Cross My Heart (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

thousand words.
    Then his pager went off.
    “Got to go,” he said after he called the hospital. “They’re prepping a patient for me.” He went to Jenna and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I wanted to cook dinner for you tonight, but I don’t have any idea when I’ll be back.”
    She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. And, anyway, I’m meeting the band tonight. I might be back later than you.”
    “That’s right, I forgot. I hope you have a good rehearsal.”
    She looped an arm around his neck and pulled him down for a real kiss. “Thanks. Good luck at the hospital, Michael. I’ll be thinking of you.”
    Her words warmed him. “I’ll be thinking of you, too.”
    Surgery went well, and he was back by eight o’clock that night. Jenna’s car was gone and he knew it might be several hours before she was back from rehearsal.
    He made himself dinner and went to bed early, figuring they could spend tonight apart since he hadn’t been able to stay away from her last night.
    He woke several hours later to the sound of the doorbell ringing.
    He lay awake for a moment, disoriented, before he threw on his robe and went downstairs.
    The bell rang again just before he got to the door. When he opened it, Jenna was there.
    “Hi,” she said, leaning against the doorframe and smiling at him.
    “Hi,” he said, his body tightening at the sight of her. “What time is it?”
    “Much too late for a visit. How was your surgery?”
    “It went well.” He pulled her inside and shut the door behind her. “So, what brings you here? Is there something I can...do for you?”
    She grinned at him. “I’m sure I can think of something. I would have let myself in and crawled into your bed, but you didn’t give me a key. That doesn’t seem fair, does it? I gave you a key to my place. Shouldn’t I have a key to yours?”
    He scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs to his bedroom. “You’re right, it is unfair. You should definitely have a key. I don’t want anything to stand in the way of you crawling into my bed.”
    He laid her down gently and kissed her. “How was rehearsal?”
    She arched up into his kiss. “Good. Really good.” She sighed. “So good it’s messing with my head a little.”
    He settled himself next to her, lying on his side and pillowing his head on his arm. His free hand moved slowly down her body, shaping itself to her contours. “Messing with your head how?”
    “I’d forgotten how much fun it is.”
    “And that’s bad?”
    “Not exactly. It’s just...” she shifted restlessly, and he let his hand settle on her hip, relaxing her. “It just makes me think about roads not taken. About where the Mollies might be now if we hadn’t broken up.” She sighed again. “If I hadn’t broken us up.”
    His hand tightened on her unconsciously, and she glanced at him. “I don’t regret leaving Derek,” she said, and he realized she’d both sensed his tension and recognized the cause. “But maybe I shouldn’t have left the Mollies.”
    He took his hand away from her hip and stroked her hair. “Don’t look backwards. That never does any good. Think about the future instead. Is there a chance the Mollies could get back together? Is that something you might want?”
    She frowned. “I don’t know. I just...don’t know. I’m looking forward to the job in L.A. But the way the music came together tonight...”
    She turned her head to look at him. “I guess I’m just...confused. Everything seems so fluid right now, like I could go in a hundred different directions. And I’m afraid to choose one path, because it might be the wrong one.” She bit her lip and looked away. “I was lying in bed thinking about it, and I realized there was only one thing I knew for sure I wanted. And that was to come over here. To be with you.”
    He closed his eyes, wishing her words didn’t make him feel so damn hopeful.
    “I’m glad you came,” was all he said.
    She was still turned away from him, so he bent to kiss the side of her neck, just below her ear. Every inch of her was soft and smooth, but this place was exquisite. He tasted the faint tang of soap and the sweetness of wildflowers, and her scent went to his head and his heart and his groin, just like it always did.
    He felt her shiver. Then she twisted around so she was facing him again, sliding her arms around his waist as she pressed her lips to his.
    From that moment on, they spent every free minute together.
    They