"I don't understand. Why me? Women must throw themselves at him all the time."

"Who knows? Maybe you just came along at the right time. Or your chemistry was just right. Or perhaps fate or whatever brought you together because you're meant to be. Regardless, what do you want? And how are you going to fix whatever has gone off the rails with Jay? And do you want to fix it?"

Lacey rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "I think I want to fix it. But how do I go about doing that? Do I call him up, ask him on a date and just keep things light and pretend the whole Deborah thing never happened, or do I attempt to force him to talk about it so we can bury the past and move on."

"Definitely an emphatic "NO" to scenario number two. In case you haven't noticed, Jack is never going to be one of those sensitive modern males who enjoys talking about his feelings. You are barking up the wrong Tarzan if that 's what you expect."

"Maybe so, but I can't just ignore it either."

"Why not?"

"Well, because we're supposed to talk to each other." Lacey stared at her friend incredulously. Was Serena serious? Could she avoid all the nastiness of his past and just focus on the future?

"If you really want my opinion. You do, right?"

"Absolutely. I'm totally out of my element here."

"Well, then. I think you have to let things happen naturally. Just relax. Get to know each other, and maybe he'll feel comfortable enough to talk about Deborah. But maybe not. Sometimes we have to make our own rules and not go by what the world and Oprah tells us we need to do."

"So, I'm wrong to want to hash this all out?"

"Not wrong exactly. I think it's great that you want to help get him over what happened, but if talking about it turns him into the Tin-man, then maybe you should give it a rest until he wants to open up."

"I don't know. It seems too easy."

"Listen. It's going to take some patience, but I swear Jack is worth the trouble. Underneath it all, he's the best man I know. Just a little damaged. And who isn't really? His issues are just a little more obvious than the rest of ours." Serena looked out the window wistfully for a moment, staring at the landscaping for a moment. "Some guys seem great, but are way more twisted than you expected."

Lacey looked at her for a moment, puzzled. Who was Serena talking about exactly? Obviously, her friend had some experience dealing with guys with issues. Maybe she should listen to her.

"Alright. I'll give the whole 'complete denial' approach a try," Lacey said, pulling Serena's attention away from the empty yard. "I'll arrange to meet him somewhere, but if his doppelganger, Mr. Freeze shows up, I am pulling the plug on this operation. Okay?"

Serena patted her hand and focused on her friend once again. "I don't think you'll regret it. Just stay off the granite, okay? I don't want that image in my head while I'm giving tours."

Chapter Eight

"Lacey? Are you here?" Jack called, cautiously entering her new home using the set of keys he hadn't given her yet. He set the key-ring on the fireplace mantle and looked around. Lacey was moving in. It was starting to look like someone lived here. He could see there were glasses in the glass-fronted kitchen cupboards, and Charlie's bowl was sitting beside the island. From where he was standing, he could see into the bedroom and what looked like a king-sized bed taking up a large portion of one wall.

He'd spent practically everyday here for the last five months, but after his confession he felt a little uneasy just walking around like he belonged there. He'd been trying to figure out a reason to come by that wouldn't seem too desperate, but Lacey had saved him the trouble by sending him a text. She wanted him to check out a problem with the tile in the bathroom, so he came right away. It wasn't actually his job at this point, but it offered the perfect excuse. Maybe it would be a chance for them to work through their issues.

"Lace?" He called again. But there wasn't any answer. He thought he heard something that sounded like off key singing coming from the bathroom, so he went in that direction. He knocked on the bathroom door, but still no response. Slowly, to avoid startling her, he slid open the unlocked door a crack and looked inside. The tub was on the far side of the huge bathroom, so he couldn't actually see her, but her reflection in the elaborate mirror over the double sinks was clear enough.

She and Mr. Bubbles were taking a soak together. In the dimness of the candlelight he couldn't make out any of the details, but he assumed she was naked underneath all that froth. He became hard instantly, imagining her all slick and wet beneath the warm water. It was the fantasy she'd mentioned in the parking lot of the Daily Grind. The image of her, covered only in bubbles, in her apartment's tiny tub had been haunting him since they made that stupid pact five months ago. But now it was actually happening. Better yet, he knew this tub was big enough to accommodate both of them with ease. He'd picked it out specifically with this scenario in mind. Now, if only she could look past all his baggage and omissions, maybe they could move forward and have an actual relationship. Getting in that tub with her seemed like a great start.

Taking a deep breath, he took off his shirt and toed off his boots. He thought about stripping down completely, but decided that it might look a little creepy, strutting in there with his cock waving in the breeze, so he left his jeans on and knocked loudly on the partially opened door. Her barely recognizable version of "The Way You Make Me Feel," by MJ stopped abruptly and he heard water splashing as she reached for the iPod sitting on the edge of the tub. Sliding open the door completely, he stepped into the room and tried to look casual as Lacey sat up in the water.

"Jack, that was quick. I just sent you that text a few minutes ago." Lacey said, trying to cover her bobbing breasts with a washcloth. Actually, she had been lying in the tub waiting for him for a half hour. If he looked closely he'd see her toes were pruning. She had been considering getting out and greeting him in a towel when she'd seen him out in the hallway, stripping. Nothing could have made her happier than seeing the silhouette of his gorgeous body shown in sharp relief by the light from the kitchen.

Her intention had been to stand up proudly, and boldly suggest he get in the tub with her, but she just couldn't do it. After his coldness the other day her natural tendency was to cover up as much as possible of her body, and pretend she actually wanted him to check out her tile. That had been a ruse too. The tile and everything else in her new home was perfect. The only flawed item here was her. She couldn't be the bold seductress she wanted to be, and didn't think Jack was capable of moving past his own insecurities to act on his desires either. If he still even wanted her after their last conversation.

She felt her heart plummet as she realized they may be at an impasse if one of them couldn't be the aggressor. And that would be tragic since she was pretty sure she was completely in love with him and desperately wanted to show him that she could be exactly what he needed. If he gave her a chance. She pulled some of the bubbles closer around her, but the action just seemed to highlight her breasts rather than cover them.

She shouldn't have bothered. Her nipples were hard in the cool air above the water and the wet cotton displayed them more provocatively than the most risque lingerie. Jack could not wait to taste them, but didn't think she'd appreciate it if he just jumped in and started licking her breasts. But then again, why not? She hadn't screamed and demanded he get out, so why not just go for it for a change?

Without a word, he paused just long enough to rid himself of his jeans, stepped over the ledge of the tub and settled his body in the huge garden tub across from her. She squealed as the water level rose alarmingly, but didn't overflow.

"Jack! What are you doing?" she laughed, pinching his ankle as he settled his legs on either side of her much shorter ones.

He grinned and took a handful of bubbles and blew them in her direction. "I thought I heard someone torturing cats in here, so I came to the rescue. Turns out it was just you, singing along to your iPod." He laughed as she splashed him, and caressed her smooth calves under the water. "Seriously, you looked like you were having fun, so I thought I'd join you. Do you want me to wash your back, or do you actually want me to inspect some faulty tile work?"

"Actually, I think I want you to wash my front," she said, smiling coquettishly as she boldly peeled away the washcloth to reveal her breasts.

Jack gulped and leaned forward to grasp her beneath her knees, pulling her forward until her thighs were on either side of his thighs. He gasped as her warm, wet flesh molded to his hard cock. The sensation of being able to feel her heat, combined with the water and the cotton barrier of his underwear between them was unbearably erotic, but he wanted to keep this light and fun, rather than intense and rough like last time, so he fought his impulse to just unleash his penis from his jockeys and thrust home like a beast.

Taking the washcloth from her hand, he grabbed a bar of soap from the edge of the tub and began soaping the cloth. He looked at her breasts in a manner that was supposed to be speculative rather than hungry, but failed miserably. "Yes, your breasts are extremely dirty. It's a good thing you called me to help," he said, rubbing the rough cotton across her clean white mounds in a gentle figure eight that never quite touched her nipples.

"How about you?" Lacey gasped, rocking against his erection. "Do you need help washing anything?"