CHAPTER THREE
Morning sun kissed Jessica awake. For a brief moment she stretched languidly in bed, tangled in the silky sheets and thick comforter, lost in thoughts of the past evening’s lovemaking. Less pleasant memories jolted her eyes open fully. She flipped over to find Nick’s side of the bed empty. Wrapping the blanket around her naked body, she slowly rose to her feet. With her back to the balcony doors, she stared at the empty bed. Seemingly, the same emptiness filled her heart and soul. A single tear slid down her cheek at what was undoubtedly a drug induced dream. She leaned against the cool glass and slid to the floor, lost anew in her grief.
When Nick appeared from the bathroom clad only in his boxers, brushing his teeth, Jessica screamed loudly enough to wake the dead.
Toothpaste spewing with each word, Nick exclaimed, “What the hell?” His eyes wide, he waved the brush around the room like a Ninja weapon he could use against whatever threatened Jessica.
“But, you,” her words cut short as the line between what really happened and what she must have dreamed blurred beyond comprehension. Did she imagine his death? Was the mirror all a dream? Was she dreaming now?
Nick dropped the toothbrush as he wiped his face on the towel slung over his shoulder, darting to her side. Dropping to his knees, he pulled her trembling hands into his. “What’s wrong?” He placed a gentle kiss on each knuckle.
She shook her head, hoping to clear some of the confusion. Instead, she felt even more so. Standing, she allowed the blanket to fall to the floor, grabbing a pair of jeans and t-shirt from her suitcase. “We need to go.” Jessica turned to face him as she dressed. “Now!”
“Wait, lets at least take a shower.” He waggled a brow and nodded back toward the bathroom.
She shook her head. “This place is…” Her words trailed off as a shiver skittered up her spine.
“Magical?” Nick finished her sentence, grabbed her by the shoulders, and gently pushed her down into a chair. “Give me just a minute, at least.”
“Why?” She fought to stand, but the pleading look in his eyes made her stay put. He disappeared into the bathroom for a brief moment, the sounds of toppling bottles and clanking plastic filled the air.
He returned with a tiny black box in his hands and an impish grin on his face. Still only dressed in his underwear, he dropped to one knee in front of her chair. Opening the lid, he revealed a glittering diamond set in an encrusted, filigreed band. “Jessica Ellison, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Shock, joy, and confusion pounced on her simultaneously. Having the sparkly ring as a distraction, the nightmares of the past night quickly faded and joy reigned triumphantly. “Yes!” she squealed as she slid from the chair and tossed herself into his strong embrace.
His lips found hers in a quick, passionate kiss before he pushed himself back far enough to slip the beautiful ring on her finger. “This was the whole point of our trip to Eureka Springs. I wanted to get you out of the rubble of Joplin so I could ask you to marry me in a peaceful setting.”
Jessica snorted in contempt as a few non-peaceful memories attempted to crowd into the happy moment. She looked into the eyes of the man she loved, and a smile returned to her face. “You know, I can finally put things into perspective. We didn’t lose everything. We still have one another. So many people lost so much more than we did.”
“Exactly,” Nick whispered as he helped Jessica to her feet. “So, are you thinking maybe a June wedding?”
Turning, she zipped up her suitcase and grabbed her purse by the nightstand. The white pill lay right next to it. The room seemed to rock back and forth as she stared at the only real proof of what had taken place the night before. Realization stabbed her as she stood and looked across the room at Nick. He was zipping his suitcase, but stopped quickly as their gazes met.
“You’re white as a ghost,” he muttered. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I mean, no,” she blurted as she helped Nick with his bag and shoved him, half-dressed, out the door of the room. She assisted him with his shirt with one hand as she dragged both suitcases behind her with her other. She pressed the button for the rickety old elevator she’d been afraid to use when they got there. The stairs now held too many memories, too much of something she wasn’t prepared to face. It seemed to take forever once they boarded, but the old box finally lurched to a stop in the lobby, and she darted out the doors once they parted enough for her to fit. Nick now dragged the bags behind him and passed her as they hit the front door of the hotel. A hand grabbed Jessica’s arm from behind and spun her around.
The tour guide from her nightmare now faced her. “Dear girl, you’ve been blessed with a second chance. I suggest you appreciate the important things in your life, now.”
Terror ripped through Jessica, but the calm in the other woman’s face seemed to radiate through her, chasing the fear away. She nodded her head, yanked her arm free, and shoved her way through the front door toward Nick.
There wasn’t enough distance in the country to put between them and what may or may not have happened that night. All she knew is that there would be no more wasting of what precious time they had together. Most people never really know what they have until they lose it. Jessica was given a rare glimpse and would never let go of him. She glanced down at the diamond ring glittering on her left hand and then back at the man she loved more than life itself as he loaded their luggage in the car.
“I hear Vegas is nice this time of year.”
Bio
T. Sue VerSteeg was born and raised in the southeast central region of Iowa in the small town of Grinnell. At the age of 21, she moved her parents and family to the beautiful Ozarks of Missouri where they have since made their homes. She has been blessed with the love of an adoring husband (who is also her soul mate), two wonderful children, the best sister in the world and truly amazing parents. Writing has always been a passion in her life as most family members and friends can attest. Long letters, journals and short stories can be found in nearly every drawer and filing cabinet in her home, along with manuscripts and research documents. Her most sincere wish is that you can find as much enjoyment in reading her stories as she did in the creation of them.
T. Sue VerSteeg's other works can be found at https://tsueversteeg.com/books/
Where you can find me:
Facebook.com/tsvbooks
Twitter.com/tsueversteeg
Tsvbooks.com
Other Titles by T. Sue Versteeg
Secrets of the Sapphires (Paranormal Romance)
Nia Brooks entered the CIA to get to the bottom of her parents’ deaths. Joining the Paranormal Division, she learns to fend for herself after dealing with prejudice, not to mention the vampires and shifters. Paired with an egotistical agent, the bloodsuckers and hairy boys don’t seem so bad.
Garrett Van Deren has his own agenda behind joining the CIA. When his dead partner’s body disappears without a trace, Garrett knows the vampire underground is responsible and the Paranormal Division offers him answers. He slams head first into a roadblock when he meets his new partner. A hundred pounds soaking wet, he’ll be babysitting instead of tracking down the killer.
Tossed back in time by a mysterious white sapphire, two headstrong agents must learn to trust one another while they search for a way back to the Twenty-First Century and the people responsible for the rift in time.
Another Time, Another Place (Paranormal Romance)
Tessa Garrett has had less than an interesting life. Forgotten and abandoned as a child, her life consisted of foster homes and self-reliance. Her only escape from reality was her dreams; dreams of a castle she thought only existed in her mind until she woke up within its walls in the thirteenth century.
Eric Bartholomew Hadley had found no time for love, unless it became necessary to lure the opposite sex into his bedchamber. As future lord of his castle, Eric will honor his father’s last request and marry a shrew. Knowing the lovele
ss union will provide his castle with a lady and hopefully an heir, he reluctantly agrees to the upcoming nuptials until he discovers Tessa in his courtyard.
Can true love overcome all odds and bridge the gap of eight centuries?
Click! (Romantic Comedy)
Almost every woman has them: those two very distinct voices in their mind that always offer advice. One voice can usually be chalked up to common sense, the other to mischief, mayhem or sometimes just plain morbid curiosity. Both are always present and accounted for, ready to offer their two cents worth.
Jemma Keith is no exception to this rule. Her inner voices only agree that she should accept the offer to photograph her snake of an ex-boyfriend’s wedding. They do not, however, agree on what to do once she gets there. Her common sense side feels like taking the high road would be appropriate, that she can handle being the better person. Her mischievous side feels more like slithering in and crashing the whole affair down around his ankles for cheating on her.
What is a woman to do when she can’t make up her mind?
At least both sides know how she feels about the bride’s cousin, Anthony Giovanni: hot, delirious, and oh, so tempted.
Join Jemma on the ride of her life through lust, temptation, revenge, and love as she fights her inner selves for peace of mind and a chance at happiness.
One Wild Weekend (Steamy Romance)
Melissa Tanner has spent her adult life in search of Mr. Right. After committing herself to a weekend of banking seminars, with her biggest concern being how to stay awake through them, she literally runs into her next prospect at the airport. Can the boring weekend be saved and turned into a wild ride with Mr. Right? Or will he just end up being another Mr. Right-Now?
Luck Be A Lady (Cozy Mystery, Romantic Comedy)
Tessie King has just inherited the biggest casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada: the Royal Lakeside. What she didn’t bargain for are the problems she inherited with it.
Having left Tahoe years ago, the underbelly of the casino trade is a far cry from the art world Tessie is used to. High-stakes cons, inside jobs, wise guys… Tessie quickly realizes she’s in way over her head. And things go from bad to worse when questions start to arise about the nature of her father’s death. Enter FBI agent Devin Ryder, member of the Nevada Organized Crime Task Force. He’s had his eye on the King family for months, and with the suspicious death of its leader, Ryder now has Tessie squarely in his sights. If Tessie doesn’t want to be running her casino from behind bars, she needs to find out how her father really died, who’s behind it, why, and how to get them into Agent Ryder’s hot little hands before he gets his hands on her. All the while catching a con-man, beating the competition, and running a multi-million dollar business.
Tough job? Fo’get about it. All in a day’s work for this lady luck.
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