“That wasn’t even subtle. I mean, I expected more of ya, Joey.”
She tried to look stern but laughed. “I was just remarking on it. I worry about him and Jack a little bit. Jack’s had a rough time of it. He’s been diagnosed with PTSD.”
“Oh.”
Joey apparently picked up on Zoe’s tone. “Now, don’t go looking like that. PTSD is bad, but with help, it is manageable. Don’t get me wrong, it is hard on the person who has it and hard on the people in his or her life. But contrary to what is shown on television, not all of them are crazy gun toting whack jobs.”
“But you worry about Mr. Perfect in there?”
“So you noticed that. There is something about being perfect, Zoe.”
“Yeah?”
“Maintaining it is near impossible and when the walls come down, there’s hell to pay for everyone.”
“So, he’s under a lot of pressure?”
“Everyone expects the boy to make General like his father. From what Maryanne tells me, it’s been expected of him since he hit puberty. That kind of pressure is never good.”
“Maybe he thrives under pressure.”
Joey took the lasagna from the oven and set it on the counter. “Yes, I’m sure he does. But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t need a soft place to fall. We all do every now and then.”
* * * *
By the end of the meal, Jesse was sure he could take even the most subtle of hints. Of course, Joey wasn’t being subtle at all, so, knowing the woman like he did, he decided to do what she wanted. As they settled back drinking coffee and eating some amazing layered dessert, he decided to take the plunge.
“Have you seen much of DC before, Zoe?”
She shook her head. “I’ve only been here once. I guess I’ll be up here more often if Gee and Kianna decide to retire here. They’ve been talking about it. Although, I’m not sure she wants to leave Valdosta State.”
Kianna was a professor in the small Georgia town where Gee was stationed.
“So, since Joey isn’t going to let it go, why don’t you come out this week with me?”
“That is the rudest thing. And at my table,” Joey said, but he knew she wasn’t that mad. Papa just laughed.
That sparkle returned to her eyes. “If I don’t say yes, she’ll probably yell at me later.”
Jesse nodded. “And I was taking some time off this week. I missed the blossom festival because I was in San Antonio for work, but it’s still pretty. Why don’t we get together and go see the monuments.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“There, are you happy?” he asked Joey.
“You are incorrigible.”
“I have to disagree with you there. Leo is kind of a pain in the arse, or so says Vince.”
Zoe laughed. “Vince says that about all of them. See, you’re the oldest, just like him, so you think all of us younger siblings are idiots.”
He considered that with mocking deliberation. “But you are.”
“Maybe now I should tell Joey I don’t want to go to the monuments with you.”
He chuckled. “No, that’s one thing I don’t want to deal with. She’ll blame me.”
Joey looked from him to Zoe then back to him again. “I am sitting right here. You two are worse than my own children.”
Zoe laughed. It was the first genuine laugh he had heard from her since he came to the house. It bubbled up out of her and made him smile.
“Why are you getting mad, babe? You’re getting what you wanted,” Papa said. Joey shot him a warning look, but he just shook his head and changed the subject.
“So, how is Jack doing?” he asked.
Thinking about his brother always made him itchy these days. He knew Jack would be pissed if he knew how many people were really worried about him.
“Okay, I guess. He sounds like he’s getting obsessed with his neighbor’s dog.”
There was a beat of silence. “Ah, you say the dog?” Papa asked.
“Yeah.”
“Not like he’s going to hurt it?”
He glanced at Papa Santini. Former Special Forces, he had seen more action than probably most everyone Jesse knew—and that was saying a lot. Jesse knew what he asked.
“No, Jack would never hurt a dog. Loves them in fact. I think it has more to do with the owner, but I’ll give him another call later.”
“That’s good. Just keep in contact with him, and he’ll be fine.”
He looked at Zoe. “So, where do you want to meet tomorrow?”
“I think I can meet you in DC. Don’t you live closer to there than here?”
He nodded.
“You can’t drive,” Joey said.
Papa rolled his eyes again. The man seemed to constantly be doing that around his wife.
“I can drive since I’m no longer taking the pills.
Joey didn’t look too happy about it, but apparently she was going to let it go. “I guess it will be okay if I let you go.”
Zoe’s lips twitched. “Thanks, Joey. And now that you made this great dinner, we are going to clean up.”
Standing, Zoe looked at Jesse. From the expression on her face, he apparently had been ordered to kitchen duty. He was happy enough to comply. “Sure. It’s the least I can do.”
Joey tried to protest, but Zoe was having none of that. “I think a Marine should be able to help with the dishes. You and Papa go relax.”
She stacked a couple of plates and he did the same following her through the kitchen door.
“I’m sorry about that,” she said, setting the dishes next to the sink. She turned on the water and he shook his head.
“Your arm is still in the cast,” he said, pushing her aside. He laughed at the look she gave him. It was identical to the one Joey had given her.
“I can handle it.”
Oh, she knew how to pout, this one. She was very cute while doing it, too. Sexy as could be. She was a little on the thin side, but she did not lack in the curves department. Those amazing, full lips of hers were still pouting when he returned his gaze to her face. Damn, her eyes always seemed to fascinate him. They tilted up at the corners and had flecks of gold in the deep, chocolate brown depths.
She blinked as he continued to stare and that’s when he realized he was staring. Mentally, he shook himself from his stupor, and busied himself rinsing off the dishes.
“What are you sorry about?” he asked.
“Oh, Joey trying to set us up.”
He almost dropped the plate. In the process of juggling it around, the water sprayed on his shirt. “What?”
She laughed.
“Joey. She was trying to set us up.” She handed him a towel. “I thought that might be why she invited you over, but I wasn’t sure.”
“No trouble. Joey means well.”
“I know she does. She won’t listen to me when I say military men are not for me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Okay, so now he sounded defensive.
She shrugged as she sprayed down the counters to clean them. “Military guys are kind of…structured. That’s just not for me. I like to do what I want. No offense.”
“None taken.”
She laughed. “Oh you were offended. All of y’all are. Gee had a couple friends of his try and get me to go out with them. It isn’t you—it’s me. And admit it, I’m too young for you.”
“How old do you think I am?”
“Well, I’d say you’re about ten years older than I am. I’m only twenty-three.”
It was his turn to blink. He thought she was older. Not that she looked it, but she seemed so steady.
“What is going through that noggin of yours, Marine?”
He blinked again. “Sorry.”
“Do you do that a lot?”
“What?”
“Just disappear into your thoughts? I did it a lot as a kid. I was always getting in trouble at school, unless I was in art class.”
He shook his head. “I think the travelin
g is starting to get to me.”
She nodded in understanding as she continued to wipe down the counter. “So, as I was saying, it is more me than you. After what I just went through, I just…I am not in the mood for anything, not even a date.”
He realized she was worried he would be offended. He was a bit but not that much and he completely understood. Again, she was being responsible. She could lead him on and use him for entertainment, but she was straight up and honest. He couldn’t fault her for that.
“No problem. Just two people seeing DC. Got it.”
She frowned as if she had expected more of a protest. “Okay, as long as we understand each other.”
“Sure.” He said, mentally counting backwards from ten—then doing it again, as she bent over to pick something up. The woman had a world-class ass on her and it was going to be hard not to pay attention to his attraction to her. Before she stood up, though, he turned away.
Somewhere, some day, he would be rewarded for being a good guy. And it better be soon.
Chapter Three
Zoe hadn’t been sure what to expect on a date with Jesse Johnson. Okay, it wasn’t a date for real, but it was in a way. In fact, he acted like it was a date: opening doors and holding out the chair for her when they stopped in one of the Smithsonians to eat. More than likely, that had a lot to do with his upbringing and current career. Her brother-in-law Gee was always doing that for women.
“So, Joey says you sculpt.”
She took a sip of her soda. “You don’t have to say it as if it’s a disease.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“But it doesn’t fit into your well-ordered way of life.”
He shrugged. “I like art, but I don’t always understand it.”
“I paint too, although not that much. Usually when the mood strikes me.”
Portraits for family or people she really cared about, like Nick. The men who had been looking for him had destroyed the one painting she had done of him. She shook away those thoughts. Thinking about Nick, or the things that had happened in Savannah could wait for another day.
“How long are you going to be in town?”
She frowned. “Not really sure. Joey just swooped into Savannah and picked me up. There was never a discussion of when I would return.”
“That’s Joey Santini for you,” he said with admiration coloring his voice. He was a pretty man, but when he smiled…he could probably get a saint to sin. Those dark blue eyes, edged with the most fascinating set of eye lashes on a man…well, it made her sigh. A lot.
“But, I figure I’ll go back soon.”
“There’s no danger, is there?”
She studied him for a second, then said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“You are the only person who doesn’t tip toe around the incident.”
“I wasn’t really sure what happened. I was in…damn, I forgot where they sent me that week. Anyway, I was out of town when it happened.”
“There is no danger anymore, at least. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the cops to round up the guys he was investigating. They’ve already been charged and are being held without bail.”
“And that’s that?”
She nodded. “Cut and dry according to the police.”
“Did you do something to piss them off?”
She sighed knowing that at some point, someone in the families would tell him. “A guy I was living with worked undercover in Narcotics in Savannah. They found out and killed him. They were convinced I knew more, but the truth is, I had no idea what the hell was going on. Nick stayed true to his character in that at least. Right up until the end.”
And she was still hurt by that. She knew that he couldn’t tell her everything, but now, she wasn’t sure if any of the time they spent together had been real. And that made her sad.
“And he was with you because…”
It took her a second to figure out what he was insinuating. “I wasn’t dealing nor have I ever had any use for drugs.” She sighed. “We met because he worked in one of the studios where I had a showing. Savannah is a really small town, and the art society is even smaller.”
“And everyone knows everyone else. I get that. The military can be like that to an extent.”
“Really?”
He jerked a shoulder as a shrug. She picked up that there was something bothering him. Whenever she mentioned work, he changed the subject. The fact that he brought up the military surprised her.
“Depends on the service and your job. The further up in rank you go, the number of people on your level gets smaller and smaller.”
As if to prove the point, she heard someone yell out his last name. She turned and found another huge man, buzz cut and all, heading their way.
“Well, crap.”
“Not a friend,” she said laughing at him.
“Not really.”
“Hey, Johnson,” the man said again as he looked at her with interest. Jesse had already risen from his chair to greet the newcomer. Up close, she realized the man was a bit older than Jesse.
“Sir, how are you doing today?”
“Oh, doing okay. Have the kids with me today, seeing the sights. My wife is out of town.”
She followed his line of vision and found two kids at their own table. The little boy and girl seemed to be preoccupied with their meals.
Then she noticed a man staring at her. She turned to Jesse with a smirk.
“Sorry,” Jesse said. “Zoe Jones, this is Colonel McWilliams. Sir, this is Zoe Jones.”
She offered her hand and the older man accepted it easily. “It’s nice to meet you, Colonel.”
“Please, call me Mac, Ms. Jones.”
She smiled. “Only if you call me Zoe.”
He released her hand and stood there. Jesse did nothing to smooth over the awkward moment, so she said, “Are the kids having a good time?”
“Yeah, they love to come here and see all the movie stuff.”
Another brief pause. Thankfully, one of the kids called for him. He smiled and shook his head. “See you back in the office next week. It was nice to meet you, Zoe.”
He walked back to the kids as Jesse sat back into his chair.
“What was that about?”
Jesse blinked. “What?”
“Don’t give me that vague look, Marine. You’re not fooling me. You didn’t want to introduce me to your boss.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it was more I didn’t want you to meet him.”
It was her turn to blink. “That’s what I said.”
Jesse sighed. “I try and keep a lot of my work and personal life separate.”
She snorted. “I know for a fact that has to be impossible. Especially after seeing what goes on with Kee and Gee.”
He gave her one of those long blinks again and she realized he did that when he was trying to come up with another answer, something else to deflect. She cocked her head to the side and studied him while sipping on her drink.
“What?” he asked.
Two could play at his game. “Nothing.”
“I can tell by the way you are looking at me it is something.”
He was kind of cute when he got irritated. It made her want to mess with him a little more, but she figured it wasn’t a good idea.
“Listen, Jesse, this isn’t a date, we are not looking to learn that much more about each other. If you don’t want to share more of your life with me, I’m cool with that.”
“Really?”
His tone told her he wasn’t buying it. She did want to know more about the Marine, but if he didn’t want to share, she refused to push for more. Zoe had learned a long time ago that wanting things that were just not going to happen only ended in heartache.
Jesse glanced over in the direction where his boss had been sitting with his kids. They were gone now.
“Okay, since it sort of involves you, I will exp
lain. I don’t like my supervisor.”
“Don’t you mean superior officer?”
“I refuse to call the man my superior.”
It was said with enough arrogance that she smiled. “You got a set, Marine, I’ll give you that.”
“And, I don’t like him because there are rumors. There always have been about his personal life.”
“Rumors?”
“He’s unfaithful.” He jerked a shoulder again. “I have a problem trusting a man who can’t keep it in his pants.”
She laughed. “It isn’t only that.”
“He thinks having me work for him is going to help his career.”
And that got under his skin. “Ahh, so that is the thing that bothers you the most.”
“Actually, no. I take infidelity very seriously. It shows that he can’t be trusted. Not to mention, I think if you say you are going to be faithful, you should be. If not, just get divorced.”
“Oh, my, you are the romantic.”
He gave her an exasperated look. “You think it’s romantic staying together while he cheats on her? Everyone knows. You can see the pitying glances from others and the snickering that goes on behind her back. It’s just not right.”
And that summed up Jesse Johnson. He was kind of stuffy for her tastes, but she couldn’t help but admire him for his ethics. Other guys wouldn’t be bothered working for a man who cheated, but for Jesse, it was a problem.
“And now I realize I sound like I am preaching. I’m sorry about that.”
“No, that’s fine.” It also made him more attractive. Sure, he was hot. Six-four of muscled Marine with those longer than long eyelashes, which made her want to swoon. But faithfulness…that was hard to come by. What she wouldn’t give to have a man who thought like him.
She brushed those thoughts away. “So, what ya gonna show me next, Marine?”
His half scowl seemed to clear and his lips curved slightly. Hot damn the man was dangerous. Her heart did a little jig. Not good at all. She just needed to remember she wasn’t ready for him or any man right now. She needed her life back in order and her head screwed on straight.
“How about I show you a little art?”
Chapter Four
Jesse sat in his office a few days later looking over a report when there was a sharp knock at the door. Colonel McWilliams opened the door without waiting for an invitation and stuck his head in.
Tempt Me Page 2