Page 39 of The House on Blueberry Lane

“And I cut my trip short to come back. May I come in?”

Velvet nodded and took a step back. The look in his eyes was dark and intense and she nervously licked her lips. Just because he cut his trip short, it didn’t mean he was in favor of her offer. What if he wasn’t?

After closing the door behind him, she remembered Ruthie was still on the phone. “Excuse me a second,” she said, quickly scooting past him to grab her cell phone off the table. “Ruthie?”

“I heard, girlfriend. Now go handle your business.”

Ruthie’s words were followed by a resounding click in Velvet’s ear.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“SORRY. I DIDN’T know you were on a call.” Jaye looked at Velvet with his hands shoved into his pants pockets. He needed to keep them there. Otherwise, he would reach out and pull her to him and give her the kiss he needed. What he’d told her was true. He had cut his trip short. What he hadn’t said was that he’d returned early because he hadn’t been able to get her off his mind.

“No problem. It was just Ruthie telling me how her wedding plans were coming along,” she said. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Sure, a beer would be nice.”

“Okay. One beer coming up.’’

He watched her head for the kitchen. One thing he remembered well was that Velvet liked wearing some of the cutest pj’s, although he would eventually take them off her. She said pj’s always made her feel sexy and she’d always looked the part.

When she had opened the front door and stood there and his gaze had roamed over her, appreciating her in a pair of pink leggings and a printed pinkish blouse, he’d almost been speechless because it looked so good on her shapely body.

Last night, when he couldn’t sleep, he’d ended up sitting out on the hotel’s balcony and remembering all the time they had spent together after they’d first met. For three years, he had assumed everything between them was perfect. Deep down, a part of him had known she’d meant the world to him, but he’d never been able to admit that to himself.

“Here you are,” she said, returning with a beer. He could tell from the way her nipples were pressing against the fabric of her top that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Chances were she wasn’t wearing underwear, either. Just the thought riled his libido.

“Thanks,” he said, standing. He uncapped it and took a huge gulp, knowing she was watching him. He lowered the bottle and licked his lips. “That was good.”

“Glad you like it.”

She was looking at him in a way that sent tingles up and down his spine. “You want some of my beer?”

“Yes.” She accepted the bottle from him.

She looked at him as she tipped the beer to her own lips, and a wave of desire flooded his insides.

She handed the beer back to him. “Now I wish I hadn’t done that.”

“Why not?” He finished off the rest, liking the thought that his mouth was where hers had been just seconds ago.

“It brought back too many memories.”

It had for him, too, but he wouldn’t complain. Nor did he have any regrets. They had been good together, both in and out of the bedroom. Now he was determined to get her to see there was an out-of-the-bedroom for them, even while keeping her in the bedroom. The chemistry between them seemed stronger than ever, and he’d honestly thought such a thing wasn’t possible.

“It brought back memories for me, too, Velvet.”

The room got quiet for a moment and then she broke the silence. “You said you thought about my offer.” As if those memories were overpowering her, she moved to sit down on the sofa.

“Yes, I gave it a lot of thought.”

“And what did you decide?”

He gripped the empty bottle in his hands and joined her on the sofa. “I decided that I will give you whatever you want. No matter what it is.”

He saw a flash of something in her eyes and recognized it for what it was. Skepticism. Knowing she doubted his words made him more determined than ever to prove he meant what he said.

“Are you sure about that, Jaye?”

---