by J. Darling
“Listen up, buttercup. I’m desperately trying to be a gentleman here, and you’re playing with fire.”
Her lips twitched as she tried not to smile. Looking at his chest, she shook her head a little and countered, “No, not really, I’m playing with your mind, Jake.” Then she slowly lifted her gaze to his, her smile carried solely in her eyes.
Baffled, he paused, then chuckled softly. “Well, I’ll be damned. You’re flirting with me, aren’t you?”
Smiling widely because he’d figured her out, she shrugged a shoulder in deference. Unable to help herself, she looked into his beautiful amber colored eyes and was transfixed. “I’m thinking I don’t want plain old milk, I’d like mine with chocolate. I’m in the mood for something sweet,” she said softly. “I’m not sure, could you clarify, would that be considered a sacrilege? Would I get the less than lady like treatment?”
Peering down at her in amusement, he answered slowly, “Oh no, that request would get you the royal treatment for sure.”
Her heart pitter pattered in her chest, and her breathing sped up. Soon she felt a tingle and tightening throughout. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she went for it. “The royal treatment? What’s the royal treatment?”
“Mmmm, can’t tell you, can only show you. It goes like this.”
Taking her in his arms, he pulled her in tight and kissed her ardently, taking his time and doing it oh, so very right. She whimpered, overwhelmed by the feel of his body against hers. Unable to escape him, she succumbed to her desires for more of him, and brought her hands up, feeling his chest before taking full measure of his extraordinarily impressive biceps. She was lost to him, solely, and completely captivated by him.
“Jake,” she said, in a breathy rush when he let up a little.
“Hmmmm?” he responded, nuzzling her ear.
“Just so you know, I really, really love chocolate in my milk.”
He burst out laughing, hugging her even tighter as he lifted her off the floor. Kissing her one more time before responding, he said, “I’m glad, I’m so damn glad to hear that.” Putting her down, he placed a kiss on her head. “Let’s feed you, and we’ll watch the game. The Bears are playing, and I for one can’t wait to see them lose.”
*****
Jake had never been so entertained. Jules was, without a doubt, passionate about the Chicago Bears. He had more fun watching her than the game, and it was turning out to be a decent game. She’d been nothing like this on Thanksgiving Day when they’d watched the other games. It was no wonder she’d agreed to the bet.
“Did you just see that? Did you?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. “Unbelievable, wake up Urlacher, get with the program!”
Jake wanted to howl with laughter, she was so funny, and cute as a button, cheering when they made a great play, then jumping up and dancing around when they scored.
“Come on, coome ooon, cooomme oooonnn… NO!…No…hold on, hold on…NOOOO!” She fell back on the couch. “Dang it! What in the world? This is ridiculous,” she lamented, in total disgust, then got back into it by sitting up on the edge of the couch. “Lovie!” she demanded, talking to the Bear’s head coach, “the offensive line’s a mess! Pull it together, NOW!”
Jake was in hysterics. She was riveted, and her boys were losing. He loved it. Really, really loved it. He never would have imagined this. There were dimensions to her he wouldn’t have ever dreamed of. Pinching Nik, the flirting, and now this…this is not the shy girl who’d walked off the plane five days ago, he thought. She’d obviously gotten comfortable around them.
She threw in the towel, literally. Jake watched as the dishtowel fluttered to the floor, and had to control himself from falling off the couch laughing.
“It’s over!” she announced. “Allllll over with now,” she grumped, sitting back while crossing her arms and legs, all disgruntled. Mumbling to herself, she continued watching the last minutes of the game. “Intercepted,” she growled. “Seriously, how in the world do they expect to win with that many turnovers? Good grief.” Her leg began swinging out of frustration.
It was official, Jake wanted to watch every Bear’s game with her, and when they played the Pack, watch out, they were going to have a hell of a lot of fun. When it was finally over, he turned off the TV. Looking at her, he said, “Let me take you out for dinner.”
She immediately perked up with a smile, and it was like the sun had just come out from behind the clouds. “Really? I’d love that! Where to?”
“Go get ready. I’ll think of something.”
She hopped off the couch. “I’ll be back in a flash,” she answered excitedly, and then she was gone.
Thirty minutes later, they were entering the town of St. Croix Falls. “Well, you basically have two choices,” he said, “American or Chinese. Make that three, there’s a pizza place in town too.”
Her eyes took on a glimmer. “Chinese, definitely!”
“You got it,” he responded, then had a thought. She may have grown up shy and sheltered, but she was tremendously diverse. How does that happen, he wondered. He decided to ask her. “You know, I just had a thought. For being so shy, you’re mighty diverse. How is that?”
She smiled at him, then waved him off. “That’s easy smeasy, it began with the trivium and quadrivium.”
Huh? What the hell was that? “Ahhh, I’m not sure what that is, but it sounds like I’m about to get an education. So, let’s order first, and then you can tell me all about it.”
After placing their order and taking their seats, Jules set something in front of him.
“What’s this?” he asked, picking it up and looking at it.
“Chopsticks.”
He looked at her skeptically. “You expect me to eat with these?”
She gave him the cutest smile and nodded her head rapidly, mischief dancing in her eyes.
“Great, I’m going to starve.”
She reached over and patted his hand, then said softly, “Shhhh, it’s okay, I’ve got you. No worries. I know you’ve never used chopsticks before, and it’s okay.”
He burst out laughing. That’s what he’d said to her when she panicked over driving the snowmobile. The little stinker. Grabbing her hand and refusing to let go, he pulled on her arm till she was over the table some, then he kissed her. “I’m a lucky man. Now what’s this about trivium, quadrivium?”
“The all-girls school I attended subscribed to a classical curriculum made popular during the Middle Ages. Trivium pertains to the mind, and includes the study of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. It’s the first area taught because it helps you answer the who, what, when, where, and why of things. Quadrivium pertains to matter and quantity, and is considered higher level thinking. It consists of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. All total, the seven areas make up the liberal arts, and its goal is to produce students who can function across the board in varied environments.”
Interesting, he thought. “So how’s that different from the education I received?”
“Probably in the way it was rolled out,” she answered. “You learned a little of those things simultaneously as you went along, whereas I had to demonstrate mastery of the trivium, before I was allowed to advance to the quadrivium. Not to mention, I was required to learn much of it in Latin. Then throw in the modern aspects of education today, and you get the addition of science, history, and philosophy classes. I personally chose to study the fine arts as part of my electives.”
Their food arrived, and he reluctantly pulled out the chopsticks. After she showed him how to hold them, he pecked at his food, having to readjust them often. He wanted to know more. “Fine arts being what, exactly?”
“Fine arts being the study of imagination and taste. In my mind, it’s the study of all that’s beautiful. I learned how to draw, paint, cook, stuff like that.”
God, she was interesting. He watched as she reached over and began nimbly picking up his food with her chopsticks and feeding it to him. Now this, he li
ked, because he was hopeless with the chopsticks and had reverted to stabbing his food in an attempt to eat it. Is there a place for me in this world of hers, he wondered. “Linnie said you’re so smart, you were able to finish high school early.”
She smiled a little, then looked down. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that.”
Hmmm, her words seemed off. “What do you mean?”
Taking a few more bites of her food, she asked. “Did Linnie tell you I was raised by my grandmother?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Nana was sixty six when I was born, and as I got a little older, we both knew she could be gone at any moment. I needed to hurry, I needed to get my high school diploma and be done. I was on an academic scholarship at the all-girls school, so I took as many classes as I could right from the start. I went to summer school, and took college level courses in the evening, as time and requirements would allow. I did it all so I’d have enough credits to finish early, and so I could be there to help Nana as her health failed. I had no choice, I had to study and get good grades.”
She stopped and took a drink of her tea, before continuing, “I worked at the bakery in the early morning hours to help us get by. When I was sixteen, and weeks away from getting my diploma, Nana encouraged me to petition the courts for emancipation as a minor, so I wouldn’t become a ward of the state and have to go into foster care. I did and prevailed. Not long after, I received notice that I’d been accepted into the pharmacy program, also via scholarship. Nana, now in her early eighties, died in her sleep soon after. She stayed alive only for me, and when she knew I’d be alright, she was able to go.”
Holy shit. He was dumbfounded. Sure she was shy, but he had thought of her as having had it relatively easy all her life. Was it because she’d been sheltered, or because of the all-girls bit, or maybe because she had a good job? Hell, he didn’t know if he should congratulate her, or offer her his sympathy. So he said nothing. Instead, he took the chopsticks from her hand, picked up his fork, and started feeding her.
They sat and talked until the restaurant closed, and he hated that his time with her was coming to an end. She was intriguing and fascinating to him, and he was enthralled by her. He decided early on, she could be talking about something as mundane as lint balls, and he’d be engrossed, that’s how into her he was.
Pulling in the yard, he helped her into the house, and then took her coat. “You head on down. I’ll give you some time before I come down and get ready for bed. I’ll set my alarm. We’ll need about an hour and a half to get to the airport.”
She went down, while he went up. Giving it about ten minutes, he headed down to the basement, and as he came to the bottom of the stairs, Jules opened the bathroom door, and they stared at one another.
Dropping her gaze to his shoulder, she said, “Thank you, Jake. It’s been a lovely holiday, and I can’t remember ever having had a nicer time. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, and for being so kind. I don’t know what else to say or do, so please accept my heartfelt gratitude.”
He didn’t have to think about it, he responded quickly, “I accept, and I loved every minute of it myself, so it certainly was no hardship. However, there are a few things you can do for me, if you want.”
Startled, she looked up with wide eyes. “What?”
“First, tell me what scent you wear. I can’t figure it out and it’s making me crazy.”
She averted her gaze, then moistened her lips. “It’s cloves. I love cloves. I use clove oil, and chew clove flavored gum, and ah, my shampoo is scented with cloves too.” Then she quickly glanced at him, before looking away.
Cloves, imagine that, he thought. He guessed he loved cloves too. “Really? Do they use cloves when cooking?” he asked, not sure.
She nodded. “In apple pie, pumpkin pie, on ham.”
Pumpkin pie, who knew? He really could taste her the other night. “The second thing you could do if you want, is to take down your hair for me. You always wear it up, and I’d like to see it down for once.”
She quickly looked up at him, and after blinking several times, she slowly began removing hairpins as she looked away, all the while nibbling on her bottom lip. Gradually, she unwound a beautiful length of golden tresses. Once done, she ran her fingers through its thickness, loosening it and spreading it out. It fell to just above her waist, and he was stunned breathless.
Reminding himself to breathe, and then swallowing hard, he said in astonishment, “I didn’t think it possible, but you’re even more beautiful. More beautiful than I’d ever imagined.” She blushed profusely, and he smiled at her modest innocence.
“The third thing you can do is tell me what you’re thinking when you look at my shoulder.” Oh boy, there was something to this, because she turned bright red and quickly dropped her head. He needed to know. “Jules, you can tell me. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She inhaled deeply, while looking worriedly off to the side, then she began wringing her hands. “I…I…umm, I…” She let out the breath she was holding, and turned away from him. “I…,” she rubbed her face, “I wonder what it’d be like to…ahhh…rest my head there.” Then she put her hand over her face, covering it.
Holy hell, she wanted to snuggle up with him. Screw that, what she was really telling him was that she wanted him to hold her.
“Jules?”
“What?” she whispered, without turning around.
“Look at me.”
She shook her head. So he walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. It was an intimacy, but he felt the time was right, “Precious, look at me.” That got her attention. Slowly, she turned around, lifting her gaze little by little, and what she saw, was him standing there with his arms open to her. “Come here,” he said softly, taking her in his arms and holding her tight, while kissing her head, and breathing in the deep scent of cloves. “I’ve wanted this from the moment I saw you at the airport.”
Pulling back, she looked up at him with wide eyes. “You have?”
“Mmmhmm,” he answered, nodding his head, while gently putting her head back on his shoulder. After a few minutes, he asked, “Well, you wondered what it’d be like, so how is it?”
She let out a long sigh, then cuddled in tighter, while nuzzling his neck. “It’s…it’s…divine, Jake.”
Awww hell, that did it. His goose was cooked. He was so enamored with her, and he never wanted to let her go, ever. She thought it was divine, and he thought it was heavenly, so weren’t they a pair. “You have your choice, you can come upstairs and let me hold you on the couch, or we can go to my bedroom. But one way or another, I’m going to hold you for the rest of the night. So what’ll it be?”
Looking up at him with that beautiful angelic face, and those stunning blue eyes, her hair everywhere, she shocked the hell out of him when she said, “The bedroom.”
Jake nearly fell to his knees. He thought for sure it’d be the couch, but no, it was the bedroom. Holy hell, he could do this. God help him. He could do this.
Getting her settled, he turned out the light and removed his shirt, leaving the rest of his clothes on. Walking over to the bed, he crawled in next to her, taking her in his arms. They settled in next to each other, he mostly on his back, she on her side with her head on his shoulder and one hand on his chest. Taking his time with her, he soothed her, rubbed her back, and held her.
“Jake?” she whispered after some time.
“What?”
Putting her head back, she looked up at him, “Kiss me, please.”
Hell, she didn’t have to ask twice. Bending his head, he put his lips to hers, starting slow. Soon, she moved to her back, pulling him with her. Once he was over her, she ran her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and into his hair, kissing him with all she had, putting him through his paces, working him out, and making his head spin while stealing every ounce of his breath.
Chest heaving and breathless, he put his forehead to hers. The fact that she was a novice wasn�
��t proving to be a hindrance here. It’d been the most passionate kiss he’d ever had, and she’d just claimed his heart. She was, without a doubt, the one for him, and hell if he knew what to do about it.
“Was that okay?” she whispered. “Did I do okay?”
If it wouldn’t have been the most inopportune time, he would’ve fallen over laughing. She was worried about being a bad kisser. She was, indeed, precious. With complete sincerity, he answered her, “You’re a phenomenal kisser, Juliet Rose.”
She smiled, he could hear it in her voice. “Really? You’re not just saying that are you?”
He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’d never lie about it. It was by far, the best kiss I’ve ever had. You sure do know how to pack a wallop. You made my head spin, and I’m breathless, in case you haven’t noticed.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he rolled to his side, holding her close as he did. They kissed again, long and slow, and damned if it wasn’t better than the first time. Rubbing her back and running his fingers through her hair, he said with and ache in his heart, “Go to sleep, Precious. We need to leave in a couple hours, and you need to work in the morning.”
She nodded and cuddled up, then fell asleep in his arms.
It was no wonder that four hours later, as she left his arms and passed through the airport security checkpoint, he felt as if his heart had left him.
CHAPTER 5
Four weeks later, Jake’s phone rang. “Hello.”
“Happy Holidays, Jake. It’s Harley at the Bottle Shop in Luck. I’ve got a package for you. Can you come pick it up?”
“For me? What kind of package?” Jake asked in surprise.
“Not sure, just says to call you when it arrived. So, that’s what I’m doing.”
It was Christmas Eve, and he did want to pick up some beer for tomorrow’s games. “Yeah, I’ll be in shortly.”
“Alrighty, see you then.”
Whatever this was, he wasn’t sure, but what he did know, was that the last four weeks had been nothing short of mundane. He missed Jules with a passion so deep, he was drowning. He hadn’t spoken with her, but he’d had pink roses delivered each week with a note telling her he was thinking of her. If the Packer’s won New Year’s Eve, he was switching the order to red.