Tina would never let it happen, but wrapped in Jacob’s strong arms, his heart beating strong and steady against her ear, she allowed herself to believe anything could happen.
Amanda’s belly rumbled unexpectedly, tearing her from her moment of perfect contentment, and Jacob laughed when she covered her stomach with one hand.
“Do you want to go out for dinner or eat in?” he asked, drawing her closer to his bare chest.
“I’d much rather eat in.” Because that would mean they could spend more time alone together.
“All right,” he said. “What are you cooking?”
She chuckled. He had cooked for her several times over the weekend. “I have some chicken in my fridge that I need to cook before it spoils. Do you want to come over to my place and have dinner?”
“Will it require me putting on pants?” he asked.
She grinned, picturing him in her passenger seat buck naked. She wouldn’t mind that arrangement in the least, but her neighbors might find his nudity offensive. Or at the very least mind-bogglingly distracting. “Don’t bother with pants. I can bring it over here and cook it in your enormous kitchen. But I need to check on my cat anyway. She’s probably shredded the drapes by now.”
“I didn’t know you had a cat,” Jacob said.
“She hides from strangers. Not that you’ve ever been to my house.”
“Next time I’m home, I’ll stay with you at your house.”
“I don’t have much room. Or a pool.” She waggled her eyebrows at him. They did have a good time in that pool.
“That doesn’t matter. As long as you’re there, I’m sure I’ll have plenty to keep me entertained.”
“And what will we do with Julie? I don’t even have a spare bedroom.” She doubted Julie would appreciate being holed up on an air mattress with all the unfiled papers Amanda stacked all over the floor in her home office.
“She’s small,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll fit in a closet or something.”
Amanda slapped his belly playfully and squirmed out of his arms. She wasn’t sure if she could wait two weeks to see him again. At least they had tonight and a few hours the next morning to be together, even if it wouldn’t be enough. She doubted she’d ever get enough of him. “Would it be okay if I came to see you after a show sometime this week?”
He watched her dress from the bed. “Women on tour are a distraction.”
Her heart sank.
“But having a lonely, cranky lead singer is far more dangerous.” He chuckled. “When should I expect you?”
She pulled her T-shirt over her head, unable to suppress her joyful grin. “I’ll check the schedule and let you know.”
He climbed from the bed—still gloriously naked—and pulled her into his arms for a deep, satisfying kiss. She eyed the bed, but her stomach rumbled again and he released her.
“I’ll hurry back,” she said a few minutes later as she opened the front door. Jacob had followed her—still gloriously naked—and drew her near for one last kiss.
“I’ll be counting the seconds until I get to see you again.”
Sometimes he said the most wonderful things.
“I’ll only be gone twenty minutes,” she reminded him. “Keep your pants on.”
He glanced down at his current pants-less state. “A bit late for that.”
She gave his bare ass an appreciative squeeze and then dashed across the driveway to her car before she wound up naked again. The man did have an uncanny skill for relieving her of her panties.
She was still smiling when she pulled into her drive a few minutes later. She’d been so wrapped up in her musings about Jacob that she didn’t notice she’d been followed until a familiar SUV pulled up behind her car, blocking any hope for escape.
“Shit,” she muttered under her breath. She sat in the car weighing her options. If Tina attacked her again, what would she do? A sharp knock on her window startled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up at her sister’s smiling face. Funny how she found that friendly grin far more terrifying than Tina’s face twisted in rage.
“We need to talk,” Tina called through the glass.
“I don’t want to fight with you, Tina.”
“I don’t want to fight with you either.”
Sure she didn’t. As soon as Amanda got out of the car, she was sure to get her eyes scratched out and her hair ripped from its roots.
“I just want to talk,” Tina said.
Amanda glanced in her rearview mirror, but the SUV was too close to her rear bumper for her to see inside the hulking vehicle. “Is Julie with you?”
“No, she’s with Mom. Can we talk?”
“I can hear you just fine,” Amanda said loudly. “We can talk like this.”
Tina laughed. “Are you seriously scared of me, big sis?”
Amanda narrowed her eyes and opened her car door. If Tina wanted a fight, she was going to get a fight. But Amanda wasn’t going to start it. She closed the door and leaned against the overwarm metal, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
“Why did you come here?” Amanda asked.
“You have to break up with Jacob.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. “I’m not breaking up with him, Tina. I don’t care about your feelings on the matter.”
“Do you care about Julie’s feelings?”
Amanda scowled. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t you think she’ll feel bad if the reason her mommy is always crying is because her backstabbing whore of a sister is fucking her father?”
Amanda’s jaw hardened. “You wouldn’t do that to her.”
“And won’t you feel terrible when Jacob doesn’t get to see Julie because—I don’t know—she’s too sick to get out of bed during his visitation weekends.”
“You can’t keep them apart, Tina.”
“I can’t? Are you sure about that?”
“It would destroy him.” And Amanda obviously wasn’t the only one who realized that.
Tina smiled coldly. “And won’t Jacob feel horrendous when he realizes the reason he’s not allowed any happiness is because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants again.”
Could anyone really be that cruel? What did Tina want from him? “He doesn’t love you, Tina. Just let him go.”
“You’re going to break up with him,” Tina said. “You’re going to do it tonight in person at Jack’s Grill so I can make sure it’s done. And you’re not going to mention that I had anything to do with your decision.”
“I’m not.”
Tina shrugged. “I guess you don’t care if you destroy our entire family. Making your niece hate you will be easy. It might take a little more effort to get Mom and Dad to disown you, but I don’t doubt I can do it.” Tina tapped her jaw with one finger as her gaze focused upward. “So, should I tell Mom about your fling first? She’s always thought you were a good person. This slut move is sure to change her opinion of her darling daughter. Or maybe I should go crying to Daddy first and let him tell Mom. Daddy never really liked you anyway.”
“Why would you do any of this? Why do you care so much that I’m with Jacob?”