Page 73

Monday. London, UK.
Jessica really wanted a shower. She hated how the recycled air in planes made her feel. She’d made do with a washrag wipe down and a change of clothes. At least she didn’t smell like barbeque chips anymore. Thank you row-mate from the plane!
She pushed her hands deeper into the fleece pockets of her light jacket and leaned her head back while the train shifted on the tracks, making her sway.
Samuel stood just to her right, so it was easy to pretend she wasn’t looking at him. But she was.
How could she not? Wasn’t every woman looking at him?
Okay, maybe not Kelsey. Jessica preferred it that way, honestly. Besides, Kelsey seemed more like the guy’s sister the way they bantered back and forth.
Jessica had appreciated Samuel’s slightly rough around the edges look, but him freshly shaven in jeans and a T-shirt?
He was too good to be true.
Would he jump if she pinched him?
The imp in her wanted to find out, but she decided to hold back. This was already stressful enough without her being a nuisance. He’d have to learn to love that side of herself if they were going to work out. She might have chosen to walk a narrow path, but that didn’t change the fact that for a while she’d liked making trouble. In fact, being on Samuel’s bad side might even be fun depending on how into it he got.
Would he spank her?
“What are you smiling at?” Kelsey whispered.
Jessica swallowed and schooled her face into a blank mask. “Nothing.”
Kelsey snorted and sat back.
Jessica tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She really needed to be more serious.
Samuel’s concerns made sense. She could even agree with the logic behind cooling things off for a moment. Didn’t mean she liked it.
Samuel had gone from being sandpaper on a sunburn to…
Her floppy rabbit.
That realization made her shift in her seat uncomfortably as shock and warmth swirled together within her.
She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, and dropped her gaze to the ground.
When had that happened?
How?
This fast?
She’d known she liked him. The feelings were intense. But she’d attributed that to a deep-seated respect allowing her to skip over the stage where she often had to feel out whether a guy’s values lined up with her own. Most guys tended to cover up their unsavory qualities for a few dates then busted out surprise misogyny, racism, or homophobia, among other things. Given who Samuel surrounded himself with, none of that was a concern.
But to feel this way about him?
It shook her.
Kelsey nudged Jessica. “You okay?”
She glanced up at the other woman, thankfully on her left. “Hm? Oh, yeah. Fine. Just jet-lagged, you know?”
The day Robbin had given Jessica that silly floppy rabbit was the day it became her greatest physical comfort. It was a tangible object she could hold on to when she’d had a bad day and knew that she wasn’t alone. That ridiculous stuffed animal had brought her peace of mind and inner calm in a way she couldn’t explain. It was why Jessica often felt closer to Robin than her blood-family.
And now she found herself wanting to reach for Samuel to comfort herself.