Cross My Heart (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

at her, and his jaw tightened. “Except when it comes to you. I’ve got all kinds of instincts where you’re concerned, and they’re all telling me the same thing.”
    In spite of herself, there was a flutter in her heart.
    “You already know how I feel about...this.” She hugged her knees tighter, very aware that she was naked while he was now fully clothed. “I’m leaving, and...and we don’t want to give Claire the wrong idea.”
    “I know.”
    “So it’s okay?”
    “No, it’s not okay. But I’ll try to accept it.”
    She took a deep breath. “And will you think about what I said? About asking Claire to stay?”
    “Yeah, I’ll think about it. The truth is, I’ve been thinking about it all week.”
    She nodded. “That’s good. I’m glad.”
    He went on looking at her, and goose bumps sprang up on every inch of her skin. She would have covered herself with a sheet but she couldn’t seem to move.
    “God, you’re beautiful.”
    The longing in his voice made her throat ache.
    She swallowed. “You should go.”
    He closed his eyes. “You’re right. I should.”
    And he did. Jenna stayed where she was until she heard the back door slam shut behind him. Then she went to her bedroom window.
    She watched Michael cross her lawn towards his, but halfway there he turned and looked back.
    She sprang away from the window, heart pounding, even though she didn’t think he’d seen her. After a moment she went back to her bed and lay face down, breathing in the scent of him on her sheets.
    And just like that, the ache in her throat spread to her heart.
    * * *
    “So how was the concert?”
    Michael looked up from the paper to see Claire in the kitchen doorway. He hadn’t even heard her come in, evidence of his distracted mental state.
    “The concert was great,” he said truthfully. “Albert Cray has turned me into a bona fide blues fan.”
    And paved the way for the complete destruction of his peace of mind.
    Although, to be honest, he didn’t think he could lay that at Albert Cray’s door. The way he felt around Jenna, it had only been a matter of time before he made a move on her.
    Lying in his bed after coming home that morning, sleep had been impossible. He’d replayed last night in his head until his body was hard and aching.
    But what he felt for Jenna wasn’t just about lust. Lust alone he could find a way to control—somehow. But the combination of lust and other feelings—feelings that seemed to grow deeper every time he was with her—was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before.
    Whatever had been missing in his previous relationships, he’d found—with a woman who would never be his.
    “And what about Jenna?”
    He looked up sharply. “What about Jenna?”
    Claire rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dad. You know I spent the night at Ellie’s so you guys could have a real date. Did anything happen?”
    “Not like you mean,” he lied. “We had a great time at the show, but that’s it. How about you?” he asked, hoping to change the subject. “Did you have a good time at the Washington’s?”
    “It was awesome. Awesome on an epic scale. Ellie had some friends over, and we played that band video game, and they made me do the vocals for hours. They said I have a killer voice. We had so much fun.”
    She sat down at the kitchen table across from him. “They’re all starting high school this year, like me.” She was wearing a beaded leather bracelet, and now she took it off and started playing with it. “It’s funny. I was thinking that if I was living here, I’d be going to school with them in the fall.”
    She was looking down, twisting the bracelet between her fingers.
    This was it. His opening. He should ask Claire right now if she wanted to move to Iowa and live with him.
    He went to the counter and poured himself another cup of coffee.
    “What about your friends in Florida?” he asked, finally. “Do you ever play that game with them?”
    Maybe Jenna was right. Maybe he really was a coward.
    Claire looked up, and he couldn’t tell if there was disappointment in her eyes or if he was just imagining it.
    “Sometimes. Well, I guess I’ll go say hi to Jenna. I’m bummed nothing happened last night, but you still have lots of time before she leaves. And I had another idea.”
    Great. “What’s that?”
    “Well, you know how she’s fixing up the house for her aunt? She’s planning to do a lot of work this week, since she’s not teaching—there’s a break