By the time the guys headed out, Jack had promised to meet up with them that Sunday to watch a game together at his brother’s place. Julie and Dan were due back tomorrow, but he didn’t think Dan would mind. His brother had mentioned the game several times, and Julie was the best sister-in-law a guy could have.
Ann came to mind.Again.He parked at the house and went inside. Unable to get to sleep, he laid down on the couch. He’d proposed to go on a day hike with her tomorrow, alone time spent away from a bed, so they could get better re-acquainted.
He fidgeted, trying to get comfortable while ignoring his ever-present erection at thoughts of Ann. Damn, that woman got to him. So sweet, yet that dirty side of her had thrown him. He loved how confident she’d been, how sexual and inviting.
In the old days, he’d had to instigate everything. And like the boy he’d been, he had never lasted very long.Christ.Aren’t I too old to be obsessing over my sexual skills?
For a long time after Ann, he’d done his best to become a man-whore—sleeping around campus, gaining skill and stamina. Always safe, because he’d never been anythingbutsafe after Ann, he nevertheless went out of his way to forget her. But no matter how many women he shared his bed with, they’d never completely taken her from his memories.
After being with her again, it was as if he’d never left. All the old feelings had returned, and along with them, that same shame, vulnerability and lust he couldn’t tame. He had to pull himself together. He knew he wanted her for sex. God yes. But after much thought, he decided they should date. Casual fun. Then, if things progressed to the point he thought they might, they could have a chance at a future.
His heart pounded, and he did his best to put her out of his head. He thought about how great it had been to see the Blacks, on how exciting it was to finally have his dream job, to be back at last with his family.
But he dreamed about Ann and the beautiful babies they’d make together. And that damn dream stayed with him throughout the next day and well into their hike, making it difficult to remember they had so much unresolved between them.
Chapter Seven
Ann walked behind Jack, grateful he’d slowed his pace. The trail they’d taken near Devil’s Lake was one she’d often ventured out on as a child with her family. She hadn’t realized Jack had known about it.
“How did you find this?” she asked him.
“Dan told me. He and Julie took Josh not too long ago. We’re on one of the harder trails, though.”
“Yeah. The two mile loop is way too easy.”
“You know it?”
“I used to come out here with my folks. We’d hike and camp a lot.”
“Oh. We didn’t camp so much. My family was rabid about skiing. It’s been a while since I’ve been to the mountain, though. Too busy with school. You?”
“Not my thing. I don’t mind cross country, but—”
“You don’t like heights.” He grinned at her over his shoulder. “I remember.”
Their one and only time on a Ferris wheel had been a disaster. She’d been afraid she’d puke all over him at the county fair, and he’d fallen over himself apologizing for pushing her to ride. Not a great memory. Yet he’d held onto it.
“You remember a lot.” She didn’t like the sober expression that smothered his smile.
He turned back to face the trail. “I remember enough.”
His pace increased, and for a while she kept up with him. But when she tripped on a rock and nearly twisted her ankle, she’d had enough. “Hey, tough guy, wait up.”
She could no longer see him since he’d rounded the curve. In the hour they’d been hiking, she hadn’t seen a single soul. Though it had turned out to be a nice, sunny day with temperatures in the high forties, the clouds continued to tease them with hints of rain.
“Hey, Jack.” Still nothing. She grew annoyed, and she was glad. This was what she’d needed to keep the right perspective. Not the nice, charming, smiling guy who made her question her judgment. She needed the guy who only thought about himself and his needs. It made wanting to teach him a lesson easier to remember.
She sat on a boulder and rubbed her ankle, glad to know she’d only bruised it. She stood, put pressure on it and felt no pain. After taking a few steps, she rounded the curve in the trail. “Jack?”
He didn’t answer, probably too far up ahead to hear her. The jerk. When would he realize she’d left her far behind?
She made more than one comment about his complete lack of manners and intellect as she tried to catch up with him and shrieked when something large grabbed her from behind.
“Easy, angel. It’s just me.” He laughed and set her down when she struggled.
“You asshole.” She poked him in the chest. “You scared me.”
He stopped smiling. “Sorry. Maybe if you’d been mumbling fewer insults my way, you’d have heard me call your name a few times. I found something.”
