My First - Jason & Katie (5 page)

He had learned in the Boy Scouts that the fastest way to raise a person's body temperature to normal levels is by using your own body heat. That was the only reason why he was doing this!

He mentally shook his head at himself. Sure, Sloan. Anything you need to tell yourself to not focus on the fact that you're lying on top of her and all you can feel is her breasts pushed up against your chest.

Oh yeah. He was a real boy scout.

Her tiny body was shivering beneath him and he did everything he could to just lay still and warm her. Of course, there was one (very insistent) part of his body that was not quite on board with the “lay still” plan. His jeans were growing tighter by the second.

Jason lay in that state of suspended animation, every tiny move she made torturing him, as the seconds passed inexorably. Finally, he felt her breath start to warm on the side of his neck. He sighed with relief of more than one variety.

Jason lifted himself off of the bed slightly so that he could look her square in the face as he asked, “Are you warm enough Kit Kat? Are you okay?”

“I thought it was you, I thought it was you, Jason,” she repeated, but this time her voice was no raspy whisper. It was as strong as it was anguished, and tears filled her eyes and slipped down the side of her face as she spoke.

Oh, dear God in Heaven. Katie was naked and crying. How was he ever going to survive this!

“Katie,” he said firmly but gently, hoping to comfort her but also to lead her back to reality, “It IS me. I am here.”

As he said this, he lifted his hand and wiped away the tears that had fallen down her face. She sucked in a shallow breath as his hand touched her cheek and then she pressed her face against his palm. His breathing quickened. He felt like he was in a dream. The next thing he knew, her lips were pressed against his.

He wasn’t sure if she kissed him first or the other way around, but that was something he could worry about later. Right now all he cared about was that they were lip to lip.

Jason trembled. It was all his aching muscles could do to hold himself above her, to hold back the floodgates of lust and passion even a little bit. Her soft lips tasted so sweet as her tongue lightly brushed against his bottom lip.

He groaned. Before he could stop himself he opened his mouth and slipped his tongue into hers, deepening the kiss to maddening levels. As his tongue moved hungrily inside her mouth, he felt her arms shaking as she ran her hands up his back.

Calling upon every ounce of will he possessed, he pulled away from her and asked, “Are you okay? You’re shaking.”

Present Day

And that was the beginning of...Jason shook his head. Never mind what that was the beginning of. He never let himself think about what happened after that.

And he certainly couldn’t afford to break his decade-long habit of not thinking about it at this particular moment, when he and Katie were locked in Aunt Wendy’s loving death grip.

--- ~ ---

“Well, I swan! It's a little piece of heaven to see you two out here visitin' in the yard. Just like the old days. Have you two youngins had a chance to catch up?”

Aunt Wendy chattered happily as she released them both from her hold. Even though Aunt Wendy had grown up in Harper's Crossing and lived there most of her adult life, she had spent 6 months living with a boyfriend in Alabama when she was in her early twenties, and still liked to pepper her speech with Southernisms – especially when she was happy or excited.

“Actually I just got here...like, literally two minutes ago...so no...not really, no,” Katie could still feel the flush heating her face, and heard herself babbling. Luckily, Aunt Wendy didn't really seem to notice.

“Well, Mr. Sloan, have you ever seen any girl as beautiful as my Buttercup?” Aunt Wendy asked as she looked at Katie, her eyes shining with pride and love.

Katie leaned her head against Aunt Wendy's shoulder, feeling safe and warm as she listened to her speak. Unlike Kit Kat, a nickname she hated with a passion, Buttercup was something that Katie loved to be called. It made her feel special and cherished. Her Aunt Wendy had been calling her that for as long as she could remember.

As a little girl, Katie had been obsessed with the movie The Princess Bride. Aunt Wendy had thought that, with Katie's long and flowing blonde hair, she looked a lot like the princess in the movie, whose name was Buttercup.

“No, I can honestly say I have not,” Jason said, his eyes boring into hers with a complicated intensity. She knew that she saw desire in those eyes, as well as something else she couldn't quite identify. She felt her cheeks start to flush again, and shook her head to clear it.

Down girl, she admonished herself. You need to lock that kind of thinking down before it gets out of control!

Just as Katie was beginning to fear that she could not take one more second of the heat of Jason’s intense gaze on her she was saved by the bell. Well...a horn, actually.

Katie turned her head to see Sophie and Bobby pulling up in the driveway of Sophie’s house, next door to Katie’s. All thoughts of Jason and of angst were gone as Sophie burst out of the car before it even came to a full and complete stop. Her wild enthusiasm brought a laugh of pure joy bubbling up from Katie, and she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so happy. Or so loved.

Sophie ran up to Katie at full speed and threw her arms around her.

Katie's eyes filled with tears as she returned the embrace. Even though Sophie was now a full grown woman who stood a good two inches taller than her, when Katie saw her flying across the yard with her wide open smile and her honey blonde hair bouncing around her face, all Katie had seen was the four year-old little girl who used to follow her around like a shadow, and who she used to dress up like a doll.

“I am soooo happy that you are finally here!” Sophie squealed as she pulled back from Katie, cheeks flushed. Katie smiled. This picture was only enhancing her view of Sophie as the adorable little moppet that she used to be.

Sophie turned excitedly to the handsome, solemn young man who had been steadily following in her tornado-like path from the car. She exclaimed, “Bobby can you believe it? Everyone is here now! Let the wedding festivities begin! Woo Hoo!”

Katie had to give herself a little shake as she took in the sight of, not only a grown-up Sophie before her, but a grown-up Bobby, as well.

Bobby Sloan, Jr. was Jason’s youngest brother. The last of the famous Sloan Boys.

Of course, the Sloan Boys weren't famous anywhere but in Harper's Crossing. But in Harper's Crossing? They were nothing short of legend.

There were five boys in the Sloan family. Seth, Riley, Jason, Alex and the youngest, Bobby. Katie had always teased Jason about having “middle child” syndrome – always trying to do crazy things because he craved attention.

Seth and Riley had left for the military as soon as they had graduated high school, so Katie didn't know them that well – although she knew all the stories about them well enough! One thing that had become even more obvious now that both men were adults was that Bobby was just about the spitting image of Seth. Physically, they were the only two of the boys with striking jet black hair and green eyes. Coupled with smooth, pale skin, these features made them seem like movie stars from another, more elegant, age.

But it was more than just their outward appearance that made Katie group Seth and Bobby together among the Sloan Boys. They had the same manner about them. They were both quiet observers, always taking in their surroundings, always making unseen connections and observations. When you looked into the eyes of either Seth or Bobby, you could practically see the wheels turning. Katie had always thought of them as the “brooding bookends” of the Sloan boys.

Come to think of it, Katie wasn't sure that she had ever heard Bobby speak more than 10 words in her entire life. He'd always just been there – nice, reserved, and quiet.

It was hard for Katie to think of the taciturn Bobby and the effervescent Sophiebell together. Talk about polar opposites! But when it came down to it, she guessed that it was true what they always said – opposites attract.

Bobby raised a hand in greeting and smiled a smile that reached all the way to his expressive green eyes. “It’s good to see you, Katie” he said warmly, and when he spoke, Katie got a shock! His rich baritone voice was one of the deepest she had ever heard.

She felt her mouth fall open as her hand flew to her chest. She laughed involuntarily and exclaimed, “Holy smokes, kid! You have certainly grown up!”

She reached up to give him a hug and heard Jason clear his throat in irritation as Bobby's arms encircled her.

“Okay, okay, enough with the hugging. Everybody knows everybody, everybody looks good or older or fill in the blank. Don’t we have some meeting or something to get to?”

Jeez, grouchy much?

Jason sounded more annoyed than Katie had ever heard him, and when she glanced over to where Aunt Wendy and Sophiebell were standing to see if they had taken note of his reaction, she saw them exchanging conspiratorial little grins.

Hmmmm...

Wonder what that's about?

But Katie didn't have an opportunity to pursue it further, because as soon as Sophie took note of the puzzled look she was throwing them and the fact that she was about to open her mouth to say something, she jumped in to fill the silence.

“Right, right,” Sophie agreed crisply, suddenly sounding very mature and adult. “Okay, Aunt Wendy did you bring the notebook?”

Katie could barely stand how cute it was to hear Sophie sounding so businesslike and efficient!

“I sure did,” Aunt Wendy confirmed proudly, “What kind of dog-gone wedding planner would I be if I didn’t have the wedding planning notebook?”

“You're a wedding planner?” Katie burst out. She tried to keep the shock out of her tone. She had been raised to show respect for her elders. But, regardless of how successful she may be at not expressing the shock, there was nothing she could do to keep from feeling it.

It wasn’t just that organization was NOT, shall we say, one of Aunt Wendy’s strong suits. She had also never been married and was not what you would call a ‘romantic.’ In fact, she was such a pragmatist that she had often been known to refer to romanticism as “hogwash” - not what Katie would think of as the seeds from which a wedding planner would one day sprout!

“Well, yes, Buttercup. Don’t you read my blog?” Aunt Wendy asked, sounding a little hurt.

Ouch. Busted.

She could try to explain that the life of an associate on the partner track didn't leave a whole lot of time for perusing web journals, but somehow she didn't think that would ease her aunt's hurt feelings. So instead, she shared a lesser truth – which was still no less valid just because it wasn't the main reason – that she thought would be something which would be more meaningful to Aunt Wendy.

“Well, I try Aunt Wendy,” said Katie with all the sincerity she could muster, “It's just really hard because I miss you and Mom so much! When I read it, I just…I get really emotional.”

Sharing this small vulnerability had the desired effect of distracting Wendy from her own hurt feelings entirely and focusing her energy elsewhere.

“Oh my poor little Buttercup-girl, all alone in California! It must be so lonely for you, out there with no family around.

“Well, don’t you worry your pretty little head, darlin'. I am gonna get you all caught up on what’s new with me and every other living soul in Harper's Crossing while you’re here!” Aunt Wendy said as she slammed the trunk of Katie’s rental car. Katie had no doubt that her aunt would keep that promise.

Aunt Wendy continued her speech, “But as for right now, let's put a pin in that. Romeo is right. We need to get inside and nail down the nitty gritty of this here shindig!”

Katie smiled at her aunt's vernacular. When Katie was little, she had asked her aunt why she talked like that even though she'd only lived in Alabama for a few months, and Aunt Wendy had just shrugged phlegmatically and said, “It stuck.”

“I haven’t even brought my bags into the house yet,” Katie pointed out, gesturing to the suitcase still sitting beside the car. She wanted to buy a little time. All these people, all this emotion, all these changes. All this Jason. She suddenly felt very overwhelmed. She needed a moment to regroup.

Well, let’s be honest, she needed more than a
moment
, but she wasn’t greedy. She would take what she would get.

“Okay Buttercup, you go put your things inside and we’ll meet you next door after you get settled,” Aunt Wendy said briskly, in full “wedding planner” mode.

“Great,” Katie said gratefully.

“Romeo here will help you with your bags,” Aunt Wendy continued, patting Jason's chest as she walked past him.

“No! No, that’s okay, I’ve got it. Really!” Katie said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. But, it was too late. Sophie, Bobby and Aunt Wendy were already half way across the yard that separated Katie's house from the Hunters', and they were deep in wedding-related conversation.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me,” Jason said smugly, with an oh-so-very-pleased-with-himself smirk on his face.

Not knowing what else to do, Katie grabbed her suitcases and popped open her trunk. She threw her luggage inside unceremoniously and said faux-brightly, “I can get settled in later.”