More to Love

by Alison Bliss

  “Is that why you help the homeless guy in the park?”

  “Harry? I guess.” She shrugged. “I mean, I get it. Life isn’t always easy, nor is it always kind. Stuff happens, and it sometimes takes a while before a person can stand on their own two feet again. But I don’t think of me feeding Harry lunch as a handout. It’s more of a hand-up. It’s up to him what he does with that.”

  Max kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re a good person, Jessa Gibson. Most people would pass by a guy like Harry and not think twice about ignoring his current living situation.”

  “It’s hard to ignore a situation that you recognize and have been in yourself.”

  “True. So what happened that changed that for you?”

  “Well, I guess I received a hand-up of my own. Though I didn’t have a place to live, I kept my post office box. Thank goodness for that. Because I finally received a check from my mother’s life insurance policy.”

  “Life insurance? I always thought it was nearly impossible to get approved for a policy if you had cancer. They wouldn’t cover my grandmother at all.”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure, but in my mother’s case, she had her policy years before she was ever diagnosed. So they paid out the policy, and that check was what got me off the streets.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t like the idea of you being in that kind of bad situation.”

  “This will probably sound a bit crazy, but it was almost like my mother had reached out beyond death and had offered me a helping hand.”

  “I don’t think it sounds crazy at all. I’d probably look at it the same way if it had been my mother. Your mom would’ve wanted to help you so maybe she did.”

  “Maybe.” Jessa yawned sleepily.

  “Getting tired?”

  “Yeah. I think my emotions are wearing me out.”

  He leaned her against his chest, and his hand slid beneath her shirt and up her spine to the center of her back. “Then get comfortable on me and go to sleep. I’ll rub your back for you.”

  She shifted a little, and then her eyes flickered up at him. “But aren’t you going back to sleep too?”

  “I will soon.”

  Right after he figured out what the hell he was going to do about Jessa. Because he was pretty damn sure he was falling completely in love with her. But even that wasn’t going to stop her from hating his guts when the truth finally came out.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next day, Jessa whistled happily as she strolled down the cracked sidewalk.

  Ever since she first arrived in town, she’d been dying to visit some of the charming little shops that made up the town square. Now that Lisa and Mary were able to handle the food truck on their own during a busy lunch rush, Jessa simply couldn’t pass up a chance to do so.

  She’d already hit the farmers’ market this morning and told her workers that it would probably be several hours before she returned. Then she walked the quarter of a mile into town. Since her bicycle was sitting outside of Logan’s bar and her employees were manning the truck, she hadn’t really had much of a choice.

  It didn’t matter though. The walk would do her good, and she enjoyed the gorgeous fall weather they were having right now. The bright sun was high in the sky, but a cold front had blown through sometime during the night, leaving behind a light cool breeze that kept her from breaking a sweat.

  The town square was centrally located in the small downtown area of Granite and seemed to be the true heart and soul of this great community. It reminded her of a quaint little village since it was home to a host of curio shops and specialty boutiques with old wooden awnings.

  It was amazing how all the residents supported their local businesses. People milled about, shopping and chatting, while some waved to familiar, friendly faces from across the way. Most of which she recognized as her customers.

  At one merchant’s store, a scruffy black dog greeted her at the entrance. She scratched his floppy ear and waved to his elderly owner behind the counter in passing. Then Jessa moved from one aisle to another while perusing their handmade goods. Bird houses in all shapes, sizes, and color. Seashell wind chimes that spiraled downward. Colored glass bottles. Metal yard sculptures. And just about everything in between.

  But Jessa wasn’t really much of a trinket gal. So she moved to a wall display and picked out a small rosemary-scented candle that was much more her sort of thing. Then she headed for the counter to pay for her purchase.

  As she waited for the cashier to ring her up, she spotted a miniature tape measure key chain that reminded her of Max. She smiled and, on a whim, went ahead and bought it for him. He would probably think it was a silly gift, but she didn’t care. It reminded her of how they met, and she cherished the memory regardless.

  With her purchases bagged up, Jessa headed off for the next store. But as she strolled down the sidewalk, someone yelled her name. She turned to see Valerie and Logan standing outside the popular Sweets n’ Treats bakery. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” Valerie said, eyeing her bag. “Doing some shopping?”

  “A little. What are you guys doing?”

  “Nothing much. We’re just meeting up with some friends for coffee. Do you have a few minutes to spare? Maybe you could join us.”

  Jessa shook her head. “Oh, that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.”

  “Not at all. It’s fine. We’d love to have you.” Valerie glanced up at Logan. “Wouldn’t we, Logan?”

  “Of course,” he agreed, nodding.

  “All right. Sounds good.”

  Jessa followed them into the bakery, and the scent of cinnamon and warm caramelized sugar filled her nostrils. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the heavenly aroma, as she followed Valerie and Logan over to a corner table where two people sat drinking coffee. She immediately recognized Sam, who was sitting with a pretty brunette who had the most gorgeous green eyes she’d ever seen.

  Valerie cleared her throat to get their attention. “Hey, guys. Sorry we’re a few minutes late. Someone didn’t want to get out of bed today,” she said, tossing a telling look over her shoulder at Logan.

  Sam shook his head. “Lazy bastard.”

  Logan grinned. “Actually, there was nothing lazy about it. I worked up quite a sweat in that bed.” He nodded to his fiancée. “And don’t let Val fool you with that innocent act. I’m not the one who started it.”

  Valerie giggled. “I didn’t hear you complaining at the time.”

  “Nope,” Logan said, shaking his head. “And you won’t hear me complaining now either.”

  Sam laughed and then turned his attention on Jessa. “Hey, Jess. Nice to see you again. Have you met my wife, Leah?” He motioned to the lovely green-eyed woman sitting next to him who was smiling politely at her.

  “Oh, sorry,” Valerie cut in, cringing. “I was thinking everyone had already met.”

  “It’s okay,” Jessa said with a smile. She hadn’t known it at the time, but she had actually met Sam’s wife in person before. Well, sort of. “You were mostly right.” She turned her gaze onto Leah. “You’re the turkey melt with the spicy avocado sauce. Extra toasty, right?”

  Leah’s brows rose. “Holy crap. I can’t believe you remember that. I ordered that last week.”

  Jessa laughed at her shocked expression. “Well, unfortunately, I can’t remember what everyone orders, but yours stood out to me for some reason. Probably because of the extra toasty part.”

  “Do you remember what I order?” Logan asked curiously.

  That was an easy one. “Of course. You’re the fried oyster sandwich with Fresno peppers and the chipotle drizzle.”

  Valerie quirked a brow. “What about me? I bet you don’t remember mine.”

  “Well, that’s because you change your order all the time. But yesterday you got the savory sausage roll and a side of jalapeño cheddar fries.”

  “Valerie!” Leah shrieked. “You aren’t supposed to be eating that. You said you would go on a diet with me.�
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  Valerie laughed and shook her head adamantly. “No, what I said was that I would think about going on a diet with you. But I decided I don’t need to diet any more than you do. Life’s too short to go without cheese fries. And, holy hell, that sausage was good.”

  Leah rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Actually, it’s my brother who’s ridiculous. He loves Jessa’s take on bacon mac n’ cheese so much that he asked me to sneak into the kitchen at the bar and see if I could steal her recipe.” Valerie’s gaze flew back to Jessa. “I refused to do it, of course.”

  She laughed. “I don’t mind giving you the recipe. It’s a pretty easy one to follow. I use three kinds of shredded cheese: goat cheese, mozzarella, and Muenster. He’ll need butter, heavy cream, and a touch of garlic to mix in, along with his cooked pasta, and then add some chopped, pan-seared prosciutto before throwing it all in the oven until it’s bubbly hot. Remind me later, and I’ll write it down for him.”

  “Oh, Lord, don’t do that. Then he’s going to want me to make it. My brother can’t cook. Hell, he can barely make himself a bowl of cereal. I’d rather him just order it straight from you. That way you make the money off of it, and it saves me the headache. Win-win, if you ask me.”

  Jessa grinned. “Well, okay. But the offer still stands if you change your mind.”

  The bakery door chimed as someone entered behind her, but she didn’t get a chance to turn around because Sam grinned at her and said, “Okay, since you’re doing everyone else, now you have to do me.”

  A growl rose from behind her, and a very husky male voice asked, “What did you just say to her?”

  Jessa spun around, her eyes widening, to see Max standing behind her. He glared at Sam with intensity and something that looked a little bit like…rage? Apparently, he’d caught the tail end of Sam’s comment and hadn’t liked what he’d heard.

  “Oh, um…hi,” she said, walking toward him and then stretching onto her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips.

  It was just a quick, friendly kiss, and she hadn’t thought twice about doing it, but Max’s entire body stiffened and his mouth instantly became rigid against hers.

  For a second, she thought maybe she’d caught him off guard or something since he’d never shied away from her like that before. If anything, Max would normally have slid his arms around her waist, pulled her even closer, and deepened the kiss. But not this time. Instead, he seemed almost shocked that she’d offered him any sort of a public display of affection.

  And as strange as it was, everyone else in the room looked just as surprised as Max. All of their mouths had fallen open, and they each had a wide-eyed stare pointed in her direction.

  Why had kissing Max caused such a weird reaction? It wasn’t like she’d tried to slip him some tongue or something. Jeez. Lighten up, people.

  Though she hated to admit it, Max’s reaction to the kiss troubled her the most. She found his underwhelming response to be lacking any enthusiasm, and he hadn’t kissed her back at all. Then she remembered what Max had said about not wanting anyone at city hall to find out about the two of them.

  Was that it? Was he worried about losing his job? Or maybe he was just more of a private person than most and didn’t want anyone else to know his business. Either way, it would certainly explain his obvious level of discomfort and why a simple kiss had thrown him into a broodingly silent state.

  She hadn’t meant to embarrass him. And she hated to think that she’d unwittingly caused him to worry about them being seen together in public as a couple. But they’d been sharing the same bed for the past four nights now…and doing a hell of a lot more than sleeping. Or kissing for that matter.

  “Well, this is a new development,” Valerie said, still blinking at them. “Jess, I didn’t even know you had met Max, much less that there was something going on between you two. Was Max the guy you were talking about last week?”

  Jessa’s face burned hot. Crap. What was she supposed to tell her? “Oh, no. I was talking about…someone else. Max and I know each other, but, um…it’s not like that.”

  One of Valerie’s eyebrows arched higher. “Really?”

  Jessa glanced back at Max and noted how red his face had suddenly become. Damn. She must’ve embarrassed him again. “Sure. Max and I are…just friends, that’s all.”

  “Uh-huh,” Valerie said, her sardonic tone making it clear that she wasn’t buying a word of it. “Do you go around kissing all of your male friends on the lips like that?”

  “No, of course not,” Jessa said, shaking her head furiously. Beside her, Max expelled a hard breath, as if he were relieved she hadn’t said yes. He knew as well as she did that Valerie’s own fiancé was one of those male friends of hers. So Jessa did the only thing she could and added, “Only the single ones.”

  “The fuck you do,” Max blurted out, his words filled with aggravation.

  What the hell is he doing? “No, uh, really. Max, you know I do. You aren’t the only guy I kiss on the lips.”

  His eyes narrowed. “If you don’t stop saying that, I’m going to prove you wrong.”

  She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  Jessa didn’t know what Max was talking about, but his friends seemed to. They were all grinning like crazy as they watched the weird exchange between Jessa and Max. But she couldn’t very well back down now without looking like a liar to all of them…which actually would’ve been a fairly accurate description of her at the moment. So she said, “Max, stop being silly. You know you aren’t the only guy I kiss on the lips like that. There are lots of others.”

  Reaching for her, he threaded his fingers into her hair and tilted her jaw up until her lips were a breath away from his. “Last warning, Jess. Tell them the truth.”

  The way he had grasped her and was now looking at her was wickedly sexy, but she was even more confused about what she was supposed to say. So she stuck to her guns. “That kiss…meant…nothing.”

  “Wrong answer,” he growled out before crushing his mouth to hers.

  Her hands flew to his bulky shoulders to push him away, but touching this man was like touching a live wire. Her hands seized up, and she couldn’t get them to work properly. His warm lips took hers, molding and shaping her mouth with his, as his tongue caressed its way inside, leaving a trail of burning desire. Before she knew it, instead of pushing him away, she began pulling him closer, as if she couldn’t get enough of the exquisite sparks he shot through her.

  The moment her demeanor changed, so did his. His firm grasp on her loosened, and the passionate kiss turned into more of a lazy, unhurried exploration of her mouth. It reminded her of the way Max made love, and need and want pooled low and deep in her belly.

  Jessa couldn’t help herself. She desperately wanted to get even closer to him and tried to climb the man like a tree. But he wouldn’t allow it. Max broke the kiss off and slowly backed away, and she tried to follow. He chuckled softly and caressed her cheek, setting her back in her own place to keep her from pursuing more pleasure and enticing him to kiss her again.

  God, she wanted him. Right now. Later. Forever. Always. Her body was relaxed, her lips swollen, her panties wet, and she wanted the man to take her up against the nearest flat…

  She glanced around and saw Sam, Leah, Valerie, and Logan staring at them with open mouths and wide eyes, as if they were weirdly fascinated by what just happened. Shit.

  The kiss had been indecent. Something two lovers did when they were alone in a bed, tangled between sweat-soaked sheets, and straining their naked bodies together. Not while standing in a bakery surrounded by other couples.

  Valerie fanned herself. “Um, Logan, I think we can officially mark orgy off our list. That was close enough to one for me.”

  Leah blinked. “Jesus. It wasn’t even on our list, and I’m mentally marking it off.”

  Jessa didn’t know what any of that meant, but Sam and Logan seemed to and they both just shook
their heads and laughed.

  This whole thing was really awkward, and she felt like she needed to say something. “I…um…”

  But Max beat her to it. “We’re dating, in case you guys haven’t already figured that out by now.”

  Sam nodded. “I’d say you’re probably doing a hell of a lot more than just dating after what we just witnessed.”

  Heat flooded Jessa’s cheeks again, and she glanced up at Max. “Sorry. I thought you didn’t want anyone to know about us.”

  “No, that’s not it. You just caught me off guard. Actually, I think you caught all of us off guard,” he said with a chuckle. “But they’re my friends, Jess. I’d much rather them know about us than for you to make them think you’re out kissing a bunch of other men.” He shook his head. “If you thought I was going to go along with that, then you’re crazy. I wasn’t going to let you look bad, and they all know damn well that I don’t share.”

  His possessive words sent tingles through her. “Good. Because I don’t share either.” She grinned as the others laughed. Max wasn’t the only one who could stake a claim on someone.

  Thankfully, everyone seemed to recover from their initial shock, and things quickly went back to normal. Well, mostly.

  Sam cleared his throat. “So, Jessa, you never answered my original question before this Neanderthal decided to make you eat your words.”

  Jessa laughed. “Oh, yes, that. You always order the grilled shrimp tacos with slaw and green tomatillo sauce. Is that right?”

  He nodded. “Yep, you nailed it. Damn, you’ve got a good memory. And the shrimp tacos are killer, by the way.”

  “Thanks.”

  Max rubbed at the back of his neck. “So…uh, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Lisa and Mary have the truck covered for now, so I took a few hours off to do a little shopping. Speaking of which, I bought you a little something.” Everybody watched curiously as she dug into her small bag, pulled out the miniature tape measure on a key chain, and held it up for him to see. “Ya know, in case you need to measure my tires again,” she said, giggling.