Page 50 of Between Now and Forever
I jump to find her standing on the sidewalk behind me. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and a knowing grin is painted on her red lips.
“That was nothing. He just said hello,” I say.
“Gabrielle, Jay Stetson says hello to no one on this street. Not willingly, anyway.”
I lift my chin and step off the road and next to her. “He speaks to me.”
“Interesting.”
“Well, we are neighbors, so it makes sense. Right?”
“Yes,” she says curiously. “But it is surprising. He’s quite reserved. It makes me wonder ... Have you already wooed the mysterious Jay Stetson with your womanly wiles?”
We both laugh.
I think again of the “almost” moments.
“But it would’ve been wrong of me to do that because it wouldn’t have gone anywhere.”
“No,” I say, sighing. “He said that there could never be anything between us. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like flirting with him.”
“You and every other woman in the world. But he doesn’t flirt back with the others.”
I gaze down the street. He’s long gone.
“He doesn’t exactly flirt with me either,” I say. “And if he does, he makes sure to temper it with something that reminds me that he will never act on it.”
She hums. “Well, then, I guess you just see what happens.”
“Nothing will happen, Cricket. He’s made that loud and clear. And I’m just overly needy because I haven’t had sex in a long damn time.” I wink at her. “But I will sharpen my skills on him this week to use Friday night with Della.”
“Oh dear.”
I laugh at the expression on her face. “On that note, I’m heading home. Thank you for a wonderful Sunday dinner.”
She gives me a quick hug. “I love that you’re here.”
“Me too.” I pull away. “Thank you for helping me and the boys get settled in. Alden is feeling like home again.”
Life is feeling so much less ... lonely now.
“Well, we are glad to have you back.”
Cricket heads into the house, and I walk toward home.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JAY
Jay, I’m really worried about you,” I say to my reflection in the bathroom mirror. “What is wrong? Why are you doing this? You can go get a piece of ass if that’s what you’re after.”
My stomach twists because that’s not what I’m after. Not specifically, anyway.
I shove away from the vanity and head back into my bedroom. I whisper a prayer that it somehow started storming in the last twenty minutes, making outside housing projects out of the question. But as expected, it’s the brightest day Ohio has seen since I moved here.
Damn it.
Feelings that I’d forgotten existed surge inside me. It’s that need to be around someone, that almost unbearable urge to say their name. It exceeds wanting to fuck or to fuck around. It’s bigger than that. It encompasses all the senses—seeing her smile, breathing in her perfume, touching her soft skin, listening to her laugh. The only thing I don’t know is how she tastes.
