Lifting one shoulder and trying to act calmer than she actually felt, Jasmine said, “Yep.” The ending of the word ending with a pop as she over enunciated it.
Leo parked and managed to give her the “are you kidding me” look at the same time.
“No, really. It’s not like they are going to say anything that I haven’t heard already,” she argued.
“Jazz, I know you say you’re ready, but up until now all of the interaction you have had with your parents has been over the phone…. Are you prepared to do this face to face?”
Jasmine knew what he was asking and she thought for a moment before nodding yes. “There is nothing that they could say that would change my mind about us.”
“Good.” Leo leaned over and gave her a kiss that soon turned into a tangle of tongues that had her semi climbing the center console.
Damn, why couldn’t these new fancy trucks have stuck to bench seats instead of placing a barrier between the front passengers?
Forgetting where they were at, Jasmine lost herself in Leo’s wet kiss. When she finally broke away, partially because she couldn’t breathe with her ribs pressed up against the cup holders, she shot a glance down at his lap. “Maybe we should wait a couple of minutes before getting out.”
Leo let his head thunk back onto the seat. “Yeahhh…that is probably a good idea.”
He squirmed on the leather before reaching down to adjust the hard bar of his cock that was making his jeans stand out.
Jasmine couldn’t help but widen her eyes when he squeezed the erection. “That looks painful,” she pointed out with a wicked grin.
Leo raised his eyebrow and shook his finger at her. “If you lick your lips again we may end up driving down the road so we can take care of this painful problem, you little troublemaker.”
Jasmine could only guess the look of comical horror that came over her face at that threat. Whatever her expression was, it must have been a doozy because Leo started laughing, the deep sound filling the cab.
“What if we got caught?” She breathed, the idea making her want to hyperventilate. “Oh my God, my parents would absolutely die. I would die.”
Of course, Leo just laughed harder at her words, which caused her to start giggling as well. “I can see it now; the headlines would read ‘Daughter of prominent doctors found in compromising position’ on the front page,” he teased.
“Don’t even joke about that!” Jasmine laughed out, unable to keep the picture from materializing in her head complete with a picture of them disheveled.
“C’mon. Don’t tell me you’ve never gotten caught necking in public before,” Leo said before becoming quiet when she didn’t answer him. “Seriously, Jazz? You’ve never been caught fooling around by your parents?”
When she simply shook her head no, he smiled softly. “What about by anybody? Ever get caught in the movie theater or out parking?”
“No and no,” Jasmine replied primly, folding her hands in her lap.
“Oh, sugar…that seems like something we need to rectify,” he drawled, reaching over to lace his fingers with her own.
When she shot him a glance that said “you’ve got to be kidding me,” he shrugged. “It’s a rite of passage.”
“A rite of passage? That’s the argument you’re going to use to get me to go parking?” Jasmine scoffed, trying to keep the smile off her face.
“No, that’s the argument I’m going to use for us to find a way at some point to fuck in the backseat,” Leo replied, his voice teasing.
Jasmine sucked in a breath so quickly that she almost choked as Leo was patting her back as if she were a toddler. “We are NOT going to have sex in the backseat!”
“We are so going to have sex in the backseat, but I’m pretty sure I used the term ‘fucking’.” With that parting shot, Leo climbed out of the truck. Using the open door to hide his lower body, he adjusted his cock before closing it and going around to her side.
Jasmine watched him with her mouth slightly open, unable to tell if he was serious or not. From what she could tell from the firm set of his jaw, he was extremely serious even though his eyes were twinkling with mirth.
Opening her door, Leo tipped her mouth closed with his fingers. “Might want to close that sweetheart before I find something to fill it with.”
“Leo!” Jasmine screeched as quietly as possible. “You cannot say things like that while we are at my parents’ house.”
“Why not? It got your mind off being nervous, didn’t it?”
Why that sly devil…he knew exactly what he was doing with all that sex talk.
Jasmine snorted. “You’re so lucky I love you.”
At her words, they both froze.
She literally froze.
She didn’t blink.
She didn’t breathe.
Even her hair stayed still, not a single strand daring to blow in the breeze.
Jasmine just stood there with her leg half down off the truck and the other one standing firm on the running board.
Leo was basically in the same pose, frozen with his hand out to help her down and staring at her. His mouth hanging open and a stunned look on his face.
“Ummm…you might want to close your own mouth,” Jasmine mumbled, unsure what to say since she hadn’t expected to say the L-word to begin with, much less what her follow up should have been.
“Jazz?” Leo asked snapping out of his stupor quicker than she did, and reached for her again to assist her off the high step. “You’re lost in your head again. Want to come back out and play?”
“I’m sorry,” Jasmine said, unsure of where she was going to go with that opener.
“Why are you sorry?” Leo smiled and leaned down to kiss her once she cleared the truck.
Jasmine rolled her eyes and waved her hands in the air knowing she looked like a crazy person, but not really finding the desire to care. “Because I’ve made this awkward and we’re getting ready to go—”
“Jasmine Jane, please stop loitering in front of the house. You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”
The interruption came from none other than Victoria Kingsford, overbearing and judgmental as always.
Both she and Leo turned at the same time. Jasmine pasted a fake smile on her face to greet her mother while Leo just stared at her with a blank expression.
“Well? Your father would like to talk to your…date in the study, and you can help me arrange the flowers for the table.” Victoria turned on her pale ivory pumps and walked back into the house leaving the large entry door wide open.
“Jazz.” Leo dropped one hand down to palm her bottom before raising it back to her waist in a more appropriate manner. “Stay with me, sugar. No matter what, I’ve got you.”
Her blabber mouth dismissed for the moment, although she figured not for long, Jasmine straightened her back to march up the steps and into the cold house she once thought of as home.
“Did you just cross yourself?” Jasmine whispered when she saw a familiar movement from Leo out of the corner of her eye.
“I figured since I’m basically getting ready to have scotch with the devil it might help me a little,” Leo deadpanned before cracking a smile at her accompanied by a wink.
“Dear lord,” Jasmine mouthed, knowing her mother would have a conniption fit if it were said aloud.
Since Victoria had disappeared, Jasmine figured she would need to usher Leo into the lion’s den aka her father’s study. As they walked toward the large wooden double doors, Leo stopped her from opening them with a soft grip on her arm.
“You don’t need to introduce me, sugar,” Leo reminded her. “It may have been years ago, but I’m pretty sure he remembers me.”
Looking at the man before her, Jasmine tried to catch a glimpse of the boy she knew from the past. The same boy that walked through this house with hi
s mom as she dusted and cleaned. The same boy that had always been a temptation, but kept out of reach by not only her parents but also her own insecurities.
He was different and yet he was the same. He had grown taller. He’d filled out with muscles and walked with more confidence than she ever remembered him having, but it fit the man he had become. A man who was not only one of the strongest and funniest people she had come to know, but also a sweetheart who passed her the Kleenex during the funeral scene from Steel Magnolias. A man who gripped her hand tightly as if he would never let go while she was on the phone this past week with her parents.
The dangerous boy from her youth had grown up into one damn fine man. A man who obviously could tell how anxious she was for this dinner to be over, and was trying to ease all of the nerves she felt. He squeezed her hand and then raised them together to kiss the back of her fingers.
“Are you sure?” she asked, trying to borrow some of his strength for what was to come.
“Positive,” Leo answered, his voice sure. “Now, go before your mom comes back out here to reprimand us like we’re teenagers.”
Jasmine hated that she was basically throwing Leo into the fire, but dealing with her father had never been her strong suit. Hell, dealing with her mother wasn’t one either.
With a quick nod and smile of gratefulness, Jasmine leaned up on her tiptoes and bopped a kiss on his lips. The act was quick and efficient, but more importantly, it didn’t give her body the chance to melt into Leo like it normally did.
“Thanks.” Jasmine stroked the strong jaw of the man she knew had her heart and walked quickly toward the opposite end of the house.
With her heels clicking quickly on the marble floor, she turned back once more to catch a glimpse of Leo opening the doors and stepping inside.
As she approached the dining room, Jasmine noticed that the doors were wide open. The only sound coming from the large formal room was the light snick of gardening shears.
“I got this,” Jasmine said, trying to pump herself up. Smoothing the front of her skirt down to her knees, she winced at the clammy feeling of her hands catching the thick fabric. Even without the pantyhose, she wasn’t remotely comfortable in her attire having picked out a thicker skirt and button up blouse as if they would somehow take the place of armor.
Opening the door, she took in a deep breath and sent up a quick prayer for the lord to grant her the strength she needed to deal with what was to come, and for the ability to keep calm and not strangle her mother during dinner.
Pffft…even on a good day, she felt the urge so maybe that was hoping for too much.
It was her turn to face the dragon.
Chapter 20
“It certainly took you long enough to come into the house.”
Jasmine stopped in her tracks and counted how many steps she had taken before her mother had decided to attack.
Three.
She had only taken three steps into the room.
Apparently, no amount of prayer was going to help her today if this was going to be the opening of this orchestrated fiasco.
“Hello, Mother,” Jasmine said, amazed that her voice didn’t wobble with anger. “I wish you would have waited so I could have introduced you to—”
“I know exactly who he is, Jasmine Jane,” Victoria bit out. Turning around she untied the apron around her waist and folded it neatly.
“Good, so we can skip introductions later,” Jasmine answered, not giving in to the intimidation tactics her mother had perfected years ago. “Do you need help with the arrangement?”
“No, I finished it already.” Gesturing to the lilies that were arranged artfully in a crystal vase as if she were presenting a new car on a gameshow. “However, I could have used your assistance when you were outside acting like trash.”
Aaand, the gloves were off.
“Mother…Victoria…” Jasmine bit her lip at the stutter that left her mouth.
Show. No. Weakness.
Taking a calming breath and starting again, Jasmine smiled serenely as if she didn’t have a care in the world. “Mother, the flowers look beautiful.”
Victoria narrowed her eyes, probably wishing to show a sterner expression, but was stopped by the recent fillers that she had injected into her face.
“Are you not going to explain yourself?” Victoria asked.
Jasmine took a step back and looked at her mother. Really looked at her mother…something that she hadn’t done since she was little, back when she watched her mom apply her makeup before heading to the hospital.
Victoria looked old. Her face didn’t look old and her body was just as fit as it had been twenty years ago, but she still managed to look old. It was as if the weariness of all her years had aged her somehow, but it only showed if you studied her long enough.
This woman, who she had aspired to be for so long, was one of the unhappiest people that she had ever met.
The anger and haughtiness that she shrouded herself in like a cloak simply weighed her down and had turned her into someone that Jasmine didn’t recognize.
“Mom?”
At the change in Jasmine’s tone, Victoria’s eyes and posture softened a fraction.
“Leo makes me happy and I hope that you give him a chance to show you that,” Jasmine said after a short silence.
When her mother didn’t move and looked away to avoid eye contact, Jasmine walked toward her.
“He makes me really happy,” she repeated, her voice steady and full of the love she now admitted she felt for Leo.
She waited, holding her breath waiting to see how her mother would respond, if at all.
“Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Will you tell Crystal that I would like the blue china for dinner, please?”
Jasmine let her eyes drop to the large oriental rug that decorated the floor of their formal dining room, unable to continue her search for even a bit of warmth from the woman who birthed her.
“Of course, Mother.” Jasmine turned to leave the room, feeling the weight of her mother’s disappointment on her shoulders.
“Jasmine…” The word was spoken so softly that Jasmine thought she might have imagined them.
Without speaking, she turned a little with an expectant look on her face only to have her heart ache when Victoria shook her head and clasped her hands in front of her.
“Never mind,” Victoria replied, turning back toward the long dining table to fuss with the flowers she had cut.
Jasmine nodded before continuing toward the door. When she reached the threshold, she stopped in her tracks as if held by some invisible force.
This was not how mothers and daughter behaved toward one another.
This was not the relationship she wanted with her mother.
Instead of walking out of the room to do her mother’s bidding, she instead closed the door and turned around.
Her mother turned around when she heard the door click. “What are you doing?” Victoria asked.
“I’m tired, Mom,” Jasmine started. She hoped that she would be able to keep from crying while she said what needed to be said. “Aren’t you tired too?”
When Jasmine received no response at all, not even the smallest of blinks, she walked forward, unsure what she was going to do until it was actually happening.
Jasmine stood directly in front of her mom and reached out for her hands.
Touching her mom had been something that didn’t happen often. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she was hugged by the woman in front of her. Running her fingers over the cold hands that she held in her own, Jasmine cherished the small amount of contact that her mother was allowing. For years now, even physical contact with her parents had been filed down to air kisses on the cheek, which offered no real comfort.
Victoria cleared her throat before speaking, “Are you feeling
unwell?”
Shaking her head sadly, Jasmine squeezed the hands she was now clutching like a lifeline. “That’s not what I meant and I think you know it. Can I ask you a question?”
When her mother nodded, Jasmine continued, “Did you want kids? No wait, don’t answer that.” Taking a deep breath, she began again, “Mom, I am pretty sure that I love Leo. I know that you think you know what’s best for me but honestly, you don’t know me.”
Jasmine shook her head to keep her mom from talking. “No, don’t interrupt,” she said firmly. “Just let me get this out while I can.”
Victoria nodded as her eyes showed the faintest hint of moisture.
“I love where I live, I love my friends, and I love being a nurse.” Jasmine’s voice cracked as the familiar disappointment that weighed on her from her career choice caused her to swallow hard. “I know that you and Dad wanted me to be a doctor. But, do you know one of the main reasons why I don’t want to follow in your footsteps?”
“No, not even the faintest clue. That is one thing your father and I have never understood,” Victoria answered. “You are so smart, Jasmine Jane. With our connections, you would have so many more lucrative opportunities if you had just followed the path we chose for you. Your brother had those same connections but chose to go another path. We accepted Jameson’s decision but yours is another situation altogether.”
“I never wanted to be a doctor,” Jasmine explained. “That was your dream, your path, not mine. I want to be able to have kids and be home when they need me, or go to their school plays. Hell, I want to take them trick-or-treating and not expect my maid to mother my children.”
“We never—” Victoria argued, only to stop when Jasmine squeezed her hands and interrupted.
“Mom, Janet went to every school assembly from the time I was eight until I graduated. She was the one sitting in the first row watching me when I was in the Christmas plays every year. Not you. Not dad. Janet.”
“Now, that’s being a little ridiculous—”
“Can you name a single time you attended any function that I was a part of? You didn’t even come to my college graduation for Pete’s sake.” Jasmine blew out a breath, not wanting to let anger run roughshod over what she felt needed to be said. “I want to be present for my family. I don’t want to have to work crazy hours and be on call at all hours of the day. I know how hard you work. It’s one of the things that make you such a wonderful doctor but that’s not what I want. I don’t care about the big fancy house or having the newest car in the neighborhood. I want a home filled with hugs and mess and laughter. I want the opposite of what I had growing up.”
Simmering Heat Page 15