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“Anytime, darlin’.” He smiled, then surprised me with a wink. Once I was tucked inside, he closed the door and rounded the truck.
I erased my ridiculous grin before he got behind the wheel, then tossed a look back at Rory. I had a feeling my semi-wild best friend snuck in more than the one shot I had, because her eyes were already closed.
Jesse pulled onto the main road and turned on the radio. “Country okay?”
“Of course, silly. It’s pretty much all I listen to.”
I caught his smile even though his profile was to me, eyes on the road. It was late. Dark. And a deer could jump in front of us at any time. I admired his dedication to keep us safe.
I also opted to keep quiet on the ride to their parents’ house. I was worried I’d babble again. Talk about sticks of all things. Jeez, I needed to grow up.
After arriving at their house, Jesse made sure Rory was safely inside before climbing back in the truck to take me home. It was just the two of us now. Breathe, Ella.
I couldn’t remember ever being alone with him. Well, not since that one night I’d snuck a few sips of Beckett’s moonshine and asked Jesse to kiss me. I’d been fifteen and tipsy. So, of course he’d said no with zero hesitation. Plus, he was a few years “too old” for me, or so he’d said.
Jesse’s eyes shifted toward my legs, and I realized I was gripping my thighs for dear life. “My driving making you nervous, darlin’?”
There it was again. The word that I’d heard thousands of times from Southern gentlemen all my life. But from Jesse, now all hard angles and a military man, it had new meaning.
“I trust you with my life,” I said softly, then eased my grip on my legs just a touch. I didn’t trust myself to let my hands free completely. I might reach over the console, no stick shift, thank God, and maybe grab—
“I’ll always keep you safe.” His firm, reassuring tone cut off my wayward thoughts.
“I know you will,” I returned, loosening my grip a touch more. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
I cast a quick look his way, and he tipped his head in a polite nod before focusing back on the road. One hand on the wheel, the other resting on his . . .
For the love of God, get the word stick out of your head. You’re eighteen, not ten, I mentally chastised myself.
“You okay, Ella? You didn’t sneak more whiskey like my sister, did ya?”
I laughed. “No. But you noticed that, huh? I thought she did.”
“She worries me. You’ll keep an eye on her for me while at school, right? Don’t let any of those college boys fuck with—” He cut himself off and shook his head. “I meant bother her. I don’t want to know about that other stuff.”
Yeah, I needed a second to recover from Jesse’s use of the F word. It was now going to play on repeat in my head.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What if I asked him to take my virginity tonight? Pull over. Do it in the bed of his truck in some field beneath the stars. How perfect would that be?
But he’d said no to my kiss request, why would he want to make love to me? And what if he had a girlfriend? Someone near his post? Or a long-distance someone he wrote love letters to? Or emails? Emails were becoming more and more popular. Ohhh, and chat rooms, too. Shit.
“Ella?”
“Mmmhmm?” I swiveled on my seat to give him my attention.
“Should I be worried about you, too?”
I finally let go of my thighs only to slap a hand over my heart. “Me?” I swallowed. “Like at college?”
He focused back on the road and took a turn down the long driveway leading to my family’s ranch. “In general, I reckon.”
“I’m not quite as free-spirited as Rory. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, no.” I may have been sassy, but I was pretty much a by-the-book good girl. Sure, a good girl who wants this man to pull over and make love to me. In the bed of his truck, for God’s sake.
“Well, I know you have Shep and Caleb still around, but if someone ever . . . or you ever . . . I’ll hop on a plane all the way from Iraq to come to your rescue if need be.”
“You’d go AWOL for me?” I whispered in disbelief, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying in a roundabout way.
