His Nasty Virgin

I think he would have laughed if it didn’t hurt him to do so. He popped the pills into his mouth and drank his water greedily. I tried not to stare -and failed- at the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he did.

“What are you doing up so early?” I whispered, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the morning air.

Jesse glanced at his wristwatch. “Oh. I haven’t gone to bed yet.”

I gawked. “All this talk about eating tofu and being healthy, but you haven’t slept yet?”

“Lost track of time.”

“What are you working on?”

“Organizing a cleanup crew. I’m sending a couple of my guys to your apartment to see if they can find anything about the men who attacked you.”

“We already know they’re with the cartel.”

He nodded. “Yes, but I need to know more than that.”

I sat down next to him, barely a foot of space between us. Our elbows were almost touching as I leaned in to read what was on his screen. “Criminal record… Gun make and model… Registered vehicles?”

“Most of the time it’s a dead end because the police won’t release that information if an investigation is ongoing, but it doesn’t hurt to try. The more I know, the better I can do-”

“Your job,” I finished for him. “I know, you’ve said.”

The corner of his lip pulled up into a smirk. “Are you normally cheeky so early in the morning?”

“Definitely. But wait until I’ve had a cup of coffee. That’s when I unleash my true power.”

“Thank God I don’t have any coffee, then.”

My mouth dropped. “You’re kidding, right?”

“If it’s caffeine you’re after, you’re better off drinking tea. It’s much-”

“Healthier. Yeah, yeah. I’m sensing a pattern with you. All this health-nut stuff must be why you’re in such good shape.”

He stretched his arm. “Not as good a shape as I thought.”

I smiled playfully. “Cut yourself some slack. There were three of them. Most senior citizens would have been crumpled by a strong breeze.”

Jesse placed a hand over his heart and grimaced. “Ouch.

Senior citizen?”

“How old are you?” I asked, fishing.

“Forty-three.”

I nibbled on my bottom lip, deep in thought. Forty-three. He was exactly twenty years older than me. “I see,” I mumbled softly.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“What about you?”

“You’re not supposed to ask a lady that question.”

He snorted, though he didn’t appear to be as miffed as he sounded. “Double standards.”

I giggled. “I’m teasing. Just turned twenty-three.” “Hm,” was all he said.

A pregnant pause filled the room. Neither of us made a move nor said a word. We just sat in the quiet. It wasn’t awkward by any means. It was sort of nice. After all the chaos we’d been through, being able to just sit and be was a nice change of pace.

“What are you doing up?” he asked after a while.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I said. “I’m really worried about my friend.”

He nodded. “We’re going to figure this out, Vivian. The men who attacked you are in custody. You’ll get her back.”

I managed a small smile. “Thank you. For earlier, too. I don’t know what I would have done if those guys came after me and you weren’t there.”

“Just part of the…” He thought for a moment. “Occupational hazard.”

I laughed. “Boy, I’ll say. You should really-” I noticed a bit of red trickle from his nose. “Oh!”

“What?”

“You’re bleeding again.” I reached for him, grabbing a couple of napkins from the holder on the kitchen island. “Here, let me-”

He tried to wave me away. “I’m fine, Vivian. You don’t have to do this. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Would you just shush and let me help you?”

Jesse pressed his lips into a thin line but didn’t argue, finally allowing me the opportunity to assist him. I cupped his cheek in my free hand and tilted his head back, determined to keep the blood from dripping onto his shirt. He was surprisingly pliant beneath my touch, moving where I needed him to go with next to no resistance.

He watched me the whole time, deep eyes focused on me and me alone. I didn’t shy away, too occupied with the task at hand.

“You’re pretty good at this,” he commented.

“The kids I grew up with got into all sorts of trouble,” I said absentmindedly. “Scraped knees, the occasional fist fights… That sort of thing.”

“The kids you grew up with?” he echoed. “You mean siblings?”

“No, not siblings. Not really.” Once I was satisfied that his nose was okay, I lowered my gaze. “It’s a long story. Wouldn’t want to bore you.”

He grasped me gently by the elbows. “You could never bore me.”

I licked my lips, a thrill shooting up my spine when his eyes were immediately drawn to them. I stared at his in turn, curious to know what they’d feel like. If he kissed me, would he be rough and hungry? Or would he be gentle and sweet?

I desperately wanted to find out and leaned in, drawn to him like a magnet. Where was the harm in a simple kiss?

Jesse stood up abruptly and pulled away, nothing but cold air remaining in his place. “You should go to bed,” he said, clearing his throat. “We’ll be going to the police station in a couple of hours. They’ll have lots of questions for you.”

My stomach flipped as my face filled with heat. I’d never been so embarrassed in my entire life. “R-right. Yeah, I’ll-” I slipped off my seat, my legs like jelly beneath me. “Yep, mm-hmm. You should go to bed, too.”

Jesse nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “I will.”

I scurried back to the guest room and crawled beneath the safety of the sheets. Thankfully, sleep dragged me under so that I only had to dwell on our almost-kiss in my dreams. Either way, my heart was racing and aching for more.