Showing Jessie Read online

  Ben had offered him what might be the first step in making Cypress his home. Ben and his wife Tammy had moved into the big Craftsman right before Thanksgiving, and Tammy’s townhouse near the town center was sitting vacant. Ben had suggested that Noah could rent the place, and he was seriously considering it.

  Most days he put off driving back to St. Cloud for as long as possible. He’d stay out at one of the model homes long after closing and work on his tablet. Maybe he’d meet Ben or Ty Walsh for a beer over in the Town Tavern. Sometimes he’d even head out to the far lakeshore to just stare at the still water. In fact, he’d toyed with the idea of moving into the tent-cabin once Ty and Cassie had moved out, but there was only one room and no separate space for Max.

  The kid loved the wild parts of Cypress, though. Maybe next weekend he’d arrange a tour of the east side of the property. He could think of a certain pretty woman who might be able help him out there.

  He looked toward the parking lot and his silver truck, and made a decision. He’d hang out in Cypress for a while longer. It was only six o’clock. Yeah, twilight was coming but it wasn’t like he was afraid of the dark.

  After stopping at the town market for a six pack, he hopped back into the cart and made his way toward the far lakeshore. The path was a little bumpy, but the nubby tires made easy work of the sandy path. Darkness grew before he reached the turn off for the tent-cabin, but in Florida it wasn’t unusual for sunset to tease and tempt with all of its colors for a long while before the sun slid under the horizon between breaths.

  He found the place dark. Quiet, except for the frogs he could hear croaking just beyond in the reeds by the lakeshore. Parking the golf cart beside the thick trunk of a huge live oak tree, he got out and made his way to the back porch. A light popped on as he stepped up, but the glow wasn’t harsh.

  Settling into one of the Adirondack chairs, he cracked open a beer and gazed out over the rippling lake. The stars had just started to come out, and he felt a peace he hadn’t experienced since leaving the surf behind.

  He took a long sip of his beer, letting his mind work. He had to make a move. He knew that. For years now he’d felt like he was still floating, sitting on his board and waiting for a wave to come. What the hell was he waiting for now?

  He could live here in Cypress. He could have an awesome place to take Max every weekend. Maybe he’d even be able to change his parenting plan and get to see his son more.

  Ben wouldn’t wait forever for his answer. Rental properties in Cypress were in high demand, given the great schools and amenities. He’d be an idiot to pass up the opportunity his friend offered. Did Noah want to live where he worked, though? That was the sticking point for him.

  He wasn’t sure about spending his nights so close to where he spent his days. He sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. The sounds of lapping water and rustling leaves had his heartrate slowing. The adrenaline rush he’d felt earlier had subsided, leaving him relaxed. Yeah. He could get used to living like this. He lifted the bottle to his lips again.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  He nearly choked on his beer, sputtering as he turned his head to find Jessie standing beside the porch. She had her hands braced on her hips and that ugly sweater on again.

  “Hey, Jessie.” He saw sparks flashing in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  “I live here.”

  His mind worked for a second. That explained the sparks. He shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t know. How long?”

  She blinked at him. “What? Oh, I moved in last week. Why are you here?”

  “Just came out to take in the view.” He grabbed another beer and held it toward her. “Join me?”

  Her gaze went from the bottle in his hand to his face, and he wondered what she was looking for. She must have seen something that put her at ease, because her shoulders relaxed a little.

  “Okay.” He opened her bottle and she took it from him, settling into the other chair. “So, why are you out here?”

  “Told you.” He took another drink of his beer. “Just came out for the view.”

  She took a sip and let out a breath. “Well, it’s my view now.”

  “Lucky you.” He meant it, too. She was a lucky girl to have this in her backyard. “I’m thinking of moving here, too.”

  It was her turn to choke. “W-where?”

  He smiled. “Not right here, Jessie. To Cypress.”

  “Oh. Where do you live now?”

  “St. Cloud.”

  “Hmm.” She nodded. “I don’t miss it.”

  “You lived there?”

  “Yes.”

  It felt like there was something she wasn’t saying, but who was he to press her?

  “I sometimes hang around Cypress after work,” he admitted. “There’s nothing dragging me back to my apartment.”

  That truth was tough to admit. Except for Max, he had no one in his life worth driving ten minutes for. She didn’t appear to think anything of it, though. In fact, she looked more relaxed than he’d ever seen her.

  “I don’t blame you for coming out here,” she said, easing back in her chair. “I could look at this lake forever.”

  He looked at her instead. Her sweater had slipped open and her lush little body was lit by the moon hanging out over the lake and the spotlight. Dragging his eyes from her rack, he finished his beer.

  “So how did your tour go?” he asked.

  “The one in the afternoon?” At his nod, she beamed a smile at him. “Great! They loved the whole thing, Noah. They got it, you know?”

  “That’s because of you.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “You, Jessie. When you talk about Cypress and what it can mean? You light up like a firefly.”

  She snorted a little, covering her mouth with one hand. “Firefly? Hmm. I don’t know if that’s any better than Pixie, but I’ll take it.”

  “Pixie?” He laughed softly. “Yeah, I can see that.”

  The lighting was dim on the porch but he caught the blush on her cheeks. “Never mind.”

  They both fell silent but he was very aware of the sound of her breathing. Of her scent, too. Those wildflowers were stronger out here in the still air. In the growing dark.

  “How’s the house coming?” she finally asked.

  He couldn’t help but grin. “It’s going to be amazing. It’s a huge one-story.”

  “I know,” she said with a quirk of her full lips.

  He chuckled. Of course she knew.

  “Right,” he said. “The slab’s getting poured later this week.”

  She tilted her head to one side, studying him again. “You’re excited.”

  “Oh I’m pumped, Jessie. No joke, this is going to be fantastic. It’s all due to Ben’s design, of course.”

  “And your implementation, Noah. You’re the one who creates something from drawings and specs.”

  “Thanks.” Pride warmed him inside and out. “Not everybody gets that.”

  Her brow puckered for a second. “I would love to be able to build something real.”

  Did she really not get just what she brought to the table? Why the big guys at Cypress spoke so highly of her?

  “You do better than that, Jessie.” He put his bottle down on the decking and reached over to cover her hand. It felt small and soft beneath his. “You create the dream of something for everybody you tour.”

  She gazed at him with what he could only call a hope to believe his words. Her eyes were wide and her lush lips were parted, and she appeared sweetly doubtful of her own gifts. He couldn’t help it. He leaned in, breathed in her scent, and pressed his mouth to hers.

  ***

  Jessie was stunned at the touch of Noah’s kiss. He’d been looking at her with such warmth, such admiration, she’d been tempted to believe him. Heck, she’d melted. Now she could only feel heat and passion, and he tasted delicious. A little spicy and, mixed with the beer he’d been drinking, intoxicating. Leaning in
to him, she kissed him back.

  He moaned softly in the back of his throat, the sound scraping over her skin to reach inside of her. She trembled, unable to keep from opening her mouth as he deepened the kiss. His tongue was strong. Agile in her mouth. Her pulse raced and she gripped onto his thick biceps in an effort to ground herself.

  He placed both of his big hands on her waist, sliding them down just a bit to grab onto her hips. His touch was hot through her skirt, and made her shiver. She wanted to get closer to him. She wanted to crawl inside of him if she could, but the darn armrest of her chair kept her stuck in her seat.

  She must have made a sound, of need or frustration she wasn’t sure, because he pulled away from her.

  His blue eyes were dark as he stared into hers. His pupils were huge and his nostrils flared. He looked really turned-on, and that made her breath come fast.

  “I’m sorry,” he rasped, moving one of those magic hands of his to cup her face. He had callouses on his wide palm and long fingers. Actual callouses from working with his hands. “I just had to kiss you.”

  She licked her lips, and saw that he watched her tongue. A flutter of heat spread through her body, then a wave of apprehension. She knew what came with kisses like that. What happened when she forgot to think and just felt. Surrender. Complete and utter surrender of everything that made her…her.

  “That can’t happen again,” she whispered, her own words tight and breathy.

  His well-sculpted mouth turned down a little. “If you say so.” His blue eyes sparkled at her as he smiled again. “Although I gotta tell you, Jessie. You kiss like you do everything.”

  She couldn’t help but think about the kiss they’d shared. It had been so perfect, until it wasn’t.

  “What does that mean?” she had to know.

  A crooked smile lifted those delicious lips of his. “With all of you.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that, and he spared her the trouble. After draining his bottle, he set it back in the cardboard six pack.

  “I better take off.” He rubbed his hands over his very fit thighs and stood. “I’ll leave you to your lakeshore.”

  They looked at each other for a long minute, then she nodded.

  “Thanks for the beer.” She put her half-empty bottle on the deck and stood too, fingering the bottom button of her cardigan. “This was nice, Noah. Sitting and talking with you.”

  He dipped his head, looking at her from beneath his brows. “Just sitting and talking?”

  And kissing. She couldn’t talk about that, though. Not when she could still taste him on her tongue. Could still feel his hands on her body.

  After another long minute, he grabbed up the six pack. “Good night, Jessie.”

  “Good night.”

  She watched him as he walked away, out of the light above the porch to be swallowed by the growing darkness, until she heard him start the near-silent motor of his golf cart. Lifting her bottle, she sank back into her chair.

  It had been unexpected, seeing someone in what she now thought of as her place. It sure was different from when she’d found Shannon and Billy here, though.

  Noah took up a lot of her place too, with those broad shoulders and long legs. He’d looked really nice sitting there, though. Comfortable. Like he belonged. With her, of all people.

  Drawing on her beer, she let out a breath. She’d stopped at the tavern for pizza with Oliver before driving out here, and he’d teased her about her tour of Noah’s houses. Something about hammers and nails, and maybe even screws. She’d blocked him out for the most part. Laughed off his not-so-subtle innuendo. He was so naughty sometimes.

  Oliver was a doll man, though. And if he didn’t play for the other team she might have had a crush on him when she’d started working here, along with all the other hot guys in Cypress. Now she counted him as a good friend, in spite of his teasing about Noah. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if he ever found out she’d sat out at her lakeshore with the man. Or, horrors, that she’d kissed him? Yikes.

  She’d loved that kiss, though. It was soft and sweet. Hard and hot. Deep and delicious. She knew she would dream about that kiss. Heck, she had dreamed about it, if she were being honest with herself. She’d been right to tell him it couldn’t happen again.

  For nearly five years now she’d avoided any kind of sexual contact. Any kind of physical contact at all, really. It didn’t matter how perfect Noah’s mouth had felt on hers. It didn’t matter how much she’d wanted him to use those big, capable hands of his on her body, either. She couldn’t bring herself to risk everything again. To give everything to another person and have it ruined. Twisted into something hateful. And painful.

  She finished her beer and wished for another for just a second. Only for a second. She wasn’t Shannon, after all. Free with alcohol and free with her body. Shannon did tend to fall hard for a few of her one-nighters, though. Jessie had nursed her through hangovers of the body, and of the heart, on too many occasions to count. A pang of guilt struck her.

  She told herself that Shannon was a big girl now. That she could look after herself. That Jessie wasn’t her keeper any longer. It was a tough habit to break.

  She wrapped her sweater around herself again and let out a breath. She had enough on her plate to worry about her sister now. Her work at the Sales Center. Her work at the Institute. Settling into her new home. Noah.

  Noah wasn’t really a concern though, was he? He wasn’t hers to worry over or to dream about, for that matter. He was hot and smart and capable. She imagined he could handle himself just fine. But oh, the memory of how he’d looked leaning easily against the column of that model home made her tingle right now. And surrounded by his spicy hot scent as they’d talked in the peace and quiet out here. She’d watched his mouth as he’d talked. As he’d drunk his beer. She’d kissed that full, delicious mouth. She’d reached out and grabbed on to those strong arms, holding tight as she lost herself.

  No. She rubbed a hand over her face. She couldn’t lose herself. She wouldn’t lose herself. Not again.

  And if that meant staying away from Noah and every temptation he posed, that was just her too bad.

  Chapter 4

  Noah sat nursing his cup of coffee in the break room at the Sales Center on Wednesday morning. He knew it was safe to be there today. So maybe he was being a coward. He could live with that. Jessie was at the Cypress Institute and he didn’t have to worry about running into her.

  Not that he didn’t want to catch of glimpse of her. He didn’t want to risk seeing the fear in her eyes that he’d seen Monday night, though. Man, that kiss had been amazing before she’d pulled away. She’d tasted so fresh and hot, and when she’d grabbed on to him he’d wanted to drag her down to the wood planking on the deck and taste all of her. Then she’d stiffened, and he couldn’t do anything but leave her alone. He had to keep leaving her alone, too. There was something there and he had no clue how to figure her out.

  “Hey, man,” Ben Chapman said as he joined him. “You don’t usually hang around here in the morning.”

  “Stem walls and rebar are just about set,” Noah said. “The rough plumb is happening this afternoon.”

  The stem walls, reinforced with steel bars, would not only assure that Ben’s design would be more energy efficient. The home would be more secure in Florida’s changeable climate. Hurricane-force winds wouldn’t be a match for the large home. That was the intention, anyway.

  Ben nodded. “Yeah, I saw the schedule. Thanks for keeping me updated.”

  Noah lifted his cup in salute. Ben continued to watch him, though, his eyes narrowed.

  Noah set his cup back down on the table. “What?”

  “That still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Ben said. “On the last three models, you’ve personally supervised the plumbers.”

  “Maybe I trust them?”

  Ben chuckled. “Yeah, I trust you but I still check on your every step when one of my designs is being built.
”

  Noah barked out a laugh. “That’s why I love working with you, man. You’re even more anal than I am.”

  Ben grinned. “So…why aren’t you out there?”

  “I’m heading out there soon. I just wanted to veg for a couple of minutes.”

  “Noah.” Ben crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. “You don’t ‘veg.’ Not in all the time I’ve known you. I’ve never seen you ‘chill,’ either. Why today?”

  Noah shrugged. It wasn’t long before realization dawned on Ben’s face. His eyes rounded and his mouth gaped. Noah dropped his gaze to the tabletop. Shit.

  “Oh, I get it,” Ben said. “Today’s Wednesday. You’re here because she isn’t.”

  Noah stared at him, striving to keep a blank look on his face. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  Ben held up a hand. “Look, I know Jessie can be a little prickly. She’s our connection to the Institute, though. Just ask her something, anything, about conservation or the environment and she’ll open up. She’ll get you the answers you need.”

  Noah gave a silent prayer of thanks that Ben hadn’t guessed the real reason he was avoiding Jessie. He’d gotten her to open up for a few heart-stopping moments out there by the lakeshore. Even before they’d kissed, he’d learned that she doubted herself. That she so wanted to believe him when he told her how awesome she was at her job.

  He also knew that if he saw her he’d have a hard time keeping himself from kissing her again.

  “Yeah, I’ll do that.” He turned his cup on the table for a minute, and then decided to just ask. “So. Jessie. What’s her story?”

  Ben’s brows arched. Every guy knew what that question meant, and Noah knew that Ben was no exception. That question meant that Noah was interested.

  “I have no idea.” Ben leaned closer. “I could ask Tammy.”

  Noah pulled back, his lungs seizing. “No, man. That’s okay.”