Page 31 of Enough

“Come on.”

Jaden slipped his arm around her shoulders and walked back to the car. As he held her door open, Claudia climbed inside and Jaden wondered about his intentions. The more he tried to convince himself he was unsure about his actions, the more his actions showed otherwise. Climbing in behind the wheel, Jaden’s gaze went to hers, and they both buckled their seat belts synchronously.

He reached out and touched her earlobe pulling a slight tug on it. Claudia blushed feeling like a teenage school girl. Whenever Jaden touched her or said something incredibly sexy, Claudia blushed. Never before had anyone made her feel that way, but Jaden’s charm was irresistible. The Jeep reversed and pulled out of the driveway onto the street. Claudia reached for the radio dial and turned it on.

The cruise was relaxing, with the soft tunes reverberating throughout the vehicle. Claudia got comfortable, kicking off her heels pulling her feet into the seat. Jaden rested his forearm on the armrest and Claudia did, too. Their fingers brushed over one another sending currents of warmth stirring through their palms and trickling down their arms. Their eyes connected and they both leaned in.

In a breathy voice, Claudia spoke. “You should probably keep your eyes on the road.”

Jaden’s attention was everywhere but the road. Claudia’s eyes, nose, and lips were becoming his favorite assets on her.

“I’ve got this.”

Jaden’s fingers danced along hers. “I wouldn’t put you in any danger. Have faith in me.”

Claudia’s heartbeat was racing again. Jaden took his eyes back to the road and turned the steering wheel. She watched the smooth way he handled the jeep and remembered how he’d taken his time with her in Puerto Rico. A thump in her panties caused her to twist.

Jaden met her gaze again.

Claudia smiled. “I do.”

“I do, too,” he said. “I mean, have faith in you.”

Claudia’s smiled lingered. “Of course, what else would you mean?”

Jaden clasped his big masculine hands around hers and pulled it to his mouth for a kiss that scorched her skin and sent a blaze straight through her core. Shit, Claudia thought. Who was she kidding? There was no way she could just move on from dating a man like Jaden to any of these other trifling men. What was she going to do? They pulled into her driveway and Claudia watched him quizzically.

“Um, how do you know I live here?”

Jaden put the car in park. “I hope you don’t find this creepy but I followed you home last night. After our run in with paparazzi, I needed to make sure you got home safely.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me, I wouldn’t have objected.”

Jaden smiled. “I didn’t want to distract you further.”

That wasn’t entirely true, and Jaden knew it. Although he wanted Claudia to get home and check on her mother, Jaden also pondered on the invitation she’d given him. Going back and forth with himself about breaking his commitment to abstain being sexual with her.

But Jaden had won out deciding to keep his distance. It was imperative that he reminded himself of this daily. It was no easy feat hanging around Claudia with the craving that ripped through him anytime he was with her.

Jaden opened his door, and so did Claudia. He followed her up the steps through the front.

“Ma!”

The house was relatively quiet. Claudia strolled down the hallway and turned toward the bathroom.

“Oh my God!”

She darted inside the vestibule. Jaden trotted down the hallway. Claudia had sunk to her knees.

“Mom!”

Claudia shook Adeline who lay naked on the floorboard unmoving. Jaden ran to the room behind him and came back with a blanket that he wrapped around Adeline’s body. Steadfast, Jaden lifted Adeline from the floor and took quick strides back down the hallway. Claudia ran after him as they fled the house. She scurried to the back door and opened it jumping inside. Jaden laid Adeline across the seat, her head falling into Claudia’s lap. Shutting the door quickly, Jaden made haste pulling out of the driveway to head to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.

The .22-inch tires burned, coughing up asphalt as Jaden cleared through the streets making sharp turns at every corner.

“Mom, please wake up. Oh my God,” Claudia was frantic. She felt Adeline’s face. Adeline was warm but her pulse was light. “Oh my God! How could I let this happen?”

Jaden’s eyes pulled up to the mirror, catching her reflection.

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