Jessie Slaymaker's Non-Existent Love Life (The Jessie Slaymaker Series) (6 page)

Jessie had just managed to get comfortable on her sofa when the doorbell rang. She internally debated whether she should actually bother getting up. It was probably just someone trying to flog tea towels, she justified to herself as she sank down lower into the sofa cushions. The doorbell rang again. Not once, but three times in quick succession.

‘Bloody hell,’ Jessie huffed as she clambered off the sofa and headed towards the door. She had a shock when she opened it. Standing there was the last person she thought she’d ever see. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind she’d touched upon the idea that if she and Charlie were going to be together then she’d have to see this man again, but she hadn’t consciously admitted this fact to herself entirely just yet.

‘Hi Jessie,’ Jack said with a shy smile.

‘Hi,’ Jessie managed by way of a delayed response when she’d recovered her powers of speech. She forced herself to smile, suddenly all too aware of her disheveled appearance. Faded grey joggers and an old band t-shirt didn’t make for quite the same look as her green-dress glamour.

‘Can I come in?’ he asked, his smile never wavering for a beat. She must look a damn sight different from the last time she’d seen him. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d turned around and made a run for the hills.

‘Sure,’ she replied, surprised by his request. He still wanted to come in.

‘Working hard?’ he enquired politely as she led him through to the lounge.

‘Yeah, just a tad,’ she smiled wearily, sitting down and motioning for him to do the same. ‘How did you know?’

‘I’m staying with Charlie at the moment, and he seems to be on a hamster’s wheel, unable to get off. I thought you might be on the same wheel.’

‘Sure am,’ Jessie smiled wanly. ‘I’m sorry Jack, but what can I do for you? I don’t what to sound rude, but I’m too tired for an argument about leaving you in the lurch at the wedding. Could we do that some other time?’

‘Have you eaten?’ Jack asked, completely ignoring her mini-monologue.

‘Ummm, no,’ Jessie replied, somewhat floored by the question. There was no way she was going out for dinner tonight. Her supper was going to be of the liquid variety.

‘Come on,’ he commanded, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. ‘You’ve got to eat, Jessie girl. Where’s the kitchen?’

Who
was
this man? That was the question reverberating around Jessie’s mind. He was completely different from the man she remembered from the wedding reception dinner. She sat at the kitchen counter, glugging down her wine, as she watched him nimbly glide around the kitchen like a pro.

‘Okay, what have you done with the real Jack Davenport?’ she asked, laughing as he started juggling apples. Well,
trying
to, anyway.

‘What do you mean? I’ve always been a perfect gentleman where you’re concerned, Miss Slaymaker,’ he replied, replacing the fruit and returning to stir something he was concocting on the stove.

‘Rubbish. You were sullen and surly when I first met you. Nothing like the clown before me now.’ She smiled at him, feeling like she suddenly had more energy than she’d had in days.

‘Oh. So I was a sullen and surly arse, but you still really wanted to fuck me,’ he said, repeating her words as he walked slowly towards her.

‘Oh God, I said that, didn’t I?’ Jessie said, blushing to her roots. She hid her face behind her hands.

‘I thought it was sexy,’ he replied, softly pulling her hands away, looking intently at her.

‘And just imagine how you’ll feel about me when I’m charming and charismatic instead of sullen and surly,’ Jack said assuredly, his voice full of suggestion, still matching her brown eye for brown eye.

Jessie slowly retrieved her hands and took another sip of wine. He did the same, giving her a long look which told her he was thinking about certain shared escapades from that wedding day that had nothing to do with Nick and Natalie’s nuptials. Just then, a pot started to boil over. Thank crap for that, Jessie thought—saved by the pasta, or whatever it was he was cooking.

It was pasta. He’d made her pasta with a spicy sausage and tomato sauce thing which was really delicious. How he’d managed this with the contents of her larder, she didn’t know. This was quite something. Jessie couldn’t remember the last time anyone, other than her mother, had cooked for her, let alone a man. Tom couldn’t cook. Jessie found herself wondering if Charlie would ever cook for her whilst she tucked into her pasta. Jessie didn’t realise just how hungry she was until she looked up to see that he’d only had a few mouthfuls while her own plate was practically demolished.

‘This is…
was
lovely, thank you,’ she said, embarrassed by her less-than-polite table manners. Gobbling was not attractive on anyone.

‘Glad you liked it. I enjoyed making it for you,’ he said plainly, with no hint of sarcasm or insincerity.

‘Would you like to stay and watch a film…help me finish off the wine?’ The offer was out of her mouth before she’d thought it through.

‘That’d be good,’ was his reply.

Great. Now she had to stay awake and entertain him, when all she really wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep on her full stomach. He was nice company and everything, but she felt more than a little awkward around him. She felt like he was waiting for an explanation for the way she’d acted. That was a conversation she didn’t want to be having anytime this century. Plus, she didn’t have one. An explanation, that is.

Chapter 17

Jack found himself unable to stop looking over towards the other end of the sofa every couple of minutes or so,. Jessie was curled up in what looked like an uncomfortable ball-like position, blatantly avoiding touching him whilst struggling to keep her eyes open. They were watching
The Lord of the Rings
, which he felt was more for his benefit than hers.

‘Stretch out your legs,’ he said, ‘it’s your sofa.’ She seemed to resist at first, before her weary body seemed to give in and she stretched out just a little, eventually lying her calves and feet over his lap. His hands just rested on her ankles. She let out a tiny contented sigh and closed her eyes more tightly. Jack could see she couldn’t fight the urge to sleep any longer.

He knew he should have gone home, but something was encouraging him to stay. In her own way, Jessie had encouraged him to stay by letting him cook for her and suggesting a film. Plus, he was over the legal drink-drive limit—so being the responsible driver that he was, he couldn’t possibly drive home, and getting a taxi this time of night would be practically impossible. No, better to stay right where he was, as long as it was alright with Jessie.

Jack turned to look at her in the dim light of the film. He really looked at her this time. She was completely conked out. And beautiful. When he’d driven over this evening, he’d been totally ready for a row if she was angry to see him. He hadn’t really been sure how things would pan out, but when he saw her sleep-deprived face and tired frame, he just wanted to take care of her. He wondered how many people Jessie had in her life who really ever bothered to take care of her. From what he’d seen and heard, it was always Jessie taking care of everyone else. He could only imagine how hard his brother was making her work. But her innate desire to help other people, and probably also her feelings for Charlie, pushed her onward to always add more to her plate and never say no.

Jack liked her. He liked her attitude, he liked her sense of humor, he liked her looks. He already knew he liked her body. And tonight had proven to him that he also really liked her companionship.

Chapter 18

Jessie woke up around 2.30am to the credits of some film she didn’t even recall putting on. She opened her eyes wider and looked down towards the other end of the sofa. So, he hadn’t scampered off then.

Jessie was uncomfortable. Seriously uncomfortable: laid out the full length of the sofa, half on top of him. Therefore, he must have been ridiculously uncomfortable. He was fast asleep in an upright position, one hand on her feet, the other gently clasping the remote control to his chest. So, the truth was finally out: Jack was a remote-control hogger.

There was something niggling her. Something which she’d neglected to ask earlier, on account of her sleep-deprived and wine-addled mind.

‘Oi!’ she called out firmly. When sleeping beauty didn’t stir, she repeated it more loudly, and gave him a nudge with her foot for good measure. It did the trick. He slowly opened his eyes.

‘How did you know where I lived? I don’t think Charlie even knows,’ she said in a tone more accusatory than she had meant it to be.

‘Well, hello to you too. To answer your question, I have enormous telepathic abilities. Did I forget to mention that bit?’ he replied flippantly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Jessie stared at him, waiting for her explanation.

‘The truth is, I felt like stalking you for a bit, and you’re in the phone book, Jessica Slaymaker. You weren’t too hard to find,’ he finished matter-of-factly. Jessie looked at him, perplexed. She wondered why Charlie had never done the same thing in order to come and find her. Jack misread her expression.

‘Don’t worry, Charlie doesn’t know I came to see you. I won’t tell him we spent the night together,’ he added playfully.

‘We have
not
spent the night together,’ Jessie said incredulously. ‘And we’re not even in bed.’

‘Exactly. Now that you bring it up, your sofa is killing me, so I think bed is the best place for us. I would have tried to carry you there earlier, but your deadweight feet have had my groin pinned to the sofa. I’ve been trapped here these past few hours. Thank God you’ve finally woken up. Let’s go to bed then.’

Jessie sat up and looked at him, removing her leaden feet and legs from his lap. She was definitely more awake now. She could see from the light thrown off by the television that he was staring at her. She didn’t think he was joking either. This man wanted to go to bed with her. For sleep or for other stuff, she wasn’t exactly certain.

Jessie didn’t know whether she should be angry or excited. She
was
angry, because she hated his turn of phrase and flippancy on the subject of spending the night together. If anyone found out he’d been here for hours there’d be explaining to do—and not just to Doreen, her nosy neighbour from across the road. Essentially it all came down to Charlie. She didn’t want him to know she’d been fooling around with his brother.

But she was also excited. Excited by the prospect of sharing her bed. Excited at the thought of sharing her bed not with just anyone, but Jack. Charlie was still just a fantasy in her head, but she knew exactly how Jack could make her feel.

Jessie decided she wouldn’t rise to the bait he’d so obviously laid out for her. She simply got up, gave him a look she hoped he would interpret as one of indifference, and went off to her bedroom alone.

The sight of her gorgeous, big, and outrageously comfortable bed made her so happy that she wondered why she’d ever even bothered with the sofa. She also realised just how tired she was and how little quality sleep she’d had recently. At that second she didn’t really care whether Jack followed her in or not. She just wanted to sleep. Tiredness trumps horniness. Jessie toddled off to her ensuite, brushed her teeth, and washed her face quickly before going back to her bedroom. No Jack. Oh well, she thought to herself. Maybe she’d scared him off with her scary look of indifference. She peeled off her mooching clothes, slid into her favourite checked pajamas, and snuggled down under the bedclothes.

Chapter 19

By the time Jack came to bed, Jessie was sound asleep and dead to the world. That was why he’d intentionally waited ten minutes before following her. The girl seriously needed some rest, he’d conceded nobly, if reluctantly. As quietly as he could, so as not to disturb her, he undressed down to his boxers and slid into bed beside her. He gently touched her shoulder, but she didn’t stir. She was wearing too many clothes for his liking, but that was something that could be easily rectified in the morning. He snuggled down beside her and drifted soundly off to sleep.

Chapter 20

Jessie felt like she was being watched. She slowly opened her eyes, and found a pair of dark brown eyes staring sleepily back at her.

‘Morning,’ he said. ‘Your bed is way too comfortable. I haven’t slept this well in years.’

‘Hmm,’ was all she managed. How he could have a full-blown conversation when he’d just woken up, she didn’t know.

‘And you
are
aware that you snore like an express train, aren’t you?’

‘Only when strange men are in my bed. Puts them off getting up to any funny business or trying to rape me when I need my rest,’ she replied as she got up to go to the bathroom.

When she caught a look at herself in the mirror she nearly had a heart attack. She looked horrendous. She didn’t normally look
this
bad in the morning. Her hair was a greasy bird’s nest; her skin was dull and grey. She looked and felt about as sexy as a week-old salad forgotten about in the recesses of the fridge. Without a moment’s hesitation or worry about her guest, she dived in the shower and promptly began to scour, scrub and shave every square inch of her body. She then lathered on lotions and potions to soften her skin and make her smell nice. Now all she needed was a bit of tinted moisturiser for her face, and she would just leave her hair to air dry. Oh yes, and some clothes. She needed some clothes. And underwear. She didn’t feel brave enough to go back into her room wearing only her towel, so she settled for putting her pajama top back on whilst she ran for the wardrobe. He’d seen it all before, she silently told herself. Plus, there was no danger of him jumping her while she was wearing flannel pajamas now, was there? Even so, her heart was inexplicably loud.

‘Oh, you’re still here,’ she said with as much indifference as she could muster, as she marched back into her bedroom and headed towards her wardrobe. She didn’t fail to notice that he was sitting up, checking his phone, and that she could see lots of naked torso. An acre of smooth, toned, naked torso. Jessie quickly averted her eyes and kept on walking. She really had to fulfill her mission and find some clothes quickly.