andfor once he wasn't wearing a hat. Sunlight refracted little blue pinwheels off the lenses of his sunglasses. Hisgreen shirt buttoned up the front and he wore faded Levi's. It was Saturday and he hadn't shaved. Dark stubbleshadowed his face and drew attention to the sensual lines of his mouth. Every time she saw him, her heartsqueezed a little while her head told her to run screaming in the opposite direction.
'Hey there,' she said as she straightened and rinsed soap from the hood. 'What are you up to, besides no good?'
'I'm looking for Nathan. I thought he might stop by my house after his driver's ed class, but he didn't.'
'He's not here yet,' she said and could feel his gaze on her from behind his glasses. 'I'm sure be here soon ifyou want to wait.''I'll wait a few,' he said as he glanced down the street. He'd been doing that a lot since they'd returned from thelake about a month ago. Undressing her with his eyes then turning away. Of course it was entirely possible thathe wasn't even looking at her with any more interest than a bug. It was very possible that she was imagining itall. Kind of like wishful thinking. Which made her not only sad and pathetic and extremely delusional, but ascrazy as the rest of her family. Scary thought.
She picked up the bucket and hose and moved to the opposite side of the car from Jack.
'Tomorrow night, Billy and some of the guys are getting together to play football over at Horizon View Park.'
He rested his weight on one foot and returned his gaze to her. 'I talked to Nathan about it the other day, and hewas going to get back to me about whether he could make it.'
'We don't have anything planned, so I don't have a problem with him going.' Daisy set the bucket on theground and raised the hose to the roof of the car. 'Tackle or flag?'
'Flag football is for sissy men,' he scoffed as he moved to stand directly across from her. 'And girls.'
She decided to let that one pass. 'I don't want Nathan to play without a helmet and pads.'
'We'll make sure he has all the right equipment.' He tilted his head to the side as if he where sizing her up too.
'Why don't you come on down in one of your old cheerleader outfits? You can do cartwheels and backflips likeyou used to.' The corners of his mouth slid upward into a purely carnal smile. 'Or those toe-touch jumps. Youused to give a beauty of a crotch-shot.'
Daisy's thumb found the end of the hose again and water sprayed across the roof of the car, hit Jack's chest andshoulders, and splattered his sunglasses.
'Oops,' she said and removed her thumb.
His brows lowered and disappeared behind the lenses. 'You did that on purpose.'
She gasped. Scandalized. 'No. I didn't.'
'Yes,' he said very slowly, 'you did.'
'Wrooong.' She shook her head, stuck her thumb in the end of the hose again and hit him dead center in hischest between his shoulders. Water sprayed up to his chin and down to the front of his shirt. 'Now that,' shesaid when she pulled her thumb out, 'was on purpose.'
'Do you have any idea,' he spoke as he removed his sunglasses and stuffed them in the pocket of his soggyshirt, 'what I'm going to do to you?'
'Nothing.'
His green gaze promised retribution as he walked around the hood of the cat 'Wrooong,' he mimicked her.
She took a step back. 'Stay where you are.'
'Scared?'
'No.' She took another step back.
'You should be, baby girl.'
'What are you going to do?'
'Quit movin' and you'll find out.'
She stood her ground, raised the hose and shot him in the head with a stream of water. He ducked, and beforeshe could even think to run he was on her, pinning her against the back passenger door and wresting the hosefrom her hands.
'Jack, no!' She started to laugh. 'I'll never do it again. I swear'
He looked down into her face and water ran from a lock of hair hanging above his forehead and dripped on hischeek. His long eyelashes were wet and tangled on the ends. 'I know you won't,' he said as he pulled out thefront of her tank top and shoved the hose inside.
'That's cold - auggg!' She grabbed his hand and attempted to wrestle the hose from her shirt.
'Laugh it up, funny girl.' He pinned her with his body and was getting just as wet as she was.
'Stop!' Water shot between her cleavage and ran down her stomach. Her nipples puckered from the cold.
'That's freezing.'
With his face just above hers he said, 'Tell me how sorry you are.'
She was laughing so hard she could barely talk.
'Sooooo sorry' she managed as she tried to squirm her way out from beneath him. His hips held her exactlywhere he wanted her.
'That's not good enough.' He pulled the hose from her shirt and dropped it on the ground. 'Show me,' he said,his voice rough.
Daisy's laughter died on her lips and she looked into his face. Really looked at the desire shining through hisgreen eyes. He stood with his feet on the outsides of hers. His thighs, hips and lower abdomen pressed into her,and she was suddenly aware that at least eight inches of him was very happy to see her. A ribbon of warmsensation uncurled in her stomach. Her heart told her to stay while her head screamed at her to run. 'How?'
'You know how.' He lowered his gaze to her mouth. 'And make it good.'
She ran her cold hands up his wet chest and shoulders and through the side of his hair. She lifted her face andslid one hand to the back of his head. She touched her mouth to his and she felt her heart expand. It filled herchest and made breathing difficult and there was no denying it for exactly what it was. She'd felt it before. Onlythis time it was stronger. Less confused. Like turning the camera's focus ring until it was very clear.
She was in love with Jack Parrish. Again. Her heart had won this round.
The thinnest slice of sunlight separated their mouths. They both held their breaths; their gazes locked. Waitingfor the other to make the first move.
Daisy gave him a sweet little peck. 'Is that good?'
His lips brushed across hers as he shook his head.
'Try again.'
'How about this?' Her lips parted and she touched the seam of his mouth with the tip of her tongue.
He sucked in a breath and his voice was rough when he asked, 'Is that the best you can do?'
She raised a hand to the side of his face and brushed her fingers against the stubble of his jaw. 'No, but don'tthink you can handle the best I can do.'
'Try Me.'
Daisy's eyes drifted shut and she melted into him just a little. The tips of her breasts brushed the front of hisshirt and her nipples puckered from more than the cold. Warmth spread across her flesh and settled between herlegs. She pressed her open mouth to his and kissed him. At first she gave him soft teasing kisses that had Jackchasing her tongue for more. A frustrated groan rose from his chest, and he tilted his head to one side andturned up the heat. He forced her mouth open wider and took over.
With their lips locked together, he wrapped his arms around her and took a step back. He grabbed her behind inhis big hands and pulled her onto the tips of her toes.
He drew back and looked into her face. 'You feel good.' Very slowly he let her body slide down his, then hepulled her back up. 'No one has ever felt as good as you.' His mouth covered hers again. Cold water from thehose ran across her toes as the kiss turned hot.
Behind her, Daisy heard someone clear his throat, a split second before Nathan's voice penetrated her lust- filledhaze. 'Ah, Mom?'
Jack raised his face, and she dropped onto her heels and spun around. 'Nathan!' It took a few dazed momentsfor her to realize that he wasn't alone. A teenaged girl stood next to him. Nathan looked from her face to
