Jess shifts her weight and we move a fraction of an inch further apart. My heart drops and I shake my head at how disappointed I feel.
I need to get a grip.
She lifts her hand and I watch as she gently pat’s her grandmother’s knee. Am I jealous of that knee right now? First, I was jealous of some other guy giving her a hug and know I’m jealous of her grandmother??
I sigh and try to keep my eye on the road. I’m glad this is a quiet town, because I’m having trouble focusing right now.
Jess moves again, and this time she shifts closer to me. My heart does a flip and starts bouncing against my ribcage. Her leg and arm are pressed against mine. I desperately want to lift my arm up and wrap it around her shoulder. I want to feel her head on my chest and bury my head in her hair.
“What’s that?” She points at the camera on my dashboard.
“Dashcam,” I reply. “Records everything while I’m driving. I had one in New York and it saved me when I was dealing with insurance, so I swore I’d never be without one.”
“This isn’t exactly New York,” she replies with a grin. “Very high-tech carriage you’ve got, Mr. Night-in-Shining-Armour.”
“Only the best for my damsels in distress.”
Jess laughs and the sound makes my heart flip in my chest again. All too soon, we make the last turn and I pull up outside Mrs. Lee’s house. I put the car in park and open the door to run over to the passenger side. As soon as I slip away from Jess, I can feel every inch of skin where her body was touching. It’s like she’s burned me, or there’s a permanent imprint on my body wherever she touched. I take a deep breath and open the passenger’s side door.
Mrs. Lee takes my hand and I help her down from the seat. She sways back and forth and tries to take a step but falters.
Jess yelps and for the second time tonight, I catch the old woman just as she’s about to fall. This time, she regains her footing and stands up a bit straighter.
“Thank you very much, Mr. McAllister,” she says, patting my arm and turning towards her front door.
“It’s Owen, please,” I reply. The two of us walk up the flagstone path and up the stairs as Jess goes in front of us to open the door. She holds it open and we step through. I help Mrs. Lee to the staircase where she grabs onto the bannister and then turns towards me.
“You drive safe now, thank you very much. You’re very kind.”
“Gram, do you need any help getting -“
“I’m alright from here, honey.”
And with that, she turns towards the staircase and starts slowly climbing up. Jess and I stand there until she’s at the top and shuffles out of view down the hallway. Jess takes a deep breath and lets out a big sigh. Her shoulders slump. She turns towards me.
“Owen, I -“
I hold up my hand. “It’s nothing, really.”
“It’s not nothing,” she continues. Her eyes are glued on mine and I can see the pain in them. Her face is drawn with worry as she glances back up the stairs where her grandmother disappeared. Ahe takes a step towards me. Her hand brushes my arm and she lets it rest just above my elbow. My pulse quickens again and a lump forms in my throat.
“Thank you,” she almost whispers.
“It’s nothing,” I repeat, shaking my head. We stay still for a few moments and Jess searches my face before dropping her hand.
“Do you want to come in? For a coffee or a tea?”
She looks exhausted and I desperately want to say yes, but I know I should just let her go to bed. I take a breath.
“I should let you go,” I say in a low voice. Jess shakes her head.
“Really, come in.” The lines on her face relax and the hint of a smile appears. “Let me repay you that drink from last night.”
The corners of my mouth start drifting upwards and I nod. “Alright, if you put it that way…”
She chuckles and nods her head down the hallway. “Kitchen’s this way.” We start walking and Jess keeps talking. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything stronger, so tea will have to do.”
“Tea is perfect,” I reply. I’d drink anything just to stay near her right now.
Chapter 11 - Jess
The kettle boils and I pour the hot water into two waiting mugs. I pull out a packet of cookies and put them on the table between us.
“Thanks,” Owen says with a smile. He reaches for a cookie and dips it in his tea before taking a bite. I sit down at the table and try not to stare at his lips as they surround the cookie, or the way his hands move, or how wide his shoulders are. I turn to my tea and blow the steam away.
“So how do you know my grandmother?” I ask. “You seemed pretty familiar with each other.”
“I met her one day when I was working on the garden bed in front of the hotel,” he replies, reaching for another cookie. I follow the cookie’s path from his strong hands up to his lips before catching myself and taking a sip of tea. “I was planting some flowers and she gave me some advice. Apparently they would have died within weeks because there was too much sun for them.” He shakes his head and smiles, flicking his eyes up to me. “I didn’t even know that was a thing - too much sun for flowers. I thought plants loved sun.”
I laugh. “No green thumb on you?”
“Not quite,” he replies. “I think I’ve killed every house plant I’ve ever owned.” His pale brown eyes are glimmering in the kitchen’s low light and he chuckles. “So yeah, that day she brought me to the nursery and helped me pick some better plants. She’s basically redesigned the entire garden for the Lex.”
I shake my head. “She never told me that!”
He shrugs. “I kept thanking her and she kept just waving me away. It seemed like it was just so normal to her to help someone out like that.”
“That’s how she is,” I chuckle. “I’ve never met anyone so giving.”
“You’re lucky to have her,” he replies.
I shake my head. “You have no idea.” We’re silent for a few moments and I think of the day that I met Gram for the first time when I was 7 years old. All I’d known was my mother’s addiction and the string of different men she brought through the house. Finally, I was taken away. Gram took me in and healed me of all the hurt and raised me as her own child. My eyes start to mist when Owen shifts in his seat. I blink and smile at him.
“Well, thank you for saving us today,” I say with a smile.
He stands up and bows with a flourish. “At your service, madam.”
I burst out laughing, and then cover my mouth and try to keep quiet. “I’ve never been called madam before.”
“Miss? Ms? Lady?”
I stand up and curtsey with a laugh. His face cracks open in a smile and we stand in front of each other.
“It doesn’t really matter what you call me,” I say. “It all sounds good when you say it.”
His eyes flick back up to mine and my heart starts beating harder. The air between us is thick and I can’t move or breathe or speak for fear of breaking the spell that’s on us. His tongue slides out of his mouth to lick his lips and I feel my centre heating up. I watch it trace the line of his lips and feel the heat between my legs grow hotter.
He takes a step forward and slowly moves his hand towards my waist. We’re like two magnets drawn towards each other. When his hand touches my side, it feels warm and strong, and I move my fingers to run gently over his hand. I run my fingers up his arm, over every rippling muscle all the way to his shoulder.
Owen moves his other hand to my cheek and tangles it into my hair. In a flash, the tension between us explodes and he’s kissing me. Our lips crush together and he pulls the nape of my neck towards him. My hands fist into his hair and his other hand covers the side of my neck.
His lips crush against mine and his tongue tastes me. He groans and pulls me closer. I press my body against his and wrap my arms around his neck. He drops his hand to wrap it around my waist and pulls me into his body.
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I press myself against him. He feels so broad and strong and I pull his head towards me. He tastes incredible, like mint and pine and musk and man all rolled into one. The stubble on his face tickles my chin and I giggle, pulling away.
I bring my fingers up to his face and run them over the hint of beard.
“Prickly,” I say with a smile.
“Sorry,” he replies. His eyes are diving deep into mine and he pulls me in a tiny bit closer. His hand feels so wide on the small of my back as I melt into him.
“You’re not sorry at all,” I say, still tracing his jawline with my finger.
“Not one bit,” he says with a grin. His chin dips down and he kisses me again. This time his lips meet mine slowly, gently, and his hands run down my spine to rest in the small of my back. I melt into his arms and moan. My fingers are wrapped in his hair and my whole body is pulsing.
Suddenly I realise where I am - in my grandmother’s kitchen with the Lexington Hotel’s new owner. I pull away and put a hand to my forehead.
“Wow,” I say, flicking my eyes up to him and then back down. “I…”
He stays still and stares at me as if he’s studying my face. “I’m sorry, Jess, I didn’t mean to..”
“No! No, it’s ok. It’s just… I just got carried away.”
I look at him again and he nods, and then straightens himself back up. “I should get going,” he says in a low voice. It reverberates through my whole body and my centre pulses. “Thanks for the tea and cookies.”
“Of course.”
We stand there motionless for what seems like an eternity and I think - I hope, maybe - that he’ll kiss me again. He lifts his arm and runs his fingers through his hair and then nods once.
“I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah. Thanks. You know, for everything.”
“My pleasure,” he responds. The words send another thrill through me and he smiles softly before nodding and walking past me towards the front door. It’s not until I hear it click closed and I hear his truck start up that I sink down into the chair and put my head in my hands.
Whoa.
I can still taste his lips on mine, and every part of my body that he touched feels like it’s on fire. I close my eyes and imagine the way he smells, and how my body just fell into his. Why did I stop? All I wanted to do was keep kissing and kissing and kissing him and feel his hands on every part of my body.
My heartbeat finally goes back down and I pick up my mug of tea, letting the lukewarm liquid fill my mouth. I stand up to clean the dishes and realise that my panties are completely soaked through.
I sigh and close my eyes again, trying to anchor the memory of his taste, his smell, his touch.
At this rate, Mary Hanson’s rumours will end up being true after all.
Chapter 12 - Owen
I can still taste her on my lips when I drive away from the house. My heart is pounding and I squint to focus on the road. For the second time tonight, I’m grateful this town is quiet. I pull up behind the hotel and kill the engine before leaning back in my seat and closing my eyes.
Jess’s body paints itself on my eyelids. I see that little smile of hers right after she finished curtseying, and the flash in her eyes when my hand touched her waist. I let out a sigh and rub my face with my hands.
I don’t know what it is about this girl, but she makes my body feel like a coiled spring. Sitting in her grandmother’s kitchen felt like the most intimate place to be, and we didn’t even touch until she was wrapping her arms around me and pressing her curves against me.
A sharp tap on the window makes me jump and I open my eyes to see Joe standing outside my door. He frowns at me and I open the door to step out.
“You ok, boss?”
“Yeah, Joe, I’m fine,” I respond. Great, actually. “Just tired tonight.”
“Closed up early, I’m heading home.” It isn’t a question, and I wonder who the boss is between us. I nod.
“Sounds good. See you tomorrow.”
“You take care of yourself,” he says before walking off in the darkness. I watch him walk away and take another deep breath as I slam my truck door closed and spin my keyring around my finger. He’s worked at the hotel for longer than I’ve been alive, and I’ve never met anyone more reliable. Joe’s approval probably means more than any renovations or improvements I could ever make.
I make my way upstairs to the small room in the back corner that I’ve taken as my own. I flop down onto the bed and stare at the ceiling. I wonder if Jess is thinking about me right now? Did that kiss have this effect on her?
I close my eyes and imagine her again. I wonder what it would feel like to have her here beside me, to feel her body close to mine as we lay together. Even the feeling of her body under her clothes was incredible, I can’t imagine what it would feel like to have her skin pressed up against mine.
This is unfamiliar. Women have always come and gone with me. Sometimes, one of them catches my eye but it always fizzles out. Sometimes it ends in an explosion and you need to run away to a small town to get away from it all, but it always ends.
Somehow I don’t want this to happen with Jess. I want to know what’s behind those eyes. I want her to surprise me and make me laugh and be sarcastic and witty. I want her mind and her body - I want it all.
I want it all, and it terrifies me.
For all the gossip about me, the town rumour mill has it all wrong. I’ve never been married - I’ve never even had a long term girlfriend. I’ve always been too busy with business and career to think about love.
Love. Whatever that is.
It’s not worth it. I learned that as a child when I saw my parent’s marriage operate like a business transaction. They needed each other for money and status and that’s all it was. Maybe it’s better that way. Relationships are a distraction, and they lead to nothing but pain and misery.
I sit up in bed and rub my face again. I’ve known this girl for two days and I’m already talking myself out of a relationship with her!
I should just relax. It’ll be like every other woman I’ve ever met, I know it will. We’ll sleep together, it’ll be great, and that itch will be scratched. She’ll lose her charm and I’ll get bored. She might get hurt or she might understand, but that’s where it’ll end. That’s where it always ends.
It’s better that way.
Once this hotel is up and running again it’ll be time for me to move on to something else. I stand up and lean against the window, looking up at the streetlights lining Main Street. The single traffic light turns from red to green and the empty intersection remains empty.
I shake my head. What was I thinking, coming here? I should have stuck to what I knew and stayed in the city. I wanted to get away from New York, I wanted to try something new and now I’m starting to feel at home in this town. How the fuck did that happen??
When I first got here everyone seemed like a redneck. Things moved slowly and I didn’t understand it. Now it seems almost comforting. Things are always where I expect them to be, and small niceties become an everyday occurrence.
It’s like Jess’s grandmother. She taught me more about plants and gardening in a couple hours than I’d learned in my whole life.
I sigh and move away from the window, lying back in bed. Tomorrow is a new day. Maybe I’ll bring Jess’s grandmother some flowers from the garden tomorrow, as a thank you for teaching me so much. Maybe Jess will be there, and I’ll be able to see those eyes again.
Small niceties. I’m learning things I never expected in this town.
Chapter 13 - Jess
Gram is humming in the kitchen, and I can hear the unmistakable sound of her busy at work. From the smell of it, she’s baking something.
I push the door open and rub the sleep out of my eyes.
“Morning, Gram. Any coffee ready?”
“In the pot, honey.”
I pour myself a mug and lean on the cou
nter as I watch her work. “Cookies? You trying to fatten me up, Gram?”
She chuckles. “They’re not for you, Jessica. I was thinking you could bring them over to Mr. McAllister later, as a thank you for driving us back yesterday.”
“Sure, that’s nice of you.” My heart skips a beat when I think of Owen and what happened in this kitchen last night.
Gram makes a noise to agree and keeps working. I sip on my coffee and look out at the sun shining. Sure beats the weather in New York right now.
I leave my grandmother to her work and head upstairs to get my running clothes on. The memory of Owen’s lips are still on mine and I need to clear my head if I’m going to see him again.
We can’t do that - we can’t get involved. For one, I’m leaving in a week. And plus, the last thing I want is to leave with more rumours swirling about me. All people seem to do around here is talk and talk and talk. I’d like to be able to come back without having to hide out at Gram’s house, for once.
I slip out the front door and head towards my favourite trail by the river. I can run for miles without crossing another soul here, just surrounded by forest and water. I used to run and run and run out here, whenever things got too much. It’s the perfect therapy.
Today, it feels tough. Every step is a struggle until I find my groove and make it to the shady part of the run. The path winds through the trees and I jump over roots and rocks as I run alongside the river.
My body starts to relax for the first time since the kiss. I take deep breaths and finally hit my stride. I smile, taking a deep breath of fresh air as I run through the woods. I fill my lugs with clean air and breathe out, feeling my muscles scream and then relax into the run. This is my favourite part of a run - when everything seems to fall into place and I feel like I’m flying through the air.
My mind clears and I let my feet take me wherever they will. Before I know it, I’ve rounded the last corner of the trail and am coming back into town.
Knocked Up... Again! Page 4