Fun With Rick and Jade (5 page)

He was vaguely aware Jade said something akin to
I do
. The words sounded sweet and lyrical, like a lovely lie should. He reached over and let the baby wrap her tiny fingers around his big finger and Coral grinned, or passed gas. He wanted to believe she smiled at him. More likely she laughed at him for being such a patsy.

Jade glanced sideways at him, her lashes closing slowly over her eyes. His throat went bone dry and his cock thickened. Somehow, despite his fumbling, they managed to exchange thin gold bands, which symbolized something important. The minister had said so. He couldn’t recall what, exactly. He
did
distinctly hear the man give him permission from God to kiss his bride.

She leaned in and turned slightly, as if he should kiss her cheek.
Fuck that
. Baby between them or not, he cupped his palm around the back of her elegant neck. With lips already parted, he tilted his head right and covered her mouth with his. She didn’t fight his hold on her, or his lips pressing against hers. If anything, she rode the wave of their kiss like a champ. She’d probably slap him later, which made his dick twitch.

He shifted his head to the left, deepening the kiss. She went along with him like they’d choreographed the scene. Everyone clapped and whistled. His tongue dipped into her mouth and she danced the tongue tango right along with him. No bungling. No hesitation. No regret.

Best wedding he’d ever been to.

They broke apart as the clapping died down. She took her thumb and wiped the lipstick from his lower lip, sending a jolt of electricity down the length of his spine. She wasn’t smiling, except in her eyes. Since he sensed he had her charmed for a split second, he placed a kiss on Coral’s forehead, leaving a small trace of Jade’s red lipstick. She followed suit. Everyone clapped except his mother.

“You never told me your brother-in-law had such mad kissing skills,” Jade muttered to Candy.

“I’m sure I didn’t know.” She giggled. “But Bob does, too.”

Ew
. She liked Bob. He was sexy in a courtroom when he went in for the kill, barracuda-style. To her, he’d always be Coral’s godfather. “Take Coral so I can get a bite. I haven’t eaten all day.” Too many details to attend to. And nerves. Jitters over a wedding that meant nothing and angst over a custody battle that meant everything. She had a lot riding on the marriage, but not the usual bridal concerns, whatever those were.

“She doesn’t like me,” Candy protested, backing away. “Cries like a baby whenever she sees me.”

She is a baby
. Jade decided to wait for someone responsible to wander by. In this crowd, it might take a while. She didn’t know why Bob and Candy had to make such a production out of the ceremony. They’d replicated their own wedding, and Bob hoped to intermingle some of their photos in to make it look like a grander affair for the judge.

The bigger the wedding, the longer the marriage would last, according to Candy. She had an entire algebraic equation factoring in a couple’s wedding budget, the size of the diamond, the venue, their zodiac signs, and somehow she came out with a love quotient that could pinpoint, down to the month and year, a potential split.

“There’s my wife.” Rick ambled over, a bottle of beer clasped in his hand. Not his first drink, judging by the mirth in his eyes and the levity in his voice. Clearly he was working on a what-was-I-thinking hangover. “You’re missing a great party, Mrs. Jette.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “Don’t call me that.”

“What’s wrong, honey?”

Don’t call me that either
. She pointed at Coral who squirmed in her arms. “Won’t take a nap.”

Putting his bottle down on a table, he held out his arms and wiggled his fingers. “Mingle. Get something to eat. Enjoy your reception.”

She hesitated, not sure if he was the responsible person she’d been waiting for. Hunger made her give in, against her better judgment.

Finger pointed, she said, “Stay close.”

Fear of losing her daughter forever to Ewan and his wife put Jade on a heightened sense of alert. She would not screw up.
I can be the perfect mother. How hard could it be?
Her typically doting, if not affectionate, Chinese mother had always made it look easy. The woman had the stamina of three decathletes, the hearing of a superhero, and eyes in the back of her head. A rebellious Jade had not made the job of parenting easy for her.
Don’t get me started on my daddy issues
.

“Go on.” He waved her off. “Say your good-byes. Most everyone is clearing out.”

Off to somewhere more interesting, she guessed. A party or a nightclub. They’d stay up until dawn and go out for breakfast, or home to fuck like cats in heat. Sleeping in until noon and waking up still buzzed would follow. They’d do it all over again. Empty lives. Sounded like a little slice of heaven. And a little like hell. No more heaven or hell for her, only the monotony of life on earth.

Jade grabbed a plate. The best fare was already gone. When everyone left, she’d go to bed. Alone. As usual. Her day started at dawn. Sex—a distant memory. The vague reminiscence of Ewan’s powerful body grinding into hers sent a tremor of blissful recollection. She glanced in the direction of her new husband to ascertain how he measured up, but he was gone.
Shit
.

She wandered around, simultaneously eating and searching. The few guests who remained wished her well. None of them were aware the wedding was a farce. They thought she was living the dream, same as Candy. From hooker to honeymooner in the blink of an eye. In a few months, she’d be a statistic of another failed union. No diamond on her finger, plus a bargain-basement wedding, equaled short marriage, according to the Candy Equation.

Exhausted, Jade climbed the stairs slowly, not finding her soon-to-be-ex-husband and baby anywhere. The musical windup mobile above Coral’s crib reeled her closer to the nursery, which doubled as Jade’s bedroom. With the room cloaked in darkness, she could barely make out
his
silhouette standing over the crib. Gripping the safety rail, he leaned over and talked nonsense to Coral. The baby cooed and gurgled in response.

Jade rested against the wall, letting it hold her up against a wave of fatigue that hit her like a sack of bricks. The mobile ran out of steam. And so did Coral.

Rick tiptoed away backward, humming the theme song from
Hawaii Five-O
. Slowly turning, he stopped when he saw her there. Maybe it was the beer in his system, but he smiled sort of off-kilter and moved toward the door. Toward her.

He put his finger to his lips. “Shhh.”

No one had to tell her to be quiet. She’d spent the last three-going-on-four months being insanely quiet so as not to wake the baby.

“She’s almost asleep,” he whispered.

She folded her arms across her chest. “Did you change her?” If not, she’d be up shortly wanting a dry diaper.

Obviously intoxicated, he slurred his words. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“I didn’t ask if you were born yesterday, Rick. I asked if you changed her.”

He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets. “I did.”

“Good boy.” Maybe he wasn’t a complete idiot after all, although that remained to be seen. The diaper could be on backward.

“How did you know about
Hawaii Five-O
?”

He shrugged. “Bob.”

“Uh-huh. Want to explain that kiss this evening?” She wanted—no, she needed another.
Imagine my surprise
. At the time, she’d wanted to wrestle him the ground, straddle his torso, and fuck him senseless.

One side of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile. “Well, it’s a little technique I learned in high school—”

“By kissing your pillow?”

He chuckled. “She was an inflatable doll I named Elsie, actually.”

She laughed at him. No, she laughed with him. “What else did you do to Elsie?”

“With Elsie. You make it sound so tawdry.” He stepped a little closer, putting her nerves on notice.

Beware. Intruder alert
.

“We were very close until she left me for a mannequin at the mall.”

She snorted a laugh. “You shouldn’t have taken her to the mall. Rookie mistake.” Feeling rusty and awkward in this body that didn’t work the way it once had, she reached out and ran her fingers along his jacket lapel, being sure to drag her knuckles purposefully down his chest. “Could you do something for me?” She let her hand fall away, leaving the two of them unconnected.

He winked. “I’ll bet I could.”

“This is a little awkward.”

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be shy. We’re married.”

His warm words blew a path along her neck. His breath smelled intoxicatingly of beer, something else she’d gone too long without. “No one but a doctor has touched me in nearly a year.” She whispered the words she hated to say and hated for him to hear. “And to be honest, his touch left much to be desired.” Jade looked to the floor, to his shiny, rented dress shoes. “Very clinical, if you get my meaning.”

Without her asking anything more, he laced his fingers with hers, which wasn’t exactly what she had in mind. He raised them up and stepped closer. Rick kissed her knuckles one at a time before pulling her against his solid body. She looped her arms around his neck. His hand splayed out along her back, rubbing and kneading a path up her spine, loosening her up for what she hoped would be an encore kiss.

She rested her head in the crook of his neck. He smelled like some cheap aftershave that suited him and at the moment, breathing it in, it suited her. His digits dug into the flesh at her neck and shoulders.

His massaging relaxed her hold on the control she’d worked so hard to master. Emotion broke loose and she cried, her body shaking with sentiment she didn’t know she had.

His touch turned feathery. “Everyone needs a hug now and then.” He rocked her gently.

“Not me.” She sniffled back some emotion. “Not usually, anyhow.”

“Everyone.”

She swept away her tears.
Damn these baby blues
. The postpartum variety—and his sky-blue eyes. “Who hugs you, Rick?”

“A big guy named Lou who runs one of those roach coaches near my new office.” He squeezed her and let her loose. Her palms slid slowly down his torso, reluctant to break their connection. “We have a complicated relationship, but you should find out now rather than later.”

“Stop it.” She choked out a laugh between sobs. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”
Let me count the reasons. My babydaddy and his overly devoted wife want to steal my daughter. I just married a really nice guy who will probably turn out to be a prick. And I have no way of making money to support myself or my child
.

He shoved his hands back in his pockets. “Everyone needs a good cry now and then, too. Scientific fact.” They stood facing each other in awkward silence. He zoomed in and impulsively kissed her. When they broke apart, he asked, “Is that more along the lines of what you meant?”

Drawing in a deep breath, she nodded.

“Sorry.” He choked out a laugh. “I’m a guy. Subtlety doesn’t always work.”

Tell me something I don’t know
. “I’ll remember that—for the future.” Even though they had no future.

Carefully, he snaked his arms around her as if he half expected her to go off like a grenade. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” he said, followed by a quick peck on her lips. “But I thought call girls don’t kiss.”

Jade’s defenses went up immediately, taking his words the wrong way, despite his warning that she shouldn’t. She didn’t want to be reminded of her previous profession. Not in the middle of a kiss. She weaved her nails into the hair above his collar. “Someone’s been watching
Pretty Woman
. And I prefer the term escort. Or ‘total girlfriend experience.’”

“I was channel-flipping,” he said defensively. “Under the circumstances, I got sucked into the movie, hoping for a little insight into my bride-to-be.”

“We…or I do…did whatever I was paid to do.” Granted, not too many men paid her for a kiss. One old dude paid her to play backgammon. Naked. The worst part was the john expected her to lose. And she did. No more losing for her, at the hands of some ego-driven man.

Sweetly, Rick pecked, nipped, and licked at her lips, easing her into what she hoped would be a world-class kiss. She latched on to the back of his neck and nearly crawled into his mouth. Soft kisses turned to hot pressing and playful biting. Fingers squeezed, groped, and stroked. His stubble punished her face and she liked it.

“Jade! Rick!” Candy called out from somewhere down the hall.

They broke apart and Coral began crying.

A little too drunk to drive home, Rick sacked out in the guest room, which doubled as Bob’s home office and exercise room. Essentially it was designed to discourage guests from staying too long. Guests like ungrateful brothers. Sofa bed was synonymous with uncomfortable.

Drunk or not, he didn’t feel like leaving his bride, not after that kiss. Kisses. Seemed weird to part on their wedding night. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering where the kissing would have led. Where it could still lead if he had the balls to go down the hall and finish what they’d started. He didn’t. But he figured he should stay and help with the morning-after cleanup, although it would serve Bob right if he didn’t.

Along with the lumpy guest sofa bed, the window had no drapes or blinds, thereby letting the streetlight spill into the room and into his eyes. The window faced the front of the house so any and all nocturnal noises kept him wide awake. Sirens. Barking dogs. Car alarms.

He snapped his attention to the door when it creaked open. Maybe Bob and Candy had double-booked the guest room for the night. A silhouetted figure crossed the room.
Jade
. He propped himself up on his elbows. Light and shadows from the headlights of a passing vehicle danced across her lithe form. Her curtain of long hair swayed with each step. His heart drummed in double-time to her steps.