Page 78 of First Touch

“I need to get in touch with Malec,” he explains, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. Men.

“He was here last night, right?”

“Yeah, I called him when I was afraid that I wouldn’t get here in time. He raced straight here. I owe him one.” He doesn’t look at me as he speaks like he’s having a hard time even thinking about it. I don’t blame him.

“Tell him I said thank you when you talk to him,” I insist.

“I will.” He finally gives me a small reassuring smile. It makes me want to kiss him, so I do.

“I’m never going to get tired of that,” he murmurs once I pull away.

“Well, good.” I smile, thoughtfully enjoying my happiness for a moment before I bring up the next topic. “What about your friend from the bar last night?”

“Right. Curtis,” he informs me with an exasperated look on his face.

“He startled me a bit when he came to talk to me. Asked if I was Jay’s girlfriend. I didn’t know what to say, so I just said yes. He told me he was in trouble and needed your help. He said he’d text you.” I shrug.

“He shouldn’t have come up to you, but it’s my fault. I should have kept you further away while I was investigating all of this. I got too comfortable.” He shakes his head at himself.

“I’m glad you didn’t keep me far away.” Hopefully, he feels that way too despite everything. We wouldn’t be where we are now if he waited to talk to me after his investigation ended.

“I’ll never be able to live with myself if something happens to you, Thea. If I do something that gets you hurt…” He closes his eyes briefly as if he’s willing away the thoughts.

“You won’t. I’ll be fine.” I try to make him feel better, but I can tell he doesn’t quite believe me. There is still a sadness in his eyes.

“Do you think you’d be able to stay with Nathan tonight? I’m going to need to deal with some stuff and I don’t want you here alone with Kyle still out there.”

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Do you think it’s necessary?”

“It’s necessary.” His definitive tone sends a chill down my spine. “And, Thea. You’re not Jay’s girlfriend. You’re my girlfriend.”

He’s looking at me seriously, leaning in enough to indicate that he wants a kiss. I oblige happily. “Jesse’s girlfriend. Got it,” I answer against his lips.

* * *

He’s fixing the minor damage to my front door from Kyle kicking it in when his phone dings. The hard look on his face clues me into who it is but I don’t ask, giving him space. I can only imagine how stressful all of this is for him.

He’s essentially out here on his own trying to break this case, with no backup, no support. Aside from what he’s told me about Sheriff Malec, it doesn’t seem like he has anyone to rely on.

“Go pack, I’ll take you to Nathan’s in a bit,” he instructs, cleaning up his mess.

“I can drive.”

“No, I want to make sure you get there safe and sound. Plus, if your car is here and Kyle tries anything else thinking you’re home, Malec will have more fuel to arrest him with.”

“Okay,” I concede, understanding where he’s coming from. I try not to focus on the fact that Kyle is still out there and might want to hurt me.

I make my way upstairs to pack my overnight bag, startling slightly when Jesse sneaks up behind me as I’m almost finished.

“You really know how to sneak around,” I say once catch my breath.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He laughs, gazing at me lovingly. Some of his obvious stress from earlier seems to have dissipated. I lean against my dresser, looking into his handsome face, still in awe of this relationship.

“What?”

“I’m really happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve loved my life but with you… It’s so easy,” I admit.

“Yeah, I feel the same way, Sunshine.” He steps closer into my space, but without touching me.

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