“KATE, ARE YOU OKAY?” Jake asked, after she’d checked her watch for the third time in under two minutes.
“The boys don’t usually take this long at the store.” She turned in the lounge chair and glanced toward the house.
“I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I know I worry too much.”
Jake understood how she felt. “It’s a lot harder when you’ve lost someone close to you. It makes it more real.”
Cringing at the note of sadness in his voice, he forced a smile. That didn’t seem to fool her, if her questioning stare was anything to go by. He turned away before she could ask any questions.
“You ready for coffee or would you prefer something else?”
He ran fingers through his hair. What he needed was a shot of whiskey. “Do you have any beer?”
“Beer? Oh, that’s right. The drinking age is twenty-one.”
Jake stopped scratching his head. What the hell did the drinking age have to do with her having beer? “Yeah, so?”
“Just checking. I’m sorry. I don’t have any.”
He rose from his chair. “I’ll go home and get one.”
“I have wine, iced tea, and soda. There’s no need to leave.”
“No biggie. I’ll just hop the fence.”
In one fluid motion, he scaled the four foot wooden fence, feeling Kate’s eyes on him. He glanced over his shoulder. She stared, her tongue sweeping over her lower lip. Jake’s cock jumped to attention. God, to feel that tongue on him.
As if realizing she was ogling, Kate offered a small wave and hurried inside.
Adjusting his shorts, Jake gingerly entered his house. He rushed over to the fridge and grabbed a beer, running the cool bottle over his face. His heart pounded against his ribs. Not working. Undoinghis zipper, he shoved the cold bottle into his shorts. The sudden temperature change had the desired effect. If he kept this up, he was going to need some ‘alone time’ real soon.
Jake waited until his shorts hung a little looser before heading back over the fence. Kate and the boys walked out with dessert.
“Oh, good, perfect timing. I hope you like ice cream—look who I’m asking.” Kate handed over a cone. “Of course you do. You like anything sweet.”
Taking it from her, he wiggled his eyebrows. “What can I say? I have a sweet tooth.”
He sat down on the lounge and licked his dessert. The smooth, creamy vanilla slid down his throat. “Mm, this is good.”
“Isn’t it? It was already semi-soft by the time the boys got home.”
Semi-soft. If only.
Jake almost dropped the ice cream in his lap as Kate closed her eyes and ran her tongue across the side of the cone, savoring every drop.
She licked her lips and went for another taste. He never saw anyone make love to ice cream before, but that’s exactly how she ate it; as if it were a sexual experience.
Swallowing hard, Jake imagined again what she could do with that tongue, how she would catch his eye as she ran it up the length of his cock. That dollop of ice cream at the corner of her mouth beckoned him. His body shook from suppressing the urge to lean forward and swipe that cool cream from her lips.
Cold penetrated his hand. He jerked out of his daydream as ice cream dripped over his fingers. “Oh, jeez!” He sat forward so as not to make a mess of his shorts.
“Drew, please get Dr. Harris a napkin.”
“No, I need to wash my hands.” He got to his feet.
She hopped up as well. “I’ll help.”
Jake closed his eyes and breathed in as she walked past. The sweet, refreshing scent of gardenias filled his nostrils. “Really, Kate, I think I can wash my own hands.”
“And how are you going to do that while holding a cone?”
Okay, good point. Still, did she have to talk to him like she would one of their patients?
Anger bubbled inside him as she took his dessert and tipped the cone into a bowl. He had the sudden urge to pull her close and show her how much of a man he really was, but her sons were right outside.
Not that it mattered. She would probably laugh at him and pat him on the head before sending him home because it was past his bedtime.
And that really pissed him off.
Drew opened the sliding glass door, Alex right behind him. “Gosh, it’s hot. And the friggin’ mosquitoes are coming out. Coach, you wanna play a video game?”
Kate mussed her son’s hair. “I’m sure Dr. Harris doesn’t—”
“Video games?” Jake perked up.
“On second thought, maybe that’s a good idea. You go ahead. I’ll bring in the coffee.”
The guys headed off to Drew’s room while Kate filled two mugs. She grinned as she listened to the hoots and hollers echoing from her son’s room, Jake being the most vocal.
He really did have a special way with children. Obviously her kids were not immune.
After one last wipe of the kitchen counters, she took the cups and went to join the fun.
All three sat on Drew’s bed, so intent on their game they didn’t notice her standing in the doorway.
“Ah, you beat me again!” Jake handed the controller to Alex. “Your turn and I’ll play the winner.”
“That’ll be me,” Drew boasted.
Kate leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb. “Of course you’ll win. You do nothing but play this and football.”
Alex jumped up from the bed and grabbed the coffees from her, placing them on the side table before taking her hand. “Come on, Mom. You play, too.”
“Me?” Her son dragged her into his room. “I don’t know how.”
“It’s easy,” he said.
“Yeah, come on, Kate,” Jake added. “Give it a try.”
Her oldest child sat her down next to Jake. Drew put the controller in her hand and explained the different controls.
Kate stared at the foreign object, trying to remember what each button was for. “Uh, okay.”
Jake nudged her with his elbow. “I’ll go easy on you.”
“Thanks.” She started the game determined to wipe that smug grin off his face. It took a few minutes for Kate to get the hang of it, but once she did, she was hooked.
Steering her tiny red Porsche, she swerved around the other cars and managed to force Jake’s black Camaro into the wall. “Ha!”
“Hey, that’s mean.”
“Isn’t that the way to play?”
“Yeah, but I was going easy on you.”
She maneuvered the Porsche around other cars until the game stopped and the screen flashed winner, player two. “I won?” Kate jumped to her feet and did a little dance.
Jake snorted. “Let’s play again.”
“You don’t like to lose, do you?” She sat. Ready and willing to kick his ass again.
“I don’t like to lose to a cheater.”
“I did not cheat. Did I, boys?”
Alex raised his hands and backed up. “I’m staying out of this. Hey, Drew, don’t we have that other game in my room?”
“What other game?”
Alex swatted him on the back of the head.
“Oh, that game. I think you used it last. Let’s go get it.” Drew followed his brother out the door.
Kate chuckled at her sons’ playful bickering as they climbed the stairs. Jake took full advantage of her momentary loss of concentration and pushed her car into a tree.
“Hey!”
“That’s the way you play, Kate.”
She focused hard, enjoying the rush of competition. They were neck-and-neck. Then Jake hit rogue tumbleweed and spun out just as Kate crossed the finish line.
“Yes! In your face, Harris!”
He glared at her. “You’re fired.”
“Oh, right, as if you could get along without me.” She nudged his shoulder with hers, offering a wicked grin. “C’mon, let’s play again. You know you want to.”
Jake’s eyes bored into hers. “Yeah, I want to.”
Kate’s grin melted, the air turning hot. Desperate to dampen her suddenly dry lips—she’d need a whole tube of lip balm at this rate—she quickly swiped her tongue over them.
She could tell Jake didn’t miss her attempt to do it surreptitiously by the way he pole-vaulted to his feet. “I should get going.”
Kate did the same, anxious now to get some distance from him. She exited the room, only to stop when she found her sons huddled just outside the door. “What are you doing?”
For a moment, they were speechless. Then Alex spoke. “We couldn’t find the game.”
“That’s okay. We’ll play another time,” Jake said behind her.
“You’re leaving, Coach?” Drew asked.
“Yeah, pal. I have to catch up on some reading, but I’ll see you guys soon.”
“But you can’t leave!”
“Why not?” Kate crossed her arms over her chest.
“Because…” Drew glanced at Alex, then back to her. “Because the weather report said we might get thunderstorms and you are terrified of them. Having Coach here might help distract you.”
“I am not terrified,” she responded, but she knew her loud gulpproved otherwise. “And even if I was, I have you two to keep me sane.”
She chanced a peek at Jake hoping to see a knowing grin, but his brow was furrowed.
“I could stay if you want,” he said.
“Don’t be silly. I’ll be—” Her voice cracked. Shit! “Fine.”
Before he could respond, Kate walked to the door. He followed, but he was reluctant if his slow pace was anything to go by. “I hope you had a good time.”
“I did.” Jake studied his hands and added, “I had a great time. Thanks for having me over.”
“You’re welcome. And just so we’re clear, I still work for you, right?”
He chuckled and reached for the doorknob. “Yeah, you do.”
“Jake?”
“Yes?” He turned to her.
“You can come over any time you want, you know. I don’t mind sharing my kids.”
With a wave, Jake headed down the path. He only made it halfway when he paused and spun around, his look intense. “I just might take you up on that.”