A Treasure Worth Seeking
By: Shellie - shelliemg at gmail.com
Chapter 6The first thing JC was aware of when he woke was a weight, heavy and pressing down on his butt. The second thing he noticed was that his home smelled absolutely delicious.
"Caroline! Get down off of JC," a voiced hissed softly from somewhere in the distance.
JC smiled into the plush leather cushion beneath him as he felt the small girl giggle and wiggle until she slid from her resting-place down to the floor. He wasn’t at his home. He felt a shadow move across his face and the faintest brush of a tiny breath. He pretended to sleep. A tiny damp mouth pressed the sweetest kiss against his temple.
JC’s throat tightened as his eyes slid open. The girl hovered near, not smiling. For a moment they exchanged glances, neither of them blinking, neither of them looking away. She was, in her own little way, telling him thank you without knowing she was doing it. It was the best kind of thanks, true heartfelt appreciation instead of a simple display of good manners. Finally he smiled, "Good morning, Sweet. How are you feeling today?"
"Mommy is make eggs," she smiled softly.
He pushed himself up and stretched. "She is?"
She nodded, "Uh huh. And bacon."
"Oh, I like bacon. Do I get to have a piece?"
She giggled and swatted his knee, "Of course, silly."
He grinned looking over his shoulder. "You daughter is something else."
Lauren turned from the stove, "Oh, I know. She’s too much. Sleep well?"
JC realized that he had indeed. He felt great. "I did. Like a baby. Did you sleep?"
She waved the spatula at him, turning back to the stove. "Eh, I’ll catch up later. I hope you’re hungry, I got a little carried away with breakfast."
JC circled the end of the couch, approaching Lauren. Caroline followed on his heels. "You didn’t sleep at all?"
"Nah. I was too riled up so I sat up and wrote. You snore by the way," she grinned at him.
"Do I? Funny, no one’s ever told me that before."
Lauren’s smile dropped off at the thought of him sleeping with someone else. "Well, it was just a little snore." She slid the pan of eggs from one burner to the other. "Sit. It’s time to eat. I hope you like scrambled cause that’s all we have."
"Scrambled works for me."
"You want coffee?" she asked turning, surprised to find JC buckling Caroline into her high chair. "Oh. Thanks."
"Is the Pope Catholic?"
She was staring at him where he knelt in front of her daughter. Realizing he’d spoken she thought of what he’d said. "Huh?"
"You asked if I wanted coffee. Yes. That was my yes."
She shook her head laughing. "Sorry, I spaced out for a moment. One coffee coming up."
* * *
Lauren yawned. It was one of those huge yawns that made you wish for a flip top head, it made her eyes water and her face stretch. God, she was tired.
"Oh that was attractive."
Lauren sleepily turned her head, looking through the screen to see JC smiling. She could see him only from the chest up but his black tank top fit him like a second skin and his bare muscular shoulders made her mouth go dry. "Shut it, Chasez, I’m tired."
He leaned on the side of her porch, propping his arms along the wood where the screen met the bottom wall. His biceps bulged, the firm flesh glowing golden in the summer sun. Lauren’s thoughts followed a trail that they hadn’t been down in a long time. It wasn’t an unpleasant journey. She smiled just slightly at the image of him in her brain, poised above her, those thick muscles straining as he moved. Her eyes closed.
"What are you thinking?"
She chuckled, "I’ll never tell. I’m too sleepy to be held responsible for what’s going through my head right now."
"Why don’t you let me watch Carrie for a while and you go take a nap."
It made her heart flip for a moment to hear her daughter’s familiar nickname coming from his lips. She pushed the thoughts aside, all of them. Sitting up she stared at him through the screen. "Normally I’d say no but I’m going to fall asleep regardless so I might as well have someone keeping an eye on her. Are you sure?"
"Yep. I don’t have anything to do anyway. Besides, C and I, we get along pretty well. Go get some sleep."
"Okay. She is actually taking her own nap right now but she should be waking up any minute. I knew if I went to sleep I’d be out and I wouldn’t hear her when she woke up and I couldn’t have her wandering out the door again."
"I’ll make sure she doesn’t wander anywhere. Just let me run next door and grab a book and I’ll sit and read until she gets up."
She nodded and he disappeared, leaving her to stare at his muscular back while he walked away. "Jeez. I need to get out more or I’m gonna attack the poor kid." She shook her head with a chuckle as she pushed herself from the swing and headed inside. "But damn is he sexy or what?"
She sat on the edge of her bed waiting until she heard him enter through the back door and drop down onto the sofa. The thought of him out there in that tank top almost made her go back out just to say …something to him again but she couldn’t. She was just too exhausted. Smiling slightly she dropped back onto the bed , asleep before her head even touched the pillow.
When Lauren awoke the sun had dropped low in the sky, filling her home with a quiet darkness. She sat up, staring at the clock. Several hours had passed since she’d fallen asleep and she hadn’t woken once. Curious at the lack of noise she scooted from the bed in search of her child.
"JC?" she called softly as she shuffled down the hall. The rest of the house was just as dark as her bedroom had been. She peered out the screen door; they weren’t outside and JC’s house looked empty.
Turning she noticed a note attached to the fridge written in red crayon. She smiled as she moved closer. "Mom, JC took me to KFC to get a gourmet meal. He even said I could drive! Be back soon with lots of chicken! Don’t eat!" He’d signed it with a large swirly "C".
Stop being cute, Josh. You are making it hard for me to convince myself that I don’t need a man.
She was showered and dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans and a tank top, reading over what she’d written the night before when JC returned, a KFC bag dangling from one arm, Caroline dangling from the other. "Mommy!" she cheered as they entered and she leaned over the back of the sofa. Dipping his knees he let Carrie down onto the couch with a grunt.
Grinning over Carrie’s head he spoke, "Hey, sleepyhead, I hope you’re hungry. I have like 3 chickens in this dam- er, darn bag. Mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, the works. C and I couldn’t decide what we wanted so we got it all."
Lauren’s stomach growled in response and she laughed.
He smiled, "Well, I guess that answers my question. Lock your youngin’ in the chair and let’s eat!"
She set her computer aside and plucked her daughter from where she stood on the end of the sofa, hands held high waiting to be picked up. She set Carrie in her high chair, locking her in securely before turning to help JC set out their meal, silently wondering why she felt so completely comfortable with this man who had just days earlier been a complete stranger to her.
* * *
JC forced himself not to stare at the way her pants hugged her curves as she bent to strap Caroline into her chair. The jeans she was wearing were worn and promised to be velvety soft to the touch and his fingers ached to curl into the fabric as it stretched taut across her rear. Mac-n-cheese. Mac-n-cheese. He chanted silently trying to distract himself as he opened one container of food after another. Mac-n-cheese. You don’t need to get involved in a relationship with someone now. You have too many things to work out in our life right now. She’s looking for peace and quiet, a new start, not someone else to disappoint her and break her heart and that’s what you’ll do, Chasez. You don’t even know what your future holds, tours, albums, promotions…or not. Mac-n-cheese.
When she finally dropped into the chair across from him he looked up with a smile, relieved that most of her body was hidden by the table between them. "So, how was your nap?"
"I slept like the dead. Thank you so much for watching Carrie. Was she trouble?"
He made a face. "No, of course not. We made a sandcastle and she sang to me. She sings quite well, you know."
"What did she sing for you?"
"Britney Spears. Oops, she did it again."
"She only knows one line."
"Oh, I know." He chuckled, "but she knows it really well."
They ate until they hurt and then moved into the living room to "rest" and JC taught Carrie how to channel surf while Lauren messed around more with what she’d written the night before. Finally Carrie fell asleep in JC’s arms. He smiled down at the angel. "This is the sweetest kid, Lauren. I have no idea where you got her."
"She takes after her mother, that’s for sure. Let me put her in bed, I’m sure she’s killing your arm."
"She’s not heavy. You lead the way, I’ll follow." He stood, lifting the child into his arms and followed Lauren down the hall to tuck Carrie into her bed. Lauren stared at the girl for a long time, but JC…he was watching the child’s mother. The more time he spent with her the less and less he found himself wanting to leave. Was it her that made him want to stay? Or was it the knowledge of what was waiting for him at home…or what wasn’t. Decisions he couldn’t make, loneliness and sleepless nights. He knew it was time for him to leave, hell, he’d spent more of the day at her house than he had his own but he found himself searching for a reason to stay. Any reason. His mind kept coming back to the same conclusion. He pushed it away and took a step back.
Sighing he crammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Well, I guess I should give you guys a break and go home for a while. I’ve been in your hair – and your house – more than not in the past 24 hours."
She smiled at him as they slipped from the little girl’s room. "You know you are welcome over here anytime you like, Josh. It’s just the two of us and we both seem to like you okay."
He laughed, heading slowly for the screen door that led out back. He almost stopped several times but only hesitated once before forcing himself to leave. On the doorstep he turned to find her standing close, staring up at him with a look he couldn’t quite decipher. He knew what he wanted to see, and it looked like something close but he just wasn’t sure. "Well…I’ll see you tomorrow sometime I’m sure."
"Have a good night, Josh. And thank you for dinner. It was the best chicken I’ve ever tasted."
He chuckled, "I’ll be sure and tell the Colonel that the next time I stop by." This is where I say good night. "Well…" His mind didn’t even register that he was actually bending down to kiss her until his lips brushed hers, their velvety surface shaking him to his very core. The softest of whimpers escaped her lips when his tongue slid across them and a seductive shiver slivered its way down his spine. He pulled back just a touch, his eyes opening to gauge her reaction. Finding hers closed, engulfed in the kiss, he pressed forward again, pressing his tongue between her lips, now parted and welcoming.
"JC!"
The pair jumped apart like lightening had struck and JC spun on his heel searching behind him for whoever was calling his name. "What?" he whispered.
"JC? Are you in there?"
With a creased brow he crossed her porch and leaned into the screen trying to look between their houses to see who was yelling his name. "Joe?" he called at the familiar voice.
"Where are you?"
"I’m around here." He turned to look at Lauren who was staring at him with her eyebrows raised high. He wondered if she was curious about his guest, or what had possessed him to kiss her. He was suddenly glad for the interruption.
A figure appeared in the darkness. "JC?"
"I’m right here."
"I thought you lived next door." The man moved closer to the screen, looking up at JC with a frown. He was handsome, dark hair hidden beneath a ball cap, dark eyes and a furry chin. Lauren recognized him as being another one of the group’s members. The man turned away calling softly, "Ami…he’s around here."
JC moved to the back step and stepped halfway down. Unconsciously Lauren followed. Joey and a second figure, this one transforming into a young woman as she approached the light, circled the end of the porch and stopped in front of JC.
Lauren watched as the surprise melted away and a genuine smile, one she’d never before seen the likes of, split JC’s face. He was breathtaking. No other word seemed appropriate to her as she stopped beside him. The way his full bottom lip stretched across his teeth, his cheeks dimpling slightly, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Joe! What are you doing here?"
The larger man seemed equally as happy to be there and stepped forward to give JC a brotherly hug and a few slaps for good measure. "Ami had a few days off work so we decided to take a little trip. I hope you don’t mind. I’ve been calling your cell phone all day but you didn’t answer."
JC looked down at his hip as if noticing for the first time all day that the familiar object wasn’t clipped on his waist as usual. "Oh…I haven’t had the thing on all day. I totally forgot. I’m glad you two are here! Wow!"
Joe smiled glancing at JC and then pointedly at Lauren and back again. It only took a moment for JC to catch on.
"Oh! Duh! Joe, Ami, this is my neighbor and friend Lauren." He stepped aside allowing the new and old friends to greet each other. "Joey’s from the group and Ami is a friend of ours."
There was a series of ‘nice to meet yous’ as well as a handshake or two until everyone knew who everyone was. Grinning Joey motioned toward JC’s house. "Well, we can go wait inside if we were interrupting anything, I just didn’t want to go barging in on you when you didn’t answer."
"Oh no. I was just heading back over. I’ll come with you." He made his escape with a smile and a wave. "I’ll see you tomorrow, Lauren. Kiss C for me."
She smiled and waved at the group. "I will, nice to meet you two."
"You too!" they both called as they disappeared back between the two homes.
With wide eyes and a slight smile, Lauren headed back inside.