Chapter Eleven

Sam Cooke crooned softly from the discreet entertainment centre set in the corner of the dining area, the sultry boom of his voice floating serenely through to the kitchen where Jon was anxiously peering in the through the glass fronted oven door. Small bubbles of rich red sauce were happily erupting in the corners of the square ceramic dish splashing the liquid in a bloody trail down the sides to pool in a flat baking sheet. Smirking he silently congratulated himself on having the foresight to remember the tray this time. Alice his long time housekeeper had nearly walked out on him when she’d had to clean up after his last culinary adventure. Some of her infuriated remarks must have sunk home; he’d remembered her top tip for keeping the oven clean!


Satisfied everything was as it should be in the oven department after he had slipped some crusty bread on the bottom shelf to warm, he turned his attention to the bags of salad lying on the counter top, swaying his hips to the chirpy little chorus resounding merrily through the room.

Cupid, draw back your bowooooh
And let your arrow gooo 
Straight to my lovers heart 
For me 

Softly joining in with his old buddy Sam, Jon contentedly sang his way through the classic hit as he pulled apart various pre-packed cellophane bags of mixed salad and emptied them all into a large wooden serving bowl. Investigations into a brown paper grocery bag produced a vine of sun sweetened tomatoes which he cheerily plucked apart and tossed onto the green bed of leaves already nestled in the bowl.

Now Cupid if your arrow make a love storm for me 
I promise I will love her until eternity
I know between the two of us, her heart we can steal 
Heeelp me if you will 


Soooooo! 

Grabbing a pair of wooden tongs to toss the rustic salad together he couldn’t resist raising one of them to his lips as an impromptu microphone. Spinning on his heels, he swayed across the smooth tiles to yank open the refrigerator, his voice perfectly matching the old time crooners as he dramatically pulled out a bottle of vinaigrette and bumped the door shut with his ass.

Cupid!


Pleeeeeeease hear my cry
And let your arrow fly 
Straight to my lover’s heart 
For meeee 


Noooow Cupid!
Don't you hear me?
Calling you
I need ya
Cupiiiiiiiid......Help me
I need ya...........


As the words faded, Jon tucked the bottle under his arm and gripping the tongs in his teeth picked up the bowl to carry it out onto the patio where he’d carefully set up a small dining table. Glancing up at the open French doors, he noisily let the tongs slips from his teeth only barely catching them with the bowl when he saw Rachel standing daintily on the step amusedly twirling a single rose between her fingers.

“Hey!” he exclaimed in surprise, “You’re early!”

Rachel dipped her head in an effort that did little to disguise the shudders of laughter that were shaking her shoulders. Biting her lips she cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Apparently I’m not the only one who likes to sing at home! Although I will admit your dance moves are infinitely worse than my singing talents!” Ignoring Jon’s pathetic attempt at a wounded look, she continued teasing him in between giggles. “Good thing your singing career worked out huh? The Chippendales can breathe easy!”

Jon pouted as he tried valiantly to make a comeback and failed miserably – guess that was karma for sneaking up on her yesterday. Padding past her to place the salad and vinaigrette out on the table he turned to eye up the velvety rose she was slowly waving under her nose.

“Hmph, you got my flowers then I see!”

A demure smile crept across her lips as she gently brushed the petals of the flower softly against her cheek, her eyes dancing with evil merriment.

“Oh, they were from you?” Her brows arched upwards innocently. “I had no idea…….”

Jon stepped forward to gently lay a hand either side of her hips, his lips twitching in a futile attempt to hide the beginnings of a sneaky grin. He leaned in close to whisper in her ear just as Sam started into a soft rendition of ‘You Send Me’ in the background.






“Oh really? Is it every day you get a gate code sent with flowers to your door little girl?”

Rachel pretended to consider his question for a moment, breathing in his musky scent as he hovered dangerously close to her neck.

“Well maybe not with a gate code……….”

Chuckling Jon placed a soft kiss on her cheek, giving her hips a gentle squeeze.

“Wanna dance with me and my buddy Sam here?”

Rachel smiled delightedly at him before her nose crinkled in puzzlement. “I’d love to but……..is there something burning?”

Lifting his head to sniff the air suspiciously, Jon’s charming smile turned into one of shock as he swore and made a dive into the kitchen.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Skidding to a halt in front of the oven, he yanked open the oven door only to splutter and cough at the thick black smoke that came billowing out.

“Noooooo!”

Howling in annoyance, he jabbed a hand in to send the loaf of cremated bread skittering to the floor in a shower of black crumbs. He stared at it in disgust as he mournfully sucked the tips of his fingers to rid them of the slight burn from the incinerated bread. Rachel stepped through from the patio, blinking away the stinging tears from the acrid smoke that was rapidly filling the kitchen. Picking up a nearby towel, she flapped it through the air giggling in between splutters.

“Oh dear! Guess bread is no longer on the menu then huh?”

Stopping by his side she continued to bat the air with the towel, placing her other hand sympathetically on Jon’s shoulder.

“Never mind, it’s bad for you anyway!”

Laughing, Jon shook his head ruefully and kicked the still smoking bread in the direction of the trash can. Turning to peer back into the now slightly clearer oven he grinned triumphantly.

 “It’s not all bad! Voilá!”

After taking the towel from Rachel, he slid the perfectly cooked lasagne out from the shelf on its sauce darkened tray. Carefully he slid it onto the counter top, sniffing the golden cheesy crust appreciatively.

Rachel viewed the dish with curiosity, smiling with approval. So the man could cook after all.

“You know what? Aside from nearly burning the house down this is pretty impressive for a man who claims to eat nothing but pizza!”

Narrowing her eyes she looked at him suspiciously as she referred back to the gigantic stack of empty pizza boxes she’d seen on the grand tour which funnily enough were nowhere to be seen now. Swiftly Jon dismissed her observations with a quick grin and motioned to the enormous stainless steel fridge behind her.

 “There’s a nice bottle of Pinot in there or water if you prefer? I gotta serve this baby up!”

Shaking her head at his intense concentration, Rachel collected the wine and some glasses from the counter and headed back out to the patio table that Jon had already prepared for dinner. A small citronella candle flickered softly in a glass lantern providing an attractive centrepiece amidst the cream linen place mats and polished cutlery. He really had gone all out she nervously noted as she poured them both a generous glass of the wine and sat down in the last of the evening sunshine to await her dinner with a contented sigh, the soft lyrics of the bluesy music adding to the idyllic atmosphere.

A few minutes later, with Jon sitting across the small table watching her hopefully, Rachel slowly chewed thoughtfully on her first forkful. The rich tomato sauce combined with gentle hints of thyme and garlic exploded in a burst of flavour on her tongue, this wasn’t a sauce that came in a jar that was for sure.

“Jon, this is delicious!”

Swallowing the mouthful, Rachel took a small sip from her glass letting the wine cleanse her palate.

“Can you give me the recipe?”

“Um, sure I guess…..” Jon shrugged as he busied himself with forking some salad onto his plate. “It’s nothing special.”

“Are you kidding me? Jon – It’s divine!!” Exclaiming Rachel cut herself another forkful.

“What did you put in the sauce?”

Busy eating Jon avoided looking her in the eye as he mumbled. “Oh you know, just the usual.”

What was it with women needing to know every little detail? If a woman cooked for him, the last thing on his mind would be what was in the damn sauce. Truth was he hadn’t the first clue what the ingredients were, that was very much Alice’s department and she’d probably call for a doctor if he ever showed even the slightest interest in how she made some of the delicious dishes she spoiled him with. She'd been more than suspicious when he'd asked her that morning to leave something in the fridge that he could finish off in the oven but as usual she'd outdone herself. Her lasagne was truly spectacular.

“More wine?” Lifting the wine bottle with a flourish he swiftly changed the subject.

“So how was your day? Did your furniture arrive?”

He knew full well her furniture had arrived having spent most of the day over in the studio keeping a watchful eye on the queue of big trucks that had rolled up her driveway. But he wasn’t about to let her in on that particular secret.

“Yeah, it’s all there now thankfully.” Wiping her mouth on a napkin, Rachel smiled tiredly at him. “It doesn’t feel like I’m living in a cave now at least.”

Over the course of dinner they chatted companionably while Sam sang softly in the background, the soothing lilt of his creamy voice carrying across the patio and floating away on the still night air. Rachel filled Jon in on her day of organising the craziness of the staging company and more on what her actual job entailed. He found himself strangely fascinated as she enthusiastically covered most aspects of modern real estate, reeling off facts and figures of the market as easily as she breathed.

With every sip of wine she became more animated, laughter tinkling from her as she reminisced on some of the more interesting characters she’d dealt with over the years. Reclining back in his chair, Jon nodded with interest; he had to hand it to her. This girl really knew her business inside and out.

“So say I was to put this place on the market? What’s it worth – realistically?”

He motioned with his eyes to the shadows of his house that towered behind them as he refilled both their glasses.

Rachel blew out a low whistle. “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Putting it on the market?”

Half twisting in her chair to gaze up at the impressive building Rachel did some quick mental calculations, her memory flashing back to the tour he’d given her.

“Maybe….” Jon answered her cryptically, a sneaky grin on his face as he watched her eyes dart over the outside of the house. “Depends on the figure you come up with……”

Rachel gave a small snort as she turned back in her chair to face him, incredulity filling her eyes.

“Don’t tell me you’re in need of a few bucks?!”

Grinning Jon leisurely stretched his arms out wide before returning his hands to gently rub his full stomach.

“Times are tough baby!”

“Well if times are tough for YOU then the rest of us are completely screwed!”

She laughed openly across the table at him before tuning her business head back in.

“Well bouncing your house as a price comparison against the one I’m currently in, you’re somewhere in the region of twenty million, or thereabouts……BUT………..”

She held up a finger indicating she wasn’t done, “…..with you being the celebrity you are that’s gonna bump the price tag up considerably.”

Jon’s grin widened and he chuckled. “Alright then, hit me – what’s my celebrity worth?”

Rachel pursed her lips in thought, “Roughly, taking everything into consideration with the current market, probably another couple of million on top of that.”

“Not bad I suppose.” Jon stuck out his lower lip. “Then again, it might not be worth it after what I’d have to pay someone to sell it!”

She laughed back at him, the combination of the wine and easy conversation filling her body with warmth and relaxation. Licking her lips, she arched a golden eyebrow at him.

“Oh I dunno about that, I’m sure you could find someone who’d cut you a good deal.”

Smirking Jon leaned forward in his chair, letting his foot gently bump her leg under the table.

“Got any recommendations for me?”

His touch sent shivers of delight up her bare leg, goose bumps rising on her smooth skin as she giggled straight into his twinkling eyes.

“I know a girl………”

Rachel could barely recognise her own voice that simpered back seductively at him, her foot instinctively rising to meet his denim covered leg, her toes curling around his taut calf muscle.

“I hear she’s real good………..”

The soft drawl of her voice made Jon’s gut clench and the little dance her toes were seductively tapping out on his leg were sending clear signals to his groin making him shudder with anticipation. Reaching for his glass he threw back the last of his wine, draining it in a single swallow before he stretched a hand over to her.

 “What do you say we dance out a deal of sorts?”

Chapter Ten

Jon casually gave himself a final once over in the long mirror of his closet, tweaking at an errant tuft of hair on his head here and there. Flashing his well-practiced smile at himself, he nodded with approval. A light blue button down shirt with the sleeves loosely rolled back to just below his elbows matched with his favourite worn dark denim jeans set off his tanned skin perfectly. Hell he knew he looked good, all those hours spent pounding the pavement and pushing weights weren’t for nothing.

Stopping off at the kitchen on his way out to pick up the bottle of wine he’d had chilling, he perched a pair of sun glasses in front of his eyes and set off with determination across the lawn. A warm evening breeze drifted off the river, the smell of freshly cut grass wafting sweetly in the air to compliment the slow set of the amber sun to the west. He had ended up spending a couple of hours in the studio tweaking a new song that had been floating in his head the past few weeks, any further good intentions of cleaning having been banished along with the overflowing box of papers he’d shoved into a hidden cupboard in the garage. Just as he had been finishing up, the sound of faint voices had carried through the open window to where he was idly slouched on a chair fingering out a melody on his worn guitar. When he craned his neck to follow the sound, he’d nearly dropped the guitar in his enthusiasm to witness the scene unfolding across the road.

Rachel had hopped out from the car smiling and with a small wave bade her companion a cheerful farewell. Jon noted with a smug smile that no invitation into the house for coffee seemed to be in order for ‘Mr Mercedes’ who with a quick wave out the window gunned the powerful car back down the drive. A glance at Jon’s watch showed it was only just after three in the afternoon so wherever they’d gone it couldn’t have been too far away. He watched Rachel standing in the porch hugging her arms to herself until the car had disappeared from sight and he could have sworn he saw her heave a visible sigh of relief before she headed inside the house. All good signs he reckoned. A little plan had formed in his head there and then for the evening ahead and any further musical ambitions he may have been nursing for the day had been cast aside.

After a furtive glance up and down the road, Jon strode confidently up the short sidewalk to Rachel’s gates, chuckling as he thought back to their first introduction of sorts a couple of weeks back. He just hadn’t been able to resist the urge to help the slightly dishevelled and frustrated looking woman trying in vain to tug her baggage through the broken gates. He was a sucker for the whole damsel in distress scene.

He swallowed back just a hint of nerves beginning to rise to the surface after he’d hit the call button on the front door’s intercom system. A faint chime rang out from somewhere within the confines of the house which presumably would have alerted Rachel to his presence but the shadows within the vast hallway remained unbroken by movement. Not to be deterred, Jon tried twice more each time holding the button down longer than was strictly necessary.

Dammit where was she?

He took a few steps back off the porch to gaze up at the house in annoyance. He knew she was home, her Tahoe still neatly parked beside him was evidence of that. Pondering what to do next, his ears picked up on the faintest strains of music drifting from around the side wall of the house to his left. Resolutely tucking the bottle of rapidly de-chilling wine in the crook of his arm, Jon let his ears guide him past the solid granite cornered gable wall and up onto a rustic decking that seemed to wrap itself around the far wings of the house. His soft leather boots made no sound on the faded wooden boards that were in desperate need of a treatment, noiselessly absorbing his weight as he stepped closer to the furthest corner. The view stretched down across the yellowing neglected lawn, a weed littered tennis court with a sadly drooping torn net sagging across the middle and a decent sized pool empty of water and securely barricaded by a high chain link fence. He was beginning to understand what Rachel was doing here; there was no way in hell the property could be viewed by anybody in its current state.

The music strains grew louder as he crept around the next corner following the contours of the rear facing wall, the familiar pounding chorus of Jennifer Rush’s eighties hit ballad along with an accompanying high pitched quaver of Rachel’s voice making him chuckle.

“Cause I am YOUR LAAAAAAAAAAAADYYYYYYY

And you are my maaaaaaan

Whenever you reeeeach for me

I’ll do all that I caaaaaaan”

Collapsing against the rough surface of the wall, Jon bit his lip in mirth to stop himself doubling over at the sight before him. Rachel was relaxing with her eyes closed on a cushion laid out on the decked veranda still wearing the pretty little summer dress from earlier happily warbling loudly and unashamedly along with the iPod speakers she had nestled beside her. The dipping sun’s rays were captured perfectly in the suntrap that she had unwittingly made her private stage, bathing the area in a warm light. The hem of her dress had risen to just above her knees, exposing her long slender legs to where her ankles crossed over one another leading to her bare feet lazily tapping along to the pulsating beat of the music.

He watched amusedly as she valiantly sang her heart out at the end of the song and waited patiently for the music to fade before starting a low applause grinning all the while. Rachel’s eyes flew open at the sound and she yanked herself upright to stare at him in fright.

“Oh my God Jon! You nearly scared me half to death!” She clasped a hand to her heart and sank back against the wall in relief, an embarrassed flush rising in her cheeks.

“Hey there Jennifer! Great to see you again after all these years! You look……….different to what I remember though!” Jon quipped as he chuckled at her, deftly presenting the bottle of wine from under his arm.

“If I’d known my new neighbour was such an icon I’d have brought something more suited to the occasion, afraid this will have to do!”

Rachel glowered at him for a second before resignedly shrugging her shoulders, a small smile breaking through her mortification.

“Have no fear Mr Bon Jovi, after hearing that you can rest assured you’re still the only icon in residence around these parts!”

Jon chortled, stepping forward to lend her a hand up as she got to her feet.

“It wasn’t all that bad, there were parts………”

Rachel reached behind her to brush any dust off the back of her dress and fixed him with an amused look. 

“Yeah I know – there were parts that were slightly less horrific than others!” Laughing she threw off her embarrassment with a shrug, “Hey at least you’ve heard the worst of me now – it doesn’t get much worse than that!” She accepted the bottle of wine he was proffering with a smile.

“Thank you, I wasn’t expecting to see you again……..so soon.” 

Jon stuck in his hands in his pockets and rocked gently back and forth on his scuffed heels. “I thought I’d come over and apologise for my performance this morning, I ruined our running date!”

Rachel raised her eyes to him in brief surprise at the word 'date'. So it was a date? Wow. She dropped her eyes and waved him away casually with a grin, moving through the open veranda doors into the airy kitchen.

“Don’t be silly, I still enjoyed myself. The tour of your house more than made up for the lack of any actual exercise!”

Setting the bottle down on a countertop, she turned back to watch Jon take in the large kitchen still largely devoid of any furniture.

“I’d return the favour but as you can see I’m not really set up yet.” Waving her hands about to indicate the bare cupboards she laughed lightly. “I don’t even have a corkscrew yet so I can’t even offer you a glass of your own wine!”

Jon shook his head in amazement as he walked further into the room. “How are you even living here?”

“Don’t worry; the stagers are arriving tomorrow with some furniture so hopefully in a few days it’ll look somewhat like a normal home!” She laughed back at him, “Then I can give you the grand tour of my temporary abode!”

Jon winked back at her. “Well in that case why don’t you come over the road to my place? I’m pretty sure I’ve got a corkscrew or two lying around.”

Rachel nervously twisted her fingers around one another, her face going crimson as she glanced down at the floor to her bare feet. Her heart was still pounding from the earlier fright of seeing him only now it was fluttering with nerves of desire and excitement. This was crazy.

“That is if you’ve no other plans for the evening?” Jon added gently, his hands still buried deep in his pockets. He could see her mulling the proposal over and he desperately wanted her to accept, lust was ruling his head again from the moment he’d ran his eyes over her delicious legs glimmering in the sunshine.

“Sure, that’d be nice. Let me just find some shoes and lock up?”

Jon breathed out a quick sigh of relief before he beamed back at her. Luck was on his side tonight or was that lust talking again?

~~~~~~~~~~~

“You know it’d be really hard to put a price on this view.”

Rachel sighed contentedly as she sat on the edge of the wooden pier dipping her feet in and out of the cool river water. Dusk was beginning to settle and the sky was streaked with pink and purple pastels as the sun continued its night time descent.

“You’d be the expert on that!” Jon spoke from beside her, slouching comfortably on his side idly twisting the stem of his wine glass between his thumb and forefinger. The half empty bottle sat in a cooler beside them, beads of condensation running freely down its side.

Rachel smiled softly and shook her head wistfully. “There are just some things in this world that can’t have a price put on them.”

Jon nodded thoughtfully in agreement. “You’re right. I guess it’s a long time since I came down here and appreciated it all.”

Rachel dropped her gaze from the darkening sky to look down at him. Wisps of honeyed hair drooped low across his forehead, his eyes soft as they travelled across the gentle ripples of water stretching across the river. Propped up by his elbow, the neck of his shirt gaped low to reveal feathery light chest hair just peeking out from below the open buttons.

“You must miss your kids…..” She spoke softly, unsure of whether she was probing into forbidden territory. When he looked up at her in surprise she blushed guiltily. “I Googled you…….”

To her shock, Jon laughed loudly before taking another sip of wine. “You did huh?” Grinning at her he sat up to grab the bottle for a refill. “Well then you know all there is to know for the most part.” 

Leaning across to top up her glass, he caught a whiff of her understated but sweet perfume.

“Which, might I add is very unfair considering I know nothing really about you.” He playfully threw down the challenge as he caught her eye before sitting up to place the empty bottle back in the cooler.

Rachel held his gaze for a moment before looking away, “Oh I’m pretty boring in comparison, nothing really to tell.” She took an extra-large gulp of wine and concentrated on watching her toes distort under the shimmering surface of the water.

Jon noticed the stiffness in her back and wondered quietly what her secret was. Goosebumps were forming on the back of her neck and she shivered involuntarily even in the warm still air of the evening. Reaching across he gently laid a hand on her shoulder, her skin smooth under his fingers.

“Hey, you getting cold?”

She jumped slightly under his touch but made no move to escape his hand. Taking another sip she smiled back at him shaking her head.

“No, I’m good……..”

Their eyes connected across her shoulder, Jon fingers gently tracing a slow circle across her spine sending spasms of yearning for more down to her core. Slowly he leaned closer, his voice a low husky gravel.

“So there’s nothing I need to know about you?”

Her lips quivered when he slid his fingers just inside the back of her light dress,

“Nothing…….”

Seamlessly she twisted into his arms, her shoulder tucked neatly against his hard chest. The only sound to break the silence was that of the water dripping noisily from her feet as she raised them out of the water to allow for her new position in his arms. Her fingers curled tightly around the wine glass in her hands as she wordlessly tipped her face up to Jon’s chin, so close his breath was warm on her cheeks. Her heart hammered so hard in her chest it was like a dull ache only soothed by the constant circling of his fingers on the side of her ribcage.

Jon felt her lean her light frame back in his arm and with his other hand he lifted it to tenderly tip her chin up to his. He could see the clouds of emotion swirl in her willowy green eyes until her eyelids fluttered closed. Gently he dropped a light kiss to her lips, barely touching until he felt her reciprocate and relax against his chest. Assured, he deepened the kiss moving his hand from her chin to under her hair, his fingers splayed through her soft roots.

Tantalisingly slow he took his time, gently exploring her lips with his own relishing the plump swell of their curves as he tasted the wine from her mouth on his tongue. A low moan escaped her and he broke apart just long enough to see her hooded eyes gaze back up at him.

“You okay baby?” Softly he whispered to her, gently caressing the back of her head with his fingers.

When she nodded he dropped his head to her once more, this time deepening the kiss when he felt her slip a hand under his arm to softly knead his chest. Lust swarmed to his groin and with a groan he pulled her upright in his arms to nestle her on his lap. With the movement the thin strap of her dress fell sideways exposing one bare shoulder that he couldn’t resist nipping with his teeth.

“Ohhhhhh….” Rachel’s low murmur of appreciation wasn’t lost on him as he moved his hands down her back and around to her chest, his thumbs spreading wide to trace the curve of  her firm bust through the loose fabric of her dress.  Both of her hands kneaded the muscles at the nape of his neck, her fingers stretching down under the collar of his shirt as he alternately sucked and nibbled at her collarbone. She writhed mercilessly against his thighs where she lay half straddling him, the hard shaft of his cock straining against the denim of his jeans becoming undeniably noticeable.

“Rachel……..” Jon grunted as he squirmed beneath her trying to release the pressure that was building in his groin, if she wasn’t careful he was gonna blow his load there and then.

“Mmmn?” Half opening her eyes to look down at him Rachel suddenly realised that they were still very visible in the fading light from anyone still out boating on the river. Breathlessly she peeled herself off him, righting the strap of her dress self-consciously.

“Umm, I’m sorry, I don’t know what…….” The moment was broken as both of them became aware of where they were. “Jon…..I…….this is lovely, I mean this……” She stammered her words as she reluctantly released the cradle she had been holding on his neck. With a nervous laugh she carefully sidled off his lap and stiffly got to her feet to toe on her pretty flowery pumps.

Jon blew out a breath, gently placing a discreet hand over the spot on his lap that she had just vacated, grimacing as the friction of the rough denim burned his throbbing shaft. Leaning back slightly on his other hand to alleviate the pressure somewhat he looked concernedly at her.

“I’m sorry too Rachel, Hell I didn’t plan on this.”

Like Hell you didn’t jackass.

Ignoring the loud protests of his conscience, he watched as she flustered at her attempt to get her shoes on. She bent over in front of him to pull a finger around the rim of the crinkled fabric of a shoe, allowing Jon a full frontal view of the delicious breasts he had been so nearly joyously fondling only moments earlier, neatly supported by a simple white cotton strapless bra. The view was doing nothing to ease the pressure in his jeans and he forced his eyes away from her delicious curves to focus on the light golden chain that was swinging like a pendulum from her neck. Just before she righted herself, he caught sight of the pair of rings nestled together at the bottom of the chain.

Before he could react to enquire about her jewellery, Rachel hurriedly slipped them back under the front of her dress, the rings disappearing from view as they dropped on their chain to between her breasts.

“I should go, busy day tomorrow…….”

Not waiting to process his thoughts, Jon blurted an invitation across her agitated mumblings.

“Have dinner with me tomorrow?”

Rachel paused in the hurried straightening of her dress to stare at him, her blonde hair still tossed and tousled from his fingers. Before she could answer him Jon gazed unblinkingly into her worried eyes to softly calm her fears.

“Please?”

A small smile eased across her ruby lips, still reddened by their passionate exchange with his.

“I’d like that…..very much. Around seven? I should be done with the stagers by then…..”

His erection starting to dissipate slightly, Jon stiffly got to his feet to gently take her still trembling hand in his own. Gently he reached up to tuck a curled tress of hair behind her right ear, pausing to softly rub his thumb across her flamed cheek. As much as his curiosity had been peaked by the brief glimpse he had gotten of what looked to him to be a pair of wedding rings now secreted away from his view, he needed to keep this situation under control before she ran out on him. He broadened his warm smile into a reassuring grin, his blue eyes still sparkling with voracity.

“It’s a date….” 

Chapter Nine

An excited smile beamed across Rachel’s face as she bounded lightly across the lawn. The excitement swirling in her stomach along with an equal measure of nerves combined to make an intoxicating mix that made her head spin. She felt like a kid in high school again having just gotten a look or a nod from her first crush. This was ridiculous! She giggled to herself, pulling up breathlessly at the gate to let herself back out onto her road. Even the birds chirping merrily in the tree branches high above her head couldn’t sing a sweeter tune than the one that was currently being strummed on her heart strings. Once she allowed herself to step back from the ‘rock star’ image she had mentally painted Jon with, she found that he was a pleasure to be around, flirtatious but natural. She would nearly have gone as far as to say she felt safe around him but no, that wasn’t quite true. Safe was boring, this man was anything but boring.

Slowing to a walk, she casually strolled the last few yards up to the entrance of the house. Still grinning, she bit her lip to stop the delight bubbling over. She was a grown woman for Christ’s sake yet here she was walking along a road in broad daylight smiling insanely like a fool. Adrenalin pumped through her body in response to this fresh, new feeling. As crazy as it sounded, she felt like a creature that had just awakened from hibernation into a world full of bright and wonderful discoveries. Jon had somehow managed to make her insides twist in ways she had thought never again possible.

“There you are!”

A loud voice snapped her from her dreamy musings just as she rounded the corner of the gateway. Startled she stared up the driveway to identify the voice that had come from the man casually slouched against the side of his polished Mercedes.

“James! Hi!” Nearly stumbling in surprise, she quickened her step up the driveway to greet him.

“I was just about to give up!” He laughingly stuck his hands in the pockets of his freshly pressed cream chinos to look her up and down. “You jog?”

“I do!” Rachel smiled nervously – why in hell did she feel like she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar? “Have to do something to try put a halt to time’s decline!”

James looked her over amusedly, “Rachel honey, time’s been nothing but kind to you!”

Blushing she waved him off, “Thanks James but it’s catching up all the time! I wasn’t expecting you out here today?” Bracing her hands against her slender hips, she looked expectantly up at him. With his hair freshly gelled over, a marine blue shirt complimenting his smooth skin, he was the epitome of the modern city slicker. His ambience positively screamed wealth and riches.

“Well I thought maybe you might like to go for some lunch? I have connections in the country club just up the road a little.” He arched an eyebrow at her, “I did call but apparently you…..were jogging?”

“Oh right! Yes, jogging!” She nodded a little too enthusiastically. “Sorry, I don’t tend to bring my cell with me.”

“A little dangerous don’t you think?” James looked at her warily and waved his arms to the surrounding area. “I mean, come on Rach, you don’t know this area very well yet!”

Rachel inwardly bristled at the shortening of her name for some inexplicable reason. She didn’t dislike James, quite the opposite in fact but the endearment just didn’t sound right coming from him.

“I’m fine James, perfectly capable of looking after myself! Besides, I wasn’t…” She broke off abruptly, she had been about to explain that she hadn’t been jogging alone but something made her keep that particular detail to herself for the time being.

“Besides?”

“Besides, I never go too far anyway!” Her face flushed at the hasty attempt to backtrack. It wasn’t exactly a lie, she didn’t go far!

James’s eyes narrowed slightly but his face remained pleasant. “So……lunch? Are you free?”

“Absolutely! Just let me have a quick shower and change!” Gesturing down to her sweatpants she smiled sweetly at him and started to head into the house. “Fifteen minutes max! Come in and have a coffee while you wait?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following Rachel’s swift departure, Jon had allowed himself another moment to indulge in the memories that had briefly flitted through his brain when they had first walked in. Years old, each one was bittersweet – this little pub had marked some of the most historic days in his life. Late nights in the studio had generally wound up in here more often than not turning into raucous all night sessions as he and the rest of the guys deliberated how they would singlehandedly put the world to rights with whatever record it was that they were working on at the time.

Family events had also been played out here, the night Jake his second son had been born, he had invited half of Jersey back to help him celebrate. A small smile twitched at the corners of his lips as he thought back to how wasted the guys had gotten him that night. Dorothea had been less than impressed when he’d staggered into the hospital to see her the next morning smelling like a brewery and looking like he’d been dragged through a bush backwards. She’d forgiven him though, that time at least.

In fact, he couldn’t recollect a single bad memory he had of this place. Sighing he pushed himself upright off the pool table to scratch at his grizzly jaw. It was just a pity there wasn’t much opportunity to use it these days, house calls had been pretty quiet lately. Well, until Rachel had showed up to shake things up a little. Smirking he headed to the house for a shower, this was the best Sunday he’d had in years.

A little while later after he’d brewed himself another coffee, Jon swung open the door to the studio, a determined glint in his eyes. It was time to get some work done around here. The dust and clutter was ten times worse in daylight, there was even a collection of dead flies littering the window sills. First thing tomorrow, he resolved, he was calling a damn cleaner in to get the place back to a useable state. He began packing a few items away that he didn’t necessarily want lying around with strangers coming in, some scribbled lyrics on the back of old newspapers, a few e-mail print offs from the record label and such like. In less than a few minutes, his arms were full to overflowing with papers and he set the whole lot in a haphazard pile in the middle of a table. He needed a box or more like a damn freight container to get this lot sorted.

Upstairs in the little kitchen, he rummaged through a few of the cupboards eventually retrieving a bent but useable cardboard box that would suit his purpose. Straightening back up, a cursory glance out the window across the yard had him narrowing his eyes. Through the trees, Rachel’s front yard was clearly visible with her SUV in its normal spot, parked up by the front porch. That wasn’t unusual but what made Jon’s pulse quicken was the gleaming black Mercedes parked up beside it. He couldn’t tell from the darkness the other night but he was pretty sure it looked a hell of a lot similar to the shape of the car he’d seen parked outside her house that night he’d played Peeping Tom.

Dropping the box at his feet with a soft thump, he folded his arms and watched for signs of movement. Sure enough, he didn’t have long to wait before a man emerged laughing with Rachel following close behind. She had changed from her running gear to a simple floral print summer dress, her golden hair swinging softly about her shoulders as she turned to lock the door behind them. Jon tore his eyes away to shift his focus to her companion. Broad shouldered with dark hair and tanned skin, he was dressed to impress. Jon noted even the guy’s shoes fucking gleamed in the sunshine. His jaw tightened and his heart thumped loudly in his ears as he watched Rachel gracefully accept the man’s outstretched hand to guide her into the passenger seat and as he smoothly shut the door for her and moved fluidly around to the driver’s side. The car roared to life and with a quick burst of acceleration, it disappeared down the drive and swung out into the road leaving a faint trail of dust rising in its wake.

Scowling, Jon turned from the window once the car had driven out of sight. Who the hell was that asshole? Muttering furiously to himself, he stooped to pick up the battered box trying to figure out what this guy’s connection was to Rachel. That was the second time in as many days that he’d seen him there now and yet she had made no mention of him in all the time they’d spent together so far. As a matter of fact, she had barely told him anything about herself other than she’d moved from the West Coast and was in the business of real estate. With no wedding band on her finger, he had taken to presuming she wasn’t married and while he hadn’t been watching her house all week, he’d seen no other signs of anybody calling to see her.

He angrily thumped back down the small wooden staircase and banged the box onto the table in frustration. It was becoming painfully obvious to him that he knew absolutely nothing about this woman whatsoever, yet for some reason he had willingly invited her into his home – not something he did lightly. He smoothed a hand over his freshly shaved jaw and blew out a heavy sigh, frustrated creases furrowing his forehead. A little voice in his head told him he should just get a life and forget about her – by the sounds of things she was gonna be moving out in a few months anyway so what was the point? Then again…….silently he argued with himself as he began piling papers into the cardboard box, there was something about her that begged to be discovered. Challenging maybe but he wasn’t one to back down from anything that was remotely within his reach. She was definitely within his reach judging from her response to his attentions this morning and the slimy dick he’d just seen whisk her away had fired up his testosterone fuelled blood. That guy was history, he’d make sure of it. 

Chapter Eight

“And that’s pretty much it, in here at least!” Jon waved airily at the grand space of the main hallway that they were now standing in, having spent the last half hour wandering through the various rooms of the house.

“Pretty much?” Rachel snorted derisively at him, hands on her hips as she gazed in awe at the breathtakingly lavish tapestry that hung from the feature wall facing the main door. At least twenty foot long, its rustic elegance commandeered attention from the moment somebody walked in.

“Jon, I’m speechless, I really am!” She gestured helplessly at him, “I’ve seen some fine houses in my time obviously but this one has just shot to the top of the list!”

Pride radiated from his smile, “Well thank you, I’ve always been proud of it! Now c’mon outside and I’ll show you the rest.”

“More? Oh hell Jon, I think my real estate heart is about to go into cardiac arrest if you show me anymore!”

Jon held the large front door open for her, smirking all the while. “Better get the defibrillator ready in that case, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

The guest house was the next stop on the tour, luxurious yet intimately decorated with what Rachel noted silently to herself, a definite woman’s touch. Jon had made no mention of his ex-wife in all of the time they had spent together so far and she wasn’t about to broach the subject. There had been some beautifully framed family photographs hanging on the walls around the main house but he had never made a reference to them quickly passing them by. Coming back out into the sunshine, they wandered companionably down a series of wide flagstones set neatly into the manicured lawn to what looked like a relatively modern cottage of sorts.

“So what’s this then?” Rachel took in the carefully trimmed beech hedging decoratively bordering the building’s perimeter before she added sarcastically. “The garden shed?”

Jon chuckled and shook his head, stopping at the plain door to wipe his feet before gesturing to a slightly rusted, quaint cream sign hanging from a wrought iron wall mounting. Rachel raised her brows in surprise as she read the inscribed lettering.

“The Shoe Inn?”

Swinging the door open, Jon stepped back to usher her inside in front of him. “Yep, welcome to the best pub in Jersey!” Slightly ruefully, his grin faded somewhat. “Well it used to be at least.”

Rachel’s trainers squeaked noisily on the hardwood floor as she stepped inside and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. What she saw next blew her mind, a curved wooden ornate drinks bar complete with overhead glass rack and a ceramic beer tap made her feel for all the world that she had stepped into a real pub. She let her eyes slowly wander around the interior of the building, a broad smile lighting up her face as they came to rest on a fully equipped pool table positioned to her right alongside the front windows. Small armchairs hugged the wall, some slot machines interrupting their spacing but what made her nearly clap her hands with delight was a large jukebox standing invitingly beside the bar.

“Oooooooh!! Does it work?” She looked hopefully at Jon who was thoroughly enjoying himself at watching her excitement.

He arched his eyebrows and with a smirk looked directly into her eyes. “Oh everything works here baby!”

Rachel felt a small frisson of electricity jolt through her body as their eyes connected, his remark loaded with innuendo. She had been offended yesterday when he’d called her ‘baby’ but today she could feel herself blush at the label – and she liked it. 

Unbelievable, what was this man doing to her?

Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, she quickly dropped her eyes and turned back to gaze appreciatively around the room once more. From the earthy brick fireplace with the antique ceramic whiskey jars sitting on the mantelpiece to the comfortable but worn loungers perfectly placed in front of a widescreen television to take in a game or two the place was authentic looking to say the least.

“You’ve really put a lot of work into this place Jon.” Rachel quietly observed, feeling his eyes practically burn a hole in her back. The atmosphere was charged, she could feel the fine hairs at the back of her neck stand to attention and she involuntarily shivered as she turned to face him.

Jon kept his gaze locked on her for a moment longer before breaking the connection to look almost disconsolately around them. For the briefest of seconds, his handsome face lost the bravado and a sliver of sadness crept into his features.

“Yeah……we picked up a lot of the stuff back in the late nineties and on holidays…..” His voice was soft and nearly melancholy as he wandered across to lean against the bar.

Rachel could almost see him time travel in his mind, undoubtedly going back to a time in his life when his family was intact. Little did he know just how much she could empathise with him on that particular subject. In an attempt to lighten the mood she walked over to examine the robust pool table.

“I take it you’re pretty good at this?” Running her fingers along the polished grain of the pocket inlay she grinned across at him. He blinked at her for a moment, seemingly unable to comprehend what she had just said while he was miles away in distant memories.

“Sorry, good at?”

Rachel patiently tapped the side of the table lightly with the palm of her hand. He really had been somewhere else.

“This! Playing pool!”

“Oh! Nah, well only when I’ve had a few beers. My aim seems to improve dramatically with the influence of alcohol!”

Pushing himself off the bar he had been propping himself up against, he walked over to join her at the table. His warm eyes met hers once more when he stopped mere inches from her side.

“You play?”

Rachel lost herself in the depths of his mesmerising irises, his pupils a dark slit in a swirling ocean of blue. Danger – that was the other bolt of realisation to run through her mind. This man was dangerously attractive and he was pulling her into an entangled trap of emotions.

“Not for years…..” Her response was scarcely audible uttered between barely parted lips. He was so close she could smell the faintest waft of coffee from his warm breath.

“We should play a game sometime…”

Jon let the suggestion hang in the air, his soft stare never faltering from her delicately framed face. Subconsciously holding a breath, he waited for her reply. The earlier dull thud in his head had been replaced by the eager pounding of his heart against his ribcage; he could feel hot blood race around his veins.

“I’d like that…….”

His lips curved upwards in a soft smile at her acceptance, the doe eyed look was back in her eyes. He was winning again and it felt good. Damn good. Slowly he let the fingers of his left hand sit gently atop her right where she was still softly tracing the smooth grain of the wooden table. His fingertips just reached to gently brush the base of her slender wrist, his middle finger slowly caressing the slight bump of her radius bone with the gentle friction sending lightning hot tremors up her arm. Underneath his touch, he felt her freeze.

“I should go. I have some stuff to get ready for work.” Rachel suddenly cleared her throat and took a step backwards, a deep flush spreading across her cheekbones. 

“Maybe we could finish the tour some other time?”

And just like that, Jon’s triumphant pride came crashing down; she was running out on him. It was all he could do to utter a single word as she made for the door.

“Sure.”

Rachel mentally willed her legs to support her, feeling them wobble unsteadily on her route to the exit. She was losing control here, this wasn’t supposed to happen. A million thoughts raced through her brain as every step took her further away from the man who stood motionless beside the pool table where moments before she’d felt a connection so deep it had scared her. Literally.

Reaching the door, she blinked in the bright sunshine that streamed through when she pulled it towards her. Reality slammed into her like a brick wall at the same time. What was she doing?

“Jon?” She swung round to look at him, her pulse hammering between her eardrums deafening any other thoughts that may have been screaming at her. Every muscle and sinew in her body was trembling from his brief touch.

He lifted his head to look straight back at her, his somewhat crestfallen face shadowed by the ever increasing morning stubble.

“I really would like to have that game with you.” A small smile steadied Rachel’s trembling lips, her eyes sparkling with unmistakable desire. “You know where to find me….”

Without waiting for his response she stepped outside, letting the door swing lightly closed behind her. Jon stayed where he was, semi concealed by the shadows when the sun was blocked by the door once more. The darkness couldn’t hide the goofy grin that he let break out after her parting words. He was back in the game, in more ways than one.

Chapter Seven

Beads of sweat rolled freely down Rachel’s back between her shoulder blades as she finally slowed up running back through the gates of what she was becoming to think of as ‘home’. Easing down, her knee and lower legs trembled from the last sprint she pushed herself through; it had definitely been too long since her last run.

Upstairs, she peeled off her damp running gear and stepped under an icy shower, gasping as the jets of frigid water assaulted the back of her neck and shoulders. Bearing it for a minute before she flipped the dial, she relaxed against the tiled wall as the slightly warmer water cascaded over her from the rainforest shower head. Her brain was a whirl replaying the events of the morning in her head. Ever since she’d left him standing at that fence she’d had somewhat of a permanent grin plastered on her face. She felt exhilarated and excited and dare she say it – happy.

Twisting in the shower, she braced herself against the slippery tiles to arch her back up against the flow of water that was flushing the grainy sweat from her body. The last image she had of Jon grinning across the fence at her was emblazoned in her memory, that smile – it made her tingle deep inside in a way that she hadn’t since……

She screwed her eyes shut in an effort to keep out the memories that were threatening to flood her mind. That night in Hawaii with Nick, on their honeymoon when he had driven her to heights of ecstasy she’d never deemed possible. The makeup sex they’d had after their first big fight which had resulted in Lauren arriving in their lives. Nick’s face when she’d broken the news that they were expecting their first child, his eyes shining bright and incredulous with delight. One by one, snapshots of her past life flew through her brain each one as vivid as if it had been just yesterday.

Salty tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to fall until she lifted her face upwards in the torrent of water to wash them away. She wouldn’t cry, she wouldn’t allow herself to – this was meant to be a fresh start. She snapped the temperature gauge back down, allowing icy water to shock her system back to reality and wash any further thoughts of her past life down the plug hole.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of grocery shopping and driving around Monmouth County taking in some of the sights and even venturing out as far as Ocean Avenue to dip her toes in the Atlantic Ocean. That evening, as she sat curled up on her bed with her laptop she idly tapped in Bon Jovi to Google’s search engine. Her eyes widened in surprise at the string of images that sprung up on her screen, Jon Bon Jovi was one well photographed guy!

Over the next couple of hours she immersed herself in catching up on what the band had done since her teenage obsession with their album Slippery When Wet. She laughed when she read about Jon taking on acting roles and seemingly doing well in quite a few, this guy was multi-talented. On his personal biography she learned of his divorce from wife Dorothea. She vaguely remembered hearing about their runaway marriage in Las Vegas, it had been all over the news but by that stage she had been head over heels in love with her own rock star. When Nick had come along, she’d left her long haired rocker obsession behind along with the last of her teenage years.

She was surprised to read they had only divorced a few years back, round about the same time her own world had fallen apart. It was no wonder she hadn’t heard anything about it. Her heart twinged with sadness as the biography mentioned his four children, now living with their mother in New York apparently. Opening another window she again typed the band’s name into the YouTube search engine, smiling when the familiar videos she remembered from the eighties popped up. God how many nights had she murdered karaoke versions of Livin’ on a Prayer in wild nights out with Nick?

It was well after eleven pm when she finally forced herself to power down the computer, now pretty much up to date with what her neighbour had been up to since the eighties. Turned out quite a lot! Yawning widely, she flicked the light off and snuggled under her light duvet, the warm summer night’s air gently ruffling the curtains as she fell into the deepest night’s sleep she’d had in months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At ten am the next morning, Rachel brightly hopped from side to side, stretching out her toes as she waited for her new running partner to turn up. It was another beautiful day in Jersey, a few wispy clouds floating lazily in the blue sky and a warm breeze filtering through the air. She felt fantastic and had woken early, allowing herself the luxury of a light breakfast out on the decking behind the house. Impatiently scanning the road, she checked her watch again. Five minutes had passed since their designated meeting time and there was no sign of him.

A ripple of disappointment unfurled through her stomach at the thought he wasn’t going to show. Ever since they had arranged it the day before she had been looking forward to it intensely even if she was a little nervous again after all her research last night. Ten minutes later and with still no sign of life from the estate facing her, she resignedly turned to head up the road. Without Jon she had no access to the route they’d taken yesterday leaving her with little option but to stick to the main road. Her heart heavy with dismay, she reluctantly willed her feet forward on the pavement leading up to the main road.

“RACHEL! Wait up!”

She spun round at the sound of her name, her face breaking into a wide smile when she saw him hastily jog up the road after her. Her smile turned into one of amusement when he half staggered to a stop in front of her, clutching his side with an apparent stitch.

“Good morning!” Rachel giggled as she took in his gaunt appearance, grizzly stubble lined his jaw and he looked like he had literally fallen into the crumpled tee he was wearing. She could only guess what his eyes looked like, obscured from her vision behind a pair of dark aviators. Tufts of caramel hair stuck out from under his baseball hat, the peak pulled low on his forehead.

“Ugh……..Hi……” Breathlessly he offered her a small wave as he doubled over with a grimace at the sharp pain in his side.

“Sleep in huh?” Rachel asked amusedly, her tongue firmly in cheek.

Straightening back up, Jon nodded. “Yeah, something like that. You mind if we stick to my place? I’m not exactly fit for the public eye this morning.”

“Fine by me. Lead the way!” Still laughing at him, she walked by his side as they made their way past Rachel’s house and down to the little gate that lead onto Jon’s estate.

Watching as he fumbled with the code for the keypad, she cocked an eyebrow at him. “You know if you’re not feeling up to this, we can pass on it. It’s no problem!”

“I’m fine, or at least I will be.” Grumbling he finally swung the gate inwards and beckoned her in. “I’m just getting old as shit, that’s all.”

“Aren’t we all!” Rachel bounced lightly on the balls of her feet as she waited for him to shut the gate.“Ready?”

Together, they set off at a brisk pace, Jon’s earlier stitch gone as he pushed forward with his jaw set in a firm line. They ran alongside one another in silence, only broken by the odd grunt from Jon when he set a foot down wrong on the path. He led them past the banks of the glistening river where a few early boaters bobbed gently on the water and then up the slight hill past the place where Rachel had continued on her own the day before. Running easily beside him, she took the opportunity to look across at the house from a previously unseen side. A large swimming pool with a few loungers stacked neatly in a corner ran the length of one side, set apart from the rest of the lawn with a boundary of small shrubs. As they jogged on past the main house, nestled amidst more trees she could see another smaller building, possibly a guest house situated half way down the main driveway. Her sightseeing was abruptly halted as Jon pulled up sharply, once more clutching his side in agony.

“Fuck!”

“You okay?” Rachel skidded to a stop beside him, watching in concern as he doubled over panting heavily.

A raised hand signalled he was fine, just seemingly unable to speak or look at her. Groaning loudly he sank onto the grass, his knees folded to his chest as he raised his face to the sky.

“Fuck!” He swore loudly through gritted teeth, his arms taut and strained as he placed them on the ground behind him to support himself. “Sorry Rachel, this just isn’t gonna happen this morning! I’ve got a hangover sent by the devil himself!”

Laughing openly, Rachel shook her head at him in mock disapproval. “Ah! So you didn’t just sleep in then!”

“Nope, got pretty wasted last night.” He smiled ruefully as he admitted the real cause of his discomfort. “Wasn’t planned, just kinda happened. Met an old buddy and well, I’m sure you can guess the rest.”

“You didn’t have to come out here this morning you know? I’d have been fine on my own!”

“I know! I just…..” Looking up at her sheepishly, he shrugged. “I didn’t want to blow you off!”

Rachel raised her eyebrows in amusement, her eyes twinkling. “You didn’t huh? Looks to me like you should have!”

Chuckling, Jon got to his feet, wincing at the sharp stab in his ribcage as he stood. “How’s about to make up for it, I give you the grand tour instead?”

Rachel drew in a sharp breath, this place was a realtor’s dream and she was dying to know what the inside looked like.

“Deal!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rachel was speechless with awe as she stood in the middle of possibly the biggest non-commercial kitchen she’d ever seen. A vaulted red brick ceiling combined with pale solid oak kitchen units gave the room an almost chateau feel, certainly not what she had expected from the outside. Large French doors and long sash windows filled the whole kitchen with natural light that reflected off the polished counters.

Spotting a stack of empty pizza boxes stashed in a corner, she quirked an eyebrow at Jon. “I’m presuming you don’t do a lot of cooking in here!”

Pretending to look wounded, he clasped a hand to his chest. “Hey, I can cook! Some…..” He followed her amused look at the cardboard delivery boxes and gave up his pretence with a short laugh. “Yeah well, I just don’t bother that’s all!”

Pulling off his hat and sunglasses, Jon threw them onto the central island and ran his fingers through his damp hair. Rachel from her position just inside the doorway studied him quietly. It had just occurred to her that this was the first time she had seen him in person without either a hat or glasses disguising his face. She knew from her investigations online that he had turned forty six this year, just two years older than her but hangover aside the guy looked amazing.

Jon turned to her, a mischievous grin lighting up the corners of his eyes. “I’ll tell you what I can make! Great coffee!”

Rachel teased him when she spotted the large barista machine nestled against the far wall. “You mean the coffee machine makes great coffee. You just know how to work it!”

“Ah! But there’s a knack to it! Takes years to perfect the art of great coffee making and trust me…” He paused to level his eyes at her, “….. I drink a LOT of coffee!”

Rolling her eyes at his dramatics, she leaned casually against the counter smiling as she watched him fumble with the chrome fronted machine. She was enjoying the easy banter between them, something she had lately found hard to find with anyone. A few minutes later, Jon triumphantly slid a large cup across the island to her, the rich aroma wafting invitingly from the steam that curled upwards from it.

“Careful, it’s hot.” Jon warned her gently before turning away to make his own cup. A few short bursts of steam later and he joined her in sipping tentatively at the hot liquid.

“See? It’s good isn’t it?” Winking at her across the wide rim of his cup, he watched smugly as she took another taste.

“Mmmn, not bad I suppose!” Laughing at his indignant look, her dark olive eyes sparkled in merriment, “Hey, any coffee I don’t have to make myself is pretty good to me!”

“Sheesh, go easy on the compliments woman, you’re killing me here!” Rolling his eyes good naturedly, Jon wrapped his fingers around his cup and beckoned her with his head. 

“C’mon, allow me to show you around Casa de Bongiovi!”

Chapter Six

“Hi there! Again!” Puffing slightly from his exertions, Jon smiled breezily as he slowed to a stop in front of her. Clad in pretty much the same gear as last time with the exception of a sweat marked loose fitting muscle top that showed off his toned arms in all their glory, he looked fit and healthy.

“Hi...again!” Rachel stuttered nervously, now that she knew who he was she was even more of a mumbling wreck. “Uh……..sorry I didn’t know this road was private.” She gestured to the sign beside her and swallowed hard. Why the hell did she feel like a teenager again?

Jon waved her concerns away, drawing in great gulps of air as he attempted to slow his breathing down. 

“No problem, people come down here all the time!”

“They do? But…..” She looked at him in surprise as she pointed to the sign again. “What about this?”

Chuckling he fixed her with a sly grin, “They normally turn around at this point!” Shrugging he added, “Otherwise I set the dogs on ‘em.”

Rachel’s eyes widened before he hastily added, grinning. “Just kidding baby, just kidding!”

At the ‘baby’ reference, her eyes instantly went from blinking in surprise to narrowing in distaste. She didn’t care who the guy was, or how damn attractive he appeared – she was nobody’s baby, not any more at least. Pursing her lips slightly, she straightened her back and made to move off.

“Well, once again - apologies for the intrusion. I was just looking to check out the river. Have a nice day.”

Jon stared after her in disbelief as she began to jog back up the road. What the hell had he said? Fuck knows he wasn’t a comic genius by any means but Christ – it wasn’t that lame!

Hastily, he urged his brain cells into action, ignoring their muffled protests of first being assaulted by the bottle of wine he’d downed last night and now by being forced into strenuous activity at this ungodly hour of the morning.

“Hey, wait up a second!”

Jogging after her swinging golden pony tail he visibly winced at the ice cold glare he received when she turned to look at him under arched eyebrows.

“Let me try that again!” Plastering his best apologetic smile across his face, he extended his hand to her. 

“Hi………I’m Jon……”

Rachel smoothly finished his introduction for him as she frostily accepted his firm handshake, “…..Bon Jovi. I know.”

Jon eyed her speculatively for a moment, still slowly shaking her hand. There was something about her, something he couldn’t quite pin his finger on. When he’d first spoken to her, he had gotten the usual doe eyed look he was so used to seeing on women’s faces but that apparently had worn off quicker than normal. He had barely said more than three words to her yet had already managed to piss her off - and he had no clue how.

“Right, so I’m at the normal disadvantage here I see. You know who I am but I don’t know who you are.”

Rachel gave a small laugh, folding her arms defensively. “Right!”

Seriously!! What was UP with this woman? He gazed at her in exasperation when she offered no further response on her own identity. What the fuck was with the big secret?

“Right! Well see you then!” Glaring back at her, he shook his head and began to walk away, his temper barely simmering. Last time he was gonna bother being all fucking neighbourly!

Her firm voice suddenly probed past his stroppy thoughts, bringing him back to a halt.

“Rachel……….my name is Rachel.”

Turning back around to face her, he regarded the flustered blush creeping across her cheeks. She locked eyes with him for a split second before shrugging her shoulders casually and adding, “Braden.”

“Well Rachel”, putting the emphasis on his newly acquired knowledge he sauntered back up to her, “It’s nice to meet you, finally!”

Her aloofness intrigued him, there was more to this girl than met the eye, that was for sure. He still wasn’t sure if she was just messing with him or if she was genuinely unimpressed with him.

“Yes, you too……well I better get going.” Pulling her peaked hat lower on her forehead she glanced up at him with a lukewarm smile. “See you around.”

She was inwardly berating herself for coming across as such a bitch. She hadn’t appreciated the ‘baby’ remark but she knew she’d overreacted. Her nerves were getting the better of her, in the space of twenty four hours she’d found out her new neighbour was an international rock icon that she’d had a crush on in her teenage years and THEN she’d been caught practically trespassing on his property BY the afore mentioned rock God. Christ!

Just as she prepared to swivel away on her heels, Jon chuckled quietly. “I thought you said you wanted to check the river out?”

“I did…..I mean I’m going to!” Surprise washed over Rachel’s face at the fact that he hadn’t given up on her just yet it seemed.

Jon winked at her and pointed behind him. “Uh…..but it’s that way. There’s nothing back up your way but a dusty old road!”

“Yeah but….” Rachel looked at him in confusion. “I thought…..”

“I make exceptions for new neighbours, come on – I’ll show you the way down to it.” Chancing his luck with another grin, Jon motioned for her to fall into step beside him, an amused twinkle in his eyes.

Rachel, momentarily stunned quickly regained her composure to smile gratefully at him.

“Really? I mean it’s fine – I can just find another way……..”

“Rachel trust me, you’re gonna have to run nearly a whole mile that way,” Jon pointed westwards with one arm, “to get to the bridge and even then it’s not the nicest of areas. Down here is always quiet, kinda why I bought the place to be honest.”

“Well so long as you don’t mind……”

“I don’t! Come on!” 

Breaking back into a slow run, he waited for her to keep pace with him before striding back into his regular rhythm. Side by side, they jogged easily together off the road, crossing the boundary into Jon’s estate. Just beyond some trees, a fenced pedestrian gate stood blocking their way until Jon nimbly punched some numbers into the keypad allowing them access. A smaller path weaved its way amongst the proud Pin Oak trees that stood tall and resplendent in their summer greens offering a splatter of shade around their bases.

Rachel forced herself to concentrate on her breathing as she stretched out her limbs but the sight of him running beside her was mesmerising. The man was sheer muscle, not an ounce of extra weight collected anywhere from the top of his sweat dampened nape of his neck with its darkened curly hair to where his chiselled calves ran down into his trainers. Her eyes, try as she might to stop them, kept flicking to the faded Superman tattoo on his left shoulder that with every stride swung in and out of her line of vision. Flashbacks of spending hours staring at that very same tattoo on albeit a younger version of the man next to her from glossy magazine spreads filled her mind and she grinned at the memories.

Jon, comfortable in his stride occasionally glanced to his left smirking every time he noticed her surreptitiously checking him out.  So she wasn’t completely immune to his charms after all!

Discreetly, from behind the safety of his sun glasses he carried out some covert appraisals of his new neighbour for himself. Slender toned legs, further elongated by her cut off capri pants blended upwards to a flat stomach, her neat bust firmly ensconced in a close fitting tank, a honeyed complexion - they all ticked the right boxes in Jon’s mind. He usually didn’t tend to get to know his neighbours very well, something was telling him that might need to change.

Rounding a corner, Rachel pulled up sharp as the full view of the river stretch burst onto the scene.

“Ohhhh………wow!” Breathless, she gazed in wonder at the gently flowing current that rippled and twisted beneath the surface of the sparkling water. “What a view!”

Jon grinned as he took in her appreciation of something he considered to be the best asset on his property. Especially on a day like this one, with the cloudless sky reflected off the mirrored waters this had to be one of the best views in Jersey.

“She’s something alright, isn’t she?” Puffing his chest out Jon laughed as he made a grand gesture to the banks. “Rachel, meet the Navesink River in all her glory!”

Grinning back at him, she walked in wonder down the path that led out onto a long wooden jetty. The weathered planks creaked slightly as she tested her weight on them, unsure of whether to go on she looked to Jon.

“Go ahead, I’m a good swimmer – I’ll rescue you if you fall in!”

A blue eyed wink had Rachel rolling her eyes; he was a cocky son of a gun, that was for sure. Taking his word that the jetty was safe, she led the way out across the shimmering depths stopping at the end to exclaim in admiration at the small cruiser that was moored to the pier.

“Wow…….that’s gorgeous!”

“It’s totally wasted on me to be honest,” Jon shrugged his shoulders casually as he glanced over at the cobalt blue boat bobbing gently in the water. “I bought it a few years back to mess about on with the kids; I’ve only been out on it a handful of times since.”

Rachel noticed the slightly wistful shadow that crossed his face, so he had kids? Something else she didn’t know about her teenage obsession. She reckoned a bit of research on the internet was in order for later on, she liked to be prepared.

“Well that’s a shame, especially with weather like this!” Smiling up at him, she felt her heart skip a beat as he reciprocated with a dazzling white grin.

“You’re right, how’s about you and me take this baby out sometime?”

She felt her jaw drop open in surprise at his impromptu invitation, she had barely known the guy five minutes and now he wanted to take her on a boat ride? Smooth, real smooth.

“Yeah, sure thing……sometime maybe.”

Turning away from him, she concentrated on watching a group of birds swoop low over the rippling water, searching for flies hovering above the surface. Her walls were going back up again without her really even noticing. All she knew was, she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. She just wasn’t looking for that sort of thing in her life right now, from a rock star or otherwise.

Jon frowned in confusion at her apparent rebuffal of his offer. Rejection was not something he was used to having to deal with on a day to day basis, at least not with women – normally! A change of tactics was called for.

“So Rachel, what brings you to the great state of New Jersey?” he smiled hopefully at her, pushing the dent in his pride to one side for the moment. He’d deal with that later, in private, with his own hands.

“Work.”

Well that was fucking enlightening. This woman was turning out to be hard work and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why he was trying so hard. He could have just run past her on that road up there, not given her a second glance. But something had made him stop. Who was he kidding – he knew exactly what it was that made him stop. The exact same thing that had made him sit up late watching porn last night with his dick in his hands – fucking lust!

He chose his next words carefully; obviously he was going about this all wrong. “And what is it you do for work? If I may ask?”

Despite her reservations, Rachel gave a small smile at his new polite demeanour. The man was just being nice and here she was acting like an ungrateful bitch again. She turned back to face him with what she hoped was a warmer expression.

“Of course you can, I’m in real estate.” A jerk of her head motioned back up the hill to where she now resided. “Hence the temporary accommodation.”

Jon was surprised to feel the tiny flutter of disappointment that swirled in his head when he heard the word temporary. Lust really was ruling his head at the moment.

“Oh, so you’re not here permanently?”

Rachel shook her head regretfully. “No, well not right here anyway - it’s part of my job to oversee bank foreclosures and it suited for me to move in here until I find something more permanent.”

Nodding in comprehension, Jon considered what she had said for a moment. “I see, you’ve made the move over here then from…….?”

“California.” She finished his question for him, squinting slightly at the brilliant sunshine silhouetting Jon’s frame.

“Wow, big move!”

Rachel nodded at his exclamation; this was a conversation she needed to steer in another direction. With her back to the river, she now had a clear view of the main house, nestled atop a gentle slope up from the river bank. It really was a beautiful house, solidly built but yet with that quintessential understated elegance that made it stand out.

“Your house is magnificent, really beautiful!”

The sudden change of subject didn’t escape Jon’s attention but he willingly let it slide for now as he joined her in gazing up at the house. He wasn’t going to deny it, too many years of planning and creating had gone into making his home as breath taking as it was and he was proud of it.

“Thanks, it’s comfortable!” Winking across at her, he grinned slyly. “Does its job for me I guess!”

Rachel snorted, “I’ll bet!”

Glancing at his watch, Jon grimaced when he saw the time steadily ticking its way through the morning towards midday.

“Shit, I gotta get going. Come on I’ll show you a loop you can do that’ll take you back around to the main road.”

Rachel let him lead her in a gentle run further along the banks of the river, skirting the perimeter of his property. The house loomed large on their left, it’s palatial wings exposing themselves as the pair cut around the furthest more corner. Pulling up at a small wooden fence camouflaged by a copse of trees and bushes, Jon pointed to a worn earth track winding its way through the undergrowth.  

“If you follow that path and then keep left when you see the next place, you’ll wind back up on River Road. Should take you about ten minutes and then its straight back down past here and onto your place.”

Rachel nodded, doing her best to ignore the flicker of disappointment she was feeling that they were about to part company. “Okay, I’m not gonna get eaten by dogs or anything?”

Jon chuckled, “Nah, you’ll be alright. If anyone stops you just say you’re with me, they’re pretty used to seeing me run by.”

“Great…..well thanks for showing me the river and all this.” Rachel stuck out her hand to shake his, “It was fun.”

“No problem! Here let me give you a hand over this.” Motioning to the fence, he clasped her hand gently grinning cheekily all the while. “Want me to throw you over?”

Laughing, Rachel shook her head lightly. “I’m good thanks, I got it.” Retrieving her hand from him, she braced herself on the solid top rail and neatly swung herself over to the other side. Dusting her hands off she grinned back at his surprised face. “What? I wasn’t always a city girl!”

“Evidently!” Across the fence from her, Jon laughingly acknowledged her prowess. “Hey, I’m probably gonna be doing this again same time tomorrow……….if you fancy joining me?”

He was taking a chance he knew, considering his earlier invitation had been blown out of the water so badly. He couldn’t just leave it there though; he didn’t give up that easily.

Rachel considered his invitation for a moment before shrugging her shoulders in agreement. “Sure, why not, it’s nice to have someone to run with for a change.”

Aha! Jon’s brain neatly catalogued that snippet of information away for future reference. So she usually ran alone? Must be no significant other then – interesting.

“Alrighty then Rachel! Meet you at the end of your road? Same time?”

“Works for me! See you!” Smiling widely, she gave him a small wave before turning to thread her way through the undergrowth. Alone again, it was time to process everything that had happened in the past hour.

Jon stood watching until she ran out of his view, the bushy shrubs swallowing her up as she bounded lightly away from him. A small smile played across his lips while he turned to jog back across the lawn up to the house for a quick shower before his meeting. Life was maybe about to get interesting again.