AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He laughed. “You would think that way wouldn’t you. No. Most people don’t, or most people keep things simple or don’t take any chances. I feel like your entire life has been that way.”
“Mine? I’ve worked with a man who was like a father to me since I was a teenager and continued to work with him as an adult. I don’t see how that’s taking chances. While you, you came and worked for a man that was the exact opposite of you, or at least seemed to be. Starting from the bottom you worked your way up to being the producer and owner of the show. Talk about taking risks.”
“Calculated. I knew what I was doing,” Jason said
I gave him a sideways look. “Really? Every single time?”
He laughed. “Okay, I knew what I wanted the end result to be. I wanted to be in charge, I wanted to work with my father every day and I got to do that. But it came with hard work and dedication, not just going by the seat of my pants and seeing what would work.”
“Maybe you should try it sometime.”
I leaned closer to him as I spoke. I was playing with fire; I was testing him and myself. I wanted to see what he would do if I came closer to him, if I made him think that I wanted to kiss him. I wanted him to kiss me. We had been playing around each other for days now and I either wanted him to kiss me or we needed to move past this.
“Try what?” He moved a little closer to me. His eyes darted from my eyes to my lips and back again. I licked my lips in anticipation thinking for sure he would kiss me.
“Whatever you want. Be a little reckless. Have a little fun. You never know what might happen. You could find that you like it.”
“Would you?” he asked.
“Would I like what?”
“Like it if I was a little reckless, if I tried something that maybe I shouldn’t to see how it works out.”
“I would like that very much,”
My eyes locked on his lips and I watched as he gave me a slow smile. He moved a little bit closer to me and I leaned towards him. I couldn’t believe that I was about to kiss a man that two weeks ago I couldn’t stand being in the same room with. My breath caught in my throat as I waited for him to press his lips against mine. I wondered how good of a kisser he would be and marveled that I was about to find out.
“Good. Last one in the water is a rotten egg!” Jason called and ran towards the water.
It took me a minute to understand what he was saying and where he had gone. One second, he was inches from me and the next he was running towards the water. I didn’t actually think he would go into the water but as he got closer to the water’s edge and didn’t show any sign of stopping, I thought he might.
Right before he got into the water, I yelled, “I guess I’m the rotten egg!”
He stopped inches from the water and turned to look at me. He shook his head and slowly walked back to me. As he did, he kept his eyes on mine and there was so much desire and need looking back my heart skipped a beat. I stood in place as he came and stopped right in front of me. I didn’t move, I hardly breathed as I waited to hear what he would say or what he wouldn't.
“You continue to amaze and shock me with who you are and what you can do. I never would have thought you would give in so easily,” he said.
“I wasn’t giving in. It was knowing what I could do and what I couldn’t. Technically, you haven’t gotten in the water yet either, I could trip you and make it to the water and win. Maybe that was my plan all along.”
“Was it?” he asked and moved closer. He placed his hands on my hips and I felt his touch throughout my body.
“No. It wasn’t. Was it yours?”
“Natalie, I have many plans for you. Lots of wonderful and exciting plans for you, for us. You’ll just have to wait and see what they are.” His voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t say anything more but walked past me and to the car.
It took me a minute but I followed behind him and we drove off and to the lone cypress tree. The most famous tree in all of Monterey and the logo for the 17-mile drive. His words, his look, the memory of him standing so close to me lingered in the back of my mind. He didn’t say anything more about it, but he kept looking at me, the way he always did. As if he was trying to figure me out or he had and he liked what he was seeing. The looks told me that he definitely had a plan for me and I couldn’t wait to see what it was.
Chapter 14
Jason
“Two drinks in two days? Should I be worried?” Natalie asked as we sat down at a table at The Monterey Brewery.
It was late in the afternoon and we had come back to the hotel, dropped off our stuff and headed to a brewery near the hotel for a drink and some dinner. I was the one who suggested the brewery as I needed a drink. Between Natalie, the diving, then the 17-mile drive, and most especially almost kissing her while we were on the beach, I needed a drink. I was sure that Natalie needed one too. I figured both of us could use the chance to sit back, have a nice drink, some good food, and forget about everything for a while.
After the day we had, how we had been with each other, how we had been opening up and talking to each other, and how she had teased me about kissing her, I knew it was only a matter of time before we slept together. It wasn’t a question of if but when.
“I’ve been known to have a drink. Not often but when I do I prefer a beer. A nice IPA or stout if the situation calls for it. It isn’t often I get to a bar that was why I had the rusty nail the other night.”
