When she gave him a slow sultry smile, he moaned, closing his eyes.
“I like what I can do to you,” she murmured.
“Yeah, well,” he muttered, giving her a definitely wicked smile. “Now it’s my turn.”
She smiled hesitantly.
Gently, he unwrapped her hand from his erection and moved a few inches away.
“Stay still,” he murmured, and reaching out he laid his hands over her shoulders, slowly spreading the straps of her dress and pulling them down over her arms, exposing her breasts.
“Like I said before,” he murmured, looking at her appreciatively, “you’re beautiful.”
Her hand must have unconsciously covered her breast, but Jack pulled it away, bending over and kissing her damaged skin softly, moving his mouth over her entire breast.
Janelle couldn’t help it when her eyes filled with tears.
“Are we alright?” Jack asked. “You’re going to always look beautiful to me, Janelle.”
She scraped away the tears, nodding her acceptance.
As her dress fell to the floor, she turned into Jack, and his hands framed her face holding her still and steady while his mouth ravaged hers.
She felt the kiss in her breasts, which swelled taughtly, her nipples hardening with the friction of sensations as they rubbed against Jack’s hair dusted chest.
Janelle felt the kiss along the length of her spine as she arched to match the curve of her body against his. All the while between her legs, she could feel the rise of moist heat.
Jack broke away momentarily, shedding his pants and the boxer briefs he was wearing underneath.
Reaching for her hand, he tugged her over to the massive bed, wrapping his arms around her and dropping onto the top.
Janelle laughed, her passion in those moments unfettered by inhibition.
One of Jack’s hands slid across her hip and caressed her inner thigh, and he teased her, pulling her closer.
“Protection,” Jack murmured, rolling over on the bed and opening the drawer of his nightstand. Quickly suiting up, he rolled back over next to Janelle, who was laughing uncontrollably.
“I thought we were going to take our time?”
By this time, Jack was laughing too. “Next time. I promise.”
“Hurry,” she answered, pulling him back on top.
Jack laughed harder, but did as she said, slowly entering her.
Janelle moaned.
His hands covered her breasts as his mouth returned to hers.
She loved the weight of him, the male scent, the power in his body.
He thrust deeper, harder, and she gasped, her body arching greedily under his.
* * *
Jack lifted his shoulders a few inches further, enough to appreciate the way her body, all gentle curves and hot flushed skin undulated with each thrust, absorbed each forceful penetration as he rode her, filled her, and watched as he pushed her step by step closer into sensual fulfillment.
He felt the tension inside her coil, felt her tighten beneath him, her thighs gripping his as release flickered and beckoned.
Her ragged breathing filled his ears, a softer sound overlaying his own raspy breaths.
She reached for him, tried to pull him toward her, where she met his thrusts and shared the heat.
As he came, he felt himself falling from an unimaginable height, weightless and almost without substance.
The intensity of it caused Janelle to arch and cry out incoherently, and Jack’s mouth covered hers, cutting off the sound as he tasted her pleasure.
A shudder shook both of them at the same time, and the tension that had been strung so tightly between them vibrated and was gone. In its wake, was a satisfying lethargy.
Jack sighed contentedly, wrapping his arm around Janelle and pulling a sheet over them both.
After that, neither one of them spoke or moved.
Chapter Twenty-One
When Jack awakened the following morning, he grinned. Janelle looked exhausted. He suddenly remembered she’d mentioned she was here for rehab too, so last night had probably worn her out a little more than him.
His heart had been hammering in his chest when he’d seen her injury, and he could understand why she might have been scared, not knowing how he’d react. Mostly, it made him angry at whoever had been responsible for shooting her. It was a natural reaction for him to be protective of the woman he loved.
Loved? Yes, that was it. At thirty years old, he’d finally found the woman he wanted to share his life with.
But that meant sharing everything. He’d been serious about having no secrets between them, although work secrets obviously couldn’t be helped. He hoped at least, that whatever her mission was, she’d tell him if her life was in danger.
Suddenly, she opened one eye, murmuring, “Hi.”
“Hi,” he answered, giving her a tender smile.
“I can’t believe how tired I was. I slept like a rock.”
Jack reached for her, pulling her into his arms. “I’m sorry. I forgot you mentioned you were here for rehab.”
She began laughing. “I don’t think there’s anything to be sorry about.”
“Well.” He cleared his throat, grinning as he deliberately rubbed his body against hers under the covers. “Does that mean you’re not too tired to do it again?”
“You just try and stop me,” she growled, pulling him even closer.
* * *
“I can’t believe what a fantastic cook you are.”
“It’s only breakfast,” she protested, although she looked pleased.
“I’ve been eating out since Nick left. When he was here, we occasionally ate in, and something other than frozen dinners.
She suddenly became serious. “I was the oldest of six kids, so it was up to me to take care of things. My mom was ill most of the time, when she wasn’t pregnant, and we were dirt poor.”
Jack nodded. “I’m glad you’re ready to tell me everything. I’ve noticed that you’ve never mentioned your family to me, even once.”
She heaved a sigh. “I guess I’ll just tell you the entire story right now. Let me get my coffee.”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Jack grimaced. “I think I forgot to lock the back door from the parking lot last night.”
“You keep eating. I’ll get it,” she murmured, strolling toward the door.
Jack groaned, when he heard Heather’s voice outside in the hallway.
But she seemed a little different today as she glanced back and forth from Jack to Janelle when he approached the door.
Heather sighed. “I thought it might be something like that. I guess if it would have been me, I would have behaved even worse if there was another woman trying to sit in my guy’s lap.”
Surprisingly, Janelle smiled, sounding gracious when she replied, “It was my fault too. I’ve been too busy telling Jack that I’m not ready for commitment, it took his debacle of a blind date to open my eyes to the way I’ve been feeling.”
Heather actually laughed. “Debacle? That’s an accurate description for sure.”
Jack nearly fell off the kitchen stool when Janelle asked Heather the next question.
“Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? Jack and I will be running a few errands soon, but we’re just getting caught up since we haven’t seen each other in a while.”
When Heather came in and had some coffee, mostly conversing with Janelle, Jack felt like he was living in an alternate reality until Heather left.
“That was…” Jack shook his head, not being able to think of an adequate word.
Janelle grinned. “Weird?”
Jacked grinned back. “Yes.”
“She’s lonely. She went to college and doesn’t even have a job, because her parents apparently give her everything she needs. She lacks purpose.”
Jack paused, his coffee cup in midair. “Now, I suppose you two will become best friends?”
Janelle gave hi
m an impish smile. “You never know. I couldn’t really blame her for not being able to keep her hands off you last night, since I seem to be having the same trouble myself.”
Jack blinked and barked out a laugh.
“Okay, where were we?” she murmured, reaching for the coffee pot and refilling his cup and hers. “I’ll try to make it quick.”
She continued, “My Dad is a minister and for too many years he neglected his family for his parishioners. An example of that would be our health insurance for one. His wages were miniscule, and most of them went for food and utilities, but eventually, I discovered, Dad was making more money than we knew. He’d been receiving regular cost of living raises throughout the years. But instead of using that money for better healthcare, especially for Mom, he doled out extra funds to parishioners who supposedly needed it while our family lived on bread crumbs, and Mom’s health continued to decline. When she got pregnant with me and my older brother and sister who came after me, a midwife delivered us, but by the time I was a teenager, I was delivering the babies that she obviously should not have been having.
Janelle heaved a sigh, as tears filled her eyes. “She died during the delivery of my youngest sister, but the worst part about it was that Dad couldn’t even get a doctor to tend to her, when she needed one so desperately. For a long time I considered it my fault, until a psychologist I was seeing for PTSD after my first couple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq convinced me otherwise.”
Reaching out, Jack squeezed her hand.
“I entered the Air Force to help pay expenses, but I came to find out that Dad wasn’t using the money to benefit the kids, and I had to make arrangements with my younger brother. But then Dad found out about that too and I didn’t discover he was handling the money again for several months. At least, by that time, he’d remarried one of his parishioners. When I saw that she was doing her best to take care of the kids, I stopped trying to help.” She pursed her lips. “Well, not exactly. I just stopped sending money when it became obvious that Dad wasn’t going to use it for the family.”
“Let me guess? You’ve started some kind of savings account for each of your brothers and sisters?”
“Wow, good guess,” she murmured. “I keep in touch with everyone, just waiting for the time that each of them is ready to break away. Unfortunately, my next younger brother is turning into another version of my father, but my sister has a good job with health insurance benefits in Alabama,” She grinned. “At the air base where I’m usually stationed, as a matter of fact.”
She frowned. “What I’m worried about is the fact that Dad’s church connections are very similar to what I would consider a cult, and I’ve recently started thinking that the money Dad was earning might not have been going to parishioners, but to a man that Dad looks up to, who’s another preacher. Now that I’m back in the states, I’m considering hiring a private investigator to look into the matter.”
“Good idea,” Jack murmured, sipping his coffee. “I think you should do it right away. I might be able to help you out with that, as a matter of fact. Nick has a lot of connections. So now you should hear about my family issues.”
“Alright,” she answered, staring at him intently.
“Okay – those commercials you saw me in when I was young? Mom was so excited to get both of her kids in show business – me and my younger brother, Sam. Thankfully, my youngest brother was only a baby back then, and it kept Mom busy traveling around with us to all the auditions she was constantly booking for us in New York. Sam and I weren’t too enthused, but it was something new.”
Jack suddenly felt lightheaded, overpowered by the feeling of helplessness that always overtook him when he thought about the darkness of the past.
“Anyway, it was Dad’s idea to get us an agent. We were making decent money, and it was really helping with the bills. That way, Mom wouldn’t have to do as much traveling, and we’d be able to show up at more auditions.”
Jack turned grim. “What Dad didn’t know is that Bert Renick had some, ugh, perversions, I guess you could call it. He liked little boys.”
Janelle looked horrified, as he knew she would, but she suddenly stood and wrapped her arms around him. “How in the world have you ended up being the man you are today? I would never have guessed. What about your brother?”
Jack took comfort in her arms. Somehow, he knew she would understand. “He’s having a more difficult time with it. I don’t know if I mentioned that he’s in the Air Force too?”
“No, you didn’t, but it’s not like we’ve had time to talk,” she murmured, kissing him softly on his brow.
“My youngest brother Sean is in the Army and trying to be a Ranger.”
“I wish I could get even one of my brothers or sisters interested in serving their country. It’s more like they’re all brainwashed.” She heaved a sigh. “What’s the rest of the story?”
“Dad found out, but the night when he arrived at Bert Renick’s apartment to have it out with him, he was shot and killed, and so was Bert.” He gazed into her eyes. “I was asleep when it was happening, but we’re sure that my brother Sam saw who did it. And now he’s claiming there were two men there besides Dad and Bert, which would explain the voices I vaguely remember hearing. We were both so young. I was eight and Sam was seven.”
Janelle looked concerned. “So. they never arrested whoever killed your father?”
“No. It’s classified as a cold case,” he answered, shaking his head. “Mom was a wreck, blaming herself for everything that happened, and thankfully our Uncle Russ came and stayed with us, while me, Mom and Sam saw a shrink and tried to put ourselves back together. He was an Army officer, so that’s why Sam and Sean ended up serving their country, like you.”
“But not you?”
“Nope. I got a scholarship, paid my way through college with a sales job and kept right on moving up into bigger sales jobs, even though I hated it,” he admitted. “Since Mom was having trouble finding a job, I just did whatever I could to add to our income while we used the money that Sam and I made when we were kids to pay our expenses until Mom was finally herself again. Thank God for my Uncle.”
“Wow,” Janelle murmured, finally dropping down onto the kitchen stool. “You’ve been through hell.”
“So have you,” Jack said.
“It’s not quite the same.”
“I say we both deserve a day of having fun.”
“What have you got in mind?” Janelle asked, smiling.
“You said something about trying to rent a larger house?”
“I did, and I’m starting to think that if you’re going to be working here in Crystal Rock, that maybe I should buy a house instead.”
Jack’s eyes went wide. “You’re kidding? I was thinking about moving from here myself. Living downtown is convenient, but I have a craving for wide open spaces, and I’d love to adopt some pets. Especially since you’ll still be going on tour, I’m sure. I’m not too proud to admit that I’ve been lonely.” He gave her a wry smile. “Plus, besides working out, the only thing to do while I’m here besides working my job is to head over to one of the bars.”
Janelle laughed. “I can’t believe I’m asking this, but want to buy a place together?”
“I was thinking the same thing myself. We could pool our resources, and probably purchase something located near one of the lakes.”
“I love the interior of the cabin I’m staying in.”
“There are a few newer cabins for sale in the area. One is a four bedroom with an open floor plan and I’ve actually been meaning to go check it out. Those kinds of places go fast because of all the people searching for vacation homes.”
“Let’s go look,” she said, pursing her lips. “So maybe we should compare budgets – how much can you afford.”
She looked startled when he recited the amount he had available in his savings and bonds.
“That’s pretty darn good. I have even more than that. When you grow up with nothing, you l
earn how to invest wisely.”
“Come here,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms.
“Gladly,” she answered. “I’m so happy today is Saturday and we have the rest of the weekend before I have to report for duty at the wounded warrior home.”
“You never did tell me what that’s all about. Is it something you can share?”
“Let’s just say there’s an increased concern about terrorism at all the military facilities across the country and leave it at that.”
“Really?” he murmured, suddenly concerned. “I’d hate to see something like that happen here. I’m starting to really love it in Crystal Rock.”
“Then I’m sure I will too,” Janelle answered, giving him a wide smile.
Epilogue
One Month Later
Jack couldn’t believe everything that had happened during the last month. After making arrangements earlier today to meet each other’s families during separate weekends in the near future, he and Janelle were moving into the house that they’d closed on yesterday.
They’d ended up purchasing the four-bedroom cabin that they’d taken a tour of the very first day of house hunting. Not only was the place roomy and comfortable, but no work needed to be done. Something Jack had never been good at was construction, and since neither he nor Janelle knew much about what to look for when deciding on a house to purchase, Jack had invited Matt to take a look at the place before he and Janelle had made their offer.
They both had a few things in storage, and they would be arranging for everything to be delivered in a few weeks. But everything they needed for now had already been delivered and set up inside the house, including a huge king-sized bed and large kitchen table.
And then there were the cats they’d adopted from the shelter.
Jack grinned as Janelle hoisted Abigail over her shoulder while he did the same with Max.
“Are you sure that a dog’s going to get along with the cats?” Jack asked as they brought the cats inside, letting them loose.
Jack's Blind Date Debacle (Hot Hunks Steamy Romance Book 8) Page 10