Returning Pride (10 page)

Why would he want to move? Allison was bent over him, his head was damn near in her lap. He was as close as he’d ever gotten to her perfect breasts. He could even see them rise and fall when she talked to someone, he presumed Aaron, by the look of his brother-in-law’s guilty face. Then she turned her attention back to him and he had to quickly move his eyes up from her silky white mounds to her rosy lips.

She smelled as good as she looked. Damn! Now he needed a cold shower.

She said something to him, but to be honest, he was so focused on when her tongue had darted out and licked those perfect lips, he hadn’t paid attention.

“
I’m sorry, can you repeat that? I couldn’t quite tell what the three of you were saying,” he said with a smile. He meant it to be a joke, but she pushed him into a sitting position and signed, “That’s it, I’m driving you home. And before you argue with me, I saw your motorcycle out there. If you think I’m going to let you ride that death trap home with a head bump like that, you had better think again.”

He wasn’t going to argue. Actually, he wasn’t even going to point out that Aaron, who was standing five feet away laughing, lived just down the road from him. A nice, slow drive home with Allison sounded just right.

“See you tomorrow,” Aaron signed to him. He could tell he’d wanted to say more, but the look Allison gave him made him turn around and quickly walk away with the rest of the guys. He was positive they were all laughing at him. He didn’t care, as long as there was a possibility of seeing her stand in the sunlight again.

“
What ever happened to playing basketball by the rules?” she signed after she helped him stand up. “The way you were playing out there, you’re going to kill someone.”

“Were you there long?” Iian signed to her. He was getting used to her knowing sign language and enjoyed being able to add her to the mix of people he could converse with.

“Yes,” she said, but then she signed “no”. She had a look in her eyes that matched the pink flush in her cheeks. She was guilty of something.

He looked down at his sweaty bare chest and teased her. “Oh, I see. You just wanted to see a bunch of grown man with their shirts off?”

“No.” She blinked a few times, but he noticed her eyes went back to his chest quickly. “I had a meeting with Mr. Andrews, the director of the Boys and Girls Club. Then I heard the game and wandered down this way.” She quickly started walking towards the double doors that led outside.

Catching up with her he signed, “Hang on a minute, let me grab my bag and shirt,” as he pointed towards the bleachers. “You are going to take me home still?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” she signed, and waited as he walked across the court and retrieved his things.

She breathed a sigh of longing as he slipped on his shirt. It was such a shame to cover such a perfect chest and arms. Of the four men who were shirtless on the court, it was his chest that had been the one her eyes zeroed in on. Zeroed and remained on until he had been knocked silly by his brother-in-law.

Reverting her eyes to his face, she tried to give him a casual smile.

Had she really agreed to drive him home? What was she thinking? She wasn’t thinking. How could she think when he had looked up at her with those silvery eyes. The rest of his face didn’t help focus her mind either. His nose was straight with a tiny jump at the end. She wanted to run her fingers down the fun slope. His jaw was strong and firm, with the slightest cleft in his chin. She wanted to play her tongue just there. All in all, Iian Jordan was a very nice package. She knew how big of a player he was in the past and had avoided anything more than just a friendship with him. She didn’t even know what he really thought of her. Maybe he saw her as a sister? He’d kissed her a few times and the last few kisses had given her cause to think that he wasn’t thinking of her in the sisterly way. She was still trying to figure him out on the drive to his house.

Lacey and Todd had always treated her and Abby like their little sisters, especially since Lacey had spent three years babysitting the two of them. She remembers Iian having to tag along several times when his dad and Todd had been overseas on a trip.

As they drove to his house in a silent car with him sitting next to her, she kept trying to sneak peaks out of the corner of her eyes. He had an even better side profile.

Iian enjoyed the drive home. Since he wasn’t driving, he spent most of the time looking at Allison. In the gym he saw something in her eyes. He was sure when he’d first looked at her it was concern, but then it had quickly turned to something more. He thought it might have been arousal.

One of the very first things he noticed about her back in the first grade was her hair. Back then it had been a lot longer. Her mother had always kept Abby’s and Allison’s hair long when they were younger. Somewhere in middle school, the girls had gained some freedom and both had chopped their hair short. Iian remembers feeling depressed the whole month after Ally had cut her’s to just above her shoulders.

In junior high she had let it grow out again and it reached to the middle of her back. Now it was just below her shoulders and he thought the style suited her best. Most of the time when he saw her, she had it up in a braid or a pony tail. Today she wore it down and a little curly. He liked it best when it had a little curl to it. He thought it would be just as soft as it looked. His hands itched to reach across the seat and touch it, but he kept them tucked by his side instead.

Finally, they reached his place. The house sat like a beacon in the night. Every light had been left on downstairs.

“
Having a party?” she signed after stopping her car in front of his door and shutting the engine off.

“No. I guess the carpet guys left all the lights on. They had to finish a few things after installing my new carpet the other day.”

“Oh, you got new carpet?” She asked.

“Just upstairs in all the bedrooms. I’ve just remodeled them. Would you like to come in and see?” he asked, hoping she would. Anything to get to stay in her company longer.

“No, I’d better get back to my mom. I don’t like to leave her for long. Mrs. Evans keeps an eye on her, but I’ve been gone almost three hours.” She chewed her bottom lip.

“What was the meeting with Bob about?” he asked, deciding to change the subject off her mother and the stress it was obviously causing her.

“
Who?” she asked, trying to take her eyes off his hands as he signed. He had large strong hands.

“Bob Andrews, the director of the Boys and Girls Club. You did say you had a meeting with him, right?”

“Oh, yes. Well, I’ve been teaching an art class at school and I was looking into renting one of the class rooms so I could add a summer program there.”

“You’re going to teach at the Boys and Girls Club?” He sat up a little straighter.

“I’m thinking about it.” She looked at him and he could tell that he had the funniest look on his face. “Okay, tell me what gives. What’s that face for?”

How could he tell her he was having one of those fantasies about her in a tight black skirt, a shear white top with the buttons loose, her hair up in a bun and sexy teacher glasses on. Damn! He really needed that cold shower.

“I. I…” could he really stutter using sign language? “I think it’s great! I think the kids would enjoy having you as a teacher for the summer.”

“Really? I’ve enjoyed teaching so far. I think a summer class would be fun.”

“What about your art? Your career?”

“No matter where I am, what I’m doing, I will always paint and draw. To be honest,” she turned her whole body and faced him, “I’d sort of lost my desire to paint in California. Then just last week, I started to paint again. I took up the brush and wonderful things came to me. I’m glad I’m out of California. Oh, I enjoyed it for a while. But I started missing the relaxation of home. Now that my mom requires so much of my time, I don’t think I could ever leave again.”

He saw the sadness in her eyes. “You know you have a whole town that’s not only able, but willing, to watch out for your mother.”

“Oh, I don’t look at her as a burden. It’s just I thought I would have made it to Paris once in my life. Before I left California, I actually put in an application to attend school there.” She was starting to feel down and lost.

“Paris?” He had never been, but both his brother and sister had been there. Actually, Todd and Megan owned a small chateau just outside of the city. Megan had inherited it after her brother Matt had passed away.

She smiled over at him and continued. “You must think I’m some silly schoolgirl talking about my dreams.”

“School girl? I thought I was talking to the new art teacher?” He smiled at her.

“Yes, yes, you are. Thank you, Iian. Talking to you has helped me.” She leaned over and aimed for placing a casual kiss on his cheek. She had misjudged and the kiss ended up half on his cheek and half on his lips.

He tensed, then pulled her into his arms and his mouth was on hers.

Not only was this the longest conversation he’s had with a woman who wasn’t his sister, in ten years, it was a conversation he was whole-heartily involved in. He really cared what she wanted in life. He had gone years without knowing she could paint and draw like she did. He was getting to know more and more about her dreams and wishes and he wanted to keep learning.

Taking his time with the kiss, he decided it was time he showed her that he was interested in her. And the best way of doing that was pulling her into his lap, right there in her car in front of his house.

She tasted like strawberries. Okay! He knew how cliche that sounded, but she did. Pulling back, he looked into her unfocused eyes.

“Strawberries?”

“
Mmm.” She ran her tongue over her lips and shook her head and smiled. “Lip gloss.”

Pulling his head back to hers, he took the kiss deeper.

She reached under his shirt and played her fingers over his muscles, running her mouth down his neck.

He fought to stay in control. Hell! He’d gotten so hard when he’d pulled her onto his lap, his eyes had teared up. As she played her long fingers over his damp skin, he was minutes away from dragging her in the back seat of her car and taking her right there.

Then she pulled back quickly.