Free Healing Touch by Jenna Anderson

to calm down and try to push the
evening out of my mind. Sitting home alone wouldn’t help. Tomorrow
I’d call Jeremy and tell him to stay away. Perhaps I could convince
him to not accept the position at the clinic.

    The words of the people in the bar were
hurtful. Now I’d have to endure a few weeks of people asking me why
we broke up.

    “Because we were never going out!” I screamed
to no one in particular as I made my way down the ally to my
garage.

    I swung my car wide to make the right turn
into it and slammed on the brakes just in time to avoid hitting a
car parked inside.

    “What the hell?” At first I thought maybe
some teenagers had stopped in there again to make out. The
automatic garage door didn’t work so I left it up most of the time.
Last winter I interrupted a couple of love birds late one
night.

    I backed up to flash my brights and got a
better look at the car. A shiny silver BMW.

    “Fucking hell.” My tires spun out on the
gravel as I pulled forward to park in an opening next to my
neighbor’s garage. Mrs. Watts was in Arizona for the winter
anyway.

    The back door smacked into the kitchen
counter as I stormed in. “Jeremy, what the hell are you doing in my
house?” All the lights were off except a dim glow coming from the
living room. I made for it, ready to wring his neck.

    “Hi.” His voice was calm and apologetic. I
turned to its location and saw a dark outline rocking in the
corner. Two small candles burned on the coffee table.

    My hands gestured hopelessly into the air.
“Why?” I had given up trying to figure him out.

    He stood and walked toward me. For whatever
reason his shirt was untucked and distracting as hell. Why did I
visualize running my hands underneath and over his chest?

    “I came over to say I’m sorry. You have to
know that is the last thing I wanted to have happen tonight.”

    “It’s too late now. The damage is done. I was
going to call you tomorrow and tell you this but I will just tell
you now…” I fidgeted and noticed he was drawing closer to me.

    “Tracy, there is no one here to see us. No
one knows I’m around.”

    I held up my hand in a stop signal. “Just let
me say this.”

    “No.” Jeremy held my face in his hands and he
kissed me. This kiss was different than the one that happened a
couple weeks before in almost this exact same spot. It was much
more intense, telling.

    I completely forgot what I was going to say.
My hands wrapped around him and I returned the emotion of our kiss.
No one could see us. No one would know or judge.

    “You’re not letting me talk,” I whispered as
he kissed my neck. He pressed a little too hard on the lump on my
neck. “Ouch.”

    “Sorry. I’m sorry.” He grabbed my face and
kissed my forehead. “God I wish you’d get that taken care of. It’s
nothing. I keep telling you it’s just-“

    I silenced him with a kiss which he broke
sooner than I expected.

    “I want to hear you say one thing, Tracy.” He
stared into my eyes. “Admit that you like me.”

    The feel of his skin on my hands surprised
me. My subconscious was taking over and I found the path under his
shirt. We kissed again, deeper but he pulled away to hear my
answer.

    “Yes, I like you.”

    “Because we’re alone? What about tomorrow?
Will you let me come to your office? What about the next football
game?”

    “Of course I like you. I think I really like
you.” This made him smile. “But to be public about it. I, I don’t
know. It just seems so impossible, especially after tonight.”

    “Tonight sucked, I agree, but maybe they all
just need some time to get used to us.” He sat us down on the couch
and pulled me on top of him, my legs off to one side.

    I wrapped my arms around him and lay my head
on his shoulder, not wanting to lose the feeling of our bodies next
to each other. Why couldn’t he just concentrate on the moment?

    “This town loves gossip.”

    “Why don’t people gossip about Randy or