Page 25 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster)
Jamie immediately lifted his hands away from her body, but he didn’t let go. Instead, despite the urgent demand his body was making—that she was just now becoming aware of—he circled his arms around her and held her tightly against him, unmoving, as they both began the lengthy journey back to calm.
Finally, long minutes later, Jamie murmured into her hair, “Let me go get your things.”
Iris regretted the loss of his warmth as he backed away. Maybe if she didn’t have so many hang-ups… But no, she couldn’t think that way. This was a journey, and not one anyone could undertake or understand for her. She hated hurting him, but she knew she had to make the decision that was best for herself. If the time was eventually right, it would happen, but not now, not like this, with uncertainty inside her. So she shut down the disappointment and waited for Jamie’s return.
When he entered, he held her clothes in one hand and her purse in the other. She thanked him, taking the pile, but Jamie didn’t let go. Her startled gaze shot up to his.
“Sleep well, Iris,” he said, the words sounding like gravel in his throat. She’d done that, excited him, aroused him. A flash of pleasure filled her even as he leaned in, his lips brushing hers lightly before he made a hasty retreat to the hall and shut her door.
She stood there, stunned at the intensity of such a slight kiss, stunned at the change to her life that just a few minutes could make, before a buzzing coming from her purse drew her back to reality.
Her phone. She hadn’t even realized she’d left it behind at the house. The entirety of her thoughts had been focused on Jamie and Baby and the newborn foal. Pulling the cell from her purse, she noted that the buzzing had been another in a long line of incoming texts from her daughter.
Damn.
KRISTA: Mom, where are you?!?!?!
A sigh left her. She knew her daughter well enough to know Krista wouldn’t stop texting if Iris didn’t respond, but Iris really didn’t want to respond. She didn’t want to talk. She wanted to lie down in the warm bed and think about nothing but Jamie. Not decisions. Not responsibility. Nothing but the warmth of the man who made her want to take risks she wasn’t sure were good for her.
IRIS: I’m here. Forgot my phone was on silent in my purse. Will talk to you in the morning! [kissy face]
And then she turned off the phone. She told herself it was to save the battery, but it wasn’t the truth. She’d face her daughter’s wrath in the morning, but tonight was just for her. She climbed into bed and closed her mind to guilt as she drifted off to sleep, hoping Jamie would visit her dreams like he had so many times before.
Twelve
Iris muttered a curse word under her breath when she and Jamie pulled into her apartment complex not long after dawn the next morning.
“You okay?” Jamie asked.
“I was,” she grumbled. And she had been. She’d gotten a few restful hours of sleep across the hall from Jamie last night, and woke early enough to take a quick shower before meeting him in the kitchen so he could drive her home. Things felt pleasant this morning, not awkward or embarrassing. Not like a morning after.
So why did she feel guilty seeing Krista knocking on her front door when they pulled into a space outside her apartment?
Jamie caught on quickly. He gave a low whistle. “Your daughter?”
“Yes.” Iris sighed. Please don’t make a scene, Krista. Please.
But that was wishful thinking at its finest. As they watched, Krista turned toward the car, saw her mother in the front seat, and after a moment or two of openmouthed gaping, began stomping down the stairs.
“Should we get out?” Jamie whispered dramatically in her direction.
“Can we run away instead?”
He laughed, the sound deep-throated and not at all scared. And then he opened his door and got out.
Iris was thinking about hopping into the driver’s seat and racing away. Unfortunately that would mean running over Jamie as he circled behind the car to come to her door, and he was too fine a man to flatten like a pancake, so instead she braced herself for confrontation.
You’re an adult, remember? Even if it feels like you are facing an accusatory parent. When had their roles become reversed?
When she got a divorce, of course. Maybe Krista didn’t believe she could take care of herself because she’d only seen Iris as part of a couple, not paying attention to the fact that Iris handled everything in their lives mostly on her own, as most women did. She was fully capable, but somehow Krista had missed that memo and chose to treat her like a child instead. Iris simply hadn’t had the courage to call her on it yet, hoping time would allow Krista to move on without the need for confrontation.
Looked like that time was up.
Jamie opened Iris’s door just as Krista arrived on the sidewalk in front of his car.
“Mom!”
At the harsh tone, Iris shot her daughter a sharp look. “Don’t yell at me, Krista.”
