They were at Jonathan and Kate's wedding.Katherine sat very still in her chair with her hands folded tightly in her lap. Enough. Done. She was simply not going to think about it—about Jensen—anymore.The wedding mass was in English and the priest was concluding the homily drawn from scripture on the subject of Christian marriage. Katherine stared resolutely forward, trying to focus on the words. On the spare beauty of this little Catholic church, where her brother was getting married to his beautiful bride.She tried to focus on the couple... And not on the handsome best man standing there.The white frame church of the immaculate conception was simple and charming, as white inside as out. It smelled of candle wax and lemon furniture polish, with a faint echo of damp outerwear and old incense. The worn pews were of oak and all of them were full.What mattered was Jon
Katherine doggedly ate what was put in front of her, assured Kate the food was great without knowing whether it was or not, forced adequate responses to the general chat at the her table, smiled when a smile was expected.She sat through the speeches without hearing a word, though her gaze remained fixed on each speaker as though she was listening avidly. But she was dying inside, drowning in a sea of painful confusion and frustration. She could only hope no one noticed.-------------------------It was her brother's wedding.Jensen grilled his teeth, fighting the surge of violence that urged him to wipe the smirk off the Kevin James face. He had obviously asked Katherine to dance with him and Jensen wanted to tear his arm from Katherine's waist, and break the fingers that were feeling their way up the erotic curve of her spine."She's very beautiful." His sister's voice filtered through the battle
Which he did, with a speed that almost swept her off her feet. Pressed to another male body—a very different male body— Katherine struggled against the flood of excitement it stirred, a rebellious sense of pride insisting that she shouldn't surrender to it willy nilly."You didn't ask my permission," she tired at him, her eyes defying his arrogance in assuming he could keep her waiting for hours and still do whatever he wanted with her."No, I didn't." He returned her challenge with blistering mockery. "You can reject me if you want to."Katherine burned. From head to toe she burned with the need to be with him. But she was also very angry with him."How have you been?" she asked, moving to less contentious ground and being deliberately bland so he wouldn't know her whole body was a quiver from being in contact with his again."Very good. Work has been good" he answered, his chin tilting belligerent
There was no chance of anything more than another brief encounter with him. He hadn't tried to reach her for so long. And now here he was, was being an asshole. Acting like he owned her. She had to stop this and do the walking away herself. Before she gave her heart and soul to him again. Jensen Packard was never going to change."Is there a reason why you are mad at me right now?" he asked.She stared at him like she couldn't believe he had just asked her that. "Screw you, Jensen" she said. "Get out of my way".She tried to move past him, but he stayed right where he, blocking her escape. She looked up at him and he grinned.He leaned towards her and said softly. "You know I'm getting a lot of mixed signals from you, Kitty Kat. It's really confusing" he murmured. "First of all you tell me to leave you alone, and when I do you get so upset. Why is that? I really want to know."His words jolted her i
Her world was reduced to delicious insanity. Jensen and his arms and his mouth on hers. So hot and demanding. The touch and slide of his tongue against hers made her legs clench together to stop the pulse throbbing between them.Liquid heat was spreading outwards from the very core of her being…and Katherine had no hope of clawing back rationality or any pretence that Jensen wasn’t blowing her mind to pieces.But it was never going to be enough out here on a public veranda in open view of anyone who chanced to look their way. That frustration did eventually break into the head long rush to recapture all they had spent two long weeks remembering...or trying to forget.Jensen was the one to eventually pull back. Katherine opened heavy eyes, her breath coming hard and fast. Heart thumping. She felt hot and sweaty and desperately disorientated. As if her inner being had just shifted on some level and been reorganised.J
One week later, Jensen pulled into her driveway as she was walking back with Tim from Claire's house. Claire's boys and Tim had had a play date. Tim immediately went bug eyed when he saw Rufus.“Maybe i can see the dog, Mom,” Tim said excitedly, and slid a look at Jensen's car. Uh-oh. Had they been conspiring over a way for Tim to play with Rufus? She wondered. She wouldn’t put it past them. Tim and Jensen seemed to be getting closer. She wasn't too surprised when she walked into the living room one afternoon and Tim was on her phone with Jensen. He had picked the call when he saw the caller ID and saw Jensen's name.So she made a noncommittal noise. “Come on, Tim, let’s get inside,” she urged, but Tim was still staring when Jensen got out of his car. So was she, but for a completely different reason. Watching him unfold his long frame made her pulse flutter.Goodness. She swallowed. “Tim,” she said in her best warning tone, then wo
“Makes sense.” Jensen said. He didn’t press or make her feel judged for turning down Tim's fondest wish.Jensen took a step closer and inclined his head so he couldn’t be heard over Tim's giggling. The closeness raised goose bumps on her arms. "I have missed you, Kat. I just wanted to stop by and say hi. It's been a while. I sincerely hope you haven't been avoiding me"Katherine looked down at the sidewalk, then back at him. "No of course not. I have just been busy, that's all. I'm sure you have been too"He nodded.Letting him in meant he’d be in her life, in Tim's life, with all the associated risks. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that yet. Still, she knew he and Tim liked each other a lot and wasn't it fair to use her mixed feelings to prevent them from learning more about each other. So far he hadn't done anything to hurt Tim. Infact he had been so helpful.
"Rufus, come on boy" Jensen whistled for the dog. After a moment it came bounding back, stick in it's mouth. It panted, eyes expectant, waiting for him to throw."You think I've got nothing more to do, don't you?" he asked, as he ran his hands through the hair on the dogs neck. His mind drifted. He was supposed to be at Katherine's house soon.The dog barked at him."Sorry. I forgot" he said. "You've got your priorities, too, haven't you?" He flung the stick and grinned as the dog chased after it.He remembered his conversation with his friend, Matthew at his house earlier that day.“She said it wasn’t a date? Interesting,” Bonnie had said, and exchanged a glance with her husband, Matthew.Jensen looked up at his friend’s wife—and then back at Matthew—sharply. “Why do you say that?” he asked.“Because if she has to frame it as a non date, she was thinking of it as a
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