26. Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Lilly
A s soon as we got into his truck, Jamison grabbed my hand. The warmth from the simple gesture made my heart, which I didn’t realize was on edge, relax and be still.
“I’m not used to being away from Madeline,” I said. “When we were in New York, she never had a sleepover. She was never with friends.”
Jamison squeezed my hand. “She has all that now, and once school starts, she’ll have more friends than she’ll know what to do with,”
I knew he was right. I leaned my head back on the seat and watched as the countryside passed by. I loved the openness of Orlinda Valley. Coming home was the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
I turned my face toward Jamison, and my gaze traveled over his profile and down his body. Yes, coming home was the best decision I’ve made.
He glanced quickly toward me and winked. My heart fluttered, and I continued. “Maddy always had nightmares or night terrors when we were in New York, so I slept with her almost every night when Anthony was gone.”
I gave him a crooked smile. “She never remembered about the nightmares when she woke up and would always ask me why I was in her bed. But you know, since she’s been here, she hasn’t had one. She’s slept through the night every night and has never had a problem.”
“Just proves that moving home was good for both of you.” He let go of my hand and brushed my cheek with his thumb.
I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes as warmth crept into my gut.
“Have you told her yet about her dad moving to London?”
I took a deep breath and sat up tall as he placed his hand back on the steering wheel. “No. I figured I would do that after the jamboree. I’m not sure how much I’ll tell her. I’m going to put my alimony money in her college fund. I don’t want it. I don’t need it, and she deserves it.” My heart clenched a little as I thought of what Madeline had gone through in her short little life.
It’s funny how I wasn’t upset with how bad my life was and how disturbing my relationship with Anthony had been when we were in New York. I was focused more on Madeline. “Makes me wonder if I didn’t have her, would I have stayed in New York and in my nightmare of a marriage longer?”
I stared out the window, and Jamison squeezed my neck. The warmth of his hand sent chills throughout my body.
He stopped at the one light in the middle of downtown. “I’m glad you came back home,” he rubbed my neck more.
“Me too,” I said as the light turned green.
I don’t know if he realized how much I really meant that or how much my heart fluttered when he looked at me like he did. The look he kept giving me now as he drove down the road was the same one that caused my heart to skip all those years ago, and it still had the same effect on me.
All I knew was I still had it bad for Jamison. I don’t think I ever stopped loving him. I dragged his hand from behind my neck and held it between my palms and laced our fingers together. I watched him as he drove toward my house. He had small laugh lines around his eyes, but he didn’t look much different than he did in college. His face was still strong and chiseled perfectly, his dark hair still cut neatly around his ears. He wasn’t as cleanly shaven as he was in college, which made him even sexier.
I dragged my nails through his closely cropped hair at his neck, and he leaned into my touch. This reminded me of our summer. We would drive through town in the dark toward our secret place by the Red River where we could be together. I sat up as, instead of turning left toward my house, he kept going straight.
Could he be going there? When he took the next right, I glanced at him, my brow raised. The grin on his face pumped heat throughout my veins. He remembered.
“It’s not quite as private as it used to be. They built a couple houses on the road, but I think we’ll be fine.” He turned next to a new gravel drive. Someone must have built a house down Johnson’s Path Lane. It used to be the perfect spot to park and party, but when it was crowded, we came here. He pulled down the grassy path between trees. We were finally hidden from the road, and he parked with a view of the river.
“There are lights through those trees. Did someone build a house out here?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Yep. That’s Kai’s place and soon to be Kora’s once they’re married. This land is also his now, so I know it’ll be private.”
He unbuckled my seat belt, and I moved toward him. He brushed my hair behind my ear, and my heart skipped a beat. “I wasn’t sure you remembered this.”
“Why would I forget?” His voice was quiet, yet thick.
“Honestly, I thought you forgot about us as soon as you got back to college. It didn’t take long for you and Carly to become an item.” I shrugged. This was silly of me, but I was still so jealous of her. “I always figured if I had truly meant anything to you, you wouldn’t have forgotten me like you did.”
He breathed out heavily, and his face became serious. “I never forgot about you, Lill, but Carly and I, we just meshed, and you and I moved on. I promise you, I always felt guilty. I know I hurt you, and that was the last thing I ever wanted to do.”
I swallowed hard, and my insides were mush. My gaze wandered outside to just beyond the tree line to the light in the distance. Kora and Kai were over there. I had been home for four weeks and didn’t even know what their plans were after their wedding. Kora used to be like my big sister.
“Hey.”
I turned my attention back to Jamison.
His gaze was digging into mine, and my pulse picked up.
“After all these years and all that’s happened in our lives, you still look at me and make my pulse race.” My voice was a whisper, and I touched the scruff on his face and traced the line of his jaw.
“Is that the only reaction I cause?” He asked as his eyes filled with need and erotic desire. He pulled me to him, and his lips crushed against mine.
He quickly pushed my shirt up, and his mouth found my nipple. He nibbled there, and a tingle traveled straight to my groin. I was turned on instantly. He sucked my breast harder and pinched my other nipple. “God, Jamison.” I pulled away from him just enough to straddle him.
He pushed the lever to put more space between us and the steering wheel, but it was difficult to maneuver where I wanted to be. I wiggled, and the horn blasted through the night air.
“Fuck.” Jamison chuckled, and I laid my head on his chest.
“This seemed so much easier when we were younger,” I said with a laugh.
“I was thinking the same thing.” He kissed me again, and the kiss made my toes curl, but the intensity was gone. “I don’t think this works.”
“No, but my house is empty for now. My mom will be at Tonya’s for a while and might even be there the night. She doesn’t like spending the night without Charles.”
“An empty house and no children. I should have thought about that first, or hell, even mine.”
“Mine’s closer,” I said.
He nodded once, turned the truck around, and pulled on to the road.
Luckily, the drive from where we were to my house wasn’t far, and we soon pulled into my driveway. As soon as the truck was turned off, we jumped out, and he pulled me up the sidewalk. I followed willingly. Yes, this was what I wanted—Jamison, in my bed.
At the door, he leaned in for a kiss. It was sweet and gentle. I pushed my tongue in his mouth and fumbled with the doorknob at the same time.
He tucked a lock of hair away from my face and brushed his knuckle down my chin and along my jawline.
A shiver ran down my spine at his touch. Something as simple as a touch caused my entire insides to flare with desire. There was nothing we could do about it here on the front porch. I finally opened the door and pulled him in behind me.