Chapter Eleven
PETE LOVED THE sound of Jenna’s hampered breathing as she tried to calm down from their lovemaking. He loved that he had that effect on her—they had that effect on each other. He came up on one elbow and she smiled up at him. He loved her mouth, her eyes, the softness of her skin. He loved that she was in his bed, finally, where he felt she belonged. Pete traced a line down the center of her body, took her hand in his and brought it to his lips.
“This doesn’t feel like a first date, Jenna. It feels like you’ve been with me all my life.”
“If I’d been with you all your life, your closet would be organized.”
He glanced into his closet, which was neat and orderly, but not color coordinated, and the thought that her mind had gone there so soon after making love made him laugh.
“You have a point.” He lowered his forehead to hers. “I’m serious, though. All these years we’ve known each other, and this. You being here with me. It feels so right.” He kissed her cheek and loved the way she closed her eyes the second his lips touched her skin, like she was savoring his touch.
“In my heart I was with you all these years; you just never noticed.”
“I noticed, but you confused the heck out of me.” He searched her eyes for a reaction, hoping he didn’t annoy her with his honesty, but it had been on his mind, and he wanted to get it out in the open, because so many other things needed to fill that space. Images of Jenna trying to catch his attention flashed into his mind, but he couldn’t hold on to them. They were overpowered by her other confusing reactions.
She laced their fingers together. “You made me nervous, but you don’t anymore.” She looked down at their bare bodies. “Obviously.” Her cheeks pinked up again.
“Why did I make you so nervous?”
“Because I was so attracted to you.” She shifted her eyes.
“Jenna, talk to me.”
She looked at him with a serious gaze. “You made me all flustered, and the harder I tried to get your attention, the less attention you paid to me, so I got nervous.”
“And then you gave up and went out with that guy.”
“Charlie.”
“That guy.”
The side of her lips cocked up. “You know, you come across as this quiet, well-mannered, slightly mysterious guy. But you’re much more aggressive and possessive.”
He pulled her closer, so her legs were pressed against his.
“That’s because I wasn’t dating you.”
“Which begs the question…Why weren’t you interested in me?” She blinked up at him expectantly.
“Because I was stupid.” He smiled and she rolled her eyes. Of course she wouldn’t buy his bull, and she deserved the truth. He lay back and arced an arm over his head, but he felt too far away from her, so he moved closer again.
“The truth is, when you’re with everyone else, you’re yourself, but with me, you were so nervous that I didn’t know what to make of it. I wasn’t sure we’d be compatible. You see how I am. The real me. I’m not someone who’s terribly gentle or coy. But when I saw you with that guy—” He shook his head. “I don’t know, Jenna. I saw you actually pick up a guy. In all these years, I’ve never seen you do that. And suddenly the threat of losing you was real. I realized how much I looked forward to seeing you every summer, and…” He flopped back on the bed again and threw his arm over his forehead and groaned.
“Go on. I’m liking this whole alpha Pete gets embarrassed thing you’ve got going on.”
He rose over her again and kissed her nose. “Be careful or I’ll show you just how alpha I can be. We’re friends, Jen. Pretty darn good friends, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that. I didn’t want a fling with you, but seeing you with him at the bar and then again on the boat…I lost sight of right and wrong, and all those years crashed together.” He looked deeply into her eyes, needing her to understand what it had taken him forever to grasp. “I realized how much you meant to me and how stupid I’d been. Then we kissed, and… Jenna. There was no turning back. At least not for me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, this is a fling?”
His chest tightened. Is that what she wanted? “No way. Not for me it’s not. Is it for you?”
“I just thought when you said—”
He shifted her in his arms, pinning her against him. “Let me be very clear. I don’t want a fling, and I’m not into sharing. So if you were looking for a fling, gather your slinky little dress and I’ll drive you home.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And if I’m not looking for a fling?”
“Then let’s get cleaned up and eat some dinner so I can enrapture you with my seductive ways and claim you again and again.”
Jenna pushed at his chest. “Would you mind getting off of me?”
Her words sent a sinking feeling to Pete’s gut as he moved off of her and watched her scoot to the edge of the bed.
“Did I really misread you?” He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the back of her neck—just in case it was the last taste of her he’d ever get.
Jenna hopped from the bed—literally—and turned to face him. Her eyes were wide, her smile mischievous, with every sweet curve on display, making him instantly aroused. “Who are you kidding?” She strutted to the bathroom. “Get your butt up. Let’s rinse off and get you fed. You’ve got a girlfriend to satisfy.”
He followed her into the bathroom, making her laugh as he swooped her into his arms and turned on the shower.
“Girlfriend? So you don’t mind that I’m a little possessive?” He kissed her neck.
“Little?” She arched a brow and dragged her eyes down his body. “There is nothing little about you, and I’ve been lusting after you for years.” She met his gaze again. “I’ve been yours for years. It’s about time you owned up to it.”
“Man, I really like you, Jenna.”
“Fair warning. I’ll drive you crazy.” She held on to his waist and stared at him with a serious look in her eyes. “I’ll organize everything in your life, and if you think golden-brown marshmallows are a pain, you should see—”
He kissed her.
“I’ll take my chances.”
An hour later they were dressed and sitting on his deck, eating cheese and crackers and sharing a glass of wine, when Pete’s cell phone rang with his father’s ringtone. Are you kidding me?
“Excuse me.” He rose to his feet and grabbed his phone from the living room table. “Hey, Pop.” He eyed Jenna on the deck. She kicked her bare feet up on his chair and rested her head back.
“Where is she, Peter?” His father’s speech was slurred and slow. Pete’s heart ached. No one outside of his family knew about his father’s drinking, and just this one night he’d hoped to escape his father’s call. Sometimes he went days without calling. Of all the bad luck…
He turned his back to Jenna and rubbed his temples. “She’s gone, Pop. But you’re okay. Can you get into bed?” He knew his father wouldn’t be able to without stumbling, and the thought of him getting hurt worried Pete.
“Gone? What d’you mean gone?”
Pete turned back toward Jenna. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay put.”
Jenna turned when he opened the screen door. Joey followed him out and rubbed against her leg.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He ran his hand through his hair and glanced over the bay. “I’m really sorry, Jenna, but I’ve got to go take care of something.” He did not want to end this night.
“Oh.” Her eyes filled with disappointment.
Jenna had woken up every part of his brain and body. He wanted to protect her, to love her, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave her. But she didn’t need to deal with his father’s garbage.
He reached for her hand. His jaw clenched tight, and he knew he was being quiet and withdrawn. It was unfair to Jenna that he was acting this way, but he was pissed—at his father, for falling into the bottle night after night, and at himself, for not forcing him into rehab.
“I’m sorry, Jenna. The last thing I want is to end our date, much less end it like this.”
“It’s okay. Is there anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head. There was nothing anyone could do. Once again he wondered if Jenna would be better off without him—and his father’s illness—in her life.
And he knew there was no way he’d ever let her go.