He dropped her off at school the next morning. She walked inside, feeling more distracted than ever.
She just needed to make it through the day.
Natalie helped. Jem smiled at her vivacious friend. She was tall and willowy with beautiful black hair and eyes a warm shade of brown.
"Hey Jem. Want to go somewhere with me tonight?" She eagerly asked.
"Where?"
Natalie shrugged and said, "Mom is getting on my back about needing to be involved in more activities that will look good on college applications, so I'm actually going to a book club tonight."
Jem stared at her, shocked. "Really?"
"Yeah, really. I'd feel a lot less awkward if you'd go with me."
Her eyes were pleading, so Jem said, "Yes, of course I'll go."
It would give her a chance to try and get a grip on the Case situation.
She left school that day and went to Case's car, preparing to do battle.
"Hey sweetheart. Smart enough not to hug a boy today, hmm?"
He kissed her gently.
She bit her tongue and didn't retort; she needed to be on his good side.
"Natalie wants me to go to a book club with her tonight. Her mom is getting on her back about being involved in more academic activities, I guess." She figured she might as well tell him now.
He clenched his jaw and glanced at her and then back at the road before he said, "Fine. But I drive you there and I pick you up."
"Deal." She said, happy and relieved. That had gone easier than she had imagined it would.
She walked up to her apartment with him. She hurriedly fed the cat and returned to the living room where Case sat.
"What time is the book club?"
"Eight."
He grinned and pulled her onto him, kissing her passionately. She moaned. "Case..."
"Yes love?"
"It is not fair what you do to me."
"How so?" He nibbled on her ear.
Her breathing labored. "I can't think when you touch me."
He kissed her.
His mouth smiled against her lips. "Don't think. Feel."
"I don't do things like this, Case."
His hands went to her hair, freeing it from the clips.
"Correction; you didn't do things like this before. Now you have me and I'm so hot and irresistible..."
She smacked his chest, pulling away from him, giggling.
"You just keep telling yourself that, Case."
"It's true. If it wasn't true you would have kissed someone else before you kissed me."
She flushed, feeling slightly insulted.
She said, "Well, what is stopping me from kissing someone else now?"
She hadn't meant a word of it, but she had never seen a man look so mad in all her life. Suddenly she was in his lap and he had an iron grip on her, strong but not in the least bit hurting.
