로그인I pushed him away, struggling to stand on my feet and ignoring the smirk on his face.
"What are you doing here?" His smirk widened and he stepped closer while I staggered backwards. "I think what you mean to say is," he trailed a finger down my hair, "thank you." I slapped his hand away, giving him a stern look. "I mean it, Jason. What are you doing here." He shrugged. "I could ask you the same thing." From the look on his face, I could tell immediately that he wouldn't answer my question and it bugged me. This was exactly why I didn't do one-night stands, they never ended well. And I never had the best of luck. Of course, it made sense why he suddenly showed up here after our rendezvous. "Regretting it already?" His voice snapped the rest of my thoughts away. "Don't tell me you really think we shouldn't have fucked that night?" I narrowed my eyes at him, "What are you, a psychiatrist?" "Close enough," he lifted a shoulder casually, and leaned to press a kiss on my cheek. "I'm a dentist, honey." I rolled my eyes and pushed him away, giving him a dirty look. "Stay away from me, Jason." "Ouch! That wasn't what you said the last time I was inside you." My eyes grew wide and I looked around frantically, hoping no one heard him. "Keep your voice down, will you?" "Why? You remember how loud you were the other night?" "Jason!" "Different intonation last night." I scoffed, glaring at the stupid smirk on his face. "It was around three in the morning, idiot." He stepped forward, closing the distance between us. "So you remember what happened then?" A tingle shot down my spine at his callous expression and I sucked in a sharp breath. "Of course, I do." He reached for my hair, playing with the strands. "Tell me, do you still think about it?" I shut my eyes as his minty breath fanned my face, a sizzling electricity sparking between us. "Jason," I moaned despite myself. He chuckled, the sound dark and wicked, "there it is. I love the way you breathe out my name, Tara. Makes me really hard." I didn't know if we'd both lost our minds or we just didn't care anymore. But we were in the middle of the road, where people were actively passing by and yet, Jason was still flirting with me. Making me aroused and telling me about his hardness that I could literally feel with my thighs. "You think you should be walking around with a boner?" I asked, looking up to meet his seductive gaze. As if he knew what I was thinking, his lips curled up and I caught sight of pearly white teeth. "Not if you helped me ease it up," he tipped my chin up so I could get a better look. "What do you say, darling?" I opened my mouth to respond but Tracy's voice stopped me in my tracks. "Tara, goodness!" She hurried towards us and I quickly tore myself away from Jason. "I was looking everywhere for you, where did you-" She stopped, eyeing Jason who had tucked his hands into his pockets in an effort to conceal his arousal. I tried hard not to snicker at that but there was a small smile on my lips. "Jason?" She called and I straightened but she turned to look at me. "Do you know him, Tara?" "No!" "Yes." I glared at Jason, giving him a warning look which he ignored. Tracy, on the other hand, didn't know who to believe between the two of us. "We met at the Rivers motel just outside of town," Jason provided even though no one asked, "she kept me company for a long time-" "By talking," I interjected before he could say more, throwing him a look. "We barely know each other, just our first names." Tracy cocked a brow and I realized how untruthful I sounded but I didn't want to drag the conversation any longer. "Were you able to get everything?" I asked cheerily, slipping my arm through hers. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you practically left me to do the entire haul myself. I knew I said I would do the work but you should've watched to see how we do things around here." "I know. I'm sorry," I batted my lashes at her, squeezing gently. "I just got distracted." Jason mumbled something under his breath and we both shot him a look. "What was that?" Tracy quipped and he shook his head. "Nothing, I was just wondering why Tara here is pretending not to know me," he placed a hand on his chest, feigning hurt. "I'm deeply insulted." I rolled my eyes, pulling Tracy's arm. "Come on, Tracy. Ignore him and let's go." "And you're sure you don't know him?" "Yes!" I groaned, exasperated. "But, I do," Jason cut in with a smile. "Tara Henry from Chicago. My mouth dropped open and Tracy turned to me. Now, I looked like the liar. "I must have said a lot that night," I sputtered, throwing my arms around but she didn't buy it. I threw Jason another 'what the hell' glare but he winked, looking too proud of himself. Of course, I told him my full name. I was incredibly loose mouthed when I was stimulated. At least, I didn't tell him my real name. "It was nice to see you, Jason," Tracy mumbled, tugging me gently. "Come on." "Hold on," Jason stepped forward, crossing his arms across his chest. "If I'm not mistaken, you girls are moving quite a few things to an apartment." "It's none of your-" "Yes," Tara cut in, giving me the side eye. "Tara will be staying with us at Suzie's." Jason clapped, grinning brightly. "I was heading in that direction anyways, let me give you girls a ride." "No, we'll be fine on our own. Thanks," I said through gritted teeth and was about to walk away but Tracy was staring at me. "What?" She shrugged. "We can't carry all of that by ourselves, Tara. Let him help." Oh, come on! I groaned under my breath, turning to look at Jason who still had a smug grin plastered on his face. "Fine," I sighed, tucking my hands into my jeans pockets. "I suppose Jason could give us a ride."The rhythmic sound of labor filled the air while I stood at the trailer entrance, watching the crew move timber, everyone working together. Jeremiah stood at the center of it all, directing them with a commanding presence.Jensen appeared beside me, "Fall's coming."I glanced at him, confused by the emotion in his eyes. "You seem excited." I pointed out. "It's the company's anniversary soon." A small smile played at his lips. "How long have you been working here?" I asked. There was something about the way he watched everything with a dedication that went beyond a simple paycheck. "You seem very committed to be here." His expression softened. "I've been here since Jeremiah's father ran things. I was his right hand man when he was still alive."The past tense hit me. "Was? He's... dead?"Jensen nodded, his gaze was distant. "Him and his wife. A terrible accident claimed their lives." My eyes found Jeremiah across the yard, watching as he lifted a log with ease. Suddenly all I coul
The arcade light faded behind us Chuck and I stepped back onto the sidewalk, his pockets jingling with tickets he'd won. His entire face was glowing with a happiness that made the past hour completely worth it. "Can we come back next week?" He asked, practically bouncing with each step. "I'm so close to getting enough tickets for that Lego set. Did you see how I almost beat the high score on that racing game? Next time I'm totally going to-""We can definitely come back, buddy." Jason smiled, running his hands through Chuck's auburn hair. Both of them had bonded pretty quickly over the games in the arcade, and at this point, I was more or less a bystander to their budding friendship. "What about you, Tara?" Chuck turned to me. "What games did you play?"Jason's blue eyes bore into mine and I shifted on my feet. I couldn't tell them I'd slipped into the bathroom to hide while they were immersed in their games. "Well, I... uh... actually, I played a few-""Chuck!" Tracy's voice ran
The ice cream parlor was busy with afternoon customers, but Chuck's excitement was contagious as he pressed his face close to the display case, pointing at every flavor with glee. "Can I get the cookie dough? And maybe the chocolate chip? Oh, wait...they have the choco mint!"I smiled at his enthusiasm. "Pick two, okay?" When our turn came, I placed our orders and reached for my wallet. My fingers counted the bills once, twice, and my stomach sank. It wasn't enough. I was short by several dollars. "Do you... do you have a credit system?" I asked hopefully, already knowing the answer from the attendant's unamused expression. "Cash or card only."Heat flooded my face as I scrambled through my purse, desperately searching for spare change that wasn't there. "I'll cover it." I looked up sharply. Jeremiah stood beside me, already pulling out his wallet. "No, I can't possibly-" I started,but he was already handing cash to the attendant. "It's fine." Chuck beamed up at him. "Thank
I couldn't stop thinking about that moment in the hole. The way Jeremiah's hands had steadied me, how close we'd been on that ladder, his breath warm against my skin as he guided me up. Something had shifted between us down there in that dark hole, but I had no idea what it was. "Tara? You here with us?"Kennedy's voice jolted me back to the present. "Yes! Yes, I'm here." He rolled his eyes, turning back to the whiteboard covered in scribbled plans. "Like I was saying, Tracy says she doesn't want anything big, but we still need to make it special." Sandy threw a piece of popcorn at his head. "Then respect the lady's wishes, Ken." "Oh, because you're suddenly the expert on what women want?" Kennedy shot back. "Better than you, apparently-""Can we focus for five minutes without you two bickering like an old married couple?" Gerald groaned in a bored tone, and I agreed with him. They'd been at it since Kennedy called this emergency meeting. Tracy and Lolita had left hours ago t
The three of us left in Jeremiah's truck, I sat comfortably in the backseat, Jensen was at the passenger's side and Jeremiah was in charge of driving.It felt weird having our boss drive us but Jensen didn't seem to be moved by it.I assumed we were going to spend the ride in silence, but Jensen surprised me by launching into the town's history. "The town hall's been standing since 1892," he said, his hand gesturing animatedly. "Survived two fire, a tornado in '67, but time finally caught up with her. The foundation was crumbling, roof caved in last winter. Shame, really. It was a beautiful building."I listened, fascinated. I'd never heard Jensen string more than five words together at the construction site, and here he was giving me a full historical lecture."They tore her down last month," he continued. "Now the town's looking for someone to rebuild. A more modern structure, but keeping the original footprint."Jeremiah remained silent, his eyes were firmly fixed on the road. I
Sleep has been impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I was back in his arms and the warmth of his chest against my cheek.I slapped both hands over my face and screamed into my palms, kicking my legs in the air like a child. The shame burned through my face. He was my boss, for crying out loud. Professional boundaries didn't get much clearer than 'don't sob hysterically on your employer.'"Just face him," I muttered, dragging myself to the bathroom. "Act normal. Pretend it never happened." But as I brushed my teeth, my traitorous mind conjured up the memory of his scent. The way his voice had dropped when he'd murmured,"You're a real stubborn one, aren't you?" It sent shivers down my spine all over again. I screamed and threw my toothbrush at the mirror, where it bounced off. "I've officially lost my mind," I announced to my reflection. The shower was rushed, I raced through my routine even as the image of last night played in my mind. When I'd returned to the party, Jason







