Page 56 of A Touch of Frost
Jesse kissed my thigh then rested his cheek back into my lap. I continued caressing his head.
“Did Paul wake up?” I asked.
“Not really.” Jesse replied. “He’s sleeping now. I’m hoping once Lizard gets some kind of nutrition into him, he’ll be able to get some rest and be fully awake.”
“Hmm.”
When Lizard returned, I helped Jesse sit Paul up and set about the painstaking task of getting Paul to drink part of a meal replacement. Every two hours, we had to feed him, ensuring he was drinking.
It was tiring but I stayed by Jesse’s side.
Paul was getting stronger and stronger and I could see the life returning to Jesse’s eyes.
As the days rolled on, the only time I left was to run down leads on Striker, usually with Lizard, Kandi or Black Widow at my side.
Jesse would throw a fit if I tried heading out on my own. Usually, I would lose my cool, tell him he didn’t own me, and I didn’t need his permission. But I understood. As my man—as a good man—he wanted to protect me. It was taking some getting used to that.
Anyway, Jesse had enough on his plate without having to worry about me.
Leaving Jesse alone with Lizard, Black Widow and I took a ride down to the water’s edge. We stopped to grab some food and drinks then parked on a private section of the beach and sat.
“I wanted to wait until things slowed down some to talk to you about Jesse.” Black Widow shoved a French fry into her mouth. “I have to get back soon—so, it’s now or never.”
I nodded because I knew I wouldn’t have escaped this conversation. “Yeah. What about him?”
“Come on, Frost.” Black Widow sighed. “Are we really going to waste time pretending that I don’t know the two of you are sleeping together?”
I said nothing.
“We may not have been on the same continent much over the last few years,” Black Widow said. But I still know you. I still know you very well.”
I frowned.
Black Widow drank deeply from her soda then rooted the bottom of the can into the sand to use both hands to hold her burger. “I’ve never known you to sleep in a man’s arms. Even when you were dating Henry, he always went home at the end of the night. Did Henry ever sleep over at your place?”
“Widow…”
“What’s so special about this one?”
The question hit me in the chest like a bus. “He sees me.”
“What does that mean?” She asked me.
“It means, when he looks at me, he doesn’t see some washed up soldier.” I shrugged. “When I look into his eyes, even though being wanted is a foreign concept to me, I can tell he wants me. He touches me and I don’t feel like I’m unworthy but—when I’m with him Mozart isn’t even a thought.”
“So, he makes you forget?”
I nodded, chewing on a piece of my ham sandwich. “When I’m with him I kinda forget there’s an evil world out there. He made love to me and I didn’t hate myself afterward.
You’re interested meaning you’d like me to be your man.
“There has to be more to this than him only making you forget.” Black Widow told me softly.
“Yes.” I sighed. “I know. But it’s a great place to start. I know what it’s like to feel like a woman now—to feel feminine and Jesse makes me feel that with just a look. I‘ve spent so many years running from it because I thought being a woman made me weak.”
My friend nodded. “I get that. I understand. Every woman wants to feel sexy. And as much as we say we’re independent females who want nothing from men—having a man who looks at us like we’re his world, is amazing.”
My cheeks flushed. “And I get that and so much more with Jesse. I know it hasn’t been that long—”
