Intoxicated (27 page)

His lips found hers again. This time his kiss was hard and demanding, pressing her into the wall with all of his considerable height. She yielded to him, struggling to melt into him. The plaster of the wall was cool on her bare bottom and backside while the heat of his chest scorched against her breasts and belly. His foot nudged her feet further apart and then he was inside her in one hard thrust.

Every nerve in her body flamed as he drove into her over and over. This was pure bliss unlike anything she’d ever known. Jack clung to her, moving her to suit his needs, using her body for his pleasure and giving her pleasure in return. It was more than pleasure; it was pure and unadulterated ecstasy.

When his hands moved underneath her bottom and lifted her, she wrapped her legs around his waist. He drove deeper and deeper until she wasn’t sure where he stopped and she began. Her head fell back against the wall with a thunk but she felt nothing but Jack.

An hour later, they emerged from the office and back into the bar. A panty-less Ally trailed behind Jack, legs shaking, and an obvious case of rug burn on her knees. True to his promise, he’d practiced a few moves on her that she was pretty sure were illegal in most of the fifty states and a few countries overseas. He was rough and demanding, barking out orders and taking control of her body in a way that proved he was used to being in charge. Even worse,
she’d liked it
. The memory of her greediness for his body brought a fresh flush to her already colorful cheeks.
 

Randy and Tasha sat on barstools at opposing ends of the bar with expressions of feigned innocence on their faces. Jack said nothing to either one of them, returning to his place behind the counter with an air of male smugness that Ally found amusing. She slid onto one of the barstools between Randy and Tasha, wincing as her bruised backside met the wood seat.

“Saddle sore?” Randy asked with a raised eyebrow.
 

“Shut up,” Jack snapped, pointing a warning finger at his friend. “I don’t even want to know what’s been going on with the pair of you.” He glared at Tasha who blushed an attractive shade of pink. “Don’t you two have somewhere to be?”

“I live here, dude. Remember?” Randy rolled his gray eyes and Tasha giggled. “Besides, you guys got the apartment last time.”

“I should probably get home.” Ally glanced at her watch from the depths of extreme embarrassment.

“Why?” Jack came around to her side of the bar in a flash. “You don’t have to work tomorrow.” His menacing glare softened as he stroked one of her flushed cheeks with the back of his hand. “Let’s go back to your place, baby. I want to stay with you tonight.”

As impossible as it seemed, a fresh wave of lust jolted through her. How could she want him again so soon after what they’d just done? It didn’t seem physically viable and yet she was overwhelmed with the desire to drag him back to the office and do it all over again.
 

“Alright. I guess we can do that.” A show of dimples rewarded her decision and she smiled back at him.
 

They were in the midst of preparing dinner when the doorbell rang. Jack sat at the kitchen table and chopped vegetables for a stir-fry while she sautéed onions and garlic in a wok on the stove top. Soft music played on the stereo in the living room, something that Jack had brought with him. She was surprised to find his musical tastes wide and varied, including classical and jazz, considering the type of heavy metal that always played at Felony. When he lit a few candles on the dining room table, the effect was intimate and complete.

“Were you expecting someone?” Jack asked when the doorbell rang for the second time.

“No. It’s probably Karly or Mrs. Hinkle looking for her roses.” Jack had pilfered more roses from the arbor next door to adorn their dinner table, and Mrs. Hinkle was certain to take notice.
 

“I’ll get it.” Jack rose from the table and dropped a quick kiss on the top of her head before leaving the room.

A few seconds later, she heard shouting and ran into the foyer to see what was happening.

Brian stood on the stoop. Jack blocked the door in front of him, looming large and in charge, as if he was bouncing at Felony. They were so intent on each other that neither man noticed when she approached.

“I told you to get the fuck out of here,” Jack said. “She doesn’t want to see you, man.”

“Just go get her,” Brian replied. “If she wants me to leave, then I’ll go.”

“What’s the problem?” Ally stepped up to the door and put a hand on Jack’s arm. “It’s okay, Jack.” He looked annoyed but moved away from the door. “What do you want, Brian?”

“I need to talk to you, Ally, about your mom.” Brian ignored Jack’s scowl and focused on her face. “And I wanted to pick up my things. I didn’t realize you had company.”

She moved back from the door in invitation. Brian stepped inside looking uncomfortable and harried – as well he should given the scowl on Jack’s face. The change in his appearance startled her. Compared to Jack, he was much smaller than she remembered, very pale, and had a weariness of expression that hadn’t been there before.

“It’s not a good time, Brian. We were about to have dinner. You should’ve called first.” She didn’t invite him past the foyer but stood near the door with arms crossed over her chest.

“I’ve tried to call you a couple times but you blocked my number.” He started toward the living room, but Jack stepped in front of him. “I just wanted to get my stuff.”

“It’s right here,” Ally said. She opened the coat closet near the front door and pulled out a small cardboard box. Brian took it from her and frowned.

“That’s it? What about my sweaters and the books I loaned you?”

“When I found you with Becca, I came back to the house and burned them in the fireplace,” she said. Jack laughed and she had to bite her lip to hold back her own smile. It had been a childish act of revenge but had seemed very satisfying at the time. “This is all that’s left. I would’ve burned that stuff too, but I thought it might catch the house on fire.”

“Oh. Right.” Brian had the good grace to look abashed. “I guess I deserved that.”

“And worse,” Jack replied. The two men scowled at each other again. Ally stepped between them to prevent the situation from escalating.

“Can I have a minute alone with Ally?” Brian asked Jack. Jack lifted an eyebrow in question. Ally nodded.
 

“You call me if you need me,” Jack said to Ally then turned to Brian and pointed a warning finger. “You’ve got five minutes.”

“You better hurry up,” Ally said, enjoying Brian’s discomfort. “Say what you need to say and get out.”

“Can’t we try to be nice to each other?” Brian’s composure had begun to weaken.
 

“I don’t have to be nice,” she replied. “In fact, I don’t have to be anything at all. You’re lucky I don’t have Jack bounce your ass out on the sidewalk.”

“Look. I just wanted to say how sorry I am about the way things went down between us.” He rubbed a weary hand over his brow and let out a long sigh. “This whole deal with Becca…I don’t know what I was thinking. You’re a good person, Ally, and I was lucky to have you.”

“It’s past history and I’ve got dinner burning on the stove.” She put a hand on the door knob. “Anything else? You said something about my mom.”

“She left me, you know,” he blurted. “She met some guy on the internet and moved to Florida to be with him.”

“What?” Laughter burst from her lips before she could stop it. He frowned and looked down at the toes of his brown leather loafers. As much as she detested Brian, she didn’t want to be cruel so she choked it back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh, but you’ve got to admit that you deserved it.”

“I know. Karma’s a bitch, huh?” His frown melted into an abashed grin and reminded her of the Brian she used to know, the one who carried her books between classes and took her to Prom. “It gets worse. She ran up all my credit cards, too. Thousands of dollars on stupid stuff like psychic hotlines and lottery tickets. She’s not who I thought she was.”

“I really am sorry, Brian.” Their eyes met. The sadness in his gaze brought a sharp pang of sympathy. She knew what it was to be betrayed by someone you trusted.
 

“Time’s up.” Jack came back into the room, filling it with his presence. He stood behind her, his front pressed to her back. Together they formed a united front. “Dinner’s almost ready, baby.”

“What about my mom?”
 

Brian moved to the door, his shoulders hunched in defeat. “Your mother was admitted into the psych ward at the hospital a few days ago. They transferred her over to the Brighter Day Recovery Center yesterday. I thought you might want to know.”

A flush climbed into Ally’s cheeks. She felt Jack stiffen behind her. Brian’s mother was the founder of the facility that specialized in addiction and mental illness, so she would know all the sordid details about her mother’s insanity. Jack took a step back, allowing cool air to rush between them as Brian opened the door. She felt the loss of his presence emotionally as well as physically.

“Thanks,” Ally said with a weak smile while trying to avoid Jack’s accusing look. She closed the door behind Brian and bit her lower lip as she turned to face Jack.

Ally closed the door behind Brian and sat down on the sofa. Confused, he scrubbed a hand over his face and turned to study Ally. She was very pale, limbs trembling with suppressed emotion.
 

“You lied to me.” The edges of his vision turned red with anger. He didn’t get angry often but when he did, his temper got the best of him. “You told me that she died a long time ago. Why would you do that?”

“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just…it’s easier to pretend that she’s dead than to go into the whole crazy story.” She shuddered and wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself. “I thought you might not like me any more if you knew that I had a crazy mother.”

“So what else have you lied about?”

“Nothing.” Her green eyes glistened with emotion and he was reminded of Chelsea’s frequent and colorful untruths. She’d played him numerous times with that same innocent expression. Damn if he’d stay around and let another woman make a fool out of him.

“Right.” He searched his pockets for his truck keys, ready to make a hasty exit, then remembered that they’d taken a cab from Felony to her house. “Why should I believe anything you say? Maybe I can’t trust you.”

She sprang off the couch like a startled rabbit and rocketed straight into his chest. He stood like a stone with his arms stiff at his sides. She wrapped her arms tight around his waist and squeezed him until his ribs creaked.

“You can trust me, Jack. I’m so sorry that I lied. I’ll tell you everything, just please don’t go.” With her face buried in his shirt, her words were muffled. It was hard to be angry when he could feel the heavy curve of her breasts and the heat of her breath through his shirt.

He groaned and hugged her tight against him. “Explain. Now.”

She stood on tiptoe and nuzzled her nose into his neck. “I didn’t want you to think that I was like her. If you knew how she was…what she’s done…”

“Baby, you’re not your mom.” With a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up so that he could see into her green eyes. “Understand?” She nodded and began to toy with the buttons at the open throat of his shirt. “Nothing your mom did will make me feel any differently about you.” She nodded again, and he dropped a light kiss on the end of her nose. He scooped her off her feet and carried her to the couch where he sat down and settled her on his lap. “Start talking.”

“I don’t really remember much about her except that she was really pretty and she cried a lot. She was always terribly depressed. Sometimes she’d stay in bed for days. I was so little that I didn’t really understand.

“When I was about six, she had an affair with her best friend’s son. The boy was barely eighteen and it was a huge scandal. They ran off together, but the boy came back after a couple of weeks. My dad went after her, but she wouldn’t come home. I didn’t see much of her for another twelve years.” Ally looked up at him, her eyes huge and glimmering with unshed tears. “She never said goodbye or anything – just left. No explanations or excuses. I don’t think she loved me enough to stay.”

“It’s her loss, Ally. She’s missed out on a wonderful and amazing daughter.” Those green eyes, luminous with pain, cut right through to his heart. “You aren’t responsible for her behavior. She made her own choices, you know?”

“She came to my office awhile back and I wouldn’t see her. I mean…I could’ve seen her…but I let them throw her out. She was acting all crazy and I was too embarrassed. Maybe if I had seen her…talked to her…it would’ve made a difference.” Her slender fingers brushed the hair on his chest and sent a tingle down to his toes.
 

“Baby, you could spend a life time wondering. You’ll make yourself crazy if you do that.” His whole body ached with her pain. He could feel the depth of it throbbing behind her wall of self-control. “I know this is a crazy thought, but maybe you need to go see her.”

“I know that I should, but I have no idea what to say to her.” She stroked the side of his face with her fingers. He leaned into her touch, savoring the intimacy. “Would you go with me?”