The Temporary Roomie (It Happened in Nashville 2)

She angles her self-satisfied smirk toward me and presents her cheek, still enjoying her moment of control.

If she’s going to ruin me tonight, I’m going to ruin kissing for her from now on. I’ll make sure that in comparison, any first kiss after this one tastes as dry as burnt toast.

I curve my hand firmly around the back of Jessie’s neck and lean forward. She gasps at the pressure of my fingers against her skin, and everything around us melts away. My eyes drink up the features of her face, her pink mouth, the curve of her long dark lashes, her delicate collarbones extending out under taut, golden skin. I can’t wait any longer. I need her kiss like I need air.

My mouth covers hers in a sweet, fragile press that she wasn’t expecting. No doubt my eyes look hungry, and the pressure of my hand prepared her for a firm collision—but I’m not some anxious frat boy cornering her at a party. I’ve got nothing but time and patience as I tilt her face so our lips can meet over and over again in luxurious coaxing presses. My heart pounds, and the rhythm of her mouth’s movement accelerates. She smells like coconut and tastes like heaven, and the sudden gentle grip of Jesse’s hand on my knee spurs me to lightly brush my tongue against her lips, coaxing them to part so we can deepen the kiss. Jessie nearly falls off her chair trying to slide closer to me. I can’t help but smile against her needy search of my mouth, but then sensing my amusement, Jessie pulls her lips away and her eyes flutter open. She looks shocked and startled and drugged. I want to gloat, but instead, I can’t resist dragging my thumb across her lower lip one more time.

We stare at each other, both frowning in disapproval as the room erupts in applause, catcalls, and whistles. Suddenly, I’m angrier than I’ve ever been in my life. Not because of the prank—although I’m going to have a hell of time unraveling it—but because of her obvious hatred behind it. I feel like an idiot for seeing the last few weeks as anything other than what

they were: a setup. She let me think we were becoming friends so when she squashed me in the big reveal, it would make her victory twice as sweet. Just like the bucket of water above my door.

But I don’t know…somehow those thoughts don’t feel right either. There’s more to this, more lurking under the surface, but I don’t see it yet.

Finally, I grin (read: sneer) and take her hand in mine, holding it up in the air like I’m the one who actually won this match.

I’m a mess, and I just want to go home. Drew wasn’t supposed to kiss me. He wasn’t supposed to…

No, I can’t even let myself go there. It was too good, and even though I won this round tonight, I still feel like I lost somehow. Is this how people feel when they go on a game show and pass on the hundred thousand dollars to see what’s in the box instead? DON’T OPEN THE BOX, PEOPLE! There’s nothing in that stupid box but unwanted feelings.

After my supreme prank and Drew’s very un-supreme kiss (just let me have this one), we had to endure an entire dinner as well as a silent auction together, both stewing in our own versions of anger but keeping smiles plastered across our faces. Between Susan and the Greens, I felt as if we were on a celebrity talk show. No one has ever been more interested in a relationship than those three. Drew and I were pulling fake dating stories out of thin air, smiling and chuckling when it was warranted, but all evening I could feel the silent pressure of his hand against my shoulder, reminding me that he hadn’t forgotten, that we have the mother of all fights on the horizon.

My retaliation completely worked, so why does the thought of Drew angry make me want to run out and buy an entire frozen section of ice cream just to make him smile at me again?

Finally, someone comes over a speaker and announces that the dance floor is open. Oh great, now we have to do the electric slide with these bad attitudes? I can’t spend any more time next to Drew and his handsome face, and dark blue eyes, and telepathic anger. Oh, but wait! I drove here! I can save myself!

Discretely, I gather my purse and rise out of my chair, hoping to slip past Drew while he’s talking to Richard without him noticing. But of course, he does notice, because he notices every movement I make, and as soon as I stand, his hand catches mine. The smirk he tosses up at me turns my stomach inside out.

“Not leaving without me, are you, buttercup?”

Now we’re two parents in the middle of an ugly fight but not wanting to upset the kids. “I didn’t want to interrupt you two, honey bear,” I say, turning my smile to Richard and then back to Drew. “You stay and enjoy yourself! I’ll just see you at home, okay?” I flash him my pearly whites. CHEESE! Everything is fine, random onlookers!

The corners of Drew’s eyes crinkle. “I’m not going to let my pregnant fiancée walk to her car all alone after dark. Come on, gumdrop, I’ll walk with you.” Drew is acting so over the top. His sugary sweet demeanor is prickling all over my skin like I rolled in a pile of sandburs.

Drew stands up, and I wish I didn’t find him even more attractive, but after that incredible kiss, I do. He looks stronger somehow. More capable. And knowing how his lips feel…NO! DON’T THINK ABOUT THE KISS.

“Oh, wait you two!” says Henry, drawing our attention back with a little wave of his hand. “Before you go, we wanted to run something by you guys.” He and Richard share a private look that seriously worries me. “We were wondering if you would like to join us next weekend at our house up on Barren River Lake—like a little engagement celebration weekend! It’s such a beautiful place right on the edge of Kentucky and only just over an hour away. Enjoy a little restful weekend before your sweet baby arrives.”

Ugh. They are so nice. Under any other circumstance, I’d be all over a relaxing weekend away with a sexy man like Drew and sweet new friends. But as everything stands, a weekend away with him would only lengthen this nightmare. No thank you. It’s time to move on from Drew.

“That is such a sweet offer, and normally we would love to, but—”

“But nothing. We’d love to go,” Drew interjects with a smile that borders on insanity, and his hand drops to my low low back in a wayyyyy-too-familiar touch. I think this is the moment in his villain story when he first turns bad. Chills chase that thought all over my skin.

I take a step closer to Drew and pat his chest, talking through my smiling teeth like a ventriloquist. “Honey, I think you’ve forgotten—you’re on call this weekend.”

He chuckles, and I feel it in my palm. “Actually, it’s the weekend after that I’m on call. I’m free as a bird this weekend.” He bops the tip of my nose.

I’m going to wring his gorgeous neck. I don’t want to go to their stupid lake house and pretend to be congenial all weekend. What I need to do is get away from Drew forever. Nothing is going as I planned.

“Well then…” I swallow. “Looks like we’re coming to your lake house!”

Maybe I can eat something spicy and send myself into early labor before next weekend…

Faster, Jessie, faster!

I whip my car into the driveway and cut the engine. I took the opportunity to sneak out of the fundraiser while Drew was caught talking with a blabbermouth at the door, but as I was pulling out of the parking lot, I saw him exiting the venue. We locked eyes through the window of my car, and he picked up his pace into nearly a full jog toward his Jeep.

Because I love taking the high road, I stuck my tongue out then peeled out of the parking lot. Now I’m home, Drew is only a minute behind me at most, and I’m going to accidentally break my water as I leap out of the car and race my way up the stairs. I’m out of breath and exhausted when I make it into my bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind me.