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shorts Mac was borrowing from Tom, and pulled down the zipper.
She began unbuttoning her own blouse and watched Mac as he
stared at her. He seemed a little nervous. Thinking that was sweet,
she gently pushed him down and pressed her body against his.
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JENNIFER JAYNES
They kissed for a long while, their mouths hot and soft. The
temperature inside her chest and between her legs spiraled as she
kissed his neck and ran her hands through his short, thick hair.
She stroked him.
His breathing grew louder.
Pulling Tom s T-shirt from Mac s back, she gazed at his wide,
tanned shoulders and muscular abdomen. She ran her finger across
his nipple and watched it stiffen.
These days, Tom was too quick, too removed. He acted as
though sex was a chore, as if the experience was just his own, like
she wasn t there or at least didn t need to be.
She thought about Haley and wondered if Mac were thinking
about her, too. How different was her body from nineteen-year-old
Haley s? Naked, did she seem that much older?
Mac was the whole package, manly but still warm, gentle
things Tom never would be again and hadn t quite been in the first
place.
He rose above her and threaded his fingers through her hair.
 You sure you want to do this? he whispered.
 I m sure, Rachel whispered back. She was. Why not? Tom
had. Why couldn t she? Revenge would help mend her heart.
Suddenly, Mac s hands were all over her. She was pleasantly sur-
prised by how hard he was. She stroked him harder, faster. Won-
dering if his girlfriend had been sensitive to his needs, she lowered
herself, her face softly brushing his chest, then his stomach, his hips.
Then, finally arriving at her destination, she made him moan even
louder.
8
188
NEVER SMILE AT STRANGERS
The second time was different, less tender. Rachel could tell Mac
was no longer nervous. He was better than Tom had ever been. He
took more time, moved with much more precision.
Mac pinned her hands behind her shoulders. He kissed her
neck, her collarbone, then worked his way down to her chest. He
stayed there for a while, his tongue tickling her cleavage, her nip-
ples. The desire was intense, as intense, if not more so, than their
first time.
He rose to kiss her again, and she wrapped her arms around his
back. His skin was smoother than Tom s, even when Tom had been
his age. Tighter, more supple. His breath was now warm and heavy
next to her ear. He started to move lower, and Rachel laughed.
His mouth was by her ear again.  You okay? he whispered.
 Yeah, she said, having no idea why she d laughed. She hadn t
meant to. It had something to do with the cloud the wine had made
in her head that cushioned her thoughts, dulled their razor-like tal-
ons.
Mac lowered his body, kissed her abdomen, and slowly worked
his way down below. Using long, hard strokes of his tongue, he thor-
oughly explored her with his mouth. When she began to squirm,
unable to stand it any longer, he lowered his hips against hers and
entered her.
Afterward, they slept on their sides, their legs entangled, Mac s
arm draped over her. They slept long and hard. Rachel s slumber, for
once, was peaceful and uninterrupted.
She awoke to a ray of sunlight dancing across her eyelids. Mac
was snoring softly, his smooth back to her. She sat up and stretched.
She startled.
Someone was standing in the doorway.
It was Tom.
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CHAPTER 48
BY THE TIME Rachel pulled on her robe and made it out of the
bedroom, Tom was in the kitchen, opening a cabinet. He casually
pulled out a glass and took his time filling it with water.
 I guess we re even, he muttered.
Rachel s eyes narrowed.  I have a feeling we re far from even,
Tom.
The two stood in the kitchen in silence. She waited for the guilt,
the remorse to hit her. But there was none. If anything, she felt bet-
ter than she had in a long time. Sleeping with Mac had opened her
eyes in an odd sort of way. He d been kind to her, gentle, caring. She
felt desirable and feminine again and realized that the lack of desire
in this marriage hadn t been her fault.
What was her fault was that all of her focus had been on Tom.
Somewhere along the line she d stopped loving herself.
 You must be wondering why I m back early and without the
kids, Tom said.
Yes, she had.  Why?
 Because I wanted to talk to you.
 About? Rachel asked, folding the robe over her thighs and
taking a seat at the table.
NEVER SMILE AT STRANGERS
 Well, seeing that I come home to find you bedding a sixteen-
year-old 
 Twenty-one, she interrupted.  Two years older than the little
whore you were screwing.
Tom smirked.  Fair enough. Anyway, I came home so we could
have a discussion. One that s long overdue. But now, he said, filling
his glass again,  I ll just let my lawyer handle the discussions. Fair
enough?
Rachel didn t react. Without emotion, she said,  You just do
that, Tom. And ask him to expedite things. I ve wasted way too
much time as it is.
8
Seven hours later, Rachel dropped to all fours on the ceramic tile.
She d dropped a glass, and it now lay in jagged pieces in front of the
sink. She hurriedly picked up the bits, tossing them in the garbage
can. The kids had just returned home, and she didn t want them to
see that she had been drinking.
She knew the trick to drinking was knowing when to stop, but
she d been unable to master the trick her whole life. The only way
she didn t drink too much was when she didn t drink period. She
wasn t even sure why she drank today. She d felt so strong after the
conversation with Tom.
The drinking was a problem she would deal with soon. One
thing at a time.
She was shaking out the blue houndstooth rug when Kelsey
walked in and stared at her.
 What? Rachel asked defensively.
Kelsey had been acting oddly, even more than usual. She d been [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]