Breaking the Silence (15 page)

“Hmmph.” She started to pull on her jeans, resigned to her panty-less state. “Commando, here I go.”

Rosie had settled unnoticed on Will’s bed during all the commotion.

“Rosie, get off,” Jenny commanded, glancing at Will. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Will shrugged, his voice preoccupied as he watched Jenny’s ass jiggling as she tugged on her jeans. Jenny turned her head to hide a smile. She had a feeling that Will would give her anything she wanted if she just got dressed in front of him. She’d have to try the undressing part sometime—they needed more work on that one.

Pants on, Jenny wandered over to the window, remembering what she had noticed earlier before being…distracted.

“You have a great view from here,” she told Will, looking out. “Hey, there’s the path we always walk on!”

Will came up behind her, close enough for her to feel his body heat. “I know.”

“Oh yeah?” Jenny craned her neck to look at him. “Did you ever see us out there? Wait, you told me that you saw us that cold day when you came down and introduced yourself…” She trailed off when she realized that Will was turning a dull red. For a big, muscular guy, he sure blushed a lot, she thought.

“What?” she asked. He shook his head and hunched his shoulders in a shrug, not looking at her.

“No, really, what is it?” She was intrigued now. “You know I’m as stubborn as a pit bull, so you’d better just tell me.” Jenny grinned at him. “And you know I bite like one too. Which I’m sorry about, by the way.”

“I’m not. I’m sorry I spanked you though.”

“I’m not. Quit changing the subject. What’s the deal with the path?” Jenny prodded him gently in the stomach with her elbow.

“I saw you,” Will finally said.

“I know, you told me. You saw me on the path and wanted to meet me. I’m not sure why, since you couldn’t have had any idea what I looked like with all my layers. It’s my marshmallow woman disguise, you know.”

He was quiet again, not responding to her teasing. He still wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Okay, now I’m
really
curious,” Jenny said, twisting to bump his chest with her shoulder. “What’s the deal?”

“I watched you,” Will admitted. “A few times.”

“Watched me? It must have been a slow work day,” Jenny joked but Will didn’t smile. He just nodded seriously.

Jenny wasn’t sure what to think. It was flattering but also a little spooky to know she had been observed and didn’t know it.

“It took me a few weeks.”

She cocked a curious eyebrow at him. “What did?”

“Getting up the nerve to go outside and meet you.” Will gestured toward the now-abandoned path.

“Why?” she asked, honestly surprised. She’d always thought of herself as approachable—to the point that total strangers would often strike up conversations with her on elevators or in the produce section of the grocery store.

He raised his shoulders in an awkward shrug. “Well just look at you,” he said, waving a vague hand at her.

“What?” Jenny looked down at herself, totally baffled. “What am I looking at?”

“Forget it,” he muttered, turning away from the window.

She shook her head and bared her teeth. “Do I need to remind you that I’m a pit bull? Now explain.”

He pivoted to face her. “When you were just a stranger, I could imagine…” He trailed off. The longing in his voice prickled Jenny’s skin and she shivered.

Will gave his head a single hard shake. “If you had turned out to be…”

“A raging bitch?” Jenny filled in for him helpfully.

With a small smile, he gave an affirmative shrug. “Well yeah. And then I wouldn’t even have had that. The possibility.” During his admission, Will’s eyes focused over her shoulder.

“Really?” Definitely more flattered than spooked now, she took a step closer to him. “What if, up close, I had been hideous?”

He met her eyes, locking his gaze with hers in that intense way that made her heart stutter. “I knew you were beautiful.”

Now it was Jenny’s turn to blush and look down. Will’s obvious fascination with her, his single-minded focus on her, made her feel beautiful, exotic, interesting. She had always felt fairly ordinary but Will had picked her out,
her
specifically, to pursue. Obsess over, really, she gleaned from the little that he’d said. His fixation on her was a touch disconcerting but hard to resist nevertheless.

Jenny stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and linking her fingers at the small of his back. His arms encircled her and she basked in the embrace, held close to him, safe in his care.

“I’m starving,” she announced.

Will barked a laugh. “Woman, you’re always hungry.” He gave her a gentle shake. Jenny tipped her head up to grin at him.

“Well, you do tend to keep me from my breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day, you know.”

He gave her a final squeeze and a kiss on the side of her head. “Give me ten minutes to clean up.”

“I’ll call Christian—see if he’s up for breakfast.” Jenny glanced at her watch. “Okay, brunch I guess.”

She headed for the bedroom door, calling Rosie, who hopped off the bed and stretched.

“Come on, Rosie-toes—if we stay to watch him change, I’ll never get fed.”

Although he lived just a few miles from the diner, Will had never been inside before. He didn’t like eating alone in restaurants, trying to ignore the curious glances of the other patrons, so he avoided going out to eat as much as possible.

Growing up, he had learned to cook a little, mainly so that he didn’t have to eat one more meal of bright orange macaroni and cheese or spaghetti from a can. He never progressed much past the basics though—grill a steak, fry up a hamburger, boil some pasta, heat up soup—just enough to get him fed.

Christian waved them over to a corner booth, looking much better than he had a few hours ago. Will looked around as he crossed the café. It was very…frilly, as if someone’s kooky aunt shopped in bulk at the lacey, cutesy-stuff store. Will frowned a little—that store needed a better name. There were lots of country colors and crocheted doilies and poorly done paintings on the walls of adorable moppets doing adorable things and the whole place gave Will an itchy, out-of-place feeling. Jenny slid into the booth across from Christian and Will followed, nodding a hello.

Jenny glanced at Will and grinned. “I know, isn’t it frightening? Did you notice the teddy bear collection? Or the dolls?”

Will had not and he didn’t really want to. The dusky pink booth they were in and the dried flower arrangement on the table was plenty for him without having a bunch of glass eyes staring at him. No wonder he didn’t go to restaurants.

Jenny patted his knee. “Just don’t look around and you’ll be fine, especially when the food comes—it’s great. The owner has odd ideas about decorating but she sure knows how to cook.”

A tall blonde waitress stopped at their table. “What can I get you folks?” she asked. They all ordered but the waitress lingered for a few seconds, leaning a hip against Will’s side of the booth and brushing his fingers with her own when she took his menu. By the time she sashayed away, Jenny was growling.

“Down, girl,” Christian snickered. “You have nothing to worry about—she was a total butter-face.”

“She couldn’t see that I’m right here?” Jenny was not placated. “She couldn’t see that we’re,” an angry hand gestured back and forth between her and Will, “together?”

Will looked from Jenny to Christian, puzzled. “What’s a butter-face?”

“You know,” Christian explained. “It’s all good
but her
face? Butter-face.”

“Her body wasn’t good either,” Jenny said spitefully. “Those boobs were totally fake.”

“Whose?” Will was lost again. He wondered if he would ever learn the language of Jenny and Christian-land.

“The blonde bitch hitting on you.”

“Christian?” He still looked totally baffled.

“Hey!” Christian said indignantly.

“No.” Even Jenny laughed at that. “The waitress.”

Will shook his head. “She wasn’t hitting on me.”

“Uh-huh.” Jenny was unconvinced.

“She wasn’t. People just…look at me.” He stared intently at his spoon, turning it over and over on his napkin.

Christian was watching him with an intrigued expression. “Why do you think people look at you?” he asked curiously.

Will shrugged, eyes still on his silverware. He began lining up his fork with his knife. “I’m big.” He shrugged again, smoothing the edge of his folded napkin. “Strange—I mean, people think I’m strange.”

“Wow.” Christian sat back against the bench, eyes wide. “You have no idea, do you?”

“What?” Eyebrows knitted together suspiciously, Will glanced at him.

“How drop-dead gorgeous you are,” Christian told him, shaking his head a little in disbelief. “If I looked like you, I’d be on my knees every night thanking the gods who created me—or I would at least be on my knees every night.” He grinned wickedly.

Will flushed, sneaking an uncomfortable glance at Jenny. “I’m not gorgeous,” he protested.

Jenny patted his arm. “Yes, you are, sweetie.”

The blonde waitress returned and Will eyed her uneasily. When she leaned across to give Jenny her juice, she brushed the side of her recently maligned breast against his shoulder and Will jumped away, almost landing in Jenny’s lap. He couldn’t look at the waitress. Instead, face flaming, he stared at the brown coffee pot in front of him until she walked away, disappointed in his lack of response. Jenny and Christian burst out laughing.

“Sorry, sorry,” Jenny choked out when Will glared at her. She patted him, obviously trying to stifle her giggles. “But your face—” The reminder of his horrified expression set her off again and she and Christian howled.

Jenny tried again to collect herself, breathing deeply and wiping her eyes. “Sorry, Will. I love that you don’t notice other women—”

“Or men,” Christian interjected.

“Other
people
checking you out,” Jenny continued, squeezing his arm and stretching up to place a smacking kiss on his cheek. “I also like that you’re gorgeous.”

“I’m not.” Will turned red yet again.

“Of course not,” she said, rolling her eyes at Christian. “You’re a horrific, hideous, un-look-upon-able beast of a man, really.”

Will smiled a little at her teasing and she hugged his arm against her side, which was nice. He relaxed a little, only to freeze again when their food arrived. As the blonde waitress set plates on the table, Will inched closer and closer to Jenny until she was crammed in the corner of the booth, giggling. The waitress gave them a glare, obviously suspecting that she was the butt of the joke. Christian shrugged innocently, palms up. The waitress whirled and left their table.

Jenny gave Will a shove. “Move over, Romeo. I can’t breathe!” He shifted a fraction, still keeping his side pressed against her.

Jenny was right about the food. It was amazing. Will ate until his stomach was full and tight and then leaned back in the booth, letting Jenny’s and Christian’s chatter wash over him, enjoying the heat from Jenny’s body against his side, feeling warm and content and a little drowsy. Jenny gave him a nudge.

“Come on, sleepyhead, let’s get you home to bed.” She reached for her purse but Will stopped her hand and pulled out his wallet. He shook his head when Christian went for his back pocket as well.

“Got it,” he said, tossing some bills onto the table and sliding out of the booth, holding out his hand to Jenny. He pulled her to her feet but didn’t step back, letting her bump into him. Will looked down at her, one hand still wrapped around hers and the other at her waist.

“Oh for God’s sake,” Christian complained. “Do I have to tell you guys
again
to get a room?”

As Jenny hurried toward the door, towing Will along, he saw her flip Christian off behind her back.

“No reason to get a room,” she murmured, slanting a hot look at Will, “when we have two perfectly good
houses
to choose from.”

At that, Will sped up and took the lead, almost sprinting out of the restaurant, pulling a laughing Jenny behind him.

“Noooo,” Jenny groaned, groping for a pillow to pull over her head to block out the insistent beeping of her alarm clock. Her search was unsuccessful, however, and she realized that she and Will must have knocked all the pillows to the floor again. She settled for using Will’s arm, pulling it over her ear and burrowing her face against his chest.

There
, she thought in satisfaction.
That works.
She slipped halfway back into sleep but the wall of muscle against her rumbled and moved, stretching over her to reach the “off” button on the alarm.

Will’s movement shifted the covers off them and a cold draft crept around Jenny’s naked body. She wiggled in protest, still refusing to open her eyes and acknowledge that she had to get out of bed.

I don’t want to go to work
, she thought, her lower lip sliding into a pout. She wanted to stay in bed with Will…

Speaking of Will, where was he? He should be keeping her warm. Jenny heard his deep chuckle and she squinted one eye open to glare at him.