Jennifer's Garden (24 page)

“As I recall, playing with cowboys didn’t work for me quite like it does for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Tony.”

The name pierced the mood like a spear.

“My father was less than pleased with my behavior.”

Sam winced at the implication.  “Jen.”

She turned her back on her and walked into the kitchen.

Sam followed.  “You were a kid.  Your father was only being protective, it’s what dads do.  It’s their job.  That can’t be holding you back, now.”  She stopped.  “Can it?”

Jennifer whirled around.

“C’mon.”  Sam suppressed a grin.  “You can’t be serious.”

“Can’t I?  And why not?”

“Fathers are supposed to be upset when they find their seventeen-year-old daughter with her top off and her boyfriend’s hand up her skirt!”  Sam smiled, despite her best effort at brevity.

Jennifer refused to dignify her with a response.

“This is insane.  You should worry if he didn’t hit the roof, not that he did.”

Jennifer fell heavy against the counter.  Supposed to or not, the experience didn’t help to encourage her appetite for adventure.

“My God Jen, you can’t tie your life to one instance of poor timing.  You were a kid.  A teenager.  You act like you were out running the streets, selling your wares to strangers.”

Jennifer glowered.

“This is why you’ve been so reserved all these years?  Cooling the jets of some of the
hottest
men I’ve laid eyes on, all because you were caught in one naughty no-no with your teenage boyfriend?”

Nothing.

“You’re being too hard on yourself.  Your dad didn’t know how to handle the situation is all.  He lost control.  He was surprised.”

“Surprised?”  Jennifer couldn’t believe how Sam was minimizing the event.  “Surprise is an understatement, to say the least.  My father nearly had a coronary followed by a stroke!”

“He’s your
father
.  That’s what they do.  You’ve got to whip the sheet off that old ghost and let it fly—see it for what it is.

“There’s nothing wrong with experimenting, Jen.  All kids do it.  You weren’t any different than anyone else your age.  You just got caught, is all.  And your dad shouldn’t have been so hard on you.  He and your mom weren’t playing dominoes in the bedroom all those years...  They were getting it on!”

Anger turned to disgust as Jennifer crossed both arms over her chest.  “That’s revolting.”

“But it’s true, Jen.”  Sam softened her plea.  “Your mom and dad had passion, the kind you could see and feel, every time you were around them.”

“I never saw that.”

“Because you were too busy mislabeling your own desires as dirty instead of the budding lust they rightly should have been called.”

“When did psychiatrist Samantha pop in?”

“You know I’m right.”

Jennifer pushed away from the counter with a shove.  About to walk to the breakfast room window, she abruptly turned toward the refrigerator instead.  Opening the door, she retrieved a bottle of water and twisted the cap free.

“I’ve seen your hot temper,” Sam continued.  “I know you’ve got the blood racing through your body.  You’re no different than me.  A man could turn you into juicy mincemeat in a matter of seconds.  It only takes the right chef—a man who loves to eat and knows his way around the pantry.” Sam flashed a wicked grin.

“Aurelio and I have a wonderful sex life.  We have buckets of passion.”

Sam glanced around herself.

Jennifer slapped the water bottle to the counter.  “What?”

“Either you forgot who you were talking to, or I just disappeared.”

“Very funny.”

“Not really.”  Sam’s amusement faded.  “You need to snap out of it.”  She poked a thumb in Jax’s direction.  “Why not give him a chance?  Seriously.  He’s definitely interested, and you can tell he’s got the fire.  It’s in the eyes.”

“Is this about the other night?  At the gallery?”

“I’m sorry, my A.D.D. must have kicked in.”

“You don’t have A.D.D.”

“Yes, I do. I thought I was talking about Jax.”

“You were and it’s irrelevant.  I’m engaged.”

“But not married.”

“For some of us, the promise is as good as the commitment.”

“As good as, but not the same—not legally.  Trust me on this one,” she said with a straight face.  “I’m a lawyer.  I know the difference.  It’s not too late.  You can change your mind.”

“Life isn’t that easy, Sam.  Not when other people depend on you.”  Sure Tony had been fun.  Lit up the nights like fireworks, packed her days with thrill, but he was the past.  They were kids.  Her life was different now.

“Listen, I only want what’s best for you.  Marriage demands more than compatibility.  It demands want.  Desire.  The hot and deep, I-want-you-so-bad-I-would-walk-across-nails-for-you kind of desire.”

Or travel to
Africa
for you
.

The demand of reality halted her defense like a collision.  She should be willing to travel to Africa.  Should want to travel there.  With Aurelio, her love.

But she didn’t.

The high-pitched sound of a machine-saw cut through the silence.  She glanced out the window to see Jax sliding a piece of tile through, white dust flying around his hands, his movement brisk but steady.  She crossed arms over chest.  Her mind tumbled between the stab of nails poking beneath her feet and the hot desert sand of Africa.  Neither was appealing.

Sam broke the quiet.  “You ready for that lunch?”

Chapter Twenty

“Good morning, love,” Aurelio greeted softly as she opened the front door.

Jennifer tipped her cheek up for a kiss delivered with precise formality, and stepped aside as he entered.

“Are we ready for a fabulous cruise?”

Aurelio had hired a boat for the two of them to get away.  He insisted stress was coming between them and they needed time alone.  Together.  To discuss their future. 

Ambivalence zipped through her belly.  “I can’t wait.”

He perused her attire.  “You look ravishing.”

“Thank you.”  Simple white skirt and navy striped halter, she had chosen navy topsiders to match.  She was going for the nautical look by day, a silk tank dress and heels packed away in her bag for the evening.

“It’s going to be incredible.  The captain assures me we will be sailing across the clearest blue water you would ever want to lay eyes on.”

“I’m sure it will be.”

“And it’s right off the bay,” he said, his smile growing,   “so we won’t waste precious hours before our return home for a sunset cruise along the city lights.”

Aurelio was clearly excited by the prospect.  He had secured a yacht for hire and the two were set to enjoy a catered lunch on the open sea, followed by a return portside for a candlelight dinner cruise along the coast of Miami.  He promised champagne and caviar, and lots and lots of coveted alone time.

She inhaled deep and full.

He took her hand and linked his fingers through hers, leading her to the back terrace.  “I want to see the progress.  It seems the landscaper has been making great time.”

“Yes,” she murmured faintly, slightly unnerved by his choice of words.  “He has.”

“I love the bird of paradise out front.”

She nodded.

In his enthusiasm, Aurelio breezed through her home and out the back door, pulling Jennifer alongside.  “Wow.”  He stopped briefly at the top of the stairs.  “That wall is outstanding.”

It drew the first real smile on her lips.

Descending hastily, he carefully made his way through the dirt until he was feet from the fountain.  Scrutinizing the backdrop of tile, seemingly scouring the mosaic for some hint of error in pattern or placement, he stepped back.  Crossing one arm over his chest, he brought the other to his chin.  Curling a finger around his jaw, his brow rose.  “The tile work is exquisite.”

A mix of blues and terra-cotta with hints of yellow against a background of creamy white, the array was intricate without being busy.  Forming an arc over the top it sloped down into yet another, wider arc as it created a graceful frame around the fountain and basin.  She had been pleased with the result.

Turning his attention to her, he asked, “Did you say you created that design?”

Pride swelled.  “I did indeed.”

“It’s absolutely perfect.”  He leaned over and kissed her full on the lips.  Eyes hovering inches from hers, he said, “I couldn’t have done better myself.”

Her momentary gratification subsided.

Aurelio zeroed in on the back wall again.  “The golden yellow of the house and this wall blend seamlessly with the tile.  Striking yet subtle, the texture it adds to the area is sublime.  What color bloom have you decided on for the vines over the arbor?”

Spotlights could have been burning hot upon her face, for the pointed inquiry felt the same.  “Red,” she responded without thinking.

“Perfect.”

Funny, but his approval should have been more heartening.

Aurelio reached for her other hand and bringing the two together, he lifted them to his lips.  His dark brown eyes were intent on hers, his focus complete.  “The wedding will be a most enchanting scene, my darling.”  His lips pressed against her fingers in a light kiss.  “Your mother will be pleased.  She will rest in peace knowing that her one and only daughter is marrying the man who adores her, will keep her in sickness and in health, and never stray until death do they part.”

If only she could share his vision so fully.

Aurelio drew her to him, enveloped her within his embrace, and kissed her.  Overwhelmed by a sense of melancholy, Jennifer was torn.  Caught between his tender advance and her own doubt, she sought reassurance where she should have returned affection.

Quiet and seeking, she slid her arms around his waist and yearned to feel desire.  His hands brushed through her hair, increasing their pressure as they pulled her closer, his tongue delving inside.  Moving her hands up his back, she felt the slender curve of his muscles, the narrow angle of his shoulders.

Hooking her hands over the tops of his shoulders, she took in the difference between his build and Jax’s.

Aurelio pulled away, but kept her securely in his embrace.

Jennifer’s cheeks felt hot.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she blurted, praying she didn’t look as embarrassed as she felt.

He kissed her again, lingering over her lips, rubbing his softly against hers.  “Are you ready?”

No!  She had a distinct need to collect herself.  A need to dodge these distractions and concentrate on Aurelio—
their afternoon
.  But she duly nodded, and followed his lead back through the yard, the house and into his awaiting Jaguar.

They were going on a cruise.  A lovely, seafaring adventure that was incredibly romantic of him to plan and one that she was going to enjoy.  A voyage to which Jax was uninvited.

And Jennifer had done well.  Her thoughts had only diverted to Jax when they passed near Vizcaya and certainly because it was a Mediterranean-inspired mansion surrounded by lush gardens, much like he had depicted in his proposal.  The second was out on the open water, when thoughts of his future drifted across her mind.

How could a man look forward to a life of nothing but wave after wave?  He had to get bored.  And what about family?  He had been close to his mother.  Didn’t he want children?  And what about his significant other?  Was she joining him?  Was she a restless soul like he?

As for Aurelio, he was behaving very unlike himself.  It seemed the “spontaneous” bug had taken a chunk from his rear.  Not usually one for public displays of affection, his arm had barely left her thigh as they sat on the plush leather sofa in the elegantly appointed cabin.  Kissing her repeatedly, he told her again and again how beautiful she was, and how much he loved her.  His fingers even found their way beneath the hem of her skirt, sliding the material up and exposing an indecent expanse of her skin!

Definitely unlike him.  Granted the staff was discreet, almost nonexistent, but they did exist and could be anywhere, though Aurelio seemed quite heedless to this fact.

So much for Sam’s insinuation that Aurelio lacked passion—the man was all over her!  And now, nearing the turn for her street, he hinted he wanted more.  Her hand clasped in his, he kept one eye on the road ahead and one eye on her, caressing her cheek with his gaze.

Leaning back against the headrest, she indulged her mind in the jazz flowing quietly from hidden speakers.  A saxophone-led piece, it was wild and full, the tenor strong.  Aurelio’s cologne filled the interior of his car, a rich fragrance she enjoyed, one she had selected especially for him.

Slowing for her driveway, Aurelio handled the turn with a spin of the wheel, braking to a smooth stop.  He flipped the ignition off and turned to face her.  The expectant look in his eyes meant he wanted to be invited in, but he was too much the gentleman to insist.