The Back-Up Plan (9 page)

“Lose the jacket.”

She leaned forward, struggling to take off her blazer in the small interior of the car. Once it was off, Jason unfastened her top two buttons and studied her.

“It’s a shame you didn’t opt for a shorter skirt this morning. You’re half glam, half librarian. Neither look really works for this place, but it will have to do.”

She grinned, amused by his description.

They walked to the bar together and Kristen tried to ignore the fact he’d claimed her hand, holding it as they entered the building. Once they got inside, she was glad for his small gesture of possessiveness. The bar was packed to the rafters with some of the toughest characters she’d ever seen, assaulting her senses with leather and tattoos and cheap perfume.

Jason seemed undeterred by the rough-looking people inside, even stopping several times to say hello to a few guys at the bar and calling them by name. They jostled their way through the crowd, and she was touched by the way he put his arm around her, tucking her close to keep her from getting knocked around too much.

Finally he found a table near the stage and pulled out her chair for her. “What do you think?”

It was clear he was in his element, happy, relaxed. She forced a smile. “This is nice.”

He laughed, calling her a liar. Then he waved for the waitress and ordered them two PBRs.

“We have to drink cheap beer?”

He winked at her then gestured around the room. “When in Rome…”

The waitress returned with two icy drafts and Kristen took a sip, surprised by how easily the beer went down. She released a long sigh, letting the stress of the past few weeks seep out.

“There you are.”

She looked at him confused until he explained. “You’ve been wrapped up tighter than a drum lately. Thought you could use a night to unwind.”

Once again, she was surprised to discover how much he noticed about her when she thought he wasn’t looking. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.”

Though she’d intended to make it seem like she was talking about work, his tired nod proved he knew exactly what she’d been struggling with. His understanding gaze told her he felt the same way.

They turned their attention to the stage as a bald guy with tattoos covering nearly ninety percent of his body took the microphone and started singing an old Garth Brooks song about “Friends in Low Places”.

The camaraderie of the patrons of the bar as they lifted their drinks and sang along was infectious and soon Kristen found herself joining in on the chorus as well. She and Jason had another round as more singers took the stage. They laughed until they cried at some of the worst acts, then marveled whenever someone with genuine talent belted out a tune.

The night passed by in a pleasant haze of music and beer and easy conversation. Kristen excused herself to go to the restroom, then groaned when she returned to find Jason with the song catalog in his hands. “Ready to sing?”

“Hell no.”

He ignored her denial. As usual. “Did you ever see that movie,
Walk the Line
, about Johnny Cash?”

She tilted her head, annoyed. “I saw it with you, jackass.”

Jason grinned. “Oh yeah. I forgot that. Well, I just signed us up to sing a song from that movie.”

“No.”

“It’s perfect for us.”

She considered the songs from the soundtrack wondering which one he considered ideal. “‘Jackson’? ‘Cry Cry Cry’? ‘Ring of Fire’?”

He laughed, but didn’t answer. “You may not realize this about me, but I can really nail Johnny’s voice.”

“And I guess I’m supposed to be June? In case you’ve failed to notice, I’m lacking a Southern accent.”

“Maybe so, but you sure do look like Reese Witherspoon.”

“Oh jeez. At some point in your life you’re going to have to give up your unnatural obsession for that woman.”

“Sure thing. I’ll dump Reese the second you realize you’re not going to ride off into the sunset with vampire guy from
True Blood
.”

“Ooo, Eric. There’s no way I’ll ever give him up. And you can’t ride off into the sunset with a vampire. They burn.”

“Whatever. Come on,” Jason said, reaching out for her hand while speaking to her in a deep, Southern, and—God help her—sexy drawl. “Sing with me, June.”

She stood up, despite her better judgment. “Tell me what the song is.”

“‘It Ain’t Me Babe’.”

She laughed and agreed. It was perfect. They took the stage and grabbed their mics. “Very appropriate. Just be sure to pay attention to the words, J.”

The deejay introduced them then fired up the song. Kristen giggled when Jason started to sing, but she had to admit he had Johnny Cash’s deep voice and accent down pat. And he was actually a pretty good singer.

Once it was her turn to join in on the duet, she decided what the hell and pulled out all the stops. She twanged and twirled, hamming it up when he spun her around in true square dancing style. The crowd cheered, daring them to take their performance to even sillier heights. Kristen had never sung karaoke in her life, sure it was too ridiculous, but she could suddenly see the appeal.

As the song wound down, the audience stood, offering them the first standing ovation of the night. The deejay tried to encourage them to sing another, but Jason took her hand and pointed to the table. “Need to wet my whistle first.”

They reclaimed their chairs, laughing.

“So, what did you think?” Jason asked.

“Well, you’re no Joaquin Phoenix, but you’re not bad,” she teased.

“You blew Reese Witherspoon out of the water. I think it’s safe to say you cured me of that crush.”

The sweet compliment caught her unaware and caused a sudden warmth inside her she couldn’t recognize at first. Then she started to figure it out.

She was falling for Jason.

Kristen waited for the panic that thought should have incited, but whether it was the beer, the music or sheer exhaustion working against her, she couldn’t tell. All she knew was she wasn’t afraid of that emotion right now. Maybe she would be later, but not tonight.

Jason stood when a slow song started and the singer on the stage began to croon “Unchained Melody” every bit as beautifully as The Righteous Brothers.

He held out his hand. “Dance with me.”

She looked around the bar. “No one else is dancing.”

He shrugged. “I don’t care.”

She accepted his hand and let him lead her to an empty spot in front of the stage. Then he wrapped her in his arms and they began to sway. Soon other people followed suit, coupling up to join them on the tiny, makeshift dance floor.

“One of the top five love songs ever,” Jason murmured in her ear.

“Really? You think so? I’ve never been a big fan.”

He pulled back so he could see her face. “Are you kidding me?”

She shook her head and crinkled her nose.

“Oh man. What the hell happened to your heart, Tin Man? This is a very romantic song.”

She grinned. “God. Please tell me you’re not one of those people who goes for mushy-gushy crap like this.”

They were still holding each other and moving in time, their conversation spoken in hushed whispers. Though Jason pretended to be annoyed with her response, she could see the spark in his eye that confirmed he loved their sparring as much as she did.

“You’re in serious danger of being held in contempt of love court. You have one chance for reprieve or I’ll have to lock you up in my Audi and bombard you with romantic songs until you break.”

She feigned a shudder.

“So what song makes you melt inside?”

She pretended to consider her answer, then said, “‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’. Def Leppard.”

Jason groaned. “You wanna try again or do I need to get my car keys out?”

“Fine. I’m a Clapton fan. ‘Wonderful Tonight’.”

Jason tilted his head, clearly impressed by her answer. “That’s a good song. Why that one?”

She should have known he’d dig deeper. It didn’t matter. She knew her answer. “I guess because it’s not about new love or lust or desire. It’s about a lasting love. That feels more true to me.”

“Wow. Great answer.”

She didn’t have time to reply when he pulled her closer, the embrace becoming more hug than dance. Neither of them sought to break the connection. Instead, they held tight, swaying in place.

When the song ended, Jason let her go, leading her back to the table. Kristen missed his touch instantly.

He must have felt it too. “You wanna go?”

She nodded.

Jason settled their tab, then the two of them drove back to her townhouse in silence. As they pulled into the parking lot, Jason turned the car off, but left the battery running, the radio playing softly.

“Well,” he said.

He was waiting for an invitation inside. She knew it. But the panic she’d held at bay all night found its way to the surface, clogging her throat with pure fear.

She tried to cover it up when a song came on the radio. “I love this song.”

Jason smiled kindly. He could obviously see the nervousness she wasn’t hiding very well. “It’s one of my favorites.”

They sat in silence as the words to “Let Your Heart Hold Fast” closed in around them. It comforted her, calmed her down.

Then she turned to face him. “Jason—”

He shook his head. “It’s okay, Kris. You don’t have to ask me in.”

She leaned forward, grateful for his understanding, while hating him for it as well. Some sick, weak part of her wanted him to demand, to push for this.

“Happy birthday,” she whispered, meaning to give him a quick, platonic kiss. Those intentions flew out the window the second her lips touched his. She’d had two weeks to remember every incredible, intense moment of his first kiss in her office. The memory had consumed her, drowned her in longing.

Now she was here again and unwilling to deny herself one more taste.

Jason clasped her cheeks in his hands and she realized it wasn’t music that melted her, it was the sexy way he held her, coddled her, made her feel precious, delicate, special.

She twisted, trying to move closer, but the damn stick shift kept digging into her side. Jason must’ve noticed because he turned as well, working to move them away from the damn thing. She laughed when he banged his elbow against it.

“Something tells me it would be simpler to make out with a porcupine,” she murmured.

He gave her a crooked grin. “Let’s try something else.” He pressed lightly on her shoulder until she was in her seat once more, her head against the rest. “Lift that lever on the side of the seat and recline.”

What the hell was she doing? She was almost forty years old and making out in a car like a horny teenager. That fact was made even more ridiculous by the idea that her parent-less house was less than a hundred feet away from them.

Regardless, she did as he asked, not quite ready to make the mother of all mistakes just yet. Even so, she was dying to see what he had in mind for now.

She slid her seat back, expecting Jason to follow suit. He didn’t.

Instead he twisted in his own, studying her face. “You’re beautiful, Kris.”

She was touched by the compliment and amused by the slight sound of amazement in his voice. “You sound surprised by that.”

“I’m trying to figure out how the hell I’ve missed that detail all these years.”

Kristen couldn’t respond because he punctuated his statement by resting his hand on her knee and his fingers slipped the skirt higher.

“Open your legs.”

Oh God. They’d been here before. And like a jackass, she’d stopped him. Sadly, her powers of resistance had turned down as much as they were physically able to. She’d managed to say no to her bedroom and sex, but this. Damn, she needed this.

Jason lost no time covering the distance between her knee and her pussy. Obviously he hadn’t forgotten the last time either. He wasn’t going slow, wasn’t going to give her time to change her mind.

She grinned as his fingers stroked her pantyhose. He’d forbidden her to wear stockings, so now he’d have to deal with the mess he’d made.

He read the challenge in her eyes and, in typical Jason form, responded without hesitance. He lifted a bit of the sheer hose and ripped. Hard. “Oops.”

She started to laugh, but the sound died on her lips when he tugged her panties aside and ran his finger along the opening to her body.

She trembled as she muttered, “Fuck.”

Kristen was well aware of exactly how much moisture and heat Jason was finding. Her pussy had started tingling the moment he’d walked into her office and said they were going out. He pressed a fingertip to her clit, applying just the right amount of pressure.

She reached out and gripped his forearm tightly. Not to stop him, simply as a way of seeking some sort of support. “Holy shit. You found that on the first pass.”

He chuckled, though he shook his head as if displeased. “Who the hell have you been sleeping with? You realize that part of a woman’s body isn’t exactly hidden.”