James had been working toward becoming the next chief of police for Slippery Rock for as long as Adam could remember. He’d gotten the right degree in college, attended the right conferences, done all the right things. And now he acted as if not becoming chief was no big thing. Adam couldn’t imagine.
All he had wanted was to run the cabinet shop, build things with his hands. Now he couldn’t, and he was trying to adjust to that, but the knowledge that he might never work a band saw or sander still rankled. Maybe that was the difference in choosing to let something go and being forced to. The three of them finished their drinks—beers for Collin and James, water for Adam—listening to the songs Jenny, Savannah and Mara had chosen not long before. Aiden returned to the table, a longneck in his hand.
“Shot down?” Collin asked.
“Like a clay pigeon on a target range.” Aiden grabbed an empty chair from a nearby table and sat.
“I never wanted to be the boss.” The words slipped from Adam’s mouth before he could stop them. Collin, James and Aiden stared at him. “I mean, I wanted to run Buchanan’s, but I wanted to build the things we sell, not just push papers.”
“That’s my point. Being the chief would mean more paperwork, less interaction with people.”
“At least you have the choice. Kind of.”
James shrugged. “Not sure how much choice I have in the matter. But I’m okay with it.”
And somehow, Adam would learn how to be okay with not being involved with Buchanan’s the way he’d always envisioned. And he would win Jenny back. Like James said, he had a family to think of. Less time at work would mean more time with Jenny. With Frankie and Garrett. That wasn’t a bad thing.
“Adam?” Jenny returned to the booth and slid into the seat beside him. James offered his seat to Savannah, then grabbed two chairs so he and Mara could sit to the side of the booth.
“A bunch of healthy men, amazing music on the juke—by a local singer, no less,” Mara said, grinning as Savannah’s voice filled the bar. “And here we are sitting at a table instead of scuffing up Merle’s dance floor.”
James took her hand and led her to the floor. Collin and Savannah followed.
“Do you want to dance?” Adam put his arm over the back of the bench seat, catching a lock of Jenny’s hair around his finger.
“Sure,” she said.
Sheba stood when Adam did, but he gave her the signal to stay. The dog obediently sat, but kept her attention focused on the dance floor. Adam put his arms around Jenny’s waist, pulling her close. He couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had gone dancing. Before Garrett, he thought. Whenever it had been, it was too long ago.
He pulled her closer, smelling the coconut fragrance from her shampoo. She’d worn jeans and a light cotton top that skimmed over her hips. Her arms wound around his neck as they swayed to Savannah’s song. “Having a good time?”
She nodded against his shoulder. “You?”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t think of a single valid reason he hadn’t brought Jenny with him before. The weekly dart game began as a way to draw Levi out of his post-football slump, but both Levi and Collin had brought women from time to time. Now that the truth about James’s long-term affair with Mara was out, Adam understood why his friend had never brought a girl to the Slope. Adam didn’t have the same excuses as the other guys. He’d simply not considered that Jenny would want to come to the bar once they had the boys.
Now he couldn’t imagine coming to darts and not ending the night right here on the dance floor with her. Savannah’s song finished. Collin tossed a few bills on the table and waved as he and Savannah turned to go. James and Mara were talking quietly, but looked like they might be ready to leave, too. Which would leave only Aiden, him and Jenny from their little group.
It had been a quiet night, with just a few other tables being used. He recognized the mayor and his wife eating burgers at a corner table, a few other regulars watching baseball, muted, on the TV behind the bar. Adam didn’t want the night to end, but he admitted it would be nice to go home. With Jenny.
“Time to head out?”
She nodded. “Sadie has a geometry test tomorrow. And it is a Wednesday night,” she said. “The boys have school, too.”
It was still early, barely eight o’clock, but it had been a long day. Buying the SUV, talking to Aiden, getting to know the dog. Adam didn’t want to go back to the RV, but he could deal with that.
Jenny sidled a bit closer to him. “Also, I’d like to spend some time with only you.”
Adrenaline stabbed through his body. Jenny wanted to be alone. With him. “Then let’s go home.”
* * *
ALL SHE WANTED was to keep kissing him. To feel the rasp of his stubble against the sensitive skin of her breasts. To have him inside her again, because when they were like this, none of the rest mattered. She was just Jenny and he was just Adam. There were no doctor schedules to figure out, no worry about medication changes, no kids, no work, no interfering or uninterested parents. Just his skin against hers. Her hands on his body.
They’d barely paid Sadie and gotten the boys up to their beds before Adam had drawn her into his arms. She liked being in his arms again. Wanted to be in his arms here, in their house, and not in the RV.
Adam’s hands cupped her face, and he speared his tongue into her mouth. Jenny met the rush, liking the fierceness in his kiss. He growled, and she liked that sound even more. It sent a skittering of awareness up her spine. She liked Adam like this. Open. A little desperate. A lot focused.
He pushed her back against the wall, and she could feel his erection hard against her belly. She pulled his shirt from his jeans, allowing her hands to roam over the ridges of his abdomen. His mouth found the sensitive spot just below her ear, and Jenny forgot to breathe. Her head slammed against the wall, but she didn’t care about the pain, she just wanted more of this moment.
More of Adam’s hands and lips on her. More of the heat of him surrounding her.
More, more, more.
But if they kept bumping into walls, either Frankie or Garrett would wake up and then this would be over.
“Upstairs,” she whispered, taking his hand in hers.
Sheba followed close on their heels, and whined gently when Adam shut the bedroom door, leaving her in the hall.
“She’s going to wake the boys.”
Adam opened the door. Gave her the signal to stay, then patted her head. “Good girl,” he said, when she took position to one side. “Who would’ve thought we’d have to consider the feelings of a dog when we want to have sex?”
Jenny grinned. “And she’s such a nice dog, too.”
Adam reached toward the door. “Want her to come in? We could have an audience.”
Jenny covered his hand with her own. “Not on your life. Just you. Just me.” She reached up to lay her mouth on his, enjoying the feel of him against her. Then she wound her leg around his, wanting him closer still.
It wasn’t enough.
His hand slid under the soft fabric of her shirt, pushing the heat between them higher. Her stomach muscles clenched as he caressed the skin of her lower back, while his mouth continued to devour her. He kissed his way down her neck to her clavicle. Jenny’s hands found his shoulders and squeezed, trying to push her body higher against the wall, wanting his mouth, that stubble, his hands on her breasts.
Instead, his hand found her center, and despite the layer of denim between his flesh and hers, Jenny felt her pulse skyrocket.
“This isn’t going to work against a wall,” he said, his voice as unsteady as her body felt.
“It’s working just fine.” He needed to keep touching her, needed to push her harder against the wall.
But his hand left her, and Adam lifted her away from the wall, walking her across the room. She
pressed her lips to his, buried her hands in his hair, then giggled when he tossed her onto the big bed as if she were a doll.
He hadn’t been in this room since the tornado. Hadn’t been up the stairs, in general, until a couple nights ago when he put the boys to bed. No. She wasn’t going into mom zone. This was about her, about Adam. About hot sex and nothing else.
Adam grabbed his shirttail, pulling it over his head to reveal that familiar sprinkling of hair over his pecs, shoulders that made her mouth go dry and a set of washboard abs that her hands itched to explore. She pulled off her own shirt, glad she’d ignored the bra on the dresser earlier, when his tongue darted out over his lips. Jenny unbuttoned her jeans, pushing them over her hips. The sandals she’d worn had fallen off at some point, probably when she’d tried to wrap her body around his at the wall. Adam kicked off his shoes, then tossed aside his jeans, leaving him wearing only a pair of boxer briefs.
He crawled across the bed to her, putting one knee between hers. Jenny reclined on her elbows, sighing as his skin slipped across hers. Adam’s hand cupped the back of her head, holding her close to him, and this time when he kissed her, she thought she might actually burn through the duvet and mattress from the heat his touch evoked.
His erection was hot and thick against her hip, and she let her hands wander. Taking in the highs and lows of his abdomen, she flirted with the band of his boxers. She drew her thumbnail along his ribs and felt his body shiver at the touch.
Adam settled her against the soft pillows, then explored her body, his hands burning fire along her sides, his thumb dipping erotically into her belly button, and she thought she could feel the thumping of her pulse right there between her thighs. Which was silly. She’d never felt anything like that in her life. It wasn’t as if this was her first time having sex with her husband.
Of course, he’d never been this focused before.
He dragged her panties down her legs, and his green eyes lit with fire as he looked at her. Jenny sucked in an unsteady breath.
Adam kissed his way up her body, settling his hips between hers. Jenny wrapped her legs around him, and his mouth finally found her breast. His hot, slick tongue toyed with her hard nipple, sucking and biting until she thought she might lose her mind.
She pushed her hands past the cotton of his briefs, sliding them over his hips, and he managed to wriggle out of them while keeping most of his attention focused on her breasts. He tweaked one nipple with his hand while he gently nipped the other with his mouth. He soothed the first with his tongue and settled in to torture the other with his hand. Jenny reached between them to find his length, hard and hot.
She closed her fist over him, and he sucked in an unsteady breath. A drop of liquid seeped out, and she massaged it into his length with her thumb.
Adam reached between them, and his thumb found the bundle of nerves between the slick folds of her flesh. Jenny couldn’t breathe for a moment, could only feel the pulse between her legs building, building while his hands and mouth made her body feel wondrous things. One finger, then two slipped between her folds, and Jenny couldn’t stop her hips from jolting upward, driving his thumb more vigorously against her.
“Adam.” His name slipped from her mouth as wave upon wave crashed down on her. She felt her inner muscles squeeze his fingers as the orgasm crested, then she was floating. Absently, she realized his penis was still in her fist, but she couldn’t seem to make her hand move over his length. Adam pressed a kiss to her sternum, then the base of her neck, then those wicked lips were against hers, and all Jenny could do was hold on while he stoked the embers of heat in her veins back to burning flame.
He needed to be inside her. She needed to feel him there, but he withdrew. He reached over the side of the bed, took a packet from the wallet in his jeans and tore it open with his teeth. When he had sheathed himself, Adam pressed kiss after kiss to her belly, until it was a mass of quivering nerves, then he took her breast in his mouth, and all Jenny could do was clutch the soft duvet cover in her fists as he pushed his fingers back into her body.
“Yes.” The word was like a prayer on her lips, then his mouth was against hers once more.
Adam thrust his thick length into her, and all she could think was that if this moment never ended, it would be too soon. Bliss made the edges of her vision hazy, drove her nails to score his back, and made her wrap her legs more tightly around his hips, riding another wave of orgasm with him.
That growl sounded again, making her belly clench, then Adam emptied himself into her.
He collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily, his sweaty forehead resting against her shoulder.
“My Jenny,” he said when he’d caught his breath.
Jenny wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against his chest. Adam rolled to the side, taking her with him, and she let her legs tangle with his.
His hand caressed her arm, and his breathing softened. Jenny settled against his shoulder, ignoring the fact that she should get up, find her clothes and send Adam to the RV.
Her eyelids drifted closed.
Just for a little while, she was going to be a woman who did whatever she wanted, without a thought to the consequences.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JENNY TWISTED AND untwisted the paper clip that had separated Frankie’s spelling homework from his math. It was only three sheets, and she wasn’t sure why his teacher sent them home separated. At least the paper clip gave her something to do with her hands, though, because it seemed as if she needed something to keep them busy. Ever since that night at the Slope with Adam, she had needed to be busy. Needed something to occupy her time so that she didn’t spend it daydreaming about him.
The paper clip wasn’t doing its job, though, because here she was, twisting and untwisting it and still thinking about him. About what was happening between them. The closeness was good. Spending time that wasn’t just about work or the boys. So why did she feel as if everything in their lives was precariously balanced and just waiting for the slightest tip to throw everything topsy-turvy again?
Frankie pushed the paper across the table. “Okay?” he asked, and the boredom in his voice was palpable. Last week, his class went from complicated addition and subtraction to multiplication, and he didn’t like the change. Like Adam, their son preferred the life around him to be familiar, and multiplication was anything but familiar.
She checked over the work, complimenting him on his attention to detail. “You’re doing great, kiddo. Multiplication is just another way to think about addition and—”
But Frankie was already pushing away from the table. “Don’t care,” he said, and sped from the room. Jenny couldn’t blame him. Math had never been her favorite subject, either.
She checked his spelling paper, then put all the homework back into the green folder he carried home each day. The right pocket bulged and she reached inside, pulling out a carefully folded piece of paper. Jenny considered putting it back in, but then thought about all the late-night worries the little boy had had. About the drawings Garrett had made. She unfolded it.
“My Dad” was written in messy handwriting across the top. She sat back in her chair to read.
One time, I went to work with my dad. He made a chair, and he hit his hand on the saw. It bled a little, but he said it was no big deal. I think it hurt, but he just wrapped his hand in a handkerchief and finished his work. He didn’t cry. He took the chair home to my mom and it made her smile. When I grow up, I want to be like my dad so I can make things for people that make them smile.
The back door slammed, and Jenny hurriedly put the piece of paper back in the folder, then slipped the folder into Frankie’s backpack. The boys rushed into the kitchen, grabbing bottles of juice from the fridge as they chattered about the dress-up days during the homecoming celebration the following week.
“The football
players will come tomorrow after lunch, and we’ll cheer,” Frankie was saying.
Garrett’s eyes rounded. “Can we talk to ’em?”
“Nope, just the principal and the coach talk, but they’ll be there. And then we’ll go outside for the parade.”
“And they’ll throw candy?”
“Usually. And the girls will be in fancy dresses.” Frankie sounded disgusted at the thought of the homecoming court wearing dresses during the parade. “But the girls always throw candy.”
“I can’t wait for the candy.”
“Have you two decided how you’ll dress for Hero Day tomorrow?” Jenny asked. She craned her neck, but didn’t see Adam in the hallway. She wanted to bring up Frankie’s paper, to tell him she was proud of him, but didn’t want to embarrass the boy.
“I’m gonna be Iron Man,” Garrett said, slurping his juice. The boys sat beside her at the table.
“I thought you were going to be a firefighter.”
Garrett shrugged. “Frankie said I could wear his Iron Man costume. We forgot about the firefighter stuff.”
Jenny frowned. “I’m sorry, baby, we did, didn’t we? If you really want to be a firefighter, we could go tonight.” They usually had some toy things at Mallard’s, and if not, the dollar store downtown might have a few things. She’d have to push dinner back a bit.
“S’okay, Mom. Iron Man is a real hero. He even has a movie about him.”
“Three movies. Plus the Avengers movies,” Frankie corrected.
Garrett counted on his fingers. “That’s five movies. That’s a lot of hero.”
Jenny moved to the counter, pulled potatoes from the bin, then began peeling. Frankie had requested meat loaf for dinner, and the potatoes were the last of the prep work.
“Who will you dress up as?” she asked, pinpointing Frankie over her shoulder.
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