Afternoon Delight - By Mia Zachary Page 0,20

from the French door refrigerator—root beer for Gabe and a real one for himself—then joined his nephew at the breakfast bar. Forgoing plates, they ate the pizza straight out of the box. He killed time on idle small talk about work and classes, waiting until they were on their third slices before asking about the unexpected visit.

“So, G-man, what’s going on?” The answer he got was a shrug. “Something must have prompted you to spend ninety minutes on public transportation to get over here.”

Gabe seemed fascinated by the strips of bacon on his pizza. “I called Nana, but she said she was going out.”

Chris grimaced. “Yeah, she’s got a date.”

“Get out! Who’s the dude?” His brow wrinkled in disbelief.

Not wanting to admit he didn’t know, Chris turned back to the topic at hand. “Guys aren’t usually big on talking about their feelings, but the rules are different when beer and pizza are involved.”

Gabe dropped his fifth slice back into the box, apparently not hungry anymore. His narrow frame seemed to shrink as he slumped in his chair and fought to control his expression. His voice quavered when he finally spoke.

“Mom and Dad are never home these days. When they are, they’re fighting. About money, their jobs and stuff, about me getting in trouble at school. I’m worried, I mean, I think they’re serious this time. They keep yelling about a divorce.”

Damn. It seemed Michael and Diana had been building towards this for a while. Chris wished he could say he was surprised, but none of the three London kids had done well in their relationships. Neither his parents nor Gabe’s seemed to realize how deeply their decisions left invisible scars.

He reached over to wrap an arm around Gabe’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, kiddo. I don’t know what to say. But I’ll tell you this much—been there, done that and lived to tell the tale.”

Gabe leaned toward him, accepting the comfort for a brief moment, before shrugging off Chris’s arm and moving away. “Got anything for dessert?”

A half gallon of chocolate almond vanilla ice cream later, Chris sat near Gabe on the couch, not really watching TV so much as just being there. When Mike called to say he was home, Chris drove Gabe back to Richmond in a silence that intensified the closer they got to the house.

“I know you don’t believe this, G-man. But, whatever happens, you’re going to be okay.”

“I guess.”

On impulse, Chris grabbed his nephew around the neck and planted a kiss on his forehead before Gabe got out of the truck and walked up to the door.

NINE O’CLOCK and he had the long stretch of a night alone ahead of him.

As he got closer to home, Chris drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes on the road visible in his headlights but his mind on his empty condo. It was late to get together with friends and he wasn’t in the mood to sit at a bar or go to a club….

Inevitably his thoughts turned to Jade, the exotic temptress with the sultry eyes, the memory of whose sinuous movements and incredible sensuality had dominated his daydreams. Dreams of holding her on his lap while she rubbed against him, moaning in that breathy way of hers.

He reached down and adjusted his aching erection. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t as if he’d never been with a beautiful, sexy woman before. He’d dated some real lookers, slept with some total knockouts. But none of them had affected him like Jade. He wanted to kiss her again. For about a week. Then he wanted to strip her bare and kiss every inch of her delectable little body. Then he wanted more, much more….

The quick chirp of his cell phone interrupted his fantasy. The ringing continued as he lowered the window to let the cool air blow against his face. He picked up the phone and flipped it open, his voice raspy as he answered.

“Um, hi, Chris. This is—Jade.”

“Jade?” His brain took a few seconds to process the reality of hearing her voice.

“Yes, from Divas!”

Wow. Fantasies came true? The next thing he knew, cash would rain from the sky and his pickup truck would transform into a vintage Corvette. His face split into a wide smile, but he tried to keep his voice casual.

“How could I forget? This is just kind of a surprise.”

“Is it?” Her tone implied the call had been inevitable. And as he remembered the electric instant they first touched, maybe it had been.

What