Free Sing Me Back Home by Eve Gaddy Page A

kisses pressed against her pulse, then dropping lower to her breasts. Maya wrapped her legs around him and he strode to the couch. He let go of her and dazed, she watched him unbutton and unzip his khakis, slide them off along with boxers in one smooth motion.
    She pulled him down beside her, barely gave him time to roll on the condom before she straddled him and lowered herself onto him. He was hard and hot and felt so good she wanted to scream, and when his hand slipped between them to caress her, she did scream. He kissed her, put his hands on her hips and helped her rock until she was flying again, higher and higher. Jack groaned. She moaned. She squeezed tight, feeling him shudder, as he said her name and pumped inside her one last time before he came.
    They didn’t speak for a long time. Eventually, she bit his shoulder gently and sighed. “That was some welcome home.”
    “I don’t think I can move.”
    “Me either. Why do we have to?”
    “Food,” Jack said. “I need food.”
    “I have frozen pizza.”
    “Yeah? What kind?” She told him. “Diet pizza? Really?”
    “Of course. What did you expect? I may not be at my model weight, but I still have to work at it to be able to get in my clothes. Did you think I was just magically slim?”
    “Yes.”
    Maya laughed. “I eat what I want when I go out, but at home I’m usually very careful.”
    “Don’t you have anything else?” he asked plaintively. “I could call for a pizza delivery, but we’ll have to get dressed. Or one of us will.”
    “I’ll get dressed. You can order. I like vegetables,” she added as she picked up her scattered clothing and went to her bedroom to find something comfortable to wear.
    They ate pizza and watched a movie, part of one, anyway. They talked about Maya’s business trip and whether she needed to hire another assistant, and about Jack’s nurse’s running feud with one of his patients. He wouldn’t tell her who his patient was but she knew anyway, since Vera’s and Mrs. Delaney’s feud over the bake-off was common knowledge.
    They made love and talked and made love again. Maya hadn’t been this happy in a long, long time. The night was magical. Marvelous. Perfect.
    Until she told him she loved him.

Chapter Nine
    ‡
    M onday afternoon Maya met Amy at the Java Cafe. “Let’s sit outside,” Maya said after they picked up their lattes.
    Amy looked at her curiously. “Okay, but it’s a little chilly.”
    Maya didn’t care about that. She needed to talk and she wasn’t anxious to broadcast what she had to say to every person in the cafe.
    “What’s wrong?” Amy asked when they sat down.
    Maya sipped her latte, burned her tongue and frowned. “I did something stupid. I knew it was a mistake the moment I said it, but by then it was too late. I’d already opened my big mouth.”
    “Just guessing, but does this stupid thing you did have something to do with Jack?”
    “Who else?” she asked glumly.
    “Is it really that bad?”
    Was it? “I think so.”
    “What did you do? Why do you think you screwed up? Last I heard, you two were well on the way to being madly in love.”
    She snorted. “Yes, that would be the problem. One of us was. I told him I loved him.”
    “Oh.” Amy looked at her for a moment. “Not a good idea, I take it.”
    Maya drummed her fingers on the table. “I told him I loved him and he said . . . nothing.”
    “Nothing?” Amy repeated.
    “Absolutely nothing.”
    “Awk-ward,” Amy said, emphasizing the first syllable.
    “Tell me about it,” Maya said. Thinking about that moment still made her want to cringe. “Then he kissed me. Every time I started to open my mouth, he kissed me.”
    Amy laughed. “And that’s a problem?”
    “You’re damn right it’s a problem. It’s called avoidance.” She fell silent, thinking about it.
    “So what happened after you told him?” Amy prompted.
    “Obviously, he didn’t want to talk about it. So, we didn’t. We both spent the