it.”
Jaden laughed and waved the fork. “She hasn’t met her late twenties yet. Thanks, Alison. This is all great.”
“Is it true?” She grabbed a handful of apron to wipe her hands. “You’re featuring Pike’s Ridge Escape on your TV show?”
Jaden snuffed out a groan and masked it with a smile. “I’m hoping. I’ll finish my article and pitch it to my producer. It’s too late to have it featured this season, but I’d love to work it into next season.”
“I’ll have to tell Candi. You remember Candi?” Alison asked, but didn’t wait for Jaden to answer. “She’s a couple of years younger than you. Anyway, her cousin’s friend knows Samantha Sesnick—that’s the owner, you know? And she introduced her to this guy who is, like, some kind of landscape god.” She stepped closer and dropped her voice. “I mean, this guy is hot.”
Jaden exchanged an amused glance with Tatem, who was busy shoving potatoes into her mouth.
“He’s going to do all of her landscaping. Candi has the hots for him, so she plans to schedule all these women’s teas there when he’s outside.” She shrugged and picked up Jaden’s glass of ice water. “I’m married so it won’t be as much fun for me. But I’ll still go.” She sent Jaden a wink and tapped the glass. “I’ll get you a refill and be right back.”
Tatem grimaced and reached for another piece of toast. “I think there’s a shortage of men in this town or something.”
Jaden shook her head with a laugh. “Or something.”
Tatem’s eyes widened and her shoulders drooped. “Ugh. Great.”
Jaden glanced in the direction of her gaze, to the front door. A small group of teenagers had squeezed through the door, talking animatedly, oblivious to their surroundings. Three girls held the center of attention for the group, one the clear leader in the way she flipped her hair and looked down her cute button nose, and the others fell in line. There were three boys with them—a chubby boy in glasses, a lanky kid who laughed a little too loud, and a good-looking, broody dark haired boy who hung back just enough without distancing himself.
She turned back to Tatem. “Friends of yours?”
Tatem rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Megan, the girl with the red hair, she’s pretty rancid.”
“Strong word.” Jaden dug for a forkful of potatoes, lifting her brows at Tatem. “Deserving?”
“Pretty much. She’s horrid.” She shrugged and pretended not to notice the kids, but her stiff posture and sausage-stabbing gave her away. “We call them the Bitch Squad. Normally, I just ignore them, but they decided to take over the yearbook committee next year.”
“Bummer.” She kept the kids in the corner of her eye while she ate. They had all lined up at the bar, perched on stools. “You’re on the yearbook committee then?”
“I was last year. It was pretty much the only extra-curricular activity I could get into since I started in the middle of the year.”
Jaden cocked her head and smiled over her fork. “I know the school’s small, but I’m sure there’re other activities?”
“Uncle Joe wanted me to try out for band.” She crossed her eyes with a sickly grimace. “I am not musically inclined, but he thinks I can pick up a clarinet and play.”
Jaden laughed and set her fork down. “Mia’s mom wanted me to join band, too. She thought it would be good for me.”
“Did you join then?”
“Nope. I wasn’t musically inclined, either.”
“I kinda liked working on the yearbook. Crappy cameras, not like yours.” She pressed her lips together and glanced over at the kids sitting at the bar. “Pretty sure they joined just to make sure most of the pictures in the yearbook are of themselves next year.”
Nudging her plate toward the edge of the table, Jaden said, “Girls like that will rip each other to shreds. You just do what you joined for and take pictures.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged, and Jaden caught her sneaking another peek at the dark haired boy who sat sideways on a stool at the end of the counter. His lips turned up into a shy smile, and Tatem whipped her gaze away.
“Who is he?” Jaden wrapped her hands around her coffee mug and lifted it to her lips. She inhaled the rich scent and wished it were her normal hazelnut latte.
Megan noticed where his gaze had gone, and poked him in the arm. He turned the stool forward, but ignored her.
“Blake Adams.” Her cheeks were flushed as she chewed on her lip. “He’s, like, a basketball star.”
“And the mean girl, that’s his girlfriend?”
“Not anymore.”
“And?” When she didn’t answer, Jaden laughed. “I’m not so much older than you that I’ve forgotten high school romance.”
She shook out a
napkin and placed it in her lap. After a moment, she picked it up again and folded it on the table.
“Tatem.”
The napkin became a wad in her fisted hand. “It’s just... I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I really like him.”
“And that’s a problem?” Not that Jaden needed her to spell out that Megan was in the way. It was another reminder that Tatem didn’t yet have a close friend to share things like this with, and no mother.
She tucked a lock of blonde bangs behind her ear and scrunched her nose. “Blake and Megan have this super intense history and no one’s allowed to even talk to him.”
Jaden grimaced over the rim of the coffee cup. “Yikes. That’s an intense amount of creepy power for a seventeen-year-old to have over an entire school.”
“For real,” Tatem said on a sigh. “Super creepy.”
After a sip of coffee, Jaden said, “And ridiculous. Please tell me you’re not letting her keep you from talking to him.”
She glanced to the girl in question. “Hell no.”
Jaden raised her brows.
“Sorry,” Tatem said.
“So, basketball star, huh?”
“I mean, I guess, yeah. But that’s not why I like him. I tutor him in math. He’s really nice. I mean, he’s cooler than anyone else in the school. Except for the fact he dated Megan. Ew.”
With a laugh, Jaden gestured to Tatem’s mostly untouched breakfast. “Finish your breakfast. We’ll talk more about this love triangle while we cover the parade.”
“Okay, but it’s not a love triangle.” She smiled down at her plate and picked up her fork.
“Mmm-hmm.” Jaden pulled her laptop in front of her. “So, what do you two talk about when you’re tutoring him?”
Tatem launched into hushed, excited chatter.
Fireworks exploded above in the night’s sky. Jaden watched from a lounge chair near the crackling fire designed more to ward off mosquitos than for warmth. She did her best to keep her gaze from drifting over to Cole, who held Micky in his lap. Mia had thrown together an elaborate barbeque after the parade, and now that Jaden’s stomach was stuffed, she wanted to do exactly what Micky was at the moment—fall fast asleep in Cole’s arms.
They were adorable together, their love so simple and open. Cole was a good father. She couldn’t imagine how hard it must be for him to be separated from Micky.
Jaden rose from the lounge, conscious of Cole’s gaze following her as she crossed the yard to the cabin. Mia was inside, distracting herself with hostess tasks like tidying the already clean kitchen. David was gone. He drove off a couple of hours ago, something about watching the fireworks with his family. He’d been oblivious to the hurt in Mia’s eyes when he left. The man was an idiot.
She searched the cabin, but Mia wasn’t in any of the bedrooms, or tucked away in the bathroom wiping down the mirror. The faint hint of cigarette smoke drifted through the kitchen window. Jaden opened the screen door to the backyard.
Mia sat on the porch steps, exhaling a cloud of bluish-gray smoke.
“That bad, huh?” Jaden sat down. They faced a grove of trees separating the cabin’s property from a field of soybeans, away from the fireworks. The light from the yard didn’t reach back here, everything the moonlight didn’t touch was cast in black shadow.
“I don’t know.” Her voice was strained with pent up emotion. “It’s difficult to talk to someone who won’t admit there’s a problem.”
“You’re right.” Jaden took the cigarette from her fingers and took a drag. It’d been a long time, but she remembered how. She blew out a puff of smoke and handed her the cigarette. “You don’t do this often, do you?”
“No.” She shook her head and put the cigarette to her lips. “I bummed it from Trey. He was too busy fending off Shelby to worry that I took his last one.”
Jaden winced and leaned back against the step. “I noticed she’s pretty handsy.”
Mia chuckled and took another drag.
“What are you planning to do about David?”
“Nothing.” She stubbed out the cigarette and set the butt behind them on the porch. “I’m tired of wanting a family more than he does. Tired of thinking about it.”
“You used to both want kids.”
“Yeah, we did.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I’m not sure what’s changed.” Though her words were indifferent, her tone was not. “Anyway, I’m not worrying about it right now. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready.” She patted Jaden’s leg with a smile. “How’re things with you and Cole?”
“Uncomplicated,” she said, stressing the word.
“Mmm-hmm.” She patted Jaden’s leg, then stood. “Whatever you need to tell yourself. Coming? Hillary wants to take the paddle boat out.”
Jaden shook her head. “I might go lay down. I’m a little tired.”
“Get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
The door opened and closed behind her, and Jaden leaned back against the step, gazing up at the stars. Night had always been her favorite time of day. There’d been a window seat in Jaden’s room growing up. When she couldn’t sleep, she spent hours looking up at the sky through the trailer window, imagining all the places in the world she wanted to go—anyplace but there.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
Startled from her reflections, she turned to Cole as he walked from around the cabin. “Hey.”
“Mia told me you were back here, staring at trees.” He sat down beside her.
“She was staring at them first,” Jaden laughed.
“Are you hiding back here?”
She glanced to him, very aware of the way her pulse was a little faster than it’d been a moment ago. “Maybe. Where’s Micky?”
“I took him inside and laid him down. He’ll be out until morning. That kid can sleep through anything, including fireworks.”
Jaden chuckled. “Must be nice.”
She usually didn’t have much trouble sleeping, but last night she’d tossed and turned with memories of Cole, aching for his touch. She supposed once a fantasy was acted out in real life, it was hard to go back from that. She kept her eyes straight ahead, trained on the shadows cast by the trees.
“I’ve been thinking about you all day.” His fingers grazed hers, blazing a trail up her arm and over the flannel’s rolled up sleeve.
“You have?” Her thoughts scrambled together as his fingertips brushed along the bare skin of her lower back, exposed from the knotted flannel. His touch dropped lower to the waistband of her jean shorts, dipping below to feel along the seam of her panties.
He dipped his head to kiss her neck near the collar of her shirt. “Yes,” he whispered against her skin.
When his tongue flicked against her earlobe, she shivered. “I haven’t thought about you at all.”
“Liar.” He chuckled, and pressed soft kisses against her neck and along her collarbone.
“Maybe a little,” she conceded as the insides of her thighs tingled.
He placed a finger under her chin and turned her face toward his. His eyes flashed hot in the moonlight. “I need to change that to a lot.”
“Okay.” The word left her lips in a husky breath.
He covered her mouth with his, his kisses hot as his tongue slid against hers like moist satin. His hand brushed between her legs, parting her thighs and they gave way. He knelt between her legs, his teeth tugging her lip between his. She was delirious with his scent.
“What are you doing?”
His fingers played with the button on her shorts. “Mmm.”
She glanced to the side of the cabin, her heart racing. “Someone might come.”
He chuckled softly in the dark, his head dipped as he tugged the zipper down. All he had to do was tug them off. All she had to do was lift a little and let him.
“I’m serious. What if someone comes?”
He glanced up at her then, a seductive smile playing on his lips. “I’m planning on that someone being you.”
>
Her eyes widened. A pool of heat gathered low in her belly and everything below moistened. He gave a gentle tug and she let the shorts go, her panties along with them. He dropped them to the grass beside the steps. She was warm all over. He caught her gaze before blowing gently against her. She couldn’t look away.
What was she doing? This was crazy. When he lavished her, loving her with his mouth, all thought fled. She closed her eyes. Somewhere there was laughter and splashing; it sounded a million miles away, drowned out by the rushing of blood in her ears, throughout her body. She arched toward him, giving him more of her, and gasped.
The orgasm shook her body and he covered her mouth with his, muffling her moans, and she held on tight around his neck.
This is insane. He held her in his arms while her heart thundered in her chest. Cole pressed a kiss to her lips—soft, lingering, perfect.
As her heartbeat slowed, so did her racing thoughts. What they were doing might be insane—but it feels right.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The air was heavy and sweet, smelling of fried dough and powdered sugar. The Fourth of July festival was coming to a close, and all that was left on the agenda for Sunday’s activities was the car show. Cole was there somewhere, but she’d already decided to stay clear of him today.
Jaden lifted her camera and focused on a little girl with a handful of her mother’s dress, pointing at the funnel cake vendor on the corner. Blonde pigtails bobbed while she yanked on her mother’s skirt in an effort to get her attention. Her hopeful wide-eyed gaze was so adorable that Jaden released a maternal sigh. She’d never much thought about having kids of her own. There’d never been a time in her life when having children made sense, especially now. Her life revolved around her career, and that’s exactly what she wanted. Her career was her constant, and she was okay with that.
A couple waved and smiled as they passed by. They might have known who she was, or maybe they didn’t. That’s what people here did, they waved at passing cars, waved at people on the street, waved at perfect strangers sitting on a park bench. It wasn’t quaint or simple, but warm. When she lived here, she’d been so caught up in the idea of leaving that she hadn’t given the town a chance.