Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
JAY HADN’T EXPECTED to be able to relax with the group at the bonfire, but one man stood up as soon as they arrived and greeted Alysse with a warm hug.
“How are you, amiga?”
“I’m good, Paulo,” she replied. “I want you to meet Jay. Jay, this Paulo Ramones. Paulo, this is Jay Michener.”
Jay shook the other man’s hand. “It’s good to meet you.”
“You, as well,” Paulo said. “This is my wife, Frida.”
A lovely woman with dark hair and olive-colored skin walked over to them and shook his hand. “So nice to meet you.”
Both Paulo and Frida had heavy Spanish accents and were fit and lean.
“The pleasure is mine,” Jay said.
“This is Tommy and Jean. They both work with Toby. And this is Toby’s girlfriend, Molly. She works with them, as well,” Alysse said.
He waved at the group. “What do y’all do?”
“Marine biology. Currently, we’re studying changes in migration habits of whales.”
“Interesting,” Jay said. “You, too, Paulo?”
“Nah. I play volleyball with Toby. We’re on a competitive team in the Cal King tournament.”
“Everyone ready for a veggie burger?” Toby asked.
The food was served and Jay found himself sitting on a large blanket with Alysse on one side and Paulo on the other. The group was all sitting fairly close together around the fire.
“Are you a baker like Alysse?” Paulo asked, after taking a huge bite out of his veggie burger.
Jay shook his head. “No, sir. I’m a Marine.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Does that seem hard to believe?” Jay asked.
“No, it’s just that I never thought a military man would be Alysse’s type,” he said.
“I guess I am,” Jay said. Focusing on his plate.
“I meant nothing by that comment. I was in the special forces before we moved here. Have you been to Iraq?” Paulo asked.
“Yes,” Jay answered, and saw the other man in a different light. They started talking about their respective deployments and places they’d been to. Paulo had gotten out and no longer did anything vaguely resembling what he had in the past.
“How do you like being out of the military?” Jay asked. He wanted to know how other people made the adjustment. It would give him some ideas on how he’d be able to do it if he decided to leave the Corps.
“I love it. But I went in because I’m the second son in my family and I was expected to have some military training. Though I play volleyball with Toby on the weekends, my real career is in wine. My family owns vineyards in Spain and here in California,” Paulo said. “Is it like that for you?”
“I am just a military man,” Jay answered. “Don’t have anything waiting for me outside the Corps.”
“I don’t know about that,” Paulo said, glancing around him toward Alysse who was having an animated conversation with Molly.
“It’s complicated,” Jay said. He didn’t want to discuss his brief marriage to Alysse with a man he’d only just met. In fact, Jay knew he never wanted to discuss that one week in Vegas with anyone, ever. But he did like the thought that other people looked at him and Alysse and saw a couple.
The thought pleased him more than he’d expected it to. This night, while wildly different than any other he’d spent with her, was turning out to be really enjoyable.
“I’m not surprised. I liked the order of military life,” Paulo said. “The discipline I learned there has helped me in my business. And I found that I liked stepping out of the traditional role my family had planned for me.”
“Where is your vineyard?” Jay asked.
“Temecula. Have you been down there?”
“No. I pretty much stay near the base or go into San Diego,” Jay said.
“You should take Alysse to Temecula and go up in a hot air balloon. You will get a nice view of the entire valley. If you do this, you call me and we will treat you to lunch at the vineyard.”
“I will do that,” Jay said, wondering if he could convince Alysse to take a balloon ride with him. He wasn’t good at making romantic gestures and he wasn’t even sure that she’d welcome them.
“Do what?” Alysse said.
“Bring you to my vineyard for lunch,” Paulo said.
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Frida agreed, joining in the conversation.
“I guess that’s decided then,” Alysse said. “When?”
“We’ll have to discuss the details later,” Jay said feeling a wave of panic washing over him. He was still struggling to figure out him and Alysse. Adding more people to the mix right now might be too soon.
“Alysse has my number. You will call me, yes?” Paulo said.
“I will,” Jay agreed.
Toby stood up and everyone finished up the last of the dinner and joined him. “Jay hasn’t been paddleboarding before so I’m going to give him a quick lesson. Anyone else need one?”
Frida raised her hand. “I’m afraid I’ve never done it before either.”
“Follow me,” Toby said.
Jay glanced back at Alysse and she just smiled at him.
He knew he was making her happy by doing this and even though it was outside his own comfort zone, he followed her brother down to the water.
He wasn’t sure when it had happened but he’d come to realize that he’d do anything to see Alysse smile.
That was a dangerous thought.
She’d been important enough for him to come back here and try again, but he hadn’t understood how important until this very moment.
ALYSSE WASN’T SURPRISED when Jay followed her home from the beach.
The evening had turned out differently than she’d anticipated.
She’d thought that Jay wouldn’t be so comfortable so quickly even once she’d introduced him.
But after the initial hesitancy on his part, Jay had really made an effort.
It hadn’t been easy and luckily Paulo’s military experience had made Jay feel right at home.
But that had only underscored to Alysse the difference in the two men.
Despite his time in the military Paulo was open and gregarious.
He was affectionate and doted on Frida and seeing them together made Alysse long for something that she suspected she’d never have with Jay.
She was honest enough to admit that she knew that inviting him into her house and her bed tonight would be a mistake.
But it had been a long day, full of ups and downs, and she wasn’t ready to deny herself Jay.
She had the feeling that he’d be gone soon enough.
She wished she could be more like a movie heroine and just not worry about tomorrow, but she’d never been that way.
“You’re taking a really long time to get out of your car,” Jay said, walking over to her.
“I’m trying to decide if I should invite you in,” she said, speaking honestly. Tonight had made her realize that she still wanted all of those dreams that she’d shoved aside when Jay had left her.
The only problem now was she wasn’t sure if Jay was the man she wanted to have them with.
“I’d love that but I followed you because it’s late and I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t make sure you got in okay. Also, I wanted to know where you live,” he said.
“Is it what you thought?” she asked.
“No. I expected you to live closer to Sweet Dreams,” he said.
He seemed subdued and maybe a bit tired himself. He ran his hand through his hair, which had been flattened by his motorcycle helmet.
“It’s late,” he said.
“Yes, it is. I didn’t sleep at all last night and I had to get up early. You’d think I’d be tired, but I’m not.”
He opened the door of her car. “Come on, let’s go inside.”
“I haven’t decided if you’re coming in yet,” she said.
“What can I do to make you invite me?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted.
“What if I said I’ll hold you until you go to sleep?”
“I’m not sleepy,” she said. “And you holding me will only make me long for things that I can’t have. We both know that.”
She exited her car and Jay closed the door behind her and stepped in front of her, so that she was trapped between his body and the vehicle.
“I don’t know that holding you is a bad thing, Aly. I think you aren’t sure either, otherwise you would have been out of your car and in the house like lightning. You want me.”
“I do. Too much, but tonight just proved that a real relationship—”
He kissed her, stopping the words that were on the tip of her tongue and she shivered as the one embrace she’d been longing for all day was finally here.
She’d missed this—intimacy, but to be honest they’d never had it before.
Though she didn’t want to admit it, she’d missed Jay. In Vegas, life had been a pretty dream.
Noticing his hand in hers, she laced their fingers together and for a moment simply enjoyed the fact that she was coming home with her man. Something shifted inside her and she knew that nothing would ever be the same again if she brought him into her bed.
He slid his hands up and down her arms before they settled on her waist. She tipped her head back and let the magic wash over her.
She forgot about all that her mind knew about Jay and let her heart lead the way, for tonight at least. She tunneled her fingers through his silky close-cropped hair and held him to her as her tongue moved against his.
He lightly sucked on her tongue and she felt an answering response in her breasts as her nipples tightened. And lower in her most feminine area.
She wanted him—there was no denying it. Or herself, she thought. She was single and she wanted this man. She could have him.
He shifted his hips against her and she felt the tip of his erection nudging at her as the heat and passion swelled inside her.
This was Jay—wounded warrior, sexy lover and the only man she’d never been able to forget.
She wrapped her arms around him to hold him close.
She had tried to pretend the emotions she felt for him were only lust, but she knew better.
She couldn’t lie to herself anymore. Jay’s hand on her made her feel cherished and special to him. He tore his mouth from hers.
“Alysse...” He said her name on a long sigh and her heart skipped a beat.
“Do you want me?” he asked, whispering the question close to her ear.