"It's kinda late" Jensen replied. "Just after twelve"
"Oh, God" she said. She picked up the telephone off the floor and put it back on the desk. Then she searched her bag and withdrew her phone. While she called her mom to apologize for not coming back and checking on Tim, Jensen stood at the edge of her desk, glaring at her.
"I'm glad you arrived when you did. I wasn't planning on staying here for so long" she said after the ended the call and put the phone on the desk. "I was working... Was planning on delivering some cupcakes to a customer very early tomorrow morning... Or should I say this morning then.... I must have slept off when I decided to look at some paper work"
"What the hell were you thinking of to stay out here by yourself in the dark?" he asked angrily. "You are lucky it was me who came through that door"
"The door was locked, Jensen" Katherine said.
"As though that would stop anybod
She was stunned. He could tell. Her body became became as inflexible as a flagpole and she stopped breathing. He didn't let her non participation deter him, however. His tongue dipped into her moth, then withdrew, again and again.Katherine let out a strangled gasp before she raised her hands to clutch his arms. He tasted of whisky and danger. An altogether intoxicatingly adult mix. Had he been drinking? She wondered. But the thought didn't last long in her head as Jensen continued to explore her mouth.She was aware of was how hard Jensen's chest felt against hers, how it made her breasts tingle and swell against her dress. His mouth was hard and ruthless, punishing her and expertly seeking a response so that he could humiliate her some more. Katherine knew in some distant part of her brain exactly what was happening, but that part of her brain seemed to be disconnected from her body and her mouth."Kat" Jensen wishpered. As he spo
"And then I wake up... And when I do I'm scared, Jensen. Because it reminds me that he's dying. My father is dying. And there is nothing I or anyone else can do about it. I try so hard to be strong but I'm not. We are all just sitting around waiting for him to die, Jensen"Jensen moved forward then and pulled her into his arms. She clung to him and he hated that he couldn't fix this for her. But he understood. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head."Everything is going to okay soon, Kat" he said.Katherine sniffed and pulled away from him. "How?" she asked. "How is going to be play? I can't handle this. Jonathan is out there, acting like a man and trying to suck it up and mom... She's hurting. She's hurting so bad. But she's out there acting like she can control this... Like it's just one little family problem. And Tim,... how the hell do I find a way to tell my son that his grandfather is never going to get well like he
"If you are waiting for me to give you a bite of this sandwich you are going to be very disappointed, honey. I'm not sharing this with you" Jonah said and Katherine burst into laughter.Oh! This was one of the things she was going to miss about him. His sense of humor. His free and beautiful and loving soul. Katherine felt tears threaten, but she definitely wasn't going to cry right now.. And certainly not in front of him."Oh don't worry dad" she said. "You can have all of it. Maybe even more of you want"Jonah shook his head. "No. This one is enough" he said."How's Tim?" he asked."He's fine. He's at school" Katherine said. "He is worried about you. Keeps asking me every night when I tuck him if you are getting better.""I know. He asks me the same thing every time he's here" Jonah said. "It's okay, Kathy. I know you are hurting...and I know it's nothing easy for you. But I have
He never brought up the topic of them since that day at her office. She had more important things on her mind so he just focused on helping.But today, when her father was being buried. Jensen was totally stunned by Katherine's appearance that morning.Not only was she wearing a curve hugging black suit with a flirty little frill at the bottom of her skirt— drawing attention to the feminine shapeliness of her calves, fine ankles, and feet shod in sexy black high heels— but her hair was…positively mesmerising.He had arrived at her parents house the previous day so he could help ensure that things went well and all throughout breakfast he could not stop looking at her hair.Since her father's death she wore it in pigtails or scaped into a knot, tightly confined, with a hat or cap crammed over it more often than not. It had been a while since he had seen it like this—lustrous dark waves springing softly from her head,
He was sprawled in an armchair. She was on a sofa, one elbow propped on its armroll, legs up, her stockinged feet bare of the shoes she had kicked off. It was a pose that seductively outlined the very female curve of waist, hip and thigh, and Jensen found it difficult not to let his gaze linger on it.He expected her to leave. Lately she avoided being alone with him. Any moment now those legs would swing off the sofa, take her away to the privacy of her room, and it was probably better that they did, save him from making a fool of himself. He watched her feet, waiting for them to move. She wriggled her toes. His gaze dropped to the shoes lying beside the sofa, noting the long, narrow shape of them."Cramped feet?" he asked."They’re not used to wearing fashionable shoes," she drily admitted. "I usually wear stuff like this once in a while. My life is basically taking care of my job and Tim. I don't get to wear these a lot"
A sense of wild triumph zinged around Katherine's brain. She had his attention after all. It was a huge step forward, but where did it get her if he wasn’t prepared to act on it? And she knew she was being selfish as hell, but for some reason, she just couldn't stop talking."So you think I need your protection now?" she flung at him."It’s the last thing on my mind." The emphatic beat of his voice was like thunder in her ears, thunder in her heart. "I mean, I think you need someone to be there for you, especially now. But I don't mean protection in a big brotherly way... Whatever you mean by that"Katherine rolled her eyes. She wanted action. And she got action aplenty. He stepped closer, scooping her body around to face him. The hand that had seized her arm lifted, its fingers raking through her hair, dragging her head back so that it was tilted up to his. The raw desire flaring from his eyes made her stomach quiver in anticipatio
"Oh really?" Katherine said. "Then please tell me how. Because obviously I'm doing it wrong""There is no right or wrong way, Kat. You just have to let yourself heal""You can't tell me how to heal, Jensen" Katherine said. And from the way her voice sounded, he knew she was starting to cry. All the pent up emotions she was trying so hide to repress suddenly coming back in full force."My father is dead, Jensen" Katherine continued. The tears flowing freely now. "I'm never going to see him again. Did I tell you that I didn't even get to say goodbye? Well, I didn't. Because I didn't want to accept that he was dying. I didn't get to say goodbye to my father. So please don't try to tell me how to grief. He wanted me to move on and be happy and that's what I'm going to do"Unable to watch her hurt like this, Jensen pulled her to him and wrapped his hand around her. She tried to move away at first,
Katherine didn’t move. She couldn’t. She felt frozen. The faint sense of disorientation she’d felt when she’d first woken up seemed to be paralysing her ability to speak. For some reason she felt like she needed time to pull herself together.After making a fool of herself the last time they had talked, she had assumed that the next time they talked, it would be on her terms, not his."Damm it, Kat" She heard him swear. "Kat, I know you’re in there. Your mother was kind enough to tell me you’d be home today." His voice was becoming more impatient. "Come on, open the door. Do you want me to be arrested for soliciting or some such thing?"Anyone less likely to allow himself to be arrested for soliciting Katherine could hardly imagine. Jensen Packard was far too sure of himself for that. Besides which, that was just an excuse to get her to open the door."I’m not even dressed yet, Jensen" she blurted at las
She cuddled deeper into his embrace. She hadn’t lied about the cuddling part. She had missed him so much. And she was just so glad to be in the arms of the man she loved.She loved this man. She loved her husband. And she wanted him to come home. She shook her head when she realized that he was talking and she hadn't been listening.“We have options,” Jensen said.She blinked and focused her attention back on the here and now and the fact she was in bed after hot, sweaty sex with the man she loved.It was all she could do not to groan.“What options?” she asked huskily.“I can feed you. I can make mad, passionate love to you again. Or we can take a short nap and then do either option one or two. Or both. See? I’m easy.” he said.She smiled and squeezed him. She did love him. It scared her to death just how much she loved him, and she was flooded by so much em
“Ride me,” he said in a strained voice. His pupils dilated and his brow constricted. Tight lines were etched into his forehead, and his hands gripped her hips so tightly that she could do nothing more than squeeze her inner muscles around his erection.“Sweat heaven,” he groaned.She wasn’t going to last, and she was helpless to do anything about it. She needed to move. She had to move.Placing her palms flat on his chest, she wiggled free of his grasp and began to move up and down, taking him, releasing him, then taking him again. Sweat beaded his brow. His eyes were narrow slits, and he never took his gaze from hers. He urged her closer so he could cup her breasts. They filled both palms and he rubbed the pad of his thumb over the painfully erect nubs.“I can’t hold on,” she whispered.“Then let’s go together,” h
His breath blew hot over her chin and then her jaw. He kissed a line to her ear then sucked the lobe between his teeth. Shivers overtook her. Delicate little goose bumps dotted her flesh until she trembled uncontrollably.He stepped back, his hands falling to the waistband of her pants. His fingers hung in the snap and he stood there staring at her heaving chest.“You’re so beautiful.” he said. "I have missed you so much"He raised one finger to hook in the strap of her bra. He ran it up then down, and he grazed the tip over the swell of her breast.“I love the lingerie.” he said.She leaned back on the dresser, resting her palms on the top to give him a better glimpse of her cleavage.“You’re absolutely merciless, aren’t you?” he murmured.She smiled and arched invitingly until the bare
“Get it together, Katherine” she muttered.Lord, but she did lose all her brain cells when it came to Jensen.She laughed outright and it had the effect of someone popping her thought bubble with a sharp pin. The driver looked up in the rearview mirror, and she valiantly tried to look back with a straight face. If he only knew the absurd thoughts she was processing.If she was truly the naughty girl of her fantasies, she would have ridden over with only a trench coat covering her sexy lingerie. Then when she walked into Jensen's room, she could discard the coat and watch his reaction.The idea certainly had merit, and if she ever received another invitation such as tonight from him again, she’d give it serious consideration. Just to tease him. But for now, she would concentrate on the moment.A few minutes later, the driver pulled up to the sumptuous hotel Jensen had been staying in since he moved
"All they needed was some convincing. I'm finalizing the documents for the dissolution of the partnership. I know you might find it hard to forgive me, but I don't want us to grow apart over this. No one is worth it. So please tell me that you want me back home too, Kat. And maybe this is a little too fast, but I don't care, I wanna be with you tonight. It's been so long. Let me hold you tonight."Katherine sighed. Oh, the man really knew how to get to her, with his words, his touch, his kisses. Everything. “Jensen,” she began again, and promptly shut up when it came out more as a plaintive wail than a protest.“I’ll send a car for you, Katherine." he said." You are my wife. But I want this to be special, kinda like a first date like you said. I’ll have my driver pick you up from work, or if you prefer, you can drive your car to the house and I’ll have him pick you up there. Tim can take care of the house for one night and Deanie can stay at your mo
He looked at her almost like the last was a challenge. She tilted her chin up and stared coolly at him. She hoped that she looked as unruffled as she wanted to portray.“Why did you come to my office today, Jensen?” she asked.His mouth tightened briefly before he relaxed and eyed her with thinly veiled amusement. “We are married, Kat " he said."I can't take my wife to lunch?”She curled her fingers into tight fists.“Jensen.” she said. She stopped when her voice cracked. She felt like the worst sort of idiot. Right now, she felt ridiculously tongue tied.“Yes?” he prompted. He wore a curious smile, almost as if he found her and the situation amusing. It made her angry.“Look Jensen, I'm not going to act like I didn't miss you. I did. But I don't know what you are up to, and if you think that —.”
Behind the desk, a cheerful looking younger woman smiled a warm welcome as he approached.“Good morning, Mr Packard" she said. "And welcome. I assume you are here to see Mrs Packard.”He returned her smile. “Is she in?” he asked.“Yes. But she is not here right now. If you will wait in her office, I’ll get her at once. Would you care for some coffee?” she asked.“No, thank you.” he said, he wasn't sure he could keep anything down right now.She turned to stride down the hallway, leaving Jensen standing there. He walked into Katherine's office and went to the window to look down on the street instead of sitting.A few moments later, he heard the tap tap of heels and turned to see Katherine walk into the office, a confused, wary look in her eyes.“Jensen,” she greeted. “I wasn’t expecting to see you. I thought you were going to San Francisco. T
"Oh" Jensen said. "I gotta say that I'm really glad you told me about this. It's kinda hard to believe how fast you have grown. I mean, there was a time when all you cared about was video games, but now here you are, having girl problems"Tim grinned. "Don't tease me dad" he said."I'm not. I'm not" Jensen said, raising his hands. "And I gotta say that In my time, I was never turned down by a girl. Not bragging"Tim rolled his eyes and smiled. "Show off" he said, and Jensen laughed."But," Jensen continued, "With your mom, I hesitated. I was stupid. Didn't know what I had. I was enjoying all the attention I was getting that I forgot to go after the one thing that mattered, and I almost lost her. So I say, suck it up kid. To hell with that fear. Just ask her to go to the dance with you, what's the worse thing that could happen? ""Ermmm, she could turn me down" Tim replied
"Yeah right" Tim said sarcastically. "I know how stuff like this happens. I watch a lot movies and I know how stuff like this goes. This is how it starts and before you know it, they are giving you a speech about how it isn't your fault and that sometimes things just doesn't work out. I just don't want to have that talk with my parents. I know how much they love each other"Chloe nodded. "Okay" she said. "I can't say that I understand because I don't. My parents aren't... Divorced. But I'm certain that whatever it is, it's not your fault. And honestly, there is nothing you can do about but hope that they find a way to fix their problems. And sometimes, they might just be going through a tough time. Doesn't mean they are gonna get a divorce, so you might just be worried for nothing. Come on" she nudged his shoulder. "You can't be worrying about this when nothing permanent has happened. Remember you have a game next week. One of you have been training for a long time