Free Unexpected Admirer by Bernadette Marie Page B

over, and she flung open the door.
    The bright, perfect smile on Jesse’s mouth flashed even in the darkness.
    He looked different. His hair wasn’t spiked up, his jeans were casual, and he had on a heavy coat.
    There were no words between them as she stepped out in the cold night air and met him on the porch. His hands went to her face, hers to his chest, and their lips met in a heated kiss that said each of them had been waiting for that moment.
    She shivered against him, and he pulled her in tighter.
    “I didn’t expect you to be standing at the door,” he said as he gazed down at her.
    “I couldn’t help it. I’d meant to tell you not to come, but…”
    “I’m glad you didn’t.” He bent down and kissed her softly again. “Let’s go inside. You’re freezing.”
    She let her hand fall until she found his and interlaced their fingers. Then she opened the front door and led him inside.
    She shut the front door quietly behind them as Jesse shrugged out of his coat.
    She reached for the coat. “I’ll take that.”
    He handed it to her, and she looked it over.
    “Allstate Arena staff?” She looked back up at him, and he grinned.
    “It’s really cold in Chicago, and I didn’t have a good coat. Then a guy heard that I was coming here and said I was crazy to fly into Grand Junction because you guys were going to get a storm coming your way. So a nice man named Ted let me have the coat.”
    “Is it Ted’s coat?”
    “No, it’s officially stolen property now.”
    She laughed aloud and then covered her mouth, realizing that everyone else was still asleep. “You are trouble for me, aren’t you?”
    Jesse moved in closer to her and gathered her in his arms. “I don’t mean to be. I don’t want to be.”
    Her breath grew thick. “We come from two different worlds.”
    “We sure do. I like yours.”
    Melissa narrowed her eyes. “I have nothing.”
    “Oh, you have more than you think.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You have a family, a community, friends, and a very important job. I admire you for all of that.”
    “Why me? Why…”
    “Shhh.” He moved in closer and laid a kiss on her lips.
    The coat between them kept them at a short distance, but it wasn’t enough to keep the heat of his body from making her temperature rise.
    Jesse pulled back and gazed at her. “You’re old fashioned, aren’t you?”
    She didn’t like how that sounded since they were so many years apart in age. “What does that mean?”
    “It means you’re the kind of girl who plays by rules. You meet. You date. You become boyfriend and girlfriend. A man should get down on a knee and propose with a ring, but only after getting permission to do so from her family. No babies until there is a marriage—not a wedding—but a marriage.” He stood back and looked her over. “Yeah, and you go to church and Jonah told me you’re a stickler for having homework done before dinner.”
    Melissa pursed her lips. “I sound like a fuddy duddy.”
    “Not in the least.” He lifted his head and inhaled. “Do I smell coffee?”
    “Yes. It was the only way I could keep awake. Would you like some?”
    “I’d love it. And then I can tell you why I think your way of mothering is so amazing.”
    She nodded and headed toward the kitchen with Jesse in tow. She draped the large “borrowed” jacket over the back of a chair and then pulled a mug out of the cabinet.
    Melissa poured the coffee into the mug. “So you’re looking for a mother figure?”
    “I knew that sounded wrong. No. But looking at it in a backward way…a good mother is a good listener and caregiver…which means she’d be an attentive wife. In turn, she must be one hell of a lover.”
    Melissa swallowed hard as she replaced the coffeepot back on the burner. “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
    “Maybe not as much as you think.” She handed him the mug, and he took a long, deep smell. “This smells great. Thanks.”
    “Sure.” She