Johnny Blue (10 page)

I swear if you don’t
tell
me this instance, Jewel Marie, who or
what
has put that ridiculous smile on your face, I am going to pop you with my dishtowel
,
”
Trisha said to me.

I giggled and bit my lower lip, getting everything I needed for the second brew of coffee that morning. I glanced over my shoulder at Sarah who
blushed at all the d
e
tails I’d told her about my painting session.

“Oh my, who in God’s gracious glorious name is that?” Trisha mused from the toaster.

My stomach flipped as I spun to see. “Oh God,” I whispered. “It’s…it’s him.”

“Him who?”
Trisha
hissed.

“Oh shit, oh shit, how do I look?” I spun and examined myself in the dull stai
n
less steel. I grabbed a cup and a saucer and clenched my eyes, waiting for the bell over the door to ding-a-ling at his entrance.

When it didn’t, I turned, searching.

“He’s talking to Mr. Ned,” Trisha whispered, coming toward me.

“Oh
,
child,
look at him, breakfast on a silver platter, mmm, mmm,
”
Sarah
mu
t
tered
, coming to stand next to me too.

“Yes, yes. He’s it. He’s the one.” I nodded and fanned my face.

“Who in the world
is he?”
Trisha hissed.

I gave one laugh. “He’d be the man who paints the murals.”

Trisha jerked and
stare
d
at
me then
him
before
explod
ing
with various forms of no way,
not that bum
.

I nodded and smoothed the pink skirt of my uniform, breathing,
breathing
. No panic attacks now, please.
I nodded.
“
Y
es it is. He shaved. It’s him.”

We all studied him, lustily.
“Good Lord almighty,”
Trisha
murmured.

I
hurr
ied
to put a cup at a table, praying he would come in. “You have
no
idea.”

She followed on
my heals
. “Well dammit, give me some idea! Oh, here he comes.”

“Shit,” I gasped, “
get
busy, please act normal.”

The bell rang over the door. He’s just a customer, just a customer. Greet the cu
s
tomer.
I turned with a bright smile.
“Well good morning, are you hear for some…”

My words
were cut short with his panther glide toward me,
the look
in his sta
r
tling blue eyes, fierce and closing in. Before I knew it, his
arm slipped around my waist
and
pulled me against his hard body while those full
lips pushed mine open
. H
is tongue
snaked in for a real sweet good morning
against mine
.
I gripped the table b
e
hind me and t
he beginning of an aching groan
,
barely audible
,
rumbled
in his throat
. My body hummed with the need to make love to him where he stood.

When the giggling behind us turned to cackles, he
withdrew his lips oh so slo
w
ly, and gave my nose a tender peck.
“That’s…what I’m here for,” he said.

Holy
bajeesus
.
I was
too ashamed to look him in the eye
, still not getting what he saw in me
and
sure any second he’d see how pretty I wasn’t in the plain public light of day
.

“Have a
seat,
I’ll… get you some coffee.”

“Can you have a cup with me? I need to talk to you.”

My heart skipped an unhealthy amount of beats. I nodded and forced myself to look at him for a fraction of a second. “Sure. Not busy at the moment.”

He gave me the most beautiful smile I was sure I’d ever seen.
Confused the hell out of me, really.
Like he had some secret about me that I didn’t know.
Wished to hell I did know so I didn’t feel like I’d somehow misinformed him.

Took all the training I had at being a human being to play the composed waitress I normally was. When I got behind the counter, Sarah was suddenly at me ear. “
Ohhh
my God, did that just happen?
Did that gorgeous man just walk in here and kiss you
like
that?
”

I could only nod. Needed to keep my cool, stay focused.
I headed back to his t
a
ble with another cup and saucer and a coffee pot. I sat across from him, avoiding as long as I could those magnetic ocean eyes. Those thick black lashes that made them glow, those damn perfectly black brows that framed them in a
stare at me
kind of way.

After pouring our coffee and doing all the things I could possibly do that r
e
quired my two eyes, I finally looked at him with a small smile, nothing too huge, while stirring my coffee. I held my breath, bracing for impact. Fuck
,
he was beautiful.

“I have to leave today,” he said.

His words froze me.
Literally.
I
consciously began stirring my coffee again. Pa
n
ic, confus
ion
, ang
e
r, hurt
—all of
it swirled, looking for a footing
, fighting for first rights
.
Calm your little psycho ass down. “Really, what’s up?” I lifted my coffee cup, wanting to hide my mouth. My lips were on the verge of trembling, I could feel it
.

“I’m expected back for business.
Time to pay the piper.”
He leaned back, his legs stretching out till they touched mine.

I set my c
up
down with a clank, sloshing coffee. “Shit.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped it up.

Johnny leaned forward and took
the tissue from
m
e and lifted my hand
to
his lips. He pressed an ext
remely sensual kiss to it. “Come with me,” he whispered, pres
s
ing another kiss. “I want you with me
for this. It’s only for two weeks,
then
I can bring you back.”

A tremor found its way into my limbs. I pulled on my hand, not wanting him to feel it, think I was chicken
or stupid
.
“Where you
goin
?”
He released my hand and I latched onto my cup with both hands for support.

He looked out the window and I studied the muscular cords of his ivory neck, my body filling with instant heat.
“New York. Turn in all those pictures I painted.”
He seemed to be watching the morning’s lazy outdoor activity without seeing. His jaw
ticked briefly and he looked back at me.

I
squirmed
my butt at the impact of his gaze, feeling moisture in my panties. Heat filled my cheeks and I cleared my throat and took my turn looking out the wi
n
dow. I shrugged. “Sure, why not. It’s just two weeks.” I boldly met his face with a
half
smile
. “Sides, I
ain’t
never…I mean I’ve never really been many places.” I nodded a li
t
tle, licking my lips nervously.
“No place actually.
Born and raised here all my life.”
A
l
ready told him that, stupid.

Damn that was one serious gaze he assaulted me with. Had I said the wrong thing? Was he having second thoughts? He slid out of the booth and slid into my side. I promptly scooted to make room, but he only scooted closer until there was no more place to scoot. I couldn’t not look in his eyes, I mean when a man scoots into your booth, it would seem odd to pretend he
ain’t
comin
’
for a reason that requires
a pe
r
son’s
undivided attention. He surely had mine. Had
my everything
.

The diner noise disappeared
as
he stroked my jaw with a finger and leaned in. I inhaled the smell of his aftershave, unlike anything I’d ever smelt around these parts.
Mysterious, sexy, confident.
It was all him. His lips slid softly over mine, not really kis
s
ing, just touching, teasing. “Thank you,” he barely said.

My small little world flooded with joy.
Cause
I’d heard the relief in his tone, the need met. And it was me he
’d
needed for that.
Little ole countrified me.

It still felt like a glitch. Like that time when I was ten
,
and in love with the next door neighbor at my cousin’s house. They’d all played a joke, saying he liked me
,
t
hen
they broke the news to me after an entire day of believing it. They all got a good laugh. That’s what this felt like.
The too gorgeous intelligent guy, liking the dumb country girl from the sticks.
I mean just perfect for a prank, really. Wouldn’t be the least surprised if cameras suddenly appeared with
haha
, you’re on candid camera, or whatever that st
u
pid show was they did those things on.

“I don’t want to force you Jewel. If you don’t want to come, just tell me.”

I stuttered out my confusion. “What? No, of course I want to come if you want me to.”

“I don’t want you to come because I want you to.”

I was startled by the clear need in his voice. For me to want him like…he wanted me? Made no sense, but there it clearly was. I reached a hand up and caressed his face. “You have no idea just how much I want you, do you,” I said, amazed. He slowly closed his eyes and his breath warmed my neck with his long exhale. The idea that this god of a man could have inhibitions or doubts about how amazing he was, gave me more courage than fear. I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. He parted them a little, almost timidly. It was so sweet. I stroked his face and lightly captured his lower lip b
e
tween mine and barely suckled.
Then did the same with his upper.

“I’d say get a room, but we
ain’t
got one around here.” Sarah’s cackle erupted. “Never mind
me,
this is better than As The World Turns
,
sugar.”

Johnny smiled at the same moment I did. “Can you leave now? I mean, I’m going back to the shack to pack, can you meet me there in a few hours?”

I nodded and giggled, unable to contain my joy. His hand slid behind my back and kneaded the lower part.
Whoo
,
must be some nerves attached to the vagina right there. Or it was just him
; h
e was attached to my vagina. Everything about him, every look, touch, smell, it all seemed to work like soft fingers flicking over my clit.
Heavenly father help me.

****

“I’m leaving for a trip,” I said into the phone while throwing clothes out of my drawer and onto the bed.

“What?
Really?
Who, what, why, when, where?”

I gasped a laugh. “Slow down doc.”

She choked on more words that didn’t make it out.

“I met a man.”

“
Ohhhh
dear.”

“He’s
nothing
like
Jessie.
”

She gave a sigh. “I’ll not coddle you, you’re not a child”

“No, I’m not.” I sat on the bed, hanging my head. “It’s just that…it’s just that I don’t understand why.”

“Why what honey.” Her tone caressed.

I shook my head, fighting down the emotion. “Why he even likes me, I mean, it really don’t make no sense, he’s amazing and gorgeous—”

“Just stop it.
Right there.
You’ve been in therapy far too long Jewel to say such things. You know better, now start acting on what you know. Not on old feelings.”