“Autumn.” He kissed her deeply, roughly, then held her a few inches away. “Is anything wrong?”
“No.” She shook her head determinedly. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just felt like telling you that I love you.”
“I’m glad.” His smile was spine-melting. “You don’t say it enough.”
“Don’t I?” she asked without returning the smile.
Sensing that she’d meant the question seriously, he lifted one hand to her cheek, keeping the other arm around her to hold her close. “You could say it with every breath and I wouldn’t hear it enough,” he told her, his voice deep and so very sincere.
And then the hand on her cheek moved to bury itself in the glossy hair at the back of her head, his mouth coming down on hers with a hunger that never seemed to be abated, no matter how many times they were together. Autumn understood, since her own desire for him was as fresh and piercing as it had been from the first time he’d kissed her.
Long minutes later Jeff laughed raggedly under his breath and set her firmly away from him. “We’d better stop this or we will end up shocking my mother,” he muttered regretfully. “Are you ready to go?”
“Give me a couple of minutes to repair my makeup and I’ll join you downstairs,” she answered unsteadily after swallowing to clear her throat.
He nodded, kissed her swiftly one more time, then left her to scowl despairingly at the tousled, starry-eyed woman in the mirror.
Autumn’s concerns about people misinterpreting her relationship with Jeff proved justified at the anniversary party held at a local country club, of which Jeff’s parents were members. Jeff was well-known by his parents’ friends, most of whom had known him since he was a toddler, and they’d apparently been hoping to see him married off for some time. Though he continued to introduce her quite correctly as “my friend, Autumn Reed,” he might as well have added “the woman I love and want to marry,” Autumn thou
ght in exasperation. Something in his expression or his voice or his eyes when he said her name made people smile indulgently at her and all but pat her cheek with delight.
“So you’re Jeff’s little lady,” one portly, red-nosed gentleman boomed loudly, making Autumn have to fight a wince. “It’s about time that boy found himself a mate. And aren’t you a pretty little thing?”
“It’s so sweet to see the smile on Jeff’s face when he looks at you,” a blue-haired older woman told her later. “You make such a cute couple.”
“You’re an electrician?” one Junior League-type society matron exclaimed in near horror after a brief conversation with Autumn when Jeff had been pulled away by his father and another man. “At least you’ll be able to get away from that when you marry Jeff. A doctor is such a nice catch, don’t you agree?”
“How are you holding up, honey?” Jeff asked sympathetically as they grabbed an opportunity to converse with each other on the dance floor.
“Are you aware that, as we speak, two-thirds of the population of Sarasota is watching us dance with sickly sweet smiles on their faces?” Autumn demanded in low-voiced frustration, holding on to her party smile with great effort. “I have been called ‘little lady,’’a pretty little thing’ and ‘dear girl.’ I’ve been told that you and I make a ‘cute couple’ and that you’re a ‘nice catch.’ I’ve heard about all the women who’ve ‘set their caps’ for you, and all the ‘matchmaking mamas’ who’ve wanted you to marry their daughters. I’ve been asked if I was aware of the demands made on a doctor’s wife, and wasn’t I glad that I wouldn’t have to work at manual labor once I have you to support me. One woman even asked if twins run in my family.”
“Well, do they?” he asked with a not-very-well-concealed smile.
Her answer was short, succinct and would have appalled all the little old ladies smiling so approvingly at her from around the room had they heard the murmured words. Jeff laughed aloud, causing those smiles to broaden. “So,” he managed to say when he’d caught his breath, “how are you enjoying the party?”
In the same deadly quiet voice she told him exactly what he could do with his party and with his amusement, making him laugh again. “I can’t resist this,” he told her, then kissed her thoroughly, right in the middle of the dance floor, to the delight of their enthralled audience. “I love you,” he told her when he released her mouth, making no effort to prevent anyone else from hearing him.
Fortunately for him, the dance ended just then—before Autumn could deliver the embarrassing and rather painful retribution that she was seriously considering. He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the buffet table to join his parents, effectively blocking any further conversation between them. For the rest of the evening they mingled, and Autumn was able to maintain her politely bland facade, never once revealing her true feelings as she had to Jeff on the dance floor. Though she seethed at his amused response to her complaints, she didn’t know what she’d really expected from him. It was so easy for Jeff to shrug off other people’s comments or attitudes, she thought almost resentfully. He was an exceptionally tolerant man, able to talk pleasantly to others despite differing viewpoints. But then again, no one had called him a “pretty little thing,” she fumed.
“OKAY, AUTUMN. Let’s talk about it. What’s wrong?” Jeff demanded when they were alone in her apartment the next afternoon, having carried in Autumn’s things from Jeff’s car and retrieved Babs from Emily.
“Nothing’s wrong, Jeff,” she lied composedly, avoiding his eyes as she stroked the dog in her lap. “Did you miss me, Babs?” she murmured, trying to ignore Jeff’s dissatisfaction with her answer. “Were you a good girl for Emily?”
Sighing audibly, Jeff lifted the dog from Autumn’s lap, set her on the floor with an affectionate pat and settled firmly on the couch beside Autumn. “I’m not letting you change the subject this time,” he informed her decisively. “You’ve pulled back from me emotionally again, and I want to know why. You can start by looking at me. I don’t think you’ve really looked at me all day.”
She kept her eyes trained steadily on her hands, laced in a white-knuckled grip in her lap. She’d known this confrontation was coming, but she hadn’t been looking forward to it. She’d known it was inevitable since that kiss on the dance floor the evening before. It had been late when they’d returned to Jeff’s parents’ home, and there had been no chance for the two of them to be alone since, other than during a lingering good-night kiss before retiring to their separate beds. Autumn had carefully avoided his eyes through breakfast, church services and lunch with his parents and, claiming weariness from a night spent in unfamiliar surroundings, had feigned sleep during the drive back to Tampa. Jeff had allowed her to get away with the postponement efforts—until now. He would wait no longer for his explanation.
She’d made a decision during the long sleepless night in the guest bedroom of the Bradford home. She hadn’t cried when she’d come to the painful conclusion, but she’d felt her heart twisting into knots in her chest. Still, she had to do it, she told herself relentlessly. It was the only decision she could make that was fair to both Jeff and her. “I think we should stop seeing each other, Jeff,” she said, her voice entirely devoid of emotion.
He went very still beside her. “You think what?” he asked quietly.
“I’m sure you heard me,” she replied, still looking down at her hands. Part of her mind wondered absently if her knuckles could get any whiter.
“Oh, I heard you,” he agreed flatly. “I’m just not sure you really meant it.”
“I meant it.” She dipped her head a bit lower, her hair falling forward to partially hide her face. “There’s no future for us, Jeff. If we keep seeing each other, one of us—or both of us—will be hurt. I’d like to avoid that.”
“I’m sure you would.” His voice held more sarcasm than she’d ever heard from him. She risked a quick glance at his face, then quickly turned her eyes back downward, not liking what she’d seen. “Want to tell me what precipitated this?” he asked with polite detachment. “I was under the assumption that we love each other. As a matter of fact, you told me only yesterday that you love me.”