Page 61 of Jessica's Hero

A beat later, the irony of my statement strikes me.

I’ve already let her down. The rocks, the tires, the package… and that’s not even counting all the times I could have defended her from the shitty things people were saying if I’d only known. If I’d only paid closer attention.

“Kane.” Her voice softens. “It’s not your fault.”

“I can’t help feeling like it is.” It’s gruff with regret. “I’msupposed to be protecting you, Jess. And you keep getting hurt, instead.”

“No.” Her forehead pinches in consternation. “What happened was not your fault. Full stop. I won’t have you taking the blame for it. Like you said, we’re not responsible for the actions of bad people. Right?”

“Right.”

“So you’re not responsible for this jerk messing with me. It’s on them. And their screwed up issues. Not you. Okay?”

I’m not entirely convinced, but I’m not about to argue, either. “Okay.”

“So.” She sits up straight. “Since you took the day off, can we do something fun? I’ve been moping around since we got home yesterday and it’s not doing any good. And I’ve been thinking, I’m really pretty lucky. Nothing bad happened. Everyone’s safe. I have you and Oliver and the whole B and A team looking out for me. Plus all your friends. I should be happy, really.”

Fuck.

How did I find someone so incredible?

From the kitchen, I hear the faint sound of another text coming in. But this time, I decide to ignore it. Right now, making sure Jess is okay is the most important thing.

“Okay, sweetheart.” I brush her hair back from her forehead. “What would you like to do? I was just starting breakfast, so we can have that first. Then, we could watch a movie. Or playTenebris Veil—” Cutting myself off, I glance at the bandage on her hand. “Maybe not. But I could give you a massage. Or we could invite Nora or Thea over…”

“Those all sound really nice.” Jess wraps her legsaround my waist and rotates her hips. Her heat sears into me, making me even harder than before. “But I was thinking… Maybe we could do something else?”

My jeans go tight. “Oh?”

Pink floods her cheeks. “Well. Yesterday, you mentioned some scarves?”

Oh.

I’m no longer partially hard, but achingly so.

But. Breakfast. Relaxing. Letting her friends support her.

“Are you sure?” I ask cautiously. “You didn’t eat much for dinner. And the paramedic did say you should take it easy today.”

Jess scoffs. “I think they say that to everyone. Aside from my hand, I feel fine.” She pauses, and her voice dips. “And with the scarves, I wouldn’t have to use my hand at all, would I?”

OH.

“No. You wouldn’t.” Sliding my hands under her ass, I lift her as I stand. “But after, you have to eat something. Agreed?”

Her eyes flash a deep golden green. “Of course. Whatever you say.”

Desire ignites into an inferno of need.

“Do you know how damn sexy it is when you say that?” I ask just before nipping her neck.

“When I say what?”

“Whatever you say.I like it. A lot.”

“Oh.” Heat turns her gaze nearly black. “Then… will you use the scarves? And tell me what you want me to do?”

Fuck.