AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He smiled then, easing the band of anxiety a tiny bit. “Thankfully. My next stop would have been the ER in Bayberry, so, yeah, stalker confirmed.” He held up his hands. “But I swear I only mean well. Will you come with me? Just for a little bit.”
I had two hours until I needed to be at Dr. Keller’s, and I wanted to talk to Nancy at the real estate office so she’d know I didn’t have anything to do with the bizarre problem with the shopping center deal collapsing. But his eyes were pleading, and I really did want us to get back on track.
“I’ll follow you in my car,” I said in a tone that brooked no argument. “I don’t have a lot of time right now and am kind of dealing with something.”
He closed his eyes for a second as if praying for patience, then nodded and jogged to his car. “Follow me,” he called.
Yes, I had just said that. God, he was irritating. Still, I watched him until he was behind the wheel of the car, then hurried to pull out behind him. We were only on the road three minutes before pulling up in front of the theater. Was he hoping to recreate our passionate moment in there, make me see everything I’d been missing? As if I hadn’t been reliving it in my memories since he left. I just couldn’t go in there with him again, not until things were settled between us.
I got out and hunched against my car door, staring at him as he came over and tugged on my hand. I shook my head, and he finally sighed and tilted my chin up.
“Look.”
I had to back up off the sidewalk a few steps to read the banner that hung from the theater, just under the big Dante sign.
Under new management. Grand Reopening soon!
I got a full body shiver, and this time Jax wasn’t even touching me. Disbelief flooded my system, along with a long lost friend—hope. I stared at him, unable to close my mouth, and it took several seconds before I could formulate words.
“Tell me you didn’t just buy the Dante for twice what the contracting company paid.”
He took a step closer to me and, when I managed to tear my eyes from the banner, he captured me with his gaze. His green eyes searched mine, and a slow smile curled his lips.
“I did just do that. Stayed up all night putting it together, and it’s probably the worst financial decision I ever made in my life since it’s sure to never turn a profit.”
Stupid pregnancy hormones made tears spring to my eyes. I was sure that was what it was. “Why would you do that?”
He gently put his hand on my shoulder. “Because there are more important things than making a profit. A very wise, former beauty queen taught me there are memories to preserve and new ones to make.” He looked at me with a yearning I could actually feel. “That is, if you want to make new memories? Either way, the theater’s yours. Yours and the baby’s. I only hope you’ll let me be a small part—”
I launched myself into his arms and he eagerly caught me, his strong hands gripping my waist as our lips locked. Happy tears slid down my cheeks, and he pulled away long enough to brush them away. He kissed me again more slowly and lingering; heat spread all throughout my limbs.
“Do you want to go inside your theater?” he asked, pulling a key out of his pocket.
For the first time, I noticed the slight dark circles under his eyes, the scruff around his jawline that had rasped against my cheeks as we kissed. He really had been up all night doing this. For me. For us? I nodded and he unlocked the door and pulled me in.
It was bright enough in the big, empty lobby that I didn’t need to go turn on the lights. Despite still having one final showing that weekend, all the movie posters were already taken down and in a storage unit until I could figure out what to do with them, and now they could go back to their rightful places. Jax picked me up and twirled me around under the high ceiling. Our laughter echoed, but I could already hear the noise of a crowd, packing in to see the first movie after the reopening.
“I’ll find a way to prove you wrong about the profits,” I said, when my feet touched the floor again.
He shook his head and ducked to kiss me once more. “I really don’t care as long as you’re happy.”
Oh, I was more than happy. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him through the screening area and up onto the stage. I pushed back the thick, velvet curtain and stepped behind it, tugging him to follow me. Once we were enveloped in the hushed darkness, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body close to his.
“Let’s start making those new memories.”
His hands slid down my back to cup my backside, jerking me tight to his hard length. “I like the way you think.”
“I like the way you feel,” I murmured, tipping my head back as he trailed kisses down the side of my throat.
“I like the way you taste,” he answered.
I giggled at our silliness, but turned serious when he ground against me. I needed a lot more than teasing. With an eager moan, I dragged him back toward the dressing rooms. We stumbled along in the dark, unable to take our hands off each other long enough to flick on a switch, and finally landed with a thump against one of the old vanity tables.
He picked me up and set me down on it, spreading my thighs to settle his big body between them. I wrapped my legs around him and slid my hands under his shirt, the feel of his hot skin making another moan escape my lips. His chest felt good under my palms, but I wanted something else in my hands. Aiming for his waistband, I popped open the button of his jeans. With a quick flick of my wrist, the zipper came down and I pushed aside his boxer briefs to reach my prize.
His throaty sound of pleasure made me even more impatient. “I know you want to make up for last time, but I think I need another quickie,” I said, resting my head against his chest and trying to tame my rapid pulse. “I really need you right now.”
“We’ll see about that.”
