Jasmine smiled. She loved that Nan always stood up for her. She hoped she was kidding about the murder, but like with Leah, she couldn’t be sure. Those women didn’t really make idle threats.
“So, did you put all of his clothes on the lawn and have a yard sale?”
“Did I do what?”
“I saw it on Revenge Spouse.”
Jasmine had to smile. Nan loved what she called her real-life soap operas. “I do my best not to live my life like a reality TV show.”
“Party pooper,” Nan sighed, clearly frustrated with Jasmine’s approach. “Well, what are you doing?”
“I broke up with him and moved out.”
“You moved out?!”
“Yes, it was his house.”
“But you paid for all the renovations! And you did all the work because Corbin was too scared to break a nail. That place was a dump when you two got it. He needs to pay you back, and I’m talking about the sweat equity, too.”
“I liked doing all the renovations. I gained new skills.” It still amazed Jasmine how much you could learn from YouTube. And the last thing she wanted was to argue over what he owed her. Especially considering her condition.
There was a moment of silence and Jasmine wasn’t sure if the line had been disconnected. Nan always had something to say. Silence and Nan were not synonymous.
Jasmine checked the console to see if the call had been dropped when she heard Nan say, “Well, at least he’s gone. And good riddance. You can do so much better than that boy.”
“I thought you liked Corbin.”
“That’s because I held my tongue.”
“You held your tongue?” That would’ve been a first.
“I know! And let me tell you, pumpkin, it wasn’t easy. You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell you to dump that boy. He was never good enough for you, but he thought he was God’s gift. But for reasons I’ll never understand, you seemed happy, and I didn’t want to put a fly in your soup.”
“Did you ever like him?”
“No. Not really. He loved his reflection a little too much, if you know what I mean. I thought he might grow up and grow out of it, since you two were so young. But if anything, he grew into it.”
Jasmine couldn’t believe everyone’s reactions to her and Corbin splitting up. Oscar, Wendy, and now Nan. Everyone was either being really supportive or they actually hadn’t liked him. At all.
“So, you said you moved?”
“Yes.”
“To where?”
“I got a rental right on the river. It’s furnished. I’m actually headed over to it now.”
“Do you need me to come help you get settled? I can be on the next flight out.”
“No. No, I’m fine. Really.” As much as Jasmine would’ve loved to see Nan, she had a lot to sort out, and she needed to do it alone.
Like how she was going to break the news that she was going to be a single mom, for instance. “I’m pulling up to the new place now, I’ll call you later.”
“You call me if you need anything. Promise!”
“Promise. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Jasmine disconnected the call and looked in the rearview mirror at the bins in her car. All of her belongings could fit into two suitcases and six plastic containers. It had taken her a total of two hours to pack up her entire life. When she left the house that she and Corbin had moved into nearly four years ago, it hit her that in less time than it took to watch The Lord of the Rings, she’d managed to erase herself from her home.
There was not a single shred of evidence that she’d ever lived there, it was all crammed in her VW.
At least my stuff isn’t in garbage bags, she thought to herself.
Growing up in foster care, she’d spent years having everything she owned in a single garbage bag. That was how she’d transported her belongings from place to place. At least now she had suitcases and plastic bins and she wasn’t relying on strangers to take care of her.
The melancholy cloud that had enveloped her at the old house grew even more foreboding. Moving always unearthed dark emotions in her. Even when it was a happy move, like when she and Corbin’d got their first apartment together, or when they’d moved into the house, it still brought up all kinds of anxiety, stress, and sadness.
Logically she understood the reason for it. Before moving in with Nan at age twelve, she’d moved over fifty times. But emotionally, she still struggled to process her internal issues.
It’s a new adventure. She told herself the same thing she had all the times a case worker would show up and tell her it was time to go.
And this time she wasn’t alone.
Looking down at her still flat belly she said, “It’s just you and me kid.”
With a renewed sense of determination, she grabbed the garage door opener she’d gotten from Oscar and pressed the button. Nothing happened. She pressed it again. No movement.
“Crap.” Oscar had mentioned that it might need a new battery.
Oh, well. A little rain never hurt anyone.
She cut the engine. Heavy raindrops pelted the windshield when the wipers stopped. No sooner had she opened her door than the entire sleeve of her shirt was soaking wet. She rushed to the front door and pushed the key in. She’d signed the lease sight unseen because her options were limited. She’d seen photos of the cottage, but that was it.
As she stepped inside, she shook out her arms and flipped on the light. A tiny floor lamp illuminated the small front room. It held a love seat and coffee table. It wasn’t the largest of living spaces. In fact, it actually looked a lot smaller than the pictures she’d seen online.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers. It wasn’t fancy, but it was home. For the next year, at least.
She went to check out the rest of the space. First, she did a quick tour of the kitchen, which was newly-renovated, with new appliances and a white subway tile backsplash. The bedroom had a queen bed, nightstand and dresser. And the bathroom had a shower/bath combination, which she liked. It would come in handy with the new baby. The grand tour took her less than five minutes and then she was headed back out to grab her stuff.
Harper’s Crossing was a safe, family-friendly small town and most of its residents would probably just leave their belongings in their car overnight without giving it a second thought. But she wasn’t one of those people. Maybe it was her unstable upbringing, but there was no way she’d be able to sleep a wink with all of her worldly possessions anywhere but safe and secure inside the house with her.
She unlocked the car and was reaching into the back seat to grab one of the plastic bins when the soles of her feet slid out from beneath her. Her arms flew up as she flailed, desperate to grab onto something.
A shriek rang out as she closed her eyes and braced herself for the sharp pain that was sure to slice through her when she hit the pavement. But instead of cold concrete, she felt her back collide with a warm and solid form as strong arms wrapped around her.
It took a moment for her brain to process what had happened. She hadn’t gone splat on the ground like a bug on a windshield. Someone was holding her. The very next thought that ran through her mind was that she was being abducted. Her legs started kicking and she tried to elbow the man that was holding her.
That was when she heard a man’s deep voice say, “Hey, it’s me.”
Immediately, she stilled.
Her body instantly recognized the voice of her would-be kidnapper. But her head spun around for further verification, anyway. The man who’d saved her from landing on her backside was wearing a ball cap and a hooded sweatshirt, which made his identity even more hidden, but she would know those lips anywhere. They’d shown up in her dreams several times over the past few days.
“Leo?”
“Are you okay?” His voice was tenser than normal and it took her a second before she realized that she was plastered against him. She could feel every inch of his muscular frame pressed against he
r back and backside.
“Oh, sorry.” She started to scramble to her feet. He effortlessly stabilized her and when he did, she turned to face him. Her nose and eyes scrunched as she looked up at him while raindrops fell on her face. “What are you doing here?”
Before she even got the question out her feet slid again and without missing a beat, he wrapped his large hand around her hips and steadied her.
“I live here.”
Jasmine blinked up at him as water pelted her. “You live here?”
“Yeah, right across the street.”
“You do?” A delicious tremor ran through her from head to toe at the news that they would be neighbors; either that or the fact that she could feel the heat of his palms radiating through her wet denim.
He must’ve felt her tremble because he barked, “You go inside. I’ll get this.”
“No, it’s okay.” Jasmine had never been good at asking for or accepting help. She’d learned at a very early age that the only person she could count on was herself. Nan had showed her that she wasn’t truly alone, but by that time the lesson had stuck. “But thanks, anyway!”
She turned to grab the bin and pull it out. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard the word, “stubborn,” muttered behind her.
She tugged the box, but when she did, her feet slid out from beneath her for a third time. And once again, Leo caught her and steadied her. She felt like Bambi on the ice. She made a mental note to get new sneakers. The tread on these were completely shot.
“Go inside.” The authority in his tone combined with the heat from his body and the strength in his embrace momentarily stunned Jasmine. It was too much for her senses to take in. When she didn’t immediately respond, she found herself being lifted up in the air. Leo carried her to her door, opened it, then set her inside. “Stay here.”
His short, clipped commands should not have served as a turn on, but they did. She stood speechless on the tiled entryway, dripping wet and shivering, unsure of what she should do next. Part of her brain was telling her to turn around, march outside, and unload her car herself. But then she thought about what would’ve happened if Leo hadn’t been there to catch her when she fell.
It wasn’t just a bruised tailbone she would have had to worry about. Now that she was eligible to have a Baby On Board bumper sticker, it wasn’t just her own well-being she needed to consider.
She was standing in the entryway contemplating her next move when Leo came back inside.
He set both of her suitcases inside the doorway. “You should get out of those wet clothes.”
At the sound of his rough command, a shiver ran the length of her body, and it wasn’t because she’d caught a chill. Their eyes locked for a brief moment and she wondered if he felt the same electricity passing between them as she did. Before she came up with an answer, he turned and went back out to the driveway.
Feeling more than a little out of sorts, she grabbed both of her suitcases and rushed to the back room. The last thing she needed to do was be there when he came with his next trip. If she was, she feared he’d read her mind. And what he’d find was NSFW.
Chapter 10
Leo stacked the last bin against the wall of the tiny front room. He couldn’t shake the feeling that fate was playing a game of chess with his life. He’d never believed in outside forces having any control over his destiny, but he was beginning to question all of the coincidences that were piling up around him like old magazines in a hoarder’s house.
He just so happened to come back to Harper’s Crossing, and his first day at the clinic coincided with the day Jasmine found out she was pregnant and that her fiancé was cheating on her. The next day, he volunteered to take his grandmother to her senior dance class and who’s the teacher? Jasmine.
The next morning, he’d agreed to pick up a package for his grandma and there she was again, behind the counter. Then later that night, he answers the door to a pizza deliveryman and who does he see moving in across the street? Jasmine.
Maybe it was all happenstance, but for some inexplicable reason he’d felt drawn to the woman from the first time he’d seen her picture on the wall at the clinic. Meeting her face-to-face had only increased the sense of connection.
People often accused him of keeping everyone at arm’s length. The only serious relationship he’d ever been in had ended because she’d complained that he was “awful at intimacy” and “emotionally unavailable.” Both direct quotes.
Whatever was going on, he wasn’t upset about it. If the universe wanted to keep having his and Jasmine’s paths intersect, it would get no complaint from him.
He steadied the boxes and noticed that water was dripping off of them onto the laminate floor. He went into the kitchen and looked for paper towels, but found none. As he searched for something else to use, he noticed that the kitchen was totally empty.
Since he’d moved into the house across the street two days before, he’d stocked up on household items. He was on his way back to the bedroom when he passed the bathroom and heard the shower running. His body reacted to the knowledge that less than five feet away from him, Jasmine was naked. His jeans tightened uncomfortably, but he did his best not to allow his mind to wander down that X-rated path.
After clearing his throat, he knocked on the door. “I’m gonna run to my place, but I’ll be right back.”
He heard the water turn off and this time he didn’t have the mental control to intercept the visions of her standing there, totally nude, with water dripping down her body. His jaw tensed as he slowly inhaled through his nose, doing his best to chase away the dirty thoughts that were currently populating his brain.
“What?” she called out.
“I’m gonna run to my place but I’ll be right back.” His voice came out raspier than he’d expected it to.
“Oh…” She hesitated and his heart dropped thinking that she was going to tell him not to return. Finally, she gave him a weak, “Okay.”
It was clear that she didn’t understand why he was planning on returning, so he left before she came to her senses and told him not to. With the speed of Sonic the Hedgehog, he jogged back to his place and quickly threw some basics into reusable totes. He also grabbed the cardboard box containing dinner.
When he arrived back at her place, he was relieved to find that she was still in the back of the house. He’d hoped that would be the case. He set the pizza box down and, after removing his jacket and shoes, he made quick work of wiping the tops and sides of the plastic bins. He was unpacking paper towels, paper plates, and a few other items into the kitchen cabinets when Jasmine’s voice filled the space.
“Thank you so much. You didn’t have to do all this.”
When he turned he found her standing in the hallway. Her hair was split down the middle and in two braids, the style making her already large eyes appear even larger. She wore an oversized T-shirt, sweatpants, and slouchy socks.
“You look…” He shut his mouth when his brain caught up with his words. He was about to say adorable, which was totally out of line. Instead, he went with, “dry.”
He wondered if his eyes had communicated his true intentions. Just like they had at the pet shop had she been able to read his unspoken thought because a flush appeared on Jasmine’s sun kissed cheeks. She dipped her head shyly and tugged on her shirt. “Um, yeah.”
Since he didn’t trust himself not to say something inappropriate, he gave himself less chances to fuck up by saying only one single word as he lifted the square cardboard box. “Hungry?”
“When did you order pizza?” Her eyes lit up, brimming with excitement.
“About an hour ago. It was being delivered when I noticed you across the street.”
“Oh my gosh! I’m starving.” Jasmine inhaled deeply as Leo opened the pizza lid. “Things have been so crazy today, I forgot to eat.”
“You can’t do that. You have to eat.”
“I know.” She nodded as her hand covered her belly. “I�
��ll get better at remembering.”
She’d get better at remembering? Did that mean that she regularly forgot to eat?
Leo knew it was none of his business, but just like everything else where Jasmine was concerned, it felt like it was. He was already planning on getting her some protein bars and shakes that she could take on the go. And he’d make sure to stock some fruit at the clinic. She only worked there three days a week, but with her living so close he was glad he’d be able to check on her.
She licked her lips as she grabbed a large piece and closed her eyes, moaning as she took her first bite. “So good!”
“Does that happen often?”
Her large, honey-toned eyes popped open. “What?” she asked, moving the food to the side of her mouth. “A foodgasm?”
“A foodgasm?”
“Yes, orgasming from taking a bite of food,” she stated matter-of-factly.
His body tensed with awareness as he selected his own piece of pizza. Hearing the word orgasm, in any form or context, spoken from her pretty mouth caused Leo’s mind to go where it absolutely didn’t belong. It was totally inappropriate to be thinking the sort of things he was thinking, which involved him causing her to have an orgasm that had nothing to do with food.
The list of reasons why thinking that way was wrong was a mile long. She worked for him. She just got out of a long-term relationship. She was pregnant.
And that was just a partial list of the cons related to her situation. He had reasons anything happening between them would be a total disaster on his side as well. At the top of that list was that his time in Harper’s Crossing was limited. His plan was to be out of here in a year, tops. He’d never been able to sustain any sort of meaningful relationship. When things got serious, it was his cue to leave. And a pregnant, soon-to-be single mom was not the sort of person you got involved with if you had commitment issues.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He knew what the issue was, he just had zero idea how to handle it. As soon as he thought he’d gotten his thoughts, his attraction, his hormones under control, she’d smile or say something adorable, or just breathe and he was right back to square one. All it took was a word, a look, a touch from her and his hard-earned progress in keeping her at arm’s length crumbled.
Just One Touch - Leo & Jasmine (Crossroads Book 16) Page 9
