Chapter 68

Jesse

Jesse opened her eyes, and her vision came into focus. She looked up at Hal, who was watching her carefully as he withdrew his fingers from within her.

“Jesse?” he asked her, and Jesse couldn’t help finding it odd that he was using her full first name.

“Yeah?” she responded, her voice more than a little rough.

“Are you okay?” he asked her, genuine concern in his voice.

Jesse looked up at him and gave him a nod and a smile, and she felt her usual blush creep into her face.

“I’m good,” Jesse nodded, and she sat up. She winced slightly as she sat, becoming aware of just how sore her nether regions really were.

Hal frowned and searched her face, obviously noticing her discomfort.

“Sorry.” Jesse laughed lightly. “I just haven’t been in the scene for a while.”

“Don’t apologize.” Hal shook his head and moved to sit on the couch beside her. Jesse arranged her shirt so that it was once again covering her body.

“I really did enjoy it, though,” Jesse said. “I mean, you’re amazing.”

Hal laughed.

“Thanks,” he said. “It’s always nice to be appreciated.”

Jesse smiled, and she snuggled into his side. They stayed there for several moments, and Jesse looked out of the windows into the woods outside of the cabin. She felt incredibly sated and content, and she reveled in the warmth that was filling up her insides.

There was some part of her, though, that was not full, and the sound of her stomach growling once again met their ears.

“Oh, shit, Jess,” Hal said, seeming more than a little alarmed. “I’m so sorry. I forgot about breakfast!”

Hal immediately hopped up off the couch and moved back into the kitchen. Jesse could only smile to herself as she watched him move and then rose to follow him. She leaned in the doorframe and watched as Hal turned the stove back on and returned to the mixing bowl that he had been distracted from earlier.

Jesse sauntered into the kitchen and sat down on a barstool at the island in the middle of the kitchen, content to watch him work.

As she watched him busily cooking their breakfast, she couldn’t help replaying in her mind the events that had unfolded the previous night. Not only had they finally given into their physical desires for one another, but Hal had confessed that he loved her and that he wanted to be in a real relationship with her.

Jesse was elated, and she watched Hal with a small smile on her face. She felt a sense of elation at the fact that such an important man, or really any man at all, was interested in being in a relationship with her. It defied her notions that she wasn’t good enough to be in a relationship at all.

Jesse never could have imagined just how uplifting it was to spend her time with someone who cared about her and took pains to make sure that she realized just how much he cared about her. After all, he had secreted her away to his cabin in the woods just so that they would be sure to be out of the public eye.

As she thought of that, though, Jesse frowned a little. She thought of just how much she would be in the public eye if she were Hal’s love interest. Especially since he had not admitted to having any relationships in his career at any point until then. The press would certainly be all over them, eager to get answers about their situation, how they had met, and all the details of their lives together.

That made Jesse more than a little anxious. She worried that it would impact her professional reputation. She was still interested in getting a job, after all, and she knew that if she were the subject of interest of all the tabloid magazines in the city, she would not be taken seriously to any extent.

Jesse frowned a little, studying the swirls of marble on the countertop of the island. It seemed that all her life she had sacrificed her personal life for her professional life. She had not dated much, and she had very few friends. Maybe, just maybe, it was time for her to take a break and enjoy herself before she buried herself in yet another all-consuming job.

That idea, though, didn’t account for her everyday living expenses. She still had to eat, and pay her bills and rent, and you didn’t pay for any of those things simply through personal fulfillment.

A small voice in the back of her head chimed in, reminding her that Hal was rich, and he could likely take care of all her needs for the rest of her life. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, though, than she felt guilt wash over her. No matter how rich he was, she couldn’t expect him to simply take care of her.

He had asked her to be his girlfriend, not his child. The reminder of their relationship status once again sent a rush of warmth through her body.

Still, the knowledge that she needed money did not change, and she scowled as she looked down at the counter, anxiety slowly creeping through her body.

“Uh-oh,” she heard Hal’s voice and looked up to see Hal moving toward her with two plates of food. “You look upset. Is everything alright?”

Jesse shook her head, having been pulled from her thoughts.

“Yeah, just thinking about some things,” she said.

Hal set the plate of food down in front of her, then set his own plate down in the place beside her and strode toward the fridge. Jesse’s mouth watered at the array of food on the plate before her.

“What kind of things?” Hal asked as he set down a glass cup beside each of their plates and then placed a pitcher of orange juice and a jug of milk in front of them.

“Just like my job,” Jesse said with a sigh. “And … about us …”

“Well,” Hal said, reaching toward the glass of orange juice and pouring himself a glass before offering it to Jesse, who gratefully accepted. “Why don’t we start with your job?”

Jesse nodded, taking a sip of the sweet orange liquid in her glass.

“You’ve already put in applications all over the place,” Hal pointed out positively. “It’s really only a matter of time until someone contacts you.”

Jesse nodded again, taking what he said into account. He was right, after all. She had some good references and quite a bit of experience as well, so her chances were good to at least get an interview with some of the places at which she had applied.

“Besides,” Hal went on, “if you don’t get called back from any of those places, I will introduce you to Liza, and she can help you pick up a job somewhere really soon.”

“Okay.” Jesse nodded and released a sigh. “That sounds good. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Hal smiled.

For a moment, they both sat there and ate their breakfast. Jesse was amazed at the sheer quantity of food that had found its way onto her plate. There were scrambled eggs, a couple of pancakes, bacon, a biscuit, toast, hash browns, and even a small bowl of fruit. Jesse highly doubted that she was going to finish, but she was at least going to put forth a solid effort.

Jesse took her first several bites, being sure to try a little bit of everything on her plate. She let out a soft groan through the food in her mouth.

“This is amazing,” she told Hal. He laughed lightly.

“Thank you,” he said with a faint smile, seeming to Jesse a little embarrassed. “Breakfast food is sort of my forte.”

“I believe it,” Jesse said with a smile. “This is really great. I haven’t had a breakfast like this in years.”

“Well, eat up,” Hal encouraged her softly.

And so Jesse did. She focused all her energy on clearing the plate in front of her. It took quite a deal of concentration and some discomfort with the stretching of her stomach, but she was finally able to finish the food.

“Wow.” Hal blinked as he looked over at her empty plate. “I really didn’t expect you to finish all that.”

Jesse released a laugh.

“I didn’t either.” She shook her head and rested a hand on her extremely full belly. “But it was just so good, I didn’t want any of it to go to waste.”

Hal shook his head, standing and taking both of their plates before heading toward the sink. Jesse watched him start the water and then got up off the stool, following him so as to offer him some help cleaning up after the wonderful meal he cooked.