Page 20 of Carry Me Home
“She can’t hear us.” He squinted in Maya’s direction and shook his head. “You’re a mom…shit. I didn’t see that coming at all.”
Annoyance stiffened my spine. Maya was the most important thing in the world to me, but that didn’t mean she was theonlything. I was a mom, yes, but I was also a human being, dammit. “Why, because we had a one-night stand? Right. Moms aren’t supposed to enjoy sex.” I rolled my eyes. “I’ve got terrible news for you about how babies are made. Some kids even have siblings.”
He snickered. “I think it was the nipple piercings, actually. Can’t say I’ve met any moms with nipple piercings before.”
“That you know of,” I deadpanned. “I’ve always suspected Mrs. Christianson has a littlesomethingunder her clothes.”
Jack looked aghast. “Our old biology teacher? She’s sixty.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Jack.” I put my face inches from his. “Grandmas have sex, too.”
“Janie.”
I giggled and his gaze dropped to my mouth. The tip of his tongue swiped the center of his bottom lip. My whole body pulsed in response. Jack wasn’t going to kiss me, not with Maya hunting salamanders a few yards away. He wasn’t brash or irresponsible. He was a strait-laced tier one operator who followed the rules.
Me, on the other hand. I was a problem. I knew better than to trust myself that close to Jack’s mouth.
I scrambled off his lap like it was on fire, pushed to my feet, and lifted my hand to my forehead like I was shielding my eyes from the sunlight when I was really just trying to hide my flushed cheeks. “I wonder if Maya has found anything yet.”
I heard him stand and the crunch of his footsteps behind me, but I still jumped a little when he said, “You know why I didn’t peg you as a mom? You didn’t mention Maya once. Most parents can’t shut up about their kids.”
Right. That. Slowly, I lowered my hand, but I still didn’t look at him. “The situation with Maya’s dad is…messy. But it’s my mess and none of that is her fault. I don’t want her to be punished for my mistakes. There’s a lot I’m not allowed to say, so I tend to not say anything at all. It’s easier that way. So, yeah, I didn’t tell you.” I blew out a breath and turned to face him, hugging my arms around my rib cage. “Does it really matter, though? I mean, it’s not like we’re dating. I get how that wouldn’t be fair to keep that kind of secret if we were actually in a relationship. But it was just a one-night stand.”
His head cocked. “Does it have to be?”
I blinked. “Well…yeah. Obviously.”
“It’s not obvious to me. So how about you explain it.”
“Because I’m amom.”
“I’ve had it on good authority that moms have sex.” He smirked. “I don’t see a problem.”
I threw up my hands, exasperated. “Timeis the problem, Jack. Not sex. Do you know how long it had been since I’d had sex when you walked into the Painted Cat that night? Threeyears. I don’t have time to date. I barely have time to brush my teeth. Ireallydon’t have time for a whole ass relationship.”
His gaze flicked from me to Maya and back to me again, his eyebrows knit into a dark, heavy slash. “I like you, Ace.”
It was a punch in the gut, how easily he said that. Showing his cards like he had nothing to hide. Maybe that was easy to dowhen you always had the winning hand. I imagined he didn’t get rejected often.Neverwould be my guess.
I shook my head. “You don’t even know me.” Because he didn’t. Not really. And if he did…well, he’d probably be disappointed.
“I know enough to know I want to know more.” I started to speak, but he cut me off. “I’m not asking you on a date, so don’t waste your breath turning me down. All I’m saying is let’s hang out sometime. You. Me. Maya, if you’re okay with that. The occasional one-night stand whenever you want.” His lips quirked when I smacked his arm. “Casual. No pressure. We’ll just get to know each other.”
Get to know each other? I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I narrowed my eyes. “Are you friend-zoning me?”
He snorted. “I hate that phrase. We’re not just friends, Janie. But if we can’t even be friends, we sure as fuck can’t be something more.”
I considered that. “All right,” I said finally, even though I wasn’t entirely sure what I was agreeing to. Friendship with the hazy, far-off possibility of something more? A good dicking every once in a while? Sure, why not. It wasn’t like I was irrevocably signing a contract while I was too hopped up on painkillers to hold the pen steady. I could handle Jack Price.
“Mother,” Maya called. “I found one.”
“Coming,” I yelled back. I offered Jack a half smile. “Duty calls.”
I headed for Maya without looking back. I heard him move and figured he was heading back down the trail.
“Salamanders, huh,” he said, squatting down, and I realized he hadn’t left at all.
He was right there beside me.
