Where She Belongs (Destiny Falls)

by Cindy Procter-King

  “Mom, there’s nothing to forgive. I love you.”

  Her mother smiled, but it quivered. “Your father burst into my life and stole my breath away. I wanted to give him everything, and I did, including you. When he died, and then Danny... Jessie, you were so lost and alone, and I was such a failure.”

  “Mom, you were never a failure.”

  “Yes, I was, and I need to accept that. I wasn’t there for you. My sweet daughter, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” Jess couldn’t deny the absolution her mother obviously needed. She lifted their joined hands and kissed her mom’s. “I mean it, Mom. I love you.”

  Happiness glimmered through her mom’s tears. “And I love you.”

  Jess smiled. “I didn’t come out here to dredge up the past. I want to talk about Pete, but not if it hurts you. Only to help you.”

  “Yet, how I feel about Peter is tied up with the past, Jessie. That’s why I need to discuss it. Looking back, I realize I shouldn’t have shut down when your father died. I hid my grief from you. How wrong I was to do so. Lord, how I wish we could have shared our pain.”

  A strange sense of peace fell over Jess. “This is the most honest conversation we’ve had in years.”

  “It gives one hope, doesn’t it?”

  Nodding, she laced their fingers together. “We can share our feelings now, Mom. About Dad. About Pete. He was a good man. I’ve known that for a long time. In a way, his death has brought me back to you. He’s given us another chance. I’ll forever be grateful to him for that.”

  “Another chance,” her mom repeated softly. “You never fail to surprise me, Jessie. What a wonderful way to think of Peter’s passing. He’s given us another chance.”

  “Hurry!”

  “I am!” Jess squealed as fat raindrops pelted her scalp and chilled her shoulders through the magenta tunic sweater she wore over her new black jeans. Juggling the filled wineglasses and cutlery, she ducked through the open sliding glass door leading from Adam’s sundeck into his spacious log home. She deposited her load on the dining table, then extracted the uncorked wine bottle from his arm, freeing him to set down their dinner plates. “Did we forget anything?”

  “The pepper grinder.” He slid shut the door. “I’ll get it later, unless you need it now.” He raked a hand through his rain-flecked hair, looking rumpled and relaxed and thoroughly male.

  “I’m okay.” She arranged the place settings and sat down. “I can’t believe how fast the rain came up.”

  “At least we had the good sense to come in.” He lowered his big frame onto the chair to her right. His leg grazed hers beneath the oak table, and he flashed a smile that made her whole body hum.

  She took a calming sip of wine. She’d almost backed out of dinner tonight. After her talk with her mother on the back porch two days ago, she’d felt selfish stealing time for herself just when they were growing close. However, her mom had insisted that she follow through with her plans, and now Jess was glad she had. She’d missed Adam’s sense of humor and generous nature. Add in his undeniable sex appeal and hometown charm, and she was amazed half the eligible women in Destiny Falls hadn’t fallen in love with him.

  Love?

  Pulse tripping, she plunked down her wineglass. Love wasn’t on her agenda. If she wanted to continue seeing Adam, she had to make that clear.

  To whom?

  Shut up, she chastised her nagging inner voice. She refused to let a lengthy self-examination ruin the evening. For once, she wanted to let go and enjoy herself, to push caution aside and pretend tomorrow wouldn’t come.

  “Did you finish your mapping yesterday?” she asked. An innocuous topic of conversation.

  He nodded around a mouthful of grilled chicken. “Took all morning,” he said once he’d swallowed. “I spent the afternoon in the bush. How about you?” He sipped his wine. “Is Arlington Shoes surviving without you?”

  “Remarkably, yes. By the way, that wasn’t my assistant who called Wednesday. It was my boss. Gareth.”

  “The jerk.”

  She laughed. “He spouts the company line about my leave of absence—it falls within my benefits package, how good it is for Mom, yada, yada. But then he drones on and on about the extra work it creates for him. My assistant is very capable, yet he wanted to rehash the spreadsheets I’d emailed her.”

  “Was there a mistake in them?”

  “No. If there had been, Sarah would have contacted me.”

  “Maybe she’s overwhelmed.”

  Jess shook her head. “She covers for me all the time when I’m traveling. She’s used to it, and she’s good at her job. Without her, I’d probably work seventy hours a week. As it is, I average fifty.”

  Adam whistled. “That’s nuts.”

  She cut into her chicken. “Don’t tell me you work short hours?” With several of his contracts originating throughout the valley, how could he?

  “I didn’t say that. The difference is that MountainTop is my company. I call the shots, and I have a life outside of work.”

  She swatted his arm. “I have a life.”

  “Oh yeah? When?”

  “When I’m not traveling.” Not really.

  “You ever sleep?”

  “Okay, I don’t have much of a life,” she conceded. “I don’t mind. I like keeping busy.”

  “Still, it must be nice to have a break.” His husky voice rolled over her.

  “It is.” She pushed the rice around on her plate. His gaze lingered on her, and that odd little hum started up again. “I’m not used to so much free time, though.”

  He wagged his fork. “See? I was right.”

  She smiled. “Since coming home, sometimes I wake up thinking I need to meet a supplier or plan a promotion two days behind schedule. Then I remember I’m in Destiny Falls with absolutely nothing pressing to do.”

  “Except relax. Never underestimate the importance of relaxation.”

  So true. “And getting to know my mother again. If anything good has come out of Pete’s heart attack, it’s that.”

  He nodded. “How is she?”

  “Coping.” Since their breakthrough Thursday morning, talking to Mom about Pete was proving less and less difficult. “I took her to the waterfall today. I even avoided the pothole.”

  “Ah, yes, the offensive pothole. Did you grind the gears this time?”

  “No, I did not grind your precious gears. That reminds me, I spoke to Ty yesterday. You were right about the car, although I hate to admit it right now.”

  “Okay, I take back the wisecrack about your driving. What did he say?”

  “It’s the transmission, all right. He ordered parts, but the car won’t be ready until late next week. Is that a problem?”

  “Should it be?”

  “Don’t you want your SUV back?”

  “Not as long as you’re in town. I’ll make do with the pickup.” He speared a chunk of grilled red pepper. “Keep the SUV. That way you and your mom will each have a vehicle once the car’s fixed. It also gives me an excuse to check up on you, make sure you’re not grinding my gears.”

  Jess fidgeted with her napkin. With one sentence, the thrust of their conversation had changed. Whatever she said to Adam now would either keep their relationship moving forward or bring it to an abrupt halt.

  I’m not ready.

  Her heart pounded.

  But I want this.

  “You don’t need an excuse to see me,” she murmured.

  He looked at her, pleasurable expectation lighting his gaze. “I don’t?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “You don’t.”

  After dinner, they washed the dishes, Adam rinsing and Jess drying to the classic rock station he’d tuned in on the stereo. Once he’d stored the last plate in the cupboards, he fed Sheba in the carport, then hauled wood into the great room and built a fire while his beautiful guest hid in the kitchen, concocting dessert from her bag of “secret ingredients.”

  He kicked off his
shoes and stoked the blaze in the rock fireplace separating the two rooms. “That dessert ready yet? This fire will only last three or four hours.”

  Her tinkling laugh sailed to him. “Almost.” Five seconds passed. “Ready!” She stepped around the fireplace carrying two massive chocolate fudge sundaes, each topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. “Ta-da!”

  He chuckled. “You expect me to eat that monster?”

  “It’s to make up for asking you for grilled chicken when I know you had your heart set on red meat.” She passed him a spoon and goblet. “You don’t have to eat all of it.”

  “I’ll give it the old college try.” He sat cross-legged on the carpet.

  Jess knelt beside him, plucking the cherry from her sundae and popping it into her mouth. Chewing slowly, she closed her eyes. Her sooty lashes fluttered against her pale skin. “Mmm.”

  Adam’s heart rate skyrocketed. Did she have any idea how erotic she looked—or sounded? And how different from the stressed out woman he’d met two weeks ago. He’d thought her gorgeous then, but now her curly hair had grown wilder, her makeup was more subdued, and the tight black jeans she’d bought from Molly’s store emphasized her curves in a manner he greatly appreciated.

  He was even more attracted to this Jess.

  Her eyes opened, and their gazes linked. She dipped her spoon into her ice cream. “You haven’t tried your sundae.”

  “I’ve been too busy watching you.”

  “I love maraschino cherries. I used to sneak into the fridge and eat a whole jar at once. It drove Mom batty.”

  “I can imagine.” He held her gaze, and she drew in a breath, legs squirming on the carpet.

  Finally, she broke eye contact. Swallowing her ice cream, she glanced around the great room. “This house is amazing. Did you design it yourself?”

  Nodding at her transparent change of subject, he dug into his sundae.

  “You have good taste.” She licked chocolate sauce from her spoon, pink tongue swirling.

  Arousal shot through him. Shifting on the carpet, he lifted a knee. “Thanks. I helped with the construction and contracted out the trades.”

  “It’s a big house for one man.”

  “One man and his dog.” He winked. “My office is in the basement, and three bedrooms are upstairs.” He’d intended the smallest bedroom as a nursery. Thinking the project would thrill his new fiancée, he’d shown Crysta the blueprints. She’d dismissed her sour expression as morning sickness. Joke on him.

  “Three bedrooms is excellent resale value.” Jess ate more ice cream.

  “They’ll come in handy when I have a family. Do you want kids?”

  A wry smile touched her lips. “With my long hours, if I had a baby, I’d need a live-in nanny and a cooperative husband.”

  “You don’t sound optimistic about the cooperative husband.”

  “Well, what do I know? Other than Danny, I’ve never come close to getting married.”

  “I have. Once. From my point of view. She—Crysta—had other plans.”

  Jess’s gaze lowered. “Molly told me a bit about her.”

  “Like what?”

  “Just that you were engaged and that Crysta left. Are you upset Molly said something?”

  He shook his head. An old Rolling Stones song pounded on the stereo, and the heavy beat resounded in the great room. “At one time, it might have bothered me. But not now.” He scooped whipped cream into his mouth. It slid, cool and slippery, down his throat. “I met Crysta a few years ago. We dated a couple of months.” Then their protection failed, and they discovered she was pregnant. “If you think I’m pushy now, you should have seen me then.” He rested his spoon in his goblet. “Short version, I pressured her, and she wasn’t ready. Our breakup was ugly.”

  “Were you badly hurt?”

  “Yep. But I’m over it.” He wouldn’t repeat his mistakes with Crysta with another woman—especially someone like Jess, only in town a few weeks. “Like I said, that was a couple of years ago. I mellowed once I hit thirty.”

  Jess’s lips curved. “Not completely, I hope.”

  “No. Never completely.”

  “I don’t mind. I like your persistence and determination. It makes me crazy sometimes, but I still like it.” She swallowed a spoonful of fudge and ice cream. The dark sauce smudged her lower lip.

  “And I like— ” he drifted his gaze down her face “—how your mouth looks with chocolate sauce smeared at the corner.”

  “Where?” Her tongue darted out, missing the fudge.

  Heat pulsed through him. “Not there.”

  “Here?”

  “No.”

  Her tongue emerged again, and he pulled in a breath. That does it.

  Bridging the gap between them, he kissed one side of her mouth. “There.” He kissed her again, full on the lips. “And there.”

  Her gaze dipped, her breathing growing shallow. Slowly, she licked her lips, her tongue gliding over the spot his mouth had just touched. She glanced up. “Is there more?”

  “Oh yeah.” Lifting his spoon, he skimmed chocolate fudge onto the tip and held it to her mouth. Her gaze met his as her berry-red lips slicked over the fudge. “Don’t swallow,” he commanded.

  She complied.

  He lowered his mouth to hers, longing for a taste. Of chocolate. Of Jess. He parted her lips with a gentle pressure.

  Greedy for more, he kissed her deeply. Coaxing. Then demanding.

  A moan rose in her throat. Pulling away, he placed their spoons and goblets on the hearth. On his knees, he cupped her face. Desire shimmered in her eyes and her lips trembled. He hauled her into his arms.

  Mouths fused, they toppled onto the carpet and rolled toward the heat of the fire. Lying on his side, Adam ran a hand up her soft sweater, over her breasts, then back down to her waist, her hips. Her breath released on another ragged moan.

  Placing both hands on her firm bottom, he fitted her pelvis against his jeans. Need flashed through him, hot, urgent, and undeniably focused on this sexy, giving woman. Jess, Jess, Jess.

  He kissed her lips, her chin, and throat. Her little, rocking movements scorched him with the knowledge that she was every bit as aroused as he was.

  “Did you buy these jeans to drive me nuts?”

  She shook her head. “It’s an added, um, bonus. Molly wouldn’t let me out of the store until I bought them. Part of our deal that I spend two hundred dollars during her, um, shift.”

  “Good for Molly. And this top...” He slipped a hand beneath her long sweater and toyed with the button of her jeans. “Did my cousin convince you to buy it, too?”

  Her hands caressed his back. “I had it with me. I usually wear it over a skirt for a loose, layering effect.”

  He chuckled. “I have news for you, honey. This sweater doesn’t layer over these jeans. It clings like a second skin.” He popped open the button and inched down her zipper. “Now, this is more like what I’d call loose.”

  Her hips wriggled. “They were feeling snug.”

  He slipped a hand inside the back waistband of her jeans. His fingers skipped over the silky T-shaped ridge of her thong onto two smooth, bare mounds of flesh. His arousal hardened to granite.

  Groaning, he kissed her deeply. Her breasts crushed against his chest. “If you need me to stop, you’d better say so now, because you’re about to send me over the edge.”

  Chapter Nine

  “I DON’T WANT you to stop,” Jess murmured between his kisses. She needed him—oh, so much—but she had to establish some boundaries before they went any further. “Adam, I need you to understand... what we’ve talked about before.” His warm lips nibbled her neck. Her skin tingled. “Ooh... you realize that this... us... you understand we’re short term?”

  “Because you’re leaving in a month?” he asked, mouth sliding to her ear.

  “Yes.” His lips tugged her earlobe, and she wriggled against the tickling sensation. “I want to be with you... I feel things for you
... sometimes it’s so strong.”

  He kissed her eyelids. Gentle, tender, feather-light. “I feel it, too, honey. I want it, too.”

  “But it can only be... we can only have—”

  “A summer romance?”

  “I won’t be here in the summer.”

  “Okay, then, just the spring.”

  “Just the spring,” she echoed, fumbling with his shirt buttons. Shirt open, she covered his muscular chest with kisses and teased one flat nipple with a finger.

  His breath raked in. “Easy, honey. I want this to last.”

  He peeled off his shirt, then removed her sweater and lowered her to the plush carpet as Aretha Franklin’s powerful voice sang “Natural Woman” over the stereo. The firelight bathed his face in an amber glow as he kissed her again. She returned him kiss for kiss. Desire burned in her veins. Embers sparked in her soul.

  He planted hot kisses down her throat, caressed her bra. Unhooking the clasp with deft fingers, he tossed aside the lacy lingerie.

  His large hands molded her breasts, thumbs flicking over her stiff nipples. She moaned, and his head lowered. His mouth skipped down her tummy to her belly button. His tongue darted in and out, in and out.

  She grew moist and slick. “Adam.”

  “Yes?”

  His voice vibrated against her stomach, and she smiled. She felt like she was glowing from the inside out. Warm, soft, melting.

  And wilder than she’d thought possible.

  She threaded her fingers in his hair. “Please don’t stop.”

  “Sweetheart, this is just the beginning.” Moving down, he lifted her legs one at a time and slipped off her shoes. Urging up her hips, he stripped off her jeans and socks, leaving her nude except for her black lace thong. His fingers slid beneath the scrap of fabric. He found her center and rubbed.

  She rocked her hips as sensation spiraled. “Ooh, not fair. I want to touch you, too.”

  Sitting up, she helped him shed his jeans. He whipped off his socks and boxers. Even his appendectomy scar looked sexy as he stood before her, fully erect. She’d never seen another man so glorious. She’d never yearned for any man the way she yearned for Adam.