Six Days
Mitch sat alone in his truck; the evening with the girl from the bar had ended shortly after Tom and Jessica left. He knew Tom didn't have to work and had left the bowling alley with Jessica because of him. Was that a good thing? Could Tom tell that his brother had a problem with Tom seeing Jessica? And what about her? What was she doing leaning up and whispering into his brother's ear?
He pushed his fingers through his hair and finally pulled out of the apartment complex's parking lot. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there after the young redhead got out of his truck and tempted him upstairs for more fun. The funny thing was, he'd planned on fucking her when he made the date, but now with Jessica in town again, it just seemed wrong.
The night was young really and he hadn't any place to be, except his own small ranch, so it wasn't a shock that he ended up at the liqueur store. He bought himself a bottle of Jack and started driving. This time instead of drinking to a memory of the woman he loved fucking his brother, it was to the memory of a lost love that he'd missed out on.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jessica, Tom, and Bailey had enjoyed ice cream together and caught up on old times. Jessica though had immediately seen the reaction that Bailey's "new" look had done to her date. She was happy that Tom had reacted so well to her friend's appearance. She also kicked herself mentally for not keeping in touch with the young woman that had been a constant source of love while she lived in the Valley. Nevertheless when Jessica left Dry Valley she'd left everyone, she'd left everything . . . the event that had transpired with Jonas had been too much for her to share with anyone and she just wanted out of Dry Valley.
When it became apparent that her company wasn't really needed, she giggled and started to walk away. She wondered if Tom would've noticed had it not been for Bailey asking her where she was going. She grinned and leaned over Bailey's shoulder. "You have a good time with my date. I'm gonna walk home from here."
Tom had insisted she was doing no such thing, until Sheriff Beacon's son walked by. Jessica had latched onto him and grinned up in a charming manner. In the end the young deputy had agreed to walk Jessica home and Tom was left at the table with the beautiful and self-conscious Bailey.
When Jessica reached her house she thanked her escort and let herself in. "Thanks for walking me home," she said before closing the door and locking it behind her. Her fingers dropped the keys on the stand and she flicked on the small lamp. The glow of her answering machine's light blinked rapidly and she sighed. "In the morning," she told herself out loud and slipped off her shoes before walking toward the kitchen. "For just getting into town you seem to have a lot of male friends taking you out," a voice called out to her.
Jessica's heart felt as if it had been caught in a vise and she spun around. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. Her pulse raced. She knew his voice and now as she breathed deep from the panic of being with him again she could smell his scent - woodsy and fresh - all Mitch.
"I'm not sure," he told her. He'd watched her walk up the sidewalk with the Sheriff's son, Deputy Beacon and found himself thrilled that Tom had ditched her or perhaps she'd ditched him. Either way she was with Beacon and everyone knew Beacon had a wife, a sexy one too.
Jessica flicked on the light and watched him flinch from the glare. "Is breaking and entering a new thing for the Walker family?" she asked. She saw the bottle on the table and sighed. "Drunk?"
"Nope, took a few swings as I was driving," he stopped and held up his hands. "No need to jump down my throat. I said swings, not gulps."
"Okay, so you're not drunk. So you broke in sober. What for?" she asked again. She stood there in the center of the room staring down at him. Inside her pulse was racing faster and her stomach was rolling in feverish pitches. It was the same effect he'd always had on her, one that she wasn't sure she liked, yet one she wasn't sure she hated either.
Mitch stood up and closed the distance between them. He'd been consumed with thoughts of her as he drove around. His mind conjured up all the places they could have seen together had she not run off, things they could have done together if she'd not run away and let him believe she'd given in to his twin's charms.
He'd come here to see if she would give in or not. If Tom brought her home and into the house he'd probably have beaten his brother to a bloody pulp. He loved him, but he loved Jessica more. It was that realization that forced him to break in. The need to see what she did and said to his brother burned into him and so he jimmied the lock on the back door and slipped in. Now he stood there looking down at her and he was lost in the "what could have been."
There was a moment she knew what he was about to do and she told herself to stop him, but she didn't. His hands grabbed her arms and he pulled her to him. The taste of whiskey was light and she knew he spoke the truth. He'd not drunk much. Jessica angled her head and welcomed his kiss. Their tongues battled and she relaxed against him. It felt so wonderful to taste him again and she wanted more, but something told her she couldn't do this. She pulled away and jerked free of his grip.
"What do you want?" she asked, stepping back and putting a lot of space between them.
Mitch chuckled. "Well that's pretty obvious " he said and took a step toward her. "From the way you kissed me, I'd say you want the same thing." Jessica bit her lower lip and sighed. "Mitch. We can't."
