He took it as a positive move and squeezed her shoulders, pulling her into him even deeper. They were almost like one now, except for the technicality of joining body and soul. Kent began, and Jessie joined him in stripping away the clothing.
She felt the breeze, but it didn’t cool her. Nothing could cool down the passion she was feeling for him now. His kisses were wilder than before, more demanding than ever, driving her insatiably further into his embrace.
If Kent had ever imagined loving someone like Jessie, he had never been able to take the fantasy far enough, for a dream could never compare to the reality he was experiencing at that moment. Her body seemed almost electrified, and he felt the shocks coming off her. His own body was in a state of rigid pleasure, and if he didn’t do something about it soon, he might explode.
Sensing his urgency, Jessie cupped her hands around him. She moved her body closer still and took him inside her.
The passion of their bodies blended as he rose and fell above her, plunging then pulling away, to return again deeper, hoping with each thrust that he was satisfying her the way she truly deserved to be.
Jessie might as well have been on the moon, rather than beneath it, for she was unable to comprehend the space around her. Nothing existed except the pleasure she was experiencing, the feel of him, the blissful euphoria of their joining. She heard him moan and felt his body stiffen. After a time he wilted into her arms, his tears lay across her breasts and she comforted his cries. Then, silence.
****
Jessie and Kent stayed in Wakefield until Sunday. Back at Jessie’s apartment on Sunday night, Kent offered to take the garbage out for her. While he was out, Jessie wondered if her brother had e mailed her yet. It certainly seemed odd that Alan would act like he did concerning their mother. Turning on the computer shook her a bit when she recalled the horrible message found there before. But she and Liz had checked later and found nothing. She had also checked a couple of times during the week, while Kent was in the apartment and found nothing. Tonight’s search turned up no mail waiting for Jessie. Half relieved but half concerned over her brother’s lack of concern, she shut the computer down. Later, after Kent had left for home, she called Liz.
“How’s your mother doing, Jessie?”
“She looks tired and weak, but Sandra’s doing a great job keeping her spirits up.”
“And...how was the weekend...with Kent?”
Jessie laughed. “Frustrating at first.”
“Frustrating? What do you mean?”
“Planning to be in the same house, but sleeping in different beds. I just knew I’d lie awake wondering if he was sleeping — you get the picture.”
“Uh-huh. Then why did you do it?”
Jessie hesitated. “ Do what?”
“Why did you restrain yourself. Like, no one would know.”
“Sandra has a key. And I wouldn’t put it past her to walk in right in the middle of the night. Anyway, it didn’t seem right, not in my parents’ house.”
“How did Kent feel?”
“He was okay with it.”
“Then you haven’t...”
Jessie giggled. Liz was such a curious George. “No, we haven’t,” she lied. She hated lying to Liz, but it was too uncomfortable talking about it to her. She wished she had not even mentioned the earlier frustration and all that had followed. The love she had shared with Kent under the willow tree would remain between the two of them. It was private and special.
“Then there’s still a chance for me? Remember, may the best woman win.”
Jessie had thought Liz had given up. Now those words made her worry. She felt uncomfortable talking to Liz about Kent. She had to draw back. Liz was still after him.
“I’m sorry, Liz. I shouldn’t be going on like this. It’s not right talking about this with you, considering how you feel about Kent.”
“Ah, forget it. I’m only joking. Seems you’ve claimed him. I’m the loser.”
Jessie shook her head as she undressed later for bed. She wished and hoped Liz meant what she’d said on the phone, that she was the loser and that she’d finally given up on Kent. And Jessie wanted to have her friend back to talk girl talk with. Just before retiring Jessie checked her mail again, hoping for a message from Alan. She was reluctant to call him again and start up the old feud on the phone. Instead another message appeared.
Your mother’s ill health may lead to death. It may not be the only one. Be watchful, Pet. Walk with both arms swinging and watch out for your friends. Someone will deceive you, if you’re not careful.
Jessie’s breath caught. “My God,” she gasped. She clicked delete and the screen cleared. She couldn’t bear to see it again. But erasing the message didn’t calm her fluttering heart. She leaped up and drew all the drapes, checking the locks again just like she’d done the day she’d found out that Gary Burke had been following her. It had crossed her mind that Gary Burke could have sent the first message out of revenge of some sort. He seemed kind of weird anyway. But now she dismissed him. How would he know about her mother? Or would he? Jessie crawled into bed imagining the stalker near by — watching her every move.
On Monday when aerobic classes were finished, Jessie checked the carpet runners and racks along the walls for any forgotten bags, clothing or towels that might clutter up the area for the cleaners. She spied a step-up in the centre of the room and walked out to retrieve it. It certainly wasn’t one of theirs. All their step-ups, along with the other equipment, were brand new when the club opened. The step-up she was heading for was old and battered. Many feet had tramped it that way. One of the clients must have forgotten it. She picked it up and turned it over searching for a name somewhere. Nothing. Well, she’d throw it in the storage room until someone claimed —
Jessie whipped her head around and glared at the ceiling. Hairs pricked on the back of her neck. It had sounded almost like an explosion, only the sound was higher pitched and popping. Then an eruption of glass and ceiling board shattered in her ears. A sick helplessness washed through her. For an instant she couldn’t move. Her feet felt riveted to the floor. Flying glass shards rained through the air. A huge slice of fractured glass crashed just a few feet from her. The thudding sound jolted her into action. She sprinted for the nearest doorway and flung herself on the hall floor.
“Are you all right?” an anxious voice questioned.
Slowly, Jessie uncurled her body and tested her unsteady feet. She looked up to see Tom, one of the cleaning crew. A great sob burst from her lips, and the maintenance man laid a large hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe now, Miss Albright. Take it easy.” He patted her arm gently trying to comfort her.
Jessie brushed at her clothes and pulled away from his touch. She felt nauseated. Two other employees were now in the big room staring at the gaping wound in the ceiling. Jessie gazed at the string of hanging wires protruding from the ceiling hole where the large fluorescent light once was. A low shriek escaped from within her when she thought of what could have been. One of the men walked towards her shaking his dark curly head in amazement. “You sure are lucky, Miss,” he marvelled.
The man standing near Jessie who had tried to console her spoke up again. “Must have been defective glass.”
“Must be,” the curly headed man agreed. He turned to the third man, who was short, stout and balding. “Get a couple of big brooms, Wilfred, and put on some masks. There could be a chemical in the air. We’ll check on the damage after we’ve cleaned up the mess.”
Jessie quickly moved away from the aerobic class room. She had noticed the debris that was strewn over a big part of the centre of the room. “How could this happen?” Her voice rose hysterically. “I mean, this is practically a new building.”
“Accidents happen.” Tom’s voice was calm and soothing.
But Jessie wondered. Be watchful, Pet. Watch out for your friends. The death threat message had said. Did the stalker work with her? Was it someone she saw every day? Was it someone in the room
? Maybe it was Tom. She looked at the faces of all three men. It could be anyone of them. Or none of them at all.
Jessie turned from the men and hurried out to meet Kent. Pulling the car door closed, she ignored his greeting and sat trembling on her own side, staring out the window.
Kent let her be, citing a bad day. They’d arrived at her apartment before he spoke. “Is it your mother?”
Jessie broke down. Kent helped her into the elevator avoiding stares from other riders. Jessie’s cheeks were streaming with tears by the time they entered the apartment.
“Okay. Time to fess up. What’s wrong?”
Her arms entwined his neck and she clung to him. Every emotion and every detail of the past couple of weeks’ horrible encounters on the computer rolled out of her mouth. “It could be anyone. It could be Gary Burke or someone at work. Whoever it is they tried to kill me today. A light fixture collapsed and fell from the ceiling. I narrowly escaped it, and whoever it is knows about my mother’s illness. Oh, Kent, I can’t take anymore. I’m afraid to go to work and I’m afraid to stay home.”
Kent held her trembling body and searched for words of comfort. There was only one thing he could think of. “I’m not leaving you, Jessie. I’m moving in. You’re in no state to be alone now. You need me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Kent lay on the cramped sofa, his foot had fallen asleep and he kicked it to restore circulation. “Damn,” he grumbled in the darkness. Jessie was in there in her big bed, alone. She had offered him the sofa when he’d offered to stay. He had no choice but to accept it. She was in a state — too emotional to deal with. She needed a good night’s rest and she seemed to feel safe with him there.
Footsteps interrupted his half-sleep and he sprang for the lamp. When the soft light spread across the room, it fell upon Jessie tiptoeing to the kitchen.
“Sorry,” Kent said, while viewing her in a soft pink nightgown, which shimmered in all the right places. It was about four inches above her knees, and he’d never realized before how long her legs were considering she wasn’t a tall girl. “I forgot where I was for a minute.”
“It’s okay, Kent. I guess I startled you.”
He leaned back on the sofa watching her pour a glass of water. One thin strap of the gown fell off her shoulder and settled across her upper arm. He had an urge to pull it back in place just to touch her skin. He remembered how it felt, so smooth yet firm. “You can’t sleep either?”
“It’s terribly hot tonight.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, wiping the drips of sweat from his bare chest. “How come you don’t have air conditioning? It’s hellish up here.”
“Too cheap. My landlord that is. I guess I could get my own window thing — if I could afford one. I just spent money on a computer, stupid idea but Liz talked me into it.”
“Why was that stupid?”
“Oh, it’s not stupid- stupid really, but look what’s going on? Someone’s harassing me and maybe it’s because of the computer.”
She carried her water to the living room and sat on the edge of the sofa. Kent felt the heat and he wished he could dive into her ice-packed glass to cool himself. Was it the night heat? Or was it his own heat? Probably both, but it wasn’t a good idea for her to have seated herself so close to him. His main trouble sleeping, which he couldn’t tell her, was because he pictured her in the bedroom and pictured himself there with her. Now, here she was — so close — he could reach out and touch her — and he did. “Yes, I know what you mean…about the heat.”
His hand covered hers and the ice cubes tinkled when she trembled. She sat the glass on the coffee table after gulping down a cold sip.
“May I?” he asked, looking first at her then at the glass.
She nodded and watched his Adam’s apple when he swallowed. Sweet longings from deep within her spread across her thighs.
Lowering the glass he caught her gaze. “Thanks,” he said.
She smiled. “Thank you...for staying. I feel better just knowing you’re here.”
He wanted to tell her he wasn’t sure it had been a good idea, but he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about him. She trusted him and with all her troubles right now, she needed someone to rely on not someone to take advantage of the situation and her vulnerability.
He removed his hand from hers. “You’d better try and get some sleep.” He passed her the half-filled glass and she took it from him, her fingers touching his in the exchange. She rose.
“You’re right. I’ll just get some more water and try not to bother you anymore tonight.” She filled her glass and returned to the bedroom whispering a soft goodnight.
Hell, he thought. She bothered him all right, and closing that door and keeping quiet so he could sleep was like a joke. Even though there was a heavy wooden door between them, he still felt her presence. Her scent was all over the apartment. He lay back on the sofa after switching off the lamp and stared at the ceiling.
Kent must have passed out because when he awoke it was 8:30 and the apartment was quiet. He rolled off the sofa and knocked on Jessie’s door. “Jessie, get up. It’s late. We overslept.” He tugged on his wrinkled shirt and fought with the buttons. He’d have to rush home and change, even if it meant being late for work.
“Jessie?” When no answer came from behind the door, he opened it slowly and peeked inside. A large palm stood in one corner of the baby blue room, which was adorned also with various other plants. All in all Kent had found Jessie’s apartment to be most cheerful and colourful, with plants overflowing every window sill. In the living room a bright, geometric-patterned rug with a beige-white background stretched across the hardwood and under the off-white plump sofa — comfortable to sit on but too short for sleeping.
Kent glanced at the unmade bed with the little silk nightgown in a heap on one pillow. He moved closer and picked it up holding it above him in his thumb and forefinger. Then he drew it to his face, breathing in the scent of Jessie. It felt as soft as it had looked the night before, as it had glistened on her body when she’d gone to the kitchen for water.
He let it drop, turned and walked out of the bedroom. Why hadn’t she awakened him? Damn. He couldn’t understand women. She knew he had to be at work too. He was staying here to protect her and she’d walked off alone. Some protector he was. He made a call to the gym.
“Why didn’t you wake me, Jessie? I would have driven you. You shouldn’t have gone off alone.”
He sounded like Alan used to when they were kids. Jessie remembered how her older brother had watched over her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking. I was late too, and when I saw how peaceful and deep you were sleeping, I just tried to be quiet and even left without breakfast. I should have woken you, but I just wanted you to rest after the hot night and all. I’m sorry, but I arrived here okay.”
“Yeah, but you might not have. You don’t know where this character is and if he’s watching your every move.”
Jessie shivered. She knew he was right, but after last night she’d decided she needed to take care of herself. Being with Kent, alone in the apartment, was too tempting. Although they’d made love in her hometown, it seemed more awkward in her apartment. Being out under the willow had been magical and very spontaneous. It was almost as if neither one of them knew how to make the first move now. She knew she was ready but was he? If he hadn’t said she should go off to bed, when he held her hand on the sofa, she wouldn’t have been able to do it herself. She had been on the verge of falling into his arms, right there on the sofa. But he had pulled back and it confused Jessie, even though it had been her in the first place who had suggested he take the sofa.
“I can’t hide forever, Kent. And you can’t be my bodyguard. Maybe I should go to the police.”
“With what? You’ve no real evidence. You even erased the messages and never checked where they came from.”
Jessie knew he was right. “It was stupid of me, I know,” she said, seeing her first class prepared for th
eir workout. “I have to go, Kent. They’re waiting for me.”
“Be careful,” he said. “I’ll pick you up tonight.”
****
When Jessie entered Kent’s car the whiff of pizza from the back seat greeted her.
“Oh, you’ve brought supper.”
“Just repaying you for letting me sleep on your sofa last night. Besides it’s too hot again to cook.”
Kent cranked up the car’s air conditioning and Jessie leaned back. “That feels great, doesn’t it? I’ve never seen such a hot June, and it should be me repaying you for sleeping on my sofa.”
“No problem, Jessie. And yes, it could be a hot summer ahead.” His eyes caught hers before he turned back to concentrate on the street.
“Could be,” she said and gazed out the window.
When the pizza had been consumed along with a six-pack of cold beer, the day’s heat settled in on the forth floor apartment. Jessie cleaned off the kitchen counter, while watching Kent check out the weather on TV.
“You don’t have to stay you know,” she said. “I’m all right now. I was upset over my mother and that last message, also the accident at work threw me. But Mom’s feeling better — I called Sandra — and if I get another message, I’ll save it and get evidence for the police.”
He shut off the TV and came up behind her. She felt hot in his arms. “So, it’s an accident now, is it? You were pretty sure it wasn’t the other night.”
She turned in his arms and looked in his eyes. “I was wrong. Accidents happen. Just like the cleaner said.”
She was too close and she wasn’t fooling him with her bravery. “I’m not leaving,” he said. “Get used to me. Besides I’ve had too much beer.” She stared at him. She was so close he could see himself in her eyes. He closed his and placed his mouth over hers. Such hot, sweet lips tasting of pizza.
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