Chapter Eleven
Figuring Jack would want some space on Sunday after spending almost every second of their weekend together, Ann mentioned he might want to leave so she could do some household chores.
Jack sat at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee. “I’m good. So what chores do we have to do?”
“We?”
“Sure. I figure if I help you dust, you can help me figure out what to get Julie for the surprise party my mother is planning. You know, to celebrate the new baby.”
She stared at him. “You want my help? I don’t really know Julie. Why not ask Dan?” She felt silly, but shopping together felt as if they were taking their relationship to the next level. They were already having sex. He wanted them to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. Then what? Move in together? Get engaged? What about her grand plans for revenge? Not easy to finish if she fell in love with the guy.
His thoughtfulness toward his sister-in-law wasn’t helping her resolve, either.
Great going with that, Ann. Why don’t you sleep with him again to prove how over him you are? She could almost hear Maya’s scathing voice ripping her a new one.
“Ann?”
She shook herself. “What? Oh. I guess. I need to clean up the kitchen, dust and pick up the living room. You know, house stuff. And I definitely need a shower.”
“You can clean the shower and yourself at the same time. That’s how I do it.” He looked around, no doubt noting the mess of dishes in the drying rack, a few in the sink and the random assortment of cans and boxes of macaroni she hadn’t gotten around to organizing yet.
She grinned, feeling a little more on even keel. “You have issues, you know that?”
“I don’t follow.”
She pulled out a chair and sat next to him. “It’s kind of cute, your addiction to cleanliness.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m addicted.” He concentrated on his coffee, taking small sips.
“I would. Maybe it’s an OCD thing.”
His cheeks turned red. “Shut up.”
“Look at you. All embarrassed because you and Mr. Clean are in a monogamous relationship.”
“You know, you’re a lot prettier when that mouth is occupied with other things.” His smirk made her blush.
“Fine. I’ll get the cleaning stuff.”
He actually hummed while he dusted. She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen and heard it herself. He seemed to enjoy cleaning up while she put the groceries away and straightened up the dishes.
After a while, she realized the house had grown quiet. She tracked him down in her bedroom, straightening up her clothes.
He noticed her and raised a brow. “What? We made a mess in here.”
“Oh? You’re wearing your mess. That’s my stuff on the floor.” After her harried week, she’d foregone being neat. Normally she put things away, but this side of Jack intrigued her. Seeing him so domestic made him seem more real. More human. More…
She stopped him when he grabbed her laundry basket. “Okay, that’s enough. Go watch TV or read a book. I’m going to shower.”
“But I could—”
“You are not washing my dirty clothes.” Gross and embarrassing. “Go downstairs. I’ll shower, then we can go get Julie something.”
He brightened. “Actually, I think I’ll head home for some fresh clothes. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
“Okay.”
He kissed her, pulling her in for that familiar, unmistakable warmth that she knew would be her undoing. Being with Jack was starting to become the norm. She liked it, liked him, more than she should.
He moved away with a sigh. “You know, there’s no rush. Why don’t we…” He nodded back to the bed.
“Nope. We hit the sheets, we’ll be there all day. We’re shopping, remember?”
“Fine.” He turned to leave, and she swore she heard, “I’ll get you later.”
Once alone in the shower, she tried to wash away her concerns. Easier said than done. The soap suds swirled around the drain, but her confusion still remained.
She’d thought she was doing the right thing by getting herself together, confronting the past—in particular, Jack. But she didn’t want to revisit the pain of old mistakes. She wanted to take charge of her life and put her troubles far behind her. But it seemed as if Jack planned to make her a part of his future.
And maybe she wanted that too.
Confusing sex with love. A familiar pattern. Remember, he dumped you once. What’s to say he won’t do it again?
After finishing her shower, she dried and dressed. She planned on putting a bit of distance between her and Jack, though she didn’t intend to tell him that. The sex between them was new, and sure, they’d always been good together. But the rest, the dating, the sharing, that took its toll. A few more days in his company and she was pretty sure she’d be ready to say goodbye. He’d no doubt act like an ass soon enough.
One could hope.
Jack returned when he said he would. They decided to walk downtown, a short trip into the heart of Bend. There they perused each store—even the ones that had nothing to do with a baby. Testing him, Ann tried to bore him to death by shopping for hours, and not just for Julie, but for herself as well. Her excuse being she rarely took the time to go shopping.
She hadn’t expected him to like being with her that much.
“No, I like the blue one better.”
She turned to see him eyeing the dress she’d tried on, as she looked at herself in front of the store mirror. “Really? You like this better than the pink one?”
“Brings out the blue in your eyes.” He winked.
To her astonishment, he wasn’t joking around or mildly tolerating her, but offering what appeared to be a sincere opinion.
“You’re having fun, aren’t you?”
He laughed. “Yeah. Why not? If I wasn’t out shopping with you, I’d be working on something for Dr. Singer or hiking at Todd Lake. And after our trip last week, hiking turns me on. Not cool when you’re by yourself in the woods and end up passing curious hikers, let me tell you.”
Her cheeks felt warm. “Oh, um. Okay.” She hurried into the dressing room to put her own clothes back on. Then she took the dresses she’d tried on and placed them on the return rack.
“You’re not going to get it?” he asked.
“Nah. Just window shopping.” On her salary, she needed to be bowled over to splurge on clothes. Though she loved the dress, she didn’t love the price tag.
Jack plucked the dress off the rack and took it to the counter.
“What are you doing?”
“Buying you this dress.” He noted a pair of earrings near the counter that she’d coveted earlier. “Those too.”
“Jack.”
The saleswoman smiled and added them to the purchase. “Good choice.” She rang up the sale and handed Jack the bag. He grabbed it and Ann’s hand and left the store.
“Where to next?”
She felt awkward, both pleased and weirded out that he’d purchased her something. Especially considering her conflicted feelings for him. Then another thought hit her, this one mortifying.
“You didn’t have to buy me anything.” She tilted her chin up. “I can afford it, you know.”
He sighed. “This isn’t going to be a big deal, is it? It’s just a dress.”
“And earrings.”
“So? I plan to strip the dress off you at some point. It’s more a present for me, really.” He nodded to more stores. “Now, where to next?”
She gave in and took him to a baby store, where they selected a stuffed owl and some neutral-colored onesies for the baby.
“Do you think Julie will want to learn the baby’s sex?” she asked as they left.
“Probably. Julie likes to know what’s what. Dan too.”
They hit a bistro for lunch and ordered sandwiches and drinks. Jack insisted on paying, despite her protests, and then they took their seats while they waited for their order to appear.
“I could have paid,” she said.
“Look, it’s my weekend. I’m in charge.”
“You lost your authority hours ago,” she reminded him.
“I know. So you should ease me back into being a normal guy by letting me do whatever I want.”
“I should, hmm?” She was such a sucker for that bright blue joy in his eyes. When he grew so animated and happy, she had a hard time refusing him anything.
“Yeah.” He sipped from his drink, watching her. “So…”
“Go ahead. Say what’s on your small, male mind.”
He laughed with her. “You’re so funny when you’re insulting. And everything about you is pretty.”
“Jack, stop. I’ll get a big ego if you keep flattering me.”
“Nah. You’ll shrug it off, like you do all my compliments.” He studied her from the top of her head to her toes hidden under the table. “Yep. I like the whole package.”
Unfortunately, she really liked him too. What to do about that?
“You had a point?” she prodded.
“Julie’s pregnant with her second. My mom’s on me to settle down, but I keep telling her I don’t have time. What about you? Ever thought about kids?”
She shrugged, keeping it casual and not trying to read too much into that segue. “Sure. I always figured I’d be a mom someday. But I’m only…” She did the math and felt her biological clock start ticking. “Well, I’ll be thirty next year.”
“Still young.” He nodded. “You have plenty of time to start a family.”
“I’d like to do it the old fashioned way. I know too many single moms having a hard time. I’d prefer to get married first. Then again, I’m sure my single friends did too.” She sighed. “It’s scary. Relationships don’t last anymore.” She looked at him, uncomfortable at the intensity in his eyes. “What?”
“So you’re off marriage altogether? Scared it will go bad so you quit the market?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just… I need to take my time and not rush things. I don’t see a ring on your finger.” She stared pointedly at his bare left hand.
“True. But I’m not against marriage. I’d like to get married someday, have kids and a house.”
Her heart raced. “Oh? Ever proposed to anyone?”
“No.” He stared at her. “The one I wanted got away a long time ago.”
Did he mean her or some other woman from his past? As much as she wanted to know, she didn’t want to spoil the day either way. “Right. Well, enough of this marriage talk. Why don’t you tell me about your job?”
“My job?”
A server brought over their sandwiches. As they ate, Jack described his role as an environmental engineer at the college in detail. It seemed he had a terrific job that satisfied him.
“We’re both teachers,” he said as he pushed away his empty plate. “Tell me what it’s like being around so many little kids every day. I love Josh, but he’s a handful. How do you manage a room full of them?”
She smiled. “I love children. They’re so innocent, so full of ideas and so much fun. To see them learn and get excited about knowledge is fantastic. And yes, I have to have a lot of patience, but I’m doing what I love. What could be better than that?”
“You’re going to be such a great mother.”
She started. “Ah, thanks.”
“I mean, imagine a little girl with your looks and intelligence. She’ll have all the boys wrapped around her little finger.” He smiled, and the soft look he gave her raised her blood pressure. “She’ll need a big strong daddy to keep the boys in line.”
“You have babies on the brain, don’t you?”
He chuckled and lost his faraway look, thank God. Because if he’d suggested it, she might have been stupid enough to try making a few rug-rats right now. Totally not on her agenda, nor should it be with him.
“Blame my mother,” he said while she gathered her scattered thoughts. “She’s been going on and on about Dan and Julie, about my pathetic love life and how she’s might die before she sees grandchildren from me.”
“Wow. She’s really working the guilts.”
“That’s Mom.” He shook his head. “But I love her. Your parents leaving you alone about grandkids?”
“Well, my mom is always interested in my love life. Other than that, they’ve been mostly quiet.”
“Love life, hmm?” He dragged a finger over her cheek. “What other men do I have to worry about? You hiding a stash of lovers?” He sounded lighthearted, but a glint in his eyes had her wondering.
“Yeah, I have a whole harem of pool boys waiting on me at home.”
He relaxed. “I see. Guess I’d better up my game then. How about ice cream?”
“Ugh. I’m full.” And too jittery around him to eat. He made her nervous. She kept thinking about future babies and rings and a life with him, which only served to show she hadn’t learned jack—literally—from her mistakes in high school. “Besides, if I keep eating, I’ll blow up like a balloon.”
“Fine. You can help me eat mine. I have a hankering for mint chocolate chip.”
Her favorite. Did the man forget anything? “You suck.”
“Yeah, I do.” He wiggled his brows, and once again she recalled how they’d spent last night. She hoped she didn’t look as red as she felt as they left for the ice cream shop.
Because they had to walk home, by the time they’d reached her place, she didn’t feel guilty for helping him finish his ice cream.
“Well, it’s been a fun day.” She walked up the steps and paused at the front door when he latched onto her arm.
“Hell no. We’re not done, angel.”
She tingled at the endearment. “We’re not?”
“You have to try on that dress for me. Come on. Please?”
Recalling his plans to take it off her, she frowned. “No funny business. I’ll try it on, but you have to go after. I can’t be walking funny at school tomorrow. The kids will talk.”
He grinned. “Yes, Ms. Weaver.”
“If you were in my class, I have no doubt you’d be at the naughty desk all year long.”
He laughed and followed her inside.
She pointed to the couch, not trusting him or herself together in her bedroom. “You stay here.”
“Spoilsport.”
She took her bag with her into the bedroom and tried on the dress. She had to take off her bra to wear it, but the dress had its own support. She smoothed it out as she looked in the mirror. It looked terrific. She added the earrings, touched to know he’d bought them for her.
Then she added a pair of blue heels from her closet and knew she’d have to wear this out somewhere soon. Before it grew too cold to be comfortable.
“Okay. Here it is.” She walked into the living room and rounded the couch to face Jack.
He just stared. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“Twirl around. Let me see the back.”
She felt like a million bucks in the knee-length silky material. The dress flattered her curves while giving her body more oomph. She didn’t feel tiny in it either. She felt like a sexy man-eater. Especially the way Jack looked at her.
With her back to him, she glanced over her shoulder for his reaction.
Jack’s smile was wicked. He scooted forward on the couch and pulled her back by the hips to stand closer to him. Then he ran his hands up her legs.
She shivered. “Jack?”
He reached her waist under the dress and tugged her panties down.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it feel like?” came the low pitched answer.
Her panties continued down her legs and pooled at her feet.
“Step out of them,” he ordered.
She had a hard time breathing past the excitement filling her from head to toe and centering between her legs. “I thought I said no funny business.” She stepped out of the panties and turned to face him.
“Angel, there’s nothing funny about how hard I’m gonna fuck you right now. Does this make you want to laugh?” He thrust a hand between her legs and slid through her arousal. “Hot and wet. My two favorite words.”
She strangled on a laugh that shifted into a moan as he pumped a finger inside her. “Jack…”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll make it all better.”