The Ace (14 page)

Karen continued to stare at him as if he’d suddenly sprouted a third eye and shook her head. “Wow. You’re a piece of work.” When he didn’t say anything more, clearly waiting for her to start sharing, she emphatically shook her head. “I’m not going there.”

* * *

Jerry hissed in a breath and looked away. He didn’t know why it bothered him so much or why he’d even brought up the subject, but he’d found himself wondering and wanted to know more about her. Now it was just a matter of principle to get her to open up. She looked angry, but he could also see something else in her eyes—fear, and that softened him.

“Look, I understand that you’ve had some bad experiences in your past, but that doesn’t mean you need to shut yourself off completely with me.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “Who told you?”

“Nobody had to, you did.” When she still appeared puzzled, he continued. “Karen, it’s so obvious you have this wall up around you. I don’t know what happened and you don’t have to tell me, but all I can say is that not all guys are pricks. There are some nice ones out there.”

She sat back, putting some distance between them. “What? Is this a counseling session or something?”

“Okay, that’s all right.” Jerry shook his head as he gave her a narrow look. “You can continue to avoid.”

“Stop it!” Karen sat up on her knees and pointed at him, alarm spread across her face. “Stop doing this. This isn’t what we are.”

“Just because we agreed not to be in a relationship doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other. We can be friends. Hell, we already are.”

She shook her head adamantly. “It won’t work. You know it won’t work. You bring in the personal stuff and things just get messy.”

“I’m not asking about your darkest secrets. I just asked about your family. That’s all,” he said patiently.

“You make it sound so easy,” she whispered with a wary look.

“Because it is.”

They sat in silence, neither giving in, before Karen could take it no longer and took a deep breath as she picked at the edge of the comforter.

“Shannon is my only sister,” she murmured finally, refusing to look at him. “Well, my half-sister, really. She’s a bit younger than me as well, twenty-six to be exact, since my mom had her after she met her second husband.” She took another deep breath and steeled herself to look at him. “My dad left my mom for another woman when I was five years old. My mom fell apart after that and I pretty much had to learn to take care of myself. Even after she married Shannon’s dad and they had Shannon, I was left to my own devices, which is fine. I don’t hold it against Shannon or anything.”

“What about your father?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t talk to my dad that much, if at all. I can’t understand how someone can just walk away from his wife and kid without a second thought, like we never existed. He’s a prick, if you ask me, and so I really don’t want anything to do with him.”

Jerry nodded and tried not to look too sympathetic, knowing that would just piss her off.

“Are you happy now?” she asked, after a few beats of silence, her usual direct tone returning.

“No, I’m not happy that you had to deal with that,” he said as he pulled her to him and kissed her, ignoring the slight resistance he felt. “But I’m happy you told me.”

Karen closed her eyes, looking as if she was fighting against something. A few seconds passed before she finally said anything. “I don’t understand you, Jerry. What do you want from me?”

He eyed her steadily. He really didn’t know. He thought he knew, but the more he was around her, the more confused he got. Jerry knew he didn’t want a serious relationship, but somehow, somewhere, things had changed between him and Karen. She was right, they were going down a road they shouldn’t, and he had to swing them around before it came back to bite them both in the ass. He was sure about one thing and that was how much he wanted her, even as tired as he was.

He took her mouth with his, causing Karen to jolt in response, but soon he could feel her melting into him. Her reaction to him never failed to wrench up the intensity of his need for her. Jerry turned her around and placed her on her knees in front of him as he sat up to meet her, and they moved together in a slow, sensuous dance. Gently putting his fingers under her chin, he turned her face back toward him so he could watch her. Lit by the tunnel of moonlight coming through the bedroom window, her cheeks held a high flush as passion overtook her. Her lips were full, her eyes were the deepest blue he’d ever seen and when she opened her mouth on a gasp, he took it with his as he swallowed her soft moans.

He didn’t know where the extra reserve of energy came from, but when it came to Karen, he couldn’t get enough. He ached for her, he craved her and he didn’t want to be without her.

“What do I want?” he asked as he breathed hard in her ear. “I want you, Karen. That’s all I want.”

Chapter Fourteen

The next morning, Karen was sitting up in bed, squinting from the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window, when she heard the sound of her front door opening and closing. She looked down at Jerry, who was snoring softly, lying on his side facing away from her, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. If he was still here, then who had just walked in?

“Oh, shit!” she exclaimed as she jumped out of bed and searched around for something to put on. She’d totally forgotten that she’d asked Shannon to come over that morning before they’d head to the mall together.

She pulled Jerry’s navy T-shirt over her head, as it was the first thing she could find among the mess. Rushing over to her dresser, she grabbed a fresh pair of underwear out of her drawer and tugged them on as she sprinted out of her room. She had to stop her sister before she came looking for her and discovered a naked guy in her bed.

Karen rushed down the hallway, expecting to crash into Shannon as she turned the corner. Not spotting anyone in the front room, she looked in the kitchen and found Shannon sitting at the table with an amused look on her face.

“That’s quite a car in your driveway,” Shannon said.

Oh, crap. She’d forgotten about that.

“Uh, yeah,” Karen said as she tugged on the T-shirt, even though it fell mid-thigh. “About that—”

“So,” Shannon interrupted, “I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out who it could belong to and I came to the realization that there is really only one person you know who would have a car like that.” She walked over to Karen and stood with her hands on her hips. “Why didn’t you tell me that you and Jerry had gotten together?”

Karen closed her eyes as she leaned against the back of her couch and scrubbed her face with her hand. “Because we’re not. It’s complicated.”

“What do you mean, it’s complicated?” Shannon eyed the big T-shirt. “It doesn’t look that complicated to me.”

“Look, I can’t talk about it now, but I will.” She peeked over her shoulder to ensure Jerry hadn’t appeared before turning back. Seeing the look of doubt on her sister’s face, Karen sighed. “I promise I will because I know you won’t let it go.”

“Yeah, right. I’ve heard that before.” Shannon walked back into the kitchen and picked up the glass of orange juice she’d poured herself. “So, go get ready. Let’s move.”

She glanced uneasily toward her bedroom. “Can’t we do this later? I mean, he’ll probably be uncomfortable to find you here.”

One of her eyebrows hiked up. “Uncomfortable? Jerry Smutton uncomfortable?”

“Yeah, like I said. It’s complicated.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Karen, get over yourself. There’s nothing complicated about it. You and Jerry are having sex. End of story,” She stopped and gave her a questioning look. “Unless it’s more than that this time?”

“No! And you don’t have to make it sound so tacky,” Karen said with a scowl, unsure why she felt her hackles rise and the need to explain. “I mean, we’re two consenting adults who just happened to—”

“Who are you talking to?”

Karen shot up straight and spun around to find Jerry standing in the hallway, wearing only his jeans. The expression on his face told her he thought he’d caught her conversing with herself.

“Uh,” she said as she pointed lamely toward the kitchen. “My sister. Shannon’s here.”

“Oh,” Jerry said and grinned. “I thought you were losing your mind.” He walked into the kitchen and his smile widened when he spotted Shannon leaning against the counter. “Hey, Shannon. How’s it going?”

Karen watched as her sister quickly admired his bare, chiseled chest before plastering on a smile. “I’m good. How are you, Jerry? Not uncomfortable, I hope.”

“Shannon...” Karen hissed.

“Can’t complain. We just got back from a long road trip,” he explained, ignoring Karen and absently rubbing at his hair, causing it to spike all over.

“And you decided to pay my sister a visit?” Shannon asked with a teasing glint in her eyes.

“Shannon...” Karen repeated, feeling like a broken record.

“Yep, I did,” he said easily, continuing to ignore Karen’s seething. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Shannon looked from him to Karen, whose eyes were firing daggers at her from the living room. “Not one bit.”

“This is ridiculous. You guys are acting like I’m in high school and he’s asking for permission to keep me out after curfew or something,” Karen muttered loud enough for both of them to hear.

“I think we’re making her uncomfortable,” Jerry said to Shannon.

“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Shannon agreed.

“Seriously, both of you need to kiss my ass,” Karen said as she stomped into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator door.

Shannon laughed quietly. “She’s so embarrassed!” she mouthed silently to Jerry.

He nodded in agreement and chuckled quietly. When Karen popped back out from behind the fridge door, blatantly ignoring them as she walked over to the cabinet to grab a glass, he cleared his throat. “I was wondering where
my
T-shirt went.”

Her head whipped around and she glared. “It’s already perfectly clear to Shannon that we slept together. We don’t need to keep bringing it up.”

Jerry gave her a playful wink. “I just enjoy seeing you squirm.”

“Seriously, I don’t know why I put up with you,” Karen said as she breezed past him, pulling the shirt over her head and throwing it at him before marching off toward her bedroom to find a replacement. “Either of you, for that matter,” she yelled over her shoulder.

* * *

Jerry’s shoulders shook as he laughed while he pulled the T-shirt on. “You just never know what she’s going to do, do you?” he asked Shannon when his head emerged through the neck.

“Never.”

He laughed before dropping his voice. He looked back to the bedroom to make sure they were still alone. “Hey, what’s the story with her and cooking? I mean, she’s amazing and I don’t understand why she isn’t cooking in some fancy restaurant or something. She won’t tell me anything when I ask and basically told me where to shove it.”

Shannon’s eyes clouded a bit and he could see the anger in them before she cleared it out. “I really shouldn’t say since it’s her story to tell, but it has to do with her loser ex-boyfriend.”

He nodded. “He really did a number on her, huh?”

“A doozie,” she agreed. “That’s why she’s as impossible as she is, and I can’t say that I blame her.” She crossed her arms as she cast him a long, level look. “What
is
your intent here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He clutched at his chest. “Oh, no. The dreaded intention question from the family.” Jerry shrugged and looked down at the ground. “I’m not... I don’t...” he stammered and stuttered, struggling with what to say. He didn’t know why he was having such a difficult time answering what should be an easy question, but he felt tongue-tied. They were having fun, plain and simple—but he couldn’t get himself to say it for some reason. All of a sudden it sounded shallow and superficial, but that was ridiculous because it was what both of them wanted. Wasn’t it? Suddenly he wondered if he knew exactly what he was doing...and he didn’t like it.

He finally cleared his throat and looked back at her with a serious expression. “I won’t dick her over, I can promise you that.”

“I appreciate that, besides if it’s anyone, she’ll be doing the dicking over. Karen has quite a history of leaving heartache in her wake once she gets bored, which usually doesn’t take long.”

That gave him pause for a moment, but Jerry quickly brushed it off figuring there was no way he would fall into that category. If nothing else, he was confident things would never stale between him and Karen.

He pushed away from the counter and, yawning, ran his fingers through his hair again, trying to tame the few ends that stood up. “Well, now that we’ve got that settled, I should probably head out. I have practice later today.”

Jerry saw Shannon start to stop him, as if she wanted to say something more, and he watched as a pretty blush crept up her face. He turned back, waiting, curious as to what could have her so embarrassed.

Shannon gave him a shaky smile before clearing her throat. “You have practice...with, uh, all of your teammates?”

“Yeah, everyone’s there.”

“Oh,” she said and glanced away. “So, like, Matt would be there?”

“Matt?” he asked with a frown. “Oh, you mean Bucky?”

She gave an awkward shrug and her blush deepened. “Yeah, I guess.”

“What? Do you think he’s cute or something?” he teased. “Girls are always drooling over him, asking him if he’s that actor when we’re out on the road.”

“Actor?” she asked.

“Yeah, I can’t remember his name. He played Captain America.” Jerry paused, trying to recall the name and came up empty. “Whatever it is, man, it gets annoying and Matt just eats it up.” He smirked at her as he started to walk away. “Do you want me to tell him hi? Pass him a note?”

Shannon laughed. “You’re an ass.”

He barked out a laugh. “Now you sound just like your sister.”

Jerry walked back into the living room just as Karen came around the corner in shorts and a T-shirt. She made to beeline past him, but his hand shot out and grabbed her arm. “You can’t be mad at me.”

“Who said I can’t?” she asked, her beautiful eyes flashing at him, and he felt the sudden urge to toss her over his shoulder and haul her off to the bedroom. But since her sister was there, he had to repress his need and settle for a kiss.

“Me.” He leaned down and his mouth covered hers hungrily, not caring that Shannon watched them from the kitchen. When Jerry felt her body slack against him in surrender, he pulled back. “You still mad?”

“Yes,” she answered simply, but her lips twitched.

“That’s what I thought.” He kissed her quickly again. “I’ll see you later?”

“Whenever that may be,” she said loudly enough for Shannon to hear, striving for nonchalance. “Yes.”

Jerry turned and waved. “See you around, Shannon.”

“Bye, Jerry.”

They both watched as he stepped out and closed the door behind him. Karen looked at Shannon, who was eyeing her with interest, and sighed.

“I know, I know. I need to tell you everything.”

* * *

“And so, we decided to just be casual. Nothing serious.”

Karen and Shannon sat across from each other at one of the busy restaurants at the mall and she was explaining how she and Jerry had come to be.

“Casual? As in sex buddies?” Shannon asked.

Karen rolled her eyes as she took a drink of her lemonade. “Whatever you want to call it. We don’t need to go into details or apply labels to it.”

Shannon gave a “humph” as she sat back in her chair and stared at her sister. Karen let it pass for a few minutes, before she started to get uncomfortable. She squirmed in her chair with a frown. “What?”

“I don’t know.” Shannon sighed and leaned forward on her elbows. “I don’t want to be telling you what to do or how to live your life...”

“But you’re going to anyways.”

“No,” she said with a scowl, “but I am going to tell you my concerns.”

“Of course you are,” Karen said as she slouched back and folded her arms, waiting for the onslaught.

She ignored Karen’s crankiness and gave her a steady look. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I’m a big girl, Shannon. It’s not like this is the first time around the block for me. Older sister over here, remember?” she said as she pointed at herself. “I think I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Do you?” Shannon asked, simply. “This is Jerry Smutton we’re talking about.”

“It isn’t any different with him.”

One brow raised in speculation. “It isn’t?”

“No, why would it be?” Karen replied, but couldn’t keep from glancing away in the opposite direction.

“Look, all I’m saying is that I’m on the outside of this thing, so I’m pretty impartial, and watching you two, I don’t think things are as casual as you claim.”

“Of course they are,” she protested. Again, she couldn’t stop her eyes from dropping, which was really starting to irritate her, so she forced them back up, determined to stand her ground.

“Really? You’re not interested in him aside from his body? That’s all you want from him.”

“Of course,” Karen asserted.

“Jerry Smutton,” Shannon said with a cocked brow. “All you like is his body regardless of the way you crushed on him before?”

“Yes,” she repeated with an annoyed huff, but she could hear the weakness in her declaration.

Her sister heard it too and tilted her head to the side to give her a sad smile. “What’s so wrong with liking him, with wanting more from him?”

“Nothing’s wrong with it,” Karen stated. “It’s just not for me.” Before Shannon could say anything, she held her hand up, stopping her. “He’s on board with this too. He’s the one who suggested this arrangement.”

“I don’t care about him, I care about you, and I think that you’re setting yourself up for a big beating. I can
see
how much you like him, even if you don’t want to admit it, and I think this is all just going to blow up in your face.”

Karen grabbed her glass of lemonade and sat back in her chair as she considered what Shannon said, letting the constant hum of the noisy restaurant fall into the background. She understood her sister’s concerns and point of view; she would voice the same ones if the tables were turned. She did like Jerry, she could admit that, but that didn’t mean that she wanted to call him her boyfriend.

“Look, I appreciate your concern,” Karen said as she placed her drink down on the table and toyed with her knife. “I’ve got everything under control. As a matter of fact, I’m going to end things with him.”

“What?” Shannon asked, her tone incredulous. “Why would you do that?”

She clasped her hands together tightly in her lap. “Because it’s time.”

Shannon sat back in her chair and eyed her with a frown. “It didn’t look like it was
time
—” she made air quotes with her fingers, “—this morning.”

“Well, that was because he surprised me out of the blue last night, but I had every intention of ending things with him the next time I saw him.”