London Calling by Karen Booth, Karen Stivali Read Free Book Online

she scrolled
through the images. “You’re really close with your family, huh?”
    He nodded, sensing that was the source of her sadness.
“There’s no one in your family you’re close to?”
    She shook her head. “Not at all. You’re really lucky. To
have so many people who care about you.” She clicked the button again. “More
relatives?”
    He looked and laughed. The photo was of Gavin grinning like
a lunatic behind an elderly couple. “Not exactly. The blond git is Gavin. He
counts as family at this point. The couple are part of Project Random Photo.”
    “I’m afraid to ask.”
    “Gavin and I were walking past the National Gallery a few
years ago and a group of tourists were posing for a photo. Gavin said ‘take a
pic’ then snuck behind them and popped up with a huge smile on his face. It was
hilarious, this maniacal prat grinning behind a gaggle of Japanese senior
citizens. We must have a hundred photos by now.”
    She giggled. “I bet you could add to that collection quite a
bit while you’re here. Manhattan is full of tourists.”
    “I’m always the photographer. Gavin’s the extrovert.”
    “I can see that. He’s handsome too.”
    “Yes, most women think so. Annoyed the hell out of me when
we were younger. All the girls gravitated toward him and he wanted nothing to
do with them.”
    “My brother was the same way. He was a total chick magnet.
Waitresses would hit on him at restaurants when he was only fifteen. My dad
thought it was awesome. Made it all the more shocking for the bastard when
Ethan came out.”
    The hurt was evident in her voice when she mentioned her
father. He reached out and stroked her hand and her fingers curved around his,
creating a tug deep within his belly.
    She clicked his phone back to the main page. “Oh wow, I
didn’t realize how late it is. I need to be at the café at five. I’m opening.”
    Disappointment coursed through him. “I’ll walk you home.” The
last thing he wanted to do was let her go, but he was already looking forward
to the good-night kiss.
    He stood, hoping he wouldn’t embarrass himself too much with
the uncomfortable bulge in his pants. Jenna started folding the takeout cartons
shut. On her knees, she was waist level, right in front of him. He quickly bent
and began packing the food back into the bag, trying to distract himself in any
way possible. “Here,” he handed her the rest of the fortune cookies. “You
should have these, in case you can’t sleep. Will give you ideas of what to do
in bed.”
    The giggle that purred out of her carried through him from head
to toe. Right. I need to go put the food away so I can stand in front of the
open fridge for a moment.
     
    Even though they were still together, Jenna was riddled with
disappointment. Kissing Tim had been incredible, but it only left her wanting
more. The doubts and questions stewed in her brain as he walked her home. He
stopped the kiss . What guy does that? He must not like me.
    They reached the corner and a cab sped away from the curb,
causing them both to freeze. He grasped her hand and stepped off the curb,
leading her across St. Marks Place. He did it with total confidence, as if he’d
been a New Yorker all his life. It was more than a little bit of a turn-on.
    His hand enveloped hers, warm and protective, but the
continuous loop of questions returned to Jenna’s head and kept her from
enjoying the sensation
    When they reached Jenna’s building, they stood in silence, holding
hands for a moment as though neither one of them wanted to be the first to
begin the conclusion of their evening. The wind picked up and swirled around
them, coursing through Tim’s hair and pulling Jenna’s across her face. She
shook it away to see him. He took her other hand and lowered his head.
    He pressed his lips against hers with a new urgency, seeming
hungry for her. All she could think was how badly she wanted him. Their noses
knocked into each other, tongues tangled, eager for more.