Part 23 (1/2)
She kept her voice very low. ”You deserve to have somebody who appreciates you more than I did.”
Jasper said that.
Anica tried to think of what she'd want to hear under these circ.u.mstances. ”Someone who clicks with you on a deeper level.”
Jasper repeated her words.
”Someone who's not such a self-centered jerk.”
Jasper lifted his eyebrows and she simply smiled at him.
”Uh, Sheila, you need someone who's not such a self-centered jerk. That's right. Yep. If I were you I'd be mad at me, too.” He nodded. ”No, I don't think it's a good idea if we meet to talk it out. Seriously, no.”
Anica racked her brain for something that would discourage Sheila. ”We'll both heal quicker if we stay away from each other,” she murmured.
Jasper gave her a thumbs-up. ”We'll heal quicker if we stay away from each other.” He paused to listen. ”No, I really believe that. Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder. It makes you forget all about the person. Absolutely. And besides . . .” He glanced at Anica.
She was running out of happy talk. She shrugged.
”Besides, Sheila, I, um, I hate to tell you this, but . . . I'm tired of s.e.x.”
Anica clapped a hand over her mouth. He would never get away with that whopper.
”I know it's hard to believe, but there you have it. For me it's the same ol', same ol'. You can spice it up with whips and chains, threesomes, foursomes, a whole orgy, and it's still a yawner.” Jasper turned away from Anica, probably so he wouldn't crack up in the middle of his heartfelt explanation. ”Definitely. You need to find someone who isn't s.e.xually jaded. Uh-huh. Right. Thanks for calling. 'Bye.”
”Don't tell me she bought that line of bull?”
He faced her with only a hint of a smile. ”Maybe it's not a line of bull.”
”Jasper, not an hour ago you were-”
”With you. Yes, I know. That's the only part I didn't mention to Sheila. See, although I haven't tried the whips and chains and group s.e.x-”
”I'm relieved to hear it.”
”Nah, that kind of stuff doesn't interest me. I'd rather have one-on-one. But that said, I had become sort of bored with s.e.x.”
”I see.” She folded her arms and waited to see how big a hole he'd dig for himself.
”No, seriously! I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with me because I wasn't into it anymore. But guys don't like to admit a thing like that. We're supposed to be ready for it all the time.”
”Sheila seemed to think you were into it. She couldn't have been more complimentary about your performance.”
”That's nice, but you just nailed it. I was putting on a performance.”
”You mean after a while, after the thrill wore off.” The longer he talked, the heavier her heart grew.
”No, I mean from the beginning. Same with Kate and Deb.”
”So once the chase is over, the conquest is made, then-”
”No, that's not it!” He gripped her arms, his gaze intense. ”I talked myself into going to bed with all three of those women because they were smart and hot, and I thought eventually I'd get the thrill back. It wasn't about making a conquest; it was about trying to feel a little old-fas.h.i.+oned l.u.s.t.”
”That's crazy.”
”I thought I was going crazy. Then I met you and the old feeling was back. l.u.s.t was back, baby!”
”But what if it goes away again?”
He pulled her close. ”How about this? How about we enjoy it while it's here?”
That's the thing about cats. We live in the moment. He hadn't said the words, but they echoed in her head, anyway.
”You have a couple of e-mails to send first.”
”You're right. And now I know what to say.”
”Jasper, I wouldn't count on fooling anybody else with that s.e.xually bored routine.”
”No, that was lame, but I hadn't thought it through. Now I have.” He walked back to the computer and switched it on.
”So what are you planning to say to Kate and Deb?”
He sat down in the desk chair and stared at the screen as the computer booted up. ”That I've found someone who makes me feel s.e.xually alive again, and I wish the same for them.”
s.e.xually alive. That certainly described how he made her feel, too, and that was a huge gift. She glanced at the antique clock on the wall. Earlier tonight they'd seemed to have so much time, but it was dwindling fast. If she didn't take his suggestion and live in the moment, she'd be all kinds of a fool.
”When you're finished,” she said, ”you'll find me in the bedroom.”
He typed quickly. ”Asleep?”
”No. Naked.”
Chapter 21.
Jasper typed those e-mails with a hard-on. He typed them as quickly as he could before turning off the computer, choosing a few magic books from Anica's collection and walking down the hall. Orion followed him.
Soft light spilled from the bedroom doorway, but it had a different quality from the kind created by her table lamps. He was curious as to how she'd created that effect.
The air smelled like warm honey. Although his human sense of smell wasn't as acute as when he was a cat, he seemed to have learned to pay more attention to his environment. He stepped through the door and found her surrounded by what seemed like a hundred beeswax candles. Tapers, pillars and votives covered every available surface.
The ivory glow made him catch his breath. She lay in the center of a bed stripped of everything but the bottom sheet and two pillows. She waited, this ivory and golden G.o.ddess, for him. For him. That crack she'd made in the kitchen reminding him about how soon he'd be eating off the counter where they'd just had s.e.x hadn't really fooled him. She was in as deep as he was.
Orion trotted over and hopped onto the bed, where he curled up next to Anica. She scratched behind his ears, but her gaze remained on Jasper. Jasper had to admit the orange tabby fit nicely into the scene if somebody had canvas and paints to capture it. But he wasn't an artist. He was a man with an erection that felt bigger than the Hanc.o.c.k building.
Setting the stack of books next to the bed, he reached over and picked up the cat. His fingers grazed her skin and his d.i.c.k twitched in antic.i.p.ation.