Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (159 page)

“
Definitely.”

“
Hey, Jesse,” Julie asked,
“can I see the scar?” He arched a brow, and she explained, “From
the bullet wound.” She inched forward, but he stopped
her.

He laughed. “No.”

“
I get it,” Julie said.
“You’re shy.”

“
Far from it,” he
said.

“
I thought guys loved
showing off their scars,” one of the girls said.

“
Which boulder do you wanna
jump off of? Are you feelin’ like five feet or thirty?” Jesse asked
me, changing the subject.

“
The highest one,” I
answered.

The guys wooted, and Jesse grinned.
“Ah. A daredevil after my very own heart,” he said.

I climbed up to the highest point,
where there was a perfect view of China Island. Sucking in a deep
breath, I braced myself. I made sure there wasn’t another jumper
jumping from a lower level, and everything looked clear
below.

Jesse walked over and held my hand.
“We’ll jump together.”

I smirked. “Let’s do it.”

“
Cool. On the count of
three. One…two…three!”

We jumped
together, holding hands, and landed with a huge
splash
.

“
Woo-hoo!” I screamed. “That was awesome!”
I glanced at Jesse, blinking the water out of my eyelashes.
There was no way I could avoid drooling over those rippling muscles
and glittering eyes. I was mesmerized as I stared at his dazzling,
breathtaking male beauty, from his beautiful skin and full lips, to
the sculptured lines and angles of his forehead, to his amazing
cheekbones and chiseled jaw line, to the droplets of water that
clung to his face. I could have easily lost myself with that
handsome hunk.
Maybe Fred’s right,
I mused to myself.
Maybe
he is dangerous.

All of the sudden, he grabbed me
around the waist and threw me in the air.

I landed
with a
splash
,
laughing as streams of water poured down my face. “Oh, I’ll get you
for that! I’m gonna dunk you!” I threatened and started to swim his
way.

“
Don’t think so!” he
teased.

We screwed off for a while, then swam
to shore to rest while the others continued jumping off the rocks.
The moisture on my skin gave me a cooling sensation beneath the hot
sun. I stood and saw Julie and the others still jumping off the
rocks.

When I turned around, Jesse met my
gaze. His blue eyes pierced mine, and shimmering remnants of the
lake gave his skin a glittery shine. Softly, he cupped my cheek.
The heat from his touch surged through my body, and I could have
sworn that the whole crazy world had stopped all around me. If
someone had asked me my own name in that moment, I wouldn’t have
remembered it.

My pulse skipped a beat when he shot
me that beautiful grin, all those white, bright teeth, like a
gorgeous movie star. Those beautiful baby blues entranced me all
over again, staring right into my soul. I cleared my throat and
forced my brain into motion. I tried to think of something to say,
but nothing came to mind. The light caught in the blue speckles of
his eyes and took my breath away. I drew in air, but more blood
rushed to my face like a tidal wave. He, on the other hand, was
entirely composed and unaffected, and I knew I was making a
complete fool out of myself.

His hot breath rippled across my skin
in that unforgettable moment, and his strong arms slid around me
and wrapped me close. A shudder ran through me, from head to toe. I
leaned against him until I could feel the warmth of his skin
against my racing heart, and I lifted my arm to touch his flushed
cheek.

He didn’t flinch or even react; he
just smiled and kissed my fingers where they touched his lips. “I’m
crazy about you, Taylor,” he said. “You’re all I think
about.”

“
I felt the connection the
second I met you.”

“
Me too.” His eyes fixed on
my lips, and he moved closer to lower his mouth on mine.

Our lips connected in a slow, gentle
touch. In spite of the smoldering temperature, a shiver ran through
me. I closed my eyes, savoring his sweet taste. Goosebumps rippled
my skin as his strong hands wandered down my back to my middle. I
lifted my arms and guided them around his neck. He drew me
unbelievably closer; I was already standing so impossibly close.
Tangling his fingers in my hair, he kissed me slowly and
passionately on the lips. My heart was drumming so hard within me
that I wondered if Jesse could hear it. I wanted him to deepen the
kiss. I wanted it to go on forever. When his hot breath touched my
skin, I shuddered in excitement. Hot, searing kisses from his open
mouth trailed down my neck.

“
Taylor! Jesse!” the others
called from the boulders.

Suddenly, he broke our embrace and
turned in the direction of our friends. “We’re being paged,” he
said.

I stared into his eyes, unable to move
or even breathe. I was completely mesmerized.

Gripping my hand, he grinned.
“Ready?”

I nodded mindlessly, and he led me
back into the water. My head was still spinning, my skin still
tingling where his lips had left a trail of moisture. Even though
the kiss was over, my heart continued to race. I sighed like one of
those girly girls and tried to switch on my brain again, but all I
felt was a mushy, hazy feeling that reminded me of staying up late
to watch those sappy Saturday night romances.

Jesse submerged and then resurfaced a
few feet past me. I cut the water with expert precision to catch up
with him.

One of Jesse’s friends grabbed his
shoulder. “You gotta see Frank dive backward, man.”

I smiled as his friend dragged him
off.

“
I saw you swim off with
Prince Charming,” Julie teased. “What happened?”

I pulled her aside. “He kissed
me!”

“
I knew it!” she
squealed.

“
He’s so amazing,
Julie.”

“
Is he a good
kisser?”

“
It was wonderful, but
there was no, uh…”

“
Tongue action?”

I blushed and shook my head. “You guys
called us back over here too soon.”

“
It wasn’t me,” Julie
said.

“
There’s always next
time.”

“
Or maybe even later
today.”

I laughed.

“
Taylor!” Jesse’s voice
called. “I’ve gotta drive Frank and the others back. Wanna meet up
later?”

I walked over to him and smiled. “I
had a great time, and yes, I’d love to meet you later. Text me, and
we’ll think of something.”

He kissed my cheek. “See ya
then.”

“
Bye.”

He shot me a big smile, then turned to
leave. I watched him dive off the boulder and swim off into the
distance.

“
Why wouldn’t he take off
his shirt?” one of the girls asked.

“
He’s just shy,” another
answered.

“
Why on Earth would a guy
like that want to hide that perfect bod’? Did you see those
muscles?” a strawberry-blonde girl said.

“
Taylor,” the brunette
said, “you should have just ripped it off of him.”

I smiled. “Maybe I will next
time.”

We all laughed, then swam back to
shore and sunbathed for a few more hours. As I lay on my blanket, I
couldn’t stop thinking about him, recalling how great his lips felt
against mine, like soft rose petals. His every touch was special,
and he totally captivated me.

Chapter 15

I pulled into Jessie’s driveway in
front of his beautiful, contemporary-style home with brick and
glass windows, nestled among the towering trees. It was one of the
biggest homes in Big Bear Lake, so I was sure his mother was quite
wealthy.

After greeting me with a peck on the
cheek that almost sent me reeling to the floor in a whoosh of heat,
Jesse gave me the grand tour. This house had everything, from a gym
to a recreation room to the most amazing home theater room with a
mounted television that was the largest I’d ever seen in my life.
There was a luxury swimming pool with a beautiful patio and
terrace. Every single thing was perfectly arranged, and the décor
and immaculate design elements gave the house character; the whole
place was sleek and stylish to the core.

“
Did your mom hire an
interior designer for this? It’s amazing,” I
complimented.

“
No. She did it on her
own.”

“
Wow. She has fantastic
taste.”

He smiled as he led me to the room
with the giant TV. My mouth dropped as I darted my eyes down in
every direction, taking it all in. I tried to pretend like the
gorgeous estate didn’t faze me, but that was impossible.

Jesse went behind the bar. “What can I
get you to drink?”

“
A Sprite would be great—or
anything lemon-lime.”

He pointed to the corner of the room.
“I’ve got Sierra Mist, if that’s okay.”

“
Sure. Thanks.”

“
Why don’t you start
looking through the DVDs? We have a lot to pick from.”

I smiled.
“You’re letting
me
pick the movie?”

“
Yep.”

“
Hmm. What if I pick some
gushy chick flick?”

“
As long as I’m watching it
with you, I don’t care,” he said with a grin, placing ice into a
glass.

I grinned and shook my head, once
again amazed by how different he was from Sean, who always used to
fight with me over movies. “Thanks for that, Jesse,” I
said.

We
snuggled on the couch and watched a Julia Roberts classic,
Pretty Woman,
then
wandered out to the terrace to sit and talk. I waited there while
Jesse got us some lemonade. As I was staring off into the dark but
beautiful forest, he set our glasses down on the deck
railing.

“
I’m having such a good
time,” I said.

“
Me too.”

He wrapped his arms around me from
behind, lifted the hair off my neck, and softly kissed one of the
most sensitive spots on my body. Goosebumps erupted, and I gasped
deeply. He lightly stroked and caressed my neck with his
fingertips, then slid down my spaghetti strap and kissed my
shoulder, as if he knew it was a great turn-on for me, a sexy move
that worked every time.

“
Jesse,” I said, shivering
with pleasure, “what are you doing?”

He moved up and down my neck, tickling
me with open-mouthed kisses. “What do you think?” he asked, each
word causing a hot breath to blow across my skin, literally driving
me crazy.

“
Well…it feels so
good.”

“
Good,” he whispered in my
ear as his fingers glided down my bare arm. “I want you to feel
good, Taylor—always.”

Shivers
shot down my spine as he returned to the sweet spot on my neck.
When he kissed me there again, I thought I might actually collapse
because my legs turned to rubber.
All I
have to do is turn around and claim his mouth in a mind-blowing
kiss,
I thought.
It’d be that easy, that simple.
My
heart pounded even harder when Jesse gave me slow, wet kisses all
over my neck, then nibbled my ear with even lighter ones. When he
blew hot air on my ear, I could hardly contain
myself.

I spun around and turned to face him.
He was wearing a sexy, naughty smile and staring hungrily at my
lips. I’d never felt so desirable. I softly traced his lips, the
mouth I could have spent an eternity kissing without ever tiring of
it.

“
I’m home!” a woman
announced, jolting me from my fantastic thoughts.

I stepped away from Jesse and
straightened my shirt.

The woman cleared her throat and
looked at us suspiciously. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,”
she said.

She was beautiful, with her slim
figure dressed in a blue pantsuit and her silky black hair twisted
into an elaborate bun. In addition to having the same hair, she
also had the almost translucent light blue eyes that her son
did.

“
No, not at all,” I
responded.

“
I’m Shelia, Jesse’s
mom.”

I held out my hand. “It’s so nice to
meet you. I’m Taylor.”

She smiled as she shook my hand. “It’s
nice to finally meet you too. Jesse has told me all about you, so
I’ve been looking forward to making your acquaintance.”

“
Well, here she is!” Jesse
said.

Shelia sat down on the porch with us,
and we all chitchatted for about an hour before I had to get back
home. I was sure I’d made a good impression; she seemed to like me
and was just as warm as Jesse, not at all the oddball Jeanie had
made me think she was. I had hoped to meet his brother and sister,
but they weren’t home. In any case, things were going well for me
and Jesse, and I’d met his mom, which made me feel even closer to
him.