Unafraid (Amber Ridge #1)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

J esse stepped out of the shower and pulled a towel around his waist. It had been a cold shower. Stone fucking cold. He’d had a few of them lately, living in the same house as Aspen.

The other morning, she’d stepped out of the bathroom in a towel. Just…a towel.

His dick twitched at the memory of water droplets on her shoulders. At the way the towel had squeezed her breasts. And he’d been so damn aware that she was naked beneath that cloth.

Shit, he was losing his goddamn mind and it was no one’s fault but his own.

He stepped into his bedroom and had just pulled on some briefs when he stopped.

What was that sound? Was Aspen…singing? It couldn’t be. It was seven in the morning, and Aspen was not an early riser. Well, unless she was trying to leave before he woke up.

Then the distant clatter of pots and pans hitting counters had him frowning.

Was she cooking? She rarely ate breakfast, and when she did, it was cereal.

He pulled on his uniform and stepped out of his room. His feet ground to a halt in the living room at the sight of Aspen in the kitchen.

She had her back toward him as she leaned over the counter to watch something on her laptop. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun, she wore denim overalls, and she was singing “Love Shack” by the B-52s.

And Jesus Christ, was she out of tune. He’d never heard someone sing so off-key, and somehow the sound was cute as hell.

She stepped back from the counter and opened an overhead cabinet.

His gaze shifted to the laptop. A baking show? What was she baking so early?

He’d started crossing the space between them when Aspen climbed onto the counter.

What the hell was she doing?

She reached up for something on the top shelf, and he saw it before it happened. Her foot landed in some spilled milk and slid.

Shit.

Jesse lunged across the kitchen as she screamed and fell. He caught her a split second before she hit the hard counter.

Her scrunched eyes popped open, and she stared up at him, surprise lifting her brows. “Jesse.”

“What the hell are you doing, Aspen?” Anger wove into his words, because fuck, if he hadn’t been here to catch her, she could have cracked her damn skull open.

“What the hell I was doing was getting the muffin tray down, because you put it in a ridiculously hard-to-reach place.”

She pushed at his chest, and he set her on her feet.

“Next time, ask me.” He reached up and grabbed the tray before setting it on the counter. “You’re baking?”

She frowned. “Why do you ask like that?”

“Like what? A question?”

She rolled her eyes and went to the fridge and grabbed the butter. “Like you’re shocked.”

“I just haven’t seen you bake before.” And definitely not at seven in the morning.

“I’m changing my main character’s profession to a baker, but I haven’t baked much before, so I thought I should at least learn how to make muffins before I write about her doing it.”

Jesse leaned against the island. “What was her profession before?”

“An accountant. But it didn’t suit her. She’s not analytical enough for that. She’s messy and erratic and creative.”

“What does the guy in your book do?”

Her eyes flew up and flared before going back to the counter. “He’s in…law enforcement.”

The corners of Jesse’s mouth twitched. “Really?”

“Don’t read too much into it. Heroes in law enforcement are popular.”

“Is that because a man in a uniform’s sexy?”

“I suppose some people find them sexy.”

“Do you?” He was being direct, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

Her throat bobbed. “I’m impartial.”

He almost laughed, and the sudden need to test her had him stepping closer. He lowered his head, touching a hand to the small of her back as he whispered into her ear, “So falling into my arms did nothing for you?”

A shudder rolled down her spine, one he felt with every muscle in his body. “Maybe for a small fraction of a second, I was a little bit affected.” She looked up. “But then you spoke.”

“Ouch.”

Her lips twitched, and she went to step away, but he snaked an arm around her waist and tugged her back. “Aspen. I’m sorry I got angry. I was scared about what could have happened if I hadn’t caught you.”

She looked up, and the second her gaze collided with his, his heart shot into his fucking throat.

Damn, she was beautiful. A natural kind of beauty. Effortless.

And standing this close, with her mouth an inch from his, her scent everywhere…all he wanted to do was kiss her. The voice in his head pushed him— screamed at him —to do just that. To lower his head and see if her lips were as soft as they looked.

“Thank you for catching me,” she whispered. Her eyes dropped to his lips.

It was too damn much to resist. He started to lower his head. She didn’t pull away. He was almost touching her lips, could feel her breath on his mouth…

When the ringing of the doorbell cut through the silence.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Aspen’s spine straightened and she took a hurried step back.

He was gonna kill them. It didn’t matter if it was family or a friend or a neighbor, whoever was at the door was about to breathe their last breath.

He crossed to the front door and tugged it open. An older woman with short, graying hair and familiar blue eyes stood in front of him. Aspen’s eyes.

A gasp sounded behind him, then Aspen whispered, “Mom.”

Her mother was here, in Amber Ridge, the same town she’d run to, in part, to get away from her.

At least it was the happy version of her mother. The version that wanted to have coffee and chat and bond.

Plus, her mother had good timing, interrupting an almost-kiss with Jesse. What had she been thinking?

Just because he smelled good—okay, not good, fan-freaking-tastic—and he had the strongest arms that had ever wrapped around her, did not mean kissing his beautiful lips was a good idea. In fact, it was the opposite of a good idea. Because he had the kind of lips she could become addicted to.

“Jesse’s still cute, I see.”

She dropped the napkin she’d been fiddling with, and it fell to the diner table. She never came to the diner. But she didn’t want to take her mother to The Tea House. That was her place, and she didn’t want her mother to tarnish it in case she had a sudden change of mood.

Aspen leaned forward. “What are you doing here, Mom?”

At seven in the morning, no less.

Misty Peak didn’t have a big airport, which meant no direct flights, so she’d probably taken at least one connecting flight…that was about a six-hour trip. So she’d have to have left in the middle of the night. Either that or spent the night somewhere last night.

“I told you, I missed you and wanted to see you.”

Her mother didn’t have many people in her life—mostly because she struggled to maintain healthy relationships—which was why Aspen had always tried to maintain their relationship…until it had become too much.

“You shouldn’t be spending the kind of money coming here must’ve cost.”

“I worked it out because I wanted to see you. You just up and left me. No warning, just a text.”

Yeah, because if she’d given her mother an in-person warning, she would have spiraled and harassed Aspen, guilting her into staying. Leaving without notice had been her only option.

“I needed to get out for my sanity,” Aspen said gently.

“Because of Dylan.”

Among other things. “Yes.”

“I don’t understand what happened between you two. I thought you made such a good couple.”

Yeah, because Dylan could be charming when he wanted…and just like her mother, she’d fallen for it, hook, line and sinker. “He wasn’t a good guy.”

“Wasn’t a good guy how?”

Oh, there was no way she was going into the finer details with her mother while in a diner. “I just need you to take my word for it. I can’t ever have him in my life again.”

Her mother gave a little humph , like she was offended Aspen wasn’t giving her all the sordid details of the worst relationship of her life.

Aspen softened her smile. “Let’s change the subject. Where are you staying?”

“Oh, I rented the most gorgeous little Airbnb. I got in last night. You need to visit. It’s so charming. And the owner has said I can have it for as long as I want because he hasn’t got any bookings for a few months.”

“How are you paying for it?” How was she paying for the entire trip? She barely worked because she could never hold down a job. Her last job had been an after-hours office cleaning gig, but she was fired when she’d started threatening to sue for underpayment, even though Aspen was sure her mother had been paid the agreed-upon amount.

Her mother waved her hand. “You don’t worry about that. I’ve got it all taken care of.”

Aspen frowned at the sparkly silver bracelet on her wrist. “Where’d you get that?”

“Oh, do you like it? It was a gift.”

It looked expensive. “Who—”

“One croissant with jam, and a plate of toast and eggs.”

Aspen smiled at the waiter as he set down the food. What she really wanted was a big steaming cup of coffee, but the coffee here was almost on par with The Tea House. Instant and watery and just bad.

The waiter left, and her mother leaned across the table. “He’s cute.”

“Who?”

“The waiter. Do you think he was looking at me?”

“He had to look at you to give you your food.”

Her mother rolled her eyes. “Okay, but do you think his gaze lingered?”

“Mom—”

“Aspen, hi!”

Oh, thank God.

She looked up to see Jesse’s sister Clara standing by the table, an older woman with graying hair and a kind smile beside her. “Hi, Clara.”

“It’s good to see you again. Have you met my mother?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Mom, this is Aspen, Jesse’s roommate. Aspen, this is my mother, Pam.”

Pam reached out a hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

She had? Good things? Aspen was too afraid to ask. “It’s nice to meet you too.” She looked across the table. “And this is my mother, Karen. Mom, this is Jesse’s sister and mother.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” her mother said politely. “Would you like to join us?”

Aspen’s spine stiffened. Please, say no . Her mother was fine right now, but that could change in a split second.

“That’s kind of you to offer,” said Clara, “but we’re running late for an appointment. I just saw Aspen and thought I’d pop by the table and say hi. Rain check?”

Absolutely not. Or at least, not with her mother in tow. “Sure.”

Pam touched her shoulder. “We’ll hopefully see more of each other. Thank you for keeping my son company. He needs someone with him.”

“Trust me, he’s helping me a lot more than I’m helping him.”

The memory of him catching her that morning and saving her a broken neck flashed in her mind. Yep, huge, gigantic helping happening.

“That’s my son, always wanting to help.” Pam’s smile widened. “Have a lovely day.”

Aspen noticed her mother frowning as they left the table.

“Everything okay over there?” Aspen asked, once Pam and Clara were gone.

Her mother blinked and shifted her attention back to Aspen. “Of course. They seem friendly.”

“Everyone in this town is friendly.” Which was saying something, seeing as she’d lived her entire life in the small town of Misty Peak, where the locals resembled the cast from Gilmore Girls.

Her mother cut into her croissant. “Oh, I meant to tell you, I read your last book.”

Aspen paused, toast halfway to her mouth. “You did?” Her mother never read her stuff. Not a single word.

Her mother nodded. “It was just wonderful. My favorite part was when Darren took Kathryn to the ball, and they finally put their differences behind them. It was a beautiful ending.”

Aspen looked at her mother like she’d grown two heads. She had read it.

“I was so sad when I finished,” her mother continued, “that I ordered three other books from your backlist.”

Okay, who was this sweet, supportive woman and what had she done with her mother? “You really read my book?”

Her mother lifted her gaze from her croissant and frowned. “I’m your mother. I want to support you. I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Aspen’s heart gave a little kick. Was it possible her mother was actually getting better?

She almost didn’t want to get her hopes up. She’d always craved a normal mother-daughter relationship, but it had never been possible. Could that change?