Page 121 of Love & Other Disasters

Forty

After a day of traveling and meeting Evelyn, Violet was starving. J.P. picked a small Italian restaurant with candle lit tables and string lights twinkling overhead. A double sided fireplace served as a focal point. The large brick column sat center and warmed the room on a chilly evening.

With the gorgeous atmosphere and tasty bread, she could almost forgive the no sweet tea part. He’d said they stir sweetener into the glass, but sugar didn’t dissolve into icy tea, hence you mix it into the batch while still hot. Cold, you’d have to stir the glass before every sip. This place was bizarre. She picked a wine from the list, and he ordered them a bottle.

Dinner was delicious, and the conversation sparkling. She had one more glass of wine than him. He’d poured the rest into her glass because he was driving. And by the end of dinner, she was giggly and no longer worried about anything. At the car, he kissed her before opening the door.

Back at the house, they fumbled their way up the steps. J.P. pulled her close and their lips connected. Then it hit Violet, and she stopped the kiss.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Sorry, I have to go to the bathroom,” she scurried from the room, cursing for breaking the mood. She’d wanted him from the minute she’d laid eyes on him at the station. Since she’d ruined the moment, she got comfortable. Violet washed her makeup off. If she were home, she could make herself sexy and slip on a nightgown, but that was in the room with J.P. So she’d get the mood back by letting down her hair and getting naked.

She returned to the room, now bathed in candle glow. He’d lit a candle on each bedside table and had propped up on a pillow in bed. Bare chested, the sheet covered his bottom half which she hoped was also sans clothes.

“Oh, candles,” she cooed, “I like candles. They’re pretty.”

His eyes slid over her body. “I like, too,” he said, voice gravelly. He wasn’t talking about candles.

“So relaxing,” she teased, and stayed away from the bed on purpose.

“Come over here.”

“Hang on,” she slowly unzipped her suitcase. “I’m checking if I brought my nightgown. It’d be a shame if I forgot it.”

“A real shame.”

She almost laughed, but held it in as she bent to conduct the faux search of her bag. A guttural sound that came from deep in his chest confirmed he was watching. So she gave her bottom a little wiggle.

“You’re teasing me,” his voice confirmed the realization.

She giggled and turned around holding the gown in front of her. “Who, me? Never. I’m just getting this night gown,” she said with wide eyed innocence.

J.P.’s sly smile said he wasn’t buying it. He crooked a finger in the come here motion.

“Me? Whatever for?”

He smiled and pushed the sheet down revealing that he was sans clothes and the evidence he found her naked body was sexy.

“We’re both naked,” she said, keeping up her act. “What are we going to do with that?”

“Well,” he replied, crawling toward the side of the bed, “you’re going to repeatedly scream my name.” With that, he snatched her off her feet, and she landed on the mattress, a laugh escaping which quickly turned to a moan as his lips traced down her neck. Then she lost track of everything around her. All thoughts vanished, leaving her with nothing but sensations rolling through her body. She welcomed the loss of control. It no longer scared her. Feeling invisible to men no longer bothered her, because she was visible to Jordan, and he proved it.

A few hours later she woke alone in a strange room. Where was she? She bolted upright, the pulse thumping in her head. The room surrounded her in inky blackness. Memory of the trip returned, and she remembered she was with J.P., only he wasn’t in bed.

“Jordan,” she called, her voice frantic. Why did she yell for him?

“I’m right here, babe,” he said, his shadow coming to her side. “I just went to the bathroom. You left your glasses in there.” He sat them on the nightstand.

“Thanks,” she shook the cobwebs from her head. “I must have just barely woke and was confused for a second.”

“You’re trembling,” he said, crawling into bed and wrapping her in his arms.

Violet sank against his firm chest, enveloped in his arms, she exhaled.

“I love you,” he whispered, curling around her.

Violet fell asleep with J.P. spooning her and his declaration in her ears.

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