Forgiving Patience (3 page)

“What are you looking at?” She
watched as his sapphire gaze ran up and down her body.

“I’m just picturing your cute little
ass.”

My what? Did he just comment on my
butt? Like a switch being flipped on, she could see that somewhat half grin
spread out to a full-on smirk. So, he was changing tactics. He’d decided the
demanding asshole card wasn’t working so he thought the old appealing Jake one
would. Men were confusing and so not worth the trouble.

“You haven’t even seen my b…” Shut
up, she scolded herself. She’d just walked into that one.

“So you like the idea that I like
your rear.”

“No. I could care less about what you
like or don’t like for that matter. Now, can we get back to the part where you
apologize?”

Ignoring her, he asked, “You don’t
even want to know how I know you have a nice ass?” She decided it was time to
regroup and hold whatever comments to herself. Her backbone was getting her
into all kinds of trouble.

“You have some damn fine, sexy curves
you used to not…” Her stomach fluttered as his voice went low. “And well, by
the way those jeans look from the front, I can picture the view from the back
perfectly in my mind. Just fair warning, when you do actually turn away from
me…I will be staring a little too long for your comfort.”

“I will not be turning away until I hear
an apology, so you’ll have to find some other willing woman to gawk at, because
it won’t be me if I can help it.”

“Wanna bet?”

“I don’t have to prove anything to
you.”

“Kinda figured you’d say that.”
Before she realized her danger, it was too late to prevent the strong arms from
gripping her feminine shoulders, swinging her backside toward him.

“Are you crazy? Let me go, Jake.” She
was saying everything her mind was screaming, but in her gut she wanted to see
if she still felt the same way in his arms. Over the years she’d wondered if
what they’d had was really real…or just some hormonal crush.

And it was just as she’d
expected—intense. Wonderful. Her attraction and need for him was still almost
too much to put in words. And given how tightly he held her…he too, had to feel
something familiar.

Still…feelings or not, she was not
letting him off easy. She tried throwing an elbow into his gut, but he
anticipated the blow and stopped her mid-motion.

He pulled her up hard against him,
causing her breath to become ragged. She tried putting up a small fight, just
for show purposes, only to be yanked back, fitting nicely against his
rock-solid body—a body that even under these circumstances, she could
appreciate.

“Not a chance. Not only can I see
your ass, I can feel it right…there.” He placed a hand on her midsection and
pulled her up as close as she could get, making them practically one person.
Her body settled at his thighs. Oh God—she could feel everything he had to
offer a woman. “I have to say it feels better than it looks—if that’s even
possible.” His voice was low and thick as it vibrated against her exposed neck.

Even though it was well above ninety
degrees outside, a chill slid down her spine, and lower—wait. No, what she was
feeling lower, like between her thighs lower, was not a chill. It was something
she hadn’t felt in so many years, she couldn’t remember the last time.

She was sure he could see the goose
bumps popping up, revealing he had more than just a strong hold on her. He also
had her reacting to him. She was desperately trying not to tremble.

She tried swallowing, her jumping
heart now residing in her throat.

Anna wanted to demand that he release
her immediately but was afraid her weakening knees wouldn’t hold her up on
their own. As if sensing her near faint, he shifted one hand from her waist to
trace his index finger up her neck. He was killing her insides.

“It makes me wonder what other assets
look and feel this damn good.”

To keep up her pretense of really not
wanting him, she pleaded, “Please stop.”

Anna couldn’t think about much else.
The only sounds she could make out were the sounds of her pounding heart and
Jake’s steady breathing in her ear. She could’ve been in Times Square, and it
would’ve sounded all the same to her.

“You sure that’s what you really
want? From where I’m standing, you seem to be enjoying this…” She lost her
ability to hear his whispering words.

She was becoming entranced by the
motions of his gentle finger gliding up—down—and up again. Her eyes seemed to
involuntarily close. Her head tilted downward, giving him better access to the
spot she hadn’t known could be so sensitive, only to be zapped back to reality.

She was held up by only her own
strength and will. What the hell?

Just like that, his touch was gone,
vaporized. A tingling sensation was the only remnant he left behind.

Her back was still to him. “
Wha
…what in the hell are you doing?” Had she just imagined
his hard, muscular body holding her, touching her, making her want to cry out
in need? No, of course not. It was real. It felt real.

“You don’t look like the kind of
woman who will have sex on the front lawn—but I can keep going…if you’d like.”

She took a second to pull herself
back together before turning to face him again.

There were probably other women in
town who would agree to front lawn sex, especially after feeling those hands on
their bodies and seeing sweat running down his throat, pooling at the neckline
of his shirt. Not her. When she saw him lift his shirt to wipe the sweat beads
running down his face, showing a well-maintained stomach, she felt nothing.

Get real. She’d just experienced
firsthand how he could cause any woman to respond to a simple touch. Except
that simple touch was lethal.

“You’ll never know what kind of woman
I am.”

“
Mmmm
.” He
acted as if he were mulling that over. “You sure? I don’t think you can afford
losing another bet to me. You still look pretty rattled after the first one.”

“It’s always a bet with you, Jake.
Isn’t that how we got started in the first place?” Her voice broke slightly. He
was bringing up memories she’d been trying to shove aside for the past eleven
years. Their entire history had started with a stupid bet—what did that say
about their past relationship?

“Lighten up. There’s no need to be
hostile. I’m sorry, okay.”

Taking a small, calming breath, she
replied, “Watch yourself. I haven’t touched on the hostility I can dish out. I
wasn’t expecting to see you here now, but I will hash out our differences if
that’s what you really want, or you can get the hell out of my way.”

He took a step back from her and held
his hands out as though he were surrendering. She stomped past him, not
bothering to give him another look. After opening her car door, she heard him
holler, “Nice license plate.” She turned and glared while he stood there
looking all sexy and cocky. Anna didn’t have to look at what he was pointing at
on the front of her car. Jake hated New York, and he was going to ride her ass
every chance he got about it.

“Bring it on, Lawrence,” she
murmured. He apparently didn’t hear her, but that was fine. She ensconced herself
in her car and slammed the door. Jake stood in place with his arms crossed and
a smirk plastered on his face. What a jackass.

Why couldn’t he be a Red Sox fan? It
would be so much easier to hate him if he was.

Chapter Two

Anna made up an excuse about needing
to drive into town for supplies just to get away from Jake. Everything she
needed for the night was right beside her, neatly packed in her suitcases, but
given her state of mind, it was crucial she get away. She had a bottle of cheap
wine she’d bought before entering Patience’s city limits. She had enough food
and clothes, so she was prepared for a long couple weeks.

She was furious with herself for
allowing Jake to make her think things, feel things, and touch her affection-starved
body. She was literally insane. He’d had her almost moaning at his gentle
touch. A technique he’d clearly mastered on plenty of other women.

She cranked up the radio, allowing
the unique voices of the band, Kings of Leon, to blare through the car
speakers. They were doing a poor job of blocking what had just taken place with
Jake, and the thoughts that snuck up on her lately, plaguing her mind. Usually,
music was an escape for her. It made her feel like she was somewhere else,
doing something else, or even being someone else, but right now it seemed that
no amount of music could take away the demons she was going to be forced to
deal with for the next couple of weeks.

Her childhood home contained enough
pain to fill an endless pit. It was going to be the hardest challenge because
of the secrets that no young girl deserved knowing or experiencing. How she
wished that pit would sink into the ground, allowing her to forget. She knew
forgiveness was out of the question but maybe she would be lucky and eventually
forget. Forgiveness was overrated in her book. How could anyone ask her to
forgive someone like that? A person who was so dark and cold that their soul
was blacker than black. No—forgiveness was not going to happen. Ever.

Some days were good. Those days she
could go all day and not think about the late night visits from the devil
himself. Days like today, she wasn’t so lucky. She awoke this morning in
drenched night clothes, taking a minute too long to remember she wasn’t being
smothered with the smell and look of her small childhood bedroom. It was always
frightening to awaken and think she was back in that hellhole, but she was
adjusting to the frequent night terrors, at least that’s what she told herself.

Then, she had
Em’s
wedding. It was her main purpose for passing the city limits sign. She
cherished her best friend. She’d left Linden mainly to come back to help and to
be a part of what Anna hoped would be one of the happiest days Em would ever
remember. It wasn’t going to be easy. Nothing with Em ever was, but she was
guaranteed a memorable experience. If anything, being around Em would be
entertaining and one of the best parts about Patience.

While she was thrilled at seeing her
childhood friend, she couldn’t wait to get back to her current home, Linden. It
resembled Patience in size, but what was important was that the people were
different. She loved the fact that she was anonymous and got the privilege of
supplying the little bit of information she wanted to make public rather than
having everyone know everything about her.

Most people in Linden only knew she’d
grown up a day’s drive away in Patience, Tennessee, had come to spend time with
her mom’s sister, had never married, and that she’d decided to stay because she
fell in love with the quaint town. When her mother had moved to town a couple
of years ago, people got a little nosier. They got more curious about Ms. Kelly
and what had made her suddenly move away from her home to live in a new place
with new people, at her age—which was only fifty, but when they noticed that
the frail woman was sick, they were respectful and only helped if they were
needed. Anna really did love it there. She had good friends, an aunt she
adored, and the dream of opening up her own small coffee shop and bookstore.
Life was good there. It was quiet, simple, and most of all—safe.

She didn’t want to go to
Em’s
just yet. It was going on six o’clock, and Anna knew
Em would already be at the Banquet Hall for her party. She would have to wait
to talk to her nosy friend there. Maybe she would be able to shine some light
on the whole situation. No, it was not a situation. It was a full on problem.

Anna decided she needed to make a
quick stop at Garrett’s and see what was going on with the house. He’d been the
one dealing with the previous renters and trying to sell it. He wouldn’t make
enough from selling the house to make up for everything he’d done, which was a
lot more than she originally thought. He was the only one who could’ve had the house
painted to its former glory. It looked better than she remembered from her
childhood memories. She wondered if that was all he’d done. She had been a
little too preoccupied to have a good look around, but first thing in the
morning she was going to have a walk around and make a list of all the repairs
she needed to have done. Hopefully, it wouldn’t put too big of a dent into her
already diminishing bank account.

Great, it looked like Garrett was
still working. Anna parked behind a compact car and a late-model Mustang with
two different colored doors. The office was on the small side, but looked very
cute on its corner lot. If she remembered correctly, the office had once been a
residential home. It reminded her of a country cottage, something that should
be sitting in some coastal town. The yard was neatly kept, driveway was paved,
and there were two rocking chairs on the porch—a fixture of every porch in
Patience. There was also a small building in the back, right where the drive
ended. It matched the office perfectly.

A sign that read
Garrett
Tillman Realty
hung
above the door. Before she could ring the doorbell, the door flew open and a
petite woman stood just inside the door, looking about to burst with
excitement. Anna didn’t know if she had to pee or if she’d just won the
lottery.