Seducing the Old Flame (13 page)

“I’m sorry, Tabby.”

“It’s okay.”
 
She shrugged.
 
“Nothing I don’t deserve.”

She sat in his living room floor holding the world’s ugliest cat
and Jason didn’t want her to be anywhere else.
 
Just with him.

So what did that mean?

Satisfied that she’d removed most of She-cat’s tangles, Tabby
let the cat go.
 
The damp cat hopped onto
his sofa, stared at both of them with utter disgust, then began giving herself
a proper feline bath.

“I think we were just told off in cat language,” Tabby mused,
not quite meeting his eyes.

Jason scooted closer to where she sat, touched her face when she
still didn’t look at him.
 
“Tabby.”

She glanced up and smiled.
 
He didn’t buy it.
 
Even if the
glisten of tears in her eyes didn’t give her away, the tremble of her lower lip
did.

Damn.
 
He was getting too
emotionally involved.
 
He knew
better.
 
She was only going to be here
for one more night.
 
He had to keep his
distance, keep the wall around his heart,
had
to kiss her
.

So he did.

Slow and tentative at first.
 
She didn’t move, didn’t respond, just allowed him to taste her lips.

So he did.

Sweet and spicy all at once, Tabitha tasted of heaven.

When she shivered, he pulled back.
 
“Cold?”

“No.”
 
She shook her head.

“Want me to stop?”

“Please don’t.”

“Good, because this morning was a helluva long time ago and
someone promised me a weekend of hot sex.”

She shifted, bringing her upper body into contact with his.
 
“You’re right.
 
Guess I’m not living up to my end of the deal.”

“Deal?”

“A weekend of no-commitment sex.”

No commitment sex.

That’s what he’d agreed to.

All Tabby would ever give him.

Good thing she reminded him.

Because no matter how much he wanted to protect himself, sex
with Tabby wasn’t something he took lightly.

He planned to make love to her, to wipe away the sadness in her
eyes with his kisses, but he pulled back, ran his fingers down her cheek, and
swore under his breath.

He did not want more from Tabby than sex.

One weekend of mindless, no commitment sex.
 
That was it.
 
Nothing more.

Still, he didn’t move to take her, and not because he couldn’t
have her.
 
The light in her eyes said she
was his for the taking.
 
So why wasn’t he
taking?

“That’s okay.”
 
He held in
a frustrated sigh.
 
“We need to grab
something to eat anyway.
 
What do you
feel like?”

Like wrapping my arms around
you and never letting go
.

Tabitha blinked, watching him pick up the used white towels.

What had just happened?
 
She’d have sworn he was going to make love to her.
 
So why weren’t they rolling around naked in
the floor in a passionate throe?

And why had he thrown shields over his eyes?

For just a few brief seconds she’d seen inside, like old times,
and seen desire, deep and Jason-like, swirling within him.
 
She wanted that desire.
 
That I can’t live without you lust.

But he made it go away.
 
Or hid it to where she couldn’t spot a lingering trace.

Jason didn’t want her more than what was on the surface of their
weekend relationship.
 
Just sex.

Which was okay, because that’s all she wanted too.

Maybe.

He held out his hand and she placed hers inside to allow him to
help her up.

“Thanks.”

“UT is playing this evening.”
 
He glanced at his watch.
 
“Actually, the game is already on.
 
We could order pizza and watch.”
 
He paused as if reconsidering his offer.
 
“Or I can take you out somewhere nice if you prefer.
 
Just name the restaurant and we’ll go.”

Did he think she expected a dinner date?
 
No, with Jason, she wasn’t a pop-the-cork-on-the-wine-bottle
kind of girl.
 
More the beer and pizza
type.
 
And that was fine.
 
He could save the wine for Annie Schmoo or
whoever he bought it for.

“Pizza and the game sounds great.
 
I wouldn’t want to abandon She-cat anyway.”

He nodded.
 
“Let me go put
these in the laundry, you jump in the shower, and I’ll order pizza.
 
You want everything?”

“Yes, I do.”

It was true.

She did want everything.

Jason and “true happiness” of her own.

“Run.
 
Run.
 
Run,” Tabby yelled at the wide receiver
dashing down the field with the football tucked underneath his arm.
 
When the man crossed the touchdown line to
score, she squealed, turned to Jason and high-fived him.
 
“Touchdown Tennessee!
 
Woo hoo.”

He laughed.
 
“I see you
still enjoy your football.”

“What orange-blooded girl doesn’t?”
 
She took a bite of her pizza, and mumbled,
“This is delicious.
 
Company’s not bad
either.”

Actually, it felt a lot like old times.
 
The good old times.

“You’re talking about the cat, right?” he teased.

She glanced at She-cat, curled into a tight ball next to
her.
 
The cat started out in her lap, but
apparently Tabitha jumped up one too many times to cheer a play.

“Right.”
 
She winked.

He laughed and warmth spread through Tabby.
 
Warmth that had little to do with sex,
although Jason always turned her on.

No, the feelings moving through her had more to do with the man
himself.
 
His smile, his laughter, his
comforting presence.

Only two years ago, Jason hadn’t made her feel comforted.
 
Quite the opposite.

He’d made her disoriented, unsure of herself, scared of being
hurt.
 
With his smile or frown, her
emotions soared or skydived.
 
After
growing up with a mother who bounced from one extreme to the other, she
couldn’t stand it.
 
Nor could she stand
waiting for the ax to fall.
 
It always
did.

Although Jason said he wanted marriage and kids, he hadn’t
wanted them with her.
 
Not really.
 
She wasn’t the PTA and soccer mom type.

Stroking her fingers over She-cat, she wondered just what type
of mother she would be if she had children.
 
And, why had she thought she had to be perfect to give birth?
 
Her mom sure hadn’t been, yet she’d brought
Tabitha and Jenny into the world.

“What are you thinking?” Jason asked.

“Nothing.”
 
She shook her
head.
 
“Just watching the game.
 
Coach is doing a great job this year, isn’t
he?”

“He always does a good job.
 
He’s an excellent coach.”
 
Jason
looked at her curiously.
 
“You were
thinking about the football coach?”

Tabitha slid her brightest smile into place.
 
“Why?
 
You jealous?”

He moved closer.
 
“Would
it get me anywhere if I said yes?”

“Maybe.”
 
The crowd
cheered over the surround sound and Tabitha stole a glance at the
television.
 
Had Tennessee scored again?

Yes!
 
They had.

“They made the field goal!”
 
She grinned and smacked a kiss to his cheek.

His attention returned to the game.

Partially anyway.
 
He
clasped her hand, his thumb stoked over her very aware flesh, and more than
once she caught him watching her.

She pretended not to notice, not to care.

But she did.

Each caress heightened her longing for Jason to take her in his
arms and just hold her.

No commitment sex.
 
What had she been thinking
?

Apparently not about the way Jason reached inside and tangled
her emotions around his callused, working man fingers.

She picked up her soda and took
a swig to wash the dryness from her throat.

No doubt about it.
 
When
she left this weekend, she’d leave behind her heart.

Because it belonged to Jason.

Always had.

Was this what sexual healing involved?
 
Realizing she gave her heart to Jason and
that’s what was wrong with her life two years later?

She leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder.
 
Just once she’d lean on him, see what it felt
like.
 
She jerked her head back without
ever having touched him as the doorbell chimed.

“You expecting someone?” she asked.

“No.”
 
He didn’t look
happy at the interruption.
 
“Let’s ignore
it.”

“What if it’s someone important?”

“It’s not.”

Ding-dong.
 
The doorbell
chimed.

“How do you know?”

He sighed.
 
“I just do.”

“So you are expecting someone.”
 
She digested the thought.
 
“A
woman.”

“No, I’m not expecting a woman.”

Ding-dong.
 
The
repetitious trill grated on Tabitha’s nerves.

“Whoever it is, she’s persistent.”

“It’s not a she.”

“Jason, even if it is, I’m not going to make a spectacle of
myself.”
 
She took a deep breath.
 
“Not like I did with Annie.
 
I’m sorry about that.”

She was.
 
She’d put Jason
in a tight spot.

Especially if he really did want a future with the woman.

She wanted him to be happy.
 
If that meant being with Annie Shmoo then that was something Tabitha
would just have to learn to live with.

“I can hide in the bedroom if you want me to.”

His eyes grew wide, then narrowed.
 
“Hello, is this Tabitha Sterling I’m talking
to?”

The doorbell rang, followed by a rapid knock.
 
Definitely a woman.

“Go get the door.”
 
She
started to stand to go to the bedroom to let him greet his guest alone, but he
grabbed her wrist.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To the bedroom.
 
You
won’t even know I’m here.”

“You’re not going to hide in the bedroom.
 
Not that I believe you would stay there
anyway.”
 
He gently squeezed her
wrist.
 
“Wait here.”

“But I--”

“Wait here.”

He walked to the door, swung it open, and didn’t act at all
surprised to see his sister standing in the doorway.

“Lori, what an unpleasant surprise,” he said.

“Unpleasant?
 
Does that
mean you’re too busy to visit with your sister before we head out?”
 
Lori’s dark head peeked around him to stare
into the apartment.
 
“Oh, you have
company.
 
How nice.”

Tabitha waved at Lori.

“Tabitha!
 
How wonderful
to see you.”
 
Lori pushed past Jason into
the apartment.
 
“It’s been so long.”

“Cut the crap.
 
I already
know you talked to Tabby on the phone yesterday.”

Lori’s face pinkened and Tabitha took pity on her.
 
“Sorry, Lori.
 
It sorta slipped out while we were talking.
 
I did explain that I was the one who called
you and you were innocent of the whole thing.
 
You did nothing wrong, so don’t let him give you the riot act.
 
I mean, what’s a sister to do when an old
flame calls except to sing her brother’s praises?”