chemistry there is between us. Just because you can raise my blood pressure, and I can raise your—” She motioned to his quickly deflating hard-on. “It’s nothing more than lust. Unlike you, I’ve got a lot of work to get done in a short time. The last thing I need is another distraction. So even though you’re the best-looking distraction I’ve ever imagined, I’m going to say thanks, but no.”
He inched closer. “So you’ve imagined me and you—” Oh yeah, she didn’t even need to answer, the way her eyes darkened and her breath caught gave her away. He was glad to know he wasn’t alone.
“Thanks for all your help today—the banana, the Gatorade, and you know”—she motioned to her leg—“whatever.” She tugged her shorts up under the towel and then pulled it off, folding it over the rail around the deck. “I’m sorry if I did anything to lead you on. That wasn’t my intention at all. As a matter of fact, I was trying to avoid you.”
He stepped to the left to block her escape, but she pivoted right. “You were? When?”
“When I saw you at Albertsons last night. I slipped down another aisle. Look, let’s just pretend this never happened. I’ll get my shoes, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Jessica, wait.”
She shook her head and walked through the French doors. He couldn’t say a damn thing to stop her. She’d made up her mind, and all he could do was hope she figured out that ignoring him wasn’t going to make the chemistry they shared go away.
Chapter 4
“Sorry I’m late.” Jessie hurried through the gate of the tennis court Karma occupied, tossed her bag in the corner by the fence, and grabbed a can of balls and her racket. “I had another run-in with my stalker, and things got a little out of hand.”
“How out of hand did it get?”
Jessie shrugged and opened the fresh can. The scent of brand new tennis balls assaulted her. It was like a drug. God, she loved it. New-tennis-ball scent was as powerful and fleeting as new-car smell. By tomorrow, the balls would lose their new-ball smell and just a smidgen of their bounce. It was sad. But today, she put a ball to her nose and inhaled, they were perfect.
“I had a nasty hamstring cramp this morning, so I need to take it easy today. I’m sorry.” She tapped one over the net to Karma, who caught it and stuck it in her pocket. Jessie followed suit and then bounced the other around on the top of her racket, checking her strings. “Would you mind if we just volley instead of playing a game?”
“We don’t have to play at all if you’re hurt.” Karma adjusted her visor. “We can just go to Starbucks and talk. There’s one a few blocks away.”
“No, it’s fine.” The last place she wanted to go was the Starbucks that she and Fisher shared. She didn’t want to run into him again so soon, if ever. But then the thought of never seeing Fisher didn’t sound too good either—even after his threat of a come-to-Jesus meeting about the whole wild, rampant, scary, sexual chemistry thing. “I was just trying to run my hot stalker into the ground this morning, and well, by the end of the run, I was the one on the ground.” Jessie hit a ball to Karma. “Of course, in order to get me there, he had to tackle me.”
Karma let the ball fly past her and walked toward the net. “Your stalker tackled you?”
“Yeah, but he was only trying to help, I think. Though with him, there’s always that lingering doubt.” Jessie shrugged. “He’s a guy, and he gave me a hell of a leg massage. Between the massage and the soak in a hot tub, I’m almost as good as new.”
“A massage, then a soak in a hot tub? Sounds like foreplay to me.”
Jessie would be the last person on earth to admit it, but it felt a lot like foreplay too. She just hadn’t realized it until way too late. She plucked at the strings of her racket as Karma approached her.
“You have a hot tub?” Karma didn’t give Jessie even a second to answer.
He inched closer. “So you’ve imagined me and you—” Oh yeah, she didn’t even need to answer, the way her eyes darkened and her breath caught gave her away. He was glad to know he wasn’t alone.
“Thanks for all your help today—the banana, the Gatorade, and you know”—she motioned to her leg—“whatever.” She tugged her shorts up under the towel and then pulled it off, folding it over the rail around the deck. “I’m sorry if I did anything to lead you on. That wasn’t my intention at all. As a matter of fact, I was trying to avoid you.”
He stepped to the left to block her escape, but she pivoted right. “You were? When?”
“When I saw you at Albertsons last night. I slipped down another aisle. Look, let’s just pretend this never happened. I’ll get my shoes, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Jessica, wait.”
She shook her head and walked through the French doors. He couldn’t say a damn thing to stop her. She’d made up her mind, and all he could do was hope she figured out that ignoring him wasn’t going to make the chemistry they shared go away.
Chapter 4
“Sorry I’m late.” Jessie hurried through the gate of the tennis court Karma occupied, tossed her bag in the corner by the fence, and grabbed a can of balls and her racket. “I had another run-in with my stalker, and things got a little out of hand.”
“How out of hand did it get?”
Jessie shrugged and opened the fresh can. The scent of brand new tennis balls assaulted her. It was like a drug. God, she loved it. New-tennis-ball scent was as powerful and fleeting as new-car smell. By tomorrow, the balls would lose their new-ball smell and just a smidgen of their bounce. It was sad. But today, she put a ball to her nose and inhaled, they were perfect.
“I had a nasty hamstring cramp this morning, so I need to take it easy today. I’m sorry.” She tapped one over the net to Karma, who caught it and stuck it in her pocket. Jessie followed suit and then bounced the other around on the top of her racket, checking her strings. “Would you mind if we just volley instead of playing a game?”
“We don’t have to play at all if you’re hurt.” Karma adjusted her visor. “We can just go to Starbucks and talk. There’s one a few blocks away.”
“No, it’s fine.” The last place she wanted to go was the Starbucks that she and Fisher shared. She didn’t want to run into him again so soon, if ever. But then the thought of never seeing Fisher didn’t sound too good either—even after his threat of a come-to-Jesus meeting about the whole wild, rampant, scary, sexual chemistry thing. “I was just trying to run my hot stalker into the ground this morning, and well, by the end of the run, I was the one on the ground.” Jessie hit a ball to Karma. “Of course, in order to get me there, he had to tackle me.”
Karma let the ball fly past her and walked toward the net. “Your stalker tackled you?”
“Yeah, but he was only trying to help, I think. Though with him, there’s always that lingering doubt.” Jessie shrugged. “He’s a guy, and he gave me a hell of a leg massage. Between the massage and the soak in a hot tub, I’m almost as good as new.”
“A massage, then a soak in a hot tub? Sounds like foreplay to me.”
Jessie would be the last person on earth to admit it, but it felt a lot like foreplay too. She just hadn’t realized it until way too late. She plucked at the strings of her racket as Karma approached her.
“You have a hot tub?” Karma didn’t give Jessie even a second to answer.
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