CHAPTERTEN
Mark couldn’t think of anything but Jess. Had she gotten her test results yet? It was driving him absolutely crazy not knowing, and the waiting had to be even worse for her. Things at Off-the-Grid had slowed down a lot this week now that Halloween was past and the haunted zip-line had ended. They were still giving a fair amount of zip-line tours, and Mark had a survival skills class booked later in the week, but right now, this morning, he had nothing to do and too damn much on his mind.
He’d spent the last two days working on the mountain bike course from sunup to sundown, pounding boards into place until Sharlene’s face had faded from his mind, until his chest loosened and he no longer felt like he might suffocate from the memories. But now he’d run out of wood, and Jess had consumed his every waking thought. Rather than sit behind his desk, ready to crawl out of his own skin, he headed for his SUV. He’d just drive by her house and see if she was home. He thought he remembered her once telling him that Tuesday was her day off, the quietest day at the spa.
And he needed to see her.
He cranked the engine and turned down Mountain Breeze Road. Ten minutes later, he turned onto Jess’s street and could have cheered out loud when he saw her car in the driveway. He was out of his SUV and up her front steps so fast he probably should have been embarrassed, but he was too desperate to see her to care.
He knocked, greeted by silence from within. Was she asleep? She’d been so tired lately, and that, combined with the headaches, had him worried. He didn’t want to knock again and risk waking her, but what if she was unconscious inside and needed help?
As he stood there debating his best course of action, the door swung slowly open, and Jess stood there, blinking up at him through damp eyelashes. She’d been crying.
Fuck.
Emotion detonated inside him, shattering his composure. “Is it…did you…” He sucked in a deep breath. “I just came to see how you were feeling and if you’d gotten your test results yet.”
“I just got off the phone with my doctor.” She motioned him in, wiping discreetly at her eyes.
And the results had left her in tears. The bottom of his stomach dropped out, leaving him sick and shaky. He reached for her, but she took a step back, folding her arms over her chest.
“The MRI was clean. Everything was normal.”
Normal.All the air whooshed from his lungs. “That’s…that’s good news.”
“Yeah.” She swiped at another tear. “It is. I was worried.”
He had a feeling that was an understatement. He reached out, and this time she let him fold her into his arms. He held her close, savoring the warmth of her body against his, the faint scent of incense in her hair that brought so many memories roaring to life inside him. “I was worried too.”
Her breath hitched, and he tightened his arms around her. They stayed like that for several long seconds, and everything that had been restless and raging inside him all morning calmed and went still. He could stay like this with Jess forever.
When she looked up, her eyes were dry, and he recognized the hungry gleam in them a split second before her lips crashed into his. Then they were kissing, and everything that had been calm inside him was on fire.
“I’m so mad at you,” she whispered, yanking him closer.
“What?” He lifted his head.
“You kiss me, and then you leave, and here I am, kissing you again.” She met his gaze, her eyes sparking.
Fuck.His leaving the party hadn’t had anything to do with Jess. “I don’t—”
“Just shut up and kiss me.”
“Jess—”
She sighed. “It hurt when you pushed me away after we kissed before, okay? Promise me you won’t do that this time.”
His ribs constricted around his lungs. “I promise. The truth is, I can’t stay away from you no matter how hard I try.”
“That makes two of us,” she said, and kissed him again.
He kissed her back, his tongue stroking hers, mimicking the act of sex as Jess moaned deep in her throat. Her hips moved restlessly against his, and this time, they weren’t in the forest or hiding from the crowd during her Halloween party. This time they were alone in Jess’s house, and God help him, but he had to touch more of her.
His hands slid beneath her top, finding and releasing the clasp of her bra. Her breasts sprang free, and as he cupped them in his palms, it was his turn to moan. So soft. So full. They filled his hands perfectly, just the way they always had.
“Mark,” she whimpered, her head falling back as he scraped the pad of his thumb across her nipple, causing it to harden beneath his touch.
“I’m here.” His voice was low and gruff, his blood like liquid fire in his veins. “Tell me what you need.”
