Chapter Seven
Merek radioed
ahead so a taxi waited at the dock for them. The busy port reminded Jess of
home, but it had a different pulse, slower maybe or at least more relaxed. The
people, passengers and dock workers alike, emitted happier vibes. Sean held the
door for Dale before sliding in the front seat.
He grinned
over his shoulder at them. “All set?” After they nodded, he turned forward and
struck up a conversation with the driver. As easy with the stranger as he was
in every other situation.
Dale’s hand
covered Jess’s knuckles, startling her from her observations.
“My son doesn’t
always make smart choices.”
Jess waited
for the rest. Irritation rose like bile in her throat. Leave him alone. Don’t
mess with my kid. I’m sorry I hired you.
Dale’s gaze
shifted nervously to her son and back. “I’m not sure if I should say more than
that. Sean wouldn’t appreciate my butting in.”
Jess’s anger melted
as understanding blossomed. She leaned closer so her words would not carry over
the front seat. “I know exactly what you mean. My daughter hates it when I
interfere in her life, but sometimes she needs direction, like it or not. I won’t
mention anything you say. Whatever you’re opinion, it stays between us.”
Dale looked
surprised a moment before she smiled. “My husband and I had given up on having
a child by the time Sean came along. I tend to worry about him more than I
should.”
“He’s your son.
I get that. I thought it would get easier as my daughter grew up. It didn’t. I
still worry every day.”
“I’m not
certain Sean really loved Gina. Probably more wounded pride than anything else,
but she messed with his ability to trust. It’s been a long time since he let
anyone close. Be careful with his heart, please.”
“You don’t
have to worry about that. His heart isn’t at issue here. I promise.” A man
like your son could not want more than the moment from someone like me.
Uncomfortable
with the full truth, Jess looked out the window. They neared the front gate to
the gardens. From the outside it looked no different than any other zoo across
the world. People loitered and laughed as they waited in line for tickets or a
taxi. The sun shimmered off heated concrete and sweaty bodies.
As the cab
stopped to let them out, she saw Mel. Her daughter stood beneath a huge palm
tree. Her sable hair and gorgeous tan skin glowed with natural beauty, while
high cheekbones and classical bearing shouted her Armenian ancestry. Sunglasses
hid large brown eyes so much like her father’s. Only her smile came from the
Summers’ side.
“Mom!”
Melanie raced across the sidewalk to sweep Jess from her feet with her usual
enthusiasm.
Jess squeezed
her daughter tight. “Put me down before you hurt yourself.” The command carried
no strength. Time with her daughter came around too seldom to worry about
anything except her.
Mel set Jess
on the sidewalk then stepped back and grinned. “I thought you’d never get here!”
Dale and Sean
joined them and blood warmed Jess’s face as she thought about why they were
delayed. Before she could offer an explanation, Dale stepped forward with her
hand out. “Blame me. It takes me forever to spackle the cracks these days.”
Melanie
laughed as she shook the older woman’s hand. “Somehow I doubt that. You look
lovely. You must be Mom’s boss de jour.”
“I suppose
but I’d rather think of her as a friend with special skills.”
“Knowing Mom,
I’m sure she’d prefer that, too.” Melanie turned and her eyes traveled from
Sean’s unruly blond hair to his broad shoulders and down before she looked up
with a grin. “That makes you the spoiled brat then.”
Oh my God,
tell me she didn’t say that. “Melanie Rea Avakian!”
Sean laughed.
“Glad to know she’s been talking about me. What else did she say?”
“Nothing.” Jess
caught her daughter’s elbow and tugged her away from Sean. “Why don’t we get
tickets and go inside?”
****
Sean watched
the two of them. Jess had been correct. Her daughter was a stunner, a light
hearted, dark-haired beauty. Mel and Jess’s laughter floated in the heated air and
his chest ached with unexpected tenderness.
His mother
placed a hand on his arm. “It wouldn’t be polite to kiss the mother and the
daughter.”
“Not a chance.”
He dropped a peck on her cheek and grinned. “My own mother taught me better
than that.”
“Glad to know
it, young man.”
He draped his
arm over her shoulders and led her toward the entrance. “Like you’d let me
forget. Come on.”
Before they
caught up to Jess, a masculine version of Mel joined them. He stuffed his cell
phone in his pocket and threw his arms around both women. He stood the same
height as his daughter, but whereas she looked tall and slender, he seemed
short. Still, his compact build complemented Jess’s petite form. He flashed a
smarmy smile and leaned down to peck Jess on the mouth. Sean’s stomach took a
nosedive. It helped some when she wiped the other man’s touch away with her
wrist but not much.
“Who’s that?”
His mother’s
question pulled him back from raw and unexpected jealousy. “Jess’s ex, I assume.
He showed up last night to surprise Melanie.”
“And?”
“And nothing.
He’s a loser, but he’s part of her life. I can’t run in and shove him off her.”
“Why not? Your
father would have.”
“You didn’t
have an ex.”
“But I had
admirers before I met your father. He staked his claim pretty clearly whenever
any of them were around.”
“Yeah, well I’m
not so sure Jess wants that.”
“Are you
certain she doesn’t?”
“No.”
“Then what
have you got to lose?”
Maybe
everything. Or nothing at all. He hadn’t known Jess long enough to
answer that question. “I haven’t a clue.”
His mother
laughed. “I guess that’s as honest an answer as any mother can expect. Spending
the day with Jess and the father of her child should clarify things a bit.”
His gut
tightened again. Fuck. “Maybe tagging along wasn’t such a good idea.”
“We don’t
have to walk with them. It’s a big place.”
Jess looked
over her shoulder with a welcoming smile. “Are you two coming?”
“Well, son? Your
call.”
He lifted a
hand to wave them on as the loser dropped a hand on Jess’s ass. She twisted
away, but the urge to beat the shit out of the guy roared through Sean’s head. “We’ll
be right there.”
“So very like
your father.”
Sean ignored
his mother’s knowing smile as he hurried her to catch up with the others. Chasing
a woman who didn’t want to want him ranked as one of the dumbest things he’d
done in his life, but letting her walk away with another man equaled pure
stupidity.
****
Jess slipped
from the group to find the restroom and scrub away Kurt’s touch. Every time she
moved, he brushed or bumped some intimate part of her body accidently. She
stared at herself in the mirror as she gripped the smooth porcelain sink. “Once
more and his ass is on the ground.”
A pretty
woman in a park uniform appeared in the mirror. “Excuse me? Did you say
something to me?”
Jess looked
down, shaking off her funk, before she smiled at the stranger. “You wouldn’t
have an alligator pond I could toss my ex into would you?”
The ranger
chuckled as she washed and dried her hands. “That would be a popular attraction.
Why would a woman need marching flamingos to distract the mind when she could
simply throw her troubles at the gators? I’ll have to bring that suggestion up
at the next staff meeting.”
“Keep me
posted.”
“I will.”
Resigned to
at least a couple more hours in Kurt’s company, Jess straightened her shoulders
and left the restroom with a sigh. A hand clamped over her mouth and a strong
arm snaked around her waist. The attacker dragged her, kicking and clawing,
behind the building, “Shh, it’s me.”
Sean’s deep
voice washed over her and panic disappeared. When he released her, she spun
around and punched him in the breast bone. His grunt offered a fleeting
satisfaction. “What the hell were you thinking grabbing me like that?”
He rubbed his
chest with a scowl. “Getting you to myself for a moment.”
“Why? You
promised not to let anyone know you’re interested, remember?”
“That was
before lover boy and his octopus hands. I swear to God, Jess, if he touches
your ass one more time, all bets are off.”
“I can handle
Kurt by myself.”
“Yeah? Then
why haven’t you?” His scowl spoke more eloquently of his feelings than any
words ever could have.
“I don’t want
to upset Mel. He’s her father.”
“Then let me be
the bad guy.” He caught her shoulders in his hands, forcing her to look at him.
“I won’t kill the man, merely make him wish for death.”
“No.”
“Can I maim
him then? Cut off an arm maybe, or his dick?”
A laugh
bubbled up as it always did when he was around. “No.”
“How about
the fingers on his right hand? He can’t cup the curve of your breast with his
palm alone.”
She allowed
the laugh to escape as she rose to her tiptoes and caught his handsome face in
her hands. “Thank you, darling brat, but I had already decided to end his game.”
Sean put his
hands on her hips and spun her back against the wall. “Fine, but if it doesn’t
work, I reserve the right to stomp him into the ground.”
“Oooh, my big
strong hero.”
“Damn right.”
He bent his head, pressing his forehead to hers in a fleeting bout of
tenderness before he squared his shoulders and the scowl returned. “Don’t doubt
for a minute that I won’t do what needs to be done simply to appease your ego
or protect Kurt’s reputation with your daughter. Mel’s a grown woman and her
father’s a sleaze bag.”
His
highhanded manner both comforted and rankled more than she wanted to
acknowledge. “You aren’t my boyfriend, Sean. You’re the man I’ve fooled around
with a couple times. That’s all.”
His hands
tightened on her hips, and he lifted her to his eye level. Her feet dangled
above the ground. She could have easily escaped with a kick to his balls or a
thrust against the wall behind her, but the wounded look in his eyes stopped
her.
“So it doesn’t
matter if he touches you? I shouldn’t give a shit? Is that, right?” He pressed
closer.
Jess closed
her hands tight around his biceps, her heart beat an erotic tango against her
ribs, and the rich, sweet scent of the tropical forest filled her lungs in a
heady rush. She struggled to gather enough oxygen to stand her ground. “That’s
it exactly. No strings so no rights.”
“Too bad. You
may think you call the shots, but I assure you, in this case, you’re wrong.” He
slid his hand over her hip and lower until he found the leg hole of her shorts.
He wiggled his hand beneath the tight material.
Jess squirmed
as his questing fingers sank inside her wet core. Without thought, she opened
her legs to grant him greater access. She should shoot down his cocky
confidence, but his talented hand proved he had a right to arrogance. She
moaned softly and squeezed her inner muscles against his fingers.
“Tell me you’re
hot for me, not him.”
“Kurt does
nothing for me.”
Sean groaned
in satisfaction. His long fingers stroked sensually in and out of her trembling
pussy as his pinky bumped and rubbed her sensitive clit. “You want me more than
you’ll admit. It’s in your eyes and painted on your body in neon letters.”
Her legs
trembled, and she clung to his shoulders to keep from falling. “Just because my
body wants yours, doesn’t mean we should do this.”
“Yes, we
should.” He covered her lips with his mouth, and his tongue dueled with hers as
his hand worked magic between her legs.
She wanted to
pull back for decorum’s sake, but his long fingers destroyed all modesty. She
didn’t care who saw them together. She just wanted his touch, deeper and harder.
He broke the
kiss and his hot breath flowed over her sensitive neck as he set a rhythm with
his fingers that she couldn’t ignore. “God, you’re so wet for me, sweetheart. I
want to fuck you right here, right this moment, no matter who’s watching.”
Shudders
rippled through her with the rumble of his voice. He stroked faster, rubbing
her tender clit in relentless circles until the world tightened to nothing more
than his talented fingers and her pulsing, hungry slit. His mouth captured the passionate
cries she couldn’t control, and she shuddered and thrashed on his hand. His
urgent sexiness flowed through her in a throbbing passionate wave, washing away
everything beyond his touch and the curling joy he generated. He held her tight
while the trees and bird sounds slowly returned to normal. She buried her face
in the warm curve of his throat and fought for breath.
Sean groaned.
“The sooner that dickhead ex of yours realizes you don’t belong to him, the
happier we’ll all be.”
How could he
be so amazing one moment and so infuriating the next? She shoved against his
shoulders. He slid his fingers from her body, and she shuddered at the sudden
emptiness. “What I want and the nature of our relationship at this point is
irrelevant. You will leave Kurt to me.”
His hands
settled at her hips, keeping her pressed against the brick wall. Anger or
jealousy darkened his eyes. “The next time you let him touch you without
retribution, my gentlemanly patience ends and the caveman takes over. Got it?”
He had lost
his mind. That was the only explanation. She tried to push his hands away so he
would let her down, but he refused to budge. “Damn it, you have no say in this.”
“The hell I
don’t.” He closed the final inches between their bodies, pinning her to the
side of the block building. His agitated breaths flattened his hard chest
against her breasts. His lips and tongue captured her mouth in an aggressive heart-wrenching
kiss that erased anger and left renewed desire in its stead. By the time she
realized her feet were on solid ground, he had stepped away. “Make sure he
keeps his hands to himself and it won’t be an issue.”
He left
before she could respond. She had no comeback anyway. Not when she wanted to
chase after him and make him finish what he’d begun. No more teasing with hands
and lips. She wanted the real thing, needed his cock thrusting inside her until
she begged for mercy. Her hands and knees trembled.
He had no
right to act like a possessive jerk.
She called up
indignation but only weak irritation rose, meager ammunition against the
resurgent feminine feelings buried so long ago. She didn’t need a shiny, blond-headed
knight to ride to her rescue, but damn she wanted him more than she’d ever
longed for anything.
“Mom? What
are you doing back here?” Melanie stood at the corner of the building, her
hands on her hips in warrior princess mode.
“How did you
find me?”
“Sean asked
me to check on you. Are you all right?”
The weak
annoyance she had conjured toward the man dissolved into the humid air. “I’m
fine, Mel.”
“Yeah, that’s
why you’re hiding behind a toilet.” Melanie sighed as she stepped over a low
growing bush and leaned against the building. Her arm brushed Jess’s in subtle
comfort. “Listen. Dad’s a jerk more often than not. If he’s being a pain in the
butt, tell him to get lost.”
“You sound
like, Sean. He told me you could handle whatever I had to say.”
“I knew I
liked that man.”
“Do you?”
Melanie
looked down with a wicked smile. “Yes…do you?”
“He’s a kid.”
“So? He looks
at you like you’re chocolate cake made especially for him.”
Heat rose to
her cheeks. Damned fair skin. “He does not.”
Melanie
stared a moment longer and then laughed. “You never could lie, Mom. So…what’s
going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“Fine. I don’t
know what’s going on.”
“Have you
slept with him yet?”
Oh God. Jess walked
back toward the path. “We are not having this conversation.”
Melanie
followed. “That means you have. Was he good? He looks good, but that doesn’t
always mean anything.”
Gravel
crunched beneath her sandals but not loud enough to disguise their
conversation. “Seriously, Mel. Enough.”
“If you don’t
tell me, I’ll ask him.”
The sassy
grin that came before any challenge lit Melanie’s beautiful face. Jess groaned.
“Fine. No, I have not slept with him.” Not technically anyway.
“But you’re
thinking about it, right?”
“Endlessly.” Her
hand shook as she finger combed her hair back into place and tried to forget
the feel of his fingers between her legs.
Melanie
laughed and slipped her arm around Jess’s waist. . “I knew it. What are you waiting
for?”
Jess stared
at her daughter, unsure how to answer such a question. “You wouldn’t have a
problem if I slept with a man seven years older than you?”
“Why would I?
If he turns you on and you do it for him, then go for it.”
“What if it
becomes something more? Not that I think it will, but what if?”
“I’d say
fantastic.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Come
on, he’s hot, rich, and smart from what I’ve seen.”
Jess had to
smile as she thought of Sean’s many assets. “And funny.”
“Perfect. You
need someone to make you laugh.”
Warmth crept
into her checks. “I giggle like a ditz when he’s around. It’s pathetic.”
“You giggle? Wow.
That’s something else all together. Maybe I should rethink this.”
“Meaning?”
Mel’s naughty
grin returned. “If he’s good enough to break down your barriers, maybe I should
go after him myself. I’d like a gorgeous, funny guy to do inappropriate things
to my body.”
Jess
sidestepped a rock in the path and shook her head. “He won’t.”
“He won’t
what?”
“Hit on you. He
promised.” As the words left her mouth she knew they were true. Sean wasn’t
Kurt. He would never do something to deliberately hurt her.
“Like I was
serious. But it’s interesting to know you had this conversation with him.”
“He was
trying to goad me into admitting that I like him.”
Mel stopped
and caught Jess’s hand. “So how did I come up?”
“He implied
we could all have some fun together and I got pissed.”
“What!”
Melanie rose to her full five-foot-eight stature. Hands on hips, eyes snapping
the warrior princess returned. “Mom, you are not allowed to date a perv.”
“He’s not a
pervert.” The reply flew out of Jess’s mouth with way more defensive vigor than
necessary. Melanie’s laugh said she knew it too. Jess sighed. There was no use
denying anything. “All right, I admit he’s something special, and as soon as I
figure out what I want to do with him, I’ll let you know.”
“Sounds
perfect.” Melanie pulled her close. “I mean it, Mom. You deserve to have
whatever makes you happy. If that’s an eighteen-year-old boy, or girl for that
matter, then so be it.”
Jess squeezed
her daughter and stepped back with a smile. “I promise not to go trolling in
the high schools.”
“Good. Now
let’s go find the others. I’m starving, and I want to get to know this guy
better.”
“Melanie Rea,
you are not allowed to interrogate the man.”
Mel batted
her eyes innocently. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
“Bull.”
Her daughter
laughed and took off running toward the parrot area where they had left the
others with Jess hard on her heels. They slid to a stop in front of Sean. Jess grabbed
Mel’s arm and pulled her back a step. She stood on her toes to whisper in her
daughter’s ear, praying Sean could not hear. “I mean it, Mel. Behave.”
Melanie
laughed again. “Nothing but sugar. Speaking of which, Dad, you should feed me.”
She looped one arm through her father’s and hooked the other in Dale’s elbow. “Come
on. Enough bird watching. Let’s go eat.”
Sean waited
as Mel dragged his mother and Kurt down the path and then smiled. “You two look
like you’ve been up to something. Want to share?”
Jess shook
her head. “Not a chance.”
“Are you mad
at me about the chest beating I did back there?”
“Should I be?”
“No, but that
doesn’t mean a damned thing.”
He wrapped
his right arm around her waist and tugged her close. His solid chest invited
her to snuggle in. She restrained the urge and settled for a hand over his
heart and an arm around his waist instead.
Sean brushed
a few wayward strands of hair from her face, taking time to trace her cheekbone
in the process. “I didn’t mean to go Neanderthal on you, Jess, but the guy
needs a good kick in the ass.”
“Agreed and,
as much as I would like to tell you to stay out of my personal life, I’m not
upset.”
“Good.” He
tightened his hold and leaned in for a kiss.
She stopped
him with her fingers on his lips. “I thought this was only between us.”
He kissed her
fingertips and placed her hand back on his chest. “Anyone who would care is
about fifty yards down the path, so shut up and kiss me.”
Go for it. She rose on
her toes to meet his lips and a sigh escaped from her mouth to his. “Tell me
this isn’t insane, brat.”
“This is
completely insane and you love it.”
Hard to
disagree with a man so right.