Читать книгу Until We Touch - Сьюзен Мэллери - Страница 11

CHAPTER FOUR

“I KISSED JACK.”

Larissa supposed “Hi” or “Can I come in?” was a more conventional greeting, but the words just sort of spilled out. Bailey stared at her a second before motioning her into her small house.

“Wow,” her friend said. “I’d been thinking I was going to have a quiet, if slightly boring, evening at home while Chloe is with one of her friends, and then you come along. Well done.”

“I’m sorry,” Larissa breathed. “Is this an okay time?”

“Of course. Like I said, Chloe’s gone. And you are better than anything on TV. Let’s go into the kitchen. I have some very cheap wine and I made brownies yesterday.”

Another offer of wine, Larissa thought, determined to actually taste it this time.

She followed Bailey into her kitchen. The contrast between the open, modern new space at Jack’s place and this tiny, aging but homey one couldn’t have been greater. Here the counters were yellow and green tile—a holdout from the previous century. The cabinets had seen better days and there was barely room for a tiny table and chairs.

Yet the room felt cozy. There were dozens of brightly colored drawings held to the front of the refrigerator with magnets. A big, bright calendar dominated one wall. It showed lots of activities and dates with friends.

Larissa inhaled slowly and started to relax. Nothing too horrible had happened. Nothing that she couldn’t recover from. Order and balance would be restored. And if they weren’t, she would find another cause and lose herself in that.

Bailey unscrewed the top on the wine and poured them each a glass, then set out a plate of brownies. They sat across from each other at the tiny table. Bailey leaned forward and grinned.

“Okay, start at the beginning. How long have you and Jack been kissing?”

Larissa groaned and covered her face with her hands. “We haven’t. Ever.” She straightened and reached for her wine. “It just happened.”

“When?”

“Like twenty minutes ago. We were talking and then we were kissing.” At least she thought that was how it had happened. The memory was already blurring. At least the memory of the conversation—not the one of the kiss itself. That had been spectacular.

“It’s all my mother’s fault,” she added.

“Telling Jack you were in love with him?” Bailey’s voice was sympathetic. “Yeah, I heard about that. And I can sure see how that would change things. Even if it’s not true, you’re suddenly aware of everything happening with Jack. It’s awkward.” She reached for a brownie. “Unless you are in love with him.”

Larissa grabbed a brownie for herself. “I’m not. I swear. I like Jack. He’s a great guy. But like isn’t love.”

“He’s very sexy. Is that the problem? It’s not love, but something more...earthy?” Bailey smiled. “I’m trying to be subtle. It’s not my greatest strength.”

“I can see that.” Larissa considered the question. “Do I want to have sex with Jack?”

“You did kiss him and sex is nice.”

Larissa stared at her. “Wow. Do you want to have sex with Jack?”

Bailey had just taken a bite of her brownie. She shook her head as she chewed. When she swallowed, she said, “No, he’s all yours. It’s just sometimes having a warm body in the bed can be really great.”

Larissa remembered that Bailey’s husband had been killed in Afghanistan. While it had been over a year ago, she was sure the memories of the loss were still fresh.

“Is there someone else you want to sleep with?” she asked quietly.

“We’re not here to talk about me,” Bailey reminded her. “You’re the one who showed up and announced the kiss. Speaking of which, how did you leave things with him?”

Larissa took a sip of her wine. She was going to need more than a glass to forget that particular memory. “I ran.”

“As in...”

“I just took off. Yeah, not my finest hour. I didn’t know what to say. We’re not supposed to kiss. We’re friends. I depend on him to be there for me.”

“Doesn’t kissing mean he’s totally there?”

Despite everything, Larissa smiled. “Now you’re making me feel better and I’m not sure that’s allowed.” The smile faded. “This is so crazy.”

“Why?” Bailey asked. “You work in really close quarters with three hunky guys who run around naked.”

The smile returned. “They don’t run around naked.”

“Practically. I’ve heard the stories of meetings in the steam room. Taryn talks about it. Plus, you give them massages. I think the real surprise is that it took so long for one of them to come to his senses and kiss you.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

Bailey sighed dramatically. “Have you seen yourself? You’re this tall, leggy blonde with big blue eyes and a tiny butt. It’s discouraging for the rest of us.”

The description was so at odds with how Larissa viewed herself that she wanted to turn and see if there was someone standing behind her.

“I’m boring and normal,” Larissa pointed out. “I wear yoga pants all the time and never bother with makeup.”

“Yoga pants that show off your perfection. I, on the other hand, am carrying around twenty-five extra pounds.” She reached for another brownie. “Pounds I have accepted as a permanent part of my life.”

Larissa looked at her friend. Bailey was a beautiful redhead with lush curves and a sexy twinkle in her green eyes. She would imagine most of the single men in town were trying to figure out how to get her attention.

“You’re sweet, but I’m not all that,” she said.

“Uh-huh. We could take a survey.” Bailey tilted her head. “Unless you are secretly in love with Jack.”

Larissa finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle. “I’m so not and I swear, next time I see her, I’m going to kill my mother.”

Bailey smiled. “Unlikely.”

“I know.” She sighed. “So what do I do about the kiss?”

Bailey considered the question. “What do you want to do about it?”

“Pretend it never happened.”

“That sounds like a plan to me.”

* * *

WHILE KENNY HANDLED company-wide staff meetings, Taryn was firmly in charge of partner meetings. Both of which happened far too often for Jack’s peace of mind. Did they really all need to know what the other was doing? Apparently so, which was why he found himself sitting in Taryn’s office, listening to her go on about the status of various client projects.

Normally he found this kind of thing interesting, but not today. Not when he was wrestling with the fact that he and Larissa had kissed. What the hell? He wasn’t even sure how it had happened. One second they’d been joking and talking like always and the next she’d looked at him with an expression he’d never seen before. Okay, he’d seen it before, but not from her. And not like that.

She’d wanted him. That had been clear. And being wanted by Larissa had been irresistible. Of course, he’d been dealing with his own crap about the erection, so maybe she’d seen something in him that had triggered her feelings and that had led to the kiss.

He tried to tell himself it was just a kiss; only, could it be just that where Larissa was concerned? As far as he knew, she was careful about who she kissed. Which meant what?

Crap. It was all crap. And if his mind kept running in circles like some damned hamster on a wheel, he was probably going to turn into a woman.

“Jack,” Taryn said, her voice cool. “Do you mind joining us for the meeting today?”

He looked up, startled. “What?”

His business partner glared at him. “You’re somewhere else. Do you care to share with the rest of the class? There’s obviously a problem.”

They all knew? How was that possible?

Kenny sniggered. “Jack got a boner during his massage yesterday. It freaked him out.”

Jack nearly corrected him by saying the real problem was the kiss, but stopped himself in time.

Taryn rolled her eyes. “Seriously? That’s what has you distracted? It can’t be the first time it’s happened.”

“Not in life,” Jack said stiffly. “You would know that personally.”

She drew in a breath, obviously trying to be patient. “Yes, I’m aware that sexually, you’re a functioning male. If only it were true in the rest of your world. I was saying I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before during a massage.”

“I don’t get a boner when I get a massage,” Sam said.

Taryn barely spared him a glance. “No one here is shocked by that.”

“Hey, what does that mean?”

Taryn’s grip on her papers tightened. She looked at Sam. “That you have extraordinary powers of control, Sam.”

“Oh. Okay. I accept that.”

“It happens to me all the time,” Kenny admitted cheerfully. “I’m naked. She’s touching me. It’s nice.”

“And the road from nice to boner is less than three seconds?” Taryn asked.

Kenny grinned unapologetically. “Sue me.”

Taryn turned to Jack. “Did you talk to Larissa about it?”

“Yes. We’re fine. Let’s change the subject.”

“Fine by me.” She sighed. “I find you all desperately annoying. You know that, right?”

Sam grinned. “It’s what keeps us going.”

* * *

PATIENCE GARRETT HURRIED toward Larissa. The other woman was obviously excited and grabbed both of Larissa’s hands when they met on the sidewalk.

“There’s been a sighting,” Patience announced.

“Of a yeti?”

“What? No. Of course not. Oh, look. There’s Isabel.” Patience waved, as if to hurry her friend.

About fifteen minutes ago Patience had called Larissa and told her to meet her outside of Jo’s Bar immediately. Apparently others had also received a call.

Isabel practically ran up the street. “Is it true?” she asked when she reached them. “There’s been a sighting?”

“Of what?” Larissa demanded. “What are you talking about?”

Patience still had hold of her hands. She squeezed them and practically danced with excitement. “Zane Nicholson.”

Larissa wasn’t one to follow the gossip magazines. From knowing the guys, she understood everything the publications got wrong. But she thought she had at least a working knowledge of most major celebrities.

“I don’t know who that is,” she admitted.

Isabel pressed a hand to her chest. “Zane Nicholson. Absolutely the sexiest guy in high school. I mean seriously sexy.”

Patience released Larissa’s hands and nodded. “He was voted ‘the guy every girl most wanted to sleep with’ four years straight. And the last vote was after he’d already graduated.”

“You really had that category in your yearbook?”

Isabel grinned. “Of course not. It was a private poll. But still, he totally won.” She sighed. “Those eyes. That walk.”

“That smile.”

Isabel nodded. “Rarely seen and all the more to be treasured. How do I look?”

“Married,” Larissa murmured. “You look married.”

Isabel brushed off the comment. “I’m not going to sleep with him now. I’m just saying, back then, he was totally all that.” She turned to Patience. “He’s really in Jo’s?”

“That’s the rumor.”

“Then let’s go.”

Larissa walked with them, not sure if she was being treated to a rare event only locals could appreciate or simply the victim of wrong place, wrong time. So some guy had come into town. Big whoop.

They crossed the street and walked up to the bar.

“My heart is pounding,” Patience whispered. “I feel like I’m sixteen again. He danced with me once. At homecoming. I thought I was going to die.”

“I remember and I was bitter,” Isabel said cheerfully. “He smiled at me once in the hall, but I would rather have had a dance. Or a kiss. Or maybe have given him my virginity.”

They giggled at that. Larissa shook her head. “I’m glad you called me,” she said as she pulled open the door. “Someone needs to be here to keep you two out of trouble.”

They stepped into the bar.

It looked as it always did, with flattering lighting and TVs turned to shopping and HGTV. The only thing out of place was the fact that there was a man at the bar. A tall man with broad shoulders and an air of confidence about him.

Larissa spent her day with three former NFL greats. She understood about power and egos and having a body that was a whole lot better than the average guy’s. Most mortals couldn’t measure up. This man would be able to hold his own.

Larissa watched Zane and wondered what it was about him that made him different. There were muscles, but it was more than that. Not his clothes, she thought, taking in the chambray shirt, worn jeans and cowboy boots. There was also a straw Stetson on the bar next to him.

Isabel and Patience inched toward the man in question. He turned and saw them, then gave a slow, sexy smile that had even Larissa’s toes curling in her flats.

“Ladies.”

“Hi, Zane,” they said together.

“It’s been a long time,” Isabel said.

“It has.” Patience nodded. “So, what brings you to town? Are you meeting with the mayor about the annexation?”

One dark eyebrow rose.

“Everyone knows about it,” Isabel added. “It shouldn’t change anything for you.”

“So I heard.”

His eyes were dark blue and his gaze steady. He wasn’t looking at Larissa and a part of her was grateful to avoid all that male attention. She had enough stress in her life with Jack. She wasn’t looking for a crush on a taciturn cowboy.

“How’s Chase?” Patience asked.

Isabel turned to Larissa. “That’s his younger brother,” she said in a low voice.

“Good.”

“And the, um, steers and everything?”

He nodded, as if to say it was all fine.

Patience and Isabel looked at each other, then back at him.

“We won’t keep you,” Patience said. “It was good to see you.”

Zane nodded again.

The women turned around and left. Larissa trailed after them. When they reached the sidewalk, the two of them hung on to each other and jumped up and down.

“He’s so amazing,” Isabel said. “He smiled.”

“I saw. We talked to him.” Patience sighed. “That was so great.”

Larissa shook her head. “You do realize he spoke maybe eight words, right?”

“That’s not the point,” Isabel told her. “I got to be sixteen again. Even if it was just for a minute. That was totally fun. I can’t wait to tell Ford. He’ll probably remember Zane and tease me unmercifully.”

She sounded cheerful at the prospect.

Patience laughed. “Yes, I’m sure Justice will do the same.” She hugged Larissa. “Thanks for joining us.”

“You’re welcome. And you’re weird.”

“We know.”

Larissa waved at them and started back toward Score. She loved the town, but there were elements she would never understand. Like Patience’s and Isabel’s wild crush on cowboy Zane. But it was sure fun to be a part of it all.

* * *

LARISSA RUBBED HER hands across Taryn’s back. Her movements were long and slow, designed to relax, rather than heal. Taryn was easy, she thought humorously. While her friend would think she was muscled, compared with the guys, she was a wimp. Not that Larissa was ever going to say that.

She liked working on Taryn. The movements were different and they talked about girl stuff, which was nice. There was no discussion of the latest score for whatever game was in season. And during play-offs, she didn’t have to remind Taryn to stay relaxed during the massage. Because the guys always got riled up during play-offs.

Later she would see Jack, then Kenny. By the end of the day, her hands would be tired, but that came with the job.

Her fingers moved against smooth skin. The oil—a calming blend with a nice moisturizer—always left her skin silky.

She liked the differences between her clients. Sometimes she wondered what things would have been like if she’d actually gone into massage therapy instead of going to work for Score. She wondered if she would be at a spa of some kind or out on her own. While her room at the company was hers to do with as she liked, it wasn’t exactly the same as having her own business. Of course, the upside of that was she also didn’t have to worry about her budget. If she wanted a new table or different linens or new anything, she simply had to tell Sam and he ordered it for her.

But to be her own boss would be a different kind of challenge, she thought. First she would have to get certified. Easy enough. She had the education and the work experience. One day, she told herself. One day.

She pressed in around Taryn’s scapula. The tension there surprised her.

“Why aren’t you relaxing?” she asked.

Taryn sighed. “Sorry. I have stuff on my mind.”

“Like?”

“The wedding.”

“I thought Dellina would be handling the details. No one plans a party better.”

“It’s not the planning. It’s the having.” She raised her head and looked at Larissa. “I can’t decide. On the one hand a big wedding would be nice, but doesn’t a small one make more sense? It’s not like Angel and I are twenty.”

“All the more reason to do what you know you want. Taryn, seriously, you don’t do anything small. It’s not your style. Have a dream wedding that makes us all envious and wear a killer dress. We need that in our lives. You’re our inspiration.”

Taryn smiled, then lowered her head. “You’re very good to me.”

“I’m your friend. Be happy. March your skinny-assed self down a long aisle somewhere fabulous. Have a band and your Acorns as bridesmaids.”

“They’re Sprouts.”

“What?”

“The girls. They were Acorns last year. They’ll be Sprouts this year.” The Acorns, or Sprouts, were part of a group called Future Warriors of the Máa-zib. It was Fool’s Gold own version of scouting, based on the ancient tribe that had first settled in the area.

“Whatever. Have your Sprout bridesmaids and little tuxedo-decorated truffles as favors for the guests. Go for it—just because you can.”

Taryn raised her head again. “How do you know about tuxedo decorated truffles?”

Larissa grinned. “I have two married sisters. I went through all this twice. When it comes to a wedding it’s all about the dress and the details.”

“I guess. It just feels weird.”

“Because you never thought you’d fall madly in love.”

Taryn put her head down. “Maybe. Mostly.” She sighed. “Angel is so amazing.”

“Yes, he is,” Larissa said, thinking that he was also a tiny bit scary. Taryn was his equal. There weren’t many women who could say that.

She moved down her friend’s back. “Jack won’t mind if you have a big wedding,” she said quietly.

Taryn tensed, then relaxed. “I hate it when you read my mind.”

“It doesn’t take a lot of skill. You’re family, which is sweet, but you were also married before. That makes it weird.”

“A little,” Taryn admitted. “You know how much I love him, just not that way. I never did.” She paused. “He was good to me. I was able to trust him and I don’t trust easily. Our wedding was like our marriage. Very quick and purpose driven.”

Larissa knew that Taryn had gotten unexpectedly pregnant. Jack being Jack had insisted they marry.

“Would you have stayed with him?” she asked. “If you hadn’t lost the baby?”

“I have no idea. Probably not. One of us would have gotten restless. I was still in shock about being pregnant and then married. I hadn’t figured any of it out. Before I could, the baby was gone.”

“That must have been hard,” Larissa said, thinking she would be crushed. No matter how her mother made her crazy, the other woman was right about one thing. Larissa did want to get married and have kids. The problem was she couldn’t see a way to get from where she was to there.

“It was,” Taryn murmured. “I felt so guilty for getting pregnant in the first place. Then to lose the baby.... I filed for divorce the same day.”

Larissa knew the rest of the story. Taryn had been a junior PR person for the L.A. Stallions. When management found out that their star quarterback was getting a divorce, they did everything they could to make the situation easier. That meant firing Taryn so she wasn’t around to make Jack uncomfortable. Jack had protested. The last thing he’d wanted was for Taryn to lose her job. But the team had stood firm.

Not knowing how else to help, Jack had given Taryn the money to start her own firm. He’d been a silent partner and had thrown plenty of business her way. She’d thrived and had reached the point where she was going to buy him out when Kenny had taken that last hit. Jack had decided it was a good time to retire, as had Sam. Suddenly Jack and his friends had lots of free time on their hands. Then Jack had remembered he was half owner of a PR firm. They’d joined Score and the rest was history.

“I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jack came to tell you he and Kenny and Sam were joining Score,” she said.

Taryn groaned. “There was a lot of swearing. I felt invaded and manipulated. I was not happy.”

“Still, it worked out.”

“It did. But you can’t tell Jack.”

Larissa chuckled. “I think he already knows.”

She wondered how things would have been different if there had been a baby. Imagining that made her chest tight, which was strange. Jack would be a good dad, she thought wistfully. Despite the fact that he pretended not to care, she knew things touched him deeply. His goal was to keep the world at bay and he mostly succeeded.

He’d lost so much already. His brother. After his brother’s death, his parents had gone away. Both physically and emotionally. Then his child with Taryn. She understood why he protected himself. She enabled that, she knew. Her causes became his causes. He could be a part of things without ever truly being touched by the circumstances.

They were a team. Maybe one that could do with a little therapy, but a team all the same. She counted on that. Needed it. As far as she was concerned, nothing was going to get in the way of their connection. Not her mother’s crazy statements or a kiss she still couldn’t quite explain.