04 Screaming Orgasm

Jayne Kent stepped behind the quiet bar and sighed heavily. It was almost closing time at Books and Brew. While their Thursday crowd was usually larger thanks to an evening book club meeting, the snow seemed to have scared away most people. Glancing out the window, she guesstimated about three inches had fallen, with at least three more being predicted.

Ordinarily she loved snow, the peace that descended over the city whenever the white stuff fell. Tonight, the silence simply added to her loneliness.

“Good night, Jayne. We left the tip on the table.”

She smiled and waved goodbye to two of the last customers as they walked out. Looking over, she spotted Elias Clark in his usual chair in the corner, his nose buried in a book, oblivious to the world. They shared that unique ability to lose themselves in the words printed on the page. Or at least they used to. Lately, she couldn’t put aside the melancholy consuming her enough to concentrate on any book she picked up. She’d lost her talent for disappearing—just when she needed it most.

Reaching for a tumbler, she filled the glass with ice then reached for the Glenlivet Scotch. It was Elias’ favorite drink. She never drank usually, but tonight she felt the need for something stronger than her normal Shirley Temple.

“What are you doing?”

Elias’ deep voice cut through the quiet and startled her. “Oh!”

He rose slowly and walked to the bar. She admired his smooth elegance. She’d never met a man quite like Elias. A research scientist at a local facility, as well as an adjunct professor at a local university, everything about him fascinated her. Stephanie teased Jayne about her crush on him, but what she felt for Elias was too strong to be given such a juvenile description.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He claimed a stool at the bar across from her. Even though he’d been coming to Books and Brew since they opened, she wasn’t sure she had ever seen him sitting at the bar. He always opted for the out of the way leather chair.

“You didn’t. I knew you were here. I was just zoning out a bit. What did you say?”

“I asked what you were doing.”

She looked down at the glass of Scotch she’d poured. “Having a drink.”

He gave her a slight smile. “You don’t drink.”

She shrugged. “I do tonight. Thought I’d see what all the fuss is about with this Scotch of yours.”

He didn’t speak as she lifted the glass, silently toasting him before taking a sip.

She gasped. “Oh my God. That’s terrible.” She put the glass down, quickly looking around for something to kill the taste.

Elias’ grin grew and she realized she didn’t see him smile often. It wasn’t that he was miserable. Quite the opposite, he was very nice, genuinely friendly. While she’d always found him attractive, the full-fledged smile took his face from handsome to freaking hot in an instant.

“I should have warned you. It’s an acquired taste.” He rose and walked to the end of the bar, gesturing at the hinged entrance. “May I?”

She nodded. He lifted the wood and joined her. It was a night for all sorts of out of the ordinary occurrences.

Elias reached for a clean glass and began to mix together several ingredients. Stirring, he handed her the new drink. “Given your love of coffee, I think you may find this more to your liking.”

She raised the glass with caution and sniffed at it. Elias’ face proved he was amused by her reticence.

“Trust me,” he said.

It was all she needed to hear. She took a drink. The liquor was smooth and creamy and quickly erased the lingering foul taste of the Scotch. “Delicious. What’s it called?”

Elias took a step toward her. Jayne’s breath caught. They’d never been so close—or alone. “Screaming Orgasm.”

She swallowed. Because of his nearness, Jayne was forced to look up. She’d known he was tall, but she’d never realized how great the difference in their heights until now. He topped her short, five-foot-four frame by at least half a foot, maybe more.

Yet another disparity between them. Another roadblock. Elias was forty-three to her thirty. While her friends perceived that age difference as too great, Jayne wasn’t sure she agreed.

“Screaming Orgasm.” She gave him a sad smile. “Never had one of those before.” There was a double meaning behind her response. In the past, she never would have made such a revealing remark, but tonight she felt too weary to shield her words.

His eyes narrowed slightly and she flushed.

Shit. Way to go too far, Jayne.

“I mean—”

“I know what you mean, Jayne.”

She licked her lips nervously. God, she loved the sound of her name spoken in his deep, powerful voice. It did funny things to her body. Even now she could feel her arousal growing, her panties getting wet.

“The snow is falling harder. I think you should close early.”

She nodded. Clearly he wanted to go home, but he was too much of a gentleman to leave her here alone. “Okay.”

She went to the front windows and began to pull down the thin screens that kept people outside from seeing in, but still allowed light from the street to filter through. She expected Elias to gather his things and leave, so she was surprised when he hit the light switches, casting the room in near darkness.

“I still need to clean up.”

“I looked around. There’s not much left to do that can’t wait until the morning.”

She thought perhaps he was concerned for her safety, driving on the roads. “I don’t have to drive home. My apartment is only around the corner from here, so it’s no problem for me to stay and tidy up.”

He didn’t respond immediately and she wondered if she’d misread his concern. Elias didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave, especially when he reclaimed his chair in the corner, looking completely relaxed and at home. “I know where you live.”

“What are you doing?”

“Come here, Jayne.”

She obeyed without thought. There was something about the tone in his voice that left her weak at the knees. She claimed the comfortable chair next to his.

“I want to ask you a question.”

“Okay,” she said.

“You placed a bid on me at the bachelor auction last summer.”

She flushed. She’d hoped he hadn’t noticed that temporary moment of insanity on her part. She had raised her hand early in the bidding, knowing full well she’d never be able to win. The bids had gone high and raised a great deal of money for the community center Sophie had been hell-bent on saving from closure. She’d told herself she was driving up the price for a good cause, but that wasn’t true. She laughed uneasily. “Just trying to do my part to raise money for charity.”

“You didn’t bid on anyone else.”

She bit her lip. Why did he have to be so observant? And why was he bringing it up now? The auction had taken place last June. It was December. Six months of silence. “I guess I got carried away, caught up in the spirit of the event.”

Elias frowned but didn’t reply right away. Most of the time she found his quiet nature soothing, as it matched her own. Neither of them was overly chatty, and they found true peace and contentment in the still moments. How many nights had she joined him in this chair to discuss a new book they’d both enjoyed or to simply read next to him?

Unfortunately,
this
silence was unnerving. Anxiety provoked her to fill it. “I meant to ask you about your date with the winner, but it never came up. How did it go?” She hadn’t asked because her previously unrecognized jealous streak didn’t want to know.

“We went to dinner and a movie. Given the less than stimulating conversation over our meal, I’d say it was a good choice. We weren’t forced to make small talk during the movie. Afterward I took her to her house, said good night at her front door and went home alone.”

She forced her face to remain impassive, tried to hide the smile his words provoked. The date had been a bust. She released a foolish sigh of relief. “Oh. I’m sorry it didn’t go well.”

Her grin gave her away. Laugh lines appeared around Elias’ eyes. “I can see you’re really upset by it.”

She didn’t reply. Instead she looked toward the quiet street. The snow was becoming heavier, muting the sounds from the street. It felt as if she and Elias were the only two people left in the city.

“The date would have been different if you had won the bid.”

Elias’ voice cut through the silence. Her gaze drifted back to his face. “It would have?”

He nodded.

“No dinner and movie for me?” She tried to make her question sound lighthearted, but her curiosity was too strong. She’d wondered for years what a date with Elias would entail. He had fascinated, enthralled and ensnared her since the first night he’d walked through the door of Books and Brew. For nearly three years, she’d waited for his arrival at the store with an impatience that grew stronger with each consecutive visit.

“Would you like to know how our night would have gone?”

Jayne nodded, swallowing heavily. The air around them suddenly seemed thicker, more humid. She found it difficult to capture a deep breath, her lungs seizing before oxygen could penetrate.

Elias leaned back in the chair, his legs crossed at the ankles. He was the picture of relaxation. As he began his description, Jayne felt the strange certainty that he’d considered this date as much as she had. The idea was heady, comforting.

“I would have cooked dinner for you at my home.”

She flipped her hair away from her face, the action a nervous habit she’d tried to break for years. “I’ve never seen your house.”

“I live on the outskirts of town, not far from here. It’s a two-story set in the middle of about an acre of land. It’s fairly private. I like that.”

She didn’t respond. Didn’t need to. Everything about Elias told her he enjoyed a solitary existence.

“You like Chinese food, so I would have made you my world-famous stir-fry.”

“World famous?” she teased.

His eyes twinkled. “How are you with chopsticks?”