Hometown Love (17 page)

Mack clenched his jaw and looked back at Grace’s smiling face. Yes, he’d stay focused on his daughter and ignore everything else until the song ended.

“That was fun.” Grace held his hand as they walked back to their table and Mack relaxed his jaw when he spotted Jake and Jessie seated with Charlie and Sean. Then, when they got within speaking distance, Grace rushed forward. “Did you see me dancing, Jessie?”

The soft motherly smile she used with Grace formed on Jessie’s face. He already realized how much Jessie cared about his daughter, but that smile drove home just how perfect she was for both of them. “I did. You looked beautiful.”

Grace’s face lit up. “I want to dance with Daddy again.”

“Don’t forget you owe me a dance, too,” Jake said before looking in his direction. “Assuming it’s okay with you.”

Under normal circumstances if a stranger ever asked to dance with his daughter, he’d cart the guy off in handcuffs, but since both Jessie and Sean considered the guy a friend, he’d allow it. “Go for it. I’m warning you, though, she likes dips.”

“Thanks for the heads’ up.” Grace and Jake disappeared onto the dance floor while Jessie and Charlie went back to their conversation. Before Mack could start anything with Sean, Mia appeared, and the two walked off together. Left as the third wheel at the table, he zoned out and watched Grace, who had suddenly become the envy of every unmarried female on the dance floor.

“I still can’t picture him with a baby. Is he hoping for a girl or a boy?” Jessie’s mention of a baby caught his attention.

“You didn’t see him with his nephew a few weeks ago.” He saw both woman glance toward Jake and his daughter.

“He says he doesn’t care which and I believe him.”

The pieces of their conversation came together in his head. “Congratulations. You didn’t tell me Charlie was pregnant.”

Two sets of eyes turned toward him. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure she wanted me telling anyone.”

“We just started telling people, Mack.”

The two women went back to discussing Jake and how well he’d handled his nephew, leaving Mack to once again zone out. This time, rather than wandering aimlessly, his mind drifted toward children.

He’d become a father a little earlier than planned. When he and Bethany married, they’d decided to wait before starting a family. Bethany had wanted to wait six years before starting and she’d only wanted one or two children. He’d agreed, assuming she’d change her mind and want to start a family after a year or so. Nature had had its own plans, however, and three months after getting married, they learned Grace was on the way. From that point forward, their relationship had begun to change.

After Grace’s first birthday, he’d brought up trying for a second baby. Bethany had flipped out and they’d never discussed it again as their relationship deteriorated further. Since the divorce, he’d accepted that Grace would remain an only child. The more he saw Jessie with Grace, though, the more he wondered if he’d been wrong. Judging by the way she treated his daughter, he knew she’d make a great mother. Did she want children? She’d never given any indication either way, but his instincts told him she did. A mental image of her holding their baby while she sat and read to Grace warmed his soul.

“What do you think is the hardest part about having a newborn in the house, Mack?” Charlie’s question invaded his peaceful image and tugged him back to the present.

***

When he’d asked her to spend the night, he’d assumed her answer could go either way. After her soul-bearing confession, he’d decided to give Jessie control over how fast their relationship progressed. Under no circumstances did he want to make her uncomfortable—or worse—scare her away. He hoped his actions the Sunday she’d spent the night and he’d only held her while she slept, as well as his actions since then, demonstrated that he didn’t expect anything she wasn’t ready to give. Since she’d agreed to spend the night again, he assumed his strategy was working.

Jessie unlocked her apartment door. “Mrs. O’Brien, I mean Mrs. Larson, looked so happy today.” She switched on the lights. “It’s sounds weird to call her Mrs. Larson. She’s been Mrs. O’Brien my entire life.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Let me change and grab a few things, then we can go.” Jessie went into her bedroom, leaving Mack alone.

She’d told him she’d moved in the previous winter. It had been her final step before leaving therapy for good. Judging by the looks of it, she’d turned the small apartment into her own warm and inviting space, a place that showcased her personality and welcomed visitors.

“I’m shocked Grace’s dress survived the entire day.” She re-entered the living room as she spoke.

Mack looked away from the family pictures Jessie had on a table. She’d changed from her dress into dark gray leggings and a long, fitted sweater. “She does love it. I told her we could talk about wearing it to school after the wedding.”

“Sounds fair. I’m all set if you are.”

“One thing first.” He crossed the room and pulled her close. In response, Jessie opened her mouth as if to speak, but he didn’t give her the opportunity. Bringing his mouth down on hers, he made love to her mouth, his tongue mating with hers. Kissing her like this had invaded his thoughts all day, anticipation building inside him. Now, alone with her, he let the desire loose, drinking his full as he held her close, throwing more fuel on the constant desire humming in his body.

Her lips left his, her breathing rapid. Rather than say anything, she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, her heartbeat thumping against his chest.

“I’ve wanted to do that all day.” His voice came out ragged. “I wanted to thank you, too.”

When she looked up at him, he brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. “For all your help. Grace is crazy about you. After your shopping trip for that dress, all she could talk about was you and how much fun you had together. You really are great with her.”

Jessie’s lips titled upward in a smile and then she looked down at the floor. “I had just as much fun. When you told me she was spending the night with your parents, I was a little disappointed. I enjoy movie night with you two.”

“Next weekend, after Grace’s birthday party we’ll all watch a movie together.” Mack released her and grabbed the bag she’d dropped to the floor when he’d pulled her into his arms.

Without missing a step, Jessie followed him toward the door, switching off the apartment lights along the way. “I still need to get her a birthday present. Every time I settle on one thing, I think of something else and change my mind.”

He preceded her down the stairs. He’d already decided on his own present for Grace and now was as good a time as any to present his idea to Jessie. “Before you do that, I have an idea.” He’d wrestled with the decision, but in the end, after a conversation with his daughter, he’d decided to go with his gut on this one. “Grace has been asking for a while to go to the theme parks in Florida, so this year I’m going to surprise her with a week there. Come with us. That can be your present to her. We can get adjoining rooms or maybe one of those family suites with more than one bedroom.”

The footsteps behind him stopped. “She’ll want to do that just with you.”

He retraced his steps up to the landing where she’d stopped. “I already asked her how she’d feel if you came on vacation with us sometime. She loved the idea.”

“A vacation sometime maybe, but what you’re talking about isn’t just some vacation.”

Mack touched her cheek. “She won’t see it that way. To her, it’ll be a vacation to somewhere she’s been dying to visit… with the two of us.”

Jessie took a deep breath then released it. Maybe he should have waited to ask her. At the time, it hadn’t seemed like a bad idea, but then again, he didn’t want her to feel pressured into anything. “I don’t need an answer tonight.”

“Are you sure she won’t mind? It does sound like fun. I’ve never been to Florida.” She slipped her hand into his.

They resumed their walk down the stairs. “I wouldn’t have asked if I thought she’d mind.”

She remained silent as they exited her building. Outside, the temperature had dropped. Although it had stayed in the sixties much of the day, now a cool breeze blew, and he figured the first thing he’d do when they got to his place was start a fire.

“Okay, but under one condition.” He opened the car door, but she remained outside. “I help pay for the trip. I don’t want you covering everything.”

“You got it.”

She played with her silver ring while Mack discussed his own memories from the last time he’d visited Florida as a teenager. She’d never gone herself. With her dad on the road so much and her grandparents busy with the hardware store, long family vacations had never happened. Yet, while she found Mack’s memories entertaining, she thought about the night ahead. She hadn’t announced it, but she had decided tonight they’d take their intimacy to the next level. And while her body zinged with anticipation at finally satisfying the aching need that plagued it, a kernel of worry remained in her head. What if he found their lovemaking a disappointment? She didn’t have a lot of experience. What if he saw her naked and decided he wanted someone more like his ex-wife? She knew Bethany had done some modeling in college, and even after having a child, she looked fantastic.

“So I thought we could go to Florida between Thanksgiving and the holiday break. I’d prefer over the break but Grace is scheduled to spend part of it with Bethany.”

Jessie dropped her purse onto Mack’s kitchen counter. “Sounds like a good time to go.” She heard the kitchen door into the garage squeak as it closed.

“Good. I’ll make reservations this week.” He took the overnight bag she held. “I need to change. Be right back.” He gave her a peck on the cheek and headed out of the room.

Images of Mack in various states of undress formed thanks to his comment, each one increasing her body temperature. “Do you need any help?” she asked before she lost her nerve. The old Jessica, the woman she’d been a few years ago, never would’ve said such a thing. But that woman no longer existed. Tonight, even if it killed her, she planned to prove that to both Mack and herself.

Mack stopped dead and turned around. “I’d like nothing better.”

Like the one time she’d tried singing karaoke, her stomach hit the floor as she crossed the room, but her adrenaline took over when she reached him and led him upstairs.

A soft click signaled he’d closed the door behind them, and she pulled him toward the center of the room. Her hands shook as she reached for his tie, her eyes glued to his. In silence, she undid each button, pulling the shirt from his waistband when she reached his belt. Then she pushed the material over his shoulders. The plain white undershirt he wore stretched across his chest, the material unable to hide the strong muscles it covered.

Before she did anything else, Mack grabbed the shirt bottom and pulled it over his head revealing the strong chest and washboard stomach she’d seen only briefly before. Like a magnet attracted to metal, her hands landed on his pecs and traveled downward. When she hit his belt buckle, she reversed her course, stopping when she felt his heartbeat under her hand.

Her gaze roamed across his upper torso one more time before she looked down at his belt buckle. 
The point of no return
.

As she slipped the leather from the buckle, another jolt of excitement rocked her body. There was no mistaking the hard ridge behind his zipper when she pulled it down, and her self-confidence increased ten-fold.

Left in nothing but his boxer briefs, Mack remained still, his hands by his sides, and Jessie took the opportunity presented to her. Her eyes wandered everywhere. Then her hands joined in.

“That made getting undressed much easier. Do I get to repay the favor?” His voice simmered with the same passion that overwhelmed her.

She almost nodded yes, but stopped herself. Tonight, she wanted all the control in her hands. If she allowed Mack to undress her, she’d be handing over some of that control. Not much, but some and that was something the old Jessica would do. She’d worked hard to get rid of the person she’d become with Jeremy and taking control tonight with Mack would put the final nail in old Jessica’s coffin.

“Not tonight.” Jessie kicked off the ballet flats she’d slipped on. Grabbing the bottom of her sweater, she paused and rode the wave of apprehension that swept through her. 
He loves me.

Grabbing onto her self-confidence, she pulled the sweater over her head. 
Please don’t let me blush.
Although her instincts said to pull her sweater back on, she tossed it away and reached for the waistband of her leggings. With slow movements, she slid them down; all the while her gaze was focused on Mack’s chest. When she tossed them away as well, she stood up straight, her hands clasped behind her back, nails digging into her palms.

She watched Mack’s hand stroke her shoulder and then continue down her arm. When he took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, she looked at his face. The heat in his gaze made her entire body tingle. Then his eyes left hers and raked over her body, the simple action making her ache for his touch.

After he completed his inspection, he met her eyes again. “Christ, you’re sexy. I can’t wait to be inside you.”