“It wasn’t right before, baby.” He stroked into her, every thrust a pure pleasure. “I came with other women, but they didn’t matter. Only you. Only you matter.”
She was everything. Now he knew why his father had often locked the door to his parents’ bedroom in the middle of the afternoon. Why his mother got that look in her eyes when his dad walked in the door. Love. A sweet, pulse-pounding love lust that spelled out the meaning of his life. Loving Gemma changed everything.
She pulled in for a kiss. “Only you and Jesse. You’re the only ones for me.”
His girl. His best friend. His town. He could have it if only he was brave enough to take the chance. He thrust in and out, the decision meaningless at the moment. He could be a pussy later, but for now, he would give her what she needed. He ground his pelvis against her clit, and she called out his name when she came. One more perfect thrust and he went over the edge with her. He pressed in, again and again, giving her every ounce of cum he had. It was hers. It was all fucking hers.
He collapsed on her, loving the way she held him. He breathed in the scent of their mingled sex. All day long, he would look at this car and remember her.
There was a loud banging on the door. “If you two are done fucking, I need sparks plugs for the lawn mower. I haven’t mowed in three weeks and Rach gets mad when I lose Paige in the back field!”
Gemma squeaked and tried to hide, but Cade just laughed. That was life in Bliss. He kissed her and climbed off.
“Get dressed, baby. I got a business to run.”
He was deeply pleased with the gorgeous pink her skin turned.
Jesse turned back down Main Street, his prey eluding him once again.
He’d heard Patrick had been seen in Alamosa, but when he’d gone to the better motels in town, the little fucker was already gone. He’d put the word out, but the lawyer was proving to be fairly good at covering his tracks.
Jesse stopped at the red light before turning up the road that led to the shop. Cade was still there despite the coward’s best attempts at fleeing. Gemma had changed tactics on his ass, and Cade had no idea what to do. Jesse smiled a little. She was cutting Cade off at every pass.
Every day when Cade came to say good-bye to her, she hugged him and asked for just one more night.
Jesse wondered if Cade even realized they had practically moved in with her. The first night, they had lain there in the grass for a long time, staring up at the stars and then they’d gone to her bed and cuddled her, passing her back and forth, just hugging and kissing her until she’d finally fallen asleep.
And the next morning she’d gotten up and unpacked Cade’s clothes and placed them in her dresser. He’d packed up again, and she’d convinced him to stay, and the next morning Cade’s clothes had been right back in the drawer next to Jesse’s. Jesse had noticed Cade hadn’t bothered to pack again this morning. And if she’d played her cards right, Cade had probably spent a good part of the afternoon buried deep inside her, bonding with her.
Their girl was smart. And Jesse intended to protect her at all costs.
Long-Haired Roger walked out of the shop carrying Princess Two in his burly arms. A county Bronco was parked outside. Jesse cut his engine and kicked the bike into park. He removed his helmet as Roger walked up, Princess Two’s bug eyes directly on Jesse.
“Hey, been trying to get ahold of you. Nate’s in the shop talking to Cade. Seems like he’s got some information on who’s trying to hurt poor, sweet Gemma.” Roger’s head shook, a long look on his face.
Roger was sweet on Gemma since she’d come into the shop the day before. She was supposed to be there so Jesse could keep an eye on her. She’d come armed with some books, but she’d then spent the whole time organizing Roger’s office and filing his receipts, since apparently Roger didn’t believe in a filing system. Now Roger was sure Gemma walked on water, and Princess Two had given her assent by not barking Gemma’s way. In Roger’s mind, it meant Gemma was good people.
Jesse stalked into the shop, wanting more than anything to get this whole thing over and done with. He wanted this settled because until she was out of danger, he couldn’t concentrate on what he wanted to—convincing Gemma to stay.
Nate stood with Cade, his arms crossed over his chest. A short man with round glasses stood by his side. He had a smallish build. Jesse pegged him in his mid-forties, early fifties, with an intellectual bent.
Nate nodded as Jesse walked in. “Jesse, meet Paul Johnson.”
Jesse stopped in his tracks, remembering why that particular name made him want to punch someone. Paul Johnson was the asshole Cam had been looking for. The one who had made the threats against Gemma years ago. “Paul Johnson?”
Cade put a hand out. “Stay calm and listen to what the man has to say.”
When Cade was the voice of reason, Jesse figured they were all in trouble. He stared at Paul Johnson, who turned to him. The man was dressed in khaki shorts and a T-shirt proclaiming “Scientists Do It Methodically.” He started to put a hand out, but seemed to think twice about it.
“Sorry, I guess you’ve read those things I said to Miss Wells.”
“Damn straight. And you should know she belongs to me. I don’t take kindly to your threats.”
The smaller man shook his head. “I wouldn’t, either, though I think your language is very possessive. She’s a free spirit, man. We can’t own another soul any more than we can own the land and sky.”
Jesse turned to Nate, who had an amused grin on his face. “What the fuck is he trying to say?”
Nate shrugged. “I thought about calling in Nell to translate. It seems Paul here has had a change of heart. He’s given up his worldly possessions to walk the earth and do good things.”
There was an oddly peaceful look on the scientist’s face. “Karma is an amazing thing. It led me to take a look at my own soul. To take stock, so to speak. I would love to talk to Miss Wells, to make amends.”
“And you think you can do that by sending her threatening letters and boxes of freaking hearts?”
Cade sighed. “Catch up, man. Does he look like a dude who would send her a cadaver heart? This has all been one big setup.”
Setup? But why? “You think someone is trying to make it look like this dude wants to kill Gemma?”
“It looks that way,” Nate said. “Cam found him yesterday and managed to get in contact. He came right in. Seems he’s been on the road for over a year following the big music festivals from town to town. The heart in a box was sent from St. Louis.”
“But I was at Peacenick in San Francisco that week,” Paul explained. “It’s a music and healing festival.”
“Are we sure about that?” Jesse wasn’t going to be convinced because the guy looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. People could lie.
“Oh yeah, there are several time-stamped pictures of him at the festival. He’s easy to pick out of a crowd. He’s at least twenty years older than anyone there,” Nate explained.
“And I haven’t used a computer in months, man,” Paul said. “I’m all natural, man. This is a great town you have here. The vibes are incredible. Peace, man. This place just radiates peace.”
“It’s got the worst murder rate per capita in the country.” The last thing he needed was someone else from Gemma’s past hanging around. He needed her to think about the future.
“Really?” Paul looked around like he was expecting someone to try to murder him any minute.
Cade seemed to pick up on Jesse’s thought process. “Oh, yeah. It’s totally dangerous. We’ve even had a serial killer. Mobsters run amuck here. I heard there was a violent biker gang.”
“Don’t forget all the alien abductions,” Long-Haired Roger chimed in.