Ravenous (2 page)

Jesse’s expression was priceless, and definitely something she would laugh about later when her heart stopped aching. Her lips twitched with a smile and before she could apologise, the door slammed shut, leaving her to watch him walk away from her. Again.

Jesse sat on the back porch, listening to the rustle of leaves and the chirp of crickets in the increasing darkness of nightfall. He’d hoped the scotch and Coke would’ve dulled his obsession with watching Erin. Nope. Here he was, three hours of slow drinking later and his mind and focus still hadn’t wavered.

Christ. He was twenty-six, he should have more control.

He remembered hearing somewhere that a woman’s appeal faded over time and that they aged without grace, but maybe that was men because it definitely wasn’t the case for her. Her body was blessed with hypnotic feminine curves. She still had a trim figure like he remembered from high school, but now she was luscious and inviting in all the right places. The dark brown hair he had once ran through his fingers now reached the middle of her shoulder blades and her green eyes appeared lighter, making her dark lips and gorgeous smile stand out like a beacon. She was alluring and if he didn’t stay away he’d be unable to deny his lust.

She’d arrived at his parents’ property midafternoon, dressed in a breast hugging white blouse and black pants that showed off her tight ass. Because of the blood pounding through his veins, commanding him to stake a claim on her, he’d done his best to avoid her entirely. The last three days had been bad enough. Every second since stepping out of Erin and Karen’s catering business was mental and physical torture. “Go ask Erin to do the catering,” his mother had said. “It’ll be good for the two of you to catch up,” she added.

Yeah right.

Since that morning his dick and mind had been set on the Erin channel, never wavering in picture or sound quality.

He’d contemplated packing his things and heading home early to avoid temptation. The only thing that kept him firmly planted on the family property was his mother. She deserved to have the birthday of her dreams and if being here made her happy, then he would stay for the extra days.

“You’re quiet tonight.” His mum slid the screen door closed behind her and walked toward him at the end of the porch. “Aren’t you coming inside to see everyone?”

“Nah, I’m gunna sit here a while and enjoy the serenity.” He took a swig of his can, savoured the alcoholic taste on his tongue and swallowed hard. “It’s your party, your friends. I don’t know these people anymore.”

He hadn’t been back to Holbrook in a long time and when he did visit he didn’t waste time mingling with people he no longer knew. He spent his hours on the farm, helping his parents the best he could, before returning to the city.

“You know Erin,” she replied in a blasé tone. Far too blasé for his liking. His mother didn’t have a subtle bone in her body and having her focus on his ex wasn’t good.

“I haven’t known Erin since high school. We’ve both grown up and moved on with our lives.” The lie burned his throat and he took another drink to douse the flames. He hadn’t moved on from Erin. Never would. But he couldn’t look back either. If only she’d wanted to leave with him when he first moved to Sydney. Then things would’ve been different.

“She’s still the beautiful soul you fell in love with as a teenager.”

Jesse groaned and rubbed his aching forehead. Maybe if he ignored her she would go away.

“You should go speak to her.” Then again maybe she wouldn’t.

“Yeah, I will. Later.” Much, much, later. As in never. Seeing Erin only encouraged him to second-guess the decisions he’d made in the past. Leaving the farm had been the right choice.

His mother stepped closer, leaning in to kiss him on the forehead. “Well don’t wait too long. A woman like Erin may not always be
available
.” She drew out the last word, because obviously he lacked the intelligence to understand the blatant meaning behind her statement.

“Ohh…kay,” he drawled and tried not to roll his eyes.

With a ruffle of his hair, his mum walked back down the wooden porch and went inside. Jesse watched her through the floor to ceiling glass doors as she sidestepped the mingling guests to avoid conversation, all in an effort to get to the kitchen in a hurry. Erin glanced up from the plate she was preparing, wiped her forehead with her wrist and smiled at his mother. The love and admiration in her expression made Jesse’s chest pound and he turned away before he thought of going in after her.

When they’d been dating, his mum had adored Erin, openly stating that she wanted her as a daughter-in-law. Too bad things didn’t turn out that way. Since then he didn’t think his mother had spoken to Erin much at all. He still remembered her distraught call days after he moved to the city. His mum was upset beyond reason that her beautiful Erin now found it too hard to speak to her. “She’s hurting for you, Jesse. She won’t speak to me. She can’t even look me in the eye.” He’d wanted to come home, to change his plans for the future and let Erin know he would give up everything to be with her. In the end, his will for a better life had won.

He glanced back to the house to find Erin frowning at his mother. She shook her head, indicated all the food around her and mouthed the words “No, I can’t.” As stubborn as Jesse was, his mother was worse. She grabbed a bottle of water and a bowl of something from the fridge, handing it to Erin before she shooed her toward the porch.

The same bloody porch he sat on.

Erin’s shoulders sank in defeat and she moved around the kitchen bench to walk in his direction. The door slid open and she stepped outside, heaving a sigh as she closed the door behind her. She continued to the steps. The slight breeze swept her ponytail around her shoulders, the dark lengths appearing black in the dim light.

Pausing at the railing, she took in the view–the large gum trees lining the creek, the paddocks filled with lucerne, before descending the stairs. With the water bottle in one hand and the bowl in the other, she walked away from the house, heading down the gravel trail that led to the machinery and shearing sheds.

Jesse leaned forward and watched her slip into the darkness. He wasn’t going to follow her. He didn’t need the distraction. He didn’t want the complications that more interaction with her would bring.

Sitting back in his chair, he downed the last of his drink in two gulps and squeezed the can tight. His frustration still held when the weak metal crumpled in his grip.

“Bloody hell.”

He needed to make sure she was safe. There were hundreds of snakes in this hot weather. She could be bitten while skirting the long grass. He didn’t care if they slithered away from noise. There were foxes too, they may be scared of humans but freak attacks
occurred–he’d heard about them on the news. And the machinery, she could trip over a fucking tractor or something.

He didn’t need an excuse. He took the porch steps two at a time and hit the path with a crunch. Damn it to hell. He wasn’t going to hide either.

Following down the trail he blinked to adjust to the darkness. The silhouette of her body approached the first shed. Her slim hips swayed, her hair shone in the bright moonlight and he quickened his pace to catch up. She didn’t notice him as she rounded the corner and went out of view. The back of the shearing shed only held the sheep pens. There wasn’t anywhere else for her to go unless she planned to open the gates.

When he reached the end of the shed he stopped and peered around the corner. She sat perched on the old wooden fence railing, the bowl resting in her lap and the bottle of water sitting on the post beside her.

She looked up from the bowl and stared in his direction. “Jesse?” His name was a whisper on her lips, a breathy caress he remembered from more intimate times.

He stepped out of the shadows into the bright moonlight. “Did you come out here to remind yourself of the good ol’ days?” he asked in greeting.

The bright white of her smile made his cock jerk. His blood rushed north with a furious hunger, demanding him to walk right up to her, grip her hips in his palms and take her lips with his own.

“Yeah, I came here to remind myself of the romantic way you took my virginity in a shearing shed,” she chuckled.

He winced at the memory. He’d tried to make her first time special. There just weren’t many options in a small town, unless you wanted everyone to know what you were doing. His parents had been entertaining guests in the house, oblivious to the way their son and his girlfriend snuck down the stairs with one thing on their mind.

God, he’d been horny. Erin too. He’d grabbed a blanket from the living room couch, chased her to the secluded shearing shed and made love to her on the large packs of compressed wool. It definitely wasn’t his A-game but at least he made it between her thighs before exploding. That was always a bonus for a lust-crazed teenager.

“So you do remember.” He rested against the warm metal shed and raised his eyebrows.

“Vaguely.” She wriggled on the post and averted her gaze. “So how’s life in Sydney?”

A pang of regret hit his chest. Her words were flat, yet he still heard the hurt in her question.

“Good. I’ve worked hard and been rewarded for it. I enjoy what I do and the people I work with.”

She nodded and focused on the bowl in her lap. “I don’t even know what you do.”

“I’m a chef.” Well for the most part. He owned one of the most popular restaurants on Sydney Harbour. He decided to keep his success to himself though, not wanting to rub it in her face.

She lifted her head and met his gaze. “You’re a chef?” Her voice cracked and he smiled at the way her eyes widened in horror. “Why am I doing the catering when you would’ve been better qualified?”

“Because I didn’t come home to work and you’re more than capable of providing what my mother wanted.”

She groaned and shook her head. “Yet again I feel inadequate around Jesse Hackett.” She removed the plastic wrap from the bowl, screwed it into a tight ball and placed it in her
pocket. He opened his mouth to reply–to tell her she’d never been inadequate, that in his eyes she’d always be perfect, inside and out. Instead he snapped his lips shut again. He wasn’t going there.

“So why did you change your mind? You seemed pretty adamant that you wouldn’t be catering.”

She shrugged. “I thought about the offer after you left and couldn’t come up with a good enough reason not to. We’re both adults and my business could use the money.”

“Right.” That wasn’t the answer he’d been hoping for.

“Hungry?” She held out the bowl in offering.

Yeah, he was hungry. Fucking starved. For her. He wanted her to jump off the railing, take a step toward him and offer herself to be eaten. He’d never tasted her there, in the intimate flesh between her thighs. They’d been too young, too inexperienced.

He pushed from the shed and closed the distance between them. With each approaching step her posture straightened until she sat at her full height with her chin high. Her raised knees grazed his stomach and he restrained himself from grabbing them, from running his hands up her legs and moving between her thighs. If he started he wouldn’t be able to stop.

Erin pulled the bowl back, one hand holding tight while the other gripped the railing for balance. She wasn’t stupid and she knew his self-control was waning. Her shoulders straightened and she sucked in a deep breath.

“What’s on offer?”

She paused, glanced down at the bowl and tilted the contents forward for him to see. “Strawberries in sugar.”

He took another step, forcing her legs to part for him.

“Jesse,” she warned in a breathless whisper.

“Mmm?” He needed her to look at him, to see how much he wanted the taste of her on his lips.

She released a pained breath. Slowly she raised her head and his stomach clenched at the glazed depths of her eyes. “I remember,” she gave a sad smile, “I remember everything.”

Her words were soft and touched him to the depths of his soul. Time may have distinguished the love she once had for him, but he still noticed the passion hiding behind her apprehension. He inched closer, yearning for the warmth of her breath. As the distance between them faded, her focus lowered to his mouth. He took his time studying the silky texture of her skin and gloried in the way her head tilted back to meet him. With a feather light touch he brushed his lips against hers.

She was so fragile, the same way she’d always been and still his for the taking. When he pulled back, she stared up at him, her bright eyes blinking in a daze. Without a word he grabbed the bowl, pulled out half a strawberry and placed it on her lips.

Erin paused and his heart thumped while he wondered if she would pull back. Her sweet tongue darted out to lick her lips and she took a bite. She chewed politely, taking her time, torturing him with her natural beauty. It didn’t take long for his patience to waver. He teetered on the edge, loving the way she unintentionally seduced him. He clutched the remainder of the strawberry and ran the juice down her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat.

She swallowed deep as he leaned in to lick the trail away. He tasted her, letting the rough feel of his tongue make her skin break out in goose bumps. Her hands brushed his
shoulders, moved to his hair and squeezed tighter with every press of his lips. With each sharp tug, adrenaline burst through his veins, driving his hunger further.

The bowl dropped from his hands, landing on the hard ground with a clang and he took her surprised gasp in his mouth. His tongue stroked hers, coaxed a duel that had her retaliating. She tasted sweet, of fruit and wine and innocence. Pressing into her, he pushed her backward until her hands clung around his neck for balance.

He brushed her waist with his palm, felt the unfamiliar womanly curves and glided higher to the side of her breast. Oh God, she had phenomenal breasts. Her arms hooked tight behind his head, pulling him closer while her hands played in his hair. Each stroke of those talented fingers sent sensation throughout his body, down his spine, over his chest to pool in his balls. His cock throbbed, demanding to be eased, demanding only Erin. He kissed her with fury, letting her pleasured mewls sink under his skin. His fingers worked the front of her white blouse, fumbling and slipping over the buttons until each one was undone. He moved his hands over the smooth skin of her belly, up her sides and cupped her breasts.