Shit.

He was holding one of the magazines with the Time stories. He’d found my hidden stash under my bed.

Shit. Shit.

“I can’t believe it. You fangirl!” he teased, pointing at me with a glint in his eye.

“No, no, I’m not really. Holly gave them to me. She made me read them!

I didn’t want to … I … ” I stammered, trying to figure a way out of this that wouldn’t leave me looking like a total stalker.

“Grace. Don’t lie to me,” he admonished, looking serious.

I walked over to the corner and stood in it, facing the wall, looking like the guy at the end of The Blair Witch Project. “OK, I admit it. I started reading it because I promised Holly,” I confessed, feeling my cheeks flame.

“And then?” he asked, walking over to me.

“Ummm. Now I’m reading it because it’s interesting?” I asked more than answered.

“Grace … ” he warned.

“I’m reading it because I like it. I more than like it, OK! I, I freaking love it!” I wailed, placing my head against the wall in shame. I waited for him to tease me, to taunt me, but there was silence.

Uh oh, now he thinks you are only interested in him because he’s playing Joshua.

I spun around quickly, ready to show him that nothing could be further from the truth. He was sitting on the end of the bed, laughing.

“Why are you laughing?” I asked, walking over to where he sat.

“I love that you felt so guilty that you stood in the corner!” He laughed again. “But this does mean the official tryst is off, Grace.”

“Well, technically, since when I met you I had yet to read anything, the tryst should still be on.”

“You got me on a technicality, huh? All right then, tryst on. Only if you agree to never call me Joshua when we’re in bed,” he offered.

“Agreed. But could you do something for me?” I asked sweetly, moving closer to him. In my head, I was secretly rejoicing that he talked about us in bed like it was going to be something we did a lot.

I was standing in front of him in the robe I always wear when I’m getting ready. His hands came up around my waist and I leaned closer to his right ear.

“Next time, ya know, when we’re together?” I whispered, planting a kiss on his neck below his ear. He smelled all soapy and warm.

“Mmm hmm?” he answered back, his hands clutching at my hips.

“And things are getting, ya know, really hot?” I continued, switching to the other ear, kissing his neck there as well.

“Mmm hmm?” he said, his hands moving to the tie that held my robe together, starting to pull it apart. His breath was growing heavier by the second.

I had him right where I wanted him.

“Could you maybe, possibly … ”

“Yes?” he asked, pushing open my robe and planting his mouth in between my breasts, beginning to kiss me.

“Call me Penelope? You know, your woman in the first story? I’ve always wanted to work in a hat store … ” I finished, holding perfectly still. I closed my eyes and my body tensed … I was sooo going to get it for that one. He was still for exactly four seconds, and then he started blowing raspberries all over my chest.

“Grace, that is rubbish! I knew you were as insane as all the rest! C’mere!” I squealed as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I was dying, I was laughing so hard. He carried me kicking, screaming and laughing all the way downstairs and into the kitchen. I was shouting out ideas the whole time through my laughter.

“Maybe,” I wheezed, “you could be all Super Sexy Scientist Guy. Wear a lab coat? Or maybe,” I choked, “you could explain the space-time continuum?

Or maybe … oh, God, I am hilarious,” I began before screeching, “maybe you could just take me away in your little time machine? Hahaha!” I was laughing so hard I couldn’t see straight. This was fine, because I was upside down over the shoulder of an enraged Brit. However, the way he was playing grab-ass the whole way down the stairs made me think he wasn’t too upset.

He carried me into the kitchen, still screaming in laughter. I didn’t even notice Holly sitting at the table with Nick. He went straight to the freezer, grabbed a bag of frozen Green Giant corn niblets, set me on the counter, ripped the bag open with his teeth, pulled my panties straight out like a cash drawer and dumped them in.

I screamed, feeling the corn sprinkle everywhere. In my frenzy to get at the corn, I fell off the counter and onto the floor, landing with a loud splat. I rolled around in a frozen-corn-induced fit, trying to get up, but slipping on niblets every time I got my feet underneath me. Jack was doubled over in absolute hysterics, and I saw Holly and Nick peering over the counter at me. I was still on the floor with corn everywhere.

“You are a pig!” I screamed, finally scrambling to my feet, niblets glued to my thighs and other delicate parts.

“I told you so! And your sense of humor is so corny!” he yelled back. I saw Holly and Nick shake their heads at us.

Nick pointed at my hoohah and said, “Is that what you call cornpone?”

“Hey, your favorite show is on, Grace. It’s The Corny Collins Show!” Holly chimed in.

“What’s your favorite Poison song, Nick?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know, Jack. What’s yours?” Nick answered back, vaudeville style.

“Every Rose has its Corn!” he shouted, as they both waved around jazz hands.

Mother-fucking jazz hands …

I glared at all of them as they laughed, making my way back toward the stairs, shaking out niblets the entire time. “Whatever, Hamilton. You were an infant when that song came out,” I mumbled.

“What’s that, Sheridan?” he yelled as I walked up the stairs.

“Oh, suck it!” I yelled back. I could hear them all laughing as I went in for my second shower of the day.

Every Rose has its Corn … funny.

After that, I refused to see Jack. I did communicate with him through a series of notes passed under the door of my bedroom. I agreed to meet him later at my new house, and then we were going out for dinner. I was excited, as this would be our first official “date”. It was weird that he had already had his mouth on my lady business before our first date, but then again, nothing was conventional about us, so why start now?

After my audition, I went straight to my new house. I was excited to see how things were coming along since I had been there last week. Things were almost done. They were just at the end of refinishing the hardwood floors and tiling the kitchen. Many of my new appliances had just been delivered and were being installed, and most of the crew had already gone for the day. I walked with Chad, the contractor, making notes here and there on things that were still being finished.

“Hey, Sheridan, where are you?”

My heart lurched at the sound of his voice. Even though it had only been a few hours since I’d seen him, I’d missed him.

This is getting serious.

No kidding.

“In here!” I yelled, and listened to him walk toward us. When he came around the corner, I grinned at the sight of him. I let my eyes travel over him.

The late afternoon California sun was streaming through the windows, making him glow. Black leather jacket, green t-shirt, black jeans, and … the ball cap.

Dammit, the ball cap would have to go. I needed to see those curls. They were just too good. He smiled, biting down gently on his lower lip, and I nodded to him as I continued talking to Chad.

“So, the colors for the painter have already been chosen and I taped the swatches up in each room. Also, there are some scuff marks on the tile in the shower that have yet to be removed. Can we take care of that this weekend?” I motioned to Jack to follow us as we finished our tour, and he tagged along. He was smiling at me with that devious grin, and I wondered what he was thinking.

He watched me as I walked around the house, making notes with the contractor on things that they were still working on. I noticed he was eying my legs with great interest. I was still wearing what I had worn to my audition, black pencil skirt, black turtleneck, wide red belt and red pumps, very ‘40s style. I had my hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and I was still wearing my glasses. I winked at him over the rims when I was discussing the new Viking stove with Chad, and he winked back. I felt his eyes on me as we walked around, and I might have put a little extra sway in my hips. I knew he was watching, you see …

By the time Chad had left, the rest of the crew had disappeared, and it was just Jack and me. Most of the lights were off, and he’d wandered back into the house while I saw Chad out. Then I walked through the rooms, looking for him.

“Hey, Hamilton, where are you?” I called out.

“In here, Nuts Girl,” he answered. He was in my bedroom.

I walked in and saw him looking at the walls where I had instructed the painter to test out different swatches of paint color.

“Hey,” I said softly.

“Hey, yourself,” he answered.

We stared at each other from across the room for a moment.

“Is it crazy that I missed you, even for that short amount of time?” I asked boldly, putting it right out there.

“Is it crazy that I missed you and I almost called Holly to find out where your audition was so I could pick you up?” he answered.

“Is it crazy that I want to kiss you so badly right now I almost can’t stand it?” I countered, walking across the room toward him.

“Is it crazy that when I saw you in that insanely sexy outfit that I wanted to ravage you on that pile of furniture pads in the other room?” he finished, crossing to me and meeting me halfway.

“Is it crazy that—” I couldn’t finish, his mouth was on mine.

Is it crazy that you are probably in love with this guy after only a few weeks?

Yep. Apeshit, batshit, insane crazy in love. Shit.

Just don’t tell him that …

Don’t worry.

Chapter 15

We made out like teenagers, standing in my new bedroom, kissing and caressing softly. There wasn’t the urgency of earlier, although I could sense that it could be brought to the surface within seconds. Now there was gentleness, a quietness to our exploration. I had forgotten what it felt like to simply kiss a man and have him kiss me back, echoing my pace. This was sweet, nurturing, lovely and loving.

This was a romance that was beginning.

We kissed until the sun began to set, and he leaned my head on his shoulder, catching me into a close embrace. He smoothed my hair back into a ponytail and kissed near my ear.

“Is it crazy that—” he began.

“Let’s not start that again. We agree, we are both crazy,” I interrupted, patting him on the backside.

“I wasn’t finished, you rude girl,” he said, frowning down at me.

“Oops, sorry. Please continue,” I apologized.

“I was going to say, is it crazy that I think your tits look amazing in that turtleneck?” I pulled back to look at him. He was gazing down at me with a twinkle in his eye.

“You have a one track mind, Johnny Bite Down.”

“That’s true, I do.” He laughed.

“And the turtleneck might have something to do with the hickey you left behind!” I scolded, pulling it down so he could see what he did. He just rolled his eyes and laughed.

“By the way, I’m going to make a rule, right here and now,” I continued, pulling out of his arms altogether and facing him with my hands on my hips.

When I saw him laughing, I jiggled my chest at him. He was mesmerized instantly. Now that I knew the girls had such power over him, I would be using them more often.

“Eyes up here, Hamilton. My rule?” I dragged his focus back.

“Yes, your rule. What is it?” he asked, moving closer to me again.

“This,” I said, flicking his lower lip. “You are not al owed to bite down on that lower lip unless you are planning on spending at least an hour using it on me.”

“What is with you and my lip? I don’t see the big deal.” He frowned, making a show of biting down aggressively.

“It’s hot, OK? Just plain hot, so knock it off! Promise me—hey, promise me!” I snapped my fingers and squeezed his face, pushing his cheeks together so that his lips were pushed out. “Promise me you’ll be my Johnny Bite Down, and mine alone, or no more slap and tickle.”

“Grace, please. If I want a little—what did you call it? Slap and tickle? I do believe if I want a little of anything, you’ll be begging to give it to me,” he challenged.

I raised my eyebrows at him and prepared to go nuclear on his ass.

He called your bluff. You will totally give him anything he wants, whenever he wants it.

Dammit.

“But, in the interest of keeping the peace … and our dinner reservation,” he began. “I will agree to attempt to restrain the biting down until I can—what did you say, use it on you?—as much as I can help it, agreed?” He smiled that grin that he knew I couldn’t resist, and I melted.

“Yes, please. Thank you.” I smiled back. He kissed me softly again as I fixed his hair, and we made our way back through the house, locking it on our way out.

We decided to take my car, but he drove. We went to Yamashiro’s, a Japanese restaurant in the hills with amazing views of Los Angeles. He had timed dinner just right so that when we were pulling into the lot, the sun was finally setting in the west, leaving behind a lovely glow around the gardens. This restaurant was actually situated in a series of Japanese gardens and was a rather famous place to dine in L.A. It was also very romantic—something that was not lost on me. The boy did good.