Free Long Gone Girl by Amy Rose Bennett Page A

runner and the carpet
upstairs.”
    Mrs. Fingle raised her plump hands to her
ample, pinafore covered chest. “Oh bless you,” she exclaimed. “Of
course. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She waddled off down the hall
towards the back of the house and disappeared from view.
    Ginny beckoned to Jett. “Quick, upstairs.
Third room on the right. I’ll be up in a second.”
    “With towels.” Jett grinned. “Clever ruse.
I’m glad I won’t have to shimmy up the porch post and climb through
your window. It’s been a while since I’ve had to do something like
that.” He gave her a swift kiss on the cheek then squeezed past her
before bolting up the stairs.
    Ginny grimaced at the trail of water he left
behind, but it couldn’t be helped. She stepped into the hall and
closed the door against the storm. At least the lighting in here
was dim. Hopefully the kindly Mrs. Fingle wouldn’t notice the wet,
man-sized boot prints along the worn Turkish runner.
    “Here we go, dear.” Mrs. Fingle reappeared
with several fluffy white towels.
    Ginny took them from her with a bright
smile. “Thanks so much. I’ll turn in now—”
    “Can I bring you up some tea or coffee? Some
home-made chocolate chip cookies and warm milk perhaps? You look
half-frozen.”
    Ginny shook her head, eager to let Jett into
her room. The door was locked and she wasn’t sure who else was
staying here. The last thing she needed—and Jett for that
matter—was for some other female boarder to come across him in the
upstairs hall. “No, I’ll be fine. Truly. Thank you, Mrs. Fingle.
Good night.” She slogged over to the stairs and started to
climb.
    Mrs. Fingle called after her. “Are you sure
I can’t turn the radiator on for you? Or run you a nice, hot bath?
It’s no trouble. You’re the only one here tonight.”
    Ginny released a sigh of relief then smiled
down over the bannister at her well-meaning landlady. Well that was
good news. She and Jett wouldn’t be disturbed . “You are too
kind. But I’m sure I’ll manage. A good book and a lie down and I’ll
be right as rain.”
    Mrs. Fingle laughed. “Oh you are a hoot,
Mrs. Williams. But please, do call if you need anything. Anything
at all. My room is right down the other end of the hall. But I
won’t be turning in for an hour or so.”
    “Sure thing,” called Ginny from the top of
the stairs. When she glanced down the hall to Jett, she could see
he was lounging against the doorjamb by her room, arms folded
across his chest, smirking. Ginny’s breath caught as her gaze
wandered over him. His wet, white T-shirt clung to every wonderful
ridge and curve of muscle across his upper arms and chest. The
soaked denim of his jeans was molded to his long, muscular thighs.
And there was still a decided bulge around his groin. Good Lord,
the man was as randy as a teenager. Except his confident gaze
seemed to grow hotter and heavier with each step she took towards
him. Clearly, Jett was no boy. The throb in her loins started
anew.
    “Well, I wouldn’t mind a nice, hot bath with
warm milk and cookies,” he murmured when she reached her door.
    Ginny thrust the towels at him then
retrieved her room key from her purse. “Shall I send Mrs. Fingle up
then?” she whispered back with saccharine sweetness. “Perhaps she
could scrub your back too.”
    Jet cocked an eyebrow. “I would have thought
you were the expert on scrubbing, Nurse Williams.”
    Ginny pushed the door open and deposited her
purse on a chair by the door. “You’ll get nothing from me at all
except a good tongue-lashing shortly, Captain Kelly.” Stepping into
the room, she immediately noticed Mrs. Fingle’s handiwork. The
bedside lamp was on and the patchwork quilt was turned down on the
single bed revealing pristine white sheets and several fat pillows.
She bit her lip as vivid, altogether erotic images of what she and
Jett were about to do between those sheets filled her mind.
    Jett followed her in and shut the door. His
eyes danced