Jesse by Kathi S. Barton Read Free Book Online Page B

whispered through the pain. She
didn’t move and he couldn’t. They stared at each other for several seconds
before he realized she was crying. Jesse wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t
move. She stepped over him at last and, grabbing up the bag, she left the room.
    It was probably only a few seconds
before the door opened again. He prayed that she was coming back to finish him
off. But he knew that he couldn’t be that lucky. He knew that when he heard his
brothers laughing he’d never live this down even if he lived to be a hundred.
    “She sent us in here because she said
you fell. I’m thinking she just wanted to give us something to laugh about
after she kicked your balls up around your ears.” Royce laughed harder as he
knelt down to peer into his face. “Did she hurt you anywhere else? Should we
check to see if she stabbed you while you were…down?”
    In that moment Jesse decided that he
could easily kill his older brother. Jesse decided the next time his brother
needed something from him, even if it was a dollar to buy a paper, he was going
to make him pay. In his pain-laced mind that had made sense, but when he’d said
as much to Royce it sounded as stupid as his brother apparently thought it was.
    As he lay there while the pain receded
he heard his mom come in. He didn’t even bother trying to explain. To everyone
else, including her, it was obvious what had happened. But unlike what he was
sure they were thinking, he’d not forced her.
    “Daniel, please see that the plans we’ve
discussed are taken care of. Royce, stop teasing your brother and take your
lovely wife home. She needs to rest and I need to speak to this…him.” He could
hear the tone in her voice and was nearly ready to beg his brother not to leave
him alone. He heard the door shut, rolled to his back, and sat up to face the
music.
    “I didn’t hurt her. I was stupid, but I
didn’t hurt her.” She tisked at him, but he wasn’t finished yet. “I didn’t even
mean to kiss her, but she…she’d been on my mind so much over the past few days
that I was happy to see her up and about. Then she looked so delicious that I
couldn’t—” He stopped when he realized what he’d said to his mother.
    “She’s not your usual type.”
    He winced, not realizing that he had a
type at all, much less that his mother knew about it.
    “You usually go for the docile type of
woman. The kind that is satisfied when hanging on your arm so she can eventually
get what she wants.”
    “And what’s that? And if you mention sex
to me I’m not going to listen to his conversation.” He would because he
wouldn’t leave without her permission. “And what kind of things are the women
looking for that you think I can’t give them?”
    “You can’t give them… You can’t give
them what they want, Jesse, because you have no idea what you want.” He would
think about that statement later. But she continued. “You were asked to stay
clear of this girl. Is that why you pursued her? Because I asked you not to get
involved with her?”
    Did he? He would like to think that was
a no, but now he didn’t know. “Why did you tell me to stay away? Is it because
you think, because of her background, she’s not worthy of me and the Hunter
name?” As soon as the words left his mouth he knew it wasn’t true. He stood up,
walked to his mom, hugged her, and apologized to her. He sat down and waited
for whatever she had to say.
    “You know me better than that so I’m not
going to dignify that with a response. I could care less what her pedigree is
and you well know it.” She straightened her skirt before she finished. “No. I
wanted…no, I want you to leave her alone because she isn’t your usual match.
What I mean is you have more than being in charge of the security part of this
company and she won’t be the type of girl to stand in the background and smile
prettily to the camera.”
    He laughed. “No, you’re right about
that. She’d be right