Chapter 8

I found Jay under a tree, with a picnic blanket spread out and loaded with all sorts of food. It was good he dressed casually, as I had worn jeans and a loose-fitting turquoise top. My breath caught when he jumped up to say hello. I’d only seen him in suits, and I’d thought he looked good in them, but in his fitted jeans and tight T-shirt he looked unbelievable. Like he’d stepped off the pages of a magazine.

“Abbie, you look beautiful as always. More beautiful than Rita Hayworth.” I blushed as he leaned in and pecked my cheek.

“Jay, this spread looks delicious.” I surveyed the huge amount of food he’d laid out on a picnic blanket.

“Champagne?” He asked, pulling a bottle from a cool pack.

“Definitely.” I took the flute he’d poured.

“To a second date,” he said.

Man, I really didn’t want a relationship, but his company was so comfortable. I smiled, and we clinked glasses. The bubbles fizzed in my mouth as I surveyed the vast quantity of food he brought. I zeroed in on some quail eggs. They were so tiny. What was a quail anyway? It was all very upscale, especially for an unemployed man.

“It must have been a real pain to get all this here on the bus.”

“I took a taxi.”

“That must have cost a fortune, you shouldn’t have.”

“Don’t.” His voice was firm.

“Sorry.”

He was so touchy about money.

We sat in the sun for hours. Though we finished off the bottle of Champagne and had started on a second, most of the food sat untouched. Not because it was bad, simply because we were only two people and there was enough food for a party.

As the afternoon went on, we moved closer and closer together until I ended up lying with my head in his lap. I looked up at the sky, wishing I was face down in his crotch. But it was nice. He stroked my arms and played with my hair and I would happily have stayed there all afternoon.

Jay’s phone beeped, and he looked at the screen and sighed. He looked at me, resigned.

“Does this mean our second date is over?” I asked.

Jay bundled up the remains of our picnic. “I’m afraid it does. I just got an urgent call and I have to rush off.”

My heart sank. So much for getting him into bed.

“Do you need help to get all the food home?”

His brow creased. “I was just going to throw it out. Unless you want it.”

“Throw it away? There’s enough food here to eat for the week!”

“Would you like it? You should take it.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Yes, take it. I’ll help you carry it to your place.”

Was this an opportunity to get him into bed? “Okay, as long as you help me carry it all.”

* * *

We trudged the ten minutes to my condo, and he followed me through the door and into the elevator. I could barely breathe with excitement of having him in my home. Now to get him into my bedroom. My God, I was behaving like a horny teenager but that didn’t stop me from watching his ass in those tight jeans as he exited the elevator. Shit, he caught me ogling him.

I cleared my throat. “This is me here,” I said, unlocking my front door.

He followed me through to my tiny kitchen and put the two bags of food on the counter.

“Why do you have jeans duct taped to your wall?” he asked.

My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I should have thought about the jeans before I let him in. “They’re some added motivation to lose weight.”

His eyes raked over me. “You don’t need to lose any weight, Abbie. You’re perfect.”

Jay closed the distance between us and pulled me tight to him. I looked up, and our lips connected with hunger. I allowed my hands to run up his muscular back and down his strong arms. His hands pressed over me, gently skimming my shoulders and back before we broke apart for air. I looked up into his deep brown eyes and went back in for more.

Our kiss was shorter this time, but just as passionate.

He pulled away, “Sorry, beautiful, I would love to stay. Trust me.”

I closed my eyes. This wasn’t happening. Couldn’t be happening.

His fingers brushed over my eyebrows and alongside my eyes. “Believe me,” he said kissing my hair, “I have no choice.”

I looked away to hide my disappointment. Unfortunately, I looked straight at the jeans taped to my wall and another layer of self-hatred piled on me. There was no chance of me speaking without betraying emotion. I forced myself to look back at him and nodded my head.

He held my cheeks between his palms, “I will make this up to you, I promise. How about tomorrow?”

My eyes widened. “Tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll swing by here and pick you up. Noon again?”

“Um, sure.”

As the door shut behind Jay, I slapped my forehead. Sure? Three days in a row was not a ‘sure.’ Three days in a row was a run fast and far away from this man who clearly wanted a relationship when I didn’t. I wanted his body, not company.

I plunked myself down on the sofa and grabbed the remote. He was swinging by here to pick me up? On what, his bicycle? It didn’t matter, I’d have to cancel… probably.