Lead On (Complete)

~ Chapter 10 ~

Rose climbed in the truck and Jeff closed the door before walking around to the drivers side. Jimmy had said it was no problem leaving the car for Jeff to look at it. Personally, the last thing she wanted to do was lean on that man for anything, but she also knew that Jeff was smart with cars and could help her rather cheaply.

"If all you are gonna do is stare out the window, this is gonna be a long ass night." Rose tossed a glance his way.

"I can ask mama to borrow her car so that you don't have to take me to work."

"Stop that Rose. Do you think I mind? Wouldn't it be like when we first got married?"

"Yeah, all the times you would take me and pick me up, back when you loved me." Jeff let out his own sigh as he looked out the front window.

"I have never stopped loving you Rose, ever. You were the one girl I wanted back then and the only woman I want now."

"But not the only woman you have had." He slowly shook his head.

"No, you are not the only woman I have slept with. But you can't tell me I'm your only man still." She licked her lips, wondering if she could say how much, but knew he would see through the lie.

"No, you aren't."

"Not like you had many choices here huh?" Rose turned and looked at him, a brow cocked.

"Are you asking me about my sex life here?"

"Yeah, guess I'm curious."

"Will you return the favor?" Jeff shrugged at that question from her.

"If you want to know. I have never been big on lying, you know that and it won't start now." That was at least true, although she was questioning that with the whole love talk.

"I think, in total, there might have been four. One while I was on vacation in Florida, one while I was in Vegas, and the last two, well, were from here."

"I know about the Vegas one, but how is there anyone single in these parts for you to have been with?" Rose just stared at him.

"How the hell do you know about what I did in Vegas? That was like three years ago!"

"You went with Jimmy and his wife."

"Believe me, that is a mistake I will never do again. And he told me that he wasn't saying anything to you."

"Does it matter?" Rose shrugged but crossed her arms. This was what she didn't want, stuff about her life getting back to this man and it had. "You didn't answer my question."

"Why does that bother you?"

"Just like how you don't like all the women eyeing me and wanting a piece of this, I don't want the men eyeing you, and having what was mine. Do you know how many times you were talked about in the boys' locker room?"

"Oh please!" She rolled her eyes, her gaze staring back out the window for a minute. "One was Daniel; he was a freshman when you rolled in. He stayed in town while you left and he found me at the bar the night before he was shipped out. He died nine months after that, a land mine or something. The other one was Joel." Jeff's brows came together as he mulled that over. After a few moments, his eyes opened wide and his jaw clenched. Rose tried not to smile as she also watched his hands tighten on the steering wheel.

"You screwed one of my biggest rivals from high school?"

"He was yours, never mine. And besides, that shit was from high school! You mean to tell me that if you saw him now you would be a dick to him?"

"Even more so now knowing he fucked you! One of my biggest issues with that guy was the way he talked about you; like I was never good enough for you. And that you must be a hell of a fuck with that Latin blood running through your veins. He even invited us to some party so that he could get you alone in some room!"

"Again, high school; that was ages ago."

"Yeah, well, he still ended up fucking what was mine." Rose rolled her eyes again at him.

"Come on Jeff! We have been divorced for ten God damn years. You mean to tell me that you have kept on to all those feelings for that long?" She blinked as she looked around, noticing they had pulled up to her house.

"You are damn right I did!"

"Then why now are you making any attempt to get a hold of me to talk or do whatever?"

"Because now is the fucking time. I haven't had any until now!" Rose just stared at him, not sure what to make of that. Time for what? What the hell had he been doing all these years?

"I don't understand...."

"No," he said, cutting her off, "you won't. I won't let you. I told you that we needed to talk and we do but it seems like shit keeps happening and we can't." He let out a breath, his hands running through his hair and she watched. And she enjoyed it. His biceps bulged and the tattoo popped and all she wanted to do was run her hands over it.

If there was something she greatly missed about this man, it was how she felt when she was held by him. Even in high school, when he was slowly starting to build up, when he would hold her she would feel like she was in the safest place she could ever be. And those few months when he was gone, she felt like the world was closing in on her. And that's why she followed him and that thought quickly woke her up.

"Enough about me, how many women have you had?"

"Five." She shook her head, not wanting to believe that.

"Just five?"

"Yeah. And three of them were drunken nights when I was thinking about you and wanting you." He turned his head and his eyes landed on her and damn it all to hell, her breath caught. He reached out and cupped her cheek, bringing her closer. "I keep telling you that I have only loved you, that I have only wanted you. Do you really find that so hard to believe?" Yes, her mind screamed and no her heart yelled. But in the end, she said neither. In fact, all she could was lean forward and give him the briefest of kisses. That was much like it was when they first started dating. And he had no problems returning it, if the smile he was sporting was saying anything.

"You sure you don't mind picking me up tomorrow?" His thumb brushed over her cheek before it ran over her lips and he shook his head.

"Not at all; just like old times." She gave him another smile before she climbed out and high tailed it into the house. And once she closed and locked the door, and then watched out the window to make sure she was okay, did she let out a very deep breath. Yes, just like old times, and her heart was screaming at her for it.