Sentimental Journey (10 page)

Without referring to her fear of heights, Brodie guided her away from the swinging bridge that spanned a chasm in the park and chose the more solid alternative of the stone bridge instead.

At Lovers' Leap, Jessica gravitated unconsciously toward the Eagles' Nest, a man-made aperture that jutted out from the rock face of the mountain. The view was spectacular from the observation point. The air was crystal clear except for a thin band of haze on the distant Great Smokey Mountains. The vivid green of the land contrasted with the sharp blue of the sky, a combination of colors only nature could make.

At the foot of the mountain was Chattanooga. Close to that was the Civil War battlefield of Chickamauga where the South had won its last major victory. But it was the far beyond, the distant horizons, that stunned the imagination. Here was a view of seven states. Directly south was the rolling landscape of Georgia and Alabama. Working north came South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and finally Tennessee and Kentucky.

So wrapped up was she in the sprawling vistas, Jessica wasn't aware of how close she was to the edge until she accidentally looked down. A cold chill ran through her bones, freezing her heartbeat for a terrifying second.

An arm circled her shoulders and turned her away from the edge. Her heart started beating again and she darted a grateful look at Brodie. His smile was gentle but fleeting. Once they were away from the edge and back on the trail through the park, he took his arm from her shoulders, but made no attempt to hold her hand.

That was quite a view, wasn't it?" he offered in idle conversation.

"In every direction except down." Her attempt at laughter wavered from her throat.

"I wondered how long it would take before you realized where you were standing." There wasn't a trace of sympathy in his voice, only faint amusement.

Jessica felt suddenly defensive. "Everyone has a weakness. What's yours?"

Brodie stopped and looked her over, his direct gaze lingering on her honey-colored hair before meeting her eyes. "Women with blond hair and green eyes."

Over his shoulder there was the sparkling silver ribbon of a waterfall, but Jessica didn't notice it nor the fellow sightseers scattered along the trail. She was aware of nothing but the man in front of her and the sudden tightness that had gripped her throat.

"Is that right?" She tried to make it a breezy retort, but it came out breathless.

"Yes." Relentlessly he held her gaze. "I read somewhere that a gentleman shouldn't kiss a lady until the third date. Counting lunch, this is the third time we've been out together, Green Eyes. I don't remember if it said when a gentleman is entitled to claim his kiss, but…" His hand molded itself to the curve of her neck, his long fingers sliding into the silky length of her hair at the back of her neck. His other hand cupped the side of her face, lifting her chin with his thumb. "I'm not going to wait any longer."

His mouth made a slow, unhurried descent to her lips. There was ample time to protest, but Jessica didn't utter a sound. The curiosity to discover his kiss was overpowering. As the distance lessened, her eyes slowly closed.

Then his mouth was warmly covering hers, its touch firm and experienced. At its persuasive movement on her lips, the tension of anticipation eased and Jessica responded to the kiss. Her hands spread over his rib cage for support, feeling his hard flesh through the thin material of his shirt. The arching of her spine enabled the rest of her body to lean closer to his male length. Resistance melted as a slow burning fire spread through her veins.

The pressure of the kiss was ended, but he didn't move his mouth from her lips. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time," he murmured against their softness.

Jessica found herself wishing that he hadn't waited so long. In the next second, that thought was banished under the driving possession of his mouth. The pressure at the back of her neck lifted her on tiptoes. She felt drawn to the edge of a precipice, the ground quaking beneath her feet, creating shudders within her.

"Don't look down. Just hold onto me," Brodie muttered thickly as if he knew exactly what she was feeling.

In blind obedience, her hands curved around to his muscled back, fingers curling into the material of his shirt stretched taut by the flexing muscles. The biting hold of his hands on her head and neck caused pain, but Jessica didn't object to it. An inner voice told her that if Brodie ever let her go, she would never recover from the fall.

Gradually she became aware that he was letting her down slowly. The ground beneath her feet became solid. She was no longer balanced on the edge of her toes, but was standing squarely. In another few seconds the warmth of his mouth was no longer on hers. Before his hands left her face, they smoothed her hair. Reluctantly she opened her eyes, hoping she didn't look as dazed as she felt.

Brodie was glancing around them, his attention only returning to her face when he sensed her eyes were on him. A smoldering light was visible through the banked blue fire of his gaze.

"We have an audience." His comment implied that he would not have stopped otherwise.

Jessica felt no embarrassment at the announcement. "Perhaps it's as well we do," she murmured.

Brodie didn't respond to that. By mutual consent, they continued along the trail through the rock garden to its end. From there, their tour included Ruby Falls, the Chickamauga battlefield, and very late in the afternoon, a stop for sandwiches.

Not once did either of them allude to the kiss by the waterfall. Yet Jessica was aware that what had begun as a reluctant attraction to a charismatic man had become something physical. The slightest touch of him vividly recalled the more intimate contact. There was a part of her that didn't regret the change.

When Brodie stopped the car in front of the apartment building, she had the feeling that the afternoon had ended too soon. As he took the key from the ignition, his comment seemed to echo her thought.

"I wish I'd had that second cup of coffee the waitress offered back at the restaurant." He stepped out of the car and walked around to her side.

"If you like, I can make some coffee," Jessica offered.

There was a mocking twinkle in his eye that gave him a roguish look as he closed the door after she had climbed out. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Inside her apartment, she motioned toward the living room. "Make yourself comfortable while I fix the coffee."

She continued on to the kitchen, fighting a sudden attack of nerves. After she had rinsed out the glass pot, she turned to find Brodie had followed her into the kitchen.

"I never have figured out how I'm supposed to make myself comfortable sitting alone in a strange room," he explained his presence in the kitchen.

"I've felt the same way myself," Jessica laughed. "I always end up sitting on the edge of the chair waiting for the other person to come back. It's awkward."

However many times she had felt that way, she had never once admitted it to the host or hostess. Yet Brodie had, with casual frankness.

Measuring the fresh coffee grounds into the filter, she slipped it into its place in the coffee maker. Brodie watched, his arms crossed in front of him, a hip leaned against the kitchen counter. Jessica filled a plastic container with the proper amount of water and poured it into the coffee maker. She flipped the brew switch to the on position.

"It won't be long," she promised him.

Brodie was standing in front of the cupboard where the plastic water container belonged. As she approached, Jessica had the sensation that all of him was watching her—not just his eyes, but his other senses were observing her, as well. She found herself wishing that she had had time to freshen her lipstick, brush her hair to a silken texture, dab on some perfume behind her ears.

As she reached past him to put the container in the cupboard Brodie straightened to avoid the door. "It doesn't matter about the coffee."

Jessica stared at him. "Why didn't you say so before I made it?"

"We both know it was just an excuse. An excuse so you could invite me in and an excuse for me to accept." Brodie sliced through any attempt at pretense. "You'll pour me a cup and I'll drink it." He reached out to span her waist with his hands and pull her closer to him. "But this is why we're here."

She flattened her hands against his chest in a weak attempt at protest even as she lifted her head to accept his kiss. It was hard and demanding, parting her lips to deepen the passion that sprang between them like a living flame. Her hands slid around his neck, her fingers seeking the sensual thickness of his black hair.

His own were molding her back and hips, crushing her softer flesh to the unyielding contours of his body. The heady scent of his masculine cologne, the intimate taste of his mouth, the thudding of his heart against hers—they all combined to dominate her senses. Jessica realized that she was losing control, not just of her flesh, but of her will, too.

It was much too soon. She couldn't surrender to someone she barely knew. She twisted away from the possession of his kiss only to quiver with desire as Brodie nibbled at the sensitive cord of her neck. Her muscles tensed an instant before she pushed herself out of his embrace, but he didn't pursue when she took a shaky step away.

Jessica avoided his gaze. "I just remembered I have some cake in the refrigerator." She realized that she was probably babbling like an idiot, but she couldn't endure the sudden silence. She started toward the refrigerator. "It's bought cake, but it's really very good. Would you like a piece with your coffee?"

When she would have opened the door to get the cake, Brodie's hand was there to close it and turn her around. Jessica took a step backward, bumping into the refrigerator, the smooth finish cool against her shoulders. Brodie leaned a hand on the refrigerator near her head.

"No, I would not like any cake." He slowly enunciated each word.

Without touching any other part of her, he bent his head to kiss her. He displayed a hunger for her lips, tasting them, eating them, and rearousing her appetite for his. Their mouths strained for each other, but their bodies made no other contact.

Finally Brodie disentangled his mouth from hers and straightened while Jessica leaned weakly against the refrigerator, her pulse thudding in her ears. He reached out to trace her features with his fingers, his thumb outlining the curve of her mouth. His other hand drew a line from the point of her chin to the hollow of her
throat. Then both slid to her shoulders, erotically kneading her flesh, and Jessica shuddered at the wave of intense longing that rushed through her.

"Don't tremble," Brodie ordered softly. The sound of his voice proved almost as provocative as the upheaval his hands were causing. "I'm not going to make love to you, Jessica. I don't have time to do it properly."

"You don't?" Was she relieved or disappointed? She was so incapable of coherent thought that she didn't know.

"No, I don't have time. I have to leave." His fingers suddenly dug into her flesh to pull her away from the refrigerator. He kissed her hard and swiftly, then let her go. "The coffee is done. Pour me a cup."

He walked to the dinette table and sat in one of the chairs, while Jessica tried to gather her scattered senses. It seemed unjust that he would destroy her this way, then announce that he had to leave. Irritation helped to steady her hand as she filled two mugs with coffee.

"Are you sure you have time to drink this?" An acid ring crept into her question.

Amusement glittered as he detected the tone. "I wouldn't have asked you to pour if I thought I didn't."

"I wouldn't want to make you late for an appointment." Jessica set one mug on the table in front of him.

His hand closed around her wrist to take the other coffee cup from her hand and set it on the table beside his. Before she could guess his intention, Brodie was turning her around to sit her on his lap.

"You've already made me late." He took a punishing nibble on her earlobe. One large hand held both of hers prisoner in her lap. Jessica was disturbingly aware of the muscular solidness of his thighs beneath her. "My plane is waiting at the airport."

She realized that when he said he was leaving, he had meant leaving town. "Where are you going?"

"Nashville." He adjusted the collar of her blouse, then let the tip of his finger explore the shadowy cleft, "I have to be there by seven-thirty. I was supposed to be there at noon today, but I was able to postpone the meeting until tonight, just so I could spend today with you."

"I…" Jessica didn't know what to say. "I didn't know."

"Maybe now you'll understand just how determined I am to have you." Brodie regarded her steadily, his blue eyes unwavering.

She wasn't sure how he meant that, but at the moment it didn't seem important. "When will you be coming back?"

"One day next week." His hand moved down to rub her thigh. "I don't know which one—I'll have to call you."

He was taking it for granted that she wanted to hear from him again. Jessica didn't mind, because it was suddenly and unexpectedly vital that she did.

"My telephone number isn't listed."

"I already have the numbs," Brodie said.

"How did you get it?" She frowned.