Shattered Dreams (17 page)

“Okay. I’ll find her and have her call you.” They said their good-byes and Jason hung up the phone. He kept his gaze on the water and watched an ocean liner go by. All the while, his mind was on Claire and this new development.

It rankled somewhat that he welcomed the deputy’s excuse to break his self-enforced separation. He’d purposefully stayed away, hoping to give her time. He’d been busy with work, with Chloe and Amelia, with his remodeling, so his days were full. Nights were another matter entirely. Too many were spent lying awake wondering about her and wanting her.

Elise would be picking up the girls from the sitter, and he’d be left alone for the next week. Now he had the time to assuage his curiosity. Intending to make a side trip on the way home, he grabbed his briefcase and quickly exited the building.

Traffic was light on the drive to Claire’s house. In no time, he pulled into her driveway and switched off the engine.

Doubt crept in. As he hesitated, not sure if he should climb out of the Mercedes, Claire’s front door opened and she appeared. The sight of her took his breath away with the effect of a punch in the gut as she walked slowly toward the edge of the stoop, shading her eyes with her left hand.

So like Crystal, yet so different. Softer and sweeter; he could almost say prettier.

Barefoot, she wore shorts and an oversized T-shirt, but she didn’t have to be dressed in sequins for him to find her beautiful. And she’d done something different to her hair, something sexier that made him want to run his hands through it all the more.

Sighing, he grabbed the door handle, gave it a shove, and stepped out of the car.

“I thought I heard a car.”

“Hi. You got a minute?”

“You drove all the way out here to ask me that?”

He grinned. “No. I drove all the way out here to see you.” He closed the distance between them, noticing her teasing expression. “You look good.”

“I’ve been eating.”

“Good, that’s good.”

He stopped two feet in front of her. His hand went to the back of his neck and he inhaled deeply. For a moment, he felt tongue-tied, couldn’t think of anything to say. Such a new experience, and one that made him realize how ill prepared he was to deal with this situation.

His biggest worry came from the idea that he might be pushing something onto Claire. Should he stay away? Was he moving too quickly? And what did he want from her?

As if picking up on his uncertainty, Claire grabbed his hand and tugged. “Come inside where it’s cooler. I’ll find something cold to drink.”

All doubts vanished the moment she touched him. He followed, letting her concerned expression warm him. Things would work out. If the timing wasn’t right, he could wait.

Once inside, she strode over to a seating area and let go of his hand. “Make yourself comfortable,” she murmured, pointing to the white sofa. “I have soft drinks and beer in the fridge.”

“A soft drink would be great. Thanks.” Too antsy to sit, Jason trailed after her. “I’ll help.”

“Nothing to help with.”

“In that case, I’ll watch.”

She pulled two colas from the fridge and handed him one. Jason took a long swig and sighed with pleasure.

“Thanks for the drink. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.”

Locking gazes with him, Claire nodded and sipped at her drink before asking, “Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”

“You know why.” He grinned, unable to take his eyes off of her. From this distance, he could tell she wore minimal makeup, making it easier to spot the delicate flush of color filling her cheeks, caused no doubt by the innuendo in his tone.

“I do?” Resting the drink at her lips, she shifted her attention to a point on the floor. The quick smile she flashed along with the glint of amusement in her eyes belied the question.

“I couldn’t stay away.” He took another swig and averted his gaze. “Actually, there’s another reason I’m invading your space.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Deputy Snyder called on my way out of the office. Wants to speak with you.”

“Really?” Her anxious gaze flew instantly to his face. “Why?”

“Seems he’s got a mystery on his hands.” He hesitated a moment. “A dead body washed up onshore.”

“A body?” A puzzled look flitted over her face. “Carl’s not missing any longer. So why would he want to talk to me?”

“Good question.” Jason grunted. “You should give him a call to find out. Preferably while I’m here to advise you.”

“I hardly need your advice,” she reminded him good-naturedly. “I thought we’d established that fact.” She polished off her soft drink and placed the can on the counter. “Would you like another?”

“No.” He moved to set his empty cola can on the counter. His forward momentum didn’t stop until he stood in front of her and positioned a hand on either side, trapping her.

“What I’d like is a kiss,” he said playfully, planting a kiss on her nose before leaning in and nuzzling her neck. His lips went to her ear and he whispered, “My thirst for liquids is quenched, but I’m still thirsty. I’ve been dying to taste you again.”

He felt her touch on his arms. Her soft laughter rose up and she tilted her head, opening herself and giving him more access in the process.

“You taste so good,” he murmured.

She had such a gorgeous neck and he took advantage, letting his mouth have his fill. He spent a few minutes nibbling on a delectable earlobe and then trailed kisses to her inviting mouth. At the same time, his fingers shoved into her auburn hair, savoring its silky softness.

Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer so his very noticeable erection fit into the perfect
V
of her body. His hands roamed the length of her. She was soft and warm, so yielding. In seconds he had her T-shirt up, and . . .

Oh God, she wasn’t wearing a bra. Searching fingers found and cupped the fullness of breasts, kneading, squeezing. They wouldn’t stop touching, even when he mentally commanded them to halt their progress because he sensed a need to slow down. Yet, he hadn’t counted on the volcanic heat sizzling between them, heat that erupted into flames of want, need, and desire so quickly, the fire inside him threatened to rage out of control.

Jason had no intention of making love with her. Not yet. It was too soon. Yet his body refused to listen to the warning bells clanging in his brain. Right now he was beyond hearing and gave in to the lust coursing through him.

A buzzer sounded in the distance. Jason ignored the noise and increased his efforts as urgent lips and tongue stroked and caressed, not wanting to lose his momentum. He’d never have his fill of her heady kisses, and the idea of stopping now was unthinkable.

When she stiffened, he felt her resistance strengthen, breaking the spell enough for sanity to seep back in, and he pulled away. Noise infiltrated his thoughts.

Both were breathing heavily as she placed her forehead against his chest and stilled. With his eyes shut tight, he rested his chin on her head. Wrapping her in a bear hug, he fought his urges as the annoying buzzer continued, torn between being thankful for the interruption and wanting to plant a fist through the damned timer.

For a moment, he’d lost it. Lost all reason and restraint. He’d been so close to dropping to the floor and plowing into Claire. No finesse, no romance. Just pure sex. What was worse than knowing how close to the edge he’d teetered was knowing that without the intrusion of the timely buzzer, he’d be inside her.

“I have to get that,” she mumbled softly into his chest. Leaning back, she studied him with eyes full of passion and promise. She cleared her throat and hesitantly tucked stray curls behind an ear. “I’m sorry. They’ll burn if I don’t.”

He inhaled deeply, still struggling with the idea that she wasn’t wearing a bra, fighting to ignore those swollen, well-kissed lips that begged for more.

When he nodded and released her, she hurried to the oven and pressed a button. The noise died and she switched off the heat, grabbed hot pads to open the door, and brought out a square pan. The scent of chocolate filled the room.

“Brownies.” She glanced his way with a warm smile. “I didn’t know you were coming, but Sophie told me you like sweets.”

Leaning against the counter and crossing his legs, he propped a bent elbow on one hand and rubbed his chin with the other, eyeing her closely. How could she stand so calmly and impassively, innocently talking about brownies and Sophie, when getting her naked was still his most pressing thought? The lady affected him too much.

“If I can’t give in to one craving,” he drawled in a teasing voice, curbing his desires with an iron will, “I guess a brownie is a pretty good consolation.”

A slight bit of pink crept up her face. The sight sent another rush of awareness through him, but now that he was back under some semblance of control and she was out of reach, he could ignore the feeling easily enough.

“They’re too hot right now, so you’ll have to wait till they cool.” She set the pan on a trivet, tossed the hot pads aside, and wiped her hands on her shorts.

“Hmm. Waiting. Interesting concept.” He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. Spying the soft drinks in the back, he reached for one and pulled it out, popping the top before bringing the can to his lips for a hefty drink. “Somehow I know I should wait, but I’ve lost my patience for it. Waiting takes too much damn time.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Forget it,” he murmured, and took several gulps of cola. “Just thinking out loud.”

Her gaze narrowed, and she eyed him cautiously. “Are you okay?”

“I think you should call Snyder.” He nodded to her phone sitting on the counter. “Then we’ll go to dinner.”

“You don’t want to wait for the brownies to cool?”

“No.” He headed for the other room, saying over his shoulder, “That’s for dessert. If we make it that long.”

“Jason, you’re not making any sense.”

“Just call the damn deputy and then let’s get out of here.”

He had a hard time squelching his annoyance on his way to the living room over why it took so much effort to stop the errant thoughts swirling inside his brain.

Chapter 21

Claire watched Jason’s retreat. She’d heard nothing from him since her faux pas of coming on to him on the sailboat. For the last three weeks, she’d moped around like a lovesick puppy dog hoping for a pat on the head, but today, she finally came to her senses.

With her life a mess right now and a divorce to muddle through, the last thing she needed was a romantic entanglement. So she’d left the office early, determined not to care that he hadn’t called. She’d turned off her cell, unplugged her phone, and had driven home to do what she always did when she was upset. Bake.

“Are you going to fill me in on your private little joke?”

Having grabbed a bottled water from the fridge, Claire followed Jason into the living room, trying to figure out his game. From the moment she first spied him sitting in his car, he’d acted weird.

“No joke.” He took a sip of his drink. “Just trying to be a friend.”

“Ah, I see.”

A big fat lie, she decided as she sat opposite him. Plus, he wouldn’t meet her eyes. He’d been playful and teasing just minutes ago when they were kissing, and she’d wanted to play along, glad that he’d gotten over their last encounter. She’d tried not to respond, had fought the sensations coursing through her while his glorious lips had caressed her neck. But when he’d captured her mouth, all her resolve had evaporated into a burst of pleasure.

“That’s why I haven’t heard from you? You were trying to be a friend.”

She winced at her hurt tone and prayed he wouldn’t pick up on it. Judging by the way his searching gaze quickly sought hers and held it, her prayer went unanswered.

Jason saw too much. It was uncanny how with just a look, she felt a connection all the way to her soul. So different from how Carl made her feel. She wondered briefly why she got the urge to run every time Jason was near, and why she never heeded the urge.

“You have no idea, do you?”

His question caught her off guard. Her breathing stopped for a second when she slanted him a glance and spotted what he didn’t bother hiding in those startling blue eyes. Desire laced with humor.

She cleared her throat and swallowed hard, unsure how to deal with this side of Jason. After all, she barely knew him. Yet deep down, she
knew
him. She felt it on that first day, even if she’d been too numb to recognize it.

He chuckled.

His amusement irked her. “You think this is funny?”

“Yeah, I do find some sick humor in all of this.” Still grinning, he added, “But mostly I’m laughing at myself.”

“Laughing at yourself. I see.”

Ignoring the familiar tug his smile always elicited, she strode toward him with purpose as he warily followed her progress. She stopped right in front of him, gently took the can from his hand, and set it on the table.

“Tell me how funny you find this,” she murmured as she gently pushed him back against the cushion. She straddled his lap and sat, lowering her head until her lips barely touched his, where they hovered.

His hands grabbed her waist, and for a second, she thought he’d push her away. Once their mouths made the connection, his grip tightened and he pulled her closer.

She swallowed her triumph and kissed him using her entire mouth. His erection grew to life underneath her, and she reveled in the fact that she was the cause.

When she broke the kiss and looked at him, he was breathing heavily. His eyes were closed.

“Are you done tormenting me?” he asked.

“For the moment.”

She moved to get up from the chair, but his hands held her firmly in place. They slid around her waist, their gentle pressure urging her closer. He lightly brushed his mouth and tongue over hers. Sensations rolled over her, sending delicious heat all the way to her extremities. Her mind emptied of everything but his essence.

A wave of disappointment built when he broke the elusive connection.

“Is there a particular reason you felt you had to make a point?”