The Guy Next Door (18 page)

Jesse slowed his pace, pulling his lips from hers so that he could see her. Gail’s expression was one of utter satisfaction, complete with rosy cheeks and a drunken little smile. Her eyelids hung heavy over her soft brown eyes.

“Worth waiting for?” he asked.

Gail let go with a giddy chuckle. “Yeah,” she breathed.

Jesse gathered her tightly in his right arm. “Wrap your legs around me,” he said. She did. Then he pushed himself up and turned around to sit on the edge of the bed, his cock still embedded in the heat of her body. She placed her arms loosely around his neck, smiling down at him.

“You know, I have to admit something, Gail,” he said, his fingers kneading her back and buttocks.

“Yeah?”

“I saw it right away,” Jesse continued. “I could tell
that underneath your good-girl packaging you were a sexual beast.”

She giggled softly and began to stroke his hair. Jesse closed his eyes and had just begun to luxuriate in the moment when he felt Gail do something wonderful—an unmistakably bad-girl trick—with the lower half of her body.

He opened one eye to see her smile as she squeezed him, wiggled on him, slowly raised and lowered herself on him.

“You bring it out in me, I guess,” Gail said, throwing her head back in pleasure as her inner muscles pulsed around him. She began a slow and intense grind, her soft little groans coming in rhythm with the undulations of her body.

Jesse knew he wouldn’t last three seconds if she kept this up.

“Gail?”

She let her head fall forward and looked down into his face. Her eyes were half closed in ecstasy and her beautiful blond hair tumbled down next to her cheeks. She never stopped wiggling on him and never stopped squeezing.

“Yeah?” she whispered, distracted.

Jesse had to laugh. It was clear to him now that Professor Gail was a single-minded sexpot when in pursuit of pleasure. He fuckin’
loved
it.

She began to ride him faster. “I’m going to come all over you again,” she breathed. “Oh, God, it feels so good.”

That was it. Jesse shuddered and he clutched at her, pulling her body closer as he rode out the searing heat of his orgasm. It took several moments for him to catch
his breath. While he waited, he ran his hands all over the silky skin of her back, bottom and hips.

“Damn,” he whispered, pulling away from Gail and cradling her face in his hands. As he kissed her cheeks and chin, he thought about how lucky he’d been to be saddled with Lelinda’s Hemingway tour that morning.

It had turned out to be one of the most outstanding days of his life.

“W
HAT THE—”

Holly stood in the open sliding door, staring at the sexy old dude from next door and her mom, romping around in the lit-up pool like teenagers. What were they doing? What music were they listening to? Why was her mom laughing so hard?

Please, God. Don’t let them be naked.

“I thought your mom hated hip-hop,” Hannah whispered into Holly’s ear.

“With a passion.”

“You said she goes to bed every night around nine.”

“Like clockwork.”

“Hey girls!” Her mom waved enthusiastically, a huge smile on her face. It was then that Holly noticed the familiar straps of her mom’s fugly one-piece aqua-blue swimsuit and knew it was safe to start breathing again.

“Hey!” Hannah answered for both of them. “Here we are, home by curfew, just like we promised!”

“That’s great, girls. I really appreciate it.”

Her mom paddled over to the pool’s edge while the captain dove underwater. Holly watched him glide to
the pool wall, all sleek and dark muscles in the Day-Glo green water.

She didn’t trust him. He was probably a player. And her mom was clueless. It was like watching an Animal Planet episode on lions and gazelles on the Serengeti. She wanted to cover her eyes.

“I was just getting ready to head home.” Jesse propelled himself straight out of the water then smoothed back his hair. Hannah made a little squeak of appreciation as he turned his back to them and bent over to grab his towel. At least his swim trunks were the normal kind and not an old-pervert Speedo.

“Did you guys have fun tonight?” her mother asked, looking up at them with that big smile still on her face. Holly decided she looked totally blissed-out.

Oh, God.

“A great time,” Holly said, not wanting to be outdone by her mom. “We met these awesome local boys who were really nice and showed us around.”

Her mom just nodded, but the comment caught Jesse’s attention, and he spun toward them while he toweled off his hair. “Oh yeah? What are their names?”

“Luis and Nestor,” Hannah answered. “They said you were like family to them.”

Jesse’s arm stopped in midair. It was only for a split second and he went on as though nothing happened, but Holly noticed the reaction.

“Do you know them?” her mom asked Jesse. “Are they good kids?”

“Absolutely,” Jesse said, smiling a smile that Holly thought looked genuine. “Their dad’s one of my best friends. No worries.”

That seemed to make her mom happy.

“Just tell them I said to behave.”

Hannah thought that Jesse’s comment was funny, but Holly detected a real nervousness in the way Jesse was moving and speaking. Now she knew for sure the guy couldn’t be trusted.

Just then her mom jumped from the pool and began to dry off, asking if the girls had eaten and inviting them to join her and Jesse tomorrow. He was taking her to swim with the dolphins, she said.

“Thanks, but we have plans.” Holly answered while keeping an eye on the captain.

“Oh. Okay, then.” Her mom gave both the girls a kiss on the cheek. “I’m headed off to bed—I’m completely exhausted.”

I just bet you are,
Holly thought.

Then she watched her mother smile at Jesse. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Thanks for a wonderful day.”

The captain smiled back at her. “Sleep tight.”

Hannah and her mom had already stepped through the back sliding door, and the captain was headed to the pool gate.

“Um, Jesse?”

He turned around, the smile he had for her mom still hanging around on his face. “Yes?”

“She’s not, you know—” Holly checked to make sure her mother was out of earshot. “My mom, I mean. She’s not all that experienced with men. She’s kind of naive.”

Jesse tugged the towel tight around his waist and looked at Holly with kind eyes. He nodded slowly, as if he was thinking about what she’d said.

“Mom’s only been with my dad, and she got pretty hurt.”

“She’s told me everything.”

That was a surprise. Holly took a step closer to him. He really was very handsome—for an old guy. “Don’t hurt her. Just don’t. It wouldn’t be good.”

A smile spread across Jesse’s face, and he looked away, almost like he was embarrassed. He laughed softly before he looked at Holly again. “Your mom is a very perceptive and smart woman. I wouldn’t worry too much about her.”

She shrugged, not wanting to admit that was what was going on here—she was
worried
about her mom.

Jesse took a step closer to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Believe me, Holly. The last thing I’d ever want to do is cause your mom pain. She’s a very special lady, and she deserves the best.”

Holly crossed her arms over her chest and studied him. He seemed like a decent enough guy. And he liked her mom. That was obvious.

“Well, okay,” Holly said tentatively. “But I’ll be keeping my eye on the two of you, just in case.”

“C
HAGO.
Y
OU UP?”

His friend yawned into the phone. “I am now, man. What’s going on?”

“Your boys home yet?”

“Oh, shit. What’d they do now?”

Jesse laughed. “Nothing. I just have a favor to ask you. Are you awake enough for this conversation?”

“Hold up, man.”

Jesse heard him rustle out of bed and take the phone in another room so he wouldn’t wake his wife.

“Okay. What’s goin’ on?”

Jesse took a breath. “Listen, I know this is going to sound strange, but hear me out. I need you to take down the ‘Dark Blue’ series display for a few days, and put my books in the back room where no one can see them.”

The phone went quiet for a moment. “Say
what?
”

“Please.”

“What the hell for, man?”

“As a personal favor to me.”

Chago laughed. “Sure. No problem. That’ll leave me with
Pat the Bunny
and the cookbooks. I’ll have to beat the customers away with a stick.”

Jesse felt horrible, but he pressed on. “Please, Chago.”

“Look, you’ll have to tell me what this is about,
because you and I both know that J. D. Batista is the only marketing hook I got. That new chain store on Roosevelt is killing me, man.”

“I know. And I’m sorry.”

“So what’s this got to do with my boys?”

Jesse gave him a basic summary of the situation, describing Gail in only the most general terms, explaining that he was asking only that Nestor and Luis not mention anything about his writing career to the girls. Jesse emphasized that he wasn’t asking them to lie, but he would appreciate it if they didn’t bring up the topic in conversation.

Chago said nothing at first, then Jesse heard him chuckling into the phone. “Okay. Sure. I’ll tell the boys,” he said. The chuckling started up again.

“Thanks.”

“You sure about this, man?”

Jesse sighed. The truth was, he’d never attempted anything like this charade. He’d never needed to, but Cammy’s con game had made him damn near paranoid. “Look, I can see something happening with Gail, okay? She’s that great. I just need a couple days before I tell her everything.”

“This is about Cammy, isn’t it?”

“In a roundabout way, yes.”

“So you’re testing her, is that it? You want to make sure she’s not gonna sell your ass to
The National Enquirer?
Is that what’s going on?”

“Yeah.”

Chago whistled low and soft. “Whatever you say, man, but I think you’re making a mistake. If this Gail is as great as you say she is, she’s not gonna like it when
she finds out you’ve been lying to her. I don’t know too many women who’d stand for that kind of shit.”

“I’m not lying. I’m
postponing
.”

“Right,” Chago said. “So that’s it? You just want me to move my only moneymaker to the stockroom? You sure I can’t interest you in a quart of my blood? My bone marrow? My fuckin’ kidney?”

Jesse laughed. “You’re a good friend, man. I appreciate it. It’s just for a few days.”

“Consider it done,” Chago said. “I guess it’s the least I can do. You’ve single-handedly kept me in business all these years.”

“I appreciate it.”

“I just hope you know what you’re doing, man. From where I sit, it looks like a train wreck in the making.”

N
OT THAT
G
AIL WAS AN OLD
hand at this sort of thing, but she recognized what was happening with Jesse. She was being swept away. The hours in his company were running together in a blur of sunshine, ocean, laughter, discovery and pleasure. She treasured every moment of it, too, even as a tiny ball of panic began to form in her stomach, warning her that it was all temporary, an illusion, and that it was building up to nothing but a wistful memory.

And she let it happen anyway.

On Monday, Jesse took Gail out on his sailboat to where the dolphins played. Since Jesse was a friend of a marine biologist who’d studied Key West dolphins for over a decade, he got a heads-up on where to find them. Jesse followed his friend’s directions to a spot about six miles from land, where currents had swept
schools of fish that were attracting one of the dolphin pods for feeding.

Gail gasped when she saw her first two bottlenose dolphins, so graceful and shiny in the water. She and Jesse lay down on their bellies on deck to watch. That first dolphin couple was soon followed by another, then at least a dozen more animals. They swooped, dived, circled and talked to each other in clicks and chirps. One couple even jumped out of the water with fish in their mouths, as if showing off.

Gail was in awe. “This is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen,” she whispered to Jesse.

“I’m really glad,” he said, leaning close to kiss her softly.

Jesse and Gail eventually slipped into the water, treading softly as they waited for the dolphins’ curiosity to pique. It wasn’t long before they ventured close. Gail was so exhilarated to be in the water with the beautiful creatures that her hands trembled. One dolphin brushed up against her leg. Another swam by and rolled over on its back, slowing just enough for her to touch the silky skin of its underbelly.

It wasn’t long before they swam away, but as Jesse helped her back into the boat Gail knew she’d been forever changed by the experience. Her spirit felt bigger and wiser for it.

They sailed toward the coral reef for snorkeling. When they’d started off that morning, Jesse had explained to Gail that her interest in scuba diving was admirable, but certification classes would eat up much of her vacation. He suggested she save that for another time, and offered to arrange it for her.

“Another friend of yours?” she asked, smiling.

“Yep. He runs the best dive shop on the island. He’ll take very good care of you.” Jesse had been at the helm of the sailboat when he said this, and he’d paused for a moment, turning to study her. Gail remembered how powerful his gaze felt, how beautiful he was in the early light, his hair whipping in the wind.

“The next time you come to visit me, I’ll hook you up.”

Gail hadn’t known what to say. It surprised her that Jesse might want to see her again. She felt the same, of course, but it was a shock that it was mutual. She let the comment slide.

Snorkeling was the second mind-blowing thrill of the day for Gail. Jesse said the Key West Marine Sanctuary included the world’s third-largest living barrier reef. They slipped into the warm tropical waters and, after Jesse gave Gail a quick lesson in how not to swallow gallons of seawater, they were off.

Gail decided right away that the world she’d entered was like an underwater garden, bursting with color and movement. Her eyes bugged out behind her mask.

She saw what she recognized immediately as a stingray, and pointed it out excitedly to Jesse. Later, Jesse would tell her they’d seen dozens of varieties of tropical fish, including blue tangs, sergeant majors and parrotfish.

Eventually, they swam back to the boat for lunch. Jesse had packed cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches, fruit and chocolate, which nearly melted in the time it took to pluck it from the cooler and unwrap it. Jesse fed Gail small pieces, and she licked the sweetness off his fingers.

They returned to Margaret Street late in the after
noon, and it was then that Jesse introduced Gail to his home. She was awestruck by how rich and shiny it was inside, all the dark wood, the off-white plaster walls filled with art.

Jesse led her through the downstairs to his backyard, a shady and private oasis lush with flowering bushes, palms and a mighty tree that twisted around itself before it exploded into a giant canopy protecting the whole property. Jesse told her it was a 150-year-old banyan tree that he’d always thought of as the guardian of his family’s homestead. He led her to the hammock beneath the tree, where they snuggled together. The peaceful joy she felt in his arms—combined with the day’s salt air, sun and water—sent Gail almost immediately to sleep. She woke up when her cell phone went off, opening her eyes to see Jesse gazing down at her with a smile. She prayed she hadn’t been drooling.

Later that night, Gail was put at ease about Luis and Nestor when they picked up the girls in person. They seemed like well-mannered young men, and though they looked like identical twins, they told Gail they were a year apart. Holly and Hannah rushed them out the door before Gail could ask too many questions, but Jesse assured her that their father had laid down the law with them—they were to remain on their best behavior, or else.

It was then that Gail realized just how fortunate she and the girls had been. They’d arrived just days ago as tourists and strangers, but Jesse had brought them into his circle, making their vacation feel more like a homecoming. She didn’t know how she’d ever express to him how much that meant to her.

While Holly and Hannah spent Tuesday with the
boys at Bahia Honda State Park beach, Jesse took Gail to art galleries and out to lunch. They returned to Gail’s cottage for a nap, a swim and a roll on the king-size bed. Jesse continued to surprise her with how generous and patient he was as a lover and how he managed to combine excitement with tenderness.

That was the first time that Gail worried she was getting too attached.

Gail spent Wednesday with the girls, joining them for an all-day water sports adventure on a catamaran. She invited Jesse but he declined, saying he had some work to catch up on and that they’d hook up for dinner. She missed him. She admitted that the idea of missing someone she’d just met was silly, but it felt strange to be in Key West without him. Gail started to think about how difficult it was going to be when she had to leave.

That was the second time she worried about getting too attached.

Gail had a blast with Holly and Hannah, parasailing, snorkeling, jet skiing and kayaking. Watching the girls ineptly race their kayaks had her doubled over in laughter. At lunch, Holly asked her mom if everything was going okay with the hottie captain. Gail put down her sandwich.

“It’s going just fine,” she said, smiling. “I’m having a lot of fun.”

When Hannah excused herself to go to the boat’s ladies’ room, Gail knew this conversation was pre-planned.

“Is everything going well with Luis and Nestor?” Gail asked.

Holly shrugged. “They’re cool. I mean, it’s not like
anything serious will happen between any of us, but it’s nice to get the inside treatment here, you know? They know all the best places and can get us in free everywhere and everything.”

Gail smiled at her. “It’s the same with Jesse.”

Holly didn’t say anything for moment and tapped a fingernail on the side of her water bottle. Eventually she looked up, and Gail could see she was upset.

“Holly, is something wrong?” She reached for her daughter’s forearm, now brown as a berry and covered in a sun-whitened fuzz. “Has something happened?”

Holly gave her a smirk. “I don’t know. You tell
me.
”

Gail nodded, patting Holly’s arm until her daughter yanked it away. “So you’re angry that I’m spending so much time with Jesse?”

“No. Not angry.” Holly scowled at her, the wind tossing around her daughter’s soft blond hair. “Just concerned that you don’t know what you’re doing.”

Gail bit her bottom lip to stop from laughing. “I see.”

“You’re not very experienced, Mom, and you’ve been out with Jesse at all hours, doing God only knows what, and I just don’t want you to do something you’ll regret.”

Gail smiled at her daughter. She was touched that Holly saw her as needing guidance when it came to men. “What are you worried might happen, honey?”

Holly made that clicking sound of disbelief with her tongue. “Hello? I’m worried that you’re going to get totally sprung over this guy that you hardly know, Mom!”

Gail didn’t want to sound tragically unhip, but she had no choice. “Sprung?” she asked.

Holly shook her head in disbelief. “You know, crushing on him, falling in lust with him, when it’ll never amount to anything. Seriously, Mom, rule number one is you never,
ever
fall in love with a guy you meet on spring break—it’ll only bring you pain.”

Gail took a big gulp of her water, stalling. She couldn’t deny that Holly had a point, but the fact still remained that Gail was the thirty-six-year-old woman in this conversation, and Holly was the child.

“I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself just fine,” she said eventually. “Jesse and I are adults and we know what we’re doing, and that’s enjoying each other’s company.”

“What-
evs!
”

Suddenly, Gail understood what the conversation was really about. She smiled at her tenderhearted daughter. It had been just the two of them for so long that Holly must feel a little possessive of Gail.

“Do you want me to spend more time with you, honey? Do you feel like I’ve abandoned you or something?”

Holly’s mouth dropped open. “Uh, not hardly, Mom.”

Gail had begun to frown in consternation when the lightbulb suddenly went off in her head. This time, she was certain she’d gotten to the bottom of things. “Am I embarrassing you, Holl? Is that it?”

“Duh!” Holly said, smacking her palms on the table. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Think about it, Mom—it’s
my
spring break, but it’s my
mother
who’s letting herself go totally wild with some hot guy, riding
through town on a moped with her thighs on display! It’s absolutely humiliating!”

Gail was stunned. “You saw me?”

“Yeah. Me and everyone else. Luis called you a party girl.”

Gail sat up straighter. “He did? Really?”

“That’s not a compliment, Mother.”

Gail tried not to smile too much, because she knew she needed to address the cause of her daughter’s discomfort, but she was secretly thrilled with her new reputation. She’d been a lot of things in her life—book-worm, mommy, trusting wife—but never a party girl.

“Holly,” she said as gently as she could. “I appreciate your looking out for me. I really do.”

Her daughter shrugged.

Gail knew that Holly had never seen her mother as a sexual creature, because her mother hadn’t seen
herself
that way. Not for a very long time. It had to be disconcerting for her daughter, and maybe a little threatening.