by Janet Dailey
"If you have in mind that sleeping car…" she began with rising indignation.
"Actually what I had in mind is a tour of some of Chattanooga's attractions. A day spent sight-seeing. Is that innocent enough for you?" A wicked light glinted in his eyes.
"I suppose so…" Again it was an invitation that left her without grounds to refuse. Part of her didn't want to refuse, either.
"Good. I'll pick you up at your apartment at ten Saturday morning." It was all settled.
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Chapter Six
SATURDAY MORNING was flooded with sunshine, There wasn't a cloud in the crystal-blue sky as it formed a contrasting backdrop to the spring green of the land. The white flowers of the dogwood blossomed in the hills. The air was filled with mating calls from the trilling song of birds to the chattering cries of squirrels.
Jessica stood on the narrow balcony of her apartment to watch and listen. A loose-fitting silk blouse of olive green, its color a shade darker than her eyes, was belted at the waist over a pair of white Levis. A long, chunky chain of gold hung around her neck.
It was a warm, coatless day, certainly not the kind of day one wanted to spend indoors. But of course she wasn't. Jessica glanced at the gold watch on her wrist; one minute before ten. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
Her heart gave a sudden leap of excitement and she paused until it had resumed its normal rate. It was essential to keep both feet on the ground today. It would never do to be carried away by spring fever, a malady she was susceptible to.
The doorbell rang a second time as she turned the knob and opened the door wide. Her heart became lodged in her throat at the sight of Brodie, despite her effort to keep it firmly in its place. He seemed so potently male standing there.
A white shirt stretched across his wide shoulders to taper to his waist, the long sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, the top three buttons unfastened. A pair of brushed denims hugged his hips and emphasized the long length of his legs. But it was the impression of so much tanned, hard flesh that was causing the most havoc with her senses.
"Hello." His greeting had a velvet quality to it. "This is for you—a rose for a Thorne, if you'll forgive an overworked sentiment."
Until Brodie offered it to her, Jessica hadn't noticed the single red rose in his hand. Her fingers curled around the stem to take it from him, the carnelian red petals in full bloom.
"It's beautiful," she murmured inadequately. "Thank you."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes. Just give me a moment to put this in a vase."
She hurried into the kitchen, took a bud vase from the cupboard, and partially filled it with water. Standing the rose stem in the vase, she carried it into the living room and set it next to the mantel clock where the polished grains of the wood would show off the rich red of the flower.
Brodie watched it all from inside the doorway, commenting when Jessica joined him, "If I'd known you were going to go to all that trouble, I would have brought you a bouquet."
"It was no trouble."
In the hallway, Brodie waited while she locked the door. "Have you had breakfast?"
"Toast and coffee." Generally she ate a hearty breakfast, but she didn't want to dwell on why she hadn't been hungry this morning.
"Good. I didn't have time to eat, either. Instead of lunch, let's have a late breakfast," he suggested.
"Very well," she agreed.
Considering her lack of appetite earlier, Jessica was surprised to discover she was almost ravenous when the waitress set a plate of bacon, eggs, grits and biscuits in front of her. Brodie's meal was similarly huge. Neither had difficulty cleaning the plates.
"Have you had enough or would you like something more?" he asked.
"More than enough," she declared with a decisive nod. "I'm going to need to exercise to work it off."
"That can be arranged." There was a smile in his voice as he lifted the coffee cup to his mouth. Draining all but the dregs, he set the cup down. "Shall we go?"
At her nod of agreement, he paid for the breakfast and they left. Outside in the car, he started the engine but didn't put it in gear, turning an inquiring look at her.
"Where would you like to start our tour?"
Jessica had no preference. "You're the driver—you choose."
A lazy look of wickedness stole over his face. "Aren't you concerned that I'll choose the sleeping car at the Train Station in order to provide you with that exercise you said you needed?"
This time his suggestive comment did not completely shatter her poise. "That isn't the kind of exercise I had in mind," she answered with a commendable show of calm.
"What did you have in mind? Something more tame and less stimulating, like walking?" Brodie mocked.
He directed his gaze at her lips to watch them form the words of her answer. The action tested the strength of her composure. It held.
"Yes, like walking."
"In that case, we'll start our tour at the top by beginning at Lookout Mountain." Brodie shifted the car into gear and finally looked away from her.
The mountain towered at the edge of the city like a sentinel. Access to the top was by a road that twisted and curved its way up the slope. As they neared the entrance to Rock City, one of the more popular tourist attractions on top of Lookout Mountain, Brodie glanced at Jessica.
"I never thought about it, but it probably would have been quicker to take the Incline," he said.
"I prefer driving to the top. That railway is too steep for me." The one and only time Jessica had ridden it, it had seemed to go straight up the mountain, so steep was the incline.
"Do heights bother you?" Brodie eyed her curiously.
"Yes." She didn't lie about the phobia she had for high places.
Although he didn't comment, she had the sensation that Brodie stored the information away. He parked the car in the lot opposite Rock City Gardens and they walked across the street to the entrance, a building that didn't attempt to compete with the natural splendor that lay beyond it.
A trail wound its way through ageless rock formations, majestic and massive. Trees grew where it seemed impossible that they could root. There was a springtime explosion of flowers that filled the air with their delicate scents. The myriad sights, sounds and smells demanded a leisurely pace.
Jessica lingered at the balancing rock to study its seeming defiance of gravity. "It's been so long since I was here that I'd forgotten how unique this place is." She glanced at Brodie, remembering his previous comments about the deprivation of his childhood. "Have you ever been here before?"
"My father brought me here a couple of times when I was small. The last time I was here, though, I was thrown out." His mouth quirked at the memory.
"Why? What did you do?"
"I didn't have enough money to get in, so I snuck in without paying, Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on your point of view, I was caught."
As they continued along the trail past the balancing rock, his hand seemed to automatically seek hers. The grip of his hand was strong and firm. Jessica doubted that She could have pulled her hand free of it—not that she wanted to. She discovered that she liked this sensation of being linked to him. She was content to enjoy the feeling rather than question the wisdom of it.
Without referring to her fear of heights, Brodie guided her away from the swinging bridge that spanned a chasm in the park and chose the more solid alternative of the stone bridge instead.
At Lovers' Leap, Jessica gravitated unconsciously toward the Eagles' Nest, a man-made aperture that jutted out from the rock face of the mountain. The view was spectacular from the observation point. The air was crystal clear except for a thin band of haze on the distant Great Smokey Mountains. The vivid green of the land contrasted with the sharp blue of the sky, a combination of colors only nature could make.
At the foot of the mountain was Chattanooga. Close to that was the Civil War battlefield of Chickamauga where the South had won i
ts last major victory. But it was the far beyond, the distant horizons, that stunned the imagination. Here was a view of seven states. Directly south was the rolling landscape of Georgia and Alabama. Working north came South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and finally Tennessee and Kentucky.
So wrapped up was she in the sprawling vistas, Jessica wasn't aware of how close she was to the edge until she accidentally looked down. A cold chill ran through her bones, freezing her heartbeat for a terrifying second.
An arm circled her shoulders and turned her away from the edge. Her heart started beating again and she darted a grateful look at Brodie. His smile was gentle but fleeting. Once they were away from the edge and back on the trail through the park, he took his arm from her shoulders, but made no attempt to hold her hand.
That was quite a view, wasn't it?" he offered in idle conversation.
"In every direction except down." Her attempt at laughter wavered from her throat.
"I wondered how long it would take before you realized where you were standing." There wasn't a trace of sympathy in his voice, only faint amusement.
Jessica felt suddenly defensive. "Everyone has a weakness. What's yours?"
Brodie stopped and looked her over, his direct gaze lingering on her honey-colored hair before meeting her eyes. "Women with blond hair and green eyes."
Over his shoulder there was the sparkling silver ribbon of a waterfall, but Jessica didn't notice it nor the fellow sightseers scattered along the trail. She was aware of nothing but the man in front of her and the sudden tightness that had gripped her throat.
"Is that right?" She tried to make it a breezy retort, but it came out breathless.
"Yes." Relentlessly he held her gaze. "I read somewhere that a gentleman shouldn't kiss a lady until the third date. Counting lunch, this is the third time we've been out together, Green Eyes. I don't remember if it said when a gentleman is entitled to claim his kiss, but…" His hand molded itself to the curve of her neck, his long fingers sliding into the silky length of her hair at the back of her neck. His other hand cupped the side of her face, lifting her chin with his thumb. "I'm not going to wait any longer."
His mouth made a slow, unhurried descent to her lips. There was ample time to protest, but Jessica didn't utter a sound. The curiosity to discover his kiss was overpowering. As the distance lessened, her eyes slowly closed.
Then his mouth was warmly covering hers, its touch firm and experienced. At its persuasive movement on her lips, the tension of anticipation eased and Jessica responded to the kiss. Her hands spread over his rib cage for support, feeling his hard flesh through the thin material of his shirt. The arching of her spine enabled the rest of her body to lean closer to his male length. Resistance melted as a slow burning fire spread through her veins.
The pressure of the kiss was ended, but he didn't move his mouth from her lips. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time," he murmured against their softness.
Jessica found herself wishing that he hadn't waited so long. In the next second, that thought was banished under the driving possession of his mouth. The pressure at the back of her neck lifted her on tiptoes. She felt drawn to the edge of a precipice, the ground quaking beneath her feet, creating shudders within her.
"Don't look down. Just hold onto me," Brodie muttered thickly as if he knew exactly what she was feeling.
In blind obedience, her hands curved around to his muscled back, fingers curling into the material of his shirt stretched taut by the flexing muscles. The biting hold of his hands on her head and neck caused pain, but Jessica didn't object to it. An inner voice told her that if Brodie ever let her go, she would never recover from the fall.
Gradually she became aware that he was letting her down slowly. The ground beneath her feet became solid. She was no longer balanced on the edge of her toes, but was standing squarely. In another few seconds the warmth of his mouth was no longer on hers. Before his hands left her face, they smoothed her hair. Reluctantly she opened her eyes, hoping she didn't look as dazed as she felt.
Brodie was glancing around them, his attention only returning to her face when he sensed her eyes were on him. A smoldering light was visible through the banked blue fire of his gaze.
"We have an audience." His comment implied that he would not have stopped otherwise.
Jessica felt no embarrassment at the announcement. "Perhaps it's as well we do," she murmured.
Brodie didn't respond to that. By mutual consent, they continued along the trail through the rock garden to its end. From there, their tour included Ruby Falls, the Chickamauga battlefield, and very late in the afternoon, a stop for sandwiches.
Not once did either of them allude to the kiss by the waterfall. Yet Jessica was aware that what had begun as a reluctant attraction to a charismatic man had become something physical. The slightest touch of him vividly recalled the more intimate contact. There was a part of her that didn't regret the change.
When Brodie stopped the car in front of the apartment building, she had the feeling that the afternoon had ended too soon. As he took the key from the ignition, his comment seemed to echo her thought.
"I wish I'd had that second cup of coffee the waitress offered back at the restaurant." He stepped out of the car and walked around to her side.
"If you like, I can make some coffee," Jessica offered.
There was a mocking twinkle in his eye that gave him a roguish look as he closed the door after she had climbed out. "I thought you'd never ask!"
Inside her apartment, she motioned toward the living room. "Make yourself comfortable while I fix the coffee."
She continued on to the kitchen, fighting a sudden attack of nerves. After she had rinsed out the glass pot, she turned to find Brodie had followed her into the kitchen.
"I never have figured out how I'm supposed to make myself comfortable sitting alone in a strange room," he explained his presence in the kitchen.
"I've felt the same way myself," Jessica laughed. "I always end up sitting on the edge of the chair waiting for the other person to come back. It's awkward."
However many times she had felt that way, she had never once admitted it to the host or hostess. Yet Broke had, with casual frankness.
Measuring the fresh coffee grounds into the filter, she slipped it into its place in the coffee maker. Brodie watched, his arms crossed in front of him, a hip leaned against the kitchen counter. Jessica filled a plastic container with the proper amount of water and poured it into the coffee maker. She flipped the Brew switch to the on position.
"It won't be long," she promised him.
Brodie was standing in front of the cupboard where the plastic water container belonged. As she approached, Jessica had the sensation that all of him was watching her—not just his eyes, but his other senses were observing her, as well. She found herself wishing that she had had time to freshen her lipstick, brush her hair to a silken texture, dab on some perfume behind her ears.
As she reached past him to put the container in the cupboard Brodie straightened to avoid the door. "It doesn't matter about the coffee."
Jessica stared at him. "Why didn't you say so before I made it?"
"We both know it was just an excuse. An excuse so you could invite me in and an excuse for me to accept." Brodie sliced through any attempt at pretense. "You'll pour me a cup and I'll drink it." He reached out to span her waist with his hands and pull her closer to him. "But this is why we're here."
She flattened her hands against his chest in a weak attempt at protest even as she lifted her head to accept his kiss. It was hard and demanding, parting her lips to deepen the passion that sprang between them like a living flame. Her hands slid around his neck, her fingers seeking the sensual thickness of his black hair.
His own were molding her back and hips, crushing her softer flesh to the unyielding contours of his body. The heady scent of his masculine cologne, the intimate taste of his mouth, the thudding of his heart against hers—they all combined to dom
inate her senses. Jessica realized that she was losing control, not just of her flesh, but of her will, too.
It was much too soon. She couldn't surrender to someone she barely knew. She twisted away from the possession of his kiss only to quiver with desire as Brodie nibbled at the sensitive cord of her neck. Her muscles tensed an instant before she pushed herself out of his embrace, but he didn't pursue when she took a shaky step away.
Jessica avoided his gaze. "I just remembered I have some cake in the refrigerator." She realized that she was probably babbling like an idiot, but she couldn't endure the sudden silence. She started toward the refrigerator. "It's bought cake, but it's really very good. Would you like a piece with your coffee?"
When she would have opened the door to get the cake, Brodie's hand was there to close it and turn her around. Jessica took a step backward, bumping into the refrigerator, the smooth finish cool against her shoulders. Brodie leaned a hand on the refrigerator near her head.
"No, I would not like any cake." He slowly enunciated each word.
Without touching any other part of her, he bent his head to kiss her. He displayed a hunger for her lips, tasting them, eating them, and rearousing her appetite for his. Their mouths strained for each other, but their bodies made no other contact.
Finally Brodie disentangled his mouth from hers and straightened while Jessica leaned weakly against the refrigerator, her pulse thudding in her ears. He reached out to trace her features with his fingers, his thumb outlining the curve of her mouth. His other hand drew a line from the point of her chin to the hollow of her throat. Then both slid to her shoulders, erotically kneading her flesh, and Jessica shuddered at the wave of intense longing that rushed through her.
"Don't tremble," Brodie ordered softly. The sound of his voice proved almost as provocative as the upheaval his hands were causing. "I'm not going to make love to you, Jessica. I don't have time to do it properly."
"You don't?" Was she relieved or disappointed? She was so incapable of coherent thought that she didn't know.
"No, I don't have time. I have to leave." His fingers suddenly dug into her flesh to pull her away from the refrigerator. He kissed her hard and swiftly, then let her go. "The coffee is done. Pour me a cup."
