Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Jeff recognized the irony in their situation. They hadn’t spoken in a year and a half. Now, amid a natural disaster, they were finally having a long overdue conversation.
Never mind that they might be here for hours or even days. All else paled beside the fact that the flame between them still burned.
Marisa was pale, her expression hunted. “That’s a big ask,” she said.
“I know. But I let you get away once, and I try not to repeat my mistakes. I wouldn’t have chosen a century-old metal box for our heart-to-heart, but I’m not stupid enough to ignore this opportunity. You’re worth it.”
“Am I?” she asked. “To you, I mean? I’m completely useless when it comes to knowing what men like.”
“I don’t know about other men,” he said. “But you know what I like. We’ve proven that already.”
“It might have been a fluke.”
“No.” He smiled at her. “Not a fluke.”
“Would there be ground rules?” she asked, her expression pensive.
He frowned. “Like what?”
“That while you’re with me, you wouldn’t be with other women?”
His temper flared, but he tamped it down. She really didn’t understand at all. “Have you been with any other men in the last year and a half?” he asked, keeping his tone even.
Her eyes flared wide in shock. “Of course not.”
“Why?”
She sputtered. “Well, because I...because we...”
“Exactly,” he said. “Something extraordinary happened between us. I haven’t been with another woman since that night.”
“Oh?”
Her look of disbelief might have been insulting. But he didn’t have time to be offended. “I’m serious, Marisa. Do you believe me?”
She chewed her bottom lip. “Why would you do that?” she asked. “Men your age like to have regular sex. It doesn’t make sense.”
He snorted. “Men any age like to have regular sex. That’s not the point.”
“Then what is the point? You’re confusing me.”
Again, he stood and pulled her from her chair. When he wrapped his arms around her, she didn’t protest. But it was several moments before he felt the stiffness in her body language relax.
“The point is,” he said softly, “there’s something between us.”
She picked at his shirt button with her fingernail. “Like what?”
Carefully, he tugged the rubber band from her ponytail and slid his fingers through her hair, spreading the strands until they fell smoothly around her shoulders.
“I may not be able to explain it well, but I know it’s powerful enough to survive for eighteen long months and still give me insomnia.”
“You’ve thought about me?”
He rested his chin on her head. “Every damn night.”
“Oh.” She unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt and slipped her hand inside, placing it right over his heart. “I’ve fantasized about you,” she said quietly. “At night. In my bed. You’re a hard man to forget.”
He shuddered. His sex stiffened. “Please don’t say things like that right now. I don’t think I can handle it.”
“How well did you outfit this tornado shelter?”
“What do you mean?”
“You mentioned water and beef jerky, but is there an air mattress?” When she leaned her head back to look at him, there was mischief on her face.
His mouth went dry, and his vision blurred. “An air mattress?”
“You know. So we can get out of these uncomfortable chairs. We could cuddle. And talk.”
“Cuddle.” His tongue felt paralyzed.
“Or whatever comes to mind.” She tugged his shirt from his pants and slid both hands underneath, stroking from his pecs to his waist. “I love your chest. Did I mention that before?”
His knees nearly buckled. “There’s an air mattress,” he admitted. “But I don’t have any protection.”
“I saw my doctor and went on the pill a year ago,” she said. The painful vulnerability was back. “It seemed like the grown-up thing to do.”
He cupped her face in his hands, searching her beautiful eyes. “We’re both hot and sweaty,” he said. “I messed up the first time. I can’t let the second be this .” He waved a hand at their surroundings.
Marisa pulled away. “Fine,” she said. “Forget I said any of that. Apparently, the fire has dimmed after all.”
Beneath the sarcasm, he witnessed hurt. She was so unaware of what she did to him. Even now.
For a moment he considered reaching for her hand, putting it over his sex. Proving to her what he wanted. But if he really planned to get out of this room unscathed, that might make matters worse. He wouldn’t take her like this. No matter how badly he wanted to sink inside her body and lose himself.
His forehead was clammy now. His heart thundered in his chest.
“Marisa, I...”
Before he could formulate a sentence, a faint voice sounded outside their crypt-like hiding place. “Helloooo. Anybody down there?”
He froze. Marisa did the same. They looked at each other.
“Yes!” Their cries rose in unison.
“Hang on...”
The voice sounded very far away. But that could be because the safe had thick walls. He glanced at his watch, marking the time. Who knew how long this would take?
Marisa paced again, clearly agitated. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she said. “Saving us, I mean.”
“They won’t.” His reply was automatic. He didn’t truly know. Rescue guys and gals were trained, but anything could happen.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
Jeff felt his impatience spiral out of control. “Anybody out there?” he called. “Anybody?”
“Still here. Hang on.” The voice sounded farther away now.
Was his home a total disaster? Had he lost everything?
It didn’t matter, he told himself. Marisa was safe. He was safe. All the rest of it could be rebuilt.
Thirty-two minutes passed before they heard a screeching and pounding close at hand.
“Stand back,” someone shouted.
Jeff and Marisa moved to the rear of the safe. Without thinking, he put his arm around her waist, drawing her close.
Slowly, the door swung open. A helmet-clad fireman stood framed in the opening.
Jeff blinked. “Lucas? Shouldn’t you be out saving the world?”
The tall blond man winked at Marisa. “Nothing’s more important than rescuing my best bud.”
Jeff didn’t like the way Lucas grinned at Marisa. But then again, Lucas was newly married to Leah Marks, so maybe it was okay.
He made the introductions. “Marisa Evans—Lucas Carter.”
“Nice to see you again, Marisa.” He smiled at Jeff. “She sometimes brings food down to the station.” Lucas scanned the confines of the safe and gave Jeff a thumbs-up. “You told me about this room, but I never got a chance to see it. Nicely done, man.”
“Thanks.” Jeff swallowed. “Before we get out of here, tell me. Is my whole building gone?”
Lucas shook his head, smiling. “Surprisingly, no. Tornadoes are unpredictable bitches. Today, that was a good thing.”
Marisa spoke up. “How bad was it?”
“A strong F2. Maybe an F3. We’ll let the experts make that call. It touched down on the north edge of town, bounced over the quad—then hit this street pretty hard. Blew a transformer. The empty warehouse in the block behind you is rubble. You’ve lost part of your roof, but as far as I can tell, that’s the worst of it. One interior wall collapsed and took your stairs with it. The debris blocked the door. That’s why you couldn’t open the safe.”
Jeff exhaled. “Could have been a lot worse.”
Marisa was still tucked up against his side. “What about injuries?” she asked.
Lucas rolled his shoulders, for the first time betraying exhaustion. “Two who may not make it. They were in a mobile home that got tossed. Medics worked on them at the scene. They’re both in the hospital now, undergoing surgery.”
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“Yeah.” He shook his head slowly. “Most of my guys and the rescue squad are on this street now going door-to-door. The 9-1-1 calls have slowed down. I think we’ve seen the worst of it.”
Jeff stared at his friend. “Thanks for coming to get us out.”
Marisa nodded feverishly. “Same here,” she said. “Thanks a million times. It felt a little bit like being buried alive.”
Lucas’s smile beamed in their direction. “Happy to see you both intact. Let’s get you up the ladder. I’m still on the clock, so I won’t hang around if you two are okay.”
“We’re great,” Jeff said.
A twelve-foot extension ladder had taken the place of the ruined steps. Jeff followed Marisa to the top, keeping her close in case she got woozy. But apparently, getting rescued had given her a burst of energy.
Lucas brought up the rear.
On the main floor once again, Jeff’s heart sank. “Oh, man. Not my windows.” He’d kept the original plate-glass ones from the bank. Now, they were shattered.
Rain had drenched almost everything. His furniture, his books, his vinyl collection.
Marisa slipped her hand in his. “It’s just stuff,” she whispered. “I can help you clean up.”
“Me, too,” Lucas said. “Leah and I have some time off.”
“Thanks,” Jeff said gruffly. He wasn’t accustomed to receiving help. He looked at Lucas. “Is it safe to go upstairs?”
“Should be. The wall you lost wasn’t load bearing. When the windows blew, the suction yanked it loose. And half your steps. But the other set of stairs in the back of the house wasn’t affected.”
“That’s something, I guess.” For a moment, Jeff was overwhelmed by the amount of work facing him. How was he supposed to keep up with his real job and repair his home, too?
Marisa had been texting her parents to check on them and let them know she was okay. But she picked up on his mood. “Let’s go upstairs and see how bad it is. Knowing is better than not knowing.”
Once he made sure the stairs were truly sturdy, he put Marisa behind him and climbed to the second floor. He’d refinished the beautiful wooden treads himself and preserved the original wood.
Upstairs, they wandered slowly and surveyed the damage. Here, the windows were untouched. But the large hole in the far-right corner of the ceiling had let water in. Fortunately, that was mostly over the bathroom. Not much to ruin there.
His mattress would have to be replaced. Everything was damp. When he first did the remodel, he had blocked off the back half of the second floor for storage. Ironically, nothing there was in bad shape.
He sighed. “Well, at least the building is still standing. I’m grateful for that.”
Marisa grimaced. “I’m so sorry, Jeff. You did such an amazing job with the remodel. And you’ll do it again. I suppose it will just take time.”
“Yeah. Let’s hope I can get roofing guys here quickly. That will be the first hurdle.”
They were standing in his bedroom again. Despite the destruction, it was impossible not to remember this was the place where he and Marisa had first made love. Even now, he could see her on his bed, her face flushed with arousal and sleepy happiness.
Until afterward.
His stomach tightened. “We should probably get out of here. I’ll get an inspector to do a full investigation. Insurance will require that anyway.” He was talking too fast, not able to look at Marisa. What was she thinking?
Was he the only one having trouble reliving the past?
She slid her arms around his waist from behind and rested her cheek on his back. “I know it’s depressing. It would be for anyone. But you’ll get through this, Jeff.”
Her quiet belief in him was balm to his uncertain mood. “Thanks,” he said gruffly.
Marisa felt helpless to do anything for Jeff. Reclaiming his home would be a monumental task, and one that would take time.
Suddenly, she had an idea. It was dangerous. And open to misinterpretation. But it was the least she could do.
“Come live with me,” she said impulsively. “I have a spare bedroom that’s all yours for as long as you need it. Clearly, you can’t sleep here.”
He shrugged out of her embrace and turned to face her. His gaze was turbulent. “Not your bedroom?” The words were silky with challenge. The man was in a bad mood, and that made him dangerous.
She swallowed. “You’re going to be in crisis mode for weeks. Maybe a couple of months. I don’t know that it would be a good time to complicate your life.”
“You’re saying sex between you and me would be complicated?”
“I was speaking platonically,” she said, the words prim.
His laugh held no humor. “You can’t seriously believe that I’ll move in with you, and we’ll keep our hands to ourselves?”
“Maybe you’re right. But my offer was sincere. You need a place to sleep, a place to relax at the end of the day. My house isn’t as nice as this, but it’s yours if you want it.”
“You know what I want,” he said.
The intensity in his words and the heat in his gaze made her shiver. “I do,” she said. “But maybe we could have a trial period first. We’ve been through a lot of stress. Let’s give ourselves a week to recover. Then we’ll talk.”
“Talk?”
“Talk first,” she said firmly. “After that, we’ll see what happens.”
She knew full well what would happen. Inviting the fox into the henhouse guaranteed turmoil. If eighteen months of living in opposite corners of the same town hadn’t made their attraction fizzle, then cohabiting beneath the same roof was going to be incendiary.
Jeff rubbed his jaw. “I accept your kind offer,” he said. “What if we seal our deal with a kiss?”
Heat flared in her midsection. “That’s not necessary.”
He smiled ruefully. “Maybe not necessary, but enjoyable. And besides, it’s not like we could end up in bed.”
She lifted her chin, grimacing at his sheets. “Certainly not.” Though to be honest, something as simple as a wet bed might not be enough to put out the fire that smoldered between them.
“So you agree?” he asked, drawing her into his arms and sinking his teeth gently into the curve of her neck. “One kiss?”
It was madness. She knew that full well. But where Jeff Grainger was concerned, she was weak. “One kiss,” she whispered.
He made a noise low in his chest. A sort of growling approval. And then he sank his fingers into her hair, anchored her head in his two big hands and settled his mouth over hers.
Madness.
It was as if the tornado still swirled around them. She felt wild and out of control. Everything inside her yearned for him.
Jeff was a master kisser. He knew exactly how to deepen her response and coax her farther into the dark, seductive passion that held them both in thrall. Her heart pounded so rapidly, it made her breathless and dizzy.
“I want you,” he said, his voice low and hoarse. “I can’t look at you without imagining you naked and sprawled on my bed. Beneath me. On top of me. Any way you can think of...”
She found the courage she needed to tell him the truth. Gently, she traced his cheekbone with her thumb. “I want you, too. I do. But I need to go into this with my eyes open. Not a fairy tale. Not a fantasy. An adult decision. Promise me a week. We’ve waited this long. Let’s take a deep breath and a step back.”
His expression was half sulky, half resigned. “You’ll have your week,” he promised. “But I want you to lock your door at night. I seem to have misplaced my willpower.” He cupped her ass and pulled her closer. “You drive me out of my mind, Marisa. That was true when we were together and when we were apart. Now that I’m holding you again and tasting your soft, perfect lips, I think I might literally explode. Disappear in a puff of smoke. Return to the ether.”
“Your hyperbole is duly noted,” she said, laughing at him, but flattered by his intensity. “And honestly, I feel the same way. But I don’t want to get hurt again,” she said quietly.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, his gaze troubled now. “I want to make you happy.”
Marisa kissed him one last time, a gentle peck on the lips. “It’s not your job to make me happy,” she said. “That’s up to me.”