Secret Storm (13 page)

"No, but that's my choice."

"So who are you gonna choose? Him or me?"
Oh God, don't answer that.

"I already told you I don't want him."

"Do you want me?"

"Yes! I want you, Jack. Haven't I told you
that?"

At the moment, he couldn't remember her
saying those words. "I'm not sure."

"I'm not either."

"What?"

"Not about you. I know I want you, but
everything else about us is so uncertain."

The pain in her eyes shattered his hardened
heart.
Why am I always hurting her?
"I'm sorry I make you
feel that way."

"It's not you." Sara sighed, rubbing her hand
over her eyes. "It's not just you. It's everything—the future, the
past."

"Why the past?" He didn't want to interpret
the frustrated look on her face.

"Because you won't trust me with it," she
said, her voice just above a whisper. Pain filled her eyes, nearly
spilling over into tears.

He'd never seen her this upset before, and
God help him, he never wanted to again. "There are some things I
can't trust anyone with."

"Maybe you should."

No.
"Sara, I want you to know—to be
certain—that I need you."

A heavy sigh escaped her as she relented.

He'd won—but at what cost?

She looked up at him and smiled weakly, no
more pain in her eyes, only determination. "That's not what you
said last night."

He smiled, relieved. "Last night was...
incredible, amazing.... I don't have the words." She let him pull
her close. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I never want to do that
again."

"I know." She rested her head on his
chest.

"And I'm sorry I got angry. I should
have...."
Trusted you.
That's what she wanted, what she
needed. "I shouldn't have.... No, I'm not sorry I hit him."

"He had it coming."

"Damn right."
Do I dare to kiss her?
What's the worst she could do to me?

Not wanting to think of the answer to that,
he closed his eyes and took the chance. She purred in his arms,
pressing her body into his as he held her tight and devoured her
sweet mouth like a starving man.

"Come on, guys!" Austin yelled. "We have a
game to finish."

Jack groaned and she pushed away from him.
"Think you can take me?" A wicked sparkle lit her eyes.

"I already have."

"Ooo...."

He saw her body tremble before she turned and
ran toward the field, her sweet peach-shaped ass bouncing in her
shorts, her blonde hair shimmering in the sun, and those gorgeous
breasts.... He shook himself, and ran a hand through his hair,
promising to explore those thoughts later.

Mmm yeah... lots of exploring to do.

She looked back and beckoned for him.

"Oh don't worry, sweetheart. I'm already
there."

***

Sara grabbed a handful of Jack's sweaty,
dirty shirt and pulled him close. He smelled like fresh grass and
hot muscle.
Mmm... we need to play touch football more
often.
"Take me home, lover." Storm clouds built on the horizon
again, but she refused to let them darken her mood.

"Happy to. And then you can make dinner for
me."

"No problem." She smiled, a little relieved
she'd lost that bet. She'd heard some pretty scary rumors about his
cooking. "Mind if I order a pizza? I don't feel like cooking."

"Works for me."

"Hey Jack!" Austin yelled from his Jeep. "I'm
taking Janie to my place." He flipped on the windshield wipers.
"Jesus, it's raining again?"

"Good. See you later."

"Don't wait up." Sara added. She tugged on
his shirt and nuzzled his chest. "We'll have my apartment to
ourselves."

"Mmm... I like that." He curled his finger
under her chin and kissed the tip of her nose. "Let's go."

They picked up a pizza on the way back, and
as she carried it into the kitchen, she considered her options. If
they had dinner in the living room, maybe the casual atmosphere
would help open him up a little— especially if he relaxed and got a
little buzzed.

Oh wait... damn it
. Jack didn't drink,
so she took the beer back to the fridge and brought him a Coke.

"So tell me," she said, sitting cross-legged
on the couch next to him. "What were you like as a kid?" Thunder
rumbled in the distance.

"Just as stubborn as I am now." He picked up
a piece of pizza.

"I believe that."
Did he guess my
intentions?
"What did you do for fun?"

"Played football, baseball—any game with a
ball."

"Who were your friends?" She slid closer to
him, leaning back against the couch.

"Austin, mostly. We hung out with kids at
school too, but Austin and I were like brothers. Still are."

"What about before Austin?"

The window behind him lit up, and rain
pattered the glass. "What about it?"

Ugh
. The man wasn't kidding about
being stubborn. "Who were your friends before you met Austin?"

"No one I really remember."

Probably true. He said he'd met Austin when
he was eight, so he might have been too young to remember anyone
before that. "What about your grandparents?"

"What about them?"

Okay, rephrase that question.
"Did you
have fun with them?"

"Yes." His eyes twinkled.

No more 'yes or no' questions. And is he
laughing at me?
"What did you do with them?"

He finished his pizza slowly, as if he needed
time to come up with an answer. "My grandma was always feeding
us."

"Us?"

"Me and Austin. She'd always say, 'I don't
have any food in the house,' but pretty soon the table was full of
cookies, cake, and berries from their garden. We never went home
hungry." He put his hand on her thigh, stroking up and down the
length of it.

She laid her hand on top of his. "What
about.... What did you do with your grandpa?"

"He took us fishing."

"You and Austin?"

"Uh-huh. He took us to ball games. He went to
all our high school games." His smile faded and he got quiet. A
sudden gust of wind rattled the window panes.

Well, that's something.
Still, he
guarded the door to his life before Austin, so she decided to go
the other direction. "You and Austin played football in high
school?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was his star running
back."

"You still are."

"Yes I am."

She imagined him as a charming jock, smiling
for all the girls. "I'll bet you were a popular guy in high
school."

His hand tightened on her leg. "Not
really."

"Why not?"

His fingers dug in to her thigh. "I was...
different then."

Thunder crashed above their heads, and she
jumped. He didn't move. "Really? How?"
Does he know how hard
he's gripping my leg?

He shrugged. "Guys are jerks at that
age."

"No kidding." She rolled her eyes. "Some of
the guys I went out with were awful, especially the guy who took me
to prom."

"What made him such a jerk?"

"We stayed about fifteen minutes, and then he
wanted to get a hotel room. He said he knew he wasn't my first so
he expected a sure thing. I said hell no, so he got pissed and told
all his buddies I was a tease."

Jack smiled. "Were you?"

"Not at all. I was... experienced. I lost my
virginity at sixteen with my boyfriend, my first love. We had a lot
of fun together."

His grip eased up. "What happened to
him?"

"He moved away. After that I dated the
science club president."

"Science club?" He laughed.

"Yeah, I was a nerd in high school."
How
did we end up talking about me?

"I can see that."

"Hey—"

"No, no. I mean you're smart, funny, pretty.
I would've liked you."

"Most guys did. I think it's my boobs."

His gaze slid down and he nodded. "That's
what I was thinking."

"Now you're just begging for trouble." She
shoved him back and he caught her, laughing as he lifted her onto
his lap. She straddled his thighs, facing him, deliberately
shifting forward so he could take a good look at her breasts. "What
do you think now?"

His hands slid under her hair, holding her
face so she met his eyes. "You are so beautiful."

"Mmm... nice try, but I'm still gonna punish
you."

"You are, trust me."

He sucked in his breath as she wiggled on top
of him, taking full advantage of her position—letting her hair fall
in his face as she leaned down to kiss him, long and deep. "You
know what I miss about high school?"

He tensed for just a moment. "What could you
possibly miss?"

"Making out. No one does that anymore. We all
get naked too soon."

"I like naked." He grinned, lightning
reflecting in his devilish eyes.

"I do too, but I enjoy the journey as much as
the destination."

"Good point, but I'm not convinced."

"Let me show you what I mean." She kissed him
again, lips parted, tongue exploring, savoring the taste and feel
of his mouth on hers. His hands slid under her shirt, but she
pulled them out, holding them away from her body.

"I don't know how you made out in high
school, but I fondly remember lots of hands-on experience." He
struggled to pull his hands free.

"Hmm... you're right." She let go, and his
fingers immediately latched onto her buttons. "How could I
forget?"

Still determined to find out as much about
him as possible, she leaned down and kissed him as lightning struck
close by, shaking the building.

"How old were you when you lost your
virginity?" She wrapped her fingers in his hair and pulled his head
back, nibbling at the base of his throat while he opened up her
shirt.

"Mmm...." He seemed to be having a hard time
talking. "Eighteen. She was... a little older."

"How old?" She kissed him, her tongue playing
with his.

"Twenty-seven."

"Wow. Cougar, huh?"

He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around
her waist, pressing his lips against the bare skin above her bra.
"Something like that. Her husband traveled a lot."

"She was married?"

"Yeah." He winced. "I was young and
easy."

He pulled her head down and captured her
mouth with his, holding her hair in his fist, restraining her. For
some reason she couldn't explain, she loved feeling powerless in
his arms.

She hated to pull away, and he didn't make it
easy, chasing her lips when she tried to talk, but she had to hear
the rest of the story. "Did the husband ever find out?"

"Not about me." He caught her mouth again.
"Austin wasn't so fortunate."

"Did you enjoy sleeping with her?" she
whispered on his lips.

"Yeah, she taught me a lot." He shifted under
her, fitting them closer together so their bodies kissed. He bit
her lower lip as she slid down, sucking it into his mouth. His
hands stroked her back over her shirt, then under, caressing her
hot skin.

She felt him smile when she moaned. "Mmm... I
can tell you were a good student."

"I learned a few tricks."

"Such as?"

He unhooked her bra with one hand.

"Very nice. You get an A." She arched back
and let his hands slide under her bra, moaning while he teased her
nipples with his thumbs. "Make that A-plus." She couldn't think of
a better way to end the day. "I had fun today."

"Good," he mumbled from between her breasts.
He tilted his face toward her. "What did you enjoy the most?"

"Football was more fun than I expected."

"Mm-hmm."

His lips sent heated vibrations over her
skin. "Especially when you tackled me." She shivered when he tugged
on her nipples with his teeth.
Forget football.
"But I like
this better, don't you?"

"Better than football? Tough choice."

"I haven't convinced you yet?"

"Almost." He worked his way up to her throat,
where he gently bit down, and held her still while he caressed her
soft breasts, her hard nipples.

Her entire body tingled, bolts of electricity
shooting down between her thighs. "Did you learn this in high
school too?"

"Why are you still talking?" He lifted her
off his lap and laid her back across the coffee table, then knelt
between her thighs and kissed her bare stomach. "I must be doing
something wrong."

Her fingers tangled in his long hair. The
rain fell harder, pounding on the roof, keeping time with her
pounding heart. "Oh no, you're doing everything right."

And then his cell phone rang.

"If that's Austin, I'm gonna hurt him," she
growled, her body throbbing.

He picked up his phone. "It's my mom."

"You need to answer." She sat up and buttoned
her shirt. She didn't feel right being half-naked and laid-out on
the coffee table while Jack talked to his mother.

"Hi Mom." He stood up and moved behind the
couch.

She watched his face. At first, he showed no
emotion, but that changed quickly.

"Tuesday?" He pinched the bridge of his nose
as if thinking pained him. "I can't go. I have classes. Yeah, I
could probably get excused, but I don't want to go. I already told
you that." He sighed. His eyebrows drew together and he shook his
head.

"Mom... no. I can't talk about this right
now." His body stiffened and he turned his back to Sara, lowering
his voice. "I'm not alone. I'll call you later, okay?" He glanced
back over his shoulder and gave her an unconvincing smile. "I love
you, too. Bye."

Sara sat on the coffee table, waiting for him
to say something, but he just stared into space, his body rigid as
if bracing for something. Lightning lit his frame, casting dark
flickering shadows on the opposite wall.

Finally, she couldn't wait anymore. "Why
can't you talk about it now?"