Just One Touch: A Black Alcove Novel (The Black Alcove Series Book 3) (11 page)

“Are you okay?”

Conner’s voice
startles me, and I quickly take in the fact that he’s already
sitting back down and halfway through another piece of pizza. Oh, and
I’m staring right at his chest.

“Yep,” I say,
forcing a smile as I look back to the TV. I may as well stand up and
shout “kiss me” already. My eyes basically did it for me.

He sets his plate on
the coffee table and then, as if it were the most normal thing in the
world, he scoots over till he is right next to me and places me right
back under his arm. I relax into him and do nothing to stop the huge
smile on my face.

“I don’t care how
this sounds, but I’m not letting you leave here tonight without
getting the chance to taste your lips at least once.”

I swallow, allowing his
words to sink in right before I press my lips against his. He kisses
me back, the pressure soft and gentle, as though he wants to make it
last. Everything inside me warms as the arms around my shoulders
squeeze me tightly. I begin to shift, to deepen the kiss when Conner
pulls away.

He releases a breath I
hadn’t noticed he was holding and tugs my body closer to his. Once
I’m snuggled in next to him on the couch, he kisses me again. This
time it’s more urgent. His tongue parts our lips and finds my own
as our mouths moves quicker against each other. My eyes close as I
absorb the way kissing Conner feels. Sweet, scary, right, and like I
never want him to stop.

In seconds, Conner
rolls his body on top of mine. His knee nudges itself between my legs
as he breaks the kiss to press his lips to my jaw, my neck, my
collarbone. I use this time to take a deep breath, because I plan on
kissing him as long as I can. A wave of his woodsy scent fills the
air and fuels something inside me. I pull his face back to mine.

Hours pass as we make
out like teenagers on his couch. I love it though, and I love it even
more when I wake up the next morning still tucked under his arm on
the couch. The thought that it’s time I tell him who I am ruins the
entire moment for me. But I have to tell him. Whatever we’ve
started I want it, and it’ll only work if he knows the truth. All I
have to do is figure out how I’m going to tell him.

If only it could be
that simple.

Conner

There’s a good chance
I’ve been making out with my best friend’s little sister for the
last week. A really good chance, but I’m not ready to accept it or
question her yet. Although it drives my mind wild wanting to know
more, or simply her freaking last name, we’re in a good place and I
don’t want to ruin it if I’m wrong.

Beth unlocks the door,
signaling that it’s time to open The Black Alcove. I have a whole
night’s worth of work before I’ll see Alex again, and it’s
killing me. I want to see her because I’m into her, of course, but
also because now that my sister brought it to my attention, I notice
little things that are making me think maybe Alex really is Logan’s
sister. First it was the way she looked around my living room that
day, then it was the butter and jelly toast thing, and then when she
wanted Dorothy Lynch for her pizza dipping sauce. I know it sounds
crazy, but those are all things Logan likes—it could be a family
thing.

“What’s got you so
focused?” Beth pulls up a seat at the bar across from where I’m
standing. She’s on the clock, but with zero customers right now,
she doesn’t have anything else to do.

“It’s nothing.”

“I’ve known you for
years, Conner, so I know when something is bothering you.”

Beth looks me in the
eye, and it occurs to me that she, being the bluntest woman I know,
would have called me out on the Alex thing if she knew what my sister
or Ethan thought. There’s a good chance she doesn’t know about
the hunch, so I could get advice from her.

“Alright, so you know
I’ve been hanging out with Alex?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I want to get to
know her more, learn about her past, but I don’t know how to bring
it up.”

“That’s easy.”

I knew asking her was a
good idea.

“You don’t bring it
up,” she finishes and I frown.

“What?”

“That girl came here
for a reason. I don’t know what it is, but it’s clearly to either
get away from something or to find something, and a new guy in her
life bringing up her past isn’t going to help her get anywhere
positive,” Beth says the words as though they mean something to her
or as if she is talking about herself. I’m about to ask more on the
subject when Heather comes storming into the bar, Jake following
closely behind her. The first thing I notice is how she almost hit
him with the door when she didn’t hold it for him, and then I
notice the tears running down her face.

“Conner, something
came up and I need you to take Jake for a few nights.”

“Dad!” Jake cheers
when he sees me.

Beth excuses herself
but doesn’t go far as I walk around the bar to meet them near the
door.

“What’s going on?”
I ask.

“Nothing that
concerns you or Jake. He just needs to stay with you for a few days.”

She shoves a full
backpack against my chest and turns for the door.

“Heather, I’m
working. I can’t just leave right now.”

“So let him stay
here. I don’t care.”

“This is a bar!” I
catch the rise in my voice and glance to Jake. His eyes are wide and
on the verge of tears. I crouch down and hug him. I stand again, with
Jake in my arms, and keep my voice calm.

“Heather, this isn’t
the place for a kid to be hanging out all night.”

All she does is shrug
and walk out the door.

I set Jake on his feet
and he runs over to Beth, who’s holding a tray with a bowl of ice
cream and toppings. She sets the tray on the bar top as Jake climbs
onto a stool and begins dumping sprinkles over the bowl.

He can’t stay here,
but whatever his mom has going on, anywhere is better than with her
right now.

I head for Jake and
Beth, who is now sitting with Jake, scratching the back of my head,
hoping the movement will send an idea to mind. My parents and my
sister are the obvious choices.

“Everything okay?”
Beth asks.

I pull out my phone and
start to dial my sister.

“It will be.”

“Hey guys.” Alex’s
bright smile catches my attention from across the bar, and I pause
before I hit the call button. She looks amazing as her dark red
corduroy skirt sways from side to side with each step, revealing her
legs. “Hey, Jake, do you remember me?” Her face lights up at the
sight of him, and I know mine mimics that expression at her
excitement to see my son. He nods quickly but is more focused on his
bowl of ice cream.

“What are you doing
here?” she asks, eyeing me for the answer.

“Mom said I was
staying with my dad for the week,” he says between bites and not
looking at her.

This
week
?
I thought she just said a few days. I work four out of five nights.

“That’s so
awesome.” Alex’s happiness momentarily distracts me.

“What are you doing
tonight, Alex?” Beth asks.

“Nothing. I have the
night off so I thought I’d come in here and maybe grab some
dinner.”

“Jake, you want to
eat dinner with Alex?” Beth asks my son, and I start to put the
pieces together. Beth is a good friend to think of it, but this isn’t
something I’d ask Alex to do.

Jake looks at me,
waiting for me to answer for him, and when I give him a smile, he
nods.

“I’ll go get
something started for you both.”

Beth moves to the back,
sending me a look on her way. She wants me to ask Alex to watch Jake.
The only time they met was the day she moved in, and even though Jake
is acting like he remembers her, he could be doing that only because
I’m here. He could be different when they’re alone. I can’t
just ask the girl I’m trying to date to watch my son. She’ll
probably say yes because she feels obligated, and I don’t want to
put her in that situation.

Alex is leaning over
the bar. I really want to kiss her, but I can’t do it in front of
Jake. Not yet.

“You look nice
today,” I say, setting my phone down and leaning forward on my arms
to talk to her.

“Thank you.” She
blushes, but her smile doesn’t falter. “How is it that you’re
working and Jake is staying with you at the same time?”

I sigh. I shouldn’t
keep anything else about Jake’s mother and myself from her.

“Heather just dropped
him off. I had no idea she was bringing him.”

“When does your shift
end?”

“Midnight, if it’s
slow,” I tell her.

She nods and I can see
in her eyes that’s she’s thinking the same thing as Beth.

“I can’t let you do
that,” I say, cutting the idea off.

“Why not? He’ll be
at home. It’s not like I’m going out of my way and I want to,
Conner.”

“You want to hang out
with my four-year-old son?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I don’t know …”

“I can handle it, I
promise. I grew up in a house with tons of kids younger than me. I
know what to do.”

A foster house, or
brothers and sisters?

“Do you have a lot of
brother and sisters?” I ask, taking the safe road.

“No” is her only
answer before she gives her attention to Jake.

A few customers come in
and I help them while Beth brings out a burger for Alex and chicken
fingers for Jake. Somewhere in the next hour, I gave her my
permission to watch Jake. Of course, it was after I texted Lucas, who
said he could come in and relieve me of my shift around eight thirty.

I trust Alex, and I
trust that he’ll be good for her. It’s only for a few hours. I
just don’t want her to think that our being together means she
needs to be responsible for him. Becoming an instant parent can freak
a person out. I know from firsthand experience how stressful it can
be. I’d never pick Alex over Jake, but being with her gives me hope
that I can give Jake everything. I don’t want anything to ruin
that. When Heather picks Jake up, I’m telling her it’s not going
to work.

Alexis

Never did I think I
would be that girl, the one who’s awkward with children. Growing
up, everyone liked me. I was a fun person so be around. But now,
hanging out with Jake is different. I never really cared if the other
kids liked me, but this one … I want him to like me. And now that
we’re alone without Conner, things are a bit … awkward.

Jake is sitting on the
couch across from me with his arms crossed and the best scowl a
four-year-old can give. He crosses his ankles and his eyes narrows.
He looks just like his father.

Except this kid gives
some seriously good dirty looks, where Conner’s never look like
he’s mean mugging me.

His eyes shift with
every move I make. He isn’t going to let me out of his sight.

“So,” I say, trying
my hardest to let my expression give away the fact he’s making me a
bit nervous, but this kid’s hard stare is about to make me crack.
“What do you like to do for fun besides play basketball with your
uncle and dad?”

He doesn’t say
anything. He just keeps staring.

“Do you like to watch
movies?”

I wait for him to
respond or maybe even shake his head. I get nothing. This kid talks
all the time. What has gotten into him?

“What about
dinosaurs?”

I wait.

“Turtles?”

His eyes narrow less,
but it’s something. Okay, it’s possible he likes turtles.

“Do you like the
Ninja Turtles?”

His chin raises, and
for a split second I think he’s going to speak, but then he quickly
returns to his scowling state.

Damn.

What did I like as a
kid? What games would I play in a house that didn’t have my toys?
Who am I kidding—I hardly had any of my own toys and this kid has a
room with all of his.

Think,
think
.
Build a tent. No. Pretend the remote is a car? No. Oh, yes! I got it.

I jump onto my seat, my
feet landing in the center on the small couch.

“Did you see that?”
I ask, sounding amazed. “The lava, it boiled. Right there, right
there by your foot.”

Jake peeks his small
head over the edge of the couch. When he catches sight of the carpet,
he looks at me, confused.

“Look! You missed it.
I did it again.”

His head flashes back
toward the ground. He stares for a minute before slowly reaching his
hand over the couch.

“Don’t touch it,”
I say, faking a panic. “It will burn you.”

His hand jerks back and
he moves fast to stand on his couch cushion as well. A small smile
starts to touch his lips as he watches me.

I jump to his same
cushion.

“Don’t let your
feet touch the floor or the lava will burn them,” I whisper. His
eyes widen with excitement as he steps cautiously to the end of the
sofa. He gently steps onto the end table next to him.

“Careful,” I say,
both referring to the game we’re playing and to the fact I’m
totally allowing this kid to climb on the furniture when I know I
shouldn’t be.

Once both of his feet
are planted on the table, he looks over at me with a huge smile.
Quickly we move from couch to chair to table and back to the couch.
Every now and then I pretend I’m about to fall, and once Jake even
reached out to help me. He still hasn’t spoken, but from the joy
written on his face and the loud giggles coming from his tiny body, I
know I’m getting closer.

I’m on my hands and
knees now, crawling across the sofa.

“Stop,” he says and
I freeze. He places his small finger in front of his lips. “It can
hear you.”

I fake the best scared
face I can as I lean over the sofa to hide the smile that snuck out
at the fact he talked. Finally. My eyes go wide as I get ready to
pretend I fall in again. Jake’s serious face is back. My hand
reaches closer to the carpet. He leans forward just a little.