Page 60 of Jessica's Hero
“I know.” She snuggles closer, draping her legs acrossmine and adjusting the blanket over both of us. “And I get it; why you’re looking into all my coworkers. Even though I have a hard time imagining any of them sending that”—she shudders—“package.”
Personally, if it’s not Brian, I think any of her coworkers are a strong second on my list of suspects. Otherwise, how did the package get into the mailroom? It wasn’t sent through the post office, so it seems most likely it was an inside job. Unfortunately, the mailroom is in an area of the building without security cameras nearby, so there’s no way of knowing who left it there.
“It sucks,” I agree. “But Jess, sweetheart. He was right there. Coming from the direction of your office. And you said he was pissed about you turning him down for a date.”
“Yes, but that was after.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “The rocks? Sneaking into my house and moving things around? Slashing my tires? To me, that’s the mark of someone who”—another sigh—“really hates me. Brian wouldn’t care enough to do any of that. Not about me.”
“How can you be so sure?” Jess hasn’t really talked about her relationship with Brian, aside from mentioning that it only lasted a couple of months and ended badly. Though I’m curious, I’ve held off asking, assuming it was a topic we’d come around to, eventually.
Now, though? I think it’s time to push. “Why are you so convinced it’s not him?” I continue. “If he wanted to go out with you?—”
Jess barks out a rueful laugh. “That’s only because he saw an opportunity. And…” She smirks. “He looks a lot… different than he used to. So he probably doesn’t have much luck getting dates anymore.”
“Different?”
She smiles, the first real one I’ve seen since I brought her those flowers yesterday afternoon. “Maybe it’s terrible to say. But he’s not exactly a catch. And I know that’s superficial and I hate it when people judge others on their appearance…”
A bubble of warmth expands in my chest. It’s silly, really, being glad Jess doesn’t think her ex is attractive. But the feeling’s there anyway. “It’s fine. You’re not being superficial. You’re explaining the situation.”
Jess stares at the fireplace for a moment before turning her attention back to me. Her smile sobers. “It’s not my favorite story. What happened with Brian. And honestly, I hung on to it for a lot longer than I should have. But once you hear, I think you’ll understand why I’m certain it’s not him.”
And then, over the next five minutes, she tells me everything.
About how she met Brian at the lab she used to work at in Albany, and how he was the first man to pay attention to her since before her accident. How she was so insecure about her scars, she’d purposefully avoided men so she wouldn't have to see the inevitable disgust in their eyes. But Brian told her she was pretty. He’d text her every night. And she finally started to believe maybe she wasn’t as ugly as she thought.
The first red flag shoots up when she tells me how they never went out on a date, because, according to Brian,staying home was a better way to get to know each other.
When I hear about the horrible things he said on her twenty-fifth birthday, my instinct is to track him down and punch him in the face. Hard. Make him hurt just like he did tomy sweet, sensitive, beautiful Jess. My Jess who’s the farthest thing from ugly, and who I’m proud to have by my side.
I guess my expression must give away my feelings, because as Jess winds up her story, she gives my hand a comforting squeeze. “It’s okay, Kane. I’ve moved past it. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he was just as insecure as me.”
“That doesn’t make it okay,” I growl. “What he said to you… It’s bullshit. You know that, right? You’re beautiful. And any man would be honored to have you meet their friends. I know I am.”
Her cheeks go pink. After a brief pause, she says softly, “I didn’t think that before. But with you… You make me feel like it’s true.”
“Itistrue.” I lift Jess onto my lap, turning her so she’s facing me. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“Kane. I know what your friends’ wives look like. They’re gorgeous. I’m just?—”
“Stunning.” Stroking my thumb across her jaw, I hold her gaze. “Inside and out. Honestly, I wouldn’t care what you looked like, because you’re so damn beautiful inside. But. You are beautiful. From your lips”—I press a soft kiss to them—“to your mesmerizing eyes to your adorable dimples. Every inch of you is perfect to me.”
“Kane.”
“I mean it. That asshole Brian had no idea what he was talking about. And while I’m so damn sorry he hurt you, selfishly, I’m glad he didn’t see how amazing you are. Because now you’re mine. And I promise, Jess, I will never, ever hurt you like he did.”
With a soft smile, she says, “I know you won’t. And I’ll never hurt you, either.”
“Jess.” Framing her face, I lean in to capture her mouth with mine.
As the kiss continues with soft nibbles and strokes of our tongues, Jess makes that sexy sound in the back of her throat that always drives me wild. She shifts on my lap, notching my growing arousal between her thighs. Need throbs, deep and insistent, my body aching to be inside her. To bring her so much pleasure that all this shit is a distant memory.
But that’s not what Jess needs. Not now. She needs reassurance and a hearty breakfast and for me to check her hand to make sure it’s not getting infected. She needs time to see her friends, who’ve been chomping at the bit to come over to make sure she’s okay.
Breaking the kiss, I brush my finger across her lips. “Do you know how amazing you are?”
“Not as amazing as you.”
I’ve received plenty of compliments before, but from Jess it means a hundred times as much. “You make me want to be better,” I tell her. “I never want to disappoint you.”
