31. Kat
How have you never seen any of these TV shows?” I asked Jameson, curling up closer to him on the couch in his living room. I’d never felt so comfortable with someone before, even with guys I’d dated for months. More than that, I felt sexy. Bold. Like a woman who could tell a guy what she wanted and get that and so much more.
“I don’t watch a lot of TV,” he said.
“That’s just sad.” I continued surfing through the options onscreen, going back and forth on whether to start with intense and dramatic or light and funny. “And now it’s on me to pick the perfect series to binge, and that’s a lot of pressure.”
He kissed my cheek, his eyes still on his phone screen. “Just pick whatever you want, babe.”
“Something that’s not your phone is at the top of the list.” I gave a pointed look to his phone, and he glanced from me to it. “I’m just keeping up on emails. If I don’t?—”
“Excuses, excuses. You can take off an afternoon.”
He wrapped a hand around my bare thigh. I’d claimed his soft, comfy T-shirt that smelled like him and had plans to smuggle it out of the house with me. “Between your insatiable sexual appetite—one of my favorite things about you, for the record—and taking off most of yesterday, I’ve left too many emails unanswered, and it’ll be crazy when I go in tomorrow.”
“I’ll help you with the crazy tomorrow, as long as you ditch the phone, sit back, and watch a TV show with me. I’m super fun and cuddly, so really this is win-win for you.”
A smile spread across his face. “You are super fun and cuddly.”
“Aw, thanks. It’s almost like I fed the compliment right to you.”
“You’re also sexy as hell, not to mention smart, and funny, and sweet.”
“Better.” I took the phone out of his hand, put it on silent, and then set it on the stand farthest from him. Then I snuggled back up to him and hit play.
When he laughed at the opening scene and kept on laughing throughout the first episode, I knew I’d picked right.
We were four or so episodes in when my eyelids grew heavy and my blinks kept getting longer and longer.
Jameson reclined back against the armrest of the couch, bringing me with him, and I drifted off to the sound of his low laughter, the feel of his hard body, and his fingers dragging up and down my spine.
Waking up from my impromptu nap didn’t go near as smoothly, a loud, piercing noise jolting me out of a pleasant dream about a guy who was tangible and underneath me. I squinted one eye, trying to reduce the amount of light assaulting my senses. “Jameson?”
He grunted, and as I pushed up, I realized he’d fallen asleep, too. The TV screen now had a message asking if we were still watching—usually I felt like it was judging how many hours I’d spent watching, but this time, it was actually more handy than annoying.
The loud noise sounded again, and I was now awake enough to process that it was the doorbell. Then Jameson’s phone started ringing on the side table I’d banished it to.
“What time is it?” he asked. I handed him his phone, and he said, “Shit. My mom.”
“I’m coming in,” a voice called, followed by the sound of a key sliding into the lock.
“Shit,” I said, noticing I was still just wearing Jameson’s T-shirt—at least I had on some panties, unlike this morning, but since said panties were of the thong variety, it wasn’t like they offered a whole lot of coverage.
All I could do was clutch the shirt tighter around me as the door swung open. In walked a polished woman who I assumed must be Jameson’s mom. Her blond hair was cut in an asymmetrical bob and she wore a wrap dress that showed off her figure.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jameson said, standing up. He didn’t have a shirt on, but he at least had the benefit of boxer briefs. “We were watching TV and fell asleep, and?—”
“You were watching TV?”
“It’s weird that he doesn’t usually, right?” I asked before my brain could say hey dummy, this is sort of an A and B conversation so why don’t you C yourself out of it. Or C yourself to never jump into it—anyway, now she was staring at me, the surprise in her expression clear. I put a hand over my face. “Sorry. Just pretend I’m not here, wearing only your son’s shirt.”
“I think that’s enough helping, Kat,” Jameson said, but he said it lightly, with a note of teasing. He took my hand, pulled me to my feet, and wrapped an arm around me. “Mom, this is Kat. Kat, my mom, Angela Stone.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, but I think she was going into shock or something because she just continued to stare.
She shook herself out of whatever daze she’d been in and smiled. “Nice to meet you, too. Kat, was it?”
“Next time I’ll be wearing more clothes, I promise.” I lowered my eyebrows. “Not that there will be a next time, but if there is, I will be wearing more, and…I’m just…going to stop talking now.” If my skin blazed any hotter, I’d set what little clothes I was wearing on fire.
Jameson pressed a kiss to my temple. “Would now be a good time to rub in the fact that this is all because you took my phone?” I smacked his arm. “Jerk.” Then I turned to his mom, eyes wide. “I didn’t mean that. Well, I didn’t exactly not mean that, but?—”
“But he was being a jerk,” she said, matter-of-factly. “He does that once in a while.”
“Mom.”
She shrugged, a smile curving her lips, her entire demeanor changing. Now she was looking at me like I was an adorable woodland creature.
“Uh-oh. She’s getting ideas.” Jameson stepped in front of me. “Mom, why don’t you make yourself at home. Kat and I are going to go get dressed, and then we’ll be right back.”
“Kat, will you be joining us for dinner?”
“Oh, no,” I said, as Jameson said, “Might as well.”
He and I looked at each other. I figured he’d want to usher me out as quickly as possible.
“It’s settled, then,” Angela said. “Maybe I’ll just call in D’Angelos since it seems you two aren’t really dressed for dinner.”
“Please,” Jameson said, then he nudged me toward his bedroom, and I wasn’t sure what to do with the dizzy, surreal sensation swirling through me.
If I’d known I’d be meeting his mom, I would’ve prepared. I would’ve…well, at least had on freaking clothes. The pressure was on to make a better second impression.
Don’tfreakout.It’snotlikeitmattersinthelongrun.You’reonlyhereforalittlewhilelonger…
Instead of making me feel better it made my heart knot.
Crap, I was getting attached, making too much of this. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to meet his mom. If she was as lovely as she seemed, it’d only mess with my head and make me start thinking things that I shouldn’t. Jameson made it very clear this was temporary. And I had another life in another place.
Even if that life now looked dull in comparison. But this wasn’t real life. This was sneaking around and raw, uninhibited sex. It was the fantasy snapshot, missing the rest of the picture with ups and downs and growing further apart.
“Kat?” Jameson gently tipped my chin up, meeting my gaze. “Am I losing you?”
“Eventually, yeah.”
His expression turned serious. “Right. I meant right now, though. Don’t freak out. It’s okay.”
“How is it okay? I mean look at me!” I gestured to myself.
“I’m a fan. If I had my way, you’d wear that to the office. Then again, I’d miss the tight skirts and heels, so maybe this could just be casual Friday attire.”
I tilted my head. “Could you be serious for a second?” “I’m dead serious.”
I shoved his arm, but he didn’t so much as wobble. Stupid hot guy and his stupid muscles and his even stupider smile that made me want to forget we weren’t alone in the house and climb him like a tree.
He drew me to him and brushed his thumb across my cheekbone, calming the panic and sending it to the background. “My mom’s well aware of the fact that I’m not celibate.”
“You’re getting colder on things that’ll make me feel better.” “Look, she’s great, and you’re great, and I know you two will get on fairly well. It actually makes me hesitate, because then you two can gang up on me, and you’ve already got an unfair advantage as it is…” He moved his hands down to my butt. “But if you want to leave, you can take one of my cars.”
How was I dating—er, having sexy fun times with—a guy who had several cars? Was this even real life?
“But I’d really like you to stay.” He rested his forehead on mine. “Stay,” he whispered, and I knew that I’d not only stay, I’d do just about anything he asked me to.
Which was as terrifying as it was thrilling.