| |
Lisa had a doctor’s appointment. Lance accompanied her. Perhaps it was naïve of him to believe she would let go of him easily but even if she was determined to be difficult, he couldn’t help but support her in this time of need. After her weekly check-up, he drove her back home.
“Thanks, Lance.”
“No problem,” he muttered as he held the door open, so she could step out. “I’m glad all is well.”
“Yeah.” She stared into his eyes.
He didn’t quite meet her gaze. They didn’t have much to say to each other and there wasn’t any point repeating the old stuff.
“I’m sorry that you’ve been dragged into this.”
Yeah. This should have been done by the jerk who fathered your baby!
Lance wouldn’t say this aloud, though.
She’s pregnant and emotional and he didn’t want to intensify her worry. Lisa could be self-absorbed and even selfish to a degree, but she had a kind heart. In all the years they were married, she never intentionally caused him any hurt—until now
“I’m going out,” he declared.
A look of disappointment reflected in her eyes.
Lance recognized her mood all too well. If he stayed in the house, they would end up discussing the same thing that was hashed and rehashed a hundred times since he came home.
She wanted him back.
He wanted out of the marriage.
Lisa brought this on herself. He would’ve been a good husband if she hadn’t betrayed him. Now, he was only determined to be a good friend. Sooner or later, she would have to accept what he offered and get everything else off the table.
After she walked inside, he backed the car out again and drove off. Actually, he didn’t have any plans. All he wanted was to get away for a while and forget about the problems he’d become mired in. Without really meaning to or with any conscious intention, he ended up outside Jenna’s house.
Lance parked the car and debated his next move. His heart wouldn’t allow him to move away. After getting out of the car, he locked it and then strode towards the main door. He rang the bell.
Jenna opened it. A line of grease ran over her right cheek and she held a bottle of oven cleaner in one hand. Her eyes widened.
He enjoyed seeing the play of emotions on her face. Pleasure followed closely by caution. “Hi. I was cleaning the oven.”
“Yeah. I can see that.” He reached with his hand and wiped the grease from her face. Her smooth, velvety skin felt cool to the touch. An electric current zinged up his arm at the brief contact. “That’s better.”
Her tongue darted out to touch her lips. “Thanks.”
Seeing that she didn’t move, he shifted on his feet. “May I come inside?”
She glanced back as if she expected the police to come striding in and arrest her for letting him in. “Actually, Jayden just went to bed. He’s reading a book, but I don’t want him to...”
He understood her dilemma and didn’t want to add to it, but he needed to see her, talk to her for a bit to clear his own mind. “Why don’t you come outside? I’ll leave in a while.”
The struggle was all too obvious on her face. “Sure. Give me a minute.”
He strolled out of the gate.
True to her word, she strode out after two minutes. Hugging her coat close to her body, she joined him out on the pavement.
“It’s a beautiful day,” he said.
She chuckled. “You came all this way to tell me that?”
What the hell did he come here for? All he’d wanted to do was to take a look at her face and feast his eyes on the glow that emitted from her. Her mere presence eased his pain. She’d become the ray of hope in his otherwise bleak life. With each passing day, he was becoming more and more despondent about his situation with Lisa. She refused to budge from her stand, and he couldn’t give in. Saying no constantly took its toll on his mental health. “Actually, I just wanted to see you,” he admitted. The time for games was gone. Jenna is the one. He knew that, but how could he start something new when his troubles were not over yet? “It’s...” He shifted his gaze to the red oak tree that stood in her garden. On its barren branches was a nest. If there were ever a strong wind, it would probably drop to the ground. He felt pretty much the same.
Until now, he hung as bravely as he could.
Her hand crept to his arm. “Is everything all right? How’s Lisa?”
“She is—I’ve asked for a divorce.”
“Oh.” Her lips parted. “I’m sorry. This must be hard for you.”
“It’s hard, yes,” he admitted. “But more so because she’s—going through some stress right now.”
“The end of a relationship is painful for both spouses.”
“It’s more than that.” Lance ran a hand through his hair. How could he tell her that his wife was pregnant with another man’s child? The words got stuck in his throat every time he tried to say them. He needed to tell Jenna. She deserved to know because she was the only woman in his life right now and he wanted to share this news with her. But somehow, saying it would make it more real than it was now.
Saying it would somehow fling mud on Lisa...and on him.
Jenna shivered a little as the cold wind blew through.
He clasped her hand in his. She’d forgotten to wear gloves. Her fingers were cold, icily so. As he gazed into her eyes, Lance forgot why he’d come here. He forgot he had problems he needed to sort through. He forgot there were many obstacles blocking his path. His head bent to kiss her.
Her sigh was short-lived. She clung to him, their bodies pressed together while the wind blew around them, cold and frigid. Lance was burning with need. Her arms curled around his neck as if she couldn’t bear to part from him. Their lips were fused together. He flicked his tongue out, running it over her plump lips and she opened her mouth. Lance deepened the kiss, tasting her sweet mouth without abandon. He’d forgotten what it felt like to hold a warm, loving woman in his arms. How joyful it felt to dance his tongue with someone who actually cared about him.
He should stop. She isn’t ready and neither am I. But the desire that glided through his frazzled nerves and veins gripped him in thick bands. He couldn’t let go. A red-hot haze enveloped his mind, sucking away his thoughts until all he could feel and sense were her lips on his and her tongue in his mouth. Wild sensations coated with bright desire, careened through each fiber of his body. Her fingers speared through his hair, and gripped it as if she couldn’t bear to let go. Her breath felt hot against his mouth and he could feel the quiver in her muscles as she stood next to him.
Was it because of the cold or...because of the kiss?
His hands slid up her arms and locked behind her arms as he devoured and ravished her mouth. The scent of her, the touch, felt like a life-giving drug that spun through his system.
He wanted more...He wanted this forever.
But it was too early to say those words.
The gate crashed behind them and they both jumped apart as if they were caught stealing.
Lance’s gaze took in the rage that stormed within Jayden’s eyes. He vibrated with anger, his dark eyes fixed on his mother, accusing, hurting.
Shit!
He shouldn’t have come here. Lance never intended to cause Jayden any pain. But also, he couldn’t let her go just because Jayden was still too young to understand the depth of true love.
Love?
The word took his breath away.
“You should go,” Jenna said as she walked towards her son.
He held her hand. “Let me talk to him.”
“No! Please leave.” She shook her hand free and rushed towards Jayden. “Listen, baby—”
“You lied to me,” the boy accused. “You lied.” With a sob, he ran inside.
Jenna followed him. At the gate, she turned. “I love him a lot, Lance. He has to come first.”
He nodded.
She marched inside. Of course, her son came first, but did that mean that there was no place in her life for him? If it came to making a choice between them, he would expect—no, demand—that she placed Jayden ahead of him. With the kind of mother she was, the woman she was, she would do it without a thought. But he also wanted a tiny bit of space.
And he loved her.
The realization floored him. It became more potent than a drug, more powerful than a tornado as it rushed through his mind faster and harder while he tried to come to grips with his thoughts. He loved Jenna. Lance played around with the idea, repeated it in his mind and swirled it around until it began to make more sense.
Of course, I love her. Why didn’t he see it straight away?
Now, since he knew it was true, what did he intend to do about it?