“Jonny! Let’s go!”
His fingers curled into her sweater, not wanting to let her go. Afraid that the answer would be different if he let her think, to weigh her options. He pulled her in and tried to infuse all the want and need he was feeling. Her fingers smoothed through his hair, easing the kiss from the hurried to the slow.
His body felt like one big, exposed nerve and only her soothing touch could keep him in line. He drew back, lingering on the kiss swollen mouth, and dipping once, then twice until he was sure she would remember and feel half the want he had going on.
Her cool fingertips traced along the line of his jaw, “Hurry.”
“Jon!”
“I’m comin’” he yelled back to John. “Give a guy a break,” he muttered. “Are you going to watch?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” she said as their fingers twisted.
He left her at the side and immediately immersed himself in the music, in the moment, in the melody and the laughter. The kids and the adults alike were in the swing of things as the final number of the night began.
Santa made his reappearance as the stage was filled to brimming with artists, donation sponsors, puppets and of course the musicians. The rockin’ rendition of Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town was one of his favorites and he looked forward to it every year.
The two minute jingle lengthened to nearly ten minutes of laughter and ribbing. And as the song climaxed, he found her there, next to him, with Davie’s knowing look spread across his expressive face on the other side of her. He linked their fingers over the tambourine, pulling her in front of him and the smiles were even wider as the entire house stood and sang.
All the single dad troubles, new love worries faded for a moment in time as they celebrated for the Elizabeth Foundation and for the children it would help. United for a cause that meant healing for kids was good enough on a night like this.
And as the finale wound down, he kept her close. Expected schmoozing and final goodbyes took longer than he wanted. Everyone wanted to talk to him, a photo, a moment of his time. He tamped down his impatience and his need to get her alone and felt his smile wear thin and his patience wear away until their palms met and her fingers linked with his again. She smiled and did the small talk thing without complaint, without the constant stomp of impatience and so he relaxed.
And the night stretched out for him at each lingering touch. He helped her into her coat, smoothing his fingers up and over the winter white wool, fluffing the collar up to keep her warm. He tugged her hair out and the scent of cinnamon and spice curled around him as he leaned in, “You always smell so good,” he said sniffing appreciatively.
Not knowing what to say, she laughed, “Thanks, I think.”
He escaped out the side door again and said goodnight to Kevin as he ran to the car, with her in tow. He turned her a bit as they found the car, caging her in. “In a rush?” she asked breathlessly.
Curling his fingers into his palm he forced himself to slow, take the time and enjoy. He didn’t remember wanting anything so much in his life. He rubbed noses with her, settling for an Eskimo kiss that would keep him settled.
The ride out of Basie’s would have been time consuming, but the well wishing had taken enough time for the parking lot to empty, yet he still took the back roads. Still wanted to have her to himself, even if it was just traffic he’d run into.
There was a heaviness to the car, expectation and anticipation were front runners with a touch of nerves to keep them both quiet. “Your place or mine,” he whispered hoarsely.
“Which is closer?” she asked not looking away from the road.
“Yours.”
She glanced to her left and her dark eyes glittered in the dim light of the car. “Mine, then.”
He stepped on the gas, and they shot into the night, heading to her small cottage with minimal traffic and yet every mile felt like an eternity and pulling into her drive left the talk at a standstill. She let him help her out of the car, but a sense of shyness had replaced their earlier teasing.
Their fingers still twined and the light bumping of bodies seemed to echo with the fragility of first times. He wasn’t expecting to feel so unsure of himself. He’d done this a thousand times, even his nearly twenty years of marriage had left him with seduction techniques that would normally set him at ease.
He knew what to do.
How to do it.
Even what would be expected of him during the night. But it felt like he should be careful here, that it would change him. And he wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of change again.
She flipped on the entryway light and shrugged out of her coat and when she turned to him, he suddenly realized he was very ready. He’d been waiting for her for a long time. And in the silence of her house, he walked to her, brushing his thumbs up and over the crest of her cheek, letting his fingers drift into her hair as he tilted her head up to taste her.
Drawing on the patience he hadn’t known he’d possessed, he lengthened the kiss until she melted into him. Until her nerves drifted away into the gentle passion they created. She turned and with fingers still linked she walked up the stairs. Words still didn’t seem to have a place in the softness of the night. And she only turned on enough lights to get them to her room.
8
He got an impression of space and color, but the only colors he was interested lay in her pale skin, the dozens of shades of blonde in her hair, her warm brown eyes and the flash of red that winked from her tummy.
And instead of starting at her mouth, he dipped to the line of her sweater and lifted it. She gasped as his tongue found her belly ring as he nosed up the fluffy angora leaving his hands to push the rest up as he nuzzled his way up.
Finding black and red lace cupping her generous breasts drew a growl from him as he nosed around, blowing over the satin until a nipple pushed at the material. His hand cupped her, tracing over the lace as his thumbs found her peak and lightly rubbed.
Searching for the other nipple he plucked at one and rolled the other between his teeth and tongue through the material. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she tried to bring him up to her mouth, but still he stayed. Still he gave.
And her soft moans were all the filled the air. He pushed at the sweater until it hit the floor next to his feet. His mouth moved up to the crest of her breast where her scent flared and drowned his senses. Up to her neck and over a shoulder until the black strap slid down her arm.
Taking his time to nuzzle along her skin, finding satin, lace and a patch of freckles at her shoulder he took his time to taste each inch. He circled her waist, using only is fingertips to climb her back and find the strap to her bra and the hooks that held her away from him.
She gasped as he snapped it open and let it fall. He stood up straight as she went for his t-shirt, pushing it up with the same slowness. It was his turn to gasp as her fingers and nails burrowed through the hair of his chest, finding muscles and skin and…he hissed as her mouth found a nipple.
Whipping off the t-shirt he groaned as they were skin to skin for the first time. Her belly quivered as his cold buckle brushed her skin and instead of keeping it slow and aching, he dropped his jeans and lifted her rounding the bed as her legs opened and gripped at his hips.
Eyes locked he lowered her to the bed. His mouth lingered at hers, not quite touching, not quite apart, just breathing her in. He could see her eyes wanting to close, to enjoy his touch.
“Keep them open,” he whispered as he struggled with her pants and boots and returned quickly.
She watched as he undressed her. Watched as he stood before her in the muted light of her reading lamp. Watched as he took care to protect her and watched as he lowered himself on top of her.
He met her gaze and the ache and the want merged into her brown eyes as he gently positioned himself and felt her surround him. Wanting to hold onto the moment he stilled and breathed out.
Opening as if she’d been made for him, she accepted him inside of her body. And just before he pushed himself fully inside of her, their lips met and every part of her enveloped him. Thighs closed, body accepted and mouths fused until they couldn’t deny the needs building.
He rocked gently against her, enjoying the tiny flutters of her milking him. His hands curled beneath her shoulders and held her up and against him as his lips moved to her chin and her neck as his strokes lengthened.
His hand slid down her body and gripped her thigh as she pushed up against him as the wonder of the first time curled around them like a blanket.
And when he heard his name on her lips he let himself go.
~
Bella woke to the dim gray light of a winter morning. The unfamiliar heat beneath her cheek had her blinking in awe and rising to see a shadowed jaw and length of neck at her eye line. His hair was mussed and his lips gently parted in sleep.
Without thought her fingertip drew a line along his bottom lip. He started at her touch and sleepy eyes opened then closed as his lips curved. “Morning,” he said roughly.
She laid her check back on his chest. “Good morning.”
His fingers trailed down her back. “I don’t think I’ve slept that well in years,” he said and his hair roughened thighs whispered along hers. His hand lowered to the curve of her butt as he lightly squeezed and roamed back up to her shoulders. “You’re quiet.”
She lifted herself on her elbow and met his sleepy blue eyes. “This was a lot to take in.”
His eyebrow rose. “Why thank you.”
She laughed and tugged the sheet up and sat next to him. Feeling none of her modesty, he stretched and let the sheet fall low on his hips. “We wanted each other, Izzy. It’s natural and even expected for it to lead to the bedroom.”
“I’m not worried about the sex. I’m a grown woman and made my decision to take you home before you even asked.”
He pushed his hand under the pillow and propped himself up. “Okay, then what are you worried about?”
“Nothing major...just worried how I’m supposed to go to my parents’ house today and not have them figure out that I met the most wonderful man.”
He sat up and hauled her in. “Guess you’ll just have to tell them about me.”
“You wouldn’t mind?” she said around the kisses he started.
“Nope. I’m not letting you go any time soon.” After a few minutes he pulled back. “And to think it all started with a car crash. How about that?”
She laughed as he rolled her under him. “Red and blue mesh oh so nicely.” She arched under him. “Oh and whatever happened to my car anyway?”
“I thought you liked red and blue,” he said and kissed her until she forgot all about cars and just concentrated on him.
SIXTEEN
FIFTEEN
Bella got her winter white coat off the hanger as she headed for the door. She opened it up and ushered Jon in. “Am I getting spoiled with the right on time thing, or is that going to change?”
Jon laughed and pressed a quick kiss on her cherry colored lips. He flicked his finger over the old fashioned Christmas light bulbs that dangled from her ears, glowing a warm red. “Look at that, I’ll find you all night,” he murmured before settling into a proper kiss hello.
Bella’s arms surrounded yet another one of his leather jackets. This one had red piping and a black hoodie and black t-shirt beneath it. “Glad I dressed down,” she said and tugged on his hood strings.
“These guys are pretty down to earth.” He took in her slim jeans and red sweater, enjoying the woman without her millions of layers his thumbs traced the soft fur of her sweater at her hips. She’d left her curls down and soft around her face, flowing down over her shoulders and behind her. He gently tugged on a lock, letting the springy texture slide through his fingers. “God, I love your hair.”
“I’ll remind you of that statement when it’s three times its size by the end of the night.”
“I’ll find you in any crowd then, won’t I?”
For the second time, he made a crack about finding her. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” She shook her head and let him help her into her coat. “Oh, hey you dropped these,” he held out her gloves.
Blushing she tossed them on her entry way’s bench. “Don’t know how that happened.”
He grinned and opened the door. “Gloves get lost all the time.”
She snorted and followed him out the door, locking it before she saw yet another car in her driveway. “Just how many cars do you have?”
“Right now?” he tucked his hands into his jeans pocket and rocked back on his heels. “I think it’s five. I just got another new one, but that’s got some work ahead before she’s highway bound.”
She walked her fingers over the sleek lines, letting the white of her furry gloves smooth their way over the black and chrome. “Not exactly the best weather for a Stingray.”
“No, but there’s no snow in the forecast,” he leaned in and opened the door. “You complaining?”
“No sir!”
He waited for her to swing her legs in. “That’s what I thought.”
The trip was about a half hour and he distracted her with a funny story about his middle child and finding a Christmas stash at his new apartment. “He’s a sneaky little bugger, that’s for sure,” he said in way of ending.
“Kinda like his dad.”
He glanced at her that crooked grin in place. “I’m not sneaky; I’ve told you what I want.”
Her stomach flipped. That was very true. In fact, if he got any more honest her panties would hit the floor of their own volition. She was saved from forming an answer when Count Basie’s Theater loomed from the side window. “We’re going to a show?”
“Something like that,” he said with a secretive smile.
“Not sneaky, my ass.”
“Oh, I’d be sneaky for your ass. It’s mighty pretty.”
She just rolled her eyes and opened her door as they parked. “What, so I don’t get to open your door anymore?” he asked as he met up with her at the front of the car.
“Oh hush,” she said and walked ahead of him to read the marquis. “I’ve never heard of these guys. Who’s South Side Jonnie?”
“One of my heroes,” he said simply and steered her toward a side door. She listened as he explained where some of his roots came from, and about the man that had gotten him into music when all was said and done. She loved to hear him talk. At first, some of it sounded like he was giving a well rehearsed line, but then his face softened as he told her of a few personal stories.
“He helped me a lot after the whole eighties implosion. I almost hung it up, right then and there, but he let me just hang out, sing back up and just be a musician again. I hit the road with my bike and found myself and when I needed to sing and to play, he let me sit in with them. When I wanted to just be around people, he understood. When I wanted to get rip-roaring drunk, he poured the whisky.”
“Sounds like that understanding uncle that every guy should have in his life,” she said and bumped his hip with hers.
He slung his arm over her shoulder and tugged her in for a squeeze. “He really was. We’re not too far apart in age, but enough that there’s almost a generation of music between us. I don’t get to see him as often as I like, but when I do, it’s like old times.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
At the side door a security guard stood dour and forbidding. When Jon came up his face creased into a smile of welcome. “How’s it going Mr. B?”
“Hey Kevin, it’s goin’ good, goin’ good. How’s the folks?”
Kevin nodded. “Mom sure misses Mrs. B’s cookies now that she’s moved to Florida.”
Jon smiled. “She’s baked just as much and smuggled them on the plane, so don’t let your mother worry in the least, my mom will be out and about to visit all her friends. Hey, is Obie inside?”
Kevin bobbed his head. “Oh yeah, wreaking havoc on the engineers and everything.”
Jon rolled his eyes. “Great,” he sighed. “Well, you have a nice holiday.”
“You too, Mr. B.”
“How do you remember everyone’s name?” she asked in awe.
“Oh Kevin? He’s been working security here since he was eighteen. We used to do a Christmas concert here almost every year with the fan club and Kevin cut his security guard teeth on the slippery groupies that always turned up.”
“Slippery, huh? As in the album?”
He grinned. “As in the sneaky, hide in any corner to pounce on the five of us, variety of females.”
“Really?”
“Have you ever been backstage, Izzy?”
“I’ve never even been to a Bon Jovi show.”
“No? Huh,” he said with a little bit of wonder. “You know the songs at least?”
She nodded. “Oh yeah, I have a few of your albums even. I especially like the new one. I just don’t go to concerts very often.”
He stopped and turned to her, “You don’t like live music?”
“Oh no, I love it. Just nobody to go with,” she said with a shrug. “Most of my girlfriends are either not into music at all or, go for a much softer type like Celine Dion and that kind of thing.”
“Aww, man, they don’t know what they’re missing. But you’ll learn tonight.”
And she did. She stood along the side of the stage and schmoozed, drank and enjoyed the entire show. She caught Jon tapping his feet and she gave a startled laugh when he pulled her into a quick box step along the side as Southside and a few other artists sang a jazzy version of, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause.”
His voice was smoky and playful as he turned her round and round, letting his thigh slide between hers until she was ready to scream as well as laugh. He sang along with the words, changing them here and there to suit his purposes. Just when she didn’t think she could get any more breathless he twirled her out onto the stage and sang the final verse with Johnnie.
His voice was loud and fun loving as he shared the mic with his mentor as the song was lengthened for that, “one more time!” until the entire theater was singing and dancing to trumpets, tambourines and a jolly St. Nick that waggled his finger at her, then tapped his cheek for a kiss.
Unable to stop herself, she leaned in only to have him turn so that she had to kiss him on the lips. With mock indignation, Jon tugged her back and waggled his finger right back at Santa. Yanking her back to the mic with him he encouraged her to sing and because no one could hear her over the rest of the singers she happily obliged.
They all took their bows and the house lights went low. With cats eye precision he slid through the group of musicians and brought her back to the side stage. “Gotta go work, babe. Be right back,” and he pressed a sweaty kiss to her lips.
She brought her hand up, conscious of the buzz of excitement that he left behind. He went back to the mic, with a lone spotlight highlighting him. He was unadorned, except for his black t-shirt and a pair of worn in jeans, his hair already disheveled. He looked like he just rolled out of bed. And immediately she thought of her pretty sleigh bed with its mound of pillows and the fresh sheets she’d put on that morning.
Oh Bella, get a grip.
She focused on the stage and the man, and the spotlight that stayed on him as the bars to a song she didn’t know flowed out sweet and haunting. He closed his eyes and she had no other words for what she’d seen. He simply slipped away into the song. She wasn’t sure he was even aware of his audience or even the musicians around him. Nothing sounded sweeter or sadder than the song that could only be named, Hallelujah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1JrQwfAdlA
And as the song rose and he held the most incredible note she’d ever heard in person, her entire body shivered. The emotion and the strength it took for him to hold onto it, and ultimately deliver something so gut wrenching left her shattered. “Jesus,” she said on a gasp.
“He’s an amazing guy.”
Bella turned to John from Southside and dashed at her eyes. “I’ve never heard anything like that.”
“Jonny’s always fighting to show people that he’s more than the hair, sometimes he falls on his face and sometimes you get a taste of sweet heaven.”
Her attention shifted back to the man on the stage as he accepted a guitar and one of his newer hits drove the crowd to their feet. And she found a smile in her tears. There was a glimmer of the man she was getting to know in the musician she watched with a spot of awe.
She could see the honest enjoyment as he collaborated with the men and women on the stage. As the evening wore on, a few more members of his band showed up and being surrounded by that level of testosterone was a little intimidating.
David was her first foray into his inner sanctum. It was a strange situation to be teased and tested all in the same breath. She’d also been the unlikely ping pong ball between Jon and Hugh, his bassist, in the backstage between sets. She’d never experienced anything like the conversations they had. They knew each other so well, and so many inside jokes floated between them that she felt like she was entering another world.
A woman touched her shoulder. “Hi, I’m Kellie, Hugh’s wife.”
Bella smiled, “Isabella. I’m Jon’s…” she trailed off. “Date, I guess.”
“You looked a little overwhelmed,” she swished a glassful of wine around and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “They can be a handful.”
“I don’t have any words for it. I’ve known blood brothers with less knowledge of each other than these guys. And believe me, I’m Italian, they were close.”
“They live out of each others pockets so much, they probably know too much to be honest. It can be a little daunting to even be around the lot of them too much. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable around them. I just wanted to say, stick it out. It’s worth it.”
Bella blushed. “We’re just dating. Date three to be exact.”
Kellie smiled knowingly. “He wouldn’t have brought you here if there wasn’t something there already. Just take my advice and don’t let them bully you.”
“Got it,” Bella said and glanced over at the group of men. Jon, Hugh and David were joined with a few other artists that she couldn’t name. John Lyon entered the room, shades and all, handing Jon a pair as the laughter increased again.
Jon looked over his shoulder and caught her eye, detangling himself with only a few ribbings and something of the blue variety as he laughed with that open belly shock and amusement that could only be something gutter related. He carried a red plastic cup with a dark liquid in it.
“Christmas cheer?” she asked with a giggle as he was still laughing.
“I don’t know what it is, but it sure isn’t Diet Coke.” He took a sip and handed it to her. “At least not only Diet Coke.”
She took the cup from him and set it on one of the many tables that littered the backstage. All decorated for Christmas in garish tinsel top paper display bells and red and green paper chains that had been done by the kids that performed in the bread and butter operation of Count Basie Theater.
“Hey! I wasn’t done with that.” He slid his hand around her waist and twirled her into that box step dance.
“Didn’t your mama teach you not to accept drinks from strangers?”
“Jonny gave it to me.”
She snorted and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “John Lyon?”
He nodded, his eyes a little glassy, “Yup!”
“Well that settles it, I’m driving.”
His thumbs found the back of her wool pants and slipped under her sweater. “I don’t know…I don’t let anyone drive my ‘Vette.”
“Then you shouldn’t have sipped from the forbidden cup.”
His nose nuzzled her ear as he nibbled his way around her earring until it fell into his hand. “There we go,” he said and sucked her entire lobe into his mouth, grazing his teeth over the sensitive tips. “What were you saying?”
Her head fell back as he tugged again. “Not sure,” she managed.
“Don’t worry, I don’t drink and drive, but if you still aren’t comfortable when we leave you can drive and I’ll distract you,” he said into her ear really low and really whispery. His fingers drew slow circles at the base of her spine. “You have the softest skin.”
“How long do we have to stay?” she said brokenly.
“Gotta stay to the end,” he said and moved his distracting mouth along her cheek and settled it a breath away from hers. “It’s for a good cause,” he said against her mouth. Each word brushed against her lips, but he didn’t settle, instead the glassy look in his eyes faded away. They were a clear blue, with just a touch of cheer but far more intent. “Let me stay the night,” he said still that millimeter away from her mouth.
“Yes,” she said without a moment’s hesitation.
FOURTEEN
With only a modicum of embarrassment she pushed Jon out of the dressing room and came out only a little ruffled after changing back into her clothes. Bella blushed her way through her purchases and they burst into laughter on their way out the door.
“I need a drink,” she said and tugged her wool headband back in place.
“Adult beverage or soft?”
She scanned the line of restaurants and a few delis. “I’m thinking adult.”
“Woman after my own heart.” Jon transferred a few of her bags to his other hand and firmly gripped her free one as he tugged her across the street. When he stopped at Tangerine Tavern she was too grateful to drop her bags to comment on the name.
A small woman yelled from the bar. “Pick your seat and we’ll be right with you.”
The waitress came straight over. Jon looked across the booth at Izzy. “Wine or beer?”
“I’m more of a wine girl unless the game is on.”
Jon nodded and decided he was pretty much going to marry her. “Can we have a bottle of your house Pinot?” He glanced at her again. “Hungry?”
She shrugged, “Appetizer maybe?”
“Sampler platter,” he said with a smile.
The waitress winked and scribbled into her pad. “Be right back.”
“Sooo…how am I doing?” He splayed his fingers over the scarred, dark wood. He could sense a good vibe between them, but the dating realm had always been lost on him. The last time he’d dated had been in High School.
Her lips quirked at the corner and she couldn’t stop the grin. “Besides the fact that you’re a perv?”
“Aww, c’mon.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself, The Care Bears will never be the same again.”
“I know they won’t for me.”
Choosing to ignore that one she sat back in the booth. “It depends on where you’re taking me tomorrow night.”
“You’ll see.”
Refraining from sticking her tongue out like a four year old she simply pouted. “How am I going to know what to wear?”
“Wear something Christmassy, but comfortable.”
“Helpful,” she said with a sneer.
Their snacks came and they chatted about childhood, work and with a little prompting, her writing. Between the two of them, they polished off the bottle of wine and they were both feeling warm and a little too willing by the time they condensed bags and left the tavern.
Bella found herself leaning against him as they walked the rest of the strip of small shops. By the time dusk fell she was pleasantly tired and happier than she’d been in too many months to count. “You’re very dangerous for a woman,” she said later as they started unloading her bags into from the back of his SUV.
He unclipped the cargo net he’d used to separate their bags and grinned over his shoulder. “I am?”
“You make a woman think about long nights in front of a fire, wine and romance. You also make her think about sweaty sheets and cold showers for recovery time,” she finished with a laugh. She really wasn’t sure how she was going to keep this classified as a fling. He made her far too comfortable and yet on edge at the same time. It was a heady combination.
Jon turned around and leaned on the bumper, dragging her in to lean against his thighs. She closed her eyes against the feel of him. He was warm, where the night was turning cold. She let out a quick intake of breath when he took advantage of her closed eyes and pressed his lips to hers.
She fought her way out of her gloves, letting them fall to the ground. Her body was so wound up. She went from wanting to feel him to aching to touch him. She didn’t care about the cold, only wanted the silky texture of his hair under her palms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the kiss deepened.
“Let me come inside,” he said against her mouth as his fingers gripped the back of her coat and delved back into her mouth. His tongue was beyond talented, with both overwhelming pleasure and staggering technique.
All of her hormones were hopping around below the belt, telling her to let him inside. Let him into her home, her body and screw the three date rule. What was one more really? Most dates only lasted two hours, so technically she’d had about four dates with the amount of time they’d spent together.
Right?
He sipped from her throat, dug his nose into the layers of scarf, coat and sweater to get to the sweet taste of her neck. The cinnamon spice scent of her drove him to distraction.
“Oh God,” she groaned as his lips turned to nips along her neck. “Okay, come inside.”
Jon’s cock was pretty happy with her answer, but when he pulled back he still saw a flicker of indecision in her eyes. And no matter how hot she made him, and no matter how badly he wanted to lose himself in her sweetly curved self, he wanted her to want it just as much.
He kissed her hard on the mouth and slammed the trunk, walking her to the door with bags in hand. With shaking fingers she opened the door and held it wide. He dropped her parcels inside the door, gathered her into him, and kissed her again, feeling her open for him, wanting him. He could ease his way inside and he could talk his way into her bed, but he didn’t just want a fling.
This was the type of woman you took your time with and the type of woman that meant something more than a night of sweat and pleasure. He lingered at her mouth, teasing her with light kisses and soft brushes of lips until he got himself under control. “Goodnight, Izzy,” he said and stepped back onto her porch.
“But-“
He leaned in and kissed her hard. “I can wait. I may not need my hands to hold the steering wheel tonight, but I can wait.”
Her light skin flushed pink as she glanced down then back into his eyes. Her hand rested on his chest as her fingers gripped the butter-soft leather, “You don’t have to wait.”
“I know, but we will.” His eyes locked onto her soft brown, “I won’t tomorrow. Now close that door before I change my mind and toss you on that comfy couch I know is only ten steps to your right.”
She closed the door and leaned on it, letting her head bang on the smooth surface. She walked over to the same couch he spoke of and lifted the remote. She flipped the stations for a Christmas movie and went back for her bags.
“I won’t be sleeping any time soon, might as well get some wrapping done.”
THIRTEEN
An hour later she held up a hand for help out of the booth they’d taken over. “I can’t believe you brought me here. I’m going to end up 400 pounds because I now know about this place!”
“I’ll help you work off every one of those carbs,” he said and tugged her up and turned her around, holding her coat for her. He flipped her braid out, letting the curling end wrap around his thumb. “How come it’s all tied back today?”
Off balance with that little remark, she mumbled, “Me and my wild, Felicity hair do not mix well with windy, winter days.”
“Felicity?” he frowned.
“Sorry, the TV show from the-“
“Oh, Kerri Russell. Yeah, you do have hair like hers. She hates hers too. Personally all I ever want to do is touch it.” He traced a fingertip over the barely controlled bumps of hair that wanted to be free of their confines. Her hair was much like her personality, in fact it was all he could do not to picture it across his chest. If he wanted to walk around the damn shopping square he was going to need to put that thought aside.
“You know, Kerri Russell?”
Brought back into focus, he grinned. “Oh sure, she’s a nice girl, well, woman now. She’s been in and out of the Indie films genre enough that I run into her at the premiers and functions.”
“You do lead a different life, don’t you?”
He shrugged and turned her around to zip her coat. “A few nights out of the year, yes. When I’m touring, yes. When I’m at home, not so much.”
“Well Daddy, I can zip my own jacket, thanks.”
His eyes went dark as he ignored the onlookers in the diner and caught her mouth in a quick, if deep kiss. “There are no daddy thoughts where you’re concerned.”
She pressed her lips together as he led her out of the diner, speechless again. Frowning at his back, she came to the conclusion that he liked to do that to her. She wasn’t sure she liked it. They headed into town and Jon followed a ramp into an underground parking structure and parked. “If this doesn’t finish you off, then I’ve got another place we can go to later.”
She opened her own door this time and met him at the front of the SUV. They walked around a few quaint streets and she found a few things for her mother right away. They even found themselves picking the same thing out for each of their mothers from across a display case.
“Sounds like our Moms have the same taste,” Jon said. He looked at her and they both said, “Expensive,” and laughed.
“My mom has a weakness for pearls and diamonds.”
“My mom just discovered a deep and abiding love for pearls,” Jon said. He lifted the set and pushed them in front of her. “I didn’t realize novelists made so much.”
Bella blushed. “I got a pretty nice advance on the next book in the McKenzie Krogan series. Plus an option for three more and the okay to do a spin off series in the erotica genre.”
“Erotica?” Jon murmured with a kick of surprise. He’d noticed the sexual undertones in her book, but nothing as hot and steamy as…well, anything that had to do with erotic writing.
“It’s an old genre that is finally coming off the hidden shelves and internet sites. Women are sexual creatures. They are looking for intelligent stories that embrace that. Not every woman wants the flowery love scenes. Sometimes we even want to search the darker side of lust.” She stopped talking when his eyes darkened with interest and at the same time, a different nuance of attraction started to bloom between them. “Women have the same sex drive as men do…hell, even stronger in some women.”
“Like you?” Jon hedged.
She turned into him and tucked a bold hand into his leather jacket, letting her finger trace his wide belt buckle, “Could be.”
It was Jon’s turn to swallow audibly. “Have mercy, woman.”
She let her fingers fall away as she headed over to another display case. Jon watched her look at the men’s watches and tried to get his raging hard-on under control. The fact that there was a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth as she slid her fingertips over the glass had him swallowing back a groan.
Just the thought of her touching his skin that way, the way she dragged her fingers up and over each dip and seam of the case forced him to look away. He was going to have a helluva time walking across the room if he didn’t stop those thoughts. “And she calls me evil,” he said under his breath.
A stylish, sleek blonde from behind the counter cut into his darker thoughts. “I’m sorry, did you say something sir?”
“Um, yeah,” he glanced at Izzy, then back to her. “I need something for a woman that I’ve just met. Something fun, but not serious.”
The woman gave him a knowing smile. “I think we can find you something like that.”
He watched her from the corner of his eye as she was waited on by another salesman. The man practically fawned all over her to show her an assortment of Movado’s. Knowing she’d be well taken care of, if a little drooled upon, he turned back to the woman. “I’m thinking earrings. Long, and funky, that would show up with wild blonde hair.”
She flipped around a half dozen pairs, but he shook his head. “No, more unusual,” he looked through the glass and stepped over one display. “Like those.”
“Excellent choice, Sir.” She lifted them out of the case and Jon nodded. “Yes, wrap those up with the second set of pearls we looked at, with the double strand.”
“Certainly.”
Jon pushed over his American Express and she discreetly took the card. Bella came to his side just as he was signing off on his purchase. “Ready to go?”
She nodded. “My brother is going to kill me for getting him a Movado, but he’s always wanted one.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s as white as white boys can get with similar blonde hair, but bone straight like my mom’s.” Smiling ruefully she went on, “But the name brands get him. And of course Catherine Zeta Jones in the billboards has nothing to do with it.”
Jon laughed. “Well, now I definitely have to meet your family.”
She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. “Oh honey, that would be all bad for your psyche.”
“I’m willing to chance it someday.”
“Half Nordic and half Italian, it’s a helluva combo.”
“It certainly is,” he said softly and let his nose nuzzle her cheek, then to her wool covered ear just before he opened the door for her. They laughed over a few holiday windows and made their way through a few different craft minded stores as well as a small shop called The Trunk.
“What’s this?”
“It’s vintage clothing from the twenties all the way through the eighties and nineties.”
She pushed the door open and dragged him inside. T-shirts were on display all over the store, with a rack of flapper dresses next to another rack of eighties rag style dresses. Absently she lost herself in the T-shirts and blouses. Finding just the right one, she turned to him and folded the cotton so he couldn’t see the print. “I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed at the shirt. “Whatcha got there?”
She held it away, “You’ll see.”
“Modeling for me?”
“Maybe.”
His jaw clicked at the teasing glint in her dark eyes. “I’m beginning to hate that word.”
She shrugged out of her jacket and handed it to him. “I won’t make you carry my purse.”
“I appreciate you waiting for the unmanning until after we have sex, thanks.”
“Deal,” she said and ducked behind the curtained closet. She shrugged out of her layers and put on the shirt. “Oh holy hell.”
“What?” he called from outside the curtain, barely an inch away if the shadow was any indication.
She instantly started yanking it off.
“C’mon let me see.”
“No way,” she said and yanked it down as he opened the curtain. “Hey!”
He simply stopped letting the curtain drop. He’d never seen Bella without the layers, so he didn’t truly have any idea what kind of body she had. He knew what she felt like, but seeing her full breasts pushing against a faded Care Bear shirt hit him low and slow.
She tugged at the hem, conscious of the fact that the shirt was well over a size too small. “You really are a bold thing.”
The shirt stopped a full inch from the top of her jeans, showing a sweetly curved midsection with a tiny ruby flash at her belly button. “You have no idea,” he said and moved in.
Her body went haywire at his proximity and the natural naughtiness of the changing room and a man that more than filled the small room. He slid his fingers over the slice of skin that showed and she groaned when his thumb traced over her belly button ring and his nose nuzzled her neck.
“Sharing is Caring,” he said.
“Oh hell,” she groaned. That had been the idea, and while cute and teasing in her head, add that to a man with sex on his mind it went into the gutter real quick. He pushed her headband off and went right for her ear. What? Did he have a direct line that hotwired into her senses?
He sucked, flicked and tugged on her earlobe until she had to stuff down the deep and guttural groan her body wanted to release. Her hands went straight for his hair, the cinnamon colored strands sifted through her fingers, soft and thick at the nape of his neck. She could feel the zipper of his jacket through the thin material of the shirt and her nipples hardened painfully.
“I take it you’ll be buying that shirt?” came the sales ladies voice through the fog of lust.
“Definitely,” Jon called out and resumed kissing.
TWELVE
Bella wrestled her hair into a braid and adjusted a wide wool headband to cover her ears and keep the flyaways at bay. She tugged on her ski jacket in a matching red and white and stepped into her warm black Uggs, tucking her jeans inside against the elements. It was cooler than it had been last night, but the sun would help make it a perfect shopping day.
Her doorbell rang and she glanced up at the antique clock she had inherited from her Gramps. “Right on time,” she said with a little bit of wonder. In her career of dating, it was a rarity for a guy to actually be exactly on time. She opened the door, “Hi.”
“Hello yourself,” he said and leaned in for a soft, uncomplicated kiss. “Ready to shop?”
“Yeah,” she murmured as her hormones revved. Get a hold of yourself. “Uh, just let me grab my sunglasses. I’ll be right back.”
Jon stepped across the threshold and shut the door behind him. Her house was a mix of the traditional and the modern, with little female fuss. No lace and doilies, no explosion of pillows, just a pretty tiled entry way and a few antiques leading to a spacious living room with a couple of huge couches and, he smiled, one helluva giant widescreen TV. “Woman after my own heart,” he said and gestured to the TV.
Bella smiled. “I do love my TV. From chick flicks to Hockey and all in between.”
His eyebrow quirked, “Hockey?”
“Yup and football.”
“Oh man, I’m marrying you tomorrow if you tell me you’re a Giants fan.”
“Should I wear white or cream?”
Laughing he held the door open for her. Her quick wit was relevant in her everyday speaking and filled up the pages of the three books he’d found at the bookstore. He’d spent the better part of the evening reading her first book when he got home. And that was saying something for him. He’d learned to enjoy reading, but he wasn’t an avid reader by any means.
And while a slice of her story was romantic, the whole of it was pulse pounding excitement, with a touch of the paranormal. The whimsy had been a surprise. He’d never have pegged her as having such a twist to the tale. And the other two books were part of the same series.
“Any preference on food?” he asked.
“Large quantities,” she said simply.
“My kinda girl.”
She gave a surprised start when she saw the Lexus SUV sitting in her driveway. “Luxury Soccer Mom car, Jon?”
“Nah, she got the Mercedes, I like the Lexus better. And hey, there’s equipment in the trunk eight months out of the year between soccer and football.”
She let him open the door for her and slid in. Waiting until he pulled down the drive, she kissed his cheek before he put it in drive. “You certainly are a surprise.”
“Do I get a real kiss if I tell you that I go to the games too?” His blue eyes twinkled.
“Maybe,” she hedged as his mouth dipped closer, but the blare of a horn succeeded in putting an end to that.
He slammed it into drive and shot forward as the high end engine caught and surged down the street. “I thought we’d start at one of the diners I go to first and then head into Red Bank.”
She nodded, “Sounds good.” They spoke of gifts and past Christmases and their current plans. “My folks are in Boston, so I’ll be heading out there on Sunday afternoon.”
“So, you’re mine until then, huh?”
“Maybe,” she said again.
“Baby, by the time this week is over, you’ll be all mine.”
“Well aren’t you sure of yourself, buddy.”
He reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers between hers and brushing his lips over the knuckles before setting them on his thigh. “Pretty sure.”
Unwilling to even discuss the fleet of Monarchs in her belly she blew out a breath. “How far’s that diner again?”
He just laughed and turned a corner. “I started reading your Vampire series last night.” He felt her hand twitch beneath his hand and tightened his grip so she couldn’t let go. “It’s very engaging.”
Shrinking down in her seat a little Bella tried to twist free. “Does that mean you liked it? Or you’re trying to be nice and still get in my pants?”
He lifted their still joined hands and scraped his teeth over her wrist, biting down on the fleshy part of her palm. “Don’t be an idiot. If I didn’t like it I simply wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
Trying to swim upstream from the half insult, half praise she tugged at their joined hands again. “A smart man would say it was good just to butter me up.”
“And a really smart man, would read it to get to know the woman he wants, whether naked is involved or not.”
Since it was the first time she’d been so successfully put in her place, she simply shut up. What the hell could she say against that? And for the love of God, how much of herself was wrapped up in McKenzie’s character in her books? Well, she wasn’t a Vamp, but her smart mouth had more Bella in it than she’d care to admit to the general public.
“Do I need to mark my calendar? Is there no flippant rebuttal coming from that pretty pink mouth of yours?”
“I have a spare Sharpie in my purse,” she said dryly.
