Page 12 of Curious Hearts (The Healing Hearts #2)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jessica surveyed the dining room. The vintage mahogany dining table, one of Aunt Vivian’s better pieces, gleamed under new linen placemats and the Wedgwood dinner service she’d purchased the day before from Williams Sonoma.
Crystal wine glasses caught light from the chandelier.
She’d spent over an hour cleaning it yesterday, removing decades of dust from each delicate pendant.
She’d chosen her outfit with care, a deep burgundy dress with a neckline her mother would consider appropriate while still allowing Jessica to feel like, well, Jessica.
Her curls were pinned into an updo, and she’d applied just the right amount of makeup, hoping to preemptively silence any comments about looking “tired” or “overworked.” She could hear her mother’s voice, “You’ll never get a man if you don’t take care of yourself,” the same tone she’d used when examining Jessica’s college applications, tapping each A-minus with a manicured nail.
“Almost perfect isn’t perfect, darling.”
Her plan was to sequester the cats in the upstairs guest room where she had laid out their beds, toys, and treats to keep them occupied until Ali arrived, but corralling them was impossible.
Every one of them seemed determined to thwart her, except Empress, who had completely disappeared.
Jessica hadn’t seen the calico all day, which was probably for the best. Less chance of an unexpected feline appearance during dinner.
The doorbell rang. Her breath caught.
Ali stood on the porch, and Jessica’s carefully ordered world tilted.
Gone were the casual clothes, the unruly dark waves.
This Ali wore sapphire blue silk that moved like water, catching light as she shifted.
Her hair fell in glossy waves past her shoulders, framing blue eyes, like deep pools inviting her to dive in.
A gold chain drew Jessica’s gaze to the hollow of Ali’s throat, where she swallowed visibly.
“Hi.” Ali’s voice carried that familiar warmth, but lower somehow. “Not too early?”
Jessica’s mouth went dry. “No. Perfect timing.” The words came out rougher than intended.
Ali stepped inside, bringing the scent of amber in her wake.
“You look...” Jessica swallowed. Professional. Say professional . “Beautiful.”
A flush crept up Ali’s neck, disappearing beneath the neckline that suddenly seemed both modest and maddeningly revealing. “Thank you. You look lovely too.”
Jessica watched Ali’s gaze travel over her, lingering at the curve of her waist before snapping back up.
God, how long had it been since a woman had stirred that feeling in her?
She’d begun to think her libido had moved out, emigrated, and died by a desolate roadside.
Desperate to keep a semblance of dignity, she put her tongue back in her mouth and led them through to the kitchen.
Jessica reached for wine glasses, hyperaware of Ali leaning against the counter. The dress clung in new places when Ali moved, revealing the gentle curve of her hip, the line of her thigh.
“Something smells amazing.” Ali’s fingers traced the counter’s edge, and Jessica found herself mesmerized by the movement—those capable hands now almost elegant with subtle polish on short nails.
“Salmon fillets with a cranberry sauce.” Jessica’s voice sounded strange to her own ears. She was definitely having some sort of out-of-body experience. “Would you like wine?”
“Please.” Their fingers brushed as Ali accepted the glass. The contact sent electricity shooting up Jessica’s arm. Dear god, she thought, I must be hormonal.
“Where are the cats tonight?” Ali asked, tongue darting out to catch a drop of wine on her lower lip.
Jessica tracked the movement, heat rising her chest. “Upstairs. The guest room.” She forced her eyes away. “I thought containment might be... prudent.”
Ali laughed, the sound rich and genuine. Her head tilted back slightly, exposing the long line of her throat. Jessica gripped her wine glass tighter.
“Probably wise.” Ali’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Do you want me upstairs?” Ali raised her glass indicating to the second floor. The movement pulled the silk taut across her breasts.
Jessica’s mouth fell open. Yes! I absolutely do!
“To look after the cats?” Ali dipped her head as though to make eye contact.
“No. God, no. I want you down here beside me.”
Ali laughed and cocked her head, as though she’d caught something in Jessica’s expression. Their eyes held for a beat too long. The air between them almost crackled.
“I mean, I invited you to dinner and the cats. Well, I mean, I didn’t ask the cats to dinner, but—” She paused to catch her breath and her dignity. “I managed to get them herded into the one room so… We should...” Jessica gestured vaguely toward the dining room.
“Right.” Ali’s voice had lowered, though the amused smirk remained.
They returned to the kitchen just as Jessica’s phone chimed. She glanced at it—a text from her mother about arrival time—but found herself watching Ali instead. The way she moved through the space with unconscious grace, how the kitchen light caught mahogany highlights in her dark hair.
“Problem?” Ali asked, noticing her distraction.
“No. Just...” Jessica set the phone aside. “You’re different tonight.”
Ali’s eyebrows rose. “Different how?”
“I don’t know. Just...” Beautiful. Magnetic. Attractive enough to be dangerous. But she opted for the safety of, “Different.”
Pink bloomed across Ali’s cheeks. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the gesture oddly vulnerable. “Must be the dress.” She did a twirl.
“It suits you.” Jessica’s gaze lingered on the way the fabric skimmed Ali’s curves. Tonight was turning into a revelation… And then with a shudder, she remembered her parents were on their way.
“My parents,” she said, faltering. “They can be a bit...”
“Judgmental? Overbearing? Socially intimidating?” Ali said, then grimaced. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have?—”
“No, don’t apologize. They are all of the above.”
Ali smiled, and Jessica couldn’t tear her eyes away from that smile… that body in that dress.
“Don’t worry. I grew up on military bases around the world,” Ali told her. “I can handle a little parental scrutiny.”
“It’s more than a little,” Jessica warned. “And they don’t know about my situation.” She gestured to the second floor and the room full of cats.
“The cats? But I thought the will was public knowledge.”
“The inheritance, yes. The stipulation about living with seven cats, no. As far as they know, I’m simply fulfilling a residency requirement.”
Ali blinked in surprise. “So they think you’re just house-sitting?”
“Essentially.” Jessica smoothed a non-existent wrinkle from her dress. “It’s simpler that way.”
“So what am I doing here, in their eyes?” Ali asked, with a puzzled expression.
“I told them you’re a colleague who’s advising me on some personal investments.”
“In cat futures?” Ali teased, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Please don’t mention the cats unless absolutely necessary,” Jessica said, her tone caught between pleading and commanding. “I’d rather avoid the inevitable commentary on my life choices.”
Jessica watched Ali’s expression shift, as if she wanted to argue the point.
Then understanding softened her features.
Or wait—was that pity? She was suddenly exposed—this gorgeous woman was looking at her the same way she looked at the rescue animals, with that mixture of patience and compassion.
God, no! She was getting aroused by a woman who now looked at her like she was a bird with a broken wing. This wasn’t good.
“Alright,” Ali agreed. “No cat talk.”
“Thank you.” Disconcerted relief washed through Jessica, then unable to stop herself she said, “You look beautiful, by the way. That color suits you.”
Ali’s cheeks flushed, the color highlighting the blue of her eyes. “Thanks. I clean up okay when properly motivated.”
“Or threatened with my mother’s judgment,” Jessica replied with a faint smile, trying to lighten the sudden intensity between them.
The doorbell rang and Jessica immediately straightened.
“That’ll be my parents.”
“Right.” Ali set down her wine glass. “Let the games begin.”
As Jessica moved toward the door, she caught Ali adjusting the neckline of her dress, smoothing the fabric over her hips.
The gesture was so unconsciously sensual that Jessica had to pause, pressing her fingers to her sternum, trying to calm her heart which oddly felt like it was about to burst out of her chest.
What was happening to her? This was Ali—funny, chaotic Ali who wore mismatched socks and was permanently covered in pet hair. But tonight...
Tonight Ali was something else entirely. Tonight she was temptation and possibility rolled into one, and Jessica was crumbling with each shared glance, each accidental touch.
She opened the door to her parents and smiled politely, but her awareness remained fixed on the woman in her kitchen, the taste of wine on her lips mixing with a deeper thirst, one that had returned with the enthusiasm of an overexcited college hook-up.