by David, Kori
She patted the spot next to her. Lily couldn’t refuse and honestly she didn’t want to. Jesse was a curiosity and maybe this woman could tell her more about his life. Not that she was thinking about them in the shower—together—she was just curious.
“You have such a happy glow. It’s hard to believe that anything bad could have happened to you.”
Beth smiled and for a moment, her big chocolate brown eyes were sadder than anything Lily had ever seen outside of a third world country. “My childhood was…difficult. But what sent me running to Zach was an obsessed stalker.” Unconsciously, she rubbed her belly. “It’s funny, but I hadn’t seen him in over a decade either. I just knew that he’d protect me when I didn’t have anyone else.”
“Well, it looks like it really worked out for you two.”
“It did and no matter what ends up happening, Jesse is a man you can trust.”
They both heard the bellow, but only Lily jumped. Beth just laughed and shook her head. “I guess my visit is up. And I was so enjoying the company. Just between you and me, he’s driving me crazy. You’d think I was the only woman in the world to get pregnant.”
“You are the only woman in my world,” Zach said coming into the room. “And it’s time to go home and get back into bed.”
Lily stifled a laugh as the big man scooped Beth up into his arms and left. She could hear Beth scolding him all the way down the hallway about not letting her say a proper goodbye. She never got the chance to ask anything more about Jesse.
“My wife says goodbye,” Zach yelled. And the front door slammed shut.
“He’s not usually this abrasive,” Jesse said, leaning on the doorframe.
“No?”
“Nah, he’s mellowed quite a bit since he finally convinced Beth to marry him.”
Lily could feel her eyes widen. “You mean he was worse?”
Jesse nodded. “He’s worried about the pregnancy. The doctor says everything is fine, but she’s due in about a week and he’s not going to calm down until the baby is born and they’re both healthy and home.”
“You all seem close.”
“He’s like the brother I never had and she’s perfect for him. And they made me Godfather to the baby. I’m an uncle many times over, but I’ve never been a Godfather before. It’s a special honor.”
“Congratulations.”
“I promised you a hot shower and I plan to deliver.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful.”
He pulled her up from the bed and led her into the large bathroom. There were three bags on the floor, each baring the name of a different store that she didn’t recognize.
“Beth bought these for you. I have no idea what’s inside but she said you’d be set with anything you needed. I told her that your favorite color was yellow. I hope I got that right.”
She was touched that he still remembered. Even after all this time.
“Thank you, Jesse. For everything.”
“Hey, I deliver on my promises. And real food is on that list. When you’re done, come on into the kitchen. I’m in the mood for an omelet.”
***
“Did the Marine Corps teach you how to cook too?” Lily patted her stomach as they stepped outside in the cool night air.
“They taught me many things, but Mom taught me how to cook.” Jesse stretched out the kinks in his shoulders before leaning against the railing on the back porch. He was going on thirty hours without sleep, but he’d been taught to go longer. And he had questions. He intended to get some answers.
“Tell me about Robert Worthington.”
She sucked in a breath and stared at him. Then she sat down on the porch swing, pushed off with her feet, rocking gently back and forth. It took her a couple of moments to recover and then she asked, “How do you know about him?”
“I made it my business to find out everything about you.”
She looked down at her laced fingers. He’d never known her to fidget, but with a small indrawn breath, she was intensely still. “You know nothing about me.”
Jesse moved closer and squatted down to be at eye level with her, stopping the swing mid-motion. He waited until she lifted her emerald eyes to his. “You’re right. I don’t know anything about you. All I know is what my friends found. It’s you on paper. Flat and cold. The facts.”
Lily’s hands were ice cold when he took them in his. She smelled fresh and clean and like some kind of flower. The soft yellow shirt she wore brought out her dusky complexion and looked great on her. With wet hair and no makeup she was prettier than anyone he’d seen in one of those fashion magazines his sisters were obsessed with.
“What I want to know is the real you. The one I knew as a teenager has grown up and had a life that I wasn’t a part of. And somewhere in there is the reason you were targeted.”
“And you want to start with my ex-husband?”
He didn’t flinch, but his heart did an unexpected squeeze at the thought of Lily married. Of another man holding her, kissing her—loving her.
Hell, he’d never even thought of her that way when they were kids. But he’d been taking notice of her, as a desirable woman, from the moment he’d thrown her over his shoulder in Mexico.
“He seems as good a start as any. And since you were only nineteen when you got married, I can’t imagine you raised too much hell in the two years prior.”
Her lips quirked, but she pulled her hands out of his. “What do you want to know?”
Moving out of his crouch, Jesse settled on the other end of the swing, giving her some space. She had her arms folded across her chest like a shield. Classic body language that said she wasn’t happy about this line of questioning.
“How did you meet?”
She sighed and relaxed a little, running a hand through her thick hair. “He was an aide in the mayor’s office. He was handsome, charming, and instantly interested in me. I was lonely and flattered.”
“Was your mother still mayor at the time?”
“Oh yes, and she more than approved. He was an Ivy Leaguer with political aspirations. What more could a girl like me hope for? We were married quickly and I tried hard to be what they wanted me to be.”
“And what was that?”
“Perfect. They wanted me to be perfect. Perfectly dressed, the perfect hostess, and the perfect wife to a man on the political trail. After all, he was going to be a Congressman someday, and he needed the perfect woman on his arm. Or at least a woman with the right pedigree.”
Her tone had become hard with a hint of bitterness.
“So what happened?”
“I found Mr. Worthington III screwing his perfect, big-breasted, blonde secretary on his desk the night of our one year anniversary. I thought to surprise him at the office with a picnic dinner for our big day since he was tied up with work.”
“That son of a bitch.”
“I never even knew. I was naïve back then. I thought it was a chance meeting at Mother’s office the day we met. I never guessed that she’d set me up with someone like him.”
“How did you find out?”
“Oh, she told me. And then told me that a divorce was out of the question. It was clearly my fault that I couldn’t keep my own husband happy in the bedroom or else he wouldn’t have strayed in the first place. And divorce would look bad for everyone involved. Better to look the other way and remain dutiful.”
“Jesus, Lil. Your mother was always cold, but you’re her only child.”
“And nothing but a disappointment to her since the day I was born.”
The way she said it, Jesse realized that it was something she’d heard all her life. No wonder she’d been so eager for adventure when they were young. He knew she’d been rebelling but thought it was normal teenage stuff. Clearly, she’d just needed to be away from her mother.
“I’m sorry, sugar. I wish I’d have known.”
“So you could have done what?”
“Beat the living hell out of your ex-husband fo
r a start.”
She smiled and shoved a hand through her hair. “That wouldn’t have helped and would’ve just brought more trouble to you and your family. Besides, I filed for divorce the next day. I was, happily, a complete failure in the perfect daughter category.”
“It would have made me feel better.” He pulled one of her hands into his again. He couldn’t resist touching her and she either didn’t notice or didn’t mind. “Did you love him?”
“No. And maybe that’s the saddest part. I didn’t love him and other than embarrassment over catching him riding his secretary like he was in the Kentucky Derby, all I felt was relief. I kept thinking, finally I have a good reason to leave. I don’t even remember much about that year. It was another life, another me.”
Jesse nodded. She wasn’t lying about her feelings and he was glad she’d never given her heart to that jackass. And if he saw him around town, he still might give him a beat down, just for not appreciating Lily.
“Good. Now tell me about your work.”
“I’m a photo journalist, but I think you already know that. I stay on the move, shoot my pictures and sometimes write the stories that go with them.”
“I’ve seen some of your shots, they’re beautifully captured.”
He’d caught her off guard with that. Her eyes widened and crinkled a bit at the corners, showing her pleasure at his revelation. “Thank you. I’ve been to some wonderful places and met some truly remarkable people.”
“You’ve also been to some war-torn countries and taken some shots of not so nice people.”
“That’s true,” she said. “But I’ve met amazing people and seen sights that few Americans ever will except through pictures.”
“So the question is, whose picture did you take and why are they willing to kill you for it?”
Chapter 5
Lily stood up to pace. It was hard to sit still with Jesse holding her hand and being nice to her, when all she wanted to do was lean in and kiss him. He’d taken a shower as well, and his faded gray T-shirt molded to his chest like she wanted to.
He made her feel more in a simple touch than her ex-husband had in their entire marriage. She’d taken several lovers in the years since that travesty, but none of them inspired the kind of lust she’d always harbored toward Jesse.
“What about you? Did you ever get married?” she asked, curious, since she didn’t have a dossier on him the way he had on her.
He cocked his head and gave her an easy smile. “Wanting to know about my love life?”
“Not the horny details, please. But yeah, I want to know as much as you know about me. Seems only fair.”
“There’s really not much to tell. I did a couple of tours for the Marines and then got out. Zach and I started up our security company and we’ve been successful enough to buy this land and build our homes. We’re even talking about expanding our operations south to Phoenix in the next five years.”
“Well that was short and to the point. No ex-wives or jealous lovers?”
“Nope. I’ve been so busy attending all my sisters’ weddings that I have a healthy respect for my bachelor lifestyle. No current lovers either, in case you really wanted to know.”
He winked and she couldn’t stop the eye roll.
“So why did you stand me up for prom?”
“The burning question.” He laughed. “My sisters read me the riot act over that you know. Apparently, I ruined your whole high school experience.”
Lily relaxed back and set the swing in motion again, happy with the conversation change. “Well, not my entire experience.” She hadn’t been devastated. More that she was so used to rejection that she just assumed she hadn’t been good enough as a date. It’s not like he thought of her as anything other than a buddy anyway.
“I was surprised that you stood me up.” She grinned. “I had a nice little tantrum. Once I got over myself I decided something must have happened, so I asked your mother the next day where you were. She just said you couldn’t wait to join the military and left that night.”
“So that was the story, huh?”
Lily nodded, curious to hear what really happened.
“It’s true I wanted out of town, but that’s not the reason I left when I did.”
He rubbed his chin and she could hear the scrap of his whiskers over his short nails. They’d no doubt leave her with a red face if he kissed her.
Stop it, she told herself. That train of thought didn’t help and was only getting her worked up in a way that she wouldn’t be able to relieve by herself.
“So why did you go?”
“I got into a fight.”
“On prom night? Who with?”
He nodded and a glint came into his eyes. “Wayne Kingston.”
Understanding dawned. “Why would you get into a fight with the Sheriff’s son?”
He held his hands up and looked innocent. “How could I have known that you turned him down for prom? I had no idea you were quite the femme fatale back then.”
“How did this become my fault?”
“He didn’t like the thought of anyone else taking you to prom. So he and Andy Newton jumped me outside the flower shop, of all places. Apparently, you said no to Andy as well, and since everyone knew he was going to be Prom King, he figured you should have been his date. Although, I don’t think he told Wayne that.”
Her heart melted just a little bit. “You were bringing me flowers?”
It was his turn to roll his eyes. “It was prom. Of course I was buying you flowers. My two oldest sisters told me exactly what to get and what color you were wearing.”
“That’s so sweet. So what happened?”
“They were a little drunk and acting stupid and I broke little Wayne’s nose. He called his daddy for backup after Andy drove off in his Camaro, and I was hauled down to the station.”
Her mouth dropped open. “He always was a coward.”
“I have a few other names for him,” Jesse said with a smirk.
She did too, but, “A lady does not cuss.”
“Why the hell not?”
Lily scooted closer and poked him in the ribs. “What happened, then?”
It took a minute but he finally contained his mirth. “Well, no one bothered to ask who started it because Wayne was crying and bleeding so much no one could understand him. And since I’d already had several run-ins with the Sheriff, he naturally assumed it was me.”
“And his uncle was the judge at the time.”
“Yep.”
“They made you leave town that night, didn’t they?”
“Mom was crying and they were threatening jail time, so I let her drive me to the recruiter’s office in the next town and she left me there with a bag. He came and got me, let me crash on his couch for a couple days while the paperwork went through and then stuck me on a bus to boot camp.”
“It’s like a bad movie.”
“Sorry I never called. By the time I had phone privileges, I figured you were pissed and wouldn’t want to hear from me anyway.”
Lily shrugged. “I still went. I was crowned Prom Queen but I refused to dance with Andy. It was quite the high school scandal.”
She would have loved a phone call, at least to know why he hadn’t shown up, but she wasn’t mad. She’d been all dressed up, hair done and even had makeup on, just to be able to dance in his arms. The sad truth was that she’d been half in love with him back then and he treated her like a special friend, or worse, another sister.
“Why didn’t you ever try to kiss me?”
Jesse sobered and stared at her mouth, making her lips tingle. “Do you know why they allowed me to go to the recruiter that night, instead of charging me with assault?”
She shook her head.
“Your mother stepped in and made it happen. I don’t think she wanted me anywhere near you.”
“She never paid enough attention about anything in my life to care.”
“Apparently she knew about prom.”
“So?” Lily was genuinely confused. Her mother hadn’t even been home when she had gotten ready that night. Some fundraiser thing in Dallas.
Jesse scratched his chin and shrugged. “So, my mother cleaned your mother’s house. I don’t think she liked the idea of the maid’s son dating the mayor’s daughter. Wouldn’t have looked right. And when my mother called for help, your mother made sure I was out of sight and out of mind.”
“I guess that thought never occurred to me.” She got up and moved to the picture window that overlooked the front of the house, seeing only her reflection. “It’s okay, you know, about the kissing. I know you never thought of me that way.”
She didn’t hear him move. One minute she was feeling alone and slightly depressed, and the next he was behind her, his reflection overwhelming hers in the glass. Their eyes met and his expression was deadly serious.
“Maybe I never thought it would be welcomed. I was a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks.”
“And I was the good girl looking for adventure.” She smiled lightly. “It might as well be a Lifetime movie.”
“How about we fix that now?”
Lily wasn’t even sure she was done nodding before he turned her and she was in his arms. His lips captured hers in a kiss that seared her entire being. This was no tentative first kiss, there was no hesitation, no awkward fumbling. He kissed like he meant it. Like she was a prize captured or won.
And she loved every single moment.
Her arms were around his waist, exploring his muscular back. His hands were buried in her hair, stroking and tugging lightly, just enough to move her mouth where he wanted it. He was in total control and she liked letting him lead.
When she raked her nails up his back, he growled low in his throat in a way that let her know he liked what she was doing. She’d heard the same kind of noise once, out on a Kenyon preserve in Africa. A big tawny lion, lying on a rock outcropping, was being thoroughly cleansed by one of his mates.
“Wow,” she said when he pulled back to look at her. “That was better than I’d ever imagined.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“So you imagined it too?”