Jordan went up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his in a long, tongue-free but definitely not-just-friends-anymore kiss.
When she pulled back and looked at Ashley again, Jordan gave her a smirk.
Ashley looked annoyed.
“So anyway, I need my husband so…” She didn’t feel like she had to ask the other women to “excuse them” or that she should apologize for taking Fletcher away with her. Ashley and Nancy would just have to find some other guy to rub their breasts on. For good. “See ya,” she finally said simply.
Jordan turned Fletcher away with her arm around his waist and started toward the alpaca pen.
His arm was around her as well and he poked her in the side. “Jealous?”
She looked up at him. “Yep.”
He lifted a brow. “Really?”
“Of some other woman rubbing up against you? Um, yes. That’s not okay.”
“You are the only one I intend to rub. Ever again.”
She nodded. “I know. But they need to know that.”
“Ashley’s been making me offers for a year. She’s a single mom who moved here last summer. If I wanted to take her up on something, I would have before now.”
Jordan stopped and turned to face him. “I’m not worried about you, Fletcher.”
“You sure? After what happened with Jason—”
“I’m not worried,” she said again, meaning it. “You’re…you. You would never cheat on me. I know that. And while you sure could have stepped away from the perky blond breasts—”
“I was trying to lean away without being obvious.”
She laughed. “I’m not worried,” she said firmly. “I totally trust you.”
“Okay.” He blew out a breath. “Okay, good. There’s a lot of…that”—He inclined his head in the general direction of Ashley and Nancy—”that goes on and I haven’t really dissuaded it in the past. I mean, I don’t let the married moms think there’s any chance. I would never do that. But I don’t really shut down the flirting either.”
“And definitely not with the single ones.” She nodded. “I know. You’re the hot, popular, sweet, fun teacher that all the kids and moms want. I’ve heard all about it.”
He leaned in. “And you get it. Because you have that thing about teachers.”
She lifted both brows. “I so get it. I really, really get it. And,” she added. “I grew up here, remember? I went to school and summer camp and was in Girl Scouts and stuff with a lot of these moms. Given half the chance, I’m totally going to rub it in their faces that I’m the one sleeping with the hot teacher they all want.”
He laughed even as his eyes heated. “You were with a big, hot, country rock star.”
“Oh, I might have to mention sleeping with him too. If it comes up. I’m not above bragging about my conquests,” she said.
He rolled his eyes and she loved that they could joke about Jason and their relationship already. This was why falling in love with her best friend had been such a fantastic idea. Well, one of the reasons.
“Conquests.” Fletcher scoffed. “You and Jason couldn’t even pull off shower sex without one of you getting hurt. And you don’t like giving blowjobs. Jason did a terrible job being any kind of a sex god.”
Jordan felt how wide her eyes were. “I don’t like giving blowjobs?”
Should they be talking about blowjobs in the middle of the petting zoo with kids around? But a quick glance assured her that there were no kids close enough to hear them.
“According to you.”
“When did I say that?”
“You asked me if guys really like them as much as everyone says. We were at my house. It was just the two of us in the family room.”
“Oh, you mean in high school.” She laughed. “I thought you meant recently.”
Fletcher had always been great about giving her the guy’s perspective on things and when she and Jason had first started getting physical, she’d asked Fletcher about a few specifics. He’d told her that she should never do anything she didn’t want to do and to tell him immediately if Jason ever pressured her. He hadn’t, of course, but she’d known that Fletcher—and his brothers and cousins—would have made Jason very, very sorry if he had.
“Has your opinion on them changed?” Fletcher asked. His voice was a little gruffer now.
She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d done that with Jason. And it hadn’t been often. “Well, I mean…” She looked around again. She had not expected to have this conversation, or even one like it, here today. “We weren’t really into…” She dropped her voice. “Oral stuff. But I wouldn’t say I don’t like it.”
His voice was definitely gruff when he said, “Oh, honey, we have so much to go over.”
She felt the hot ribbons dance down her spine and she asked, “Really?” Her voice was definitely breathless.
“Really. We are going to—”
“Mr. Landry!”
They jerked apart abruptly. Jordan hadn’t even realized she’d been leaning in. Her body was tingling from the promise in his voice even without the specifics.
“Hi, Ana,” Fletcher said, recovering admirably as he turned to greet one of the mothers. “How are you?”
“I’m wonderful,” the woman said, with a bright smile. “I wanted to tell you Sophia has been talking at home. She talked at the dinner table last night, and the other night at bedtime she asked me if I would come and read a story to her alpaca friend.” Her eyes filled with tears.
Fletcher had to clear his throat before he said, “Jordan, this is Ana, Sophia’s mother.”
Jordan gave the woman a big smile. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Oh, Jordan! Sophia has talked about you too!” Ana looked back and forth between them. “Are you… is this your new wife?” she asked Fletcher.
He nodded and pulled Jordan up against his side. “Yes.”
Ana’s hand went to cover her mouth as she shook her head. Then she said, “Oh my, I didn’t realize the two people who were making this happen for Sophia were together. That’s wonderful.”
Jordan and Fletcher shared a smile.
“It’s amazing to be able to share a passion like this,” Fletcher agreed. “We both love children and teaching and being able to expand helping kids reach their full potential this way, together, means a lot to us.”
Jordan squeezed him. They’d started building the program so naturally. Like everything between them, it had just been so easy to fall into it together. But yeah, it really was amazing and she loved that she was able to do something to make him happy the way he always had for her.
“Well, I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” Ana said. “Sophia needed this so much. I would have never thought that animals could get through when people couldn’t.”
“Animals are so accepting,” Jordan said. “And they tend to bring out the best in us. They make us into protectors and caregivers. I’ve been so touched watching Sophia care for Chewie and then, because of that, work through her own grief.”