Her phone buzzed with the alarm alerting her that it was time for her to leave. She was trying to get better at being on time for things.
When she’d told her therapist, which she’d been forced to see after her transplant, about her perpetual tardiness he’d explained that a lot of times kids that are sick have a difficult time keeping their minds task-oriented. He said that it stems from managing pain and difficult procedures by distracting themselves or going to ‘happy places’ while their brains are still developing.
He said that once your brain is hardwired to drift, it’s difficult, but not impossible to rewire it to focus. Alarms helped keep her from drifting.
She kissed Marilyn Purrroe on the head and firmly instructed, “Be good. Do not mess with your brother.”
Marilyn rolled to her back, exposing her belly.
“Sorry toots, no time for belly rubs.”
Jess locked up and began the trek to Lanterns. As a kid, she hadn’t appreciated growing up in Whisper Lake. She’d loved the small town during tourist seasons when the population exploded, but the rest of the time it was boring.
Now, she appreciated the beauty and its simplicity. She watched as the sun set behind Stone Castle. The estate was widely speculated to be haunted and the spooky ghost stories and urban legends had scared most of the kids in town at one point or another. But for her, the stories were surprisingly comforting. To believe in them was to believe that there was life after death.
The castle overlooked the lake that was the centerpiece of the town. Lake Shore Drive ran around the large body of water and was lined with shops and restaurants, including her salon.
She was enjoying the walk to Lanterns until about the halfway mark when she really started to regret her choice of footwear. As she glanced down at the offending shoes, she caught her reflection in a window and her ass looked amazing.
It’s worth it, she decided.
But the wave of appreciation for her va-va-voom backside was gone by the time she made it to the parking lot of the bar. She had seriously considered going barefoot the rest of the way until she saw a vehicle that had her patting herself on the back for her resolve.
Only one person in town had a four-door truck with a custom, midnight-blue paint job. Ethan Steele.
If there was anyone worth getting blisters for, it was him.
He wanted to run past her house shirtless, the least she could do was return the favor by wearing these f-me heels that did wonders to her derriere. She stood a little bit taller, and the fiery burn that threatened to overtake her just moments ago dissipated. The healing properties of revenge were revolutionary.
She reached to pull the door open when Marty Rollins came barreling out of it, stopping up short when he came face to face with her. He was a few years older than Jess and was the poster child of peaking in high school. Marty had been the quarterback of the football team and Mr. Popular. But he lost his college scholarship when he failed a drug test his junior year of college. He’d come back to Whisper Lake, tail between his legs, and had been working in his dad’s welding shop ever since.
He was currently on his third marriage, balding, and carried an extra fifty pounds on him. And the way he was looking Jess up and down like she was a piece of steak made her think it wouldn’t be long before he was looking for wife number four.
He held the door open for her, and when she walked by, he let out a low whistle. “Damn, Jess. You are looking good.” His breath reeked of alcohol.
“Thanks, Marty. I wish I could say the same,” she retorted playfully, yet honestly.
He pretended that she’d shot him in the chest and stumbled backward dramatically. Between that and his breath, it was clear he’d had more than a few drinks.
“You’re not driving, are you?” She started to pull out her phone to call a ride for him.
“Nope,” he said proudly and pointed just past Jess. “He took my license after my last DUI.”
“Damn right I did.” Ethan’s deep voice sent a shudder down Jess’s spine. She felt him behind her, and his breath fanned her shoulder as he asked, “Is Lana picking you up?”
“Yes, sir, Officer Tight Ass.” Marty laughed at his bad joke.
Ethan ignored him and stepped beside her as he motioned to the back of the tavern. “We’re on the patio.”
“We’re?” she asked, breathlessly.
“Yep. Kade and Ali asked us both to dinner.”
“Oh,” she said flatly, even as her heart rate sped up. She’d been excited at the thought of flaunting her J-Lo booty and stilettos in front of him, but she’d assumed it would be in passing. Now, she was going to be having dinner with him.
“Shall we?” He offered her his arm.
She bit the inside of her cheek as she considered whether or not she should accept his assistance. Pro: it was an excuse to touch him. Con: it was an excuse to touch him.
Jess could count on one hand the number of times she and Ethan had had any kind of contact. The first time had scarred her for life. She’d had a dream that he was kissing her and woke up to his lips against hers. It took her several seconds before she realized that he wasn’t making out with her, he was resuscitating her. It was a stark reality to be faced with. She’d been in a fantasy, floating in a wonderful world where Ethan Steele was making out with her, and she’d woken up to find out that he’d been giving her mouth to mouth because he was afraid she was dying.
There’d been a few times after that. The most contact they’d had was when he’d “rescued” her from the lake on her eighteenth birthday. He’d felt that she was out too far. She was just pushing her boundaries and having some fun because she’d officially made it to adulthood.
She’d never forget the feeling of having his hard body pressed against hers as he swam them to the shore. The way his strong arms had wrapped around her. She’d never wanted him to let her go. How different it was later that same night when she was losing her virginity to Louis, and his touch just made her want to get the deed over with.
“I don’t bite.” Ethan’s voice snapped her out of her memories, and she hated the fact that he’d caught her hesitating.
“Well, that’s a damn shame.”
She saw a slight flare of his eyes, and for a moment she enjoyed having the upper hand. It was a position she was used to having in most areas of her life, but when it came to Ethan, it was hard-earned. As she wrapped her fingers around his arm, a tingle snaked from her palm, up her arm, and down her spine, stopping right in the core of her body. It lit her with arousal.
If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve sworn that he was supercharged. That he had an electrical current running through him that shocked her when she touched him.
Somehow she was able to walk on her jelly legs to the back of the restaurant. When he opened the patio door and held it for her, she dropped her hand from his arm as she walked past him. She thought maybe she was out of the arousal woods, but it turned out she was still in the thick of it. When she passed him, he placed his hand on her lower back, and a shudder ricocheted through her body.
Her eyes landed on Ali and Kade seated at a table overlooking the lake, and she beelined toward them.
“Hi! You look amazing!” Ali said as she stood and wrapped her arms around Jess’s neck.
“Thanks, so do you.”
Ali was incredibly stunning in the most naturally beautiful way. She rarely wore a drop of makeup, and always wore her long, light brown hair in a bun or beneath a baseball cap. Her wardrobe consisted mostly of cutoff shorts and tank tops, which was what she wore tonight.
As they all took their seats, the four of them fell into an easy conversation as they ordered and enjoyed their meal.
When they’d finished and the server had cleared their plates, Ali and Kade shared a look before Ali cleared her throat. “Okay, so the reason we asked you here is because we decided on a wedding date.”
“Wow. That was quick.” Jess was slightly surprised. Ali had never been the gi
rl that talked about getting married. So much so that when Kade had recruited Jess to assist in his surprise proposal, her first thought was that she wasn’t sure if her friend would say yes.
Not because she didn’t think that Ali loved Kade. Ali had been in love with Kade McKnight since they were kids. She just wasn’t sure where her friend stood on the whole institution of marriage. She was the girl that played business owner, not bride. But, if the smile on her face tonight was any indication, she was all about it.
“You trying to lock her down before she comes to her senses?” Ethan teased.
Jess grinned.
“I wanted to go to the courthouse this morning,” Kade jokingly pouted.
“No.” Ali shook her head. “I want to enjoy being engaged, and then I want to actually spend time with my husband once I get married. With tourist season in full swing, there’s no way I can do that now. But Labor Day is the official end of the season so we decided to get married that Friday. It’s just going to be a small ceremony at Foster Pond and a private reception here after with just close friends and family.”
“And then, on Monday, we’re renting out the pier at night so anyone who wants to come celebrate can,” Kade explained.
“We get free fireworks for our big reception.” Ali clapped her hands together.
The town of Whisper Lake did huge fireworks displays for Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.
Ali and Kade exchanged looks, and then Ali turned back. “And we wanted to know if you would be our best man and our maid of honor.”
“Of course.” Jess felt herself starting to tear up as she stood and pulled Ali into a hug.
Beside her, she heard Ethan agree and the two men stood and did the one-armed man hug. When they all sat back down, Ali’s phone buzzed.
“It’s the twins.”
She answered it but wasn’t able to hear out on the patio, so she excused herself. Kade waited a minute or two and then went to check on her.
The moment she and Ethan were alone, the energy shifted. The sun had set over the lake, and the numerous lanterns on the wooden patio lit up, giving it an ethereal glow.
“So, how long do you plan to continue stalking me?” Jess asked, hoping to catch Ethan off guard.
“Excuse me?”
“Your runs. I know that you go out of your way to come by my house.”
She watched the corner of his eye twitch as the left side of his mouth pulled up in a half-grin as he lifted his glass and took a slow sip. When he set it down, he turned to her, leaning forward slightly. “It seems to me you care an awful lot about where I run.”
Even though she was sitting outdoors on a patio surrounded by fresh air, it suddenly wasn’t so easy to breathe. As she sat staring into Ethan’s deep brown eyes, a phenomenon occurred that she’d never experienced before. Everything around her disappeared. She wondered if it was just her imagination or if the only thing that actually existed was the two of them.
“Ethan, I’m so glad I ran into you.” Laura Lopez appeared beside their table and popped the bubble Jess had been floating in. “I was just speaking with Mrs. Dobrinski, and she said she’s not going to be able to help you with graduation this year, and she asked if I would be able to.”
“Oh, really?” He answered, somewhat surprised.
Jess tuned out as Laura gushed over how excited she was to help out. About five years ago, Ethan had started The Lake County Youth Outreach Program through the sheriff’s department. He and several other officers mentored kids throughout the school year and then on Memorial Day they had a ceremony at the lake to celebrate completing the program. Several people, including Mrs. Dobrinski, volunteered to help out.
She tuned back in when she heard Laura thanking him profusely for walking her to her car a few nights earlier. She knew that Laura was pointing it out for Jess’s benefit.
When she finally left, Jess heard herself say, “Wow.”
“Wow, what?” Ethan turned back.
Jess shook her head. She hadn’t meant to say anything out loud, but she’d never had that great of a filter.
“Nothing,” she said, hoping he would drop it.
From the look on Ethan’s face, she saw that that wasn’t going to happen.
* * *
Ethan tilted his head to the side as he studied Jess. “Are you jealous?” he teased, but he wasn’t sure he was wrong.
“Yep.” Jess’s answer dripped with sarcasm. “That’s it. I’m jealous.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll walk you to your car, too.”
“That’s not necessary.”
The way she answered gave him pause. “You didn’t walk here, did you?”
“In these shoes?” She looked at him like he was an idiot, but she didn’t actually answer his question.
“Jess, did you walk here?” Lanterns was over two miles from her house. And it was dark. Ethan didn’t like the idea of her walking two miles in the dark.
“I’m not one of your perps.”
“My perps?” Usually, when a civilian used television law enforcement terms, it irritated him. When Jess did it he found it adorable.
“Yeah,” She crossed her arms in front of her. “You can’t interrogate me.”
“It’s a simple question. One that I could easily figure out the answer to with a quick trip to the parking lot.”
“My transportation, or lack thereof, is none of your business.”
Technically, she was right. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make it his business.
“Hey, guys!” Ali returned to the table. Instead of sitting back down, she reached for her purse. “We’re going to take off, but Kade is taking care of the bill, so get dessert, more drinks, stay. Have fun.”
“Everything okay?” Jess asked, and he noted a hint of suspicion in her voice.
“Yeah, the boys just called, and they’re staying at Ryder’s tonight.” Ali’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. “Brynn’s letting them camp out in the back.”
“You’re ditching me for an empty house with your fiancé?” Jess asked, incredulous.
“Yes, she is.” Kade stepped up and wrapped his arms around Ali.
“Fair enough.” Jess lifted her glass in cheers. “I’d do the same thing.”
“Thanks again, you guys.” Ali began to gush, “We’re so excited that you-”
“Yeah, thanks!” Kade interrupted and picked Ali up off her feet and started towards the stairs that led directly down to the parking lot.
Ali giggled as she waved.
“Have fun boning!” Jess called out, in what he was sure was an attempt to embarrass her friend.
Ali’s eyes widened, and her mouth fell open, but Kade whispered something in her ear causing her to giggle more as they disappeared down the steps.
“Boning?” Ethan repeated.
Jess turned back to him and crossed her arms. “Yes, Ethan. It’s when two people have sex.”
He stared at her, liking where this conversation was going almost as much as he’d liked that they were now alone.
When he didn’t respond, she continued, “You know…doing the deed? Having intercourse? Hiding the salami? Dipping the wick? Bumping uglies? Getting busy?”
“Wow,” he smiled. “Impressive.”
“Oh, I can keep going,” she said confidently.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Is that right?”
“Yep.”
“Well, then. Let’s make it interesting.”
Her left brow rose. “You want to bet me that I can’t come up with more euphemisms for sex?”
Ethan leaned closer to her, and when he moved his arm, his knuckles brushed against the back of her hand. “I want to bet you that I can come up with more.”
He could see the interest light in her ocean blue stare. “What do I win?”
“If you win, I won’t follow you home. And if I win, you let me give you a ride.”
“What are the rules?”
<
br /> “You watch Ellen, right?” He knew she did. It was well known throughout town that she put it on every day at three o’clock at the salon.
“Of course I do.”
“Have you ever seen her play ‘Last Word’?”
She nodded. “First person to repeat a phrase or not be able to come up with one loses.”
“Yep.”
“Ready?” Ethan asked.
“Horizontal mambo,” she began.
“Screwing.” He figured he’d start off easy.
“Jamming the clam.”
“Knocking boots.” He went old school.
“Dipping the wick.”
He started to point out that she’d already said that one but she beat him to the punch. “It didn’t count we weren’t playing yet!”
“Fine,” he conceded. “Bedroom rodeo.”
“Paddling up coochie creek.”
“Slap and tickle.”
“Parting the pink sea,” she shot back.
His pants were beginning to get snug at her colorful phrases.
“Humping.”
“Laying pipe.”
“Sharpening the pencil.”
“Doing the wild thing.”
“Making love.” His voice deepened, and he saw her eyes widen slightly.
Her breath caught. He could see that it affected her more than she wanted to reveal.
There was a wobble in her voice as she said, “Getting laid.”
What started as fun and games took a turn as the energy between them grew dense with electricity. Knowing that it was time to go in for the kill, he leaned in closer, “Fucking.”
A few seconds passed before she blinked and breathlessly stammered, “Um…ah…knocking boots.”
He smiled. “I said that.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Shit.”
“You ready to go?”
“Fine.” She sighed as she grabbed her purse.
As they walked to his truck, he wondered if she was feeling the same thing he was. Like there was a rubber band stretching between them, and it was about to snap. He opened the door and held out his hand. She took it and stepped up into his truck. She sat back, and the moonlight illuminated her like it was her personal spotlight.
Whisper of Surrender Page 4