“Okay. Come here and give Daddy a kiss first.”
I leaned back over the bed, and met his soft lips. His tongue took a quick swipe into my mouth.
“Damn it, baby. I want you in ways a civilized man shouldn’t.”
I waited a moment until his breathing turned slow and even, then I tiptoed into the huge bathroom and turned on the multiple jets inside the giant glass shower. The bath had soothed my body, but this helped to clear my mind as well. Sleep had been welcome, but I needed a moment to think. To process all that had happened to me over the past few days.
And I loved Jesse, but processing had to be done alone.
Letting the water cascade over me, I felt like I was washing away someone I used to be. That Katrina had been a mess, but it was a justified mess. I wouldn't judge her, but I wouldn't go back to being her either.
Not now. Because now I had something to hold on to. Something I never thought I'd have, and something I certainly didn't want to lose.
After my shower, I slipped my nightie back on. My bottom was still sore, so I didn’t even look around for panties before slipping out of the bedroom and into the main house.
Jesse lay stone still on the bed, and while he'd told me that he never really sleeps, I didn't know if I altogether believed that.
The house was amazing and so perfectly Jesse, and although I knew he had built a new house, I never asked to see it, and he had never invited me over after that first time I refused.
Nothing seemed out of place. Just like Jesse. Lots of wood and glass from floor to ceiling, showing off the views from every room. As I walked around, my fingers traced over pictures he had around of his mom and dad. They had been soldiers, too, though they’d made sure Jesse had a settled home instead of following them from base to base. I'd met them once or twice when I was little, before the helicopter crash that claimed both their lives.
Then, in the library, I found a shelf filled only with pictures of us.
Kent, me and Jesse.
Years of pictures from when we were little, and my brother and Jesse first became friends, until the week before Kent died. There was Jesse standing in his full-dress uniform, back from one of his deployments. And him and Kent the day they graduated from college with honors degrees in business.
And me, the day I graduated high school. I wasn't sure how he got that photo. He hadn't been there, because he hadn't been in the country.
If I had any doubt before how deep our bond ran, I had none now. Jesse had always been there for me, I just hadn't noticed.
I wandered farther, and as soon as I saw the kitchen, my belly turned and rumbled, and I realized how long it had been since I had really eaten anything. Truth was, I hadn't eaten a decent healthy meal since the day my brother passed away.
I mean, Chicken Nuggets should be the fifth food group in my opinion, but even in my addled brain, I know they are not providing me with any significant nutrition.
The kitchen was massive, with huge stainless-steel appliances, a cargo-ship sized refrigerator and freezer. For a single guy, he sure went all out. I wondered if there was actually any food inside, but pulling at the massive refrigerator door, the lights inside illuminated shelves stacked with...
Yogurt. Salad. An organic chicken ready to be cooked. A rainbow of fruit, but not a crumb of junk food. Not a single noodle carton. Not a slice of leftover pizza.
In short, none of the foods I liked.
With a disappointed frown, I closed the door and just about jumped out of my nightgown as Jesse stood tall and broad in the doorway.
“Jesus!God damn it, you scared me.” I brought my hand to my chest as my heart beat like a snare drum.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes, but not for anything in there. It's... You must have a bag of chips around here someplace. Or a box of blueberry Pop Tarts…" I pulled open a cabinet and saw only dried pulses. Really? "Or a Pepsi? Where are the glasses?”
“Why don’t you go back to your room? I told you I had a surprise for you, and I think you're ready to see it. I’ll bring you something to eat. And drink.”
“Okay. But...” I tried to think of a way to put it that wouldn't sound ungrateful. "I don't really like any of the stuff in there."
"You will. Trust me."
"No, you don't understand. I likefoodfood. Nuggies. French fries. Pizza. Ice cream. You know.Food. Like normal people eat."
"Those are treats. You can still have them, but not all the time."
