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Dear Dr. Jameson,
We are writing to confirm your next overseas placement, starting on December 26. Your requested location of Cambodia has been approved. All travel and accommodation details are attached.
Sincerely,
Alice Walsh
Director
This was what he’d been wanting, expecting…so why was his gut twisting? Was it just the thought of returning to Cambodia? Or was it also the idea of getting on a plane and flying a million miles away from Jess?
Chapter Ten
Mitch picked up their wineglasses and carried them into her living room. With a large bowl of buttery popcorn, Jessica followed him. Dressed in the pair of faded jeans she loved, a black sweater that hugged his chest and shoulders, and bare feet, he looked casual and relaxed. As hot as he’d looked in dress pants and button-down shirt the first day they’d met, Jessica loved this look the most. It meant that they were getting more comfortable with each other. She could picture him in her house—in herlife—like this. Evenings binge-watching Netflix on the couch…
Getting way ahead of yourself.
She needed answers before she could let her fantasies run wild. In the living room, she set the bowl down on the coffee table, and when she turned to face him, he pulled her down on his lap. “I missed you today,” he said, brushing her hair back away from her neck.
“You saw me just this morning,” she said teasingly, though she’d suffered a similar ache for him. Especially after the discussion with Lia.
He touched her cheek. “Am I sounding too desperate?”
“Just desperate enough,” she said, feeling her chest fill with happiness. No guy had ever seemed this into her before. Never had she been with anyone who was as interested in spending so much time together as she was. At least not with their clothes on. She leaned toward him and kissed him softly. Or rather, she’d meant it to be a soft, gentle kiss, but the moment her lips touched his, she felt herself sinking into it.
His grip on her thighs tightened as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer. He deepened the kiss, and the passion from earlier that day seemed to instantly reignite. Her hands crept up his neck and into his hair, then ran over his shoulders and solid chest. Damn, he was smoking hot.
Reluctantly, she slowly moved away, breaking the connection of their mouths. “We should probably watch the video,” she said, her voice sounding slightly hoarse.
Mitch’s gaze was locked on her lips, and he nodded as he kissed her once again, quickly. “Probably a good idea,” he said.
She went to stand, but he held onto her. “Stay right here.”
Oh God…he was killing her. She snuggled in closer as he reached for the remote. He had the laptop cued to the first set of photos. “Should I hit play?”
“Yes.” As much as she’d like to make out with him all evening, she really did want to see these videos and photos of his trips. “Where were these taken?” She was determined to focus on the slides. They had all night, so they could talk about other things later. Right now, she was eager to see what his life overseas was like.
“Africa,” he said, hesitating. “And you’re sure this isn’t boring? You’re not just saying you want to see these but really you’d rather watch paint dry?”
She laughed. “I want to see them. I’ve never been anywhere, remember?”
He smiled. “That’s because you have everything you want right here.”
Right at that moment she did, but would she feel a void in her fulfilling life after Mitch left? Thinking about the future was like running on a hamster wheel—it got her nowhere fast. What was next for them? Where did they go from there? Had their time together so far meant as much to Mitch as it had to her? Was he hoping things would fizzle out closer to his date to leave again?
Too many questions had her emotions in conflict, and she didn’t want to waste any of their time together with thinking negative thoughts. They were together now.
“Hit play,” she said.
He massaged her legs on his lap as he started the slide show.
The tiny gesture had Jess’s heart racing, and she struggled to focus on what he was saying…something about immunizations and a new medical facility. Her gaze was locked on the photos scrolling on her television set, but her body was in tune to the way he gently massaged her thighs and calves.
This here was everything she’d ever wanted. The perfect guy. The perfect life.
“So, this was Zimbabwe,” Mitch said as he forwarded to the next slide. “We were visiting an orphanage to vaccinate the children there. The medical resources in that part of the country are limited.”
Her attention was now all on the images. “All of those children are orphans?” Jessica’s heart ached as she stared at the happy, smiling faces of children who had very little.
