Back to You (14 page)

The scores were almost equal. It was time to up the ante.

As she prepared to throw another dart, he softly pulled a lock of hair away from her face. “You seem nervous. Is it just me, or is your hand shaking?”

Of course she missed again. And he could tell she was not happy about it – he enjoyed the sight of her furrowed brows.

With both scores in the two digits, things were getting down to the wire.

As she walked over to take another turn, she gave him a warning look.
Don’t even dare come to close to me
, it said.

He walked past her just as she threw and grabbed her rear, which he had kind of wanted to do since he first saw her hoist up on the seat of his truck – she looked amazing in those jeans.

“John,” she shrieked. “You’re not playing fair.”

“I apologize,” he smiled. “I won’t do it again.”

As she tore her darts off the board, she turned to him and gave him the evil eye – she meant business.

It was his turn, and he was feeling pretty cocky. He hit the bull’s eye – again – and she didn’t seem impressed.

The game was so close, and so tense, John couldn’t stand it. He was surprised at how much he wanted to win this – he really wanted to take her for a midnight swim.

But he also wanted to kiss her senseless. Either way, he couldn’t lose.

But he also badly wanted to beat her – it was his competitive spirit.

His nerves were getting to him, and he missed his next shot. Damn.

She smiled.

As she stood, ready for a final game winning throw – an easy one, she smiled coyly at him. John was sure he’d lost the game.

In a final attempt to throw her off her game, he walked over and asked her, “Looking forward to that kiss?”

She smiled. “You bet. This game’s in the bag.”

“I promise I’ll kiss you properly this time,” he breathed in her ear, his hands resting on her hips. “You won’t even remember your last name.”

And with those words, she was rendered utterly useless.

Chapter 13

“YOU didn’t play fair,” she argued as they made their way to his house. “I’m not going in.”

“A bet is a bet,” he argued. “A lady needs to keep her word.”

She desperately tried to delay the inevitable. “How ‘bout we do it tomorrow, in the daylight?” she suggested feebly.

He laughed. “You’re not getting out of this, Snow.”

“But seriously,” she protested. “It’s kind of dangerous, late at night like that,” she argued. “We won’t see a thing.”

“I’ll be with you,” he said. “I won’t leave your side. I promise.”

Her eyes widened suddenly. “And I don’t even have a bathing suit on.”

He smiled. “Well, like you said,” he told her, “it’ll be dark,” he pointed out, his grin stretching wider.

As she got out of his truck, she felt the chill of the cool night air, and the salty smell filled her nostrils. The hairs on her arms bristled – she wasn’t sure if it was a result of the cool air, or her nerves. She had no desire to go in the water, but she had every desire to be near him.

He walked towards her and grabbed her hand in his. The gesture sent a rush of heat through her – the shocking combination of the chill of the night and the heat between them was wonderful – and unnerving.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

“Uh…” she stammered, barely seeing him – the only source of light was the moonlight. “No,” she confessed. “I’m not ready.” She wasn’t ready. And she became desperate in the moment, pulling him towards her. “I can think of better things we could be doing right now,” she said in her best flirty voice.

“Oh no,” he laughed. “You’re not distracting me. Nice try,” he said, pushing her towards the water.

“Wait right here,” he ordered as he quickly ran towards the house.

She watched him in the distance, hugging herself tightly. He turned on the porch lights as he went inside and disappeared for a few minutes, during which she was alone with her thoughts. Once she did go in the water, what would happen? Would he bring her inside, or would he bring her back home? Would they make love? How she wanted that. But was it right? Because… if they took their relationship that far, there was no going back. And everything was so complicated. She lived in the city, miles away. She had Jesse to think of. And he had Paige. They couldn’t just behave like wild teenagers – they didn’t have that luxury.

He came back with some towels and a suit on. “I turned on the lights… should give us a little more light.”

“Oh… that’s great,” she sneered. “You get to wear a suit. Not fair.”

He laughed. “Well, I would go in naked,” he said, “but I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

She almost dared him to do so, but quickly remembered what she had just told herself before he made his appearance.

He inched towards her with serious eyes. “It’s ‘do or die’ time.”

She crossed her arms. “I’m not going in there naked,” she protested firmly. “There’s no way I’m taking my clothes off.”

He surveyed her for the longest time, a hint of a smile on his face. He tugged at her shirt. “Then, I’ll have to do it,” he said with a playful smile.

She swallowed. She liked the idea of him taking her clothes off.

She smiled. “If you insist,” she said softly, closing her eyes. She was surprised by how aroused she felt.

He slowly walked around her, his breath warming the back of her neck. He slid her hair to the side over her shoulder, and gently unclasped her necklace. She didn’t dare say a word. His touch felt so amazing – she just wanted to focus on it and treasure every second.

He turned to face her, trailed his hand down her arm, and tugged her chunky bracelet off. She couldn’t have cared less about her cheap jewelry, but she was pleased by the fact that he seemed to.

He glided his hands up her torso, slowly pulling up her shirt. She lifted her arms, willing him to take it off. He didn’t look at her shirt falling softly to the ground – his gaze was fixed on her flowery bra. And she knew that even in the darkness, he could see her chest desperately trying to breathe a proper rhythm.

He grabbed the buckle of her belt and fiddled with it, not taking his eyes off her. He unzipped her. Her jeans clung to her as they were quite tight, and he had to slide them off using the strength of his hands.

It was so erotic. Everything about John was erotic. No other man had ever rendered her so physically and emotionally powerless.

He kneeled down and took off her sleek red heels. She held onto his broad shoulders, as he slid her pants over her naked feet.

She could not believe this was happening. She had been freezing, standing there by the water, waiting for him. And now she was practically naked, standing in the cool chilly night breeze of the sea, and she couldn’t have been warmer.

He stood up to face her again, his breath warming her. She wished he would kiss her – but he had other plans.

He slid his finger gently beneath the strap of her bra and smiled at her. She didn’t say a word. She wanted him to take it off. She wanted to be naked for him. And it seemed as if he was considering it – whether he wanted her naked or not.

“I think this’ll do,” he finally said. “You can go in your underwear. It’s practically like a two-piece,” he told her. “I’m not usually one for flowery prints,” he teased, “but I like this.”

She laughed, glad she had put on the cute flowery underwear, and not the unsightly body shaping one.

He took her hand and led her to the water. She hesitantly followed. The pebbles were rough and cold under her feet, and as she sank her feet in the freezing water, her breath hitched. But a bet was a bet.

She walked on her tip-toes, hesitating. He laughed at her, pulling her in further.

It was so cold, she wasn’t sure she could do it. Every step was painful.

When the water reached her waist, he egged her on. “I’ll count to three,” he told her. “And you just drop… nice and quick. You don’t want the torture to go on forever, do you?”

He had a point. “No. I can’t do it,” she protested nevertheless.

He inched closer and wrapped his arms around her. “I think you need a little help,” he said softly. He slid his hands under her rear and buckled her legs.

She went down swiftly. The water was so cold – she stopped breathing for a few seconds. He grabbed the back of her head, held her tight in his arms, and his body warmed her.

“You were right,” he told her, his breathing ragged. “I didn’t play fair.”

She was speechless – his gaze was hypnotizing.

“I cheated,” he confessed, his lips almost touching hers. “You’re a better player than me. You deserved that kiss.”

Yes.

And finally… his lips touched hers, but barely… they were hesitant and cautious.

She wanted more.

And as it seemed to be John’s way, his wall of defense seemed to melt into her, and his kiss became wild.

His touch was all over her – every inch of her. And her hands were all over him. His skin felt slick and smooth under the water, and she ventured farther then she had wanted to – and she knew he wanted her just as much as she did him.

“John,” she said, breathless. “Take me inside.”

He understood.

He took her hand in his and they walked towards the beach, both knowing they were finally going to give themselves to each other.

He wrapped the plush towel gently around her and held her in his arms, trying to settle her chills.

They picked up her belongings, and she grabbed her shoes.

The ground felt hard and rough under her feet. As she walked, she held the straps of her heels between her fingers, and secured the towel safely around herself. She wondered if they were doing the right thing.

As they approached the house, she saw a strange car in the driveway – a red coupe. He looked back at her, anxious, his brows furrowed. Something was wrong.

“Jennie’s here,” he said, not quite looking at her.

Sophie wondered who Jennie was for a half-second. And then she remembered his ex-wife – Paige’s mother.

Sophie was surprised. It had to be past midnight. What was she doing at his house?

When they entered the house, Jennie was nowhere to be seen.

“You can go in the washroom to get dressed,” John told her, his eyes filled with disappointment – obviously all previous plans had been abandoned.

As she made her way to the washroom, Sophie noticed Jennie sitting on the sofa, as comfortable as can be.

“Pretty late for a swim, isn’t it?” she asked casually, eating from a bag of chips. She was beautiful – olive skin and long brown wavy hair – she looked young too.

As Sophie entered the washroom to change back into her clothes, she felt an instant pang of jealousy, and anger. She stripped off her underwear and dried up, and went ‘au naturel’ under her clothes.

She was nervous to leave the washroom – she didn’t want to face them. She just wanted to disappear.

But she couldn’t stay locked up in there forever.

When she finally made her way out, John and Jennie were sitting on the sofa.

“Sophie,” he said. “I’d like you to meet Jennie.” Sophie thought it was odd that he was calling her by her actual name all of a sudden. “This is Sophie,” he gestured as he made the introductions.

Jennie stood up and offered her hand with a smile. “I finally get to meet the famous Sophie.”

Nervous, Sophie extended her hand, “Nice to meet you.” It wasn’t really – she would have preferred not to be meeting her at that moment – would have much rather preferred to be in John’s bed.

“I’ve sure heard a lot of you,” Jennie offered.

Sophie couldn’t
quite
say the same.

“Jennie came by with Paige,” John chimed in. “She’s sick.”

“Oh…” Sophie said quietly.

“John is so much better with her than I am when she’s sick,” Jennie explained. “I get all riled up. He’s so much calmer.”

“Will she be okay?” Sophie asked, suddenly concerned about her new friend.

“Yes… just a run-of-the mill fever, I think,” John told her.

“And Jack and I were leaving on a trip tomorrow anyway,” Jennie went on. “Jack’s my boyfriend.”

They stood in silence for a beat or two. And Jennie suddenly perked up and headed towards the door. “I should get going,” she said as she crouched down and slipped on her clogs, her long hair almost sweeping the floor.

“Sorry,” John finally said, a few seconds after Jennie had left.

“It’s fine,” Sophie told him. “She’s your ex. You have a child together. I understand.”

He reached for her hand, but she backed away.

“I should go home,” she said plainly.

His face fell. “There’s nothing going between us, in case you’re wondering.”

“I wasn’t actually. But it’s interesting you felt the need to clarify.”

He nodded a ‘no’, an exasperated expression on his face. “I would walk you home,” he told her, “but I need to look after Paige.”

“It’s not a problem,” she said, understanding. “It’s not very far.”

“But maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked, his steely eyes fixed on hers. “You and Jesse can come over for a picnic lunch if Paige is feeling better,” he suggested. He clearly wanted to see her again – and soon.

“Maybe,” she mumbled, not fully committing. She was still upset about Jennie.

“You have other plans?”

“No,” she admitted, her eyes downcast, “I just need to think about it.”

He looked at her with somber eyes. “You’re the one, Snow… the only one,” he stressed, almost as if he had been reading her mind.

As she fiddled with the straps of her heels, she looked up and smiled at him.

“Bye,” she said simply before closing the door behind her.

And as she stepped off the porch, she realized she certainly wasn’t wearing the right shoes to be walking home.

***

Sitting on John’s porch, Sophie looked out in the distance, at the choppy waves of the Atlantic ocean, lost in thoughts of the night before – that feeling of wanting would not leave her for a minute.

The kids were playing bocce ball, seemingly getting along. Sophie was glad Paige was feeling better. She had certainly experienced her share of worrisome feverish nights with Jesse. She watched the kids absent-mindedly, fussing with the hem of her cotton skirt. John had gone in to get some iced water. Would they talk about it? Should they talk about it? One thing was for sure – she had to apologize for her behavior the night before – she had acted like a jealous teenager.

“Um… John,” she started as he sat down opposite her, setting the tray on the table separating them. “About yesterday,” she struggled to say, “I’m sorry I acted so foolishly.”

He smiled. “It’s okay, Snow,” he said. “We kind of got interrupted big time,” he pointed out with a smile. “I was pretty annoyed too.”