He nodded.“Good.I'm happy to join you.I'll be your moral support.”
"Jami.We can't..."
He leaned in and kissed her lips.He didn't want to hear that they couldn't do anything.He'd already decided.That thought slammed into his heart, and his stomach flipped.He'd decided.
Her lips shook slightly.Her fingers slid into the nape of his head and held him.He could feel the shaking in her fingers.It matched his.His breathing was stilted as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding along hers.His heart pounded in his chest.
She pulled away slightly, and her name slipped from his lips."Carlene."
"Jami.This is getting far too personal."
"No, it hasn't.It's already gotten there.It's personal for me.You've slipped beneath my skin, Carlene.I think it's personal for you, too."
"But..."
"But what?We're adults, Carlene."
He watched her throat as she swallowed the emotion he knew lay at the surface.Her eyes glistened in the waning sunlight.She stared into his eyes."But..."
"What will it take for me to break through those walls, Carlene?We want each other."
Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply.He took the moment to kiss her again.This time, their kiss deepened quickly.Her hands roamed his chest, his back, his shoulders.His hands, in return, pulled her body close to him, removing any space between them.His body roared to life, and he pulled her into him solidly so she could feel what was happening.
She moaned from deep in her chest.A car drove into the parking lot, and he stopped groping at her as the realization slammed into him that they were out in public and behaving in a way that gave anyone driving by the opportunity to confirm the rumors they'd so carefully planted.
He lifted his head and stared into her gorgeous eyes."Shit."
She smiled softly."That was quite unprofessional of me."
"Fuck that, Carlene.This isn't about professionalism anymore.This is about two adults confirming the feelings that have been growing between them."
The occupants of the car strode past them at a distance, grinning like kids who'd won a bag of candy.
Carlene stepped back."I have to go meet Vivan.I'll call you when it's over and I get back."
"Come to the farm."
"Jami, you know where that will lead."
"I certainly do."
She swallowed.A soft smile creased her lips, and she inhaled deeply."Okay.I'll come to the farm."
He nodded and swallowed the knot in his throat.His brows creased as he tried to be clever with his comments.
She chuckled.“Don’t worry, Jami,” she said, her tone light but her eyes uncertain.“I can handle Vivian.”
He didn’t believe that for a second, but he forced a small grin anyway.“Yeah.I know.”
She drove off, taillights glowing red against the pavement until they disappeared around the curve.
Jami stayed there for a while, listening to the crickets.Something in his gut twisted tighter with every passing second.
Carlene was walking straight into something, and he knew it.He pulled out his keys and climbed into his truck.
His phone rang and he pushed the button on his steering wheel."Hey, Tony.What's up?"
