Page 28 of The House on Blueberry Lane

Vaughn leaned back in his seat and chuckled. “Yes, it is so. When I saw you walk in with a long sour-looking face, I figured you either had problems at the bank or at the house on Blueberry Lane. I went for the latter.”

“You were right.”

After the waitress served Vaughn his beer, Jaye said, “There’s someone I need to ask you about, though.”

Vaughn lifted a brow. “Who?”

“Webb Crawford. Is the man for real?”

Vaughn chuckled. “I guess you got the don’t-get-interested-in-Velvet warning.”

“Yes. Who the hell does he think he is?”

“A man who honestly believes he can have any woman he wants. He figures he’s a prime catch. Velvet isn’t into him, like a lot of the women are, so I think he sees her as a challenge.”

Jaye snorted. “Men like Webb Crawford turn Velvet off.”

Vaughn took a huge sip of his beer and then laughingly said, “Since she hasn’t given him the time of day, I figured as much. Sooner or later, Webb will discover that fact.”

Although Jaye didn’t comment, he knew he would make sure of it, in case Webb didn’t get the hint.

CHAPTER NINE

IT WAS SUNDAY evening when Velvet returned home. Although she had enjoyed her weekend in New York immensely, she was glad to be back. The first thing she’d noticed when she pulled into the yard was that Jaye’s car wasn’t there. This was the first time she could recall him not being home on a Sunday evening. That made her wonder if he had a date.

As she strolled toward her bedroom, pulling her carry-on luggage behind her, she knew she couldn’t discount that possibility. It certainly wasn’t any of her business what he did and with whom. Jaye had been a womanizer when they’d met. Had she honestly expected him not to go back to his old ways? She’d even mentioned to Ruthie about Webb’s claim that Jaye had a steady woman back in Phoenix. Ruthie staunchly claimed that wasn’t true. But could Ruthie be certain of that?

Leaving her luggage in the corner of the room to unpack later, she paused to look at her bed. The three nights she’d spent in it before leaving for New York had been hell and all because of Jaye’s touch. Whenever possible, Ruthie reminded Velvet that she could go to bed every night and dream of having Jaye in her bed, or she could take the bull by the horns—or the man by the crotch—and do something about it.

Velvet hated to admit it, but the more she and Ruthie discussed it, the more sense it began to make. She no longer loved Jaye, that was a given. So why couldn’t she have casual sex, just like he could? It would only be temporary since he’d be leaving in a few months. In the end, it would prove she was over him, while at the same time she would satisfy her body’s craving. And her body was craving him. Just the thought of a roll between the sheets with Jaye had the tips of her nipples getting hard and the area between her legs throbbing something fierce.

For her plan to work, the first thing she needed to do was get him interested in her again. Granted, their reaction to one another the other day showed their sexual chemistry was still there, but she needed to raise the bar even higher. Then, when it got to the right level, she would reveal the new Velvet Spencer to him and deliver her terms.

A short while later, she was sitting at her kitchen table, going over her lesson plans for the week and enjoying a glass of wine. She wished she could stay focused and not allow her thoughts to drift to Jaye. But now that she’d made a decision, she needed to map out a course of action. It was time to draw on everything Jaye had taught her during the three years they’d been together—which meant seduction.

He liked the chase, and she would give him that—up to a point. She wasn’t totally immune to him, after all. The man was sex on legs and that appendage in the middle could deliver pleasure with a capital P. She of all people knew that. There was a chance that no matter how hot things got between them, he might not want to get involved with her again, thinking once was enough. Especially since she’d taken their relationship more seriously than he had—even after his repeated warnings for her not to—she needed to convince him she was no longer that woman.

When she heard a car pull into the driveway, she figured it was Jaye. What if he had brought a date home with him? She got up and, as discreetly as possible, peered out the window. It was dark but when he opened the car door, she saw he was alone.

Quickly coming up with an idea, she removed one of her hoop earrings, then grabbed the flashlight from the counter and headed for the front door.

THE MOMENT JAYE pulled into the yard he saw Velvet’s car parked in the driveway. He did not have to question why he felt all kinds of sensations riding low in his gut. It didn’t matter that he wouldn’t see her tonight. All he needed to know was that she was back. Hopefully, he’d get a glimpse of her tomorrow morning when she left for work.

Jaye saw the curtain in her kitchen move and figured she’d heard the car and glanced out to check who was pulling up. He was headed toward his side of the house when suddenly Velvet’s front door opened and she walked out with a flashlight in her hand.

It was dark but the soft glow from the porch light illuminated her. She was wearing jeans and a pullover top. She looked beautiful, causing his heart to miss a few beats.

“Hello, Velvet.”

She jerked and looked at him. “Jaye, you scared me. I didn’t hear a car pull up.”

He forced himself not to raise a brow. Strange she would say that since he knew for certain she had. “What are you doing out in the dark with a flashlight? Are you looking for something?”

“Yes. My other loop earring,” she said, tapping her right earlobe. “I must have lost it in or around the car because I’m certain I had it in my ear while driving home from the airport.”

“Do you need help looking for it?”

“No, thanks. I got this,” she said, walking past him. Her luscious scent followed in her wake and his nostrils took it all in.

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