Page 70 of Corrupt Idol

“Jesse, don’t!”

He kissed her. She was expecting him to be rough and brutish. The gentle, coaxing kiss took her by surprise. When he deepened the caress, her eyes fluttered shut. He kissed her with such absorption that her mind wiped clean of all thoughts. Her hips left the ground so his finger could penetrate her folds.

“I love you,” he rumbled as his eyes tracked over her face. “And you love me too.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs. “I don’t.”

He kissed her forehead. “Stubborn.”

His hand disappeared from between her legs and he rose, leaving her prone and trembling on the floor.

She stared at him. “Jesse?”

He gripped his erection through his sweats. “You know where to find me,” he said before he walked through the connecting bathroom to his room.

She stared at the dark doorway, mind and body clashing as she struggled to think past the lust he roused in her. She clamped her thighs together and threw an arm over her hot face as she cursed him.

Twelve

“Violet.”

A shake jolted her awake. She opened her eyes and squinted at the figure beside her bed. “Jesse?”

“The paramedics are here,” he said.

She sat up and threw back the covers. “What? What happened?” she demanded and started toward the door.

He caught her arm. “They’re putting her on the stretcher. Get dressed. We’re following them to the hospital.”

“What happened?” she shouted.

“Dad said she wasn’t breathing right so he called 911. Hopefully, it’s nothing. Get dressed. I’ll be in the living room.”

He strode out of the room and closed the door behind him. She flew to her window and saw some neighbors standing beside the ambulance as it pulled away. Even as panic seared her insides, she told herself this was nothing. Lynne was going to be fine. Just last night they stayed up late playing Scrabble. She and Jesse had been pushing the boundaries on borderline inappropriate words to make Lynne laugh. She glanced at the clock. One-forty-five in the morning.

She splashed her face with water, brushed her teeth, and then pulled on jeans and a shirt before she rushed out of her room with her purse in hand. Jesse stood in front of the door leading to the garage. He pushed it open as she approached.

“Let’s go,” he said shortly.

“Dad’s with her?” she asked urgently.

“Yeah.”

She got in the passenger seat and buckled herself in. “What does that mean, she wasn’t breathing right?”

“I don’t know,” he said as he backed out of the garage and turned a little too quickly, making the tires squeal as he sped down the empty road. “He said she was gasping for breath so he called for the ambulance. He woke me up just as they pulled up.”

“Maybe she just needs an oxygen mask,” she said as she twisted her hands together in her lap. When he barely tapped the brakes at a stop sign, she reached over and grabbed his arm. “Slow down, Jesse.”

“I was calling her name and she didn’t respond,” he said tightly.

Her fingers dug into his arm. “She’s gonna be okay. Just slow down. We don’t want to get into an accident.”

It had been almost a week since their return from Florida. There was a steady stream of people coming for visits to see Lynne. They didn’t have to cook since everyone always brought a dish with them. Between cleaning, trying to organize all her things, and caring for Lynne and her father, she was starting to feel a little ragged. Although Lynne tried to keep the mood light, there was no denying that she was deteriorating rapidly. Dad hovered over her night and day. She had to force him to take naps when Lynne had visitors. Jesse ran interference so Lynne could rest. It had been a tense week and it wasn’t over yet.

She held onto Jesse’s arm until he parked. They ran into the hospital and made their way to the emergency room, which was pandemonium. It took over ten minutes to get answers to where Lynne had been taken. They ran to the room and were greeted by the sight of Dad kneeling beside the bed, face buried in the sheets.

“Dad?” she whispered.

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