“Closed. Couple of days. Some tax thing.” And then, with typical Jersey attitude, he looked at her as if she were the one wrong. “Where you been?”

“But we had a reservation—” Gavin protested.

“Online?” Jessica glanced at Gavin, and when he nodded, the proprietor shrugged. “They don’t update those things sometimes. That’s why I tell my kids, you gotta call. Can’t trust that Internet crap. People don’t even talk anymore, got their heads buried in their phones even when they go to dinner. It’s bullshit. It’s all bullshit!”

“Right about that,” Gavin said in disgust.

It was definitely bullshit.

Chapter 28

Never had he felt so frustrated. Gavin slammed the car door, but he couldn’t help the disappointment that raged within him. It was worse than Murphy’s Law; things he couldn’t even conceive of had gone wrong. But as he pulled away from the restaurant, he swallowed his embarrassment and spoke.

“Jess, about tonight…”

He heard a choking noise, and he turned to his date, aware that she was probably really pissed. Kristin would have been fuming. Jessica was shaking, her hand over her mouth as if she was trying desperately to hold back, and he understood a second later it was not anger.

She was laughing.

“Oh my God,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes as she convulsed in a fresh wave of merriment, and then let it go, guffawing out loud and hugging her belly. “I’m sorry. I know you feel bad, and I shouldn’t laugh, but I can’t help it. It is so damned funny!”

He saw the humor a moment later, and joined her. Together, the two of them rolled with mirth as the rain pounded on the roof of the Jeep.

When he could finally speak, Gavin turned to her, his eyes warm with gratitude. “Let’s go to my place. It’s close. I am pretty good at ordering takeout.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Jessica said between chuckles.

—

He lived just around the corner. When they approached his development, Jessica let out a wolf whistle when she saw the elegant townhouse where he lived.

“Nice,” she remarked as he came out around to her side of the car. Sharing the working fragment of the umbrella, they raced into Gavin’s townhouse as soon as he unlocked the door.

Once inside, they both continued to chuckle at the evening’s misfortunes as they shed wet shoes and coats.

“Wait here,” Gavin said, going to his room and returning a moment later with a terry-cloth bathrobe. “All yours. I can toss your clothes in the dryer, and order a pizza if that’s okay.”

“Sounds fantastic,” she said, making her way to the bathroom. As she closed the door behind her, Jessica realized she was no longer jittery. The shared laughter between them was better than wine for calming her frazzled nerves, and the earlier tension was gone. As she slipped into his robe, she thought of how nice Gavin could be sometimes. He’d obviously gone to a lot of thought and effort for this date, and now that she was calmer, she could truly appreciate it.

And as she felt the terry cloth against her damp skin, the scent of his cologne still clinging to the soft threads, a wave of emotion swept over her. She was crazy about this man.

He had a glass of wine waiting for her as she entered the living room and she took a sip, aware that he had changed into a tee shirt and jeans. Glancing around at the subtle gray walls, elegant furnishings, and hardwood floors, she saw that his house looked like a showcase.

“This is a lovely home,” she said, taking a seat on the chocolate-brown sofa.

“Yeah, it’s nice. They had a designer come in and choose everything, the furniture and the drapes. It’s okay for right now, but eventually I’d like to get a place near the shore. Like a little house or a bungalow.”

She gaped at him, surprised that he had the same vision that she did. She had always dreamed about exactly that: a little cedar-shake cottage that was more comfortable than elegant, where you could open the windows and listen to the ocean at night. But before she could share her thoughts, there was a knock at the door and the delivery boy appeared with a white box in his hand.

Gavin brought the pizza into the living room, placing it on the coffee table. “I’ll grab a few plates and some napkins.”

When he came back from the kitchen, he put the items on the table along with a couple of glasses of water and silverware. Jessica popped open the lid of the box and sighed in pure bliss.

“Sausage and pepperoni. My fave. And I am starving!”

“Me too.” Gavin handed her a plate, and just as she helped herself to a big slice, the lights flickered. A moment later, the power went off.

She burst into laughter again as Gavin grinned in resignation. “Unbelievable. Can anything else go wrong?”

“Don’t say that,” Jessica teased. “It’s not just us. It looks like the whole complex is dark.”

He retreated to the kitchen once more, returning with a flashlight and a candle.

“Yeah, maybe an accident. Probably took out a generator. Not too far-fetched in this weather.”

But he smiled with her as he lit the candle, and took a long swig of his beer. “Let’s eat.”

They dove into the food, and Jessica thoroughly enjoyed the pizza, the sound of the wind, and the company. They talked as easily as they did on their morning walks, sharing their personal thoughts, goals, and dreams. She told him that someday she’d like to work with children like Joaquin as well as professional athletes, knowing how scared they could get when injured. Gavin spoke about his eagerness to play once again, to contribute to a team that he now considered friends, and help them to achieve a World Series win.

“I’m stuffed,” Jessica admitted after devouring two of the gigantic slices. Leaning back against the sofa, she sipped her wine in the flickering candlelight, and her eyes met his.

“I have to tell you something,” she said, feeling the Cabernet warm her body. She was very aware that she was practically naked beneath the robe, and now as she was no longer ravenous, she began to feel sleepy, comfortable, and…aroused.

“What’s that?” He refilled his glass and sat next to her, taking her hand in his own.

“I think this is the best first date I’ve ever had.”

When his eyes met hers, she found it hard to breathe. There was pleasure there, but something else, something much more intense. When he took her into his arms, she was more than ready for his kiss.

It was achingly sweet, as well as thoroughly arousing. His mouth took hers and at the simple contact, the kiss that started as tender quickly turned to demanding hunger. After suppressing their desire for weeks, neither of them could wait for the formalities. He lifted her into his lap as she struggled to get out of the robe, but she only succeeded in becoming more tangled. Her blood pounded through her body, her skin seemed ultrasensitive as it rasped against the soft cotton material, and she was very aware of her nearly naked bottom against his jeans.

She groaned out loud in frustration as his lips traced fire down her throat. “Gavin…”

“I know,” he responded, his voice thick and coarse. His hands thrust impatiently into the opening of the white terry cloth at her words, lifting her breasts out of her ivory satin bra, his fingers circling her erect nipples. “I want this to be good for you, especially after the first time.”

“It is. Just like this,” she breathed, wanting more than anything for him to be inside her, where she was wet, and hot, and throbbing. She reached for him, and then cupped him.

That did it. From somewhere far away she heard him growl, then his fingers were in the collar of his robe, yanking it impatiently down past her shoulders. He unhooked her bra, and she was naked from the waist up, and then his hands were on her breasts, stroking, teasing, working her until the tension became unbearable.