Love's Retreat(6)

There was a knock on the cabin door. Jess held her breath and didn’t move. The doorknob turned. Shit, she hadn’t locked it. The door opened and heavy footsteps drew near. Jess was as still as she could be, willing herself to be invisible. After a short pause the footsteps retreated and the door shut. Jess waited several minutes, listening to the silence. When she was sure she was alone, she pulled the blanket from her head and looked out. The cabin was empty. Jess threw back the quilt and sat on the edge of the bed. It was a few minutes before she realized something was by her hand. It was a stone. He had left a stone on the bed. She picked it up. It was smooth, with some small circular indentations. Inside one of those indentations was a tiny shell. Jess had seen rocks like this when walking on the beach. Alex had brought a piece of the beach to her. She groaned and fell back onto the bed. Her fear was confirmed.

Jess knew there was no use hiding. First, her time in the steam house had drained her and she was starving, but mostly, she knew all of them would come looking for her. She took a long walk around then went to the empty dining hall. She sat at their usual table, pulled out her notepad, and began writing.

Jess was deep in thought when she heard a camera shutter click. She looked up and found Alex fiddling with his camera. “I hope you don’t mind. You looked so lonely.” He smiled so warmly that Jess blushed. “I hope not to see that look often.” He sat down.

Jess put her hand in her pocket then held it out to Alex. They both looked at the gray stone. Alex reached out and closed Jess’s hand around the stone. “Hold onto it, until later.”

Jess’s eyes shot up. She was afraid she’d see humor on his face, and it would have broken her heart. The look she did see brought a tingle deep in her being and all of her uncertainty fled. She smiled back. “Until later.” They joined the others in line for dinner.

Alex and Jess were alone at their table. Nora and Ryan never showed up. At first Jess thought it odd that her friend would miss a meal but when Alex mentioned that Ryan had asked to borrow the keys to his car it seemed likely that the two of them went into town for the evening.

“I’m not too surprised, actually,” Alex said casually. “He’s been stealing glances at her since we got here.”

Jess blushed. She hadn’t been paying attention to anything but the sweet words Ryan had whispered to her.

“Of course they may only want a good hamburger, but they are a good match, very much alike.” Alex took Jess’s worried look as concern for her friend. “Ryan’s a good man. If they are out together he will treat her well.”

“I just hope Nora is as kind.” Jess laughed. Could it only have been this morning that she planned on meeting Ryan for…well for what actually happened with the man sitting next to her? Sudden memories of what happened only a few short hours ago made Jess heat up.

“Would you like to take a walk?”

Jess blinked herself out of her reverie. “What?”

“A walk. It’s a pleasant evening, I thought you might like to roam around a bit.” Alex smiled at the suspicious look on Jess’s face. “If I promise just a walk? I offer nothing more intimate than hand-holding.”

Jess could not resist the intensity of the dark pleading eyes. She let him pull her to her feet and followed him outside.

The night air was warm with only a slight breeze. They walked in silence for quite a while. Jess was tense from the suspense of not knowing what Alex’s plans were. When he finally took her hand in his she felt some bit of relief. His grip was firm and warm, and his thumb occasionally rubbed the back of her hand. When their walk took them by the steam house Jess smiled. Alex squeezed her hand and slowed his step. “Are you feeling chilled, would you like to go in and warm up?” Jess slapped his arm and kept walking.

After a few moments, Jess, emboldened by the darkness, asked: “Why did you follow me into the steam house?”

Alex didn’t answer right away. His hold on Jess’s hand tightened. “Truthfully...I overheard Ryan suggesting it this morning, and I didn’t want it to be him.”

Jess heard an undertone of guilt in his voice. “Did you arrange that phone call?”

He nodded. “At first I was just going to keep him away, but I couldn’t leave you to think Ryan had gotten cold feet. When I saw you going in and you looked so magnificent…I was just going to go in to keep you company. Then I saw you lying there, steam moistening your skin, your breast waiting to be stroked, your legs slightly parted…so lovely.”

Jess’s breathing grew quick. She felt the heat of his hand in hers. The deep tone of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She could feel herself tingling inside.