Jesse

by Reina Torres

  “What do you want to do, Jesse?”

  Her voice was lower and softer at the same time and it hit him lower as well.

  She smelled like sunshine again and he wanted to know if she smelled like that all over.

  Oh, how he ached for her.

  How he hoped she ached for him.

  He turned his head and brushed his lips against the shell of her ear. “Whatever you want, Etta. I just want to show you what you mean to me and what I hope we become.”

  She leaned into his embrace then, her cheek near his shoulder, her hair skimming the skin above his collar.

  He felt warm in ways that had nothing to do with the weather and it was only the barest whisper in the back of his head that reminded him that they were in public and Gold Valley was small enough that they were bound to be seen by someone with a wagging tongue if he gave in and kissed her.

  Pulling back slowly, he looked into her eyes and marveled that she would look at him with such wonder in her eyes.

  “What do you want to do now?”

  His question pulled her from her musing and she smiled at him while her fingers rubbed along the seam at the shoulder of his shirt.

  “We’ve done a bunch of the rides. Let’s see… we’ve done the Bumper Cars, the Whip,” she laughed and touched her hair, “I can’t believe my hair survived it.”

  “Your hair looks amazing.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “Alice made me feel like a pincushion. It didn’t help that we were laughing while she was doing my hair.”

  “I’m glad you two hit it off,” she probably heard the soft wistful tone in his voice.

  Nodding, she continued. “The hurricane, the Beyern Curve… and you were pretty amazing on the Mechanical Bull.” They shifted and she had both hands on his chest, sliding them slowly down to his middle. “There’s really only one other ride I wanted to do tonight.”

  He’d known without asking her that Etta Bradford was as sweet and inexperienced as she appeared, but the soft rasp in her voice and the way she touched him was making a mockery of all his good intentions. And he knew he should take her words for what they were, but much of his blood and good sense had rushed south of his belt buckle.

  He forced what few words he could manage past his lips. “Whatever you want.”

  Her smile had his heart pounding a furious rhythm and when she tucked her bottom lip under her teeth with a nip he forgot to breathe. “The Ferris Wheel.”

  “Okay.” He reached down and took one of her hands in his, because if she kept touching him, he was going to pull her into any patch of shadow for a long, searching kiss. “Let’s get us some tickets.”

  The line was mercifully short and by the time the ride operator got them up on the platform and had them sit down on the seat of the gondola, Jesse’s nerves had settled and smoothed over the hitch in his middle.

  Sitting beside him, Etta was alight with glee. Her hands grasped the bar across the front and she looked out at the fair as the wheel began its turn. When it got to the first stop, Jesse saw a few familiar faces in the crowd. Ed from the feed store and Mary Ellen from his graduating class. He didn’t think they saw him, but he didn’t try to catch their attention because his stomach had just turned over deep inside his middle.

  “You know,” he had to pace his words to avoid the odd tickle at the back of his throat, “I don’t think I’ve ever been on this ride.”

  “Oh?” She had her eyes on the vast array of people at the fair. “I thought everyone rode it. Especially guys trying to steal a few moments with their girls.”

  “Really?” His voice caught in his throat as the gondola rose up into the next position. “I don’t see how this would be fun for any guy.”

  Etta turned to look at him and her smile was almost enough to distract him from the fact that he was high enough off the ground to see the first row of cars in the parking lot.

  The breath he took wasn’t enough and he took another, but even that didn’t fill his lungs.

  “Jesse? Are you okay?”

  His hands tightened on the bar across the seat. “Fine. I’m fine.”

  The look she gave him said she didn’t quite believe him, but he didn’t want her to know that he’d just realized that a Ferris Wheel really wasn’t his thing.

  He turned his head to look at her but he didn’t let go of the bar. He was going to hold onto that until they were back on the ground. “I don’t remember that dress when we did your laundry.”

  She beamed at him and he was glad he said something. He could focus on her. That could be enough.

  “We got it when we went shopping today. Your mom said she was tired of seeing me in the same things over and over again, so Alice introduced me to her mother and she helped me find a few dresses to wear.”

  “You look great in it.”

  Her smile lit up her face.

  “I’m so used to all the clothes that my dad had bought for me. I think I looked twenty years older than I am.” He watched her hand as she lowered it to her knee. The bottom edge of her dress lifted, baring even more of her leg.

  He wanted to lift a hand off the bar and set it over hers, but before he could, the Ferris Wheel moved again and his hands locked around the bar.

  Her laugh was infectious and took the edge off his worries. “Are you afraid of the ride?”

  “I’m not afraid.” He had to make that clear. “I’m just not a fan of having my feet this far up off of the ground.”

  When she laughed again, he actually joined her.

  “I’ve seen you ride a horse faster than the wind and I’ve seen you climb up in the hayloft like a monkey, but you’re telling me that you don’t like riding in a Ferris Wheel?”

  He saw the innocent challenge in her eyes and he was happy to play that game. “I’ve fallen from a horse. That’s not too bad and I know better than to fall from the hayloft. I’ve been up and down that ladder since I was a little kid, but this-”

  Jesse made the mistake of looking down over the bar. The next thing he knew, he was leaning back against the seat, his eyes closed and puffing breaths in and out.

  He felt her lean against his shoulder.

  “Jesse?”

  Breathe in. Out.

  In again. Out again.

  He shook his head. “Just talk to me.”

  “Okay,” he heard her hesitate. “I can talk.”

  And she did. She talked about everything under the sun and he finally let go of the bar and cracked his eyes open.

  To look at her.

  Relief shone in her eyes. “Oh good. For a second I was really worried about you.”

  He blew it off. What else could he do? “Nothing to worry about. I was just playing.”

  She nodded and gave him a look that told him she knew exactly what he was doing. “You’re a pretty good actor yourself, Jesse Sutton.”

  He latched onto the line she threw him. “See? I’m just trying to impress the girl. Did it work?”

  She thought about it for a moment. Okay, she dragged it out a little, but he liked looking at her. Being able to look at her openly, let his eyes roam over her face and everything else, was a gift that he was going to treasure.

  She nodded and gave him a big grin. “I’m pretty impressed.” She scooted a little closer on the seat and he saw the way her eyes fixed on his face.

  “What’s going on in your head?” He desperately wanted to know. He just hoped she’d want to tell him.

  “Well,” she cleared her throat and swept her tongue over her bottom lip, “I was just thinking that you put in all that effort.”

  When she paused, he raised his gaze from her lips to her eyes. “Yeah?”

  “Maybe,” her smile lifted just a bit, “you deserve a prize.”

  “Like those carnival games down there?”

  She nodded, slowly. “Yeah.”

  He could get behind that idea. “Sure, I could-”

  Etta leaned fully against his side, laid her palm on his cheek and
pressed her lips against his.

  The Ferris Wheel came to a stop with a shudder but Jesse didn’t care. Etta was kissing him.

  Closed mouthed. Hard. Her nose crushed against his.

  It was odd, eager, and unskilled, but she certainly wasn’t hesitant. And that made him feel like he could fly if he had to get them off this ridiculous ride. She shifted and pulled up a knee between them, changing the angle of the kiss so that she was higher than he was, leaning his head back.

  When the ride started up again, jerking backward, she lost her balance.

  He caught her to him, almost dragging her across his lap to hold her tight.

  The sudden movement shocked her, left her wide-eyed and still. He saw the color on her cheeks and smiled. “Careful now. I’ve got you.”

  She clapped her hands over her cheeks and her expression changed to something hesitant and bashful. “Should I apologize?”

  He laughed at that and the blush in her cheeks deepened. “Apologize?”

  “I kissed you!”

  “I can’t argue with that!”

  Etta tried to hide her face in her hands but he caught her chin gently and tipped it up so he could look at her. Her lips pouted and she glanced away. “You must think I’m crazy for doing that.”

  “Crazy? No.” He shifted his arm around her and smiled when she leaned into him again. “I’m hoping that means you wanted to kiss me.”

  She didn’t hesitate to answer, but she mumbled it. “Yes.”

  “Then that is the best prize I could ask for.”

  Her eyes warmed up and she relaxed against him. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

  “I can.” Jesse turned and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “And I’m happy you did.”

  Moments later, they were at the bottom of the wheel and the ride operator let them out of the ride. Jesse helped her off his lap and set her on the ground, hopping down beside her. She started to move away, but he caught her hand in his and they continued to walk, hand in hand.

  ETTA

  Jesse hadn’t made a big deal about the kiss. Sure, he’d asked her about it, but he hadn’t said much after that.

  And she was thankful for it. The last thing she wanted to hear was how much she’d messed up. The whole drive back to the Sagebrush she was silent, her mind worrying over what she’d done. Jesse didn’t bother her about it. He didn’t try to make her talk. He just sang along to the songs on the radio. It didn’t help that he had the most amazing singing voice. She could listen to him for hours and when he sang along to the Eagles’ Peaceful Easy Feeling, she relaxed against the bench seat with a sigh. He could sing for her anytime.

  The drive back took no time at all and Etta felt the urge to ask him to drive around, just a little more, but she didn’t want to press. She didn’t want to seem easy. She was already inexperienced and awkward, looking like she was loose was not something she wanted. Especially not in Jesse’s eyes.

  When they pulled into the parking lot, Jesse turned off the radio and pulled into the nearest spot to her room. “You’re pretty quiet over there.”

  Smiling, she looked over at him. “I was enjoying the music. I could sit here all night listening to you sing.”

  His smile was a beautiful thing. The thought seemed odd, but it was true. He was tall and muscular and strong, but he was beautiful to her.

  “I wish we could sit here all night-”

  “I know,” she shrugged it off, “you’ve got to get back.”

  She reached for the door handle and felt Jesse’s hand on her shoulder.

  “Hold on.”

  Etta turned to look at him. “Something wrong?”

  He nodded. “Last time I dropped you off you were out of the door and gone before I could even get out and grab the door.”

  She laughed. “You want to play the gentleman.”

  “Play?” His chuckle was deep and his thumb smoothed a half-circle on her shoulder. “My mama brought me up to be a gentleman. She’d smack me if you told her I wasn’t.” He pulled the key out of the ignition and was out of the driver’s side of the truck a moment later.

  Looking down at her dress, she smoothed the skirt and felt her palms brush against her bare knees. It was only a moment or two before he opened her door and offered her a hand. She didn’t hesitate to take it, and once she was safely on the ground, Jesse didn’t let go of her hand as he closed the door and walked her to the walkway just outside of her room.

  “I wish I didn’t have to get back home so soon.”

  She loved hearing that. It was the same way she felt. “I’m just glad we got to go to the fair tonight.”

  His smile changed and his eyes darkened as he lifted her hand to his lips. “It wasn’t enough time for me, but a man can’t get everything he wants all the time. It would spoil him.”

  Etta laughed, but she didn’t try to take her hand back. “I wouldn’t mind spoiling you. Just a little.” She smoothed her thumb over the inside of his wrist and lowered her eyes a bit. “I don’t know what came over me. On the Ferris Wheel.” She let out a breath and stilled her hand. “I hope that was… okay.”

  “Etta. It was more than okay.” Jesse tugged her closer until the toes of her sandals bumped up against his boots. “Unless you didn’t want to kiss me.”

  Her face burned with the memories of how it felt to kiss him, touch his face, his hair. To have him hold her close, down on his lap. There was no mistaking that he was a man. Just as strong as Randy was, but so much more gentle.

  “I wanted to. I still do.” She heard blood rushing through her ears, felt her heart slamming against the inside of her chest. “I just don’t know how.”

  She saw his easy smile brighten and twist at the corner. “I could tell.”

  Etta looked up at him, stunned into silence. What else could go wrong?

  JESSE

  No, that wasn’t what he’d wanted to say. Try again.

  Looking at her lips and wondering how soft they’d be when he got another chance to press his own against hers.

  She was made for kisses. Gentle. Joyous. Tender. Passionate. Then why had she rushed into it that way?

  “Who taught you how to kiss?”

  The instant he said it, he tensed, expecting to feel her hand across his cheek.

  When she didn’t, he gave her a curious look, doubling down on his stupidity, and a moment later he wished that she had cracked him across his jaw. It would have been better than the way her expression crumbled as she took a step back, breaking the hold he had on her hand, and her shoulders sagged.

  He was an ass. That was clear.

  What he needed to do was apologize.

  Quickly.

  But all the words he needed to say were stuck somewhere in the back of his mind along with the sense that should have helped him keep his mouth shut in the first place.

  “I’ve been kissed before!”

  What?

  That wasn’t what he asked.

  Not by a long shot.

  But, then again, her answer was just as telling.

  He wasn’t just an ass. He let his mouth get way ahead of his brain. A fucking stampede ahead of the stage.

  “I’m not talking about the playground, Etta. I’m talking about a kiss.” His voice had dipped dangerously low, vibrating through him like a tuning fork and making him just as hard.

  He took a step closer.

  Etta countered by taking a step back. They danced that way across the sidewalk until he knew he had her exactly where he wanted her.

  Against the wall.

  She knew it too. Her palms flattened against the wall at her sides and her shoulders pushed back. She raised her gaze up to meet his as if she was trying to tell him that she wasn’t nervous, but he saw the way her breathing shallowed, her skin flushed, and her lips parted as he moved even closer.

  And he continued until the toes of his boots were almost nudging the tips of her shoes. He raked his gaze up over her feet, the hem of her dress, over t
he tantalizing rise and fall of her breasts and back up along the flushed skin of her chest, neck, and face.

  He lifted a hand and gently touched her cheek. “First,” he smiled at her, “one, or both people, have to move their nose out of the way. So, we’ll go with both here.” He put the tiniest bit of pressure on her cheek and tilted her head a little bit. “Next, we’ll keep teeth out of it, unless you want to bite a lip… that could be fun.”

  She swallowed and he swore he could hear the soft sound echoing off the thick concrete walls. “Is that all?”

  “All?”

  Etta nodded, but he didn’t see the motion, he could only feel it against his fingertips. “The rules?”

  The corner of his mouth lifted and he leaned in closer, bracing his free hand on the wall just above her shoulder. “Those aren’t rules, Etta. Just a few things to make it easier.”

  “Easier?” She echoed the word with a tight, breathy voice. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t,” he sighed and trailed the hand against her cheek into her hair, enjoying the feeling of it against his skin, “but I’m going to show you.”

  She blinked up at him. “Okay.”

  If she didn’t stop looking at him like a sacrificial lamb, he was going to lose his mind.

  “There’s a time and place for hard kisses, sweetheart.”

  Etta nodded as if she was making a note in her head. So beautiful and if he was any judge, innocent in so many ways.

  “But tonight,” he moved closer until his lips were close enough to hers to feel the heat of her skin, “we’re going to start with gentle.”

  “Gentle…” her lips were so damn close and he could hear the curious plea in her tone, “okay.”

  He couldn’t wait another moment. He touched his lips to hers and felt her tense. He waited until her body eased into the sensation before he moved away.

  Her eyes fluttered open. And she looked into his eyes as her brow pinched ever so slightly.

  He smiled at the curious question he saw in her eyes. “What is it, Etta?”

  She swayed closer. “Was that… all?”

  “You want more?”

  She opened her lips to answer and he swept in to kiss her again. Press in closer until he could feel the way her lips pressed back against his. Plump. Plush. Made for this. Made for him.