The Pursuit of Jesse (10 page)

That’s when he chuckled, soft and low, the sound vibrating through her. “You know what you are, Sarah?” he whispered against her lips. “You’re a very beautiful…very seductive…
hypocrite.
”

As he pulled back, shame swept through her. The look of smug satisfaction on his face was enough to make her want to haul off and hit him. “I could fire you for that.”

“Go ahead. I dare you.”

He was right and she was so, so out of line. An apology was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t seem to open her mouth.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” He spun around, stalked back down the hall and into the bedroom. A moment after the door closed, the volume on the radio pumped up. His message was loud and clear. He’d not only shut her out of the room, but out of his head.

She couldn’t blame him. She
was
a hypocrite. She wanted Jesse Taylor with a need that threatened to consume her, but he was as wrong for her as wrong got. She’d worked too hard building a life here on Mirabelle to let a man, any man, ruin it. “I won’t let me ruin it, either,” she whispered.

J
ESSE LEANED BACK
against the wall in the bathroom and let the beat of the bass guitar pounding over the radio thrum through him. With any luck, the waves of sound would dispel the white-hot need burning him up from the inside out.

When he’d first come into the house and found her painting the bathroom, dressed in faded jeans and a tight T-shirt, his heart had started pounding so hard, he’d had to stand there for a long moment before attempting to speak. It was the first time he’d seen her looking so…natural, so relaxed, so approachable, and his reaction to her, more than anything, had pissed him off.

Then when he’d been so close to her that he could smell her very skin, paint mixed with a light powdery scent of flowers, he’d almost lost it. Flowers. Always, she smelled like blooming flowers. Roses, lilies, carnations, fuchsia, all mixed together. It was the femininity of the scent that had got to him, snuck right in and grabbed him by the groin.

Not to mention the way her lips had parted, oh, so expectantly. The air had moved in and out of her chest in great gulps, drawing her paint-spattered T-shirt tight across her chest. She’d practically panted. Then when the tip of her sweet tongue had touched his mouth, he’d gone nearly insane.

But he’d wanted to break her control, unleash that
raw sexual power he could practically see boiling beneath the surface of her skin, and in the process he almost lost his own control. One more second in front of Sarah, and as close as he’d been to her, there was no telling what might’ve happened between them. Spontaneous combustion. Or something damned close to it. Even now, he felt as if he might explode.

He pushed against his groin, adjusting the erection pressing uncomfortably against his jeans. What the hell was the matter with him? Four years ago, he wouldn’t have hesitated for a split second. If a woman had looked at him with half the want in Sarah’s eyes, he’d have had her naked and under him within minutes.

And now? Now he was a felon. Prison had changed him. He might be able to fool the rest of the world into thinking he was the same old Jesse as before, but he couldn’t lie to himself. He wasn’t footloose and fancy-free. Not anymore.

Leave. Get your ass off this island before you do something really, really stupid.

He couldn’t leave. Not yet. Sarah had paid him for his work to date, but it wasn’t enough. One more month. Tough it out four more weeks.
Whatever you do, do not touch Sarah.

“U
NCLE
J
ESSE
?” Like clockwork, Zach knocked on Jesse’s bedroom door.

It’d only been a little more than a month since Jesse had arrived on Mirabelle, but already a new routine had established itself in the Taylor household. Daytimes were pretty much the same as before his arrival, given Jesse was generally gone off to work before the kids were awake, but after Erica’s admonishment, he’d started coming back to the house for dinner most nights. Afterward, he’d take a shower to wash away the day’s construction grime, and invariably the boys would come down to knock on his bedroom door.

“Unc Jess?” David’s chubby hands landed flat against the wood with a sticky slap.

Those boys were as persistent as a jackhammer. Still dripping from his shower, Jesse ran the towel through his wet hair and silently hoped they’d go away.

“He dare?” David said, presumably asking his brother.

“Yeah, he’s there,” Zach said, sounding discouraged. “But he doesn’t want to play with us. Come on, Davie. I’ll play with you.”

Dammit.
He stared at himself in the mirror and ran his fingertips along the dramatic lines of his tattoo.
You may have gotten out of prison, but how long are you going to live as though you’re still behind bars?

“Gimme a minute, boys!” Jesse called, wondering how long it would take to end up eventually regretting this decision.

“Were you talking to us?” Zach asked, surprise registering.

“Yeah. I gotta get dressed.” He pulled on a pair of clean jeans and then opened the door.

Tentatively, Zach came to stand in the threshold, but David barreled right in, climbed onto the bed and started jumping up and down. The kid was having so much fun he didn’t have the heart to tell him to stop. “How you doing, Zach?”

“Okay.”

The kid didn’t look okay. “Hey, I’m sorry I’ve been a little distant since I got here, but…it doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s me. Takes me a while to settle in places, you know?”

“It’s cool.”

“Brian’s not coming over tonight for a sleepover?” Jesse could’ve been wrong, but it seemed as though the two had spent almost every weekend together since Jesse had gotten on the island.

“Nope,” Brian said. “Can you play video games with us?” he asked, his voice brightening. “Garrett and Erica are going out.”

Suddenly, spending a quiet night at home with the two boys was sounding awfully nice. “Sure. How ’bout we play some cards first?”

“David doesn’t know how.”

“That’s okay. He and I can beat—er play you.” Jesse winked at Zach. Jesse ruffled his nephew’s hair, then he grabbed a heavy cable-knit sweater out of a dresser drawer and dragged it over his head. “You guys already eat dinner?”

“Yep.”

“So what did Erica make tonight?” Jesse’s stomach growled at the thought of his sister-in-law’s cooking.

“Lasagna. Garlic bread.” Zach shrugged. “I didn’t eat the salad.”

“I don’t like zaniah,” David said, his voice jiggling as he continued to jump.

“Good. That leaves more for me.” He’d been in the middle of texturing one of the ceilings in Sarah’s house, so he hadn’t been able to make it home in time for dinner, but he’d been counting on leftovers. “Let’s go.” He snatched David off the bed, stepped into the hallway and headed toward the kitchen with Zach trailing behind him.

“Mmm,” a feminine voice purred from the general vicinity of the kitchen. “Do that again.”

Jesse stopped in his tracks and Zach bumped into him.

“This?” That was Garrett’s voice. “Or this?”

Damn.
He couldn’t see them, but there was no mistaking those two were at it again. They never seemed to let up. If they weren’t looking at each other, they were touching. Holding hands. Lightly running fingertips along the other’s forearms. Arms wrapping around waists at the stove or sink. Lying next to each other on the couch while watching TV. It didn’t seem to matter who was or wasn’t around.

“They’re kissing again,” Zach whispered, rolling his eyes.

“Ewww.” David scrunched up his nose.

“Yuck is right.” Jesse made a face, but he really couldn’t fault either Garrett or Erica. If Jesse ever got lucky enough to fall in love with a woman and vice versa, he’d probably be worse than Garrett. That didn’t
make the attention they gave one another easy to live with. Every time he heard or saw them getting the slightest bit intimate, his thoughts immediately tracked to Sarah.

Which didn’t make a damned bit of sense as far as he was concerned. He doubted that opinionated, judgmental woman had even an ounce of Erica’s tenderness. Too bad, too. To waste all that female hotness Sarah exuded in an uptight, perfectionist personality.

Without warning, Jesse’s stomach growled and the sound echoed loudly in the narrow hall. Zach hid a laugh behind his hand. No heading back into his bedroom now. Jesse cleared his throat and continued toward the kitchen. By the time they emerged from the shadows, Garrett and Erica had put a respectable distance between them.

“Were you guys spying on us?” Erica asked, tilting her head to one side.

“Like I want to see you two kissing,” Zach said, heading off into the family room and flipping on the TV.

“Absolutely not.” Jesse set David down to toddle after his brother.

“Any chance there are leftovers?” Jesse asked, opening the refrigerator door.

“Of course,” Erica said. “I made sure there was extra for you.”

“Erica, if you weren’t taken,” Jesse said, setting a few containers on the center aisle, “I’d snap you up so fast this island would be spinning where it sits.”

“Well, she is taken,” Garrett growled. “So don’t even think about it.”

Erica smiled slyly. “There’s nothing wrong with keeping him on his toes, though, is there, Jesse?”

“Nope. You ever tire of my brother, you let me know.”

Garrett shook his head. “That’d be the day.”

“You never know.” Erica ran her finger down Garrett’s cheek. “Someday I might just trade you in for this younger model.”

Jesse laughed.

Garrett grabbed her around the waist and pulled her tight. “Never gonna happen.” Then he kissed her, deeply, and Jesse regretted ever joking around with them. He put the leftovers on a plate, heated them in the microwave and cleared his throat, hoping to break them up.

A moment later, Erica pulled back. “I have to go change before heading to work.” She spun around, handed David a sippy cup, planted a kiss on her son’s head and climbed the stairs.

Garrett moved to the dishwasher and started putting away the clean dishes. “I’m planning on keeping Erica company tonight down at Duffy’s,” he said. “You up for joining us?”

“Naw, that’s okay. I’m pretty tired. Want to get up bright and early in the morning to finish the knockdown ceilings at Sarah’s. Besides, the boys asked if I could play some games with them tonight.”

“Did I hear that right? You and the boys are going to play games?”

“Sure. Why not?”

Garrett nodded. “Good. That’s good. Except for one thing,” he said, his voice lowered. “You’ve been working twelve-hour days, seven days a week since you got here. You don’t let down a little bit, you’re going to explode.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve decided bars aren’t the kind of places I let down anymore.”

Garrett glanced at him. “Duffy’s is a little different than the Nail. I’ll be there. Erica. A couple of the guys you met at the community center. And Sarah.”

Sarah. Reason enough not to go. “No thanks, bro. I’ll be happy to keep an eye on Zach and the baby for you and Erica, though.” Now that he thought about it, built-in babysitter was the only benefit of his presence to Garrett and Erica. He might as well help out when he could.

“Renee’s daughter, Teresa, is babysitting tonight.”

“All right.” Jesse sat down at the center island counter with his plate of food. “I’m still not going out.”

“Not a good answer.”

A moment later, the babysitter arrived. She looked to be only a few years older than Zach, but the boys seemed to like her. Garrett gave her directions, Erica came downstairs and the two said their goodbyes. They had their coats on and were about to head out the door when Garrett glanced at Jesse. “Think about it, Jesse.” Garrett opened the door, letting in a burst of cold air. “You can’t hide forever.”

Like hell I can’t.

Jesse finished eating and made sure the kitchen was clean. Teresa was playing with David so Jesse glanced at Zach. “How ’bout I beat you in chess?”

“You can try.” Grinning, Zach jumped up and sat down in front of the chessboard.

After Zach beat him two out of three games it was obvious Zach knew more about chess than Jesse had expected. “You didn’t tell me you could play.”

“You didn’t ask. Garrett taught me.”

“That explains it, then.” Jesse laughed. “So why didn’t Brian come over tonight?” It had seemed to Jesse as though they’d had a routine. Fridays they slept at Zach’s and Saturdays at Brian’s.

“I don’t know.” Zach’s gaze dodged Jesse’s, belying his words.

“You guys get into a fight or something?”

“No.”

“Zach, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” The boy shrugged. “He said his mom won’t let him play over here unless Garrett or Erica are home.”

“What?” Jesse glanced up. “Why? Teresa’s babysitting.”

“I told you. I don’t know.”

Jesse knew. It was because of him. That wasn’t right.

“Checkmate!” Zach grinned. “Wanna play again?”

“Maybe later.”

Jesse stood and paced. Finally, he walked to the picture window to glance out through the woods. If he focused hard enough he could almost kid himself into thinking he could see the lights from Main Street flickering through the bare trees.

Garrett was right. He couldn’t hide forever. He had to tell Zach the truth, but there was one thing he had to do first. “Zach, I need to go out.”

“But you said you were going to play cards.”

“Can I catch you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, all right.”

Before he could think better of it, Jesse said goodbye to both boys, grabbed his coat and marched off down the hill toward Duffy’s. As he reached the door, the
sounds of people enjoying life fell over him and he hesitated. Things had been going good. Well, maybe not good, but all right. Why rock the boat?

You’re not ready for this. Go back.

No. No.

Time to face your demons, Jesse. Face ’em head-on.

He opened the door and went inside.

“W
HAT IN THE WORLD
are they celebrating?” Sarah nodded toward the group of men, Garrett, Carl, Sean, Bud Stall and Mike Newman, clanking glasses together up at the bar in Duffy’s Pub.

Missy glanced backward from where she, Hannah Johnson and Sarah were all sitting in their regular booth for their once-a-week happy hour at Duffy’s Pub. During the summer months, they usually met to catch up on a weekday evening, but during the winter it was Friday nights.

“You didn’t hear?” Missy said, turning back around. “Sean bought Arlo Duffy’s carriage and stable operations today.”

“Our Doctor Sean?” Hannah said, openmouthed.

“Mmm-hmm.” Missy nodded. “Sean’s been boarding his horse with Arlo since he moved here and helping Arlo out with this and that. He said he’s been loving taking care of the horses while Lynn and Arlo spend the winter in Florida, and the whole carriage operation was getting to be too much for Arlo. So…”

“Is Sean still going to run the medical clinic?” Hannah asked.

“I think so. He said there shouldn’t be a problem doing both. As it is he said his clinic office hours are part-time, at most, even over the summer, and Arlo’s
going to be running some of the operations. He insisted on driving the main carriage over the summers.”

“That’s good,” Sarah said, nursing a glass of wine. Mirabelle wouldn’t be Mirabelle without old Arlo, the single most photographed man on Mirabelle, sitting atop a carriage and holding a set of reins. “Sounds like a perfect arrangement for both of them.”

“Look at all those attractive men,” Hannah mused as she stared at the bar. “And they’re all taken, except for Sean.”

“You said you were going to ask him out.” Missy took a sip from her beer bottle. “Did you?”

“Yep.” Hannah sighed. “He turned me down. Said he wasn’t looking to date.”

“Oddly enough, that makes sense.” Missy shook her head. “I think what he’s looking for is a wife.”

Sarah laughed. “How’s he going to find a wife if he doesn’t date?”

“He’ll know,” Missy said softly.

She and Sean were good friends. There’d even been some conjecture that the two might become a couple until Jonas had shown up on the island, squashing any possibility of that ever happening.

“Honestly, he’s been awfully grouchy lately,” Hannah said. “Sometimes I wish Doc Welinski had never retired.”

“I guess this island starts to feel small sometimes,” Sarah said, patting Hannah’s hand. “Especially in the winter.”

“At least in the summer, there are men coming and going,” Hannah grumbled. “But in the winter, the flow of available men slows to, at best, a trickle.”

“I love our winters,” Missy said, smiling dreamily. “All the peace and quiet. The long, dark nights.”

“Easy for you to say.” Sarah laughed. “You’ve got a husband.”

“And two kids,” Hannah added.

“First it was Sophie Rousseau. Then Erica. Then you.” Sarah sighed. “Mirabelle’s young single women are getting snapped up one by one.”

“Except for you and me,” Hannah murmured.

“What about your professor?” Sarah asked. “I thought you two had really hit it off.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Hannah groaned. “He’s nice and all, but…”

“Nice? He drove all the way up here in a blizzard just to be with you on New Year’s,” Missy said.

“He asked me to come to Madison for Valentine’s Day.”

Sarah laughed. “That sounds serious to me.”

“Long-distance relationships suck,” Hannah said. “And it’s not likely he’ll move here anytime soon. Do you see any colleges on the island?”

“All right. All right.” Missy set her white wine down. “There are several single guys here on Mirabelle. Even in the winter. What are you two looking for?”