Meant To Be (17 page)

"Look, I understand your frustration, but what else can you do? Driscoll is connected in ways you don't want to know about. You go after him, and you'll come back to Green Bay in a body bag."

Jack's eyes narrowed. “You sure do seem to know a lot for someone who claims he's not in Driscoll's pocket."

"I heard and seen enough to know I'd be foolish to cross the guy."

"So you turned your back while he set me up. Nice. Real fucking nice."

A muscle ticked in Garrett's jaw. Sure, he'd suspected a setup the moment he'd walked into that warehouse. But he'd been a rookie, and Driscoll a well-respected officer with over fifteen years on the force. Who would have believed Garrett let alone agreed to investigate the matter? Garrett'd had his suspicions and nothing more. And Driscoll had guaranteed Garrett's silence with one blood-curdling comment.
"That's one fine looking sister you got there, Jamison. Sure be a shame if anything happened to her."
The threat had been crystal-clear. And Garrett would've died before putting any of his family in jeopardy.

"If it makes you feel better to blame me, fine. I really don't give a shit. But I'm only going to say this once. If you come within fifty feet of Jessica again, I'll break every bone in your goddamn body."

Wade and Lyle both passed out by nine o'clock. They'd killed a twelve-pack of beer between them, on top of the wine, and Jessica couldn't have been happier. She'd tried to get to sleep herself, but after tossing and turning for more than an hour, all she'd managed to do was tear the sheets from her bed. She shrugged on her robe, grabbed a bottle of water, and slipped out the back door.

Mr. Louie had refused to step one paw inside the house with Wade and Lyle still there, and she found him curled up on top of the patio table. Jessica gave him a quick scratch behind the ears before plopping down on one of the padded lawn chairs.

She heard a vehicle pull into the Jamison's driveway and scowled. As tempted as she was to hide, a surge of pride kept her planted firmly in the chair. It'd be a cold day in hell before she hid from the likes of Garrett Jamison. Besides, he'd have to walk around back to have a chance of even seeing her, and that was unlikely.

Before she could stop him, Mr. Louie jumped off the table and took off down the driveway, meowing his little lungs out the entire way. “Traitor,” she muttered under her breath. She'd just decided to slip back inside when Garrett appeared from around the corner of the house, Mr. Louie in his arms.

"Your cat seems to think I'm his new best friend.” He glanced around before adding, “So where's
your
new friend? Or should I say ‘friends'?"

The faint glow of the porch light illuminated Garrett's handsome face, and Jessica hated the leap in her pulse. “Not that it's any of your business, but he's my ex-husband. And the other guy is his brother."

Garrett looked surprised by that bit of news. He'd truly believed she was some kind of slut who collected strange men like trophies ... Jackass.

He cleared his throat and set Mr. Louie down on the grass. Annoyed to no longer be the center of Garrett's attention, Mr. Louie gave his paw an angry lick, then took off for God only knew where.

"So, you and your ex are reconciling,” Garrett said, his tone casual, his expression dispassionate. “And you wanted to get one last fling in before he got here. Not that I'm complaining, but you could've mentioned it before jumping into bed with me."

"I thought I'd made my position perfectly clear,” she reminded him, stung by his callous attitude. “Friends with benefits, nothing more."

He stared at her, hard, as if trying to glean the truth through mental telepathy. Finally, he gave a curt nod and said, “Yeah, you were clear. Nothing more. Have a nice life, Jess.” Garrett turned and strode away.

"We're not reconciling,” Jessica blurted before she could stop herself. “I hate that man more than you can imagine.” Damn, why couldn't she have just let him go? As disappointed in him as she was, Garrett didn't deserve to be led on. She placed her hand over her belly as the thought that she could be carrying his child reared its head—and it wasn't exactly unwelcome. Jessica realized with a start that she wanted another child. Garrett's child.

Garrett stopped but didn't turn around. He propped his hands on his hips and muttered a curse. “Are you purposely trying to drive me nuts? I mean, has that been your plan from the beginning?"

Jessica took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I tried to tell you last night, but you were in such a rage—"

"What did you expect me to do? Join in?"

"Don't be disgusting,” she said. “Nothing happened. Nothing was going to happen. He'd been in a bus accident. Didn't you wonder why he was in an arm and full leg cast?"

Garrett finally turned to face her. He dropped his arms to his side and flexed his fingers. “Trust me, it was ... more than obvious he thought something was going to happen, broken limbs or not."

Jessica's face heated up. She uncapped her water and took a sip, then held the cold bottle against her throat. “Wade says he came here to win me back, but like I said, it'll never happen. And since I'm the only person he knows in the entire Midwest, the nurse called me. I agreed to let him stay for a few days until he could travel back to Seattle. His brother's here to take care of him while I'm at work, and then escort him home. That's all there is to it."

"Why didn't you just tell me this yesterday? Or earlier today?"

She cocked a brow in disbelief, and Garrett surprised her with a soft chuckle. He took another step toward her. “So ... what exactly are you saying, Jess?"

"I'm saying you're a hotheaded jackass.” An image of that woman straddling his lap flashed in her mind. “And a faithless jerk, too."

Garrett closed the distance between them and stood before her with his arms crossed. “I jumped to the same conclusion anyone would have under the circumstances. You can't exactly blame me."

"Yes, I can.” An arrogant grin curved his lips. Jessica shot to her feet and sloshed water onto the front of the oversized T-shirt she wore as a nightgown. “Dammit.” She set the bottle on the table and plucked the fabric away from her skin. “Look what you made me do."

"Do I make you that nervous?"

"You make me that crazy."

He grasped her elbow and pulled her into his arms. “Well, that makes it mutual, now doesn't it?"

Jessica opened her mouth to protest just as he leaned down and captured her lips. He wasted no time in plundering her mouth, the hot, raspy feel of his tongue on hers enough to weaken her knees. Her nipples tightened and tingled against his hard chest, and she silently wished he'd strip off her wet T-shirt and replace it with his mouth. A groan escaped her at the thought.

Garrett held her flush against him with a hand at the small of her back, then reached between them and cupped her breast over the damp material. His tongue played with hers as his fingers teased her nipple, plucking it gently before moving on to torture the other. She grew wet and gasped into his mouth when his other hand curled around her bottom and squeezed.

Jessica tried to work her hands between them to unbutton his jeans, but Garrett stopped her. He took her hands and guided them around his neck before returning his attention to her body. Garrett deepened the kiss, then reached beneath the hems of both her robe and nightshirt and grasped her waist. He kneaded his way down to her hip, gave it a squeeze, then worked his knee between her legs and spread them apart. Jessica shivered in anticipation.

He worked his hand around to the front of her panties and gently massaged her throbbing flesh. Jessica wiggled against him, silently begging him to explore further. Garrett used the tips of his fingers to caress her through the material, back and forth, up and down, until she thought she'd faint from the pleasure of it. Their kisses became more urgent and she ran her hands up into his thick hair, cupping his scalp. He slipped his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and pulled them aside, exposing her hot, bare flesh. Finally, he sank his fingers between her wet folds.

Her knees gave out and she had to hold on for dear life as he worked her clitoris with his palm, his soft caresses becoming bold strokes. He slid one finger deep into her slick passage, then pulled it back out ever so slowly, building up a delicious rhythm, driving her ever closer to the brink of sweet release.

Jessica tried to break free so she could unzip his pants and inflict a little torture of her own, but Garrett seemed in no mood to relinquish power. He swept her backwards until she found herself lying on her back in the cool grass, staring up at the stars.

"Garrett?"

"Shhhh. Just close your eyes and relax.” He pulled her robe down so that it was between her and the grass, then lifted up her nightshirt. “Now I owe you two pairs,” he whispered a split second before tearing her panties off with one mighty rip. He grasped her knees to spread her legs wide. Jessica closed her eyes and licked her lips in anticipation. He worked his hands beneath her bottom, then lifted her up an inch or so off the ground.

The first stroke of his tongue was nearly her undoing. Jessica bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out as he stroked back and forth between her folds while kneading her backside, which only intensified the pleasure. His tongue flicked over her swollen nubbin, and Jessica's hands clenched in the cool, dry grass as she moved her hips against his hungry mouth. The faint smell of petunias clung in the air, and the chirping of crickets played like a symphony in the background.

Jessica's back arched like a tightly strung bow as Garrett brought her right to the edge of ecstasy. “Yes ... oh, my ...
Garrett
...” she whimpered, her head whipping from side to side as she tore up clumps of grass with her fists.

Garrett lifted her even higher, and she cried out when his mouth closed over her clitoris and sucked gently. She clutched his hair with both hands and rocked her hips in frantic rhythm as the most intense orgasm ripped through her. Garrett continued to stroke her throbbing flesh until she lay still, her breathing ragged, her heart pumping furiously.

He sat up, closed her legs, and pulled her nightshirt down. He dropped down beside her, and they lay together staring up at the stars.

Jessica curled into his side. “Would ‘thank you’ sound lame?"

He chuckled. “No, and you're welcome.” He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. Mr. Louie decided to join them and parked himself on Garrett's chest. Garrett scratched behind his ears and joked, “At least he has good timing."

Jessica slipped back into the house a short time later and headed down the hall to her bedroom. The house was as dark and quiet as when she'd left, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her bedroom door behind her. She flipped on the bedside lamp and let out a scream. Wade stood propped up against the wall opposite the bed—and the look in his eyes was glacier.

"Jesus, you scared me half to death,” she breathed, holding a hand to her pounding chest.

"I warned you, Jessie. I told you to stay the hell away from him."

Jessica's blood froze in her veins. “Y-You were watching us? You disgusting—"

"What kind of whore have you turned into? Letting him go down on you like that, and in the freakin’ grass, for crissake."

Anger replaced her dismay. “You have the nerve to pass judgment on me? Our son would still be alive if you hadn't been screwing the neighbor."

Wade's eyes narrowed. He pushed off the wall and hobbled toward her on one crutch. “You want to bring that shit up again? Fine. And where were you when Marky fell off the counter?"

Tears stung Jessica's eyes. “Shut up. Just shut your mouth. How dare you bring that up. I was trying to earn a living. Keep a roof over my son's head and food in his belly. Something you were too lazy to do."

Wade stopped a couple feet in front of her. “You stay the hell away from him or I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?” she snapped. “File harassment charges against him? It'll be your word against his, and he's a cop. And if you think I'll back you up, think again."

Wade's expression became even more hostile. He surprised her by changing the subject. “Where's that stuffed bear Marky used to sleep with every night?"

"What?"

"The brown bear with the dark blue ribbon around its neck. Where is it?"

She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why do you care?"

"Dammit, Jessie, where the hell is it?"

She dropped her arms and sighed. “I'm in no mood for this, Wade. Just go back to bed."

He surprised her by giving her a shove with his crutch. “I said, where's the goddamn bear? I'm not playing. I want it right now."

Jessica darted out of his way and stared at him in shock. As big a jerk as he was, Wade had never laid a hand on her in violence. Why was he so anxious to get his hands on Marky's bear? “I gave it to a friend. Why? You've never shown an interest in Marky's things before."

"Never mind. Just get it back from whoever you gave it to."

With that, Wade hobbled from the room. Jessica wanted to follow after him and demand to know exactly why he wanted that particular toy, but was too relieved to have him gone. Not only did she hate having to look at him, she was mortified that he'd actually been watching while she and Garrett ... my God, the thought made her skin crawl.

"I'm embarrassed to even ask this, but can I have Marky's bear back?"

With a knowing smile, Sara opened the door and motioned Jessica inside. “No need to be embarrassed. It was too soon to part with it. I completely understand."

Jessica followed her into the kitchen and they sat down at the table. She'd just gotten off work and wanted nothing more than to eat supper and relax with a movie. But she'd hoped that once Wade had the bear, he'd head back to Seattle, and she'd never have to look at his face again. “I feel so silly, but ... you're right. I wasn't ready."

Sara poured Jessica a glass of lemonade, then said, “Be right back."

She returned a few minutes later, her brow knit in confusion. “I can't find it. I swear I set it on my dresser, but it's gone. I wonder if Ethan decided to play with it.” She walked to the French doors and stuck her head out. “Ethan, get in here, please."