Page 26 of This Time Around
“You mean a total lack of foresight and planning?”
He laughed. “Something like that.”
Allie glanced back at the box of sex toys. God, what was she going to do with all this?
Jack pointed at the mannequin behind her. “I thought that was for scuba diving,” he said. “Who knew they made crotchless latex bodysuits with a full hood?”
Allie was almost afraid to look, but she turned and stared at it anyway. Yep. The nipple tassels were a nice touch. She turned back to Jack. “You can’t tell anyone about this.”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “There go my plans to invite CNN for a tour of your grandma’s attic.”
“I’m serious, Jack. She’d die if—” She stopped there, closing her eyes. “I can’t believe I just said that.” She opened her eyes again and took in the mannequin, the box, the dozens of other boxes she was afraid to open now. “This is so—so?—”
“Enlightening?”
“Not the word I was looking for.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I just never imagined this side of my grandmother.”
“It’s not a big deal, Al. Everyone has sex. Some just have different tastes.” He took a step closer and lowered his voice. “As I recall, you used to like me tying you to the headboard with silk scarves.”
Allie felt the heat creeping into her cheeks. “That’s different. My grandma?—”
“Was a sexual person, too. When did your grandpa die?”
“Eight years ago. A few years after that, Grandma introduced us to her special friend, a man named Albert.”
“Albert?”
“He asked us to call him Axl. His family owns a vineyard near Newberg, I think.”
“Good planning on your grandma’s part. She did love her wine.”
Allie glanced back at the boxes and grimaced. “We thought they were just playing mah-jongg together.”
“I don’t know what mah-jongg is, but if it requires anal beads, you were right.”
“Ugh.” She covered her face with her hands. “I can’t unsee this.”
Jack laughed and pried her fingers away from her eyes. He didn’t let go of her left hand right away, and Allie felt his touch like a brand. “I know it’s not the image you had in your mind for your grandma,” he said, “but I think it’s kind of cool. Isn’t it at least a little exciting to know she had a happy, healthy sex life?”
Allie frowned at him, but said nothing. He probably had a point, but she’d prefer not to think about it.
“Maybe it needs to sink in a little more.” Jack glanced at the mannequin, then looked away quickly. “On second thought, maybe you’re better off not giving this too much thought.”
Allie waved a defeated hand around the attic. “I was planning to go through all these boxes to see what I might be able to sell to pay the back taxes on this place. Now I’m afraid to open anything else.”
“Just a hunch, but I don’t think the going rate on used bondage equipment is all that high.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously, what am I going to do?”
“Look, odds are pretty slim she had two hundred boxes of sex toys. Just pick another one. You’re bound to find something useful. Just keep poking around.”
“Poking around,” she muttered, trying not to think about any poking around her grandmother’s gentlemen callers might have done. “Okay.”
Jack let go of her hand, and Allie tried not to feel disappointed. She stepped away from the stack of boxes, relieved to put a little distance between herself and the creepy bondage mannequin.
And Jack, come to think of it. Having him this close, this big and strong and solid beside her kept reminding her how long it had been since anyone besides prison guards had run their hands over her body.
He still smelled good, dammit. He’d never worn cologne, and she didn’t think he was wearing any now. But he’d always had a certain aura about him. God, that sounded so cheesy when she thought of it like that, but it was true. He smelled like the Oregon desert after a thunderstorm, earthy ozone and damp sage, and if she kept standing next to him, she’d probably say or do something stupid.
