Rock Me Gently (8 page)

“You okay?” he asked as she stared at him.

“Yes, I was just thinking you appear different.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I don’t rock the suits on the weekends if I can help it. Not my uniform of choice, let me tell you.”

“I like it,” she said before she had thought.

“Why thank you.” He paid the clerk and picked up both coffees. “You want to have these here or…”

She gave the café a once-over. “No, I’d rather go somewhere else, not so crowded.”

He cocked his head for her to follow. Outside, he passed her a coffee cup and she fell in beside him.

“How was your day?” he asked.

“Better than yesterday by two hundred and thirty dollars.”

“Well, that is better,” he said cautiously.

“Yeah, better.” She opened her coffee cup and, remembering how he’d had such a difficult time opening his yesterday morning, she passed him her open cup and took his from him.

“Why, thank you again. How inept am I?”

“Well, you can’t be good at everything, can you?”

“Why not?”

She laughed. “How was your day?”

“Long and boring. I got up this morning when my mother phoned to remind me that she and my dad were going to a friend’s tomorrow night so we won’t be having Sunday supper.”

“Ahh, that’s sweet. You still do that?”

“Yeah, ever since I moved back here, my mom insists that I be there.”

“Since you moved back? Where were you before?”

“All over. I was kind of a gypsy. Have you heard from Jill today?”

Lainey didn’t miss the change of subject. He didn’t seem to want to discuss his past either. What did that mean? What was he trying to hide? Couldn’t be anything too bad if they’d hired him as a teacher. She let it go, for now.

“Yes, the odd text here and there. The flavor of the week took her shopping at the mall. She bought some new tops. She kept sending me pictures. 
Do you like this one, Mom? How ‘bout this one
? She only bought the ones I liked.”

“The flavor of the week?”

“Sorry, the woman Thad is shacking up with this week. She’ll be gone the next time Jilly goes for a visit. But they spoil her rotten while she’s there, trying to impress her and make her like them. The way to a man’s heart is through his daughter. Little do they know that Thad doesn’t have a heart anymore. So, what did you do after you talked to your mother?” She did a little subject swap herself.

“I had a shower, did some laundry, went for some groceries, marked some papers, looked over my lesson plan for the week and tried to keep my mind off you. That’s what led me here at approximately five o’clock.”

A small shot of delight ran through her. He had a way of making her feel good about herself again, that there was still something about her that made him spend time thinking about her. That maybe she was still worthy of a man like him.

They’d walked all the way to the end of the block and into the park. They followed the paths down toward the water. The wind picked up the closer they got to it, loosening small tendrils of her hair from the clips. Jason sat down on the table top of one of the picnic benches, close to the water. Lainey followed his lead and put her foot up to step onto the seat. He gave her a hand up, to steady her, and as soon as flesh met flesh, palm to palm, that same electricity shot through her arm just as it had the first day at the school. But this time she was more aware of him and he’d thawed some of the icy walls she’d erected to keep him out.

Settled next to him she noted how he’d shifted his hips so that their outer thighs were touching.

Twisting, he took his time surveying her and when she started to feel self-conscious he said, “I like your hair up.” He reached out and wound his finger around one of the pieces that had come out of her clips, running it between his fingers. “Soft,” he whispered.

“I like yours up too,” she smiled slightly.

He raised his eyebrows and his sexy mouth quirked. “Little messy up there on top, is it?” He ran his hand through his dark hair just as she’d guessed he might. “Yeah,” he said, crinkling his nose endearingly. “I don’t really care if it sees a comb on the weekends either.”

She giggled.

Jason curled his finger around her hair again, reeling her in. He was going to kiss her. Lainey was surprised to find that she wanted him to. But he tricked her by kissing her cheek again. His lips lingered warmly. She closed her eyes as the heaviness in her stomach broke free and she experienced the first real arousal she’d felt in a very long time. It scared her and it thrilled her at the same time. She could almost see herself in bed with him. All bare skin and hard limbs, sliding sinuously over each other.

He pulled back and resumed an easy relaxed stance, his arms resting on his knees. She watched as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips.

“Did you tell Jill that we went to her favorite restaurant last night?”

“No. She’d kill me if she knew that I went there without her.”

His lips tightened and he nodded. “Do you think she’d have a problem with you starting to see people again?”

“I don’t know what she’d think. We haven’t really discussed it. But I wonder if it would be a little extra awkward for her, you being her teacher.”

“Would that stop you from seeing me?”

“No, you being her teacher wouldn’t stop me from seeing you, if that’s what I wanted. And you won’t always be her teacher.”

“And you won’t always feel like this, Lainey. Some day you’ll let someone in.”

“I think you’re right. I think I’m finally beginning to believe that maybe I won’t feel like this forever.”

The side of his mouth curled cockily.

He leaned his shoulder into hers.

“So, maybe,” she said slowly, “you could give me a call in say, oh, I don’t know, January? Is that when this semester is over?”

“January!” His voice seemed to carry out over the water and echo.

“Yes, January. When you are no longer Jill’s teacher,” she continued to tease him. “Well, aren’t you the one that said it was school policy? No fraternizing with a parent of a current student?” She tried to maintain a straight face.

“Well, I did but I didn’t mean you, I was talking about the groupies…er, I mean the moms at the coffee shop.”

“I can’t see that the school would differentiate. I am a mom. And Jill is in your class until the end of January. Correct?”

Holding in the giggle that threatened to erupt from her chest almost killed her. He looked absolutely stricken.

“Don’t you think we should wait?”

Exhaling heavily he then responded, “Well, the teacher part of me somewhat thinks it’s probably the right thing to do, but the man part of me, well, let’s just say, the man part is extremely impatient,” he said diplomatically.

And that just put everything into perspective for her. She didn’t want to just jump into something. She was gun-shy and scared. Jason Westlake could become very important to her very quickly. And what did she know about him? Absolutely nothing about his past. What if he was a player? What if he just took her to bed then took off. Would that be so bad? No, she wasn’t like that. She couldn’t just sleep with him. Could she? Would she be able to do that and not get personally involved? Use him for what he so freely wanted to give and not get trampled on when he decided to move on? Or even if he didn’t want to move on, what if
she
didn’t want a permanent relationship again? She’d never really been on her own, outside of a relationship. She’d started going out with Thad at fifteen and never really dated anyone else. Maybe she should try dating, lots of different guys, and see what was out there.

“Lainey, you’re leaving me hanging again. What are you thinking so hard about?”

“A lot of things.”

“Well, maybe that’s your problem. You think too much,” he blurted then softened.
“January! January? It’s more like February. Second semester doesn’t actually begin until February.” And by then he wouldn’t have a lot of time, going through his first real set of exams. Marking then posting scores for one hundred and twelve students.

“Can you wait that long?” she asked, looking out over the water. “I mean will you wait around for me? Or will you call the waitress in the meantime?”

He sighed. He wasn’t the most patient man and he didn’t know where this thing with Lainey was going. But he had never felt this way about someone so quickly. There were many women he wanted to fuck on sight, sure, and Lainey was one of them. And back in the day, he had. But this was different. She was different. The last thing he wanted to do was fuck this up or scare her away, or, worse, hurt her more than she already was. But he had changed too. He felt like he was finally growing up. And miracle upon miracles, it was time.

He reached out and slowly pressed his palm to hers, then wove his fingers through hers, stacking their joined hands onto his knee.

“I’m not going to call the waitress.”

“And what if you waste your time waiting and I’m never ready?” she asked softly.

“You’re ready now, Lainey.” He turned slightly so that he could watch her. “Maybe you’re not ready up here,” he tapped her temple with his free index finger, “but I can see the pulse quicken in your neck when I’m close to you.” His eyes lingered just above her collarbone as her blood beat faster for him. “I can see the fear in your eyes. But I can see beyond that, and you want to be close to me. I can see by the set of your lips that you want me to kiss you.”

Her lips parted at his words and the sensual haze he was creating within her. He even leaned in slightly as if he just might kiss her and the bubbling heat in her boiled over and deep down wet arousal burst free. “But I won’t. When you’re ready, you kiss me. And then we’ll both know.”

Abruptly, he turned and faced the water again. He picked up his coffee and took a long drink while still holding her hand.

Lainey didn’t know what to do with herself. He’d just left
her
hanging. Damn it, she wanted him to kiss her. Wanted him to make the decision for her and take her choice away. But the coward that she was, she followed his lead and picked up her coffee, taking a sip, then pulled her thighs together trying to lessen the burning heat between her legs. She wanted much more than mere kisses.

After finishing his coffee, he threw the cup expertly into the receptacle near then he tugged on her hand and pulled her from the table. “Come on, I’ll walk you back up to your car. You need to go home and have a good meal and get some sleep.”

“I do?” she said stupidly.

“Yes, hiking tomorrow, did you forget?”

“No.”

Aware that he was walking quickly, he practically pulled her back up the street. And she was trotting double time just to keep pace with him since he refused to let go of her hand. But he needed to get the hell away from her. He had visions of slamming her onto the picnic table, throwing up her skirt and ravishing her right there in the park.

When they reached her car he opened the door for her and she tossed her purse inside, before turning to face him.

He skimmed his hands up her arms, stopping at her shoulders. “So what time do you leave for church in the morning?”

“About ten forty-five, it’s not far.”

“And you get home around noon?”

“Yes,” she said looking up at him.

“I’ll see you then.” He placed a kiss on her cheek, letting his lips linger on her soft skin. She turned her face into his, allowing her cheek to rest against his rough one.

Her warm breath, quick and shallow, bounced off his Adam’s apple. “See you then,” she whispered.

Chapter Five

Lainey ran out of the door right at ten forty-five Sunday morning. She hadn’t slept well and had woken in a pool of her own sweat after an incredibly steamy dream about her and Jason. She couldn’t remember much of the actual dream itself. Just images and feelings and the picnic table, that had ended in an explosive orgasm that woke her up and left her feeling less raw and fidgety but more empty, which she didn’t think was possible. She had showered and dressed and decided to braid her hair while it was still wet since she didn’t have time to do much else with it.

Lainey pulled the door closed and started down the drive toward her car when she noticed another pulled across the end of her driveway and the darkly handsome man leaning against it.

“Jason,” she said smiling, perhaps even blushing, as the horny little butterflies did the cancan in her stomach. Dressed sharply, he wore dark tailored slacks, a burgundy dress shirt and a black tie, topped off with dark shades shielding his eyes. His hair was not as sculpted as he’d tamed it for school, but it wasn’t as messy as it had been yesterday when she’d seen him. It was sort of spiky but not standing straight up, just kind of sweeping toward the front. He looked like a model in a new car ad, leaning casually against the expensive red and black sports car as if he hadn’t a care in the world. She walked all the way to him before he moved, straightening as she reached him. He took the dark glasses from his eyes. He looked tired too. Perhaps he’d had trouble sleeping as well. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d take you to church,” he said simply.