The Love Laws (35 page)

“Crap,”
she muttered, ending the call. As desperate as she was to see Kevin it looked
like their confrontation was going to have to wait a few more hours.

*****

When
Jamie pulled up to her childhood home in Clay’s car, Pam’s BMW was not in the
driveway as she’d expected. A familiar classic yellow Mustang, however, was
snuggled up to the garage like it belonged there.

Kevin
was here. In her childhood home. Waiting for her. It didn`t seem possible and
yet it felt just right to her. This was exactly where they should reconnect and
figure out if there was something real between them or not.

Taking
a few deep breaths she exited the car and approached the front door, fervently
wishing that she’d worn something sexier to this particular meeting. The black
pencil skirt and polka dot blouse weren’t exactly the most flattering items in
her closet, but they at least they fit. Unlike most of her current sausage-like
wardrobe. Hopefully she wouldn’t be wearing this ensemble for long. Just the
sight of Kevin’s car had caused her to flash back to that afternoon she’d spent
in its back seat and her body had reacted with embarrassing enthusiasm to the
idea of a repeat performance.

Ignoring
her suddenly hard nipples she turned the unlocked doorknob and entered the
familiar kitchen of her former home. The overhead lights were off but the
indirect lighting under the cherry cabinets showed that the room was empty with
the exception of the staged furniture Pam had arranged to be displayed around
the spacious open-concept room.

Turning
her head, Jamie could hear faint soft rock music coming from down the hall.

“Kevin,”
she called as butterflies took flight in her stomach. “Are you decent?”

“I
am, but the midget and the donkey I have up here aren’t.” His deep, disembodied
voice came from upstairs, sending a small wave of awareness through her body.
God, how she’d missed him.

“Hmm…sounds
like I’m interrupting something. Should I come back later?” She teased.

“Get
that gorgeous ass up here,” he growled.

Following
the sound of his voice Jamie found herself at the foot of the stairs to the loft
- her mother’s sanctuary. She was tempted to ask Kevin to come down. Reuniting
with him in that sacred space seemed wrong to her somehow. Like a betrayal to
her mother’s memory. June Martin would not approve of what was likely to happen
up there.

Instead
she squared her shoulders and ascended the spiral stairs with as much grace as
her racing heart and high heels would allow. Kevin had waited long enough.

When
Jamie reached the top of the stairs she had to stop and stare. Kevin had been
busy.

This
large space was completely empty of furniture but a red-checked tablecloth had
been spread out in the middle of the hardwood floor. Dozens of white candles
encircled the perimeter of the room. Their flickering light illuminated what
looked suspiciously like a large bottle of champagne, two crystal flutes and a
massive pizza box, smelling divinely of garlic and tomatoes.

Then
she saw him. Kevin. Sitting patiently on the window seat where her mother had
waited for her so many times. Jamie had a strange feeling of déjà vu seeing him
there for a moment but then she looked at his face. His gorgeous, smiling face.
And suddenly the past didn’t really matter anymore. Everything she’d done to earn
her parent’s disapproval seemed about a million years ago because the man she
loved was here and was happy to see her.

She
returned his smile and gestured towards the impromptu picnic he’d set up. “Is
this for me?” It should have been awkward between them but wasn’t. They hadn’t
seen each other in almost two long weeks but Jamie found it surprisingly easy
to fall into the teasing banter that had existed between them since they’d
first argued under a tropical sunset. “Or did I just walk in on the most
bizarre home invasion ever?”

He
stood up and approached her, moving with the athletic grace of a much smaller
man. He wore his usual dark jeans. A black, long-sleeved shirt molded to his
wide shoulders and tight abdomen, reminding Jamie of just how perfectly he
looked without his clothes.

His
big body seemed to fill the room as she stood motionless, completely in awe of
how simply beautiful he was in the dim light. When he finally stood directly in
front of her, he reached out and took both her hands, raising them to his lips
for a brief kiss.

 “Of
course it’s for you. Didn’t you read my article?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She
narrowed her eyes and gave him a disapproving look. “As a matter of fact I did
read it. And it was truly offensive.” His smile widened to dazzling
proportions. “How did you manage to high-jack my column anyway?” Jamie asked
suspiciously.

“What
can I say? Jeff is a friend. Your womanizer slam was getting so much negative
press I thought you might appreciate the distraction of a truly male chauvinistic
point-of-view. Did you like the whole ‘innocent’ man-whore perspective?” He
asked with a devilish glint in his eyes.

“I
think feminists around the city are going to be storming your hotel room with
pitch forks and gelding tools.”

Kevin
laughed. “Just another reason to leave town in a hurry. How about the rest of the
article? What did you think of that? Like the part where I bared my soul?” His
tone was playful but there was a hint of insecurity in his eyes as he watched
her.

She
cocked her hip and gave him a saucy look. “About that. Seems to me we were
waiting for the public to decide if we should meet or not. You’re jumping the
gun a little here, don’t you think?” She glanced pointedly at the romantic
picnic setting before them.

Kevin
shrugged and squeezed her hands. “I think we’ve done entirely too much waiting,
don’t you?”

Jamie
dropped the bantering tone and nodded eagerly. “Absolutely.” She returned his
hand squeeze and gave him a puzzled look. “But what are you doing here? In this
house? Where’s Pam?”

He
let go of one of her hands, pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and
handed it to her. “Well, Pam is waiting for your call. She would only agree to
this if you contacted her immediately to let her know that I’m not a crazed stalker
or anything.”

She
giggled. “But you kind of are.”

“Yeah.
But not the dangerous variety.” He rubbed his jaw impatiently and waited while
she briefly reassured Pam that she was not in any danger, smiling at Kevin as
she talked. When she was done, Kevin grabbed the phone, threw it on the
tablecloth and tugged her gently towards the window. “I was actually going for
the whole sweep-you-off-your-feet romantic gesture thing rather than the
disturbing, over-the-top, creepy thing. How did I do?”

 The
late evening view spread out before them as they looked out to sea. Jamie could
make out the lights along the Pier and even the faint shape of people walking
along the cobblestone path beside the water. It was all so breath-taking and
new when seen with Kevin by her side. The whole world looked different to her
now, better somehow.

”You
did amazing. Consider me swept.” Jamie said, reaching up to touch his cheek.
“But really. What are you doing here?”

He
closed his eyes, seeming to savor her touch. “This may come as a shock to you,
but commitment hasn’t really been my thing.” He ignored her unladylike snort at
this comment. “But I thought maybe it was time to change all that. Starting
with a real home. What do you think?”

Her
eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I think you’re nuts. Why here?”

“Well,
White Rock has at least one very fond memory for me.” He gave her a heated look
and placed an open-mouthed kiss in the middle of her palm. “And I thought it
would be good for me to be away from my usual haunts and temptations. A fresh
start.”

Her
large dark eyes went wide with shock. “Wait. What? You’re going to buy this
place? My house?”

“Well.
Yeah. Clay mentioned you were putting it up for sale to finance your store. I
know you didn’t want to let it go. This way you can still have access to it
whenever you want. Day and night. Especially night.” He waggled his eyebrows at
her meaningfully.

“You
can’t be serious.”

“Jamie.
I’m as serious as a former man-whore can be.” He turned towards her and his
expression lost all its playfulness. “I said in the article that I want you.
And I meant that. But I also want you to be happy, successful and completely
satisfied in every way. No strings attached. If this,” he gestured at the
house, “is what you need then I’ll gladly man up and make it happen. Don’t you
know that? I’d do anything for you.”

Jamie
shook her head in disbelief. “No,” she said quietly. “It’s too much. You hardly
know me. Why are you doing this?”

“Jamie.
My whole life I’ve been looking for a woman who makes me want to commit. No one
even came close until you. You’re that woman. I’ve known it since I saw you on
that stage at the Kitty Kat. I just didn’t know how to convince you to take a
chance on me. Now, what you need to decide is what you want. ‘Cause I can’t
wait a second more to hear how you feel. So put me out of my misery, ok?” He
was smiling but there was more than a little desperation in his tone.

In
that moment all Jamie wanted to do was fall into Kevin’s arms and forget about
everything but them. Unfortunately, one small jealous detail still niggled at
her happiness. “But what about Kerry?” She asked tentatively.

Kevin’s
brow furrowed. “Kerry? Duncan’s ex? What about her?”

“She
says you’re nearly engaged,” Jamie blurted, sounding much more accusing than
she’d intended.

“What?”
He gasped. “No way. I do like my Tequila. Or did until recently. But I think
I’d remember proposing to Kerry.”

“She
came to the store. Said you sent her. I thought you were letting me know in no
uncertain terms that you were done with me.”

His
eyes widened. “Is that what the whole YouTube thing was about? She tried to
convince you that we were together?”

“Yes.
She said it was inevitable that you’d end up together and that you ‘loved it
when she dressed up in skimpy things.’” Jamie said with a slightly snide tone.

Kevin’s
grin became a blinding smile. “And you were jealous.” He nearly crowed. “That’s
when you wrote that man-whore article. I was wondering what that was all
about.”

“So,
you’re not with Kerry?”

He
shook his head vehemently. “No thanks. Not even close.”

“But
you have dated her?”

He
looked uncomfortable. “Dated is a strong word.”

Jamie
shook her head and gave him a sympathetic smile. “Nevermind. It’s really none
of my business. Please forget I asked. I have no right to grill you about your
past.”

He
turned her towards him. “No. Listen. Jamie. I know I’m probably going to regret
saying this but I don’t want there to be any secrets between us.” He paused, as
if trying to summon the right words. “The truth is that I until quite recently
I haven’t always had the best judgment when it comes to women.” Jamie raised an
auburn eyebrow at this. “Kerry would fall under that category.”

“But
it was never a serious relationship?”

Kevin
shook his head. “We fooled around as kids. Before she married Duncan. Since she
came back to town we had one drunken night together. Nothing more.”

 “That’s
it?”

“Well,
there’s one more thing.” He gave her a sheepish look. “Remember the night we
went to that movie?” Jamie nodded. “Well, she came to my room after I got my
beak broken.” He touched his slightly crooked nose. “I was tempted for about two
seconds. Mostly because I was pissed off at you. But I realized then that I
wasn’t interested. Not even remotely. All I wanted was you.”

Jamie’s
heart skipped a beat at his admission. But her curiosity still wasn’t
satisfied. “I don’t get it. Why did she come to the store then? She must think
there’s something between you. Otherwise why would she bother?”

Kevin
rolled his eyes. “With Kerry there’s always an ulterior motive. She’s hatched
some scheme to get on a reality show and was using you to get some publicity.”

“Are
you kidding me? Who does that? She must be unhinged.”

“She’s
not exactly the poster child for mental health. No.” He said ruefully.

“You
didn’t see her at the store. She was pretty convincing. Are you sure she isn`t
in love with you?” She asked doubtfully.

Kevin
turned and wrapped both arms around Jamie from behind, resting his big, warm
hands on her curvy waist. Nudging her hair out of the way he kissed her temple
and spoke directly into the sensitive shell of her ear, making her shiver in response.
“Jamie? Does it matter? I’m not interested in her. I mean, I hope she finds
whatever it is she’s looking for. Hopefully without hurting anyone. But I have
more important things on my mind. Like you. And what you want to do about us.”  

She
leaned back against him with a sigh. “Oh jeez. Kevin. I don’t know what to say.”
She dug her fingers into his forearms when he tensed behind her. “I can’t
believe you’re still interested in me. I’ve been so awful - stomping off from
our movie date, acting like I’m too good for you, the pogo-stick sex and then that
stupid article. I don’t deserve any of this. Don’t you see that?”