Page 16 of Laying His Claim
“No,” he said gravely, regarding the odd-looking little beast indulgently. “He does not, in fact, have a stuffed iguana.”
“Now he does,” she announced.
The purchase was made, and they walked out to the parking lot, Jalissa cradling the big green toy, which she had decided to name Cucumber, and Justin carrying the shopping bags. He loaded the things into the trunk and then made sure she was settled in the passenger seat. When he was seated too, he made no effort to drive off. “Thanks,” he said.
“For what?”
“For a lovely afternoon. For your company. For being so great with Seb.”
“You’ve been great with him all this time,” she reminded him.
“Maybe,” he agreed, “but that’s nothing compared to the care his mother can give him. And you have been awesome.”
He wished he could say more, but he was overcome with emotion. She was trying so hard, struggling against great odds, and he admired her so much for that. And then the admiration was swamped by a wave of desire, so he leaned forward and kissed her.
Her cry of surprise was stifled by the pressure of his lips. A moment of shocked resistance was replaced by a softening and opening, as her lips parted for him. He was thrown back into the past, reminded of the many times they’d kissed with hunger and passion. So many stolen moments at the start when they sneaked around behind everyone’s back, while Kaiya, Ty, Kalilah and even his brother Finn were barely aware that something was going on between them.
He remembered how they’d acknowledged that instant, gut-wrenching attraction and gleefully abandoned themselves to what was supposed to be a fun fling. Back then, their kisses were wanton, outrageously so.
This kiss was nothing like that. There was the memory of their hunger, yes, but more importantly, there was the satisfaction of having this intimate contact he’d yearned for so long.
Jalissa made a tiny sound, and he lifted his head. Her eyes were wide, fixed on his face, enquiring.
Shame washed over him and Justin cursed inwardly. He’d promised to bide his time, to wait until she was strong enough to handle a moment as intimate as this, but he’d jumped the gun. “I’m sorry, Jalissa.”
She hastened to reassure him, as if aware of his embarrassment. “It’s okay—”
“No, it’s not okay. I shouldn’t have pressured you.”
“It’s fine.” Her lips tugged up into a nervous smile.
“Okay,” he conceded. Then he started the engine and put the car into gear. As they drove off, he noticed that she was holding Cucumber tightly in her arms and leaning away from him, against the door of the car.
Chapter 6
It was the perfect day for a pool party: blistering hot, with all the shrubs and flowers around Justin’s estate dancing in the light breeze. It had been several days since that moment in the car, and still, Jalissa wasn’t able to get over it. Justin’s mouth had felt so perfect against hers, so familiar, but not quite. It bothered her deeply, knowing that she’d once been intimate with this arresting man. The fact that Sebastian existed was proof of that. But not being able to remember it disturbed her.A kiss from a stranger who was not a stranger.How did you wrap your head around that?
Over the past few days, the two of them had stepped around each other awkwardly, being super polite but avoiding each other’s gaze. They were as careful and loving with Seb as before, but took it in turns rather than play with him together. Even when handing him over from one to the other, they made sure not to touch each other. Lorena seemed to have picked up on the vibe and looked gleeful, making a big show of being extra good with Seb whenever Jalissa needed a break or whenever Justin was around.
She was really beginning to have uneasy feelings about that woman.
“Here you go,” Kaiya said, handing Jalissa a virgin cocktail and settling down into the lounge chair next to her friend. She held up her own glass, which held a frosty honeydew melon cooler. “Santé,ladies!”
Kalilah and Kaiya both raised their glasses and took a sip, then turned toward the large infinity pool, inlaid with aquamarine and silver tile work. The ladies might have been content to sit around enjoying the sunshine, but the men were having none of it. Justin, Ty and Finn were splashing around like grade-schoolers, trying to keep up with the actual children: Lili, Milania, Maximillian, and Myles, while the babies, TJ and Seb, squealed in their fathers’ arms.
It was a welcome-home party of sorts, Justin had explained, to celebrate the progress Jalissa had been making. For Jalissa, it was a great distraction from the awkwardness between herself and Justin.
“Careful, Jalissa. If you keep staring at the man so hard, you might accidentally set him on fire,” Kalilah said.
Jalissa was startled out of her thoughts. “Huh?”
“You’ve been staring at Justin for the past, like, two hours,” she said with a grin. “What’s up with that?”
“Nothing,” she insisted, but she could feel the flush rise in her face.
“Uh-huh,” Kalilah said dryly.
Kaiya inched closer. “Something happened, didn’t it!”
