Losing to Win (Clearwater) (5 page)

Chapter Seven

The following afternoon,
Rebecca sat sandwiched between JC and the small window of a plane. Her palms
were sweaty, and nerves turned her stomach upside down. Closed spaces did
little to help the tension coursing through her body. The worst thing about
living in Clearwater was flying in and out of the airport on the small planes.
The airport didn’t have big enough landing strips for large planes, and there
were never enough passengers unless it was winter.

“I didn’t realize you were
scared to fly.” JC tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “You should
have told me.”

“Sorry.” She smiled,
halfhearted. “I agreed to come. I’ve never let my fears hold me back from
anything I want to do, and I’m not about to start now.”

“You’re an amazing woman.
Thank you.” He lifted the armrest between them, sliding his arm around her to
pull her closer.

“Hello, sir. It’s nice to see
you’ve chosen our airline again. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Clearwater.”
The flight attendant stood next to the aisle, a hint of hostility colored her
eyes as she stared down at Rebecca.

“Actually, I live in
Clearwater now. We’re going to visit my family.” JC’s fingers tickled over
Rebecca’s shoulder.

“Oh. Please fasten your
seatbelts, we will be departing shortly.” She shot a glare at Rebecca before
moving down the aisle.

“Did you know her?” Rebecca
glanced at JC.

“I met her when I flew in.”

“To give me a threatening stare
as she did, I would have thought you had history.”

“Do I detect a hint of
jealousy?” The plane began to move, picking up speed as it made its way down
the runway. A shiver of fear coursed through her again. He ran his arm down her
arm, his touch trying to make her forget they were hurling down the runway
about to be airborne. If people were meant to fly they’d have wings.

“Do I have anything to be
envious about?”

“Not at all.” He kissed the
top of her head. “You’re the one I want.”

* * *

Night had fallen over the area
when JC parked the rental car in front of the apartment building where his
family lived. He didn’t call to let them know he was coming, he wanted to
surprise them. If his mother knew he was coming home after only a few weeks in
Clearwater, she’d be suspicious. Shoving the gearshift into Park, he took a
deep breath. “Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.
It’s nerve-racking to meet someone’s family for the first time. I hope they
like me.”

“They will.” He opened his
door, slid out, and walked around the car to open her door. He took her hand
and led her up the walkway.

“JC?” Laya opened the door,
surprise evident in her eyes.

“Laya.” He released Rebecca’s
hand and rushed toward his sister. She was so mature, standing there with Kelly
clinging to her hand. “It’s so good to see you, I’ve missed you both.” He
wrapped his arms around Laya before bending to pick up Kelly.

“What are you doing here? I
thought you were in Clearwater for that job.” Laya glanced between JC and
Rebecca.

“I needed to speak with mom,
and the whole family.” Settling Kelly in one arm, her hands locked tightly
around his neck, he wrapped his other arm around Rebecca’s shoulders. “Laya,
this is Rebecca. Rebecca, this is my oldest sister, Laya, the one who keeps her
twin, Lee, and the rest of our siblings, in line.”

Rebecca and Laya exchanged
greetings while he enjoyed the youngest of the Marquez siblings in his arms.
Kelly was four, and he had been the only father figure she had known. She
yawned and nestled her head into his shoulder. “I think Kelly is ready for bed.
Is Mom upstairs?”

“Yeah, she just got home.
Kelly was sick today, so Ms. Betty watched her while Lee and I took the rest to
the park. Since she was sleeping, Ms. Betty kept her while I fixed dinner and
got the other kids settled for the night. Come inside.” Laya stepped aside,
letting them enter the house.

They followed Laya, and by the
time he entered the living room, Kelly was asleep in his arms.

“Mom, guess whose home?”

“Shhh, Laya, the younger kids
are in bed.” JC’s mother walked out of the kitchen. “JC!” Tears fell over her
cheeks as she ran to him.

Rebecca moved to the side,
giving his mom full access to him. He wrapped his arm around his mother as she
came in for a hug. She clung to him, like she hadn’t seen him in years instead
of only a few weeks.

She pushed back from him,
tears flowing freely down her face. She glanced between him and Rebecca. “Why
didn’t you let me know you were coming?”

“I wanted it to be a
surprise.” He handed his sleeping sister to Laya. “Would you mind putting Kelly
to bed? I need to talk to Mom.”

Laya reached for Kelly.

“Mom, could we sit out on the
porch, I’d like to talk to you before the rest of the family.”

“Of course, honey.” She turned
to Laya. “When you get Kelly settled can you make sure everyone else is still
in bed. I gave a few of them permission to read for a little while, but lights
out in ten minutes.” Laya nodded and walked down the hallway toward a bedroom.
His mother smiled at Rebecca. “Since my son has lost his manners, I’ll have to
introduce myself. I’m Jackie and you are?”

“I’m sorry, Mom. This is
Rebecca.” He held out his hand to Rebecca and drew her next to him.

“Let’s go outside then.” She
pointed toward the sliding glass doors off the kitchen.

On the small patio, JC let his
mom and Rebecca sit on the only two chairs, while he leaned on the iron
railing. With the cool night air dancing around him, he glanced out to the
city. He missed the lights, but the noise he could do without. Hopefully he’d
be able to put North Carolina behind him, and his family could join him in Wyoming.

* * *

Rebecca hoped she didn’t
appear uncomfortable as she listened to JC explain the benefits of moving to
Wyoming. He told his mother what he had planned. She felt like an outsider,
eavesdropping on a personal family moment. JC needed time with his family, to
convince them to move closer to him. He didn’t need to have his girlfriend
hanging around.

Girlfriend?
When
did she start considering herself his girlfriend? Maybe it happened when they
booked one hotel room, instead of two. At that moment, she realized she wanted
more than a friendship with JC.

“How do you play into this?”
Jackie’s question dragged Rebecca from her thoughts.

She fidgeted unnervingly on
her chair, glancing briefly to JC for support. His smile gave her the
encouragement she needed. “It was my father’s idea.”

Jackie glared at her son,
anger lighting her eyes. “You told her father about our situation?”

Rebecca refused to let JC take
the blame. “Ms. Marquez, that was actually my doing. I’m sorry. I was only
trying to help.”

“Mom, Rebecca and I were going
to look at apartments, to find somewhere for you to live closer to me. Robert’s
solution is better for everyone. I’ve put an offer on the land and we can begin
building in three weeks.” He leaned forward, handing his mother the folder.
“Will you at least look over the plans and think about it?”

“I’ve made up my mind
already.” She didn’t take the folder, just pushed it aside.

Lee slid the door open, walked
out on the patio, and hugged his brother. “JC, Laya said you wanted to talk to
Mom privately, but Kelly’s throwing a fit. She wants you to tuck her in bed.
Could you come in for a moment?”

JC glanced toward Rebecca. She
nodded and he turned back to his mother. “Mom, stay here until I get back,
please.”

Rebecca could see the disappointment
in JC’s eyes. He wanted Clearwater to be a place for his family to start over,
but he would have a difficult uphill battle to convince his mom.

Once JC and Lee left, Rebecca
turned to face Jackie. It was time for a woman-to-woman chat. Hearing about the
plan to move from an outsider was going to go one of two ways, either Jackie
would realize it was best for her and the family to move to Clearwater to be
with JC, or Jackie would take offense to Rebecca for butting into family
business. “I apologize if I might be out of place to speak about this,
especially since I haven’t known JC for very long, but I do know his family
means the world to him. He enjoys living in Clearwater, and it’s been very
healing for him, yet being so far away from you and his siblings is difficult.”

When Jackie opened her mouth
to respond, Rebecca raised her hand. “Please, just hear me out. JC told me a
little about you. That you’re working two jobs to support your family. JC
joined the Marines to help the family, but…his injury prevents him from doing
that now. He’s starting over in Clearwater and wants to continue providing for
his family. You’re going to turn him down without hearing him out? I realize
your pride is at stake, but isn’t keeping your family together more important?”

“Do you have children?”

Rebecca shook her head. “I
don’t, however if I did, I’d want to be close. I know it’s not possible for all
families, but it is for you. You don’t know how much longer you will have that
opportunity. Lee and Laya are finishing their last year of high school, and
then maybe they’ll be off to college. JC tells me Lee’s an amazing football
player and is up for a scholarship.”

Jackie glanced down at the
folder before returning her stare to Rebecca. “Your kids aren’t supposed to
help you financially, or raise their siblings. That’s been JC’s whole life. He
doesn’t deserve that responsibility any longer.”

“He can’t turn off something
he’s been doing for years. Being away from you is tearing him apart. Clearwater
is giving him a chance to rebuild a new life without the daily reminders of the
military. Unfortunately, he won’t stay with such a distance between him and his
family.”

“You seem to know my son
rather well.” Jackie’s eyebrow rose.

Not knowing how to respond,
Rebecca went with the truth. “We’ve become very good friends and have talked a
lot about you and the kids.” She left out the part about sharing a few kisses.
Their relationship was moving slow and she was okay with that. She wouldn’t
rush JC. He needed time to adjust to the new developments in his life without
her pushing him for more.

“It seems like there’s more
between you and my son then just a few chats about family.” Jackie’s eyes were
filled with curiosity.

Thankfully JC chose that
moment to return. He slid the patio door open and stepped outside. “Kelly’s
asleep. I checked on everyone else and they are either sleeping or reading in
their rooms. Lee went for a run and Laya is studying for an upcoming exam.” He
placed a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She hoped he wouldn’t pick up
on the tension that had settled over Rebecca and his mother.

“Mom, it’s been a long trip
for us. We’ll go settle into the hotel and get some rest. Maybe tomorrow we can
take you and the kids out for lunch?” JC pulled out Rebecca’s chair for her and
took her hand in his as she stood.

“Hotel?” Jackie’s voice rose.

“Staying in a hotel is only
practical. Lee is in my room now and there’s no room for us here. I didn’t want
to put anyone out. We are just down the street. We’ll be back in the morning.”
He slid his hand around Rebecca’s waist.

“If you would have called,
we’d have made room for you. It’s crazy to waste money on hotel rooms when you
could have stayed here.” His mom rose, meeting JC gaze.

“Mom, we’ve already checked in
and we are only here a few days. There’s no reason to cram the kids any more
than they already are.”

Prior to their arrival,
Rebecca warned JC that his mother probably wouldn’t be happy about their hotel
accommodations. Even with Jackie’s clear irritation, Rebecca was relieved that
she wouldn’t be surrounded by his family. His mother seemed nice, but the
tension created over the conversation to move was unsettling. Rebecca didn’t
know where her relationship with JC was going. She secretly longed for something
permanent and hoped his family issues wouldn’t hinder their progress.

Chapter Eight

The cool night air didn’t
soothe JC’s thoughts as he stood on the balcony. He was stupid to put the move
in motion before his mother could consider it. He never thought it possible
that she’d turn down the chance to get away from North Carolina, and away from
the constant reminder of the military. Or maybe it was just him that was
affected by the reminders. Would his siblings feel shorted by having to leave
their schools and friends behind? Laya and Lee were seniors this fall and might
not want to be uprooted. Maybe JC should have considered his whole family’s
position further before signing his name on the dotted line for the property.

“Can’t sleep?” He turned to find
Rebecca leaning on the glass door, a blanket wrapped around her, and her long
brown hair slightly tousled from sleep. “It’s late. You need to get some rest.”

She came to stand next to him.
“How long have you been awake?”

He glanced down at her, his hands
itching to touch her. Awake? Heck, he never got to sleep. When they checked
into the hotel, all the double queen bedrooms were taken, leaving one
availability—a king room. It was almost as if the cosmos were aligning,
bringing him and Rebecca together. Because the bed was so large, they agreed to
stick to their own side. His thoughts jumbled as he lay awake next to her. The
smell of sweet vanilla from her shampoo, and the round curves of her body
hardened his shaft as soon as he had settled down next to her. He had to get
fresh air or take her right then and there. “A bit.” He lied.

“What’s on your mind? Are you
worried Jackie won’t agree?” She slid her arm across his back, the blanket now
wrapped around them both.

You’ve been on my mind since I
stepped into Express-Ohh’s.
He turned to gaze into her eyes. “If Mom
doesn’t want to come to Clearwater, I can’t force her. I just feel bad we have
everyone lined up for the building.”

“It will work out.”

Her hand caressing his back
broke the final straw of his control. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling
her to his body, and lowered his head. Their lips met with desire. Her lips
slid open, letting his tongue explore her mouth. His hand slipped under the
blanket, grabbing her ass to lift her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around
his waist, her arms locked around his neck drawing them closer.

Passion pulsated in his groin.
He wanted nothing more than to take her to bed and have her scream his name. He
broke the kiss, enjoying her warm breath over his face. “We shouldn’t.”

“Why? I want this. Don’t you?”
Her breath came in gasps.

“I’ve wanted you since I first
laid eyes on you. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to be with someone as much as
I want you.” Adrenaline flooded through his veins.

“Don’t stop. I want your hands
on my body, your lips on mine. Please…” She begged.

Without further invitation, he
walked the two quick strides to the bed. He lowered her on the bed, the blanket
discarded on the floor. Whisking her nightshirt over her head, he took in the
sight of her naked body. He tossed her nightshirt aside, slid his hand over her
waist, and knelt before her. He wedged his body between her legs. Trailing
kisses along her neck, hunger coursed through him. He wanted to take his time,
to get acquainted with every inch of her body. He claimed her nipple with his
mouth, sucking it, and flicking his tongue over them.

“Oh, JC,” she moaned, and
tugged at his shorts.

Reluctantly, he released her
nipple to travel kisses over her shoulder and up her neck, until he could gaze
into her hazel eyes. “You’re beautiful.” Her cheeks reddened as he pushed her
back on the bed and crawled next to her. “I want you on top, to see your body
riding mine. I want to see your beauty highlighted by the moonlight.” He rolled
onto his back, pulling her with him until she lay on top, and caressed the
curves of her body.

“What about your leg? Do you
need to…?”

“I’m fine.” He slid his hand
between their bodies, his fingers teasing her pleasure and entering her core,
tantalizing her with yearning. She arched her back, giving his fingers deeper
access. As the moonlight accentuated her body, she rode his fingers to an
orgasm.

“JC, please, I need you.” Her
voice was full of desire and need.

He moved his hands to her hips
and lifted her. “Up.” When she hovered above him, he adjusted so his shaft
stood just below her entry. She slowly lowered down. Filling her inch by inch,
he pushed up on her hips making her rise again before entering her completely
with his manhood. His steady strokes fed her fire like tinder set to dynamite.
His hands on her hips guided their pace.

He leaned forward, locking his
mouth on her nipple and sucked until she moaned in pleasure. Her hips increased
pace, driving the force of each pump. His thrusts became deeper and faster into
a perfect rhythm. They moved together with such precision, as if in a
well-choreographed dance.

Her body tightened around his
shaft and her nails dug into his chest. “Oh, JC!” she cried out as his own
release followed.

Breathless, he brushed her
hair from her face. He wanted to see her. Rebecca’s eyes were glossy and
dreamy—the aftermath of amazing sex. She slid off him, lying next to him.
Snuggling next to his body, she sighed. He pulled the sheet over them. His
breath returned to normal as contentment filled him. He cradled her, caressing
her spine with long, lazy strokes.

“I know you’re worried,”
Rebecca whispered, her fingers rubbing small circles down his chest. “But I
have a feeling everything will work out.”

He kissed the top of her head.
“It doesn’t matter.”

She glanced up at him. “Don’t
lie to me. It does matter to you.”

She was right. Would he stay
in Clearwater if his family chose to remain in North Carolina? He knew he
would…now, with Rebecca by his side. Clearwater gave him a fresh start and
possibly a new life that included Rebecca.

* * *

Dawn peaked through the sheer
curtains hanging from the patio door. Sleep barely touched JC through the
night, and when it did, it left him with nightmares. Being back in his
hometown, seeing the service men and women at every turn had brought back the
memories of his final mission. He had worked with a therapist months before and
the dreams disappeared, for the most part. Since settling in Clearwater, the
terror had left him. He needed to return to his new home soon.

When he took off his
prosthesis so he could attempt sleeping, he was concerned Rebecca would cringe.
But she surprised him. Instead of turning away, she clung to him tighter. She
was truly an amazing woman.

She yawned. “The time change
is playing with your sleep schedule. You barely slept. Maybe we should make
arrangements for dinner instead of lunch.” She curled in his arms, her left leg
and arm draped over him, cuddling close.

“We leave tomorrow night. If
I’m going to convince Mom to move, it has to be today. Then we can relax and
enjoy family time.” He draped his arm over her. “You didn’t sleep much either.
If you want to stay behind, I’ll understand.” She had been his rock through
this and he wanted her with him, not only to convince his mother, but to be
next to his side.

“No, I’ll go. Unless you want
to spend time alone with your family?” Her gaze met his.

“I want you there with me. I
just didn’t want to pressure you.”

She laughed, sliding her hand
up his chest. “I don’t want to walk on eggshells around your family.”

“I don’t want that either.” He
placed his index finger under her chin, lifting her lips to his for a soft
meaningful kiss. “My family can be a bit overwhelming. I don’t want you to feel
uncomfortable.”

“Your family is an extension
of you. I’m looking forward to all the embarrassing stories they can tell me
about.” She kissed him again. “I need to shower.”

“Maybe I should join you.” He
winked.

“We’ll never make it to your
family’s house if we end up fooling around in the shower. I’ll take a
rain-check for when we’re back in Clearwater.”

Watching Rebecca pad naked to
the bathroom caused his shaft to harden with desire. He wanted to follow her,
to see the soapy water cascading down her silky body, but there would be
another day for that. Right now he had to get dressed and prepare what he’d say
to convince his mother to move.