Page 31 of Jessica's Hero

“But—”

“If you were upset with someone,” I ask, “would you try to kill them? Or would you find another way to handle it?”

Her response is immediate. “OfcourseI wouldn’t try to kill them.”

“Right. Because that’s crazy. She obviously wasn’t well. But that’s not on you, Jess.”

I can tell she still isn’t convinced, so I press on. “You see Thea now, though? She’s not holding a grudge.”

“I don’t think so… I apologized to her right after I moved back to Sleepy Hollow. I should have before, really, but I was too scared. Once I lived here, though, I knew I had to.”

“And she forgave you.”

“Eventually. But Thea… she’s always been so kind. Understanding.” She pauses before adding, “I still don’t know if I deserve her friendship after what I did.”

Ah, shit.

If I thought I felt protective of Jess before, it’s nothing compared to now.

I’m disappointed in the people in town; people who should know better than to judge a woman for an innocent mistake she made after a traumatic incident. And that’s what it was—a mistake made by a young girl whowas traumatized and hurt and not thinking clearly. She’s not the villain in this story. She never was.

Jess lowers her head, crying softly. “I understand if you’d rather not spend time with me anymore. I should have told you before. I’m sorry.”

My heart makes a wrenching twist. “Of course I want to spend time with you. Nothing’s changed.” I pause, then amend, “Well, I’m pissed at a lot of the people in this town for how they’ve been treating you. But my feelings for you haven’t changed.”

“They haven’t?”

“No, sweetheart. I’m so damn sorry you’ve had to deal with this. It’s not right. And it’s gone on far too long. You’ve been back in Sleepy Hollow for what, five years now?”

She nods.

“That’s ridiculous. Five years? These people need to get over themselves. Stop judging when I can promise they’ve made plenty of their own mistakes. And Jess, trust me when I say this—as a police officer, I’ve seen bad people. You are not one of them. Not even a little bit. You’re kind and sweet and smart and funny and?—”

But I’m cut off by Jess’s mouth crashing against mine.

It’s not a tender kiss like the one the other night, but a hungry one.

Her hands frame my face as she takes control, nipping at my lip before stroking her tongue across the small sting.

As she leans into me, her nipples grow hard against my chest.

A low, sexy hum of pleasure rumbles in the back of her throat.

Arousal throbs, hard and insistent.

With Jess sitting on me like this, it’s an agonizing tease. Every time she shifts position, the sweet curve of her ass sends another shaft of desire straight through me. It’s impossible not to imagine what it would be like to have her sitting on my lap, naked; warm and slick and ready to take me.

Fuck.

My pants feel impossibly tight.

Part of me—the primal, caveman-esque part—wants to pick Jess up and take her to the bedroom. Peel off her clothes and see what she looks like naked after fantasizing about her for weeks.

Months, if I’m honest.

I want to notch myself between her thighs and feel her heat seeping into me. I want to put my head there and bring her to the edge and over, again and again, until the crappy events of the day are a distant thought in her mind.

But.