Page 108 of Mountain Daddy

She didn’t slap me.

She clung to me as I held her in place with my hand on her throat.

I might be fucked in the head, but I kind of want to role-play that moment. Only in the replay, I can shove her back into the bathroom and pound into her over the sink.

I’m definitely fucked in the head.

“What’s this?” Jessie gestures toward my face. “I don’t like it.”

I drop my smirk. “She didn’t slap me.”

Jessie’s still giving me a narrow look. “Okay. And then what? You just pretended like you didn’t know each other.”

“Pretty much.” I also put my hands on her the second I got Joe out of the room, but she doesn’t need to know that.

She purses her lips while she nods. “And that’s what’s eating you up? You feel bad about sleeping with her?”

I chew on my lip.

Jessie thinks it was just the once.

Just the one-night stand.

I blow out a breath. “You really want to know about this?”

Her nod is way too enthusiastic. “I don’t need to know what happened in the motel room, but the aftermath? Hell yeah, I want to know. This is better thanDawns of Agony.”

I give her a look for comparing my life to a soap opera. “Fine. You want to know? I’ll tell you.” Jessie suddenly looks unsure. But too bad for her. “We pretended we didn’t know each other. Joe has no idea. But I gave her my number. We snuck off for a… rendezvous during the welcome barbecue thing Joe hosted. I slept in her bed that night. Every day since, we’ve texted, talked, or video called. I brought her lunch. Got caught by Joe and had to pretend the second meal was for him. I took her to the bake sale a few days ago. Almost got caught by Joe. She had to go hide with Courtney.” Jessie’s eyes widen as I go. “I took her to Lonely Peak, got caught by the fucking ranger. And today’s, what, Thursday? And I’m hosting Ashley’s grad party Saturday, so I should be thinking about that. But instead, I’m thinking about Kendra. Who, by the way, I already invited to the party. So when you see her there, you need to pretend like you haven’t met.”

Jessie whistles. “Damn, Bro. You’re indeep.”

I slump against the bar. “What do I do?”

“What do you want to do?”

I answer her honestly. “I want to keep seeing Kendra.”

She watches me but doesn’t act surprised by my answer. “You gonna tell Joe?”

Slowly, I shake my head. “No. Not yet. I… I need to know where this is going. If it’s a forever thing, then I’ll tell him. But…”

“But?” She lifts a brow, prompting me.

“I’m too old for her.”

Jessie snorts.

I narrow my eyes. “What?”

“You were too old for her when she first stepped foot in this bar, ya fucking creep. But it didn’t stop you then, so why should it stop you now?”

She has a point, but… “That was just supposed to be a one-time thing.” My fucking chest hurts as I say it. One time was never going to be enough with Kendra.

“You have things in common?”

Jessie’s question catches me off guard, but I nod.

Surprisingly, we do.