Courting Valerie by Linda Markowiak

Author:Linda Markowiak
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1995-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

FOR ONCE, Jay seemed in a hurry to leave the Brettinger home. It wasn’t long after they had the dishwasher loaded that he said they ought to be going.

“Don’t you want cherry pie?” Ginny asked, clearly mystified that he would want to go before she served dessert.

“Thanks, but I’m stuffed, and I’m tired, too. I need to make it an early night.”

Valerie was surprised, but she was tired, herself. After Jay had left last night, she hadn’t slept well. She’d lain awake thinking about Dave and Meg. Dave’s behavior was so strange, so intense. He seemed to feel both his highs and lows more strongly than other people. Last night’s temper tantrum was no more vicious than a number of them she had witnessed over the last couple of months, but for him to stagger off and leave Meg was inexcusable. Valerie was glad her friend had finally decided to end the relationship, but she knew Meg would be hurting for a long time.

She’d managed to keep from thinking about Jay, but when she’d finally fallen asleep, Valerie had dreamed about him. They were the same dreams over and over, misty, hot dreams. In all of them, she’d been making love to Jay with wild abandon, the kind of letting go she had never permitted herself with anyone before. She’d awakened several times, gasping and embarrassed at the intensity, but wanting to sleep again so the dreams could replay.

The most disturbing one had occurred just as dawn was breaking. Jay had been with her in the bed, whispering to her, and singing to her. And smiling. Then he stopped smiling and moved over her, and she could feel his heaviness as if his body were really there. He’d enjoyed her body thoroughly. He’d told her so. And she’d liked his, too, liked it with a fervor that had shaken her. Then she’d reached for him again and he wasn’t there. He’d made love to her, and he’d left her.

The dream had been so real that when she had first awakened, she’d actually felt the other side of the bed, expecting it to be warm from his presence. She hadn’t slept after that.

“Valerie?” Jay was holding the car door for her, and she realized she was standing next to it, probably with a stupid look on her face. She realized that she only dimly remembered kissing her dad goodbye. Funny that last night’s dreams could seem more real than what had happened two minutes ago. She shook her head to clear it.

“I hope you didn’t want to stay,” Jay said a moment later as he turned the corner.

“Not really. I’m tired, too.”

Jay shifted, adding more speed as they reached the straight stretch that led into Amsden. “I’m not tired. That was just an excuse. It gets dark so early in the winter, and I want to show you something while we’ve got plenty of daylight.”

A nervous smile played at the corner of his mouth and she was suddenly very curious. “What?”

“You’ll see in a minute,” he promised, stopping right in the middle of town.

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