I'm not surprised. I meant what I told her earlier. Gretchen picked the best of the bunch as far as I'm concerned. There is no one more capable of handling a private event for celebrities of their caliber in a professional manner than Jessa. She radiates goodness and empathy and goes out of her way to make people feel included and comfortable.
It's one of the things I love about her. It's also the thing that makes me crazy with jealousy. Everyone loves Jessa. Everyone wants to be around her. She's friendly, cute, and sweet as hell. I'm a possessive, jealous bastard who wants to keep her locked up in my house and monopolize every second of her time. She doesn't date, thank God. I think I would have snapped long ago if she did.
Once Olivia Alexander reaches the stage and grabs the microphone from the stand, Jessa taps something on her tablet and the music starts. Cami and Bentley break apart to cheer her on. Kasen stands at the side of the stage, staring at his wife like he can't look away from her.
Jessa takes the opportunity to look around, checking to make sure everything is taken care of, no doubt. She's a perfectionist. It's ridiculous how much that trait of hers turns me on. I want to mess up her neatly ordered little world just to see her squirm. She's so cute when something is out of place. It drives her nuts.
I step out of the kitchen doorway, waiting for her to notice me.
It doesn't take her long. Her eyes land on me and go comically wide behind her purple frames. They're the most colorful part of her wardrobe. They make her blue eyes seem even bigger, even brighter, her blonde hair even lighter.
She swallows hard enough I expect to hear her gulp over Olivia belting out Reba McEntire's Fancy. Her voice isn't bad. It's clear and sweet but she hits those low notes hard, her voice dropping into a perfect southern drawl.
I crook a finger at Jessa, silently calling her over to me.
She swallows again and slowly rises from her chair, scooping the tablet up. She presses it against her chest, holding it like it's a flotation device and she's in the middle of the ocean. It pushes her tits up higher in her shirt, stretching the fabric over them.
My dick stirs, lengthening.
She's the only thing that's gotten him hard in years and she doesn't even have a clue. Jessa isn't insecure. She's oblivious. She has no idea of just how beautiful she is or how hard she makes me. She isn't one of those women who tries to be sexy. With her, it's effortless, something she doesn't control or even realize.
Her wide hips sway, her body moving like a dream as she walks toward me.
I shove my hands into the pockets of my slacks, trying to keep them out of the path of temptation. She'd kick my ass if I dragged her into the backroom to taste that sweet mouth. I'm a desperate man though, ready to explode. Trying to stay away from her isn't working. Trying not to love her is impossible.
I'm done trying to keep Cyrus in my corner by denying the way I feel about his baby sister. Losing his friendship will hurt like hell, but not making his sister mine is a death sentence. One I've been living every damn day for the last four years. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm not good enough for her. No one ever will be. But I'll love her better than anyone else ever could. As far as I'm concerned, being able to care for her the way she deserves is the only good thing to come with the fortune Charles Concord left me when he died.
I don't think she knows yet that I'm the one who funded her fellowship. She'd probably be pissed, but I know how hard she's worked to get herself to grad school. I know how much it means to her to chase her dreams. I'll be damned if anything stops her so long as I have a say.
"Hey," she whispers when she draws close, that tablet still pressed tight to her chest.
I take a breath, inhaling her peaches and cream scent like a man starving for oxygen. She smells edible. I already know she'll taste just as sweet, like juicy peaches and warm sunshine.
"What are you doing here?"
"I own the place, rabbit," I remind her…which will never stop being weird to me. Seven months ago, I was in Myanmar, rescuing child soldiers from a militia group. The only thing I owned was the one-bedroom apartment where I lived when I wasn't on a mission, my truck, and my bike. I've spent the last six months visiting every property that came with Concord's fortune, and I still haven't seen them all.
"Wow. Really? I wasn't aware." Jessa rolls her eyes at me, which makes me smile. She does not take shit from anyone, least of all me. "I mean, why are you here now? It's almost midnight. I thought you were dealing with a DEFCON Billionaire situation. What exactly is a DEFCON situation for a billionaire, anyway?"
"According to my board of directors and my assistant, it's a cruise ship stranded in international waters," I mutter, scowling at the reminder of how I spent the last six hours. The Board was practically shitting itself over the thought of our stocks plummeting because the engines crapped out on the Principessa.
I had the issue resolved in the first hour, with boats on the way to transport everyone to the nearest port with an airport. The last five were spent explaining to the Board of Directors that offering full refunds and a free cruise to passengers was a sound business decision. We take a small financial hit now but recoup it when they book with us in the future, confident that we'll take care of them just like we did today.
We could finance cruises for half the United States and still be in the black. Concord was a real bastard, but he crapped gold. The men who fill his board are just money-hungry, greedy bastards. I have no doubts that a few of them would sell their firstborn just to protect the bottom line.
"Ouch," Jessa says, grimacing. "Did you save the day?"
"Something like that," I mutter, glancing over her head to the other occupants of the room. "You having a good time here? Everyone behaving?"
"Of course," she says, smiling. "They've been really nice to me. They probably won't last much longer before they wrap it up. Clayton and Addison already left for the night." Her smile widens, lighting up her blue eyes. "Karaoke with superstars is a lot more fun than normal people karaoke. It's like my own private concert. Gwen is going to lose her mind."
"She's a fan?" I ask. Gwen London is Jessa's best friend. She's a sweet girl, good to Jessa. She and Cyrus butt heads a lot. I don't think either of them have worked out why they drive each other crazy the way they do.
"Cami is her idol," Jessa says with a little laugh. "She was giving me hell today about working this event without her."
"Invite her to the benefit tomorrow," I suggest.
"I'm not working it."
"Good. Then there's nothing stopping you from attending with me."
She gapes at me, slack jawed and wide eyed.
"You can tell me then why you've been avoiding me for the last six months," I say, reaching out to push her mouth closed.
"I haven…"
"You have," I say when she trails off, unable to finish that lie. She's a terrible liar. She never can actually tell one. That guilty conscience of hers always stops her right in the middle. "Ever since I tried to kiss you."
"You remember that."