by Jaycee Clark
At the highway, she turned right. When he got there, he realized there was a wide jogging trail several yards off the highway. Cars passed them, vehicles with bikes racked on the back, or the front, or the roof, heading to God knew where. Who in their right mind would spend the morning trying to ride a bike up a mountain? Hell, he couldn’t even jog down the damn road. And it wasn’t even dawn.
He caught up with her after a while, but he stayed a couple of paces behind her. He didn’t want to frighten her. They plodded along, and he, thankfully, slowed his stride to match hers. Maybe he’d conquer breathing again before she noticed him.
Up ahead, he saw the park set amidst the bustle of early morning traffic. Jesslyn veered off the road, running down the sidewalk. At the slide, she turned around, probably to start back, but she looked up and saw him.
Her brow rose in question. Idiot woman! She’d never even known he was behind her.
Chapter 9
Jesslyn froze, her hand fisting on her hip as she tried to catch her breath. What the hell was he doing here?
Her gaze traveled from his face with its narrow-eyed expression down his corded throat to the sweat-soaked collar of his T-shirt. He used the bottom of the gray shirt to wipe his face and she caught a glimpse of the molded muscles beneath. Black nylon shorts gave way to the length of his long muscular legs. When her gaze rose to his, she saw his expression hadn’t changed. Reaching down, she clicked off her MP3, killing Bon Jovi’s voice in her ears. She hung the headphones around her neck.
“Mornings here are great, aren’t they?” she asked as she turned around and walked over to a water hydrant.
Cold water gushed over her cupped palms from the faucet she opened. The drink was wonderful and she splashed some on her face. Gesturing to the water, she stepped back while Aiden too drank straight from the gushing stream of liquid, the muscles in his throat working. Something inside her shifted and hummed at the sight.
Had to give the guy credit. He ran pretty well for someone not used to this altitude. In fact, she was impressed he hadn’t keeled over yet.
The crisp air cleared her head of ghosts, focused it on the important things. Like the fact that she was alive. Alive and breathing and wanting to see Aiden.
He straightened, shutting off the water before he planted his fists on his hips. Still, a word hadn’t passed his lips.
“I didn’t know you jogged,” she tried, lunging and stretching. “Generally, I like to jog alone.” Though running with him would be nice too. She could watch him.
His scowl darkened.
“What?” she asked, straightening. “Didn’t you have your coffee?”
He took two steps to her, never saying a word, his eyes not straying from hers. Jesslyn couldn’t read the look in them. Pissed was her guess, but why?
His hands locked on her shoulders. What the hell?
Aiden jerked her to him, kissing her hard. Jesslyn was so shocked she just stood there. Blinking, she put her hands on his arms. The contact must have done something because he broke the kiss with a curse.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
Okay. If she knew what he was talking about, she might be able to answer the question. Licking her lips she started to answer, but he cut her off.
“You’re out here jogging. Pretty as you damn well please.”
His hands were still on her shoulders.
“Thank you?” she tried. He thought she was pretty.
Rolling his eyes, he stalked away from her.
What was his problem?
“Care to share what’s bothering you?” she ventured, climbing atop one of the picnic tables. She sat on the end, letting her legs hang off and swing to and fro as she stretched her arms up and leaned one way and then the other.
She saw his shoulders fall, then he turned around, and walked to her. “You shouldn’t be out here alone, Jessie.”
Looking around at the activity of people, many of them families, or women with strollers, she nodded. “Hmm. Yes, I always thought this was a dangerous place. A children’s park.”
“Damn it! This isn’t a joke.” His eyes showed all his emotion, they were blue flames. Yet his face looked calm, his voice soft. However, she connected with this man enough to know he controlled his anger. Well, most of the time. He’d been close to losing it earlier when he kissed her. Wonder if she could get him to seriously lose control? There was a thought.
“I never said it was.” For the life of her, she couldn’t see why he was so upset. And he was upset, calm facade or no.
“It might have something to do with the fact—in case you’ve forgotten, and I assure you I haven’t—that a woman was found stabbed to death. Forgive me if I have a slight problem with the fact you want to carelessly traipse around the mountain with a madman, who knows you saw him, on the loose.”
Traipse around? Where the hell did he get that? Forgotten? Maddy? Anger roared through her, but she tamped it down.
Aiden saw her eyes flash.
“Forgotten?” she strangled out. “I assure you I have not, nor will I ever forget. And as far as traipsing around—what do you think? I’m the little woman? I can’t take care of myself?” She sounded incensed. Anger surged color into her cheeks. She sat at the end of the table glaring up at him.
God, the woman was a piece of work. Why was it every time he was worried about her, she got riled? And riled, she was damn tempting.
“That has nothing to do with it,” he calmly reasoned.
“Oh it has everything to do with it. It’s beside the fact dozens of other people were out jogging and biking, and I’ve been running here just about every day for the last three years. Without you here to protect me. I can handle my own.” Her hands propped on her hips. “But that never matters to men like you.”
“Men like me? What the hell does that mean?”
She waved her hand in an agitated effect. “Never mind.”
“Oh no, you’re not. What?” He crossed his arms over his chest. Aiden couldn’t wait to hear her next comment.
Her ebony eyes burned at him in righteous indignation. “Men who control. Men who want everything their way or no way. Men who can’t stand the fact that—that women don’t always need a knight riding to the rescue. It screws with that innate sense of protectiveness or hunter instinct or what-the-hell-ever.”
He slowly started towards her, his steps measured and exact.
She shifted as if to get down and snarled, “And as to having forgotten about Maddy . . . Go to hell.”
When he stood in front of her, Aiden wedged himself between her legs so she couldn’t kick him, punch him maybe, but at least his manhood was protected.
“You’re right.” He saw that remark shocked her when her eyebrows rose above those sinfully dark eyes.
“You’re absolutely right. But it’s hard for me to see a small woman, like you, and think of her at the mercy of some murderer. Now, don’t get pissed, you are small. I like you. I like you a lot, and I don’t want to hear from Tim that some crazy-ass decided he took a liking to you or decided you’re a threat and used your chest as a damn pincushion. I tend to look out for people I care about, just as I know you do. And I apologize for the ‘forgotten’ remark. That was stupid of me.”
“Still . . .” she trailed off. A moment passed, then another. The silence stretched. She bit her lip and he wanted to tug on it again himself. When she did that small little thing all he could think about was kissing her senseless.
“I’m sorry for flying off at you like that.”
“What? I couldn’t quite hear that?” he cupped his ear.
“I’m not saying you’re right. I mean you are to be concerned, but you don’t control me. Next time, simply be nice, and refrain from low shots.”
Be nice? All he could do was stare at her. “I was nice. You’re the one who—”
“No.” She shook her head. “You sounded nice, but you looked mean. And I don’t do mean,” she calmly point
ed out.
The woman was illogical. “You don’t do mean? Is this Jesslyn Black we’re talking about? That eats nails for breakfast and breaks the noses of lowlife sons of—”
“That was different.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you it was rude to interrupt?”
“My mother taught me any number of things and was probably disappointed I didn’t take them all to heart. In any event, I am sorry I jumped all over you, but I don’t do well with—”
He kissed her. He could no more stop himself than he could his next breath. If he didn’t kiss her right then he didn’t know what he would do. She still tasted the same—smooth and sexy, sweet and tangy. Aiden cupped the back of her head in his hands, his thumbs brushing the sides of her jaw. So soft, was all he could think, even as he deepened the kiss. Their tongues dueled in a battle of control. Deeper and deeper still, the kiss plunged.
He caught her moan in his mouth as her cold hands came up to steady herself on his chest. “You taste so good,” he whispered.
“You don’t taste bad yourself,” Jessie murmured, nipping his bottom lip with her teeth.
He pulled back from her and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her off the table. “We’re walking back.”
“Yeah, altitude’s a bitch, isn’t it?”
Aiden kept walking, ignoring her jab. He linked her fingers with his as he asked her about the houses up here.
He glanced at her, noting again the smudges under her eyes, the tired expression. “Are you okay? Sleeping all right?” She licked her lips, but he kept on. “You got in kind of late. And, well, it’s early.”
Her eyes looked out over the mountain. Aiden stopped and turned her to face him. Bending his knees so that he was on eye level with her, he asked, “Jessie, what’s wrong?”
She looked at him and for the barest of seconds, he thought she might actually open up. Her eyes locked to his and he saw pain, confusion, and fear in their depths.
It’s all in her eyes. If one knew where to look, one could unlock her secrets. Aiden wanted her to trust him. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly shook her head. He could all but see her pulling away from him. Damn it.
With no warning, she grabbed his head, pulling him down for a kiss. Her tongue demanded entrance and he let her have it. Just as quickly as it began, the kiss ended.
Aiden looked at her, trying to figure out what the hell was going on inside her mind. Leaning over, he gently kissed her on the forehead and re-linked their hands. His eyes traveled the length of her again and his blood rushed through his veins. Did she want to drive him mad?
The tight black shorts left absolutely nothing to the imagination. The zipper of her jacket was only held together at the bottom, allowing him an expansive view of her creamy stomach, the bottom of her sports bra grazing just beneath her breasts. Aiden’s gut clenched.
Thoughts of her had intruded into his world for the last few days. Or rather, she more than intruded, she plagued him. He knew what Jessie kissed like, how she tasted sweet and sultry, as sexy as that drawl of hers. Her smell haunted him, that light airy fragrance mixed with her fruity shampoo, and his mind seemed lost on what it would be like to sleep with her.
He really needed to think about something else.
They walked on in silence for several minutes, having gained the walking path. Other cyclists, walkers and joggers made the traffic heavier than it had been earlier.
“Lots of people out,” he said, breaking the silence between them.
“Hmm. I seem to remember someone mentioning that.” She shrugged. “The Fourth tourists.”
Again they settled into quiet. The lane to the estates seemed to take forever to reach. Almost to their door, he asked, “What are you doing tonight?”
“Why?”
An idea had been playing on his mind. Every time he was with her, when he wasn’t. He had a blast with Jessie, but so far, it had been she taking him places. Aiden wanted to do something for her, wanted more time with her.
“What kinds of food do you like?” he fished.
“Every kind, just about. Chicken, steaks, seafood. Love Italian, if it’s fixed right. Spicy Mexican. Just not Chinese. Never can eat it.” She turned to look at him. He caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. Her voice held a note of suspicion. “Again, why?”
“I want to take you out.”
He wanted to take her out? Jesslyn thought.
“As in on a date?” she asked.
One ebony brow winged upward. “You have a problem with that?”
She smiled. “No.”
“Seven work for you?” His eyes ran over her again, darkening in their blue.
Want stirred in her. “That’s fine.”
They were at the house. A date. They were going on a date. A date. Oh God. Jesslyn started up the steps, but turned to ask him something.
Aiden grabbed her in a kiss before she could so much as utter her question, whatever it had been.
“You need to work on a slower technique,” she mumbled.
“Later.” His hands were everywhere. “What in the hell do you have on?” he mumbled against her lips, lifting her. Jesslyn wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck.
They fumbled their way up the steps and to the door. “Sports stuff.” She licked his neck, tasted the salty tang of him.
“It’s sexy.”
Jesslyn laughed. “Sexy, huh?”
He kissed her, numbing her mind of everything but him. Pulling back, he looked at her, his eyes narrowing. He shut the door with a kick, turned and plastered her against the back of it.
God, his hands—they molded her bottom, kneading, caressing.
Jesslyn moaned, leaning her head back against the door as Aiden’s mouth trailed a path down her neck, his teeth scraping lightly along her pulse. She tightened her legs around his back, gasped when one of his hands squeezed her hipbone, traveling up under her jacket to touch the bare skin of her stomach. A fire ignited somewhere inside her. A fire she thought was only ashes, long dead. But passion, like the phoenix, soared through her.
Turning, he walked with ease into the kitchen and sat her on the counter. She could feel the hardened ridge of him between them. With his nylon shorts and her skintight spandex, there was very little between them.
His hands explored, devoured, branded. Her skin felt on fire where he touched along her stomach, causing her abs to tighten. Her jacket was quickly tossed aside, as was his shirt.
And his chest.
Chiseled and sculpted, his muscles begged to be touched. A dark swatch of hair spread across his torso, down to a thin trail that disappeared at the waistband of his shorts.
She grabbed a handful and pulled him to her. At his hiss, she kissed his chest, licked up to the hollow of his neck, where his pulse beat furiously. He was salty from their jog, tasting vaguely of his expensive cologne.
He leaned down and kissed her, his mouth plundering hers, taking, and demanding more. His tongue brushed the roof of her mouth and she shivered, moaning.
“You’re so hot,” he mumbled into her mouth, shifting against her with his hips.
The storm swept her up and along. His hands. She loved his hands, the look of them, the feel of those strong, elegant fingers. Thumbs dove along her jaw, even as his fingers tangled in her hair.
“You drive me crazy.” His eyes were as blue as September stones, intense as emotions swirled in them.
Aiden made her forget things. His mouth met hers, this time, nipping gently, coaxing and giving instead of demanding, his tongue teasing along the seam of her lips.
She could think of nothing but Aiden. Every sense was filled with him. His touch, the sight of his turbulent blue eyes, the smell of him, his cologne, that woodsy-spicy scent mixed with an essence all his own, the taste of him. Aiden overwhelmed her. His mouth moved to her jaw, her neck. His hands whispered along her rib cage, along the underside of her breast. His thumb twirled up and graz
ed her nipple. The moan she had been holding escaped on a sigh.
Those lithe fingers danced up her calf, up higher still to the edge of her shorts. His palm flattened out to rub her thigh. When he cupped her, pressed his fingers against her, her breath shuddered out. Aiden made her long and want. He pressed his fingers deeper, grazed one over the one spot that screamed to be touched. Her breath shuddered out and she whimpered. He pressed harder, deeper, flicked his finger again and she could feel her own heat and wetness.
That realization pulled her away from the euphoria of the kiss and she put her hands on his chest.
“Aiden.”
He looked into her eyes, as though seeing into her very soul. One strong arm was wrapped around her back. His other hand slowly lifted from her, tingling where it had only been moments ago. Heat pulsed in places she’d forgotten existed. She almost pulled him back, but she didn’t. She needed to stop. To think.
“I got,” he licked his lips, “carried away. I apologize.” His voice was deeper than normal. Low baritone notes swirling within a symphony.
She laid her fingers against his lips, and shook her head. She had to make him understand. “No. It isn’t you. It isn’t you at all, or it is. But only in a good way. It’s me. I had to stop.”
His eyes held hers and she knew how easy it was to get lost in the blue depths. Instead, she gazed at his chest. Though that wasn’t any better, so she looked at his chin. “It’s me. I like you. I really do. No, it’s more than like.” God, she sounded like a moron.
“I care for you. And that scares me.” Better to just spill the truth and get it over with. She tried again, on a whisper, “The accident left me shattered in every way possible and it took me so long to find the pieces, let alone to try and put them back together. There was only Jerrod for me. Only Jerrod. I’ve never done casual, and quite honestly, I don’t know that I could.”