Chapter Two
“Bob, you know that you can make anything for anybody. Why not make a little pocket change while you’re at it?” Alex asked his neighbor, still amazed at how the quaint town, and the people in it, never changed.
Bob Winters and his wife, Christy, had been married for forty years, had two sons his age, Jake and Jasper, and were still as in love today as they were when they said “I do”. Christy had brought them lemonade to take the edge off the hot summer day while they sat on Bob’s front porch, each in rocking chairs.
“I know. Christy’s always nagging me about charging for the things I do.” He took a sip of his drink. “But you know me. If they’re my friend, I consider it free.”
“You’re a good man, Bob.” Tipping the glass to his lips, he sipped the beverage. The cool lemonade hit the spot, drowning his parched throat with tangy wetness.
“All done in a day’s work.” The old man paused a moment before speaking again. “Something wrong, boy?”
Alex shook his head. “Nah. Business is great. Life is great. Friends are great. What more could a man want?”
“Someone to hold on those long, lonely nights,” Bob supplied, draining his glass.
Alex’s lips tilted with a grin of amusement. “I guess that could be one thing.”
“You got a girl back in L.A.?”
Alex shook his head. He was too busy with work to even think about a relationship. Besides, most of the women he met were out for his money. Of all the relationships he had, maybe two got to know and like the real him. The rest saw the size of his wallet and tried latching their talons into his skin.
“You’ll find her eventually,” Bob said with confidence. “Jasper and Dana just announced I’m going to be a grandpa. Can you believe it? At my young age, I’m going to be a grandpa.”
Alex chuckled. “Oh, come on. Being a grandfather can’t be all that bad. At least when the kids get annoying you get to send them home with their parents.”
Bob seemed amused by that. “What do you know about kids?”
“Not much, to be honest. I’ve never really been around them.”
The eldest of two children, Alex didn’t have much experience with kids. His younger sister had died in a car accident with his mother when he was five and he barely remembered the incident. His father tried to keep their memory alive, but soon remarried ceasing all conversation about the part of his family he had little time to get to know. After that, Alex stayed away from them the best he could.
“They’re handfuls, I’ll admit, but they’re sweet. I’m actually thrilled by the idea, despite it making me feel old.” He refilled their lemonade and pointed toward Alex’s house. “Looks like you have company. Is that Jessie? I can’t see without my glasses. I swear she’s the only person I know that has a purple car.”
Alex turned his head, trying—and failing—to hide the smile that crossed his face when Jessica came into view. After what’d happened last night, he assumed she hated his guts and never wanted to see him again. Yet there she stood, in a plain white t-shirt and worn denim jeans, looking better to him than any cover model ever could. What on earth is she doing here?
“Uh, I guess I’ll go find out.” Alex stood. “Tell Christy thanks for the lemonade. I’ll draw up some ideas for the business to see what you think.”
Before Bob could reply, Alex crossed the man’s yard and jogged toward his house. Jessie was here. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. It’d been a long time since he wanted to see a girl.
“Hey, you. I thought I recognized your car.” He walked up behind her while she waited on his front porch, poised to knock.
“Uh, hi.” She glanced around. “Where were you?”
“Bob and Christy’s.” He reached past her to open the unlocked door. “Come on in.”
She stepped inside the house and glanced around the room at the furnishings. He knew it was simply decorated, with only the necessities, but wondered what she thought. He hadn’t visited in a while, that much he’d admit. But he still liked the sleek look of the stylish black leather couch and the big-screen television that dominated the small living room.
“Want something to drink?” When she nodded, he took out two bottles of water and gave her one.
“Thanks. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I just thought I’d come by for a second. I have the day off, and I was in town with nothing to do.” She smiled. “So I figured I’d come and annoy you.”
His body heated at her words. “Lucky me.”
They stared at each other for a second. He knew she wanted to pretend everything was normal between them. Alex tipped the bottle to his lips.
“Um, if you’re busy, I’ll leave.” She turned, and Alex reached out and grabbed her arm. “It’s ok, Jess. It’s not that big of a deal.” He let her arm go to wipe the sweat off his brow with his sleeve. “What’s up?”
She twisted her fingers, rolling the large moonstone ring she wore. “Last night shouldn’t have happened.”
He took a long pull from the bottle. So that’s what it was. Regrets.
Jessica’s breaths quickened, heat stealing into her face while Alex assessed her every move. His own memories of the previous night forced their way into his mind, nothing but silky thighs and pouty lips. He’d been five seconds from stripping Jessica naked and plunging hard into her welcoming body before Dani had interrupted them. And had she come in earlier, she would have gotten an eyeful. He smiled, remembering the black lace panty set. Definitely an eyeful.
Alex shifted uncomfortably while he recalled her sweet body in the sinful lace lingerie. Sweet little Jessie had a naughty side, and he liked it very much.
“I disagree.” He waited for her eyes to meet his. “What happened last night was only the beginning of what should have happened a long time ago.”
“You could have sex with a million girls in one night. Why would you choose me?” The insecurity he saw in her eyes broke his heart.
“Uh, thanks, but not even I could live up to that.” He leaned against the cabinet, opposite her. “Oh, I don’t know why I’d want you Jessie. You’re beautiful. You’re kind when you want to be. You’re smart. You’re my best friend, even after all these years. Yeah, I can’t find one reason why I would want you.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, expecting her to find some excuse to leave him high and dry. She fiddled with the moonstone ring on her left hand. He held back a grin when he saw that she still wore it after all these years. They’d taken a fieldtrip in high school to the Earth Science Museum. She’d had ten dollars in her wallet for souvenirs, and the sterling silver ring she wanted cost twenty. She didn’t ask him for the money, which he would have gladly given her. No, her pride kept her from that. He saw in her eyes how much she’d wanted the ring, knowing no matter how much she wanted it, she’d never have it. She moved on with the rest of the class, pretending the ring didn’t exist. Skipping the next exhibit, he bought the twenty-dollar sterling silver ring for her.
“I can’t believe you still wear that thing,” he said. He pulled her hand toward him, admiring it more closely. The deep azure blue stone sat in the center of the sterling silver mounting. The stone itself was in a perfect ball suspended up from her finger.
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I think of it as my high school class ring. My father had all those medical bills when the order forms came around to purchase a ring. Even though I had a job, we couldn’t afford it.” She shook her head. “But that’s beside the point. I just wanted to make sure we both know where our friendship stands.”
“How is your dad doing?” He changed the subject to distract her. He’d figure out a way to make her see. Whatever her fears, they’d overcome them together. Alex decided to make it his new mission while visiting Paradise.
“He’s good. Remission is great.” She smiled, though Alex saw the sadness cross her face. Her father’s illness was a never-ending battle. “Stop changing the subject.”
“Fine. You want to know where our friendship stands?” He closed the space between them until her body was pressed into the island behind her. “I want you, Jess.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. Not a demanding and possessive kiss, but a sweet, gentle touching of his lips against hers. Desire shot through his body, heading straight for his groin. She responded with a little gasp of surprise and then submission. She wanted him too. She tried to deny it, but it was there, unavoidable.
He saw it last night, though he never expected such intense desire.
His sank into the moist depths of her mouth. She tasted magnificent, tempting his senses, making him crave more. How he ever managed to keep his hands off her in high school was beyond him. He cradled her head, shifting so he could explore her at a different angle.
The sweet pleasure of her tongue flicking against his nearly blew the top off his head. He’d never had a kiss that started out so innocent and sweet turn into something carnal and arousing.
The kiss ended, and she said, “You’re really good at that”
“Thanks,” he said with smug pride. “I’m even better at other things.”
She shook her head, licking her bottom lip. “I meant you’re good at turning my words around to suit you. I came here to talk about our friendship, and you have me forgetting my own name.”
He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “You really don’t need to know your name right now, do you?”
“Stop it,” she said, half chuckling. “I’m serious. Can’t we have a serious conversation?”
She was beautiful—everything about her.
“I’ll have a serious conversation if you put everything out in the open between us.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead in a soft kiss. “That includes what happened in New York.”
She hesitated. “Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” He kissed her again, this time briefly, on her lips.
“Justin and I had an office romance.” She looked away.
He hesitated briefly before his hands coasted along her back, silently urging her to continue.
“I worked as a paralegal for a big firm, and I was always faxing something to someone. He got a bright idea to seduce me in the fax room. He met me in there on his lunch break and worked his charm.” She finally gained enough courage to look at Alex, who slid his hands down her arms, keeping her close. “I broke up with him shortly after, when I found him with another employee. I didn’t know he’d filmed the entire episode and put it on the Internet, where it got a ridiculous amount of hits each day.” She absently rolled the moonstone ring, hesitating before she continued. “I found out later his friend ran an amateur porn business, and somehow the link to the free peepshow reached my former employer’s e-mail. I walked in the next day, and he fired me on the spot, saying his prestigious business didn’t need women like me working for them. They didn’t fire Justin because, ironically, the video didn’t show his face.”
Alex’s muscles tensed. Jessica prided herself on being able to handle anything, no matter how much it truly hurt her. But to have someone treat her like that—no woman deserved that. The more Alex thought about it, the hotter his cheeks became. Too bad Justin didn’t live in Paradise.
She pulled back, tears streaked her face, but she never looked more beautiful to him. He wished he could take away her pain. The humiliation, the hurt—he would take it all away if he could.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said, swiping under her eyes with her fingers. “Now can we get serious about what we’re doing and where we’re going with it?”
Alex smiled. “Babe, I’ll give you whatever you want. You know that. If you want me the way I want you, then great. But if you just want to be friends, then that’s fine too.”
“We can’t have a relationship, Alex. I live here; you live in L.A. Unless one of us is willing to move, I don’t see how it’ll work out.”
He crossed his arms. “Stop thinking too much. I can all but hear the wheels churning. Just go with the flow. What’s wrong with that?”
“Everything. Everyone knows you can’t date and be friends. If it doesn’t work out…. I really don’t want to lose your friendship.”
“Honey, you’re not going to lose anything from me. What if we’re meant to be together, but you never took that chance? That you just wanted to stay friends because you’re afraid for the worst, even though there’s no reason to be? Are you really going to run from life, or are you going to go out in the world and face it?”
She bit her bottom lip. God she was adorable. So many women didn’t think twice about jumping into a physical relationship. Jessica was never that person. She was cautious and mindful of the future. That alone made him want her more than he already did.
“Fine. Are we supposed to date, or what?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I mean, dating is the getting-to-know-you stage of a relationship. Do we start from the beginning?”
He bent forward, pinning her body with his arms. “If I didn’t have to work on Bob’s ad, I’d show you exactly where we should start.” He glanced at his watch. “But I promised to have it done by three.”
“After all this, you’re kicking me out?” She wrapped her hands around his biceps and smiled. “After I poured my heart out and told you my secrets, you’re telling me you have to work?”
“Have something better in mind?” He arched an eyebrow at her, his face inches from hers.
“I guess you’ll have to wait and see.” She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “In the meantime, you can come up with your own ideas.”
He shook his head. Little Miss Innocent turned into Little Miss Vixen right before his eyes. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but the aching bulge enclosed in Nylon basketball shorts did little to hide what he wanted to do.
Her hands slid down to his, linking their fingers together while their tongues explored the wetness of each other’s mouth. She was the one. He knew it the instant he saw her in the ugly pink uniform slapping the wet rag on those tables. Notably, he hadn’t wanted to admit it, but holding her in his arms now made the inevitable undeniable. She may try to hide her feelings, but they showed like an aurora lighting up the sky.
He could think of nothing but her. The feel of her skin underneath his, the feel of her mouth against his, the feel of her body gripping him—he got harder just thinking about it.
She tried to pull away, and he leaned toward her, forcing the kiss to last. She giggled, laughing when his arms came around her. It was so hard to stop. He couldn’t get enough. He’d never get enough.
“Stop, Alex,” she said, finally pushing against his chest. “Let me catch my breath.”
“You’re too sweet to stop.” He kissed her forehead and felt her hot panting breaths against his even hotter skin. “I want to fuck you until the sun comes up and we don’t have the strength to walk. When are you coming back?”
She looked up at him. Her big eyes focused on his. “Tonight, so you’d better get all your work done. With both of our imaginations put together, it looks like we won’t be leaving your bedroom for a week or two.”
He kissed her again, unable to help himself. He was a junkie and she was his drug. He remembered the feel of her tight nipples against his tongue from last night, how raw and sweet she tasted. He could still feel the dampness in her black lace panties, the scorching moisture slick against his fingers. He wanted more of her now.
“Ok.” She pulled her head back and pushed him aside so she stood completely out of his embrace. “No more kisses and definitely no more putting dirty little thoughts in my head. I still have a whole day to get through, and last night was bad enough.”
“Last night? What did you do last night?” He smirked. He blocked her in the kitchen with his body, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Nothing you need to know about.” She tried to mock his stance, making his grin widen.
“Did you think about me?”
“Tried not to.” She moved around the counter.
“But you did. Did you touch yourself?” He splayed his hands on the counter, trapping her with his body
“Maybe.” She grinned. “What’s it to you?”
“Only adds to the excitement, babe. Do you have a vibrator? Or did you just use your fingers?”
She switched angles, going the other way around the counter, but he was there and blocked her again. He smiled at her mockingly. Her only other option was to climb over the island.
“Come on. Tell me.”
She glanced to the side like she debated crawling over the island. “Don’t you have work you should be doing?”
“Don’t change the subject.” He didn’t budge. “I’ll get it out of you one way or another. I always do.”
She met his gaze. Her teeth lightly bit her lower lip while she contemplated what to do. If he wasn’t so pressed for time, they wouldn’t even be having a conversation. It was a nice thought to simply whisk her away and ignore the world for a month or two.
“Yes,” she finally responded, caving. “If you tell anyone I’ll kill you. It’s bad enough that I live with my parents.” She poked her finger into his chest.
“Why would I tell anyone?” Before she could try moving again, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his body. “You know your secrets are safe with me. Especially those kinds of secrets. We’ll have to play later.”
“This whole town is one big gossip chain.” She struggled halfheartedly in his grip but gave up. He was stronger and hell-bent on keeping her in his arms. Only the Jaws of Life could break her free from his embrace. “If you say something….”
He licked the exposed skin at her collar and kissed it with his warm lips. “Stop talking.”
She melted in his arms again, his tongue trailing toward the hint of cleavage in the V of her shirt. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, didn’t want to. His thumbs brushed across the stiff points of her breasts, her small gasp told him not to stop. So sweet. Jessica cupped his head, a silent urge for him to continue. His mouth explored the sweet taste that was Jessica alone, her moans filling the silence around them.
“If you don’t stop, we’re going to end up in your bed and have a bunch of mad people wondering why we dropped off the face of the earth. Together, no less.”
He smiled up at her, his lips directly over her left nipple. He kissed her breast through her clothing before backing away “Fine. I should be done by six, hopefully, if all goes well.”
She pecked his lips and stepped past him to the doorway connecting the kitchen to the foyer. “Do you want me to bring anything?”
“What, like your handy gadget?” He propped his arm against the door, a smile playing on his face. “Did you give it a name?”
She laughed. “That’s none of your business.”
They stepped out in the heat of the day, and Alex saw Bob’s smirk crease his wrinkled face. He doubted the old man could hear their conversation, but kept his voice lowered just in case.
“That means you did. Come on, tell me its name.” He followed her to the car, seeming to have a normal conversation.
“Did you name your dick?” she countered. “I’ve known a few guys that named theirs, did you?”
She opened the door to her car and then turned right into his body. His lips inches from hers, he whispered, “No, but you can name it anything you want.”
“Stop doing this. Mr. Winters is across the street watching our every move.”
“Like I give a fuck?” He leaned closer, and she pushed him away.
“Please.” She put her hand against his chest, keeping him right where he was.
“Just this once,” he said, his eyes locking with hers. “Then I have the right to kiss you and fuck you wherever and whenever I want.”
Pure mischief shone in her eyes. “Fine. You have to give me the same rights, though, plus a few more.”
“Like what?”
“Kiss, suck, fuck—if it crosses my mind, I can do it. Whenever, wherever.” She smiled sweetly at him before turning to climb behind the wheel.
“You try to play the good girl part, but deep inside you’re a vixen.” He slammed her door, shaking his head.
Oh it’ll be a fun night, all right. He pictured them trying out every sexual position in the guides and then repeating their favorites. Her sweet little mouth sucking his cock, his tongue tasting her pussy. He envisioned it all, and she had yet to start her car and pull out of his driveway.
Yeah, it was going to be one hell of a day.
She waved, backing out then speeding off down the road. Bob sat wide-eyed, nodding his head approvingly. If Alex could make it through his workday, it would be a small miracle. If he was able to keep his hands off her by this time tomorrow, it would only be because of an act of God.
Alex retreated back inside when he couldn’t see her car anymore. He needed an ice-cold shower. Afterward, he would play the hardest rock he had on his Ipod. The only way he could stop thinking about her was to prevent himself from thinking at all.
He grinned stepping into the shower. Work first, play later. And, oh, how they’d play. Right until the sun came up.