Turning Thirty-Twelve by Sandy James Read Free Book Online Page B

could stop the question.
    He leaned in a little closer and ran a warm finger down my cheek to my chin. “Of course.”
    My body started to tremble.
    As he pressed his lips to mine, every bit of tension fled my muscles. I leaned in as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him.
    It was one of those movie kisses that seem to go on forever, and you know it will make you sigh when it ends. The man did magic with his lips. When his tongue slid into my mouth, I feared my knees were going to give. It had been years since I felt the kind of warmth Mark’s kiss sent racing through me.
    Hell, I didn’t think David ever kissed me like that.
    Mark didn’t seem to want to pull away. His face lingered in front of mine for a moment. “I’m sorry I have to go,” he said again as he brushed his knuckles across my cheek.
    I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything.
    “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    I nodded again.
    He quickly brushed his lips against mine one last time before he turned and jogged back to his car.
    As he drove away I stood on the front porch and waved.
    Good God, I could be so damned lame sometimes.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    “Mom? You okay?” Patrick asked.
    I shifted the cordless telephone to my other ear. “I’m fine. Why do you keep asking me that?”
    “You seem kinda...distracted for so early in the morning. So are you coming?”
    “Yeah. I appreciate you calling to let me know. I know Nate probably won’t. Then again, it’s not until October. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’ll call before then.”
    It was almost Parents’ Day. Even though I had gone to the event when Patrick was a freshman, I’d forgotten all about it. It dawned on me that if Patrick hadn’t bothered to call, Nate would’ve hidden the occasion. He wanted his independence as badly as I wanted to hold onto him. Realizing how Freudian the whole situation seemed, I wondered if Nate would be angry if I went down to visit uninvited.
    I’d have to think about that one.
    Shit. I’d have to call David to see if he was aware there was a Parents’ Day and if he and the “little woman” were going.
    Call-waiting sounded, so I said my farewells to my oldest. Knowing it had to be Julie checking in to get the scoop on my date, I sarcastically greeted the new caller. “You’ve reached The Sex Emporium. Dominatrix Mistress Jackie speaking. How may I punish you?”
    “Um. Okay. I’ll bite. Sex-slave Mark here. I prefer black leather and a light spanking.”
    I slapped my forehead with the heel of my hand. Why hadn’t I even bothered to check the caller-ID?
    Now what, Ms. Sarcastic? Get yourself out of this one gracefully .
    “Can we please forget that I just said that?”
    Mark chuckled, warm and kind despite my faux pas . “A greeting like that? I seriously doubt it. Did you mean it last night when you said you wanted to go out tonight?”
    Why did I always feel the need to nod when no one was around to see me? “Yeah. I meant it. But if you’ve made other—”
    “Stop thinking, Jackie.”
    I had to laugh at that. “All right. And just where are we heading tonight? We could always play nine holes. How about a good game of ‘horse’? Maybe toss a football around?”
    “I was thinking something a little more...relaxed.”
    “Relaxed?”
    He chuckled again. “Yeah, relaxed. Do you like movies?”
    Quit nodding, moron. “I love movies.” I went almost every weekend. The paper was already open to the entertainment section when I’d answered Patrick’s call. “What do you want to see?”
    “Doesn’t matter. The girls have collected just about every DVD known to mankind.”
    “You mean you want to stay in?”
    Why was I in such a panic over the idea of an intimate evening alone with Mr. Yummy?
    Probably because I’d have a hard time keeping my hands off him.
    “Sure. We can pop some popcorn, grab some Twizzlers, and watch a good show or two.  I know.  We’ll get pizza.”
    “Um... All right,