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Chapter 5 : Jade - Relaxation
The kiss obviously caught Howie by surprise -- but, a moment later,
Jade felt his mouth move against hers. His hands found her waist, and
she
felt herself being pulled back into the water.
His mouth was sweet ... gentle ... Jade felt like she would float
away
as she wound her arms around his neck. He tasted nothing like
anyone
she’d ever kissed before -- whether it was from the excitement of kissing
a
stranger, or something else, she didn’t know, but her insides were
doing
somersaults all over the place.
Jade wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted ... not very, but long
enough to make every nerve in her body stand on end. When she
pulled
back, she opened her eyes and smiled at him. “You see?” she said.
“Something completely crazy.”
A grin spread across his face. “That depends on how you
define
crazy, I guess.”
Laughing, Jade began to turn to find her seat again. Suddenly,
though, a spasm ran across her shoulders. “Oh! Owww!
Damn!” she
swore.
“What’s wrong?
“My shoulders,” she said, kneeling on the floor of the jacuzzi.
“I
don’t know, I think the past week is catching up to me.”
“Tension?” Howie asked. When Jade nodded, he motioned
for her
to turn around. “Sit back, let me help ...”
She obliged, and soon felt his hands on her shoulders, kneading
gently. She sighed with contentment. “So, do you always
give shoulder
rubs to strangers?” she joked.
“Do you always kiss strangers?” he retorted.
“Only the special ones,” she said lazily. Howie’s hands
began to
move lower on her back ... Jade leaned forward to let him have better
access. As her muscles relaxed, his touch became lighter ...
more teasing.
Under the water, his fingertips grazed her lower back, making her squirm
from the sensation. His hand trailed up her spine ... to the
spot where her
top was tied.
Jade was leaned over, with her eyes closed, enjoying the feeling
of
his hands on her skin ... she wasn’t paying any attention to anything
else.
So, she didn’t notice what he’d done until she opened her eyes and
saw her
top floating on the water in front of her.
Sinking down into the water, she whirled on Howie. “What
the
...???”
He just smirked at her. She made a grab for her top, but
before she
could snatch it, it was in his hands.
Jade slid back over to the other side of the jacuzzi, seething.
How
dare he? She slid even farther down in her seat as a small boy
came
running up to them. “Hi!” he said brightly. “Have you seen
my mommy?”
Howie shook his head and smiled at the boy. “Nope, sorry ...”
Just then, a female voice called out. “There she is!” the
boy cried
happily, skipping away.
Jade glared at Howie when he was gone. “Give it back.”
“Come get it,” he insisted, the smirk still on his face.
She tried to stare him down ... but he wasn’t budging. Finally,
he set
the top on the outside of the jacuzzi. “Okay, there you go,”
he said.
She looked at it, then at him. He’d set it just far enough
away that
she’d have to climb half-out of the tub -- and over him -- to get to
it.
Jade stayed in her seat. There was no way she was playing
this
game, no matter how sexy he looked ... or how well he kissed ... or
how
much she wanted to feel his skin against hers. No way in hell.
