Page 25 of Only You

“We’ll look forward to meeting him,” Tim said.

“I’ll miss you guys,” Kayla said.

Sue visibly softened. “We’ll miss you too.”

Kayla went over and kissed her dad on the forehead.

“Love you, sweetie,” he said.

When Kayla went to kiss her mom, Sue stood and gathered her in a tight hug. “Don’t be mad at me for worrying about you,” Sue said softly.

“You don’t have to worry,” Kayla said, hugging her back just as tightly. “I’ll see you when you get back. Have a safe trip.”

A few minutes later, Kayla backed out of their driveway, feeling a mix of emotions. She was almost thirty years old, but she still hated disappointing her parents. Hopefully, once they met Jack, they’d discover that despite misleading his parents, he wasn’t a bad guy. Kayla wanted her parents to like him, even if they were just friends.

When she returned to Jack’s condo, his car was gone. Good thing he’d given her a house key. Kayla smiled at the recollection of him standing outside in his underwear. Stop thinking of Jack half naked!

Kayla went inside, wondering where he was, and how long he’d be gone. Normally, his whereabouts weren’t her concern, but now she was curious about how he spent his free time. Kayla went into his bedroom, intending to gather some things and go upstairs to take a shower. Glancing at Jack’s neatly made bed, her face heated as she recalled him lying there in his underwear. He’d acted like his erection was a regular morning occurrence, but she couldn’t help wondering if it had anything to do with her. She shook her head vehemently. Don’t flatter yourself!

Kayla went to the dresser and took out a bra, panties, and socks. Then, she went into the closet and selected a sweatshirt and jeans, her standard weekend wear. Kayla entered the bathroom, intending to grab some bath products, but paused and eyed the jacuzzi tub. Soaking in a bath sounded heavenly, and Jack had said she could use it. I probably shouldn’t. She had no idea when he’d return and wasn’t keen on him catching her in the tub. It was too tempting to pass up, though.

Kayla locked the door and turned on the water. While the tub filled, she stripped off her clothes and piled her hair atop her head. She sank into the warm water and turned on the jets. “Ahh,” she moaned as the water massaged her neck and shoulders. She hadn’t realized how tense she was until now. Telling her parents about moving in with Jack had been harder than she’d thought. At her age, she hadn’t expected to care about their opinion so much. It’s only six weeks, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time.

Six weeks of Jack. Six weeks of sleeping under the same roof, meeting his parents, pretending to be in love with him, and seeing him in his underwear. Why did it keep circling back to that? Yes, he was hot, and yes, she’d had a crush on him for a long time, but that didn’t mean she had to act on it. I am in control of my own destiny.

The longer she lounged in the bath, the more relaxed she felt. After washing with her favorite coconut scented body wash, she rinsed off and climbed out of the tub. Pulling a fluffy, white towel off the rack—Jack had good taste—she wrapped it around herself and tucked it in over her breasts. Kayla hadn’t heard a peep, but she cracked open the door and poked her head out to make sure she was still alone. “Jack?” There was no answer. Kayla opened the door all the way to let out the steam and defog the mirror. Since Jack wasn’t home, she might as well get ready in his bathroom instead of lugging her stuff upstairs.

Kayla let down her hair and applied a leave-in conditioner to the ends. Then she took out her high-end blow dryer and went to work. While she dried her hair, she hummed a Taylor Swift song, forgetting that the sound of the dryer would block out other noises. Kayla dipped her head down and was drying the underside of her hair when she felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck. Whipping her head up, she turned toward the door, and there was Jack staring at her. She quickly turned off the blow dryer.

“Hey,” he said, smirking.

Kayla slapped a hand over her chest, partly to make sure that the towel was still securely in place. “You scared me!”

“Sorry.” His gaze traveled over her, from her damp hair to her heaving chest to her bare feet on his cushiony rug. “I expected you to be dressed by now.”

“I took a bath,” she explained.

He glanced at the tub. “How’d you like it?”

“It’s very big.”

“Plenty of room for two.”

Kayla raised her eyebrows.

“Not two, as in me and you. I meant—”

“It’s fine, Jack. I know what you meant.”

“I’ll let you finish getting ready,” he said, and turned away.

“Where’d you go?” she asked.

He slowly turned back around.

“Not that it’s any of my business. I was just curious,” she muttered.

“I went for a run with my friend, Ryan.”