Page 56 of Fourth Heartwarmers Trilogy
After their last incident in the kitchen, whenever she saw his truck in the driveway, not admitting how many times she’d check at the window, she’d purposely stay away from him.Though he spent most of the time with Maisie or with his crew at the casita, she always knew when he was nearby. It never failed that she’d yearn to have him come close… like real close, embracing, naked…
Oh, sweet Jesus!
In the past, men appeared in her life, and occasionally she felt a tug in her heart. Never enough to follow through with a full-fledged, move-in-together relationship. No doubt, because she loved living with Jasmine. Hunger for a mate never overrode her comfortable existence. Other than those few months when Jassie had stayed with Maisie’s loser daddy, Earl Lane, Mia had never been on her own.
Now, for the first time in her life, she fantasized about a future with someone… with Jack. How they’d wake up in the morning with her naked body wrapped around his. She’d make his breakfast, kiss him goodbye before he left for work, and while they were separated, she’d plan for the moments she’d be back in his arms.
After seeing how much he enjoyed being with Maisie, forming a dream garden to surprise her aunt, the warmth in her heart heated up. Desire for the man that had erupted previously, surprised her so much, shock still took over as she questioned her sanity during that never-to-be-forgotten night. Yet, here she was, yearning to experience that same passion again and again.
Wandering outside, trailing the others in a hurry to view the casita, she passed his truck and saw damage that hadn’t been there the day before.
What the heck happened?
It looked like someone had dented and scraped the whole driver’s side of the blue truck, and the rear end bumper had taken a beating. Black paint could be seen along the worst of the scrapes, which most likely meant he’d had a run-in with a black vehicle.
Her stomach flipped and nerves began screaming. She could’ve lost him. Though they never really were together, except for the one glorious night, she might have missed any chance to tell him how she felt.
The thought of him not existing on the earth made her rethink her recent behavior. Look what happened with Jassie. She’d been perfectly happy and healthy that day… and hours later, she was gone.
Anxiety ridden; she began remembering the reality of that morning. She’d been the one to repulse his advances the day after they’d hooked up. He’d wanted to continue where they left off, but he didn’t want them to rush into anything. And she’d ignored the signals of a man trying to be chivalrous because of her own childish, self-involved embarrassment.
Things were different now. She’d let him see she wanted to be with him, convince him of her interest. The next step would be for him to ask her out, like on a date. How wonderful to be seen with this man who everyone appeared to like.
You couldn’t miss the hero-worship he got no matter where he went. For anyone else, it might go to his head – not Jack. He downplayed his new stardom and concentrated on passing his message. Helping him win the election, standing by his side through the ups and downs would become her goal. Now to just let him see she was ready to move on.
She hurried to catch up with the others. While Mark showed off their upgrades to Angie, she moved to stand next to Jack.
Shyly, she slipped her hand into his and angled her body so it brushed against his side. When she went up on her tiptoes to whisper her thanks for all his hard work, she almost fell over as he abruptly pulled away.
Chapter Thirty-three
Jack knew Angie loved the changes in the updates for the casita, but when he looked around, he didn’t see Mia. Disappointed, he waited until she finally arrived, hoping to see delight on her face.
Though he’d decided he couldn’t woo her until the danger now stalking him had passed, his stomach still played a rip-roaring game of “make-Jack-throw-up” every time he was near her.
Nerves quaking, he finally saw her enter the bathroom where they were watching Angie’s delight in the new bay window. When she approached him, he didn’t know whether to step back or wait to see what she had to say.
Then, she kept getting closer. Damn she smelled nice, like coconut, or maybe it was vanilla. Whatever perfume she used, on him it reacted like a powerful aphrodisiac. His brain started backfiring, lust and adoration vied for prominence.
Before he could react, she slipped her hand into his and leaned against his arm.
Holy Lord love a duck!
When she came up close to whisper in his ear, he reacted. He stepped away, shocked that she’d made the advance he’d yearned for all along. And heartbroken because it was too late.
Now he couldn’t take chances. Neither with her nor any of the others he loved. Who knew what else that Lowborn bastard had in store for him before the election? He’d come to the conclusion on the drive over that it had to be the answer to why he’d been targeted.
***
“Where did Jack go, Mia? I want to thank him.” Everyone could see that Angie was delighted with the renovations.
Still shaken by the incident that just happened, Mia answered truthfully. “I don’t know. One minute he was beside me, and the next he just left.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Not really. He kind of choked out a ‘you’re welcome’ when I thanked him.”
Maisie ran back to her mom and grabbed for her hand to get noticed. “Mama Mia! Mama! Did you give him heck fow something?” Using her outside voice, Maisie’s eyes shot sparks.
