Constellation Page 10

  “I don’t care about food,” I confessed. “I’d prefer a bubble bath.”

  Jack rose from the bed and stretched. I watched his backside as he raised his arms toward the ceiling. When he turned to face me, I watched his front.

  “Your body is amazing,” I said.

  “Thank you.” He grinned. “Why don’t you take that bath? I should see how Heide’s day went. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all.” I started to get up, but Jack held up his hand.

  “Let me start the bath for you. I want you to relax.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He was already making his way into the bathroom. “How warm should I make the water?”

  “As hot as you can stand it. And then I’ll kick it up a couple of degrees.”

  As the water poured into the tub, I grew eager to let the bath soothe me. I rolled onto my stomach and listened to the white noise, allowing it to lull me into another brief doze.

  The soft touch of Jack’s lips on my bare shoulder brought me back.

  “Come, Kathleen,” Jack whispered as he helped me up from the mattress. He guided me through the suite and into the bathroom and held my hand as I stepped into the hot water and lowered myself into the bubbles. Ever resourceful, Jack had given me the perfect temperature. I moaned in appreciation as I sank farther into the tub.

  “This is wonderful. Thank you.”

  “I want you to stay here tonight. Will you?”

  I nodded without hesitation. “I’ll need to go back to the event room though. I left my bag behind.”

  “Is your car in the garage there?”

  “Yes. My keys are in the bag.”

  “I’ll go get your bag and move your car here.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have planned better.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s not that far and a walk sounds good. You’ll be fine while I’m gone?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  Jack knelt down next to the tub and rubbed my neck with his strong hands.

  “I want you to think about eating something this evening. We can order room service if you’re tired. But if you’re up to it, I have a particular restaurant in mind. If you want to get some fresh air and a good meal, I’d be happy to make us a reservation. It’s nearby, so we can walk. Or I can call a cab to take us there. I’ll leave it up to you.”

  I was somewhat reluctant to leave Jack’s room, concerned that doing so would derail our momentum. But Jack sounded so eager to take me out for a proper meal I decided to indulge his wishes.

  “If I can have another small nap after my bath, we can walk to the restaurant. That sounds nice.”

  “I’ll make our reservation for eight o’clock. I don’t want you to be rushed.”

  “Be careful, Jack. You’re spoiling me. I won’t want to go back home.”

  Jack smiled and kissed me on the forehead before rising and sauntering from the bathroom. I paid particular attention to his ass as he went. I wanted that image forever imprinted in my memory.

  When I emerged from the bubble bath, Jack was gone but he’d surprised me by picking up my clothes and placing them in the closet. He’d also repaired the bed and arranged the pillows in an inviting way. He’d made it all too easy to lie down and rest until it was time to get ready for our evening out.

  WHEN I roused from my nap, Jack was sitting nearby on a comfortable looking chaise lounge. He was dressed for dinner and reading the newspaper. As I raised my arms to stretch them over my head, I inhaled the pleasant combination of his soap and my bubble bath. I slipped from under the covers, stark naked, and approached him to place a light kiss on his forehead. Jack grinned, but kept his hands to himself.

  “I was just thinking about waking you,” he said.

  A slow smile spread across my face as his eyes lingered on my nude form.

  When his gaze returned to my face, he asked, “What is that look all about? I’ve never seen you look at me quite like that before.”

  I tapped his newspaper. “This.”

  Jack’s expression was puzzled. “The paper?”

  “You’re such a grown-up.”

  Jack released the newspaper and it withered as he skimmed his fingers over and down my hip. He dropped his thumb just enough to exert a glorious bit of pressure against my sex.

  “So are you,” he replied, his voice low.

  I closed my eyes and sighed over his skilled caresses.

  “No, I’m not,” I murmured while reopening my eyes, “but I could play one on TV.”

  Jack chuckled, but couldn’t disguise the automatic furrowing of his brow. “Your bag is on the bathroom counter,” he said, changing subjects as he was prone to do. “If you still want to walk, we should leave in thirty minutes.”

  “Perfect. Thanks.” As I turned toward the bathroom, I trailed my fingers down the sleeve of his blazer and was rewarded with the barest touch of his hand across my backside before I walked out of reach.

  It was a warm summer evening in downtown Portland with no breeze to stir up a chill from the Willamette River. I wore a cotton dress and light sweater to complement Jack’s choice of denim jeans, blue shirt and navy blazer. As soon as we stepped outside the hotel lobby and onto the sidewalk, Jack wrapped his arm around my waist.

  “Do you want me to tell you where we’re going?” Jack inquired. “Or do you enjoy surprises?”

  “You could march me over to the food trucks and I wouldn’t care. I’m just happy to be with you tonight.”

  “Me, too. But no food trucks this evening.”

  “VooDoo Doughnuts, then?” I ventured.

  He chuckled. “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Lead the way, Mr. Evans.”

  Jack turned us east, and we began making our way toward the river. The streets of downtown Portland were quieting down for the evening. Most of the people who spent their workdays in the city center had vacated for the night, allowing us to stroll through the city in near privacy. We walked and chatted, enjoying the warmth of the summer evening and one another’s company.

  When the familiar golden VQ sign came into view, I pointed to it. “Is this where we’re going?”

  Jack nodded. He’d chosen none other than Veritable Quandary.

  “Have you been here before?” I asked.

  “No. Have you?” There was a slight tinge of worry on his normally relaxed features.

  “I’ve been here for family dinners, but never on a date.”

  “Good.” Jack tightened his grip on my waist.

  “I have to commend you on your ability to secure a last minute reservation. Do you have any idea how popular this place is?”

  Jack shrugged off the compliment. “I couldn’t secure a spot on the outdoor patio. Truth be told, we may have to settle for something in the lounge.”

  “I don’t care.” I was relaxed and happy just to be with Jack. Nothing mattered but him. I’d never felt so close and connected to him, or to anyone, for that matter. I was beginning to believe we were becoming a couple.

  Jack held the door open for me and after speaking with a young woman, we were led straight to the dining room. As we settled in our seats, I nodded toward the floor to ceiling windows across from our table.

  “It’s a view of the patio. Well done.”

  Jack grinned. “I have to give credit to our generous hostess.”

  As we perused our menus, he glanced my way. “You’ve been here before. What do you recommend?”

  “You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu,” I deflected.

  “Shall I surprise you once again?”

  I set the menu down with a smile. “Please. I’d love to see what you’d choose for us.”

  Our waiter returned and Jack placed our order—grilled wild prawns, sweet black rice, and spicy Asian slaw. He also selected a bottle of sauvignon blanc, which we enjoyed while we waited for our meal to arrive.

  As we waited for dinner, our conversation was light and fun, focusing on the city we were visiting and some of its
quirkier yet endearing traits.

  “Did you speak with Heide?” I asked after our food arrived.

  “Yes.” Jack’s eyes sparkled at the mention of his daughter, and he smiled as he relayed his story. “She tolerated my questions about her day, but she had other things going on. Don’t get me wrong. It’s good to hear she’s doing fine.”

  “She seems to like it in Bend,” I commented as I lifted a delectable morsel to my lips.

  Jack paused before he answered with a loving sincerity. “She’s handled everything so well. She inspires me.”

  I shifted my posture, hoping it would import my seriousness. “You’ve been going through some big changes.”

  “Yeah,” Jack replied with a rare display of casualness.

  I was apprehensive to broach the subject of his personal life, but this one word answer demonstrated a sense of serenity in Jack.

  I jumped into the deep end. “How long were you and Allison married?”

  “Not quite seven years.” I paused to connect the dots.

  Jack smirked. “We got married after we found out Allison was pregnant.”

  My eyes grew wide in amused surprise.

  Jack rubbed the back of his neck as he plodded on with his explanation. “We’d been together about six months. We weren’t even living together yet, but given enough time, I would have proposed.”

  “How did you meet her?”

  “We were introduced by a mutual friend at a barbecue, and I’ll admit I fell in love with her almost immediately. But there were complications in our relationship. At first, I found the differences between us small and attractive.” Jack’s voice drifted off.

  I wanted more of the story. Hoping he would provide more details, I asked, “Then what?”

  “After Heide was born, we began arguing more and more. I tried to dismiss our troubles as part of the adjustment to parenthood, but spent too much time denying our fundamental problems instead of trying to find a way to fix them.”

  Jack paused and took a few contemplative sips of his wine. “The move out here was my idea. I’d been restless and looking at other opportunities for a while, but never jumped on a single one until I heard about the job here. We’d never even been to Oregon.”

  A small part of me was pleased to hear Jack say this. My reaction to this revelation was selfish. I knew it, but I couldn’t help myself. Here he was, recounting the end of his marriage and somehow I was experiencing happiness over it. My emotions in this moment were an unwelcome reminder that half my DNA came from Robert. I squirmed in my seat, frantic to shake off the sentiment.

  Jack continued with his story, and my anxiety escaped his attention. “I intended the move to be a new chance for the three of us. I thought the change of pace and scenery would bring the excitement back to our lives. But it ended up being the last straw for Allison. She went through the motions, but it was the last thing she wanted to do. I think she believed I wouldn’t go through with it. Once we were here and she realized I liked the new job, she admitted this wasn’t the life she wanted.”

  “I’m sorry, Jack. I’ve wondered about your divorce, but I never meant to pry.” This was the truth, and I hoped that Jack understood that.

  He leveled his determined gaze on me. “Allison isn’t the villain, Kathleen.”

  I opened my mouth to respond, but Jack held up his hand. “It seems to me that you may understand this, but I still need to make that clear.”

  I nodded and proceeded with my original thought. “You’re not the villain either, Jack. Life doesn’t always go the way we expect it to.”

  “The marriage is over. We’re each building new lives now, and I like it here.” Jack’s eyes bored into mine, and I held his look with equaled resolve.

  He continued once again. “Allison went back to Baltimore, and she’s working hard to make a good life for herself. She wants a comfortable future for our daughter, and at some point, I’ll have to be prepared that Heide might return to her mom back East.”

  Jack’s voice caught on his last sentence, and he swallowed hard before continuing, “I’m determined to do all I can to make this a happy time in Heide’s life. She means more to me than anything. Raising her will be the lasting legacy of my time with Allison.”

  “You have the right idea, Jack. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.”

  Jack looked at me with something like astonishment. It was the only encouragement I needed.

  “When parents divorce, they seem to forget the fact that having a child together makes them blood related. At least it seems that way to me.” Tension had increased with each word so that by the time I finished this brief statement, my anger coursed through my veins. I glanced down at the white linen tablecloth for a few moments and willed myself to remain calm. When I looked back up, Jack was watching me.

  “My parents split up when I was young, like Heide,” I confessed. “I’ve been in her shoes.”

  Jack nodded, but otherwise remained quiet.

  “Your love for Heide is evident. Believe me, no one was the least bit concerned with my well-being the way you are about hers. I’m telling you, she’s thriving despite the challenges. I admire the hell out of her, and you deserve the credit for your commitment to your daughter. Your attention and your love now will radiate from her for the rest of her life.”

  “May I ask what happened?” Jack asked.

  I glanced around our table while I considered my answer. Jack had shared so much with me over dinner, and it hadn’t been easy for him. When I brought my attention back to him, I saw the growing concern in his rich brown eyes.

  “I don’t mind you asking,” I whispered as a single tear escaped from my right eye, “but this isn’t the evening to share that story.”

  Jack noticed the tear glistening on my skin. He slid from his seat and knelt beside mine. Jack leaned over and brushed his lips next to my eye over the top of my tear. He then wiped the rest of it away with his thumb and took my face in the palm of his steady hand.

  He looked into my eyes. “I thought I kissed that away on our first night together.”

  I leaned my cheek deeper into his grasp at the mention of the bittersweet memory. We remained silent and I was content with his comfort. Jack soothingly caressed my face with his thumb. He took hold of my hand in my lap with his other. We stayed like that for a while, ignoring the bustle of the dinner crowd. The restaurant was small and full of good-natured diners, but that all seemed to fall away. As my composure began to fall back into place, I registered the distinctive shift in the energy between Jack and me.

  The lust of the afternoon had now given way to a more loving evening.

  And all I cared about now was our total privacy.

  “I’m ready to go back to the hotel, Jack. I want you to take me to bed. I want you to hold me, and I want us to be gentle with one another.”

  “Of course,” he whispered. “Anything for you.”

  STANDING NAKED in the bathroom of our hotel room with my side turned toward the reflection of the round wall mirror, I stared at my breast from a view I seldom glimpsed. It was shallow of me, but I wondered what Jack thought of my looks.

  Clad in black boxer briefs, Jack wandered into the small room as if on cue.

  I glanced at him over my shoulder and smiled, a touch embarrassed at being caught.

  He smirked as he paused at the sink. “Don’t let me interrupt. I enjoy looking at you, too.”

  “That’s because you’re insatiable.”

  “Be careful or I’ll take you right now.” Jack winked, before removing the contact lenses from his eyes. As soon as the task was done, he strolled back out into the main room.

  I gnawed on the inside of my cheek and mulled over how I never realized he wore the lenses until this moment.

  He turned off the lamps in the other room and then soft music filled the space.

  Surprised and curious, I forgot my minor awkwardness and walked into the bedroom. The song was relaxing and melodic, just a man singing
along with his piano.

  Jack had discarded his boxer briefs and stood in the open space between our bed and the chaise lounge. The curtains in the window were parted just enough to allow the city’s illumination into the room. The soft light complemented Jack’s lean body. He was confident and serene—enthralling.

  I went to him and encircled my arms around Jack’s neck. He smiled and chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me.

  “When a body meets a body, walking through the suite.”

  I grinned as he began to sway us in time with the romantic tune.

  As his hold on my waist tightened, Jack swept his mouth against my ear. “I can’t think of anything sexy to whisper. I just know that I want to.”

  We both laughed, enjoying the moment of spontaneity and lightness. Many of the day’s events had been full of intensity. It was so good to relax with Jack especially after my weepiness during our dinner. As I reflected over our meal, I realized I had something important to say.

  “It means a lot to me that you shared some things about Allison and your marriage,” I said without concern and massaged the back of his neck. “I’ll tell you more about my life soon. Just not now. I want to spend the rest of tonight like this.”

  Jack swept his eyes over my face with the searching expression I’d now come to recognize. He’d examined me in this way several times since we’d become lovers, and whenever he did, I felt cared for.

  Jack ran his hand through my hair. “I’m ready to listen whenever you’re ready to share your story. I don’t ever want you to reveal things until you’re willing.”

  And with those words, we returned our attention to our naked dancing. Jack’s hands began to roam along my curves, exploring my hips and torso.

  “Kathleen?” he murmured.

  “Yes?”

  “I didn’t notice a scar earlier. I was just wondering where it is.”

  Overcome by shyness, I ducked my chin downward. “There isn’t one,” I explained. “Not externally, anyhow.”

  Jack lifted my chin with his finger and I offered no resistance. “I’m sorry. That was dumb of me. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  “I don’t mind. You just surprised me, that’s all.”