A Jar of Hearts (12 page)

James strolled over towards Anne’s house. His feet sank into the sand; his shirt billowed behind him in the sea breeze. He buried his hands in his pockets as he entered her backyard.

“James!” Ashley called out to him, waving her hand wildly at him.

“How is the little sport doing?” He smiled.

“Harley? He’s doing awesome! I’m trying to teach him to catch a ball.”

“That will certainly come in handy.” He picked up the boisterous puppy to cuddle him. It licked him on his face and he laughed. “Oh no, you don’t. I don’t want to smell like dog food just yet.” He put the wriggly puppy down and let it leap towards Ashley. “He’s growing up fast. He’s already bigger since we got him.”

“You should know. It’s been two weeks since you last saw him or us,” Julia interrupted.

He glanced up at her and nodded. “Julia.”

She sighed. “Why don’t you sit down for a while? Anne isn’t quite ready yet.”

“Thanks,” he said, settling himself into a chair.

They sat together awkwardly, not knowing how to initiate a conversation with the other.

“I’m sorry about that tongue lashing I gave you earlier this morning.” Julia coughed. “I suppose… I was mistaken.”

James cleared his throat. “How is she now?”

“Well, from the looks of it, she certainly has a change in her opinion of you. I don’t know what had her so upset in the morning. Since she is giving you another chance, it probably wasn’t because of you.” She let out a tired puff of air. “I really feel so ashamed at hammering you like that.”

He smiled. “Don’t stress too much about it. It happens.”

Her eyes narrowed, watching Harley giving incessant squeaky barks at a kite Ashley was running with in the yard. “Perhaps her lesson had calmed her down.”

“What lesson?”

“I take wing chun lessons, Mr Connelly,” Anne interrupted, walking out of the house to join them.

He blinked at her. He had never imagined her to be interested in martial arts. “Did you just start them recently?”

“I started them seventeen years ago, but then stopped for the last few years,” she said flatly.

“I never knew you ever took wing chun lessons,” he muttered in awe.

“You hardly know me, James.”

“I can see that now.” He grinned. There was still so much he had to learn about his Anne. How could he have missed on a fact like that? “I know a bit of wing chun myself. We should spar one day.”

“Really now?” She tilted her head with interest. “Maybe we should. But I doubt we’ll ever find the time.”

“And why not?” he bantered.

She straightened up stiffly. “Are we going to spend the afternoon here discussing our next sparring match or are we going to dinner as we had planned?”

“Ahhh,” he said, walking over to her. “Today has certainly not been a good one for me. I’ve been scolded by two beautiful women since this morning. Ashley, do you have something for me too? I might as well have that also.”

“Yes!” she said, leaping into his arms and giving him a small peck on his cheek.

“You have got to be my favorite girl, today.” He beamed.

Anne turned on her heels and tapped her way to the front door. “We’re late already as it is.”

She picked the restaurant that night. It was one she had stumbled upon accidently one night and loved their food and their service. But tonight she didn’t have the stomach for any.

Ashley clearly loved the man, and had it not been for her outburst earlier this morning, so did Julia. Did they not see through his deception? What sort of man got paid to take a woman out? And yet Julia found some form of redemption in the man. Enough to forgive him.

“You didn’t eat much?” he said as they drove back home. “Are you feeling alright?”

“I guess I just wanted some time away from the house.” She leaned against the window, a tight knot pitting in her stomach.

In truth, it was the anxiety about what she was going to do now that had thrown off her appetite. She was going to be alone with him again. But this time she had to be sure she did things right.

He threw his keys onto the hallway table and then strolled lazily over to her, one hand shoved deep into his pocket. He wanted to thread his fingers through her hair, to touch her skin with his lips and feel her heart beat against his. But he had to restrain himself from startling her. He wanted her to want him like he did her.

She stood there in his living room, looking incredibly beautiful in her spaghetti strapped dress. Her blonde curls contrasted well with her red dress and he grew fascinated with the way her hair shone like golden sparkles under the light of his chandelier.

He had thought she would want to go straight home after dinner. And after his morning reprimand from Julia, he wasn’t sure if she wanted to come to his house. But she had surprised him yet again when she said she’d stay for a little while longer with him.

“I know you are beautiful, but why is it that you stun me each time I see you?” he whispered, caressing the ends of her hair between his fingers.

“James,” she said softly, closing her eyes.

He cupped her face and leaned into her. His lips ached to taste her. He wanted to caress her tongue with his, to dive into her mouth and reveal her inner most secrets.

“James, stop,” she said.

“Hmm?” He glanced up at her eyes and was met with an icy stare. They weren’t the warm green ones he had always taken granted for. “Anne?”

“What’s your going rate for fucking a blind woman?”

“What?”

She stepped away from him. “No, that wasn’t right. We should take account of everything you’ve done from the very beginning. How much for taking a blind girl out to dinner?”

“Anne, what are you talking about?” He inched closer to her, frowning. He had no idea what she was on about.

“Stay away from me!” She gritted the words between her teeth angrily. “James, I
know
! I’m blind but I’m not stupid! I know. Julia paid you to take me out.”

“What?” He paled, finally realizing what she was saying. She must have heard Julia berating him over the phone. There was no other way she could have known. Julia would certainly never tell her.

“Oh stop the pretence already, James. Just give me your charge and I’ll pay you off now. Julia would never have been able to afford it anyway.” She fumbled her way to her bag on the sofa.

“Are you saying I’m so good that Julia could never have afforded my rate?” he chided.

She scowled. “Why don’t you tell me how much I owe you so I can be done with you?”

He scratched his brow. “No charge for you.”

She stopped. “Excuse me? That is absurd. Stop being the sudden gallant knight and tell me how much it is I owe you.” She reached back for her bag,

“Okay, stop it,” he said, moving to pull her away from her bag.

She caught his arm, locking in his wrist as she swung at him with her other fist. “And I told you to stay away from me!”

His instincts raced, blocking her attack. He let out a relieving sigh. His chin would have taken a week to recover from that blow if it had met her punch. Where did she get such brutal strength? He didn’t have time to think about that one as she repeatedly slapped his chest with bare palms and then aimed at his face again with a clenched fist.

He blocked it again, swerving her around so she was spooned into him. In her state of rage, it was the safest place for his face. His cock was another matter, because he felt it hardening from all their wrangling.

“And I had told you earlier that we should spar,” he teased.

He locked her into his body, trying to hold her firmly as she writhed in his arms.

“I hate you!” she screamed.

“And I love you,” he whispered into her ear.

She froze for a brief instant and then resumed her wriggling even more intensely. “You lying despicable bastard! Let me go!”

“Anne… stop! I’m not lying. I love you.”

She finally managed to pull out of his arms and then swirled to attack him again. He blocked her punches, dodging them as he moved back, trying not to hurt her in the process.

“Anne, Julia didn’t pay me and I would never take any money to date you,” he pleaded.

She swerved a fist at him and he ducked.

“Damn it, Anne, can we talk this out at least!” Where was the placid Anne he had fallen in love with? On the other hand, he quite liked this fiery side to her as well.

His pleas made no difference to her anger as she continued with her attacks against him, one fist after another.  He had to find some way to reason with her, but would she listen in such a state? Finally, having had enough, he put considerable distance between them. As long as she could touch him, she would attack him.

“Where are you, you bastard?!” she minced in rage.

There was only one way to end this. He raced into her and threw her over his shoulder in one smooth fireman’s lift. She was stunned and he had to take advantage of that as he sped up the stairs and towards his bedroom.

“What are you doing?” she mumbled in shock and then screamed, “What the fuck are you doing?!

She beat his back and he winced. There were going to be bruises in the morning, but so as long as she left bruises of another kind too, he would be fine.

He threw her on his bed and leapt onto her as quickly as he could, holding down her legs by sitting on her and pinning her flailing arms against the bed.

“Get off me, you fucking… bastard… asshole…!”

“Are you done with the swearing? Because it doesn’t suit you at all.”

“Get off me,” she repeated between clenched teeth.

“Only if you hear me out,” he said, taking deep breaths of air. She had exhausted him with all her tussle.

She grew quiet, her body still rigid from her rage. It would have to suffice, he thought. She was listening, at least.