I straddled him again, slowly lowering myself onto his thick length, groaning as I adjusted to his girth. My hips rolled and his fingers dug into my ass, lifting me, lowering me, guiding my pace.
Our eyes met.
Our breath quickened.
We were instinct and energy, brought together again and again as my hips ground into his. We rose and fell as one, our movements a concert of passion and pleasure, spiraling ever closer to sweet release.
Higher.
Tighter.
Brighter.
More.
We finished together. His mouth on my jaw, my throat. My name on his lips and his on mine.
When I opened my eyes, I found Jack looking up at me, the strangest smile on his face.
I quirked my head. “What?”
“I like couch sex.”
“Was that good for you?” I licked my lips, satisfied to see him so relaxed, so pleased with himself.
He nodded. “So good I’m gonna want more.”
As I stared into his brilliant blue eyes, I realized I’d rediscovered my sense of purpose. The feeling of being untethered that plagued me before I moved to Wildrose had dissipated. I felt grounded. Complete. Like I could take on anything the universe threw at me and survive. And when I stumbled? Jack would be there to help put it all back together again. When I’d lost my baby, I’d written off ever having a family of my own. But with the Coopers? Maybe my childhood dream of magical Christmases surrounded by children could still come true.
Wrapped in the heady warmth of that realization, I went into the bathroom to clean up. When we reconvened on the couch, Jack had the papers from the coffee table in his hands.
“Are these the plans for your woo-woo store?”
I eyed him. “You too, with the woo-woo? Evie never lets me live it down, and I thought you’d be a little more open-minded. Especially given how well it’s worked for the kids.”
I’d read actual scientific studies about the effectiveness of essential oils and other plant medicines. While I wasn’t sure there were any studies about the benefits of getting rid of negative beliefs and finding the good in everything, my entire life was proof enough. Thinking positively meant less depression.
The end.
Combine that with a little meditation and a lot of conversation with your higher self, or God, or whatever you wanted to call it, and life was just better.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll call it by its name, then.” Jack glanced at the papers and I waited for him to compliment the name I’d given my dream store. “Good Vibrations?” His voice did not sound complimentary, and it looked suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh. “Amelia…”
“It’s good, right? Happy, but to the point? Since raising vibes is what I’m hoping to do…”
Why wasn’t he nodding along with me?
Why did he look like he was about to ruin my day, and thought it was hilarious?
“It’s a great name.” Jack lowered the papers to his lap. “For a sex shop…one that already exists.”
The surprise on my face had to look comical. “A sex shop? How did I not know that? For that matter, how come you did know that?” I stared at him, then the papers in his hands, then shook my head. “I guess it’s back to the drawing board on the name.”
“Probably a good idea. Tell me about the rest of your plans, though. Just in case I can save you from accidentally ripping someone else off.”
“I’m gonna ignore that little dig while you prepare to be wowed with my research.” I took the pages and showed him the comp stores I’d found. “Almost all of them have a website where you can make purchases, so I’d either need an online presence as well, or come up with something bangin’ to appeal to foot traffic.”
I went through my ideal layout, as well as the products I wanted to carry and the expected profit for each item. He quizzed me about expenditures and overhead, looking more onboard each time I had an answer ready and waiting.
“I’m impressed, Amelia.” Jack shifted so he was facing me, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. “This sounds like a solid business proposal.”
“I like watching you nerd out on numbers.” I grinned at the respect in his eyes, and he took the pages from me.
They rustled and crackled as he flipped through them. “This is more than a dream.” He gave them a tap. “This is a plan. You’re onto something here. Something good. What about capital? Startups are expensive.”
I nodded, ready to continue to impress with my financial prowess. “Browns are good with money. My brother works in finance and I could too, assuming I could stomach sitting behind a desk all day. I have money saved and if I end up needing a business loan, my credit’s solid. I’m ready to open this thing right, when the time presents itself.”
Jack nodded slowly, thoughts ticking away behind his eyes at a frantic pace. Maybe he’d underestimated me and was surprised to find me so prepared, though it looked like there was more, something he wanted to say but wasn’t. Something that excited him. His gaze went back to my papers, his head still bobbing his approval. I waited to hear the rest of his thoughts, but he set them back on the table with an air of finality.
“Can you believe the summer’s halfway over? The kids go back to school in August.”
That was not where I saw the conversation going, but I’d follow him wherever he wanted to go. “I bet you’ll be excited to get some routine back in your life.”
“I would have said fuck yes a month ago, but with you in the picture?” He sighed, smiling sadly. “It’ll be weird not to see you every day.”
Oh.
Right.
With the kids in school, he really wouldn’t need a sitter. What would that mean for us? More time together? Or less? If he was talking about not seeing me every day, it sounded like he was planning for less.
I curled into the arm of the couch, folding my legs underneath me and clutching a pillow to my stomach. “They’ll still need someone to watch them in the afternoon. I’m happy to be that someone.”
“You’ll be busy running your woo-woo shop by then.”
I started to protest at the name, but he held up a finger.
“I’ll call it woo-woo until you come up with something better.”
“I guess I can deal with that. But, just so it’s been said, there’s no way to know when I’ll officially be a business owner. I may have great plans, but I’m lacking inventory and most importantly…a store. It’ll work out the way it’s supposed to, when it’s supposed to.”
Jack nodded, grabbing me and pulling me close. “Ain’t that the truth.”
We ordered Thai then snuggled on the couch and watched a movie. When the time came for Jack to leave, I followed him to the porch and waved as he backed out of the driveway. Across the street, Greta watched his departure, her hands on her hips and her nose in the air. When I lifted a hand to say hi, she hoisted her nose even higher, turned on her heel, and went inside.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jack
Saturday arrived and the energy in the house felt good. The kids were excited for the Cooper-Q. Hell, I was excited for the Cooper-Q, and when Amelia knocked on the door bright and early, I startled her by throwing it open.