Secret Storm (5 page)

Jack finished off his water before Austin
opened his beer. "I needed that."

"Sure you don't want something stronger?"

"Not a good idea." He leaned back against the
couch and closed his eyes, rubbing the scar in his left eyebrow as
if it still hurt. The injury had happened three years ago, so the
physical pain had faded with time.

Austin frowned. "Something's bugging you. I
can tell."

"You're observant."

"Hey, sometimes I notice things."

"It's nothing."

"Bullshit. Talk to me, man."

Jack opened one eye and scowled sideways. Now
he knew how Austin felt when Jack tried to get him to open up. "Is
it possible to be too patient?"

"I don't even know what that word means."

He laughed and sat up, rubbing his head
again. "I think I missed my opportunity... if I ever had one."

"What makes you say that?"

"Sara shot me down. I thought she wanted....
Maybe I imagined it."

"I don't think so. If there's one thing I
know, it's how to tell when a woman wants you."

"That's true." Jack's friend may not have
known anything about patience, but he certainly knew about
women.

"Trust me, that girl's had a thing for you
since... since she got over me." Austin laughed at Jack's snarl.
"Don't give up on her. It might take some effort, but it's worth
it."

He couldn't argue with his friend's happy
smile. "I guess I should thank Jane for that bit of wisdom."

"Better yet, I'll thank her for you." Austin
looked at his watch. "She should still be awake."

"Would it make a difference if she
wasn't?"

"Nope." He grabbed his keys. "Hey, I could
tell Sara you're up for another shot with her." He winked.

"No." Jack's entire body went rigid. His jaw
twitched and his hands curled into fists. "You stay out of
this."

Austin took a step back. "Whoa. Just
kidding."

Jack slowly let out his breath, focusing on
one muscle at a time, commanding each one to let the tension go.
Finally his jaw unclenched. "Sorry, man."

"You okay?"

"Yeah." He shook it off.

"I can hang around if you want me to."

"No, I'm good. Tell Jane hi for me."

"Sure." The door shut behind him.

Jack leaned back against the couch, flexing
his fingers, still trying to work out the tension.
Damn you.
Years of practice had given him the strength to control his anger,
but sometimes—and for no apparent reason—his control just snapped,
and he struggled to get it back. He'd never hurt anyone, and every
day he vowed he never would.

The muscle in his jaw twitched again,
remembering the pain he'd suffered at the hands of—

He jumped up and headed to his room, closing
the door on everything behind him. He undressed and crawled into
bed, choosing to dream about something—no, some
one
—much more
pleasant. Someone with beautiful blue eyes, silky blonde hair, and
a smile that chased all his anger and pain back to the past, where
it belonged.

"Hey Jack, wait up!"

Jack turned as his favorite psych major
trotted across the courtyard toward him, like an image from one of
those ridiculous romantic comedies: the wind tossing her blonde
hair around her shoulders, her smile so bright it blotted out the
sun. Everyone else faded into the background. Only Jack and Sara
existed.

Her lips parted and he waited for the words
he longed to hear.

"Austin told me you hit the game winner last
night."

Damn it. Not what I wanted, but I'll take
it.
"Yeah, but what you don't know is that the other team
didn't score at all, so one run won the game."

"Are you kidding? Austin told us all about
his amazing performance." She rolled her eyes. "Sounds like I
missed a good game."

"I checked the schedule. Our next home game
is Thursday night."

Her brow wrinkled and her eyes drifted to the
left.
Is she searching for an excuse not to go?
"I have a
paper due Friday...."

"Okay."

"But all I have left to do is proofread it.
That shouldn't take more than an hour...."

How much longer is she going to torture
me?

"But I have to go to... wait...." She dug her
cell phone out of her bag and scrolled through her calendar. "No,
that's next week."

Just put me out of my misery now, babe.

"So this Thursday night is... free." She
smiled. "I'm going to your game."

Jack thought his heart would explode—or maybe
his brain. He just didn’t know what to think, or feel, anymore.
"Good. It'll be fun."

Her soft blonde hair fell across her eyes as
she searched through her bag. He reached out to sweep it away, but
pulled his hand back before he touched her, still not sure where
they stood.

Sara looked up at him again, her eyes
sparkling. "I love watching you play."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. I remember Jane dragging me to a
football game freshman year. You tried to get into the end zone,
but a huge pile of guys blocked your way. You leaped right over the
top of them and landed on your head. I thought you broke your neck,
but you got right up, grinning like an idiot and bleeding all
over."

"The scary thing is I don't remember that
play. People tell me what I did, but I don't remember any of
it."

"Ouch."

"Yeah." He massaged his head as if he still
felt the pain. "That's how I got this scar."

"Chicks dig scars. There's a good story
behind each one."

He put his hand over the scar above the
twitching muscle in his stomach.
A story, yes, but not always a
good one.

"I thought you were either extremely brave or
that you'd landed on your head one too many times."

"The second one."

She laughed. "After that, I only pretended I
didn't want to go. I went just to see you play."

Jack smiled and moved closer. He knew she
didn't like football, so seeing her at every home game had puzzled
him. "I had no idea you were there just for me."

"No one did, not even Jane. I kept that crush
to myself—all this time." Her eyes challenged him to say the
same.

"I did too." He'd kept it secret far too
long.

She reached for him, stroking his arm with
her fingertips.

Jack didn't try to read her. He didn't know
where to start. Right now, she was touching him, smiling at him,
but yesterday.... "I'm sorry I tried to kiss you."

"I'm not." She slid her hand down his arm and
laced her fingers with his. "I'm sorry I didn't know how to react.
I'm used to keeping you on friendly terms—nothing more." She looked
down at their entwined hands.

"Me too." He pulled her close. "Do you want
that to change?"

"Yes, I do." Her blue eyes were troubled.
"But I—"

"Don't worry about graduation."

"That was just an excuse. After what I went
through with David and Austin and other guys, I have a hard time
trusting men."

"I understand. Do you trust me?"

"I want to."

"It takes time."
Will I be able to trust
her with my secret... someday?
She would be the first.

She giggled. "Are you always this
patient?"

"Not anymore." He dove in and kissed her with
all the passion and lust he'd held back for the last three years,
wrapping his arms around her so she couldn't push him away.

Her lips parted, drawing his tongue into her
mouth. One hand twisted in his long hair and the other gripped his
shoulder.

At that moment it didn't matter if she could
trust him; it didn't matter what happened after graduation. He
kissed her and she didn't stop him. He sighed and whispered "Sara"
against her lips before taking her mouth again.

To hell with patience.
He'd reached
the goal line with her tucked in his arms.
We deserve an
excessive celebration
.

"Can't you wait until you get her someplace
private?"

He lifted his head. Sara gasped and pushed
away from him with both hands. He turned and growled at Austin.

"I told you not to say anything." Jane
slapped her boyfriend's shoulder.

Austin laughed. "You're drawing a crowd."

Jack looked around. People were staring,
whispering; some nodding their heads as if they weren't surprised
at all. He found Sara standing a few steps away from him.

"I'm sorry." He held out his hand. "I got
tired of waiting."

She let him pull her close. "I'm glad you
did."

"Well at least that's finally over." Austin
heaved a dramatic sigh. "I swear if it took you much longer to make
your move, I was gonna do it for you."
Thump!
"Ow." He
rubbed the back of his head where Jack had smacked him.

The girls laughed. "Do you guys want to go
out with us tonight?" Jane smiled at the new couple. "McGinley's
burgers, beer... and a Coke for Jack."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, sounds like fun."

"We gotta get to practice." Austin gave his
girlfriend a quick kiss. "Why don't you ladies meet us at our place
tonight?"

"Okay," Jane said.

Jack squeezed Sara's hand and slowly let her
go. He watched the two friends leave—smiling and laughing
together.

Austin clapped Jack on the shoulder. "I know
how you feel, man. Come on. We're gonna be late."

Jack took one last look at Sara and then
followed his roommate to the gym. How could Austin know how he felt
when he...? He should be happier. He finally had what he wanted,
the woman he'd desired for so long. Their future looked bright.

So why did he feel something dark looming on
the horizon?

***

"Is that what you're wearing?"

Sara stopped in the hallway and looked down
at herself. Flat sandals, cargo shorts, plain t-shirt—she hadn't
forgotten anything. Jane looked very cute in high-heeled sandals, a
short skirt, and a pretty blouse. She considered dressing up for
just a second, but Jack liked her this way and she did too.

"Yes, this is what I'm wearing."

"Okay." Jane grabbed her keys. "Let's
go."

"I'll drive." For some reason, she needed
that little bit of control. This thing with Jack hadn't been sudden
or unexpected by any means, but she still felt a little bit...
unstable. Nerves?
No.
Excitement?
Could be.
Anticipation about to be realized?
Yeah, that's definitely
it.

They got to the guys' apartment a little
early but no one complained. She'd been to their place before, but
tonight she was meeting Jack for a date, and that made everything
different. She'd never looked past the small living room before,
but this time she noticed the bathroom mirror still fogged up from
the shower. An image of Jack dripping wet, soapy and naked, flashed
through her mind, and she had to brace her hand on the couch to
keep her balance. Was he still in the bathroom... in nothing but a
towel? No, he was in his bedroom getting dressed.

Jack's bedroom. She'd never paid much
attention to it before. The door hung partially open providing a
peek at his cluttered desk, next to his headboard. Jack's bed. A
little tingle shot though her lower belly at the sight of it. She
definitely had to get a better look—up close and personal—but just
then he nudged the door open with his elbow, pulling his shirt over
his head.

She caught her breath.
Mmm... I just love
broad bare shoulders on a man.
The muscles in his chest flexed
and stretched as he pulled his shirt down, and she caught a glimpse
of a nasty scar on his tight abdomen.
What's the story behind
that one?

"Hi Sara," Jack said.

Did he know she'd never seen him without his
shirt? If she had her way, she'd be seeing him like that much more
often. "Hi."

"You look beautiful." He lifted her face in
his hands, kissing her softly.

She slid her arms around his waist and pulled
him against her body, opening her mouth under his and giving him
just a taste of what she had to offer. It felt so good to kiss him,
to hold him after all this time. Why had they waited so long?

"Mmm... you feel so good," he whispered, his
tongue flicking her ear.

"So do you." She sighed and snuggled against
his strong chest. A normally skilled conversationalist no matter
what the circumstances, her brain had turned to mush tonight. She
couldn't think straight, but no matter; she just wanted to kiss
Jack again. Her hand slid into his hair and she tugged him down,
kissing him while he held her tight.

"Let's go, man." Austin punched Jack's
shoulder on his way to the front door. "Plenty of time for that
later."

He growled and Sara laughed, turning his face
back to her and giving him another quick but tempting kiss.
"Later," she whispered on his lips.

"I can't wait." He thrust his tongue in her
mouth, teasing her with his intentions—good and bad.

A ringing cell phone destroyed their moment.
"Damn it!" Sara reached into her bag. "I thought I turned it
off."

"Is it him again?" asked Jane.

"Ugh. Yes."

"Who?" said Jack.

"David. He's been calling me all day. I told
him I was going out tonight, but apparently he doesn't care."

"Ignore it." He pulled her toward the door.
"Let's go."

As soon as her phone stopped ringing, it
started again. "I gotta tell him to stop."

"Forget about him. Come with me."

She didn't want to talk to David. Not now.
She wanted to be with Jack. "If I don't answer, he'll keep
calling."

"Turn it off."

Sara let go of him and walked back into the
living room. "I'll just tell him—"

Jack grabbed her arm and his blue eyes
flashed. "Don't answer it."