He halted with his boot toes inches from hers. “I stopped by Zora and Marquetta’s place and left a little something for you on your bed.”
She flinched at the mention of bed. Because hunky gorgeousness.
Jesse’s brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
She shook off the image of him stretched out on her lumpy twin mattress. “Nothing. Nice of you to look in on her.”
Recalling Courtney’s advice, she drew him behind the screen, gulped a deep breath, and faced him. “Listen, did I do something wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
Oh, this is so freakin’ hard!
“Well, before Zora fell, you and me, we almost—”
Jesse’s smile blazed like the sun. “Yeah, we almost did.”
“But for the past week, you’ve been—”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Distant, I guess.”
His smile flattened. “I’ve been here every day. Yesterday, I brought you dried chamomile. The day before, I brought chocolate mint. Before that…”
“Yes, and thank you. But you only stay a few minutes, then you go home alone.”
A corner of his mouth ticked up as he brushed a wisp of hair from her cheek, triggering full-body shivers. “You’ve missed me?”
Discombobulated by his intoxicating nearness, Gemma spluttered, “Well, I thought…I mean, we shared a moment, and I hoped…”
“You want to see where it goes?” Chuckling, he ran a fingertip over her jaw.
Her nipples pebbled. Breathless, all she could do was nod.
Breaking the spell, Jesse stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Listen, you’ve been through a lot lately—Zora’s illness, the pacemaker surgery, plus your breakup, and—”
Gemma grabbed his arm. “Zora told you about Caleb?”
He winced and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mea culpa. I’ve been asking your aunts about you.”
“Why not ask me, Jesse? I’m right here.”
He bit his lip, a distractingly sexy gesture. “I’ve been reading up on Aquarius people. You don’t really like talking about your feelings, and—”
“Hold up. Mr. I-Don’t-Believe-In-Woo-Woo-Stuff has been studying astrology?”
He shrugged. “You do believe in it, and so does Zora, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about where you’re coming from.”
Gemma didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Holy cats, Jesse. I’ve been sitting here alone, worrying that you’ve lost interest, and you’re doing research? Can’t we just cut to the chase?”
With a low laugh, Jesse glanced over his shoulder, then placed his lips a hair’s breadth from her ear. “Get naked, you mean? Is that what you want?”
She hooked her fingers into his hip pockets and tugged him against her. “Yes, please. Ever since that night by the fire, I can’t stop thinking about your touch, your voice, your…”
“Gemma.” He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, his expression serious. “You’re vulnerable right now. I didn’t want to take advantage. If you want to be with me, you need to understand I’m not a casual hookup kind of guy. I have feelings for you, which is pretty damn scary, considering you’re all set to bolt from Trappers Cove as soon as Zora is well.”
Gemma sighed. “I haven’t decided what I’ll do when she’s well.”
