Wild Irish (Book 1 of the Weldon Series) (35 page)

“
I’ve already told him that I love him and he didn’t return the statement. What else would you have me do?”

“
You can tell him that you believe in him.”

“
I do but—”

“
No buts. We’ve already hashed this out. Jesse wasn’t the only one with access to your camera before the auction as you’d first thought. You need to tell him you took the camera to the gallery to take pictures of the donations and the preparations.”

“
What good will that do, Nan? It wasn’t really my doubts that he’s running from. It’s love.”

“
I still think you need to let him know. If he knew that you believed in him, he might start believing in himself and you together. You were both upset, confused, and angry last week. I’d take everything you said and he said with a grain of salt. Both of you were so stunned by what happened that I don’t think either of you remembered Roger and Andy’s reaction to your photograph. By the way, the picture was beautiful and nothing to die over.”

Alexi shook her head, almost emitting a giggle amidst her tears. “You’d go screaming into the Okeefenokee Swamp if that had happened to you, so don’t go smoothing over the situation.”

Nan’s face skewered. “You know me too well. But we’re straying from the subject here. Nobody seems to think that it’s significant that Roger was there laughing and the way Andy kept running around and telling everyone how much you resembled “Botticelli’s Birth of Venus”, you’d have thought he’d uncovered a long lost antiquity. I think you need to tell Jesse.”

“
Tell me what?” Jesse’s rough edged voice came from directly behind them.

Alexi jumped and clutched her chest as she swung around to see Jesse standing behind the row of chairs.

“
Jesse,” she breathed. He looked as if he’d tangled with a meat tenderizer and lost, but he never looked better. God she was hopeless when it came to him. She swiped at her eyes.

“
Tell me what’s wrong with Lucy,” he demanded.

A lump of disappointment welled painfully up in Alexi’s throat that he wasn’t here for her, but she immediately stamped on the feeling. How could she be so selfish? It was Lucy who she had to think of, not herself, and she was glad Jesse had come. Still Alexi couldn’t seem to make her vocal chords work. After a long silence, Nan answered.

“
Lucy’s situation is worse.”

“
How much worse?”

“
They’ve had to take her off the new medication and now they’re trying to stabilize her.”

“
In other words, she needs a new kidney now more than ever,” Jesse said tersely.

“
Yes,” Alexi said, finding her voice. Jesse ran his gaze over her and she ached inside, but she wasn’t going to let him know it. She ached to touch the bruises on his face, but forced her hands to fist instead. “What happened to you?

“
A door ran into me and then something else broadsided me. There’s quite a bit we need to talk about, but first I’m going to get Lucy’s father.”

“
Lucy’s father is here?” Alexi shot up from her chair.

“
No. Not here, but not far. He’s across the Savannah River in Hardeeville, South Carolina.”

“
How do you know that?”

“
After meeting Lucy last week, I had a man in my company hunt him down. Lucy needs her father.

Alexi grabbed her purse, her heart swelling with what Jesse had done. “I’m coming with you.” She caught Nan’s hand. “Call me if Lucy gets worse.”

Nan lifted her brow as if to say I told you so and Alexi shook her head. She had no illusions. Jesse wasn’t here because he loved her. He was here because he cared for a sick little girl. But still, a tiny bit of warmth filled her heart.

The ride to Hardeeville passed in silence. For her part, Alexi knew that if she looked at Jesse, if she even once started to speak to him, she’d cry, and she wasn’t about to humiliate herself any more than she had. She loved him with every ounce of her soul and that hurt too much right now to even open the communication channels between them. Since Jesse didn’t make any attempt to speak to her, she assumed the silence suited him as well. So she closed her eyes and concentrated on the smell of him, she soaked in the sensual aura that radiated from him, and tried to ease her hurting heart with that. Comforted, she fell asleep, something she’d done very little of over the past week.

“
We’re here, Lex.” Jesse said. His hand scorched her shoulder through the silk of her blouse and brought to mind so many nuances of his touch, of his body, of his passion that a sharp pain stabbed through her. Rather than opening her eyes, she squeezed them shut harder, forcing back the tears that wanted to betray her.

“
Give me a minute.” She sat up and turned from his hand. His grip on her shoulder tightened.

“
This isn’t the time or the place,” he said. “But I think both of us need a little something to help until we can talk.”

Before she realized what he meant to do, he caught hold of her chin and covered her mouth with his. This kiss started off light, as if he just meant to reassure her. Then he groaned and the demand of his lips upon hers became unrelenting in its search for her response.

She tried to turn away. She tried to withhold herself from falling back into the turbulence of his passion, and she failed. Her lips parted, and she opened to his kiss as her own passion erupted from her heart.

Jesse groaned and dragged her across the console. Her hip lay painfully against the hard leather. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but the feel of him. She wound her hands into his hair and his palm cupped her right breast. Nothing mattered. Nothing but what the sum of his passion and the sum of her passion added up to. They were afire.

“
Holy Hell, Lex,” Jesse gasped between kisses. “I’ve been dying for you. But we have to stop or in another second there will be no stopping me from hammering us to heaven right here in the parking lot in front of this church.

“
Church?” Alexi sucked in air and tried to look out the car window. She couldn’t see. The windows were completely fogged over. Just then someone rapped on Jesse’s window.

Oh no! Alexi quickly pushed away from Jesse’s chest, trying to propel her upper body back to her side of the car, but her hand slid against his shirt and landed in Jesse’s crotch.

“
Oh God,” Jesse yelled, agony in his voice.

His car door opened and a man wearing a preacher’s collar dipped his head into the car. “Did I hear you call God? Do you need some assistance, son?”

Jesse, visibly biting his tongue, just looked at the man. It was the first time she’d ever seen Jesse rendered speechless. After brazening through her nude photo debut, Alexi felt this was a piece a cake. Also the kind twinkle in the man’s eyes that said he understood the foibles of human weaknesses helped—a lot. She cleared her throat, settled herself back into her seat, and smiled at the pastor. “Sorry. We were working on a problem we have. We’re here to see Kevin Taylor. Have we come to the right place?”

The preacher frowned.

“
Jonah Taylor,” Jesse finally said, his voice high.

“
You’ll find Jonah in the kitchen this time of day. I’ll take you there. My name’s Sean O’Malley. I’m the pastor here at Haven Mission.”

Alexi got out of the car and sent the pastor a puzzled frown. “Your mission makes a regular donation to help one of the children at Memorial Hospital. A Lucy Taylor.”

O’Malley smiled. “I’d let Jonah tell you all about that if I thought he would. It’s Jonah’s paycheck. He insists on donating the money, but has always chosen to remain anonymous. I’ll let him tell you anything else.”

As Alexi followed O’Malley, she could see by the puzzled frown on Jesse’s face that he was thinking about the implications of the pastor’s words. Lucy’s father had been sending money for Lucy’s care for years. But why hadn’t the man ever come to see her?”

When they found Jonah, and O’Malley said they were here about the donations for Lucy Taylor, Jonah didn’t look happy to see them. After thanking O’Malley, Jonah nodded to the back corner of the dining hall.

“
Let’s go talk over there.” When they were settled, Jonah spoke first. “How can I help you?”

Jesse didn’t pull any punches. “We’re here about your daughter Lucy. You obviously know she’s in the hospital, but maybe you don’t know how dire her situation is.” Jesse held up his hand and inched his thumb and forefinger together. “She’s this close to dying and needs to have a kidney transplant.”

Jonah paled. “I know she’s gravely ill. I pray for her every day. Why are you two here? Does Karin know?”

Alexi sucked in air. The man sounded as if he didn’t want his ex-wife to know he existed. “No. Why are you hiding? Why haven’t you come to see the most wonderful little girl in the world whose greatest wish is to have a daddy for her own?”

Jonah stood. “I wish you hadn’t come. You won’t understand. I left Karin and Lucy because I’m a drunk. Before I left I got so drunk one night that I beat Karin. For years I wandered around hating myself until I found this place and O’Malley. I’m doing what I can for Lucy when I can. I’m no good at relationships. Lucy and Karin are better off without me.”

Jesse’s gut clenched as he heard Alexi’s gasp in response to Jonah’s words. Up until Jonah’s last sentence, Jesse wanted to pound the man into the ground. What kind of guy copped out of life like that? But Jonah’s last confession hit too close to Jesse’s own words.
I suck at relationships.

Jesse stood and looked Jonah in the eye. “Here’s the deal. Lucy is dying. Lucy wants her father and I don’t think she gives a rat’s ass if that father is perfect. But more importantly, has it ever occurred to you that you could be the one person on this earth to save her life? Since she’s your daughter, odds are you’d be a good donor match. Are you going to hide here when there’s a chance you can save her?”

Jonah looked shocked. “They’d use me? After all the rot gut I’ve consumed?”

“
How long have you been sober?”

“
Three years.”

“
Then you won’t know the answer to your question until you see Lucy’s doctors, will you?” His question hung in the air so long that Jesse thought an eon had passed rather than seconds. He knew Jonah Taylor was going to Memorial Hospital ASAP even if Jesse had to tie the man up and cart him there.

Jonah took off the apron covering his worn clothes and thin frame. “I’ll come now.”

With Jonah along, he didn’t have the opportunity to say anything personal to Alexi. And they desperately needed to talk. More now than ever before. Jesse couldn't get Jonah’s excuse for not being in Lucy’s life out of his head. Those words pointed an ugly finger in his direction and it turned Jesse’s stomach to view himself in that light.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

When they arrived at the hospital, Alexi learned that Lucy’s condition had slightly improved. Karin’s reaction at seeing her ex-husband was guarded, but even she agreed that if Jonah qualified to be Lucy’s donor it would be the miracle she’d been praying for.

Lucy was stable and Karin was at the bedside. Lucy’s doctors admitted Jonah into the hospital to run the tests to determine if he could be Lucy’s kidney donor. Nan left to work her shift in the Labor and Delivery, leaving Alexi alone with Jesse. She reached for a magazine the minute Nan disappeared. Jesse caught her hand before she picked one.

“
We need to talk.”

“
Okay,” she said, sucking in air to brace herself.

“
Not here. Will you come to my place?”

She raised her gaze to his. “Only if we won’t—”

“
Hell, Lexi. Don’t expect freaking miracles.” His eyes were burning with passion--a passion that sent a fusion of heat straight to her core.

“
Then I can’t—”

“
We’ll talk first, okay? And if you want to leave after we talk, I’ll take you home.” Jesse held out his hand and Alexi put her hand in his, wondering where he would lead her.

Jesse’s cell phone rang and he cursed as he answered. He didn’t want anything to stop him from telling Lexi what he had to. “This had better be important.”