Meant To Be (5 page)

"Fine. If that's the way you want it, I won't push.” He swiped his fingers through his hair. “Your business is your business."

"Finally,” she said with a playful roll of her eyes. “Listen, it's been great fun and all, but I have to get up early for work. So if you wouldn't mind...?” She gestured toward the door.

Garrett shook his head and chuckled. “Woman, you are hell on a man's ego."

"Somehow, I think you'll live."

"Well?” He stood up and motioned her forward. “Aren't you going to send me off with a good night kiss?"

She let out a delicate snort. “You act as if we're dating or something. Hell, we just got past our mutual dislike of each other."

"Is ‘mutual dislike’ what you were feeling when you wrapped your arms and legs around me in the kitchen?” he asked, annoyed by her casual attitude. “Because it's definitely not what I was feeling."

"I see your ego isn't as delicate as you thought it was."

Garrett reached down, grasped both her hands, and hauled her to her feet.

He gazed down at her, holding her tight against him with one hand, while the other worked the ponytail holder from her hair. Gently, he finger-combed the silky blonde tendrils away from her face while gazing down at her lips, fighting the urge to kiss her breathless.

"The hell with it,” he whispered, losing the battle. He took her mouth with fierce possession.

Jessica melted into him without hesitation. She wrapped her arms around his neck and slanted her mouth across his, meeting the thrust of his tongue with a sexy little moan.

Garrett had to use every bit of his self-control to keep from stripping her naked and taking her right there on the floor. He wanted to taste every inch of her, make her burn for him, hunger for him. She could deny it till the cows came home, but the way she responded to him was all the proof he needed.

Jessica wanted him just as much.

Breaking off the kiss, Garrett untwined her arms from around his neck and gently set her away from him. He was rock hard and throbbing, but he'd just made a decision. He wouldn't take her to bed until she admitted she wanted him. Call it stupid, or plain old male pride, but Garrett wasn't giving it up without some reciprocation of feelings.

Reciprocation of feelings? What the fuck had gotten into him?

His voice gruff, he said, “I'd better let you get to bed. To
sleep.
"

Jessica cleared her throat and stepped back, arms crossed over her chest. Garrett wasn't sure if the gesture was self-protective, or to hide her nipples, which were hard and straining against the front of her halter-top. “Well, goodnight then."

With her lips red and swollen from his kisses and her honey-blonde hair loose and tumbling around her shoulders, she was the sexiest sight he'd ever seen. “Sweet dreams, Jess.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, then turned and strode out the door.

"Jamison, if you're sure this is what you want, I'll okay the leave. But I have to say, I think you're making a mistake."

Garrett stood over Captain Weinert's desk, hands on hips, heart in his stomach. As of immediately, he was officially on a three-month leave from the force. “I appreciate your concern, Captain, but ... I really need some time to get my head on straight."

Captain Weinert nodded his understanding. He rose to his feet and held out his hand. “You'll be missed. Give me a call when you ‘get your head on straight,’ understand?"

"You bet. Thank you, sir."

Garrett strode out of the office, down the corridor, and through the swinging front doors of the police station.

Heavy, gray rain clouds hung low in the sky, and by the time Garrett reached his truck, a light drizzle had started. He climbed in, but before he got his key in the ignition, a surge of panic hit him. Jesus, he felt nauseous. He laid his head against the steering wheel and blew out a hard breath. Leaving the force, even for a short time, was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. But he couldn't risk someone else getting hurt due to his carelessness. If he made the wrong call again...

He sat up, put the truck in gear, and headed home.

By the time Garrett pulled up in front of the house, it was nearly four-thirty and the light drizzle had turned into a steady rain. He killed the engine and swung the door open in time to see Jessica dash barefoot across the front lawn to her own truck. She yanked open the door, hopped inside, and rolled up the driver's side window so fast her head bobbed up and down with the motion. The first genuine smile of the day tugged at Garrett's lips.

He slammed his own door and ran through the rain straight for her truck. Before she could utter a protest, he swept her up in his arms and sprinted to her front porch.

"Now that's car side service!” Jessica grinned up at him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Garrett held her easily with one arm while opening the door with the other. “Someone's in a good mood today.” He set her on her feet just inside the door.

Jessica dried her feet on the carpet, then held onto his arm while slipping into a pair of fuzzy blue slippers. “I made over sixty dollars in tips today. Want some tea? I just put on a pot.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

He wiped off his boots before following after her, his sullen mood dissipating in the face of her exuberance. “Sure, as long as it's not that nasty green stuff."

She waggled a familiar white tea bag at him. “Only the best for my company."

Garrett leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms and his booted feet. He watched Jessica move around the kitchen, pulling cups from the cupboard and milk from the fridge. Her gorgeous legs were encased in a slightly damp, skin-tight pair of well-worn jeans, her shapely ass just begging for his hands. She wore a red halter-top that crisscrossed over her ample cleavage. The wet, gauzy material clung to her breasts, leaving very little to the imagination. Garrett's hands clenched. Christ, how he wanted her.

He cleared his throat, grabbed a small, dog-shaped squeaky toy off the table and started tossing it in the air. “I took a leave of absence from the force today."

Jessica stopped dead in her tracks and stared up at him. “What? I don't understand. You love being a cop. Isn't that what you told me the other day?"

He caught the toy in his fist with a loud squeak, his gaze locked on her face. “It's complicated."

The tea kettle whistled, breaking the tension. Jessica gave him one last considering look before turning to take care of the tea.

Garrett set the squeaky toy back on the table and came up behind her. She stiffened as he brushed against her and brought his hands up to rest on her bare shoulders. Her skin was warm and soft, and it took nearly all his self-control not to crush her in his arms.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment to get himself under control only to have the flowery scent of her freshly washed hair assault his senses. It alarmed him how much he wanted her. How often he found himself thinking about her—fantasizing about her.

Slowly, he turned her to face him. He reached up and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. Her lips were parted, her cheeks slightly flushed. She was so incredibly beautiful, and some deep-seated instinct told him to turn tail and run as fast and as far as he could.

Instead, he leaned down for the kiss he'd been craving all week.

A knock at the back door broke the silence. Jessica pulled back just before their lips touched.

The drumming of rain against the fiberglass awning that covered the back porch became louder as the door swung open. “Hey, Jess, sorry it took me so long. I got stuck on a phone conference with my new project manager in New York."

Garrett swung around and scowled at his brother, who walked through the door as if he owned the place. “What the hell are you doing here?"

Jessica stepped around him and took Nicky's arm. “No problem. Your brother was kind enough to keep me company."

Nicky cocked a brow. “Garrett kind? Don't hear those words together in a sentence too often."

"Very funny,” Garrett groused. “Maybe you should take your act on the road."

Jessica frowned. “Be nice or you can both hit the road. And not that it's any of your business,” she turned the full force of her annoyance on Garrett, “but I asked Nick to come over and show me how to work my word processor."

"Well, then
Nicky
can just march his ass back home, because I happen to know my way around a word processor well enough."

With a dismissive smile, Jessica informed him, “'Well enough’ isn't good enough.” She moved to the stove. “Nick, would you like a cup of tea?"

Nicky strode past him with a smirk and took a seat at the table. “I'd love a cup, thanks."

Garrett glared at Nicky so hard it was a miracle he didn't burst into flames. He yanked a chair out from the table, spun it around and straddled it. On some level, it surprised him that Nicky was acting like such an ass. He'd never purposely gone after a woman he knew Garrett was interested in—not that there'd been all that many. Garrett could count on one hand the number of dates he'd been on in the past year, including a couple of one-nighters.

But he hadn't been this gut-twisted over a woman since high school. And Nicky had to know that.

"This is harder than I thought it'd be,” Jessica admitted as she shut her laptop. “Sure wish I'd taken typing classes in high school."

Nick winked at her. “Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. Lots of people ‘hunt and peck'."

Not for the first time, Jessica thought what a handsome guy Nick Jamison was. Almost as handsome as his infuriating brother. She cast a quick glance at Garrett who glared daggers at the both of them.

"I don't know about that,” she said, “but I appreciate your help. I'd like to make some extra money, and since I have a lot of spare time, I thought medical transcription might be up my alley."

"It won't make you rich, but it's nice to be able to work from home. And if you have any questions, give me a call. I don't leave for New York till the end of August."

Jessica followed Nick into the kitchen, Garrett right on her heels.

"That long, huh?” Garrett walked past them both and opened the back door. The rain fell even harder now, and the sky had darkened considerably.

Nicky laughed and clapped his brother on the back. “Aw, come on, admit it. You're going to miss me."

"Yeah,” Garrett grumbled, “like a hangover."

Shaking her head, Jessica walked up and kissed Nick on the cheek. “Thanks, I owe you.” She could practically feel the heat of Garrett's displeasure. She wouldn't have taken him for the jealous type, but his possessive behavior couldn't be described as anything but.

"Careful, I just may take you up on that,” Nick said. Then he glanced up at the sky and dashed out the door.

Garrett swung the door shut with a muttered, “Good riddance."

Jessica rounded on him. “What in the world is your problem?"

"Don't play coy. You're using Nicky to piss me off, and you know it."

She stabbed a finger toward the door and snapped, “Get the hell out of my house, you arrogant jackass."

Garrett's jaw worked back and forth, his frustration evident. He took a step toward her.

Jessica held up a hand to ward him off. “Uh-uh. I don't think so."

"Can't we just get back to where we were before Nicky got here?"

Even as annoyed as she was, Jessica's pulse picked up speed. He was possibly the most obnoxious man on the planet, but she wanted him more than she'd ever wanted anyone. And that was exactly why she couldn't get involved with him. She knew without a doubt her heart would end up on the line, and no way could she allow that to happen. Not again. Nope, she'd tried love and had failed miserably.

Unfortunately, she'd failed at pretty much everything else, too.

She dropped her hand, and Garrett moved toward her, reaching out to take her in his arms. And Lord, how she wanted him to. More than anything, she wanted him to pick her up and carry her off to her bedroom. It had been so long since she'd felt the comfort of a lover's arms.

"I ... I think maybe we should just keep things platonic. I don't want any complications in my life right now."

Garrett ran a gentle hand down her cheek to her chin, along her throat, then slowly back up again. “I'm not asking you to marry me, Jess. But it's obvious we want each other. Why should we deny ourselves?"

He continued to tease the tender flesh just below her ear, and Jessica's eyes lowered in response. She snapped them back open. “Sex can lead to other things. I don't want to hurt you, Garrett, but I'm serious when I say I don't want any complications in my life."

Frustration flickered across his face. “That makes two of us, then. All I was hoping for was some mutual satisfaction."

"Friends with benefits?” God, how she hated the sound of that.

He reached out again, but this time curled his big hand around the back of the neck and pulled her against his broad chest. “I couldn't have said it better myself.” Then he captured her lips in a near savage kiss.

Jessica was saved from melting into a puddle on the floor by his strong arms. Meeting his tongue thrust for thrust, she reached up and twined her arms around his thick neck. Her nipples hardened; a groan rumbled up from deep in her chest. The man was a master kisser, no doubt about it. Jessica felt helpless against his seductive assault.

Garrett slanted his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss. He smoothed one hand down her back until he reached her bottom, squeezing and lifting her against his erection. Jessica thought she might faint with desire. He continued plundering her mouth as his other hand cupped her breast. Jessica groaned again, this time moving to accommodate him by offering him her aching nipple. Garrett found it through the gauzy material, teased and plucked until she was on the verge of begging him to put her out of her misery. She was wet and hot and wanted him so bad she was shaking.

The phone rang.

[Back to Table of Contents]

He tore his lips from hers and muttered a curse. Breathing hard, neither pulled back. They just stood there waiting—hard, wet, wanting.