“Damn right.” It was Jesse’s friend Craig, who, it seemed, had assessed the situation from where he was and decided to join them. “Let’s go. My last order is up and I’m not missing out.” Just like Jesse’s, Craig’s words, though seemingly meant for her and Val, were weighted and sent Lip Licker and Wingman’s way. Kerry looked at Craig and didn’t know which idea was scarier: him going at it with this guy or him being mad over his wing-a-thon being interrupted.
She started to get up, nudging Val along with her.
At the table Ziggy scooted over to make room, but Jesse quickly pulled her down and over to his side of the booth. Val took a seat next to Ziggy, and after some shifts, Craig perched on the edge next to her. “Cozy” would be a nice way to describe their seating arrangement; “tight” a more honest one.
* * *
This was not the way she’d expected her night to turn out. Not that she had expected some grand evening, but after the past few days with Jesse, being in such close proximity to him at night was a bit much. As were the looks she kept getting from the hostess from the moment she sat at their table. The man really got around.
Not that it had been entirely uncomfortable, Kerry contemplated as she lathered up her body and recalled the surprising moments of comfort she had enjoyed while squeezed next to Jesse in the booth at Bird’s. It was unnerving how right it had felt sitting close to him. Even with the boisterous friends, the wings and the envious stares, sitting next to Jesse always felt right.
Well, almost right. If it were truly right and things were as her overactive imagination dreamed they would be, she wouldn’t be home showering alone just like all the others who’d come up to bat, batting their lashes and shaking their asses his way that night.
Kerry sighed. At least she’d gotten slightly better treatment than the total strikeouts. Though not by much. Val had miraculously disappeared only five minutes after Craig made his exit once the final wing was gone, and the group was left staring at a sad pile of bones. The three of them, her, Jesse and Ziggy, were left staring at their phones and the “had to dip” messages from Craig and Val, and Jesse ushered Kerry out to a cab to ferry her home.
She probably should be pissed at Val, leaving her like that, but she couldn’t blame her. Her friend had come out with an agenda to ease her three-month-long sexual drought, and good for her, ticking boxes off her sexual to-do list. And besides, Val didn’t just flat dump her. She’d texted her and cash-apped her share of the bill, so there was that. But Craig? Kerry pulled a face. The way he’d gone in on those wings had her skeptical about his technique. It could be either very good for Val or an altogether disaster.
Kerry tilted her head back and put her face under the shower spray, careful not to let any water get under her shower cap and hit her braids. It was way too late and she was way too tired to get into the laborious drying process her twists would entail. Still, the water felt good, even if it did nothing to cool her off now that she’d gone and thought of Val getting over her drought and the fact that her own seemed positively Sahara-esque.
How good it would be to have more than her pillow or her own hands between her legs tonight. Jesse with how he looked in his T-shirt that fit him just so and those jeans that scooped his ass and hugged his thighs. Not to mention how he’d smelled when he’d first pulled her in at the bar, that heavy mixture of rugged musk and sweet sleep that he always had lingering on him. She couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to have a whole night with that scent surrounding her while she wrapped her legs around that perfect ass of his. Looked into his eyes, finally got a taste of those full lips.
Shit, maybe she was more than a little buzzed, she realized when she stopped lathering and noticed where her hands had gone.
Damned Jesse. A ruiner of her days and now her nights. Freaking bastard. Knowing him, he’d probably put her in the cab and gone back to pick up the hostess who was giving out all the yes signals. Either her or some other woman. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have his pick or was that discerning. That was, until it came to her. Clearly she was not his type at all.
Kerry tightened her lips and clamped a guilty hand over her mouth. It wasn’t right. Mama Joy was dead, and though most of Kerry’s assessment of Jesse was spot on, she shouldn’t be judging him so harshly, at least not under the circumstances. She had no claim on him. Nor he on her, despite his acting tonight to the contrary.
Starting to prune and also getting tired of the circular thoughts going on in her head, Kerry began to rinse off. As she was just about to turn off the water, she heard first a small clink, followed by a much louder clang and then an outright bang.
She looked up at the showerhead and ducked just in time as water came spewing out of the pipe joint full force. Hopping out of the shower, she reached back in to turn it off, but still the water spewed. What the hell? At this rate the shower would start to overflow soon and she’d have a flood. She grabbed a towel and slid the shower door closed right when there was a loud crack and even more water spewed, this time from both the showerhead and the wall, brown and murky. No freaking way!
She looked up at her ceiling and the gushing water. “Is this what I get for thinking impure thoughts about your baby boy, Mama Joy?”
There was another loud bang and, at the same time, the lights suddenly went out.
“Oh shit!” she yelped. Maybe it was what she got.
No, she definitely was buzzed and needed to get it together, she thought, still dripping wet and towel in hand. Enough was quite enough.
An explosion? A water main break? Should she call 911, 311 or just Con Ed? She didn’t know what to do cold, wet and alone in the dark.
Clothes. First she had to get on some clothes.
Feeling around and grabbing her cell, she flipped on the flashlight app and found some leggings and a tee to put on in her basket of not-yet-folded laundry. Turning to look for her sneakers, she jumped at the sound of a loud banging at her door. At the same time, her lights came back on and she heard the water stop. Oh, good, a triple save! Or a double. Who knew who was at the door.
Kerry looked out her peephole and was surprised to see Lucas looking back at her. She opened the door in confusion. What was he doing there looking all official in his fireman waders, suspenders and all?
“Come on, Kerry, you’ve got to go,” he said without any fanfare.
“What do you mean I’ve got to go?”
He looked at her seriously. “There was some sort of explosion. We don’t know if it was underground or from the building next door, but we’re evacuating just to be safe while it gets checked out. I’m sorry. You’ve got five minutes.” He looked up the stairs. “I’m hitting the other apartments and will swing back this way.”
“Mrs. Robins?” Kerry said, thinking of the older woman who lived next door.
“We’ve informed her. Don’t worry, we won’t miss anyone. Now move. Throw something in an overnight bag. You can’t stay here.”
And just like that he was gone. Can’t stay here. Well then, where was she supposed to stay?
Phone first. She thought of calling Val, but dammit, how could she interrupt her friend at peak watering time? What sort of homegirl would that make her?
She didn’t know what to do, so instead, she would figure it out on the street. Lucas had said five minutes, and now she could hear her frantic neighbors making their way out into the hall. Hell, maybe this was really serious.
Kerry found her duffel and threw some clothes in the bag, along with her laptop, cell, chargers and toiletries. Surely she didn’t need all that much by way of clothes. She’d be back in time to get ready for work at the center and the shop. Kerry frowned before throwing in another top and a sundress and two extra pairs of underwear. This really sucked. Here she was all packed up and not a place to go.
By the time she hit the street she saw that old Mrs. Robins was already there. The olde
r woman looked none too worse for the wear. Her pin curls were perfectly covered with a flowered bonnet and she was wearing a trench coat over her good housedress. She didn’t have a duffel or anything so crass but instead a cute little red-and-gold pullie carry-on that made Kerry wonder if she always had this to-go bag packed and also made her think on her life and how woefully unprepared she was for just about everything.
“Are you okay, Kerry dear?” Mrs. Robins said. “Did you call your mother?” Oh God no, a middle-of-the-night freak-out from her mother was not the cherry she needed on this sundae. “Do you have somewhere to go? You are welcome to come out to Queens with me if you’d like; my daughter will be here to pick me up shortly. They are saying something about housing over at the shelter, but I don’t know. I’d rather not think of you in one of those beds alone this time of night.”
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Robins. She’ll be fine,” came a deep voice from over Kerry’s shoulder.
Kerry turned and met Jesse’s gaze. “What are you doing here? How did you even know?”
He made a face. “It was a full-on explosion, Kerry Girl. You could hear it all the way to the shop.” He said this as if she was the dingiest of bats out there.
Mrs. Robins chuckled.
“Well, still, that’s far off.”
“It’s not that far,” he answered. “And besides, Lucas called me. Said something about you needing to be rescued.” He grinned wide. “Twice in one night? Don’t let me find out you’re going to make a habit of this.”
Kerry balked. “Listen, I didn’t need your rescuing then, and I surely don’t need it now.”
He looked at her and blinked but nodded in the affirmative. “Okay, so you’ve got somewhere to go? Is somebody picking you up?”
It was on the tip of her lips to say “Val,” but shit, he had probably gotten some form of the same sexy-times text from Craig that she had gotten from Val.
“I hear they are setting people up in the shelter. A night should be fine.”
“Kerry?” This came from Mrs. Robins, and it was posed as a question but had all the feeling of a warning.
Shit. She knew when she was good and stuck. Kerry smiled at the older woman. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Robins. I’m not staying at the shelter. I’m fine.”
Mrs. Robins gave her a long look, then looked over at Jesse. She finally cracked a slight smile and walked away with her little to-go bag when Jesse gave her his own nod, as if he was somehow taking over and handling the situation. What the total hell was that?
He let out a breath. “You know, Kerry Girl, sometimes your stubbornness can go just a little too far. Why you scaring the old lady like that?”
“And why are you being such a Neanderthal dick?” she grumbled under her breath, afraid to talk too loud, not for Jesse’s sake but in case Mrs. Robins might overhear.
Still, Jesse leaned forward and took the duffel from her hand. Kerry wanted to pull it back but felt lighter as soon as he took the weight from her.
“Come on, then,” he said, then paused and reached out his hand, going for Kerry’s head. This time she ducked, but Jesse was fast as he pulled the wet shower cap from her head. The sprinkling droplets splashing her face, surprising her. Crap, she’d forgotten she had it on.
“Did you even dry off?” he asked, looking down at her body. Suddenly the coolness of the night air and being under his perusal put her braless nipples on full alert.
He shook his head, then sighed. “Of course you didn’t. Let me get you back to the house before I have to hurt somebody out here.”
“What are you talking about?” Kerry said.
Jesses raised a brow, then leaned in close to her ear. “You looking all hot and sexy already almost got me into one fight tonight. I don’t need to push my luck.”
9
What was he doing bringing Kerry back here? Worse, why did he admit that she looked sexy?
And that was the moment Jesse knew that he had fucked up.
He and Kerry were standing in the residence living room, awkwardly shifting like two kids suddenly thrust together on the gym floor in the middle of a school dance. What else could it be besides awkward? It was two thirty a.m. on a hot-as-hell August night, and he was alone with the woman who, though he wouldn’t admit it, yes, shit yes, he had been secretly fantasizing about for the past ten years, and now here she was standing in front of him freshly showered and braless with no place else to go. This was a lot. A whole fucking lot.
Okay, Jes, get a grip, he told himself. At this point he may actually be reverting back to middle school. So what if she was standing here braless? It wasn’t like he’d never seen a breast before. He’s seen plenty of breasts in his day. Big, small, that just right middle size that fit perfectly when you . . . Jesse paused and mentally kicked himself in the head. A mental dropkick, because nothing less would do.
This was Kerry. Kerry was not a woman who he needed to associate with breasts. Jesse stilled over the stupidity of his statement and looked at her. Her this time—not her body, but her. She looked adorable standing there tired and damp, but still like Kerry, trying to act like she was fine. He saw the strain and wear the night had put on her when she looked at him now, though, with clear tiredness in her big brown eyes. And then he spotted something else as her eyes shifted and she rubbed at her arms.
“Uh, listen,” he said, “if you’re uncomfortable here, I can take you somewhere else. You want to call Val? Or you can go to a hotel. I can try and get you a room?”
She gave him a skeptical look that edged on insulting.
“In a nice place,” he added. “Damn. You over here looking at me like I’m suggesting something that goes by the hour.”
She smiled. It was small, but it was still a smile. “I wasn’t looking at you like anything,” she said. “And why should I be uncomfortable here? This place is like a second home, and you guys are like family. Thanks for bringing me.”
She looked around again. “Listen, it’s late and I don’t want to hold you up. If you just direct me to a blanket, I’ll be fine on the couch. You can go to bed or back to doing what you were doing.”
The family comment didn’t sit quite right, and confusion swirled around Jesse’s mind until her meaning clicked. The looking around, her being uncomfortable. He took a step toward her. “And just what do you think I’d have to go back to doing?” he asked.
Kerry raised her chin and looked at him defiantly. “I don’t know. It’s the middle of the night, so that’s your business. I just don’t want to be a third wheel and end up messing up your plans.”
Jesse growled. “You know, you really can be presumptuous to the point of just past cute, and I think you’ve reached that point.”
She crossed her arms and frowned. Jesse told himself to keep his eyes up where they belonged. He was mad at her anyway.
Kerry shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean Erika or anyone could be over. And just how am I being presumptuous? I’m only going by past experiences.”
“One freaking woman on one freaking morning.”
She shrugged again. “One that I know about.”
Jesse stared at her, insulted but also confused by the whole argument. He waved his hand with a flourish. “Well, Mom, would you care to inspect the place? Do a bed check?”
Kerry’s glare was cutting. “We both know I’m not your mother,” she said, but then her eyes went immediately wide as soon as the words were out of her mouth.
Jesse took another step forward so that they were only inches apart. “Well then, stop acting like it. I’ve had two in my life already and they are both dead. Trust and believe I’m not taking on anyone else to fill that role.”
Kerry closed those wide eyes but still Jesse could see the hurt on her face mixed with anger and some despair, but when she looked back at him he was surprised to see a resignation that pierced him more than her anger ever c
ould. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been all up in your business, Jes. It’s late and you’re being nothing but nice to me.”
He sighed. “Erika being here was just a thing that happened.” Perfect, he was not only thinking like a middle schooler but sounding like one too. No wonder she was treating him like a kid.
Kerry nodded, then yawned. “Well, I guess things do happen. Just like I happened to get kicked out of my place tonight. Thank you. I’m sorry I’m being such a pain in the ass when what I should be is grateful.”
“Don’t mention it. And it is late. Come on and let’s get Ms. Grateful a place to sleep tonight. The couch won’t do, because we both have plenty of work ahead in the morning.”
Jesse led her out of the living room and down the hall. For a moment, he paused in front of Mama Joy’s room, then a second later thought better of it.
Not there. He couldn’t have her sleep there. The thought of putting Kerry in that room, or anyone for that matter, wasn’t something he could emotionally deal with. Sure, he and his brothers would have to face it, and probably one day soon, but not now he wouldn’t. Not tonight.
He turned right and headed toward his brothers’ rooms. On this floor were his and Damian’s rooms, along with Mama Joy’s, and one flight up was the space shared by Lucas and Noah. Honestly, with the way his ridiculous mind was going, it was probably best to put her up in Lucas and Noah’s space. But that was just that. Stupid. He was a grown man and could keep his thoughts and his hands separate, plus Lucas was home way too often to put her up in his room. So Damian’s it was. Though he was a stickler on top of having a stick up his ass, his room was the obvious ready choice. It was by far the neatest, and he didn’t often sleep there. Right now, it was just an oversized uptown closet for his particular ass. If he didn’t like it, too bad. Besides, Jesse reasoned, he probably wouldn’t even know about it since by the time he might notice, Kerry would surely be back in her own apartment.
Real Men Knit Page 11
