I Want You Back | Completed |

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Janice helped the two year old girl off the swing. The little angel, dressed in a pink dress with a sparkly unicorn on its front, rewarded her with a kiss before running off to join the group of toddlers screaming as they walked behind their caretakers at the beach. She smiled at the group before turning back to her work.

She was pleasantly tired and her cheeks were kind of sore from all the smiling she'd been doing today. After the day was over, all she wanted was a long shower and an even longer night. She arranged the wares in the outdoor stall she was manning for her friend.

The Den was a group of artists and artisans who had banded together to create an umbrella group where members were able to sell and market their wares. They had access to information on suppliers for their raw materials and through a web of contacts, they sourced for buyers, promoters, gallery owners who could display their creations and sponsors for new artists just joining the fray. Today she was helping her friend who specialized in tribal jewelry from beaded bangles to loud statement necklaces made of bone and semi precious stones.

Sophie had taken the day off to get a massage and a mani-pedi. As a single mum working two jobs it was rare to find time to just relax and let her hair down. So she had jumped at the chance to get away and leave someone she trusted to keep her stall open.

Janice adjusted a necklace on a display and looked up with a pasted-on smile at the new customer who had walked up to the stall. But just as fast as she had conjured up the fake smile it slid off her face when she saw Luke looking back at her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Shopping about. I thought I'd buy my wife something pretty."
"Don't you mean your ex-wife?"
Luke raised an eyebrow at her. Stubborn woman. He liked that about her.
"Nope. She's mad at me, but she'll get over it. I thought maybe a bangle to match her eyes, and lunch might soften her up."
Janice wanted to stomp her foot in frustration. After a year and some change of isolation, she definitely did not need to be tripping over Luke at every turn.

He was hot. Hot enough to have women staring at him. Hot enough to make her body sit up and pay attention. Chemistry had never been their problem, all she had to do was breath in his scent and she was ready to go. He had a way of sneaking past her defenses.

"I'm thinking she might need a lot more than pretty things and lunch to get over her mad." she taunted.
Luke smiled ferally at her, "I love a challenge."
She decided to ignore him. But it was beyond impossible to ignore six foot plus of male whose attention was riveted on you like a drill.
" Soo...."
"So?" Janice asked as she continued to ignore him.
"Lunch?"
"Don't you have anything else to do?"
Luke leaned on the stand and slid his hands into his pocket. "You know I can't think of anywhere else I have to be."
Janice crossed her arms and pinned him with a pointed look." Really, no board meeting. No deal to close. No product to roll out. No butts to kiss?"

Luke barely kept a wince in. The truth was he was needed at work. The company was launching a new product and all hands were needed on deck. But he had a feeling that if he took off for work, his intransigent wife would leave and never look back. So he smiled at her "Not a one" and was rewarded with a scowl from her.
"Janice! Janice!"
She looked up in surprise at the call that came from a tall statuesque brunette weaving through the crowd towards her. Janice frowned even as her friend drew her into a warm embrace. "Sophie, I thought you were taking the day off."
"I was, but after an entire morning, I got bored and decided to come to see how you were doing. Sooo...how are you doing?"
"I'm fine. You didn't have to interrupt your day off.
"Darling, it's no trouble at all." Sophie cupped her face affectionately. "Besides, now you can take advantage of the rest of the day and laze about."

Luke took in the interaction between the two women and saw for the first time in a long time the open-hearted goodness that he had always associated with his wife. She smiled at the taller older woman with no reservation, accepting and giving warm touches freely. This was the woman who he'd married, but somehow he'd lost the right to touch that warm heart and it stung.

"Well now that you're free, how about an early lunch?" he asked his wife. He saw her tense up and work to release it. He drew the attention of Sophie.
"And you are?"
"Luke. Jay's husband."
The answer had Sophie looking at them in interest and that suddenly, he acquired an unlikely ally. "An early lunch and a day at the beach would be just what the doctor ordered." His wife just narrowed her eyes at the both of them, opened her mouth to contradict her, seemed to think twice about it then closing her mouth. Rewarding him with a glare that promised murder, mayhem and the apocalypse.
He smiled innocently at her, making her glare even fiercer. He'd take her anger over the distance she put between them. So he kept the smile in place as she collected her bag and bid farewell to Sophie and fell in step with him.

"Just because we're having lunch doesn't mean..."
Luke silenced her by the simple expediency of kissing her. He tasted her lips, licking out at them in small laps. He bit at her bottom lip, sweeping in to taste her when her mouth opened in a gasp. When his tongue slid along hers, she moaned. It made her clench her fingers at the waist of his t-shirt as she went on tiptoe to reach his mouth.

When she licked her tongue against his, biting on his lower lip, sucking at his top. He crushed her to his body, thinking of nothing but tasting more of her. Tasting all of her again and again. He was jerked back to his surroundings by the triiing of a bicycle bell. They were in public and he was inches away from stripping Janice to the skin and thrusting into her like a neanderthal. He drew away from the kiss and drew satisfaction from her unfocused gaze and kiss swollen lips. They tempted him to go back for a quick taste, before tucking her by his side and walking towards what would be a very long lunch.

She still wanted him and no matter what was going on with her and him, she always would. The rest of the things would have to follow because if that kiss had told him anything was that he had hope that he'd convince her to take another chance on them.