AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thyme,” he says. “It’s the thyme. I watched this Michelin star chef make this sauce on YouTube. Amazing how much you can learn if you look in the right places.”
He returns to the stove.
“So you don’t want to back out of the deal?”
“No. Just as long as we stick to the rules. If we get physically or emotionally involved,” he says, “this is going to turn sour fast.”
I place a bookmark in the book and set it aside.
“How so? We already hated each other before. What difference does it make if we hate each other afterward?”
“I never hated you,” he says.
I forget to breathe.
“But I get you hated me,” he continues, removing the sauce from the heat. “I want us to keep this professional because it’s more than us at stake here. I can’t afford to lose the people I love, and neither can you. We don’t need a rift in our family.”
“You’re assuming that if we got emotionally involved, which is not going to happen, that we would eventually break up?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I’ve never felt love. And you wouldn’t trust me with your heart.”
He’s not wrong about the second part. I wouldn’t trust anyone with it after Nate.
“Good thing we haven’t broken any rules then,” I say.
He spears me with that Taylor gaze.
“Dinner’s ready.”
We eat in silence. Mr. Skitters wanders in halfway through dinner and takes up on the recliner. Outside, thunder rolls in the night, and the thick, wet patter of rain on the windows makes the cottage homier.
After dinner, Jesse waits for me to freshen up in the bathroom and get dressed. I sit on the edge of the bed when it’s his turn. He comes out of the bathroom wearing nothing but his cotton PJ pants. They leave nothing to the imagination.
Jesse sets up the camera on the tripod, and we sit together on the edge of the bed. This time, I loop my arm around his shoulders and rest my head against his.
The shutter clicks. The moment is over.
We get in bed while lightning cracks outside the windows and the rain rattles on the roof.
“Goodnight,” I whisper.
“Goodnight, Angel.”
And then we lay there in the quiet. Jesse’s breathing slows, mine does too, but I can’t sleep. Regardless, I keep my eyesclosed, going over today. From Billy’s call to me turning to Jesse instead of my friends.
Minutes pass, maybe an hour, and I’m on the brink of getting up to get a glass of water when Jesse shifts beside me.
He brushes the hair back from my forehead, then bends over and kisses me on it. So light, it’s barely there.
I keep breathing evenly, curious about what he’s going to do. Because that soft kiss doesn’t match his actions from earlier, or the words we’ve shared over the years. Where’s the sexual tension, the hatred, the determination to not get involved?
Last night was an experience for both of us, and it’s blurred a line.
“Angel,” he whispers. “Marci.”
I want to respond, but I’m terrified of where it will lead.
Jesse’s weight shifts on the bed, and the headboard clicks against the wall.
