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Finally, we both landed. And it was a rough reentry into reality. She clung to me for a moment before pulling away, her breathing ragged. The first thing I saw after I eased her down and heard her feet touch the floor, was the horrified look on her face. Not exactly the nicest thing, but the more I thought about it, the worse I felt. We were standing up, behind a dusty curtain, in a public place. A place that was practically sacred to her.
“That was a mistake,” she said, yanking her skirt down. She saw the remnants of her panties on the floor and scooped them up, balling them in her hand with a shudder. “Oh my God, that was a real mistake.”
My pride was stung, but I could still see where she was coming from. “Probably,” I said mildly, trying to keep her from completely freaking out.
I was about to clarify that it could have been in a better place, and suggest we head over to the resort since the guys wouldn’t be back until at least dinner, but her look of horror grew into one of confusion. Oh crap, her feelings were hurt.
“I have to get back out there,” she said, looking down at her wadded panties. “Oh, God.”
I took her by the shoulders. “Luna, breathe.”
She refused to look at me, but took a big breath in and let it out. Then shook her head. “I have to go.Youhave to go.” Tucking her blouse back into her skirt and smoothing her hair, she turned and fled.
I got myself in order and followed her out to see her packing up her jar and notecards. She held out her hand in an abrupt halting gesture when I tried to approach. I was beginning to wonder if I should take her at her panicked word and just go, but my stubbornness didn’t want me to give in. I wanted more of her, to show her what I could really offer. A compromise then, even though her overreaction was starting to piss me off.
“Fine.” I shrugged and backed toward the exit as she folded up her table and refused to look up at me. I got to the door and opened it and she still didn’t call me back or run to catch me. Well, damn. Was she serious? “Fine,” I repeated. “But you better show up for dinner tonight.”
I didn’t bother to wait for her reaction and stomped off to where I left my car.
Chapter 12 - Luna
How did I lose my marbles so thoroughly? Even as I watched from the corner of my eye as he left, it was all I could do to keep from chasing him down and jumping him again. I slammed the folding table shut and hauled it back into the supply closet, certain that no one would fill out a card on their way out. There were about six cards total, in a pathetic heap at the bottom of my giant jar. So much for showcasing all those great memories of the townspeople in a slideshow at the gala. It would last all of three minutes with what I’d gathered.
Why was Jax so irresistible? Standing in the supply closet, I closed my eyes, still able to feel the hot grip of his hands around my backside, the way his fingers had brought me to the brink of bliss and then…
I shook my head and slammed out of the closet, far too aware of the fact I had no panties on. He’d actually torn them into two pieces, like he really was Tarzan. And I’d loved it, reveled in it, like some kind of… well, like exactly who I was. A woman who’d had a long dry spell. It sure had ended satisfactorily. To the point I couldn’t wait to see him again for round two. If he was that proficient in such a short amount of time in such a tiny space, what could he do in a big, luxurious bed?
My eyes flew open again, and I realized I was standing in the middle of the theater lobby, my tongue practically hanging out. It should never have happened, and there I was daydreaming about it happening again. No. It couldn’t. Could it? I wanted more than anything to call either Lynette or Harper and spill my guts, so I could get their advice, but it seemed wiser to keep this terrible mistake to myself. It was a terrible mistake, wasn’t it? He’d been so sweet. And those kisses…
I made it to my car without getting run over from my lack of focus, and sat behind the wheel for a few minutes, not sure I was capable of driving. I put the news channel on the radio and the boring drone of world happenings soon got me out of my lust-fueled stupor.
There was no way I was going over there for dinner, especially not because Jax had decreed it like he owned me or something. If he wanted this to continue he could call me or show up at my house and ask me out properly. By the time I got home and emptied out my jar, I was positive I was strong enough to stay away. I chucked the ruined panties, good ones, too, and sat down to read through the cards. I wasn’t going to think about Jax anymore, or lapse into any more daydreams, or recall in vivid detail what we’d done in the dressing room.
Then the first card I unfolded happened to be the one Jax had written. I completely forgot he’d put one in there and smoothed it out before reading it.
My favorite memory of the Dante Theater is of the warm welcome I received on my first night in town, from the most beautiful woman in Loblolly. (Yes, it’s you, Luna.)
Oh my God, just when I thought I was strong enough to stay home that night, he had to go and write something like that. It was signed with a big flourish, and a smiley face and I hugged the paper to my heart. No, I couldn’t let my heart get involved in this. It was bad enough that my body had betrayed me. But I had to eat dinner, didn’t I? And Harper was most likely going to be there, too. If nothing else, I could play frisbee with Addy. Oh, I wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all myself. I was going solely to see Jax again.
I scrubbed every inch of my skin, sorry to erase his touch and his spicy aftershave scent, but wanting to be as soft as satin. Just in case. I wasn’t going to start anything, but I wouldn’t be averse to finishing if he took the lead. At the last minute, I decided I didn’t want him to think I was trying too hard to look good for him and changed from a swingy dress to jeans and a t-shirt, albeit a very close fitting pair of jeans and a deep V-neck t-shirt. I could almost hear my sister telling me to calm the hell down.
I was able to calm the hell down when Addy greeted me and pulled me through the big house to see the new dance move she invented. She was pioneering a fusion of ballet, tap, and hip hop dancing, getting all her lessons from YouTube. Everything from my fingertips to my toes fluttered when I saw Jax on the deck, talking to Raylen. God, he looked so big and manly with a pair of barbecue tongs in his hand. I smiled widely at him, remembered I was playing things cool, and quickly turned a bit to include Raylen so no one would suspect I only had eyes for Jax. After Addy showed me her moves, which were pretty good considering she was only seven, I eased over to say hello to Harper, working my way closer to Jax.
Harper started filling me in on the gossip she’d learned from work that day, something about chickens escaping, but I was leaning back to listen to Jax. His deep voice washed over me and brought me back to the dressing room. I could almost feel his hands running down my thighs. Then my fantasy went cold when I heard what he was saying to Raylen.
“Here’s the pictures I took today. A few in the park, mostly in the theater.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Raylen take the camera. “It’s a shame about that place getting torn down.”
Jax shrugged, not seeming the least bit upset. “Yeah, but they can’t let a lost cause bankrupt the town.”
That was a far cry from his attitude at the theater this afternoon. He’d acted like he finally understood where I was coming from in my quest to save it. He acted like he knew exactly how I felt, like he agreed with me. The shame that washed over me was quickly doused by a tidal wave of rage. It was all lies. He lied to get in my pants. A simple, classic move that was certain to work on a country bumpkin like myself. And it did. I didn’t know if I was angrier at him or myself.
I turned and looked him straight in the eye, leaving Harper hanging mid-sentence. He had the nerve to smile at me. I didn’t return it, but out of politeness, nodded as pleasantly as I could to Raylen, who had nothing to do with Jax’s perfidy.
“Hey, Luna,” Jax said, his smile slipping when he noticed I was glaring at him. He turned inquisitively to Raylen, who shrugged and backed away.
“You don’t need to worry, Raylen,” I said in the most forced cheerful tone I’d ever had to muster. “The Dante won’t be getting torn down.” I dropped the cheer and rounded on Jax. “You can visit again next year after it’s renovated and take more pictures of it then.”
