Chapter 19

Spending time with Jesse gave her satisfaction like she’d never experienced before. She couldn’t get over how much he made her laugh. It was pure enjoyment just to hang out with him and talk. They didn’t have to do anything special, just chill together, and she felt like everything was falling right into place.

She watched him do meal prep for the next day, learning that he usually made up a week of lunches and snacks but hadn’t done it this week. He had a load of clothes to wash, and after he started the machine, they sat and talked for a while. Before it got too late, he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

“So, big question.” Jesse raised both eyebrows.

“Yeah?” Worry filled her. She hoped he didn’t want to sleep out here on the couch. She wanted him in bed with her.

“Which side of the bed do you need?”

For a second, she wondered if she’d heard him wrong. “Side?”

“Yeah. You know. Where do you sleep on the bed? The bed I have is a queen size. Maybe I should have bought a king, but a lot of bedrooms won’t fit a king with other furniture.”

“Oh. You know, I don’t really have a side. I mean…”

“What?”

“I haven’t, um.” Shock came over his face, and she rushed to explain. “I’ve had boyfriends before?—”

“La la la la. Don’t want to know specifics.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I was just going to say I’ve never slept a full night in the same bed with a guy except on that vacation with you. So you’re the only guy I’ve ever spent the night with. I don’t have a side.”

He stood straighter and blinked. “So you’ve never…”

“I thought you didn’t want to hear specifics.”

“I don’t, but you have…gosh, this is awkward.”

“What?”

“You’ve had sex before me, right? Like I wasn’t your first?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t slept with many guys. I’ve been busy. Shit—” A gasp escaped her lips as her stomach sank. Memory of the missing hours hit, taking her breath.

Worry filled Jesse’s face. “What is wrong?”

She shook her head. Shame, maybe some fear, filled her. “There were a few hours when we were held captive that I can’t account for. When I got the bruises and scrapes is blank. I don’t know what happened. I don’t think they…you know. But?—”

He placed his fingers on her mouth. “I’ve done a lot of these rescues. I know what those bastards do. That’s why I don’t feel guilty for killing them. They don’t deserve to be spared. And you did nothing wrong.”

Her gaze met his, and she studied his expression, searching for any revulsion at what she’d said or what had happened to her. “They took blood and ran tests, but they said I need to wait a few months and check again.”

He leaned in and brushed his lips gently against hers, pouring in so much caring that she couldn’t hold back the tears. He held her tighter, his lips on her hair, his hand giving the warmth she so desperately needed. Being with him, feeling his arms around her, made her feel like she could survive.

“I care very much about you. I know you’ll never know what happened, but you can rest assured that it’s over. You don’t have to ever experience that again.”

His words felt nice, but she knew if she wanted to keep working as a journalist, she would be put in situations that might be dangerous. She wasn’t willing to give up her job, but the idea of going back into a dangerous situation had her shaking.

“How about I start fixing something for dinner?”

She glanced up, surprise filling her. “You can cook?”

Laughter spilled out. “Of course. Who do you think has been feeding me?”

She shrugged. “I’m not a great cook, maybe not even good. I mean, I can do a mean macaroni and cheese, and I can heat up water for spaghetti, but there’s not much else that I can really make other than salads.”

His smile warmed her, and then he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. This man was better than she’d remembered. He was kind, and sexy, and so attentive.

“Well, I happen to be an excellent cook.”

Butterflies tickled her stomach. “You just keep on surprising me,” she admitted.

“What do you mean?”

“After I was rescued, you came into that room on the ship. That shocked the hell out of me. Then you told me you were in the group that rescued me. That blew my mind.”

His chuckle slid through her. “How does…just a second.” Jesse opened the pantry and then the refrigerator. “I have the ingredients to make creamy chicken piccata.”

“Oh.” She blinked at him as he raised his eyebrows. “I hate to say it, but I’m not really sure I know what that is.”

His smile set her heart aflame. “If you don’t like it, I have some leftover pizza we can heat up.”

“I’m sure I’ll love it. How can I help?” The man was so beautiful that she was having a hard time concentrating on anything other than his facial expressions. She hoped he didn’t want her to do anything super complex.

“How is your chopping game?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Okay, I guess. I’m more a tear lettuce and spinach leaves kind of girl.”

His chuckle vibrated through her. “It’s just parsley. I’ll chop some broccoli and asparagus.”

“Sure. That sounds good.”

“Okay. Let’s get started.”

Watching Jesse in the kitchen was bliss. He was confident, sure of himself, and only had to check the recipe twice to get everything the way he wanted. After adding the final ingredient, he turned the temperature down and lazily stirred the sauce.

“It’s almost done.”

“I’m amazed. You handled everything so easily. I never would have been able to do what you did.”

His smile widened, sending a thrill through her. He was so good-looking, so sexy, that it did her in.

“What’s that grin for?” Jesse’s smile seemed to grow and get even more sexy.

“Probably the same as yours. I’m happy to be here with you.”

“I’m thrilled to have you here with me. So, do you think you’ll be here this weekend?”

She nodded. “Yes. I have no idea what I will write next. I have some stuff I have to work on, but I can do most of that from anywhere in the world.”

He nodded, maybe looking a little confused by what she did for work. Her job wasn’t straightforward. Because of her reputation, she usually made more than a junior columnist. Commanding higher payments gave her freedom. The article she’d been planning to write would be different from what she’d originally intended, but it would be better. Having firsthand knowledge would get more people interested in reading it.

Some of her colleagues thought it was the bad in people that made them want to read pieces like hers, but she wasn’t sure it was bad. Reading true crime and disaster stories of terrible hardship was much more complex than identifying evil inside someone. It was more likely that people who read the articles and stories needed the reassurance of good in their lives. They weren’t gloating or making fun of people who were harmed, for the most part. Sure, there were some awful people out there, but most people interested in disaster stories were compassionate people who needed some sort of reassurance.

It was a weird dichotomy writing about hardships and having people digest them for entertainment, but she wasn’t so sure it was entertainment, maybe more like an investigation into the depths of human experiences. It gave them some assurance that they were fine, and it gave them something to feel compassion about. It also raised their emotions and got them thinking.

“Dinner is ready,” Jesse announced with a smile on his face.

“Wow, you got the broccoli and asparagus ready at the same time as everything else. How do you do that?”

He shrugged. “It’s just a timing thing.”

“Well, I’m impressed.” She pushed away musings about her work as they settled at the table. The first bite made her eyes roll up in the back of her head. It was so good. She savored the flavor on her tongue before swallowing.

“Oh my goodness. This is amazing. You are a great cook.”

Did his cheeks turn pink? She liked seeing him blush at her compliments.

“Thank you. It relaxes me. I like creating dishes in the kitchen and then enjoying what I made.”

“I can see why. Your cooking method isn’t chaotic. Any time I’ve ever tried to do something in the kitchen, it felt like I was slipping off the side of a mountain just trying to hang onto my sanity. Usually, it doesn’t turn out good.”

Jesse chuckled and swallowed before speaking. “My first cooking experience wasn’t great. I almost burned the house down. I was a kid, ten years old. My mom told me to cook dinner if I wanted to eat.”

Her heart clenched for ten-year-old Jesse. “Ouch.”

“Yeah, they were into academics. Didn’t like taking time away from working on papers and crap. She was busy with something and didn’t want to stop. Boy, was she mad.”

Nichole chuckled. “I bet.” She wondered what his childhood had been like. From what little she knew, he sounded very lonely. Maybe that’s why he liked the military so much. He always had people with him.

After dinner, they both washed dishes. Though she thought she should be the person doing most of the work, Jesse wouldn’t hear of sitting in the den while she cleaned the kitchen.

“What will you do tomorrow while I’m at work?”

She sighed, not looking forward to the task ahead of her. “I still have about fifty people I haven’t gotten back to who texted while I was captive. They need to hear from me that I’m fine. I’m not giving details to them. I’m only telling my therapist everything. She’s the only one who will get the truth of it all, and well, you since you were there.”

He cupped the back of her neck, giving her strength. “I’m here if you want to talk more. I know talking things out helps.”

Discussing what happened was hard. He’d been there in the end, and still, she had issues getting into details. She hadn’t asked Angie exactly what had happened, but she could fill in the details Angie hadn’t given with her imagination.

She nodded, glad she had him around. “I’m sure it will come up.”

“Are you okay reading for a bit?”

His suggestion sent a shiver of excitement through her. “That sounds marvelous. I have so much reading to catch up on.”

“Cool.” His lips spread into a wide smile.

Heat shot through her. She didn’t know if he was laughing at her or just happy. “What?”

“I knew we would fit together well. I mean, it’s only one night, but I feel like you fit in so well with me.”

She nodded. “Yeah, we do fit well.”

Being with Jesse was easy. She’d worried a little on the flight out that maybe they wouldn’t get along, but it was like they really belonged together. If they’d clashed, she would have left and found a hotel. That wasn’t necessary at all. Jesse was just as good in bed as she remembered, and they were very compatible outside of sex. She just hoped the feeling lasted.