Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(14)

“Don’t quit your day job,” A.J. scoffed playfully and proceeded down the hall without him.

“Right now my day job is recovering from a terrible injury so I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands.” Jared caught up to A.J. “You can’t walk in there before me. I’m up first.”

“Are you really taking over here?” A.J. gaped at him. “You aren’t kidding, are you?”

“Not so much,” Jared smirked. “Remember, I have had a lot of down time on my hands. Now, don’t mess this up, we’ve worked really hard on this.”

Jared greeted the kids silently, made sure they were all set, and inserted himself in the middle of all of them just like they planned, before calling A.J. in. He couldn’t have planned it better. When she saw all of the kids holding up signs they decorated for her, tears welled up in A.J.’s eyes.

“Oh, you guys!” A.J. was on the verge of squealing but the kids rushed her with a group hug. She looked over their heads at him and mouthed “thank you.”

Jared unveiled the rest of his surprise, a big screen television for the pediatric common room complete with Blu-ray player and an entire library of movies. He brought in a popcorn machine and scheduled a movie afternoon for the kids to get their minds off their illnesses for a while. Jared had no idea that most of these kids were long term inpatient cases and several had never even been to a movie theater. Sure, this would make A.J. happy but after being laid up in a hospital for a month, Jared had to do something for these kids who were cooped up for far longer.

“You did all of this?” A.J. slid her arm around his waist.

“Yep.” Jared nodded, “after being inpatient for a while I developed a healthy respect for long term patients. These kids need some fun in their lives. I was thinking about a game system but then realized there would be a lot of fights if only two or three people can play at once.”

“Good thought.” A.J. grinned. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“I’ve been feeling useless for a while now. I never have this much time on my hands to just think,” Jared confessed. “I really wanted to do something for somebody and these kids ask nothing in return. They just want to be kids and part of that is watching movies and eating popcorn.”

She looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. He liked it. The way A.J. looked at him had definitely changed. “You are very different that I thought you were,” she said.

“I tried to tell you that but you didn’t want to listen,” Jared teased.

“Funny, very funny.” A.J. punched him playfully in the arm. “How are you going to settle the argument over what to watch first, genius?”

“There is no argument,” Jared said simply, “the kids and I agreed that the first movie would be my all-time favorite childhood film.”

“This ought to be good.” A.J. rolled her eyes. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“Hey! I have great taste in movies!” Jared called over to one of the older kids, “Go ahead and start the movie, Jake.”

Jake gave them a thumbs up and hit some buttons on the player. The opening credits rolled and A.J. started laughing. “This is your favorite childhood movie?”

“The Karate Kid is a classic,” Jared argued, and then, complete with gestures, began quoting the film, “wax on, wax off.”

“You aren’t one of those people who has to say every line in the movie two seconds before the actors do, are you?” A.J. asked.

“Of course not,” Jared replied, “and while this is a lot of fun, I really do have better ideas for a real date, if you accept.”

Several of the kids “shushed” him. A.J. stifled a snicker but nodded her assent. “I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Good. Meet me at this address at seven,” Jared whispered and slipped her a piece of paper.

“Okay,” She whispered back.

“Don’t be late,” Jared said, a little too loud because he got shushed again. “I have to go; Rick will be waiting for me. I’ll see you at seven.”

He took off before she could change her mind or ask him questions. Jared had a lot more to do before seven.





Chapter4

“Come in,” Jared held the door open for A.J. and welcomed her into his rental.

He’d accepted assistance from Rick’s family to make his house less bachelor pad and more mod-chic as Marie so aptly named it when she reminded Jared that women did not appreciate gaming systems and fast food bags.

“Not bad for a rental,” A.J. remarked, surveying the front room. She wore a simple dress, green, and cut to emphasize her curves. “I’m not sure I would have come at all if I’d known it was your house, a bit forward for a first date, isn’t it?”

“I wanted to cook for you,” Jared said simply. It was definitely a bonus that his bedroom, complete with newer, king-sized bed, sat just a few steps away.

“You mean you ordered take out,” A.J. teased.

“No, I mean, I actually cooked a meal for you.”

Jared led the way to the kitchen. Without a dining room, he was forced to create a more intimate setting with a smaller table for two. Not without its charm, the vintage café table complete with candles and a long-stemmed rose in a vase drew a subtle gasp from A.J. Jared smirked, maybe he stood a chance at breaking down A.J.’s icy front after all. He gestured for her to have a seat,