“Mmm.” At last, his fingers slid beneath her sweater, the combination of rough callus and gentle strength driving her higher. And when those powerful hands tugged her bra down to roll and pinch her nipples, she jolted against him. A few more minutes of this and she’d come without even feeling his touch on her core.
She threw her leg over him and ground against his brawny thigh, seeking release.
Her phone shrilled. Zora’s ringtone.
“Not now, Auntie,” she groaned.
Jesse lifted her sweater and licked her breast, his tongue circling closer and closer to her aching nipple.
The phone rang again, Marquetta’s ringtone this time.
“No, no, no,” she whimpered. “Let me have this moment.”
An unfamiliar ringtone sounded. With a sigh, Jesse withdrew and pulled his phone from his jacket pocket. “Uh-oh.” He held up the screen. “Zora’s number. You better take this.” He hit Speaker.
Marquetta’s voice rang out, tense and tight. “Thank God. We’re on our way to the E.R. Zora was working late at the shop. She got dizzy and fell. Hit her head on that damn giant geode by the door. Blood everywhere.”
“I’m on my way.” Heart hammering, Gemma fumbled with her clothing.
“I’ll drive you.” Jesse pocketed his phone and turned off the firepit.
“No, you don’t need to—”
“I said, I’m driving.” Jaw tight, nostrils flared, he’d never looked more like his namesake beast as he yanked her to her feet and boosted her into his pickup.
“Bull-headed farmer,” she muttered as he spun out, spraying gravel.
“When I have to be. You’re too upset to drive.” He stomped the accelerator as soon as they hit the road.
Shivering, Gemma huddled in her seat. “Goddess, please let her be okay.” What would she do without her beloved auntie?
Jesse’s big hand clasped her knee. “She will be. Zora is strong, like her niece.”
Wishing she could believe him, she leaned onto his shoulder as they sped toward town.
Chapter Six
BythetimeJessepulled into the parking lot of Trappers Cove’s small community hospital, Gemma’s wrenching sobs had quieted, but she continued to clutch his knee in a white-knuckled grip. What could he possibly do or say to comfort her? Despite their interrupted intimacy, he hardly knew her—her spicy wit, her teasing smile, yes, and her silken skin, and sea-bright eyes, but heart remained a mystery.
He switched off the ignition and pulled her hand into his. “Whatever we find in there, we’ll handle it together, okay? Just tell me what you need.”
She gazed at him with red, puffy eyes. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He chuckled. “If you don’t know the answer to that question, I need to work on my technique.”
When she gave him a quizzical head tilt, he added, “I like you, Gemma. A lot. And I’m fond of Zora and Marquetta too.” He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Now, let’s go see what needs to be done.”
Perhaps it was a shitty, selfish thought, but he liked the way she leaned on him as they hurried to the ER.
A kindly nurse directed them down a long hallway to a narrow room where Zora lay in bed, sallow and small against the pillows, a large gauze bandage on her forehead, wires trailing from her body to a bank of monitors. A steady beep, beep, beep punctuated her whispered conversation with Marquetta, who clutched her wife’s hand.
“Auntie,” Gemma sobbed and bolted to join them. She gave Zora a careful hug and Marquetta a tight, teary one.
Marquetta shot him a baleful glance. “Something’s wrong with her heart’s rhythm. They’re shipping her to Aberdeen for testing.”
“How long will that take?”
The tremor in Gemma’s voice made him yearn to hold her close, but he restrained himself, unsure if she’d welcome the gesture.
