sign up in town.” She’d like to put it somewhere else.
“No.” Vince’s voice was firm. “No. I’m not going into town like this.”
“You can sit in the truck and wait.” Jill hauled open the driver’s door, convinced this was just more of his failure malarkey.
With a sigh, Vince climbed into the truck, his shoes hitting the floorboards with a noticeable squish, mud clumps falling from both sides of his feet. “When did you become so evil?”
Even though Jill knew Vince was joking, it hurt.
You wanted it just as bad as I did. Admit it. You couldn’t have kissed me like that and not known what we were going to do.
Craig was right. She’d sent out the wrong message. Maybe deep down Jill had wanted to be something more than the boring debutante with good grades. “How do you know I haven’t always been evil?”
“Hey. It was a joke.” Vince touched her shoulder. When Jill didn’t speak, he added, “People say things they don’t mean all the time. You’ve got to be one of the kindest, least evil people I know…your present manipulation of me regarding those signs excepted.”
“If I’m such a good person, why did such a terrible thing happen to me?” Jill immediately wanted to snatch back the words that had haunted her for so long. She’d never said as much to Edda Mae. Why was she whining to Vince? Especially when he’d just tried to hoodwink her?
“Pull over.”
Biting, Jill kept driving.
“Pull over. Now.” The menace in Vince’s tone left no room for argument.
Jill did as he asked, then sat gripping the wheel, staring ahead and gluing her lips together.
“Are you going to explain that last comment to me or make me tickle it out of you?” Vince made a halfhearted attempt to poke her in the ribs.
Jill shook her head, swatting away his hand. “Don’t joke about it.”
“Whatever Craig said to you to make you feel so small is all bullshit,” Vince said quietly. “Even my dad, who was a crappy father on the best of days, told me more than once that when a woman says no, it means stop. If you’ve been thinking all this time that what happened was your fault, you’re crazy.”
“But I kissed him. I let him…” This was mortifying. “I let him touch me.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Vince pried Jill’s fingers from the steering wheel. He held onto her hand as if it was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched. “He was wrong. No means no means no. Making love is a one hundred percent agreement. Going all the way means the woman wants to go all the way, up to and including the last part of the way.”
His words drained her. Jill risked what little pride she had left and glanced at him. Vince looked as if he’d been run over by a truck with his dirt-smudged face, mussed hair and far-too-serious expression. She tried to lighten the moment with a wobbly smile. “I know we’re married and all, but that was too heavy, especially when you just tried to play me.”
Vince didn’t smile back. “Shh. Give it a while. Crap takes a long time to get over.”
Jill nodded, touched that Vince knew exactly what she needed to hear, yet still embarrassed beyond belief.
And then Vince tucked a strand of hair behind Jill’s ear, leaving a distracting trail of heat.
Jill wanted to kiss him. Or was it her fantasy Vince? The lines between them were blurring. “I can’t even kiss anyone. My head just goes back to that night and I know it could happen again. It’s better if I don’t lead anyone on. Ever.”
Vince sat up straight. “Wait a minute. You blame yourself for me kissing you?”
“Yes, I—”
“I practically chased you into the woods,” Vince pointed out.
Jill frowned. But she hadn’t run away.
“I chased you,” he said again. “And the way you were kissing me had me wanting to back you against a tree.” Vince took her chin in his hand and forced her to face him, to stare into his deep, serious eyes. “But you said no.”
“I said no to Craig,
“No.” Vince’s voice was firm. “No. I’m not going into town like this.”
“You can sit in the truck and wait.” Jill hauled open the driver’s door, convinced this was just more of his failure malarkey.
With a sigh, Vince climbed into the truck, his shoes hitting the floorboards with a noticeable squish, mud clumps falling from both sides of his feet. “When did you become so evil?”
Even though Jill knew Vince was joking, it hurt.
You wanted it just as bad as I did. Admit it. You couldn’t have kissed me like that and not known what we were going to do.
Craig was right. She’d sent out the wrong message. Maybe deep down Jill had wanted to be something more than the boring debutante with good grades. “How do you know I haven’t always been evil?”
“Hey. It was a joke.” Vince touched her shoulder. When Jill didn’t speak, he added, “People say things they don’t mean all the time. You’ve got to be one of the kindest, least evil people I know…your present manipulation of me regarding those signs excepted.”
“If I’m such a good person, why did such a terrible thing happen to me?” Jill immediately wanted to snatch back the words that had haunted her for so long. She’d never said as much to Edda Mae. Why was she whining to Vince? Especially when he’d just tried to hoodwink her?
“Pull over.”
Biting, Jill kept driving.
“Pull over. Now.” The menace in Vince’s tone left no room for argument.
Jill did as he asked, then sat gripping the wheel, staring ahead and gluing her lips together.
“Are you going to explain that last comment to me or make me tickle it out of you?” Vince made a halfhearted attempt to poke her in the ribs.
Jill shook her head, swatting away his hand. “Don’t joke about it.”
“Whatever Craig said to you to make you feel so small is all bullshit,” Vince said quietly. “Even my dad, who was a crappy father on the best of days, told me more than once that when a woman says no, it means stop. If you’ve been thinking all this time that what happened was your fault, you’re crazy.”
“But I kissed him. I let him…” This was mortifying. “I let him touch me.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Vince pried Jill’s fingers from the steering wheel. He held onto her hand as if it was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched. “He was wrong. No means no means no. Making love is a one hundred percent agreement. Going all the way means the woman wants to go all the way, up to and including the last part of the way.”
His words drained her. Jill risked what little pride she had left and glanced at him. Vince looked as if he’d been run over by a truck with his dirt-smudged face, mussed hair and far-too-serious expression. She tried to lighten the moment with a wobbly smile. “I know we’re married and all, but that was too heavy, especially when you just tried to play me.”
Vince didn’t smile back. “Shh. Give it a while. Crap takes a long time to get over.”
Jill nodded, touched that Vince knew exactly what she needed to hear, yet still embarrassed beyond belief.
And then Vince tucked a strand of hair behind Jill’s ear, leaving a distracting trail of heat.
Jill wanted to kiss him. Or was it her fantasy Vince? The lines between them were blurring. “I can’t even kiss anyone. My head just goes back to that night and I know it could happen again. It’s better if I don’t lead anyone on. Ever.”
Vince sat up straight. “Wait a minute. You blame yourself for me kissing you?”
“Yes, I—”
“I practically chased you into the woods,” Vince pointed out.
Jill frowned. But she hadn’t run away.
“I chased you,” he said again. “And the way you were kissing me had me wanting to back you against a tree.” Vince took her chin in his hand and forced her to face him, to stare into his deep, serious eyes. “But you said no.”
“I said no to Craig,
Similar Books
