Kimberly Dean - Courting Innocence

Jason passed Sienna her pocketbook, and Erin snuck a look at the way he stroked his hand up and down her friend’s spine. The intimacy was almost weightier than it had been watching the two kiss.

She stood quickly. ‘I’ll just grab some cereal and head back to my bedroom.’

‘No, don’t,’ Sienna protested. She stuffed the last of her things into her purse. ‘Jason’s making waffles.’

Erin lifted an eyebrow.

‘Hey,’ the big guy said. ‘I think I’m offended.’

‘He makes killer breakfasts,’ Sienna promised. She wrapped an arm around Erin’s shoulders and directed her to the table. ‘You just sit and take it easy. I’ll get you some coffee and orange juice.’

Oh, this was exactly what she hadn’t wanted: kind words, pats on the shoulder and an endless stream of hugs. ‘You two don’t have to wait on me,’ she protested.

‘There’s not room for the three of us to be traipsing around in here,’ Jason said, ending the argument.

Their new apartment was much nicer than the old place, but it wasn’t much bigger. Real estate was hard to come by in the DC area. It also wasn’t cheap.

Defeated by the two of them, she took a seat and watched them work. They moved together fluidly, each taking on their own tasks. More and more, Jason had been convincing Sienna to stay at his place across the Potomac in Virginia. Neither of them was familiar with this kitchen, yet they smiled at each other and shared gentle touches as they tried to find the silverware and syrup.

The intimacy was no longer as blatant as when they’d thought they were alone, but it was sexual. And the presence of the feeling in the room was enough to make Erin squeeze her thighs together tightly. It wasn’t all embarrassment. She hadn’t been hurt by walking in on them.

Frankly, she was hot.

Her skin was tingly, and her ears were warm. It had been a long time since she’d felt the flare of arousal. Even longer since anyone had touched her that way.

She frowned into her coffee. It had been longer than the month of her broken engagement, to be honest. She couldn’t remember any guy kissing her like that. Like he needed her as much as he needed his next breath…Like he couldn’t get enough of her…

Certainly not Marty.

She put the coffee mug back down.

Was that what he’d meant by boring ?

She was startled when Sienna slid into the seat beside her. Even at breakfast, her friend looked like the poster model for Miss Manners. Her spine was straight, her shoulders were pulled back, and her legs were crossed demurely.

‘Did you sleep OK?’ Sienna asked before taking a sip of her coffee.

Erin hadn’t missed the fact that Jason had known exactly how to prepare it.

She shrugged. ‘Not well.’

‘I’m sorry. Once you get past today, I’m sure you’ll rest better.’

‘Yeah,’ Erin agreed. Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead . She’d never wanted an autumn wedding anyway. She hadn’t wanted her new life starting when everything around her was dying or going dormant. It just wasn’t a good omen.

‘Did you have anything you wanted to do today? We’ve cleared our schedules.’

‘You two don’t have to babysit me.’

‘Did you want to talk?’ Sienna asked quietly.

Not really. Erin was so talked out. She’d already cried on her friends’ shoulders for hours. She poured some cream into her coffee and swirled it round and round. ‘I’m OK.’ With a sigh, she confessed, ‘I think Marty did the right thing.’

‘What?’ Sienna squeaked.

Jason merely stood staring at her, leaning against the counter with his arms wrapped across his muscled chest.

Erin swept back her hair. The dampness from her shower was drying, leaving the blonde strands wavy. ‘I’m not saying he did it the right way, but, more and more, I think we narrowly avoided making a mistake.’

Sienna touched her arm. ‘Why do you say that?’

‘Because I miss the wedding itself: my dress, the flower arrangements, the reception with all my family and friends. I miss it all – but I don’t miss him.’

There it was, the truth that had been bothering her so much was out. She risked a look at her best friend.

Sienna didn’t look convinced. ‘Are you sure you’re not just angry with him? You were together for so long.’

For seven years. Last year of high school, all of college and grad school.

‘I’m not angry with him. At this point, I don’t even think about him.’ Not Marty in particular, anyway. She thought about their plans together, their habits as a couple, the way they’d used to talk, sex …The question that consumed her most, though, was why .

‘Then you’re right,’ Jason said. ‘You avoided a bullet.’

She had, but who did that? Spent all that time together and walked away without looking back? Had they ever been in love?

‘I just want to understand.’ Marty was the one who walked, but she was having a tougher time. She hadn’t seen it coming. Her hands tightened around her coffee mug. ‘What was so boring about me?’

‘Whoa,’ Jason pointed a stern finger at her. ‘You are not boring.’

‘But that’s what he said.’

‘He said that things had got boring, but he never tried to fix them,’ Sienna said, jumping in. ‘Jason’s right, you’re sweet and fun and friendly.’

‘And sexy as hell,’ Jason muttered as he concentrated on pulling a waffle out of the cooker.

Sienna’s head whipped around.

He shrugged as he brought over a plate and placed it in front of Erin. He dropped a kiss on her forehead before looking at his girlfriend.

‘What? It’s the truth.’ Catching the back of Sienna’s chair, he leaned in. ‘But her loss, I’m taken.’

Erin couldn’t have been more surprised when Sienna caught his face with both hands and pulled him in for a sizzling kiss. ‘And don’t you forget it.’

He let out a low growl. ‘Not likely.’

He gave her another quick peck and headed back to the waffle maker.

Erin blinked. The man was having the most amazing effect on her normally conservative friend. ‘He’s just joking.’

Jason looked over his shoulder so fast, he nearly poured waffle batter into the sink. ‘What are you talking about?’

Erin rolled her eyes. ‘I’m cute. The friendly little blonde.’

‘And you think guys don’t find that hot?’

She stared at him blankly.

He shook his head and returned to making breakfast. ‘Bullet dodged. Huge, huge bullet.’

‘He is the Sloan Gunman,’ Sienna said dryly. ‘He should know.’

They ate their waffles, which were surprisingly delicious. Being a man, Jason had fried some bacon, too, so the meal was salty and sweet and thoroughly unhealthy.

Perfect for a cancelled wedding day.

Was he right? Could there be a fiery, intense relationship out there waiting for her, too? Erin nearly snorted into her orange juice, but Jason wasn’t the type of guy to lie to save her feelings. She trusted him, because he’d always been brutally honest with her. He didn’t treat her like she was made of fine glass.

She dipped her bacon into the syrup on her plate.

OK, maybe she was attractive – she couldn’t quite make the leap to sexy – but Marty was the only lover she’d ever had. He’d been her first, although there had been another man whom she’d really, really wanted to have that honour.

Yet he’d walked away from her, too.

‘So what’s the plan from here?’ Jason asked.

‘I thought maybe we could go back to the ice rink,’ Sienna said.

That was where they’d gone on the day Erin had met Jason. She hadn’t even known her roommate was dating a former hockey player until he’d taken them to the rink to help her work out her anger and frustration. Jason had taught them how to fire a slap shot that day, and they’d been friends ever since.