Chapter 26
~~ James ~~
I’m early.
Now that the decision is made to meet, I’m resigned. I don’t examine why I sent the text, why it felt so urgent, or why there is now a freight train churning circles in my stomach.
I settle into the farthest booth from the door at Waves Woks Siam Kitchen. Mr. Chen brings me a Nam Ta-klai, and I sip it, letting the lemon and ginger flavors linger in my mouth before I swallow. It’s a habit leftover from childhood when I wanted to savor the delicious things.
The door pulls open, the wind pushing it wider than necessary, and she’s there.
A dark duster is pulled over a pink sweater that seems to make her fair skin even fairer and the copper tresses she’s pulling over her shoulder even brighter. The motorcycle boots I remember, with the strings tied low, leaving the tops open, are pulled up over the hem of her jeans.
Tight, tight jeans. My mouth waters. I wish it wasn’t inappropriate to yank off her coat and spin her around to see how they cup her ass.
I note her fluid movement down the aisle. Her knee must be completely healed, and there is no sign of bruising left on her face. I had been too shocked to examine her at the school. But I do it now as she slides in across from me.
Those few freckles I’d traced with my fingers are still perched across her cheeks and nose like cinnamon sprinkles. Her hair is left to drape around her, and I wonder if it’s still as smooth as it had felt in my hands, as if I needed to hold it just a little tighter so it didn’t slip away. She’s gripping her phone with both hands resting on the table. Her nails are still natural with the tips not too short and not too long.
Her mouth. God, that mouth. Slightly pouty with a cupid’s bow, her lips are glossy like she just applied some balm. I want that mouth wrapped around my cock. I close my eyes, trying to clear the image.
“I’m not stalking you.”
My eyes jump to hers. The blue rim is miniscule, leaving miles of shining silver to disappear into.
“I didn’t know you even had a daughter. I just wanted to experience the small-town life you described.”
“Were you even going to try to find me?” The words are out before I can stop them. “Dammit. I’m sorry.”
Her gaze softens. “You seemed to have a hard time after we... Well. You know.” A pink flush spreads across her cheeks. “I assumed we’d run into each other eventually, but the last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable.”
“I feel like a pervert lusting after a child.” This rips out of my mouth faster than the last words. I sound angry. I take a breath and make my next words more moderate. “I took advantage of a situation.” I see her shaking her head, but I don’t allow her time to argue. ”I think I must be damned, because I want to bend you over this table even now.”
Her shimmery lips drop open, and again I imagine them closing around me.
“James.” I watch her mouth move with her whisper. “James,” her voice is still soft. “Is that what you think? That you took advantage?” I hear her words, but her lips still have my attention. I thought I’d never see her again, and she’s here. Breathing. Moving. Whispering my name.
”James,” she says again. I shake off the spell and look at her fully. “The first time I stood in front of you, it would have been a transaction. You helped me, saved me, and I wanted to say thank you in the best way I knew how. I know how that sounds, and some of that is true. At least, at one time.” She drops her gaze to the table and breathes in and out.
Then she squares up and looks straight into my eyes. “The night you touched me, you gave me a gift. No one has ever been so gracious. Never cared about what I felt, if I even got off. I didn’t know sex could be... That!” Her cheeks are flushing again, and that flame burning inside me for her that I’d been throwing icy water on flared even higher.
The idea that someone, probably more than one someone, had touched her without the intent of seeing her whole body shake with pleasure pisses me off. And now I’m actually angry. How can she be looking at me like she didn’t know she should never have accepted less?
I dig my wallet out of my back pocket and toss a couple of twenties on the table. I get up and lift Lorelai by the hand. She stands, but her face shows confusion. I pull her toward the front door, giving Mr. Chen a two-finger salute as he peeks around from the kitchen.
“James, what...” I stalk down the sidewalk, still pulling her by the hand until we get to The Bliss. The revolving door is still unlocked, and I yank Lorelai in the small partition with me, practically lifting her off her feet to keep the forward motion.
I hold out the hand that isn’t wrapped around her waist. “Key,” I grind out. She rummages in her coat pocket, and hands over the old-fashioned brass key with an engraved 201 tag. I pull her with me to the elevator and punch the button. And wait. And wait.
“The stairs are fas— Oof.” She grunts as I pull her again by the hand to the gracefully curved staircase and up, and up. I know I’m setting too fast a pace, but I’m fucking angry.
I unlock the door with the brass 201 centered at eye level and pull her in, slamming the door behind us.
I yank off her coat, dropping in at the entry, and shove my hands up the back of her sweater, fusing her to my body in one motion. My mouth comes down on hers and I take it. I take it as if this is the last kiss of my life. My tongue dives into her mouth. I consume everything she gives me, and take even more. She whimpers a breath straight into me, and it makes me angrier.
I release her with no warning and she almost stumbles. Her hand comes up to touch her lips. She’s shocked, but I take one tiny but necessary second to note she isn’t scared.
“Never.” I pull her sweater over her head and send it flying onto her coat.
“Ever.” I unzip her jeans and peel them down to her knees, taking her tiny cotton panties along with the denim.
“Settle.” I push a finger between her legs, spreading her lips, spearing into her. She’s so fucking wet for me.
“For less than this.” I pump into her again and again, then I add another finger even though my hand hardly fits in the space the jeans leave. She gasps, and I push hard into her, wrapping my other arm around her back.
Her breath comes out fast, her head tips back, and she closes her eyes. It’s only moments before I feel her start to tremble around my fingers. “Look at me,” I demand. “Always look at me when you come.” Her eyes spring open and I see only blue around her pupils. Oceans of blue.
I push twice more and she screams my name, crumpling against me. Such a sweet fucking sound.
I disengage my hand and have to flex it a few times before I can lift her up and carry her to the perfectly tucked bed.
I lift one of the chairs tucked between the curved legs of a scallop edged table and set it next to the bed. “Okay. Fix your jeans, and let’s talk.”
“But...” she’s flustered.
“But what?”
“Wh—” she has to stop talking to regulate her breathing. “What about you?”
My anger had dissipated with her orgasm. Now... Now I don’t know what I feel, but I know we need to talk, and I know I love the way I see her hands shake trying to zip her jeans.
“That was about you. About showing you what you deserve.
“Why are you here, Lorelai? Since it obviously wasn’t for me.” I soften that last part since I don’t want her to think I’m upset about it now. And I find I’m not. But I am curious.
She sits up, pulls off her boots, and tucks her toes under her knees like Emilie doing “crisscross applesauce.”
She blows out a soft breath. “There was something magical in the way you talked about this town.” She tucks her hands under her legs, leaning forward a little. “I told you a little about how I grew up.”
Her lashes lower like she’s embarrassed. I want to tell her she shouldn’t be, but I want her to keep talking, so I stay quiet.
“The idea of a place where people look out for each other was like a Hollywood gimmick to me until you told me you lived it. I’ve been traveling for about a year, kind of looking for a place to settle. I knew I wanted to be by the coast, and the cold is so... Cleansing. Add in that magic on top of it, and I decided I wanted to try it out.”
I shake my head and chuckle at the same time. “I don’t understand this thing you have with freezing temps, but otherwise... What do you think? Are you liking it?”
“I made friends with some ladies I met at the bakery up the street, and they just welcomed me into their group. And I have the job at the snobby pre-school. I really love it here.”
She looks at me with fear shining in her eyes. “Is that okay? I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and ruin it all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it okay that I’m here? Do you want me to leave?”
Her voice was a little shaky on that last question, and my insides melt like ice cream on a hot day. Is she truly afraid I would take this from her? I had read between her story lines when she was describing her childhood, and I want to line up everyone who hurt and punch them in the fucking face. Or worse.
“No one can stop you from being here, Lorelai. Not even me.” My voice comes out a little fiercer than expected, so I dial it back. “But I absolutely don’t want you to leave.”
She breathes out a ragged sigh, which tells me she was either worried I’d kick her out of town or starting to let down her guard. I have a feeling it’s the first one.
Now that I’ve reassured her that it’s okay for her to stay, she seems... Lighter. But me? Damn. The idea of seeing her every day and not having her is kicking me in the balls.
I ask if she’s looking for a place to rent, and she tells me how much she loves the B B and watching the interaction with the sisters. “I know I’ll want my own place sometime soon, but for now this is lovely.”
“I heard you’re invited to our monthly dinner,” I tell her.
“Our?” There”s a quizzical scrunch on her face that makes me want to kiss her nose. But I stay seated.
“I had started a monthly dinner for our Team to get out and socialize when we first started. It’s grown into a larger group now with all our friends joining. I handed over the reins to my boss’s wife, Camilla after they got married.”
“Oh, Cami!” she squeals. “I love her. She is amazing. She made me feel like I had a friend right away.”
“She’s pretty special.”
“She did invite me to a group dinner.” Her face falls. “Do you want me to say I can’t go?”
“Lorelai. No. I’m never going to stand in your way of making friends and feeling a part of a group. No one else should have that power, either.” I hold her gaze with its blue rim having narrowed until all I can see is molten silver. “If anyone crosses that line, throw them backward. Even if it’s me.”
I see her posture straighten. “You’re right. My therapist tells me all the time not to accept that from anyone.” She looks down at her hands. “But, James, you”re not just anyone.”
Warmth rushes through me at that. As much as I’d admonished myself for ignoring our age difference, I had known she was special to me. It had hurt my feelings she hadn’t wanted to find me, but there”s a thrill in knowing I’m different to her also. That is going to have to be enough.
“Then, it’s settled. I’ll see you at dinner next week. And I’ll send you an email in the morning about my talk with Emilie tonight.” I stand up and run the backs of my fingers down her healed cheek. Her lips part on a soft sigh, and I know I better exit while I still can.
“I really don’t know what to do with this, Lorelai. We can’t... Date. You’re young. You deserve to experience life. And with you being Emilie’s teacher, there’s a conflict of interest.” Her face goes blank, and I know by now that means she doesn’t want me to see her reaction. I wonder if I hurt her feelings, and I hate that I had to. “I have to get back.”
I turn and walk out without risking a look back, shutting the door softly behind me.