The Love Laws (24 page)

On some level
she knew that the reason she was so invested in Hidden Treasures had more to do
with proving her worth to her parents rather than her own ambition. The fact
that they were dead didn’t prevent her from needing to show them that her creative
personality didn’t necessarily equate failure. She couldn’t fail. Not now.
Doing so would be like admitting that her parents were right about her.

Hot tears slid
down her cheeks and she found herself bawling her fists to contain her
emotions. Not wanting to alarm Pamela, she turned away from the window to hide
her face. Without being aware of it she put one hand in her coat pocket and
found the reassuring cool plastic of Kevin’s sunglasses sliding against her
fingertips.

It was
ridiculous but that small reminder of him somehow made her feel better. He
didn`t disapprove of her. In fact, he seemed to like the wild and free Jamie just
fine. He didn’t want her to be more like her sister. In his eyes she was
worthwhile. And that small knowledge gave her the strength to paste on a
professional smile and discuss contract terms with Pamela.

After the tour
was complete and the house was officially for sale Jamie found herself sitting
alone in the front seat of Clay’s green VW bug. She’d borrowed the vehicle to
make the trip out to White Rock. Now she couldn’t help taking  several long
minutes to stare down from her home’s driveway at the parking lot where she’d
been so thoroughly pleasured. Kevin’s car was gone but that didn’t stop her
from slowly reliving every moment with him. Not just the mind-shattering
pleasure of climaxing in his arms, but the other parts too.

She thought
about the joyful expression on his face when he’d found her on the Pier and the
tender way his hands had traced her back. She shivered as she recalled the
feathery sensation of his warm lips against her neck and his warm laughter. Everything
played back in slow motion and she groaned in frustration at her stupidity.

She liked him. A
lot. There was no denying it. But now what? Underneath the studly reputation
and drool-worthy body there was obviously a decent guy with real feelings and she
had just reduced him to a convenient piece of man-meat. As much as she’d been
convinced he was impervious to her insults she was fairly certain she had hurt
him this time. And she hated herself for it.

She longed to
search him out and apologize for her behavior. Leaving him so abruptly had been
an act of cowardice and cruelty. But when the ecstasy had stopped, reality had
set in and she’d panicked. Especially when she found herself thinking about
forgoing her meeting entirely and spending the afternoon with Kevin instead.
That wayward thought was a big red flag that her priorities were messed up. She
needed to take care of business, not Kevin’s ego. Or her neglected libido for
that matter.

Maybe she could
compromise and soothe Kevin’s ego as well as her newly awakened sex drive. She
still didn’t have time for a relationship but perhaps they could spend some
time together. Nothing emotional. Just fun and sex. Lots and lots of sex. He
might be amendable to that. Hell, if she knew Kevin he should be thrilled with
a no strings arrangement. Or would he?

He’d said he
wanted more but what about now? Had she blown the possibility of something real
with him completely? That had been the plan when she’d allowed him to seduce
her but now she wasn’t quite so certain what she wanted. The thought of never
seeing him again made her heart lurch in her chest. That was a very bad sign.
But he was still the same guy who drank too much and chased women constantly.
Anything more than casual wasn’t possible with a guy like him, was it?

At that moment
she didn’t really care. She needed to see him. Desperately. She was so weary of
overthinking everything. It was so exhausting. She just wanted to feel and
forget about the consequences for a while. This new practical version of
herself she’d invented was so wrapped up in doing whatever it took to ensure a
bright financial future that she never lived in the moment. Is that really who
Jamie wanted to be? A more successful but infinitely unhappy version of
herself?

Suddenly, Hidden
Treasures seemed more like a burden than anything else. She despised what it was
doing to her. Her determination to save her store was turning her into a ruthless,
uncaring bitch. She missed being the girl who did what she felt like and lived
in the moment. That girl was all about flaunting the rules and putting her
brain on hold for a while.

Looking down at
the contract sitting on the seat beside her Jamie sighed and drummed her
fingers against the sheepskin-padded steering wheel. As much as she would like
to abandon everything it was too late for that. She needed to continue on this
path. If she stopped now then the last two years would mean nothing. Whether she
liked it or not, her life was all about following rules. One particular set of
rules in particular: her own. The damn Love Laws.

Right now she
needed to keep one of her guidelines firmly in mind. She was a firm believer in
Love Law #2 and pursuing men was always a mistake. But she still wanted to seek
out Kevin and offer him some kind of sexy arrangement. How could she maintain
the integrity of her rules if she suddenly became the aggressor? The answer was
simple: she couldn’t. She would have to wait for Kevin to come looking for her.
Frustration gnawed at her but she could hardly expect other women to follow her
rules if she couldn’t manage it herself. She would just have to hope Kevin was
still interested despite her behavior after their interlude in the parking lot.

He had followed
her to the bathroom of Steamworks and even out to White Rock. Maybe he would
save her the trouble of violating her rules and come find her? Yes, that would
be the ideal solution. If he made the next move then she would definitely lower
her guard and suggest something casual between them. All she had to do was wait
for him to give into his natural predatory impulses. He was the classic alpha
male hunter-type. He couldn’t resist the chase. At least that was her theory.

Unfortunately
for Jamie, Kevin’s natural instincts seemed to be off-line. He didn’t call or
show up at Hidden Treasures the next day as she’d hoped. She thought about
casually dropping by his hotel to drop off his sunglasses that evening but
somehow resisted the impulse. She would definitely be in defiance of Love Law
#2 if she stalked him with such a lame ruse. Also, her pride just wouldn’t
allow it. She could just imagine the smug grin on his face if she showed up
unannounced. Not cool.

After two
frustrating days without a sign of the sexy writer anywhere Jamie met up with
her sister, Jessica, at her bookstore hoping to get glean some information
without compromising her pride.

Feeling a little
like an awkward teenager she casually broached the subject of Kevin, hoping for
some reasonable explanation for his disappearance, like a business trip or a
family emergency, but Jess just looked puzzled when Jamie had asked about
Duncan’s best friend. 

“Why the sudden
interest?” Jessica had asked suspiciously as she’d rubbed her burgeoning belly.
“I thought you were firmly uninterested in The Kevster. Please tell me nothing
happened. I mean, I love the guy but he’s really not in a good place right
now.”

At this point
Jamie considered telling Jess about her movie date and subsequent backseat
adventure with Kevin, but decided denial was the best course of action. No need
to worry her pregnant sister over what was looking more and more like an
isolated encounter. Or two. The longer she had to think about it the more
inclined she was to reconsider pursuing anything more with the handsome writer,
but she was still curious why she hadn’t heard from him.

“No kidding. He
was pretty drunk at Steamworks that night you abandoned me. What’s going on
with him exactly?” Jamie asked, feigning disinterest. She pretended to peruse
the new arrivals in the bookcase. Her sister reclined nearby on one of the
comfy chairs grouped around the store.

Jessica rolled
her eyes. “I already apologized for that. But he was okay when you talked to
him after we left right? He wasn’t a jerk, was he?” Jessica gave Jamie a
worried look from beneath narrowed brows. “I wouldn’t have left so suddenly but
the bambino was giving me a major case of acid reflux.”

Jamie shook her
head and bent down to read a book title, allowing her hair to fall forward to
cover her flushed face. “No, no. He was a perfect gentleman. He walked me home.
A little unsteadily, mind you. But didn’t try to maul me or anything. Just made
sure I got in without being accosted. He was sort of sweet.” Oops. Why did she
reveal that little tid-bit? Jessica would definitely catch onto her
affectionate tone.

Fortunately for
her, Clay chose that moment to interfere. He’d been half-heartedly dusting some
shelves while shamelessly eavesdropping, but he couldn’t help commenting when
he overheard Jamie’s tender admission regarding the handsome writer.

“Oh really?” He
asked, popping around the corner. “And how about when I sent him out to The
Rock to find you? Was he sweet then? ‘Cause he seemed like a bear with a
hard-on when he came to the store looking for you.”

Damn it. Now
she had to admit she’d met up with Kevin in White Rock or lie to both her
sister and her best friend in one conversation. She was digging herself deeper
and deeper into deception but didn’t see how much choice she had. If she
admitted something had happened with Kevin then Clay would torture her for
dirty details and Jessica would blow a gasket.

So she forced
her expression into something resembling shock and turned to Clay with her
hands on her hips. “What? You sent him out to find me? When?”

Clay gave her a
surprised look. “You mean he didn’t find you the day you met with the real
estate agent? I gave him the address and told him to look for you out on the
Pier if he didn’t find you at your abode?”

Jamie shrugged
her shoulders and stared at him blankly. “Nope. No sign of him. Probably got
side-tracked by a waitress or possibly a tankard of beer. Maybe both. Why would
you send him out there after me anyway? You know I’m not interested in getting
involved right now. Especially with a hound dog like him.”

Clay rolled his
eyes. “Why do you think? You need to get laid in a major way and that guy is
the perfect tool to get the job done. Anyone with a pulse can see that he could
help you work out some of your pent up frustration.” He pointed his useless
feather duster at her. “Honestly, if you don’t let loose soon I’m going to hire
you a professional. I’ve looked up gigolos on-line for you. So it’s either Dick
for Hire or that fine piece of man-meat. Your choice.”

Jamie sighed in
exasperation. “I choose none of the above. I’m too busy for amateur or
professional dicks of any kind,” she said, crossing her arms. “Why are you
looking up gigolos for me anyway? Shouldn’t you be concentrating on your own messed
up love life rather than trying to get me arrested for prostitution?” It was a
lame attempt to distract him but Clay loved talking about himself more than
almost anything. If she could get him onto the subject of Willem the Worm,
maybe she could avoid incriminating herself.

“Wait a
second,” Jessica interrupted, standing up with some difficulty and approaching
Jamie. “Why would Kevin be looking for you anyway? Are you sure nothing
happened? Kevin isn’t exactly known for chasing girls. I don’t think I’ve ever
heard of him crossing the street for one, let alone leaving town. Is there
something going on?”

Oh jeez. This
was getting very complicated.

Jamie shrugged
and gave her sister an exasperated look. “How am I supposed to know what’s
going on with Duncan’s friend? I was the one asking you about him, remember?”

Jessica
narrowed her eyes. “Yes, you were. Which is strange in itself. You’ve never
shown an interest in Kevin before. In fact, I think you called him ‘Best Slut’
at my wedding.”

Jamie flushed
and had the grace to look embarrassed. “Not to his face,” she grumbled.

“Maybe not. But
you weren’t exactly friendly. What’s changed now?”

Clay eagerly
stepped up to Jessica and wiggled his feather duster in Jamie’s direction.
“I’ll tell you what’s changed. She may not be willing to try out his equipment,
but our Miss J is more than willing to use the rest of him.”

“What?” Jessica
asked, clearly confused.

Clay leaned
down and stage whispered directly into Jessica’s ear while looking at Jamie
defiantly. “I mean, she somehow talked him into coming into her store and
making smoking-hot puppy eyes at my sister. As cute as Cat is I’m pretty sure
he didn’t do that of his own volition.  Your sister is obviously exploiting him
somehow. Using him shamelessly to further her own wicked agenda. I would be
appalled if it wasn’t so fabulous.” He clapped his hands and stuck his tongue
out at Jamie, thrilled to be imparting some gossip to Jessica for a change.

“What?” Jessica
pushed past Clay and stood directly in front of Jamie. “Jamie. What did you
do?”

Jamie shrugged
defensively. “It was nothing. I just asked him to pay some attention to Cathy.
Build up her confidence. And it totally worked. She was thrilled.” She turned
to Clay. “Wasn’t she?”

Clay rolled his
eyes. “James, watching Cathy being chatted up by that pussy-shark was like witnessing
a nun accidentally walk onto a porno set. She was totally out of her element.
Baby steps next time, okay?”

Jamie glared at
him. “It wasn’t that bad. I thought she handled herself very smoothly. You’re
overprotective.” She poked him in the chest for emphasis. “Which is ironic
considering how familiar you are with porno sets yourself.” This was a low-blow
considering Clay had actually dated a gay porn star briefly and had visited
Large Lars on set exactly twice but had not actually participated in the adult
film industry.