Chapter 15: Chapter Fifteen - Jessica

The door shut behind them and I sank against the kitchen cabinet. There was so much adrenaline coursing through me that my mind couldn’t wrap around everything at once.

That kiss…

Had rocked my entire world.

I’d never felt so out of control.

I wasn’t one to toss myself at anyone but I was one hundred percent certain that I would have done anything with Mason if he had wanted it.

His touch was heavy and his fingertips rough against my skin. The taste of his mouth and his plush lips would haunt my dreams.

Then Liam had to come in and ruin everything happening inside of me. Now I felt as if I was crashing from a high that would slowly drown me.

I sat on the kitchen floor for several minutes before I gathered myself enough to clean up the mess.

My anticipation of hearing from Mason tingled in my back pocket where my phone sat. It wasn’t healthy to want to see him so badly. I needed to find something to occupy my mind.

After I finished cleaning the kitchen, I grabbed my laptop and went into my bedroom. The lack of emails regarding a job was disheartening. Though, The Eagle wouldn’t be too bad until I made my mind up on what I wanted to do with my life.

I didn’t want my life to revolve around Mason. No, I didn’t want my decision to stay to revolve around him. It wasn’t smart. It was a lust-filled decision that would wreck me if nothing came out of our relationship.

My dad had taught me enough to know not to make decisions based on a boy. I didn’t want to be a stereotype.

Changing into my pajamas, I crawled into bed and opened my phone. My reading app stared up at me and I reluctantly clicked on it. It’d been a while since I indulged in a book. Maybe it would keep my mind off things.

After finding some popular paranormal romance, I read for what seemed like hours and my eyes began to blur. I didn’t wake up until my phone slipped from my hand and hit the wooden floor.

Sitting up quickly, I let my eyes adjust to the dark room. The moonlight was scarce from the crack in my curtains but gave me enough light to see I was alone.

Sighing, I turned over on my side and stared at the wall. I reached down and grabbed my phone from the floor. I had one missed text from Mason.

I hope this doesn’t wake you. I had fun tonight. Text me in the morning and I’ll give you a ride to the newspaper office.

I slid it underneath my pillow and sighed heavily. There was a part of me that wanted to know why Liam needed him so badly. Their close-knit relationship with all of them was odd.

Sure, people had close friends but they were extremely close. Maybe I could find out more information from him in the morning.

Now, I needed sleep.

When I woke up the sun was blinding me through the thin curtains. I groaned and stretched my arms above my head. I needed coffee, stat.

I crawled out of bed, grabbed my phone, and walked toward the coffee pot. Once the coffee finished, I walked outside onto the front porch and looked around at the morning light.

The humid Louisiana air felt hotter than I ever imagined it but I sat down in the old rocker anyway.

Ten minutes into my coffee I noticed a tabby cat sitting beneath the magnolia tree in the distance. “Come here, kitty,” I called out.

He took his time walking over, judging me from a distance before coming within touching distance of me. I rubbed my fingertips against his fur and he purred at me.

“You don’t have a collar. Are you a stray?”

He waved his tail in my face and rubbed against my legs. Once I was finished, I walked back to the door and the cat followed between my legs.

He looked friendly enough, so I let him inside. I didn’t have any cat food, so I poured him some milk in a small bowl and left it there.

I checked my email and there was nothing new on my job search account. Sighing, I scratched the back of my neck and found my way to my suitcase.

I put on one of my summer dresses and some wedges before attempting to French braid my hair.

At 10 AM, I texted Mason and asked if he could give me a ride soon. When he didn’t respond, I figured he was at work or busy. I curled up on the couch with the tabby cat behind me and read some on my reading app.

Thirty minutes later a knock came on my door. I walked over and looked out of the peephole. Mason stood on the other side. When I opened the door, his hat was on backward and he looked sweaty.

I liked it.

I liked it a lot.

“Good morning,” I said. “I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. Were you busy? Do I need to ask Jacob?”

Mason stepped inside and I noticed a faded mark on his bicep. “You okay?” I reached out and touched it.

A jolt of electricity surged down my arm and I yelped.

Mason reached to touch me but let his hand fall. “Are you okay? That static is crazy, isn’t it?”

I rubbed my arm. “That’s not like any static I’ve ever felt,” I mumbled. “Let me grab my bag and we’ll leave.”

Grabbing my purse from the couch, I heard the tabby cat hissing at Mason. I looked over with lifted brows. “Are you not a cat person?” I asked.

The tabby was reaching out and clawing at him.

Mason made a face at the cat. “Nah, not a cat person. Where did that thing come from? I've never seen it before."

I shrugged. “He’s been friendly to me. He showed up this morning. Let’s go before he attacks you and adds to those marks on your arm."

Mason watched the cat while following me out of the door. Liam sat in the passenger side of Mason’s truck and I struggled to hide my disappointment. “What did he need help with last night?” I asked.

Mason helped me down the stairs in my wedges. “Ah, just some help at the house. It’s kind of personal.”

Dang it. There goes any information I planned to pry from him.

“Ok.”

Liam got out and allowed me into the center seat of Mason’s old farm truck. “Thank you,” I said, climbing in between them.

The ride was mostly silent. I was pretty sure that Liam knew what Mason and I were doing in the hallway. It had been written all over his face when he rounded the corner.

I cleared my throat. “So, Liam. Do you not have class today?” I asked.

“Only on Tuesday and Thursday,” he said. “Mason said The Eagle reached out to you? That's exciting."

“Yeah. I hope I’m dressed okay. I didn’t bring my entire closet and left out a lot of professional clothes.”

“You look great,” Liam said.

Something low vibrated in the truck and I looked around for the culprit. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Mason asked, looking out the window.

I narrowed my gaze at him but didn’t pry. The awkwardness of this ride was irritating me. I inhaled deeply and tried to get myself in the mental place to ask the right questions.

Mason parked at the courthouse parking lot and pointed toward a small building to the right. “There it is. Looks like Mrs. Jamie is there.”

Liam got out so that I could. I looked at Mason before I scooted out. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

He smiled. “Take your time.”

I walked toward the building and stepped into the cool and fluorescent-lit room. There were three small desks in the main office. A woman in a business suit with bright red hair stood over a younger and smaller girl with round black glasses.

“Uh, is Mrs. Jamie here?” I asked.

The red-haired woman stood up and looked over at me with a giant smile. “Jessica. I’m so glad you made it. We were just working on a story for this morning.”

Curiosity got the best of me. “What’s the story about?” I asked.

The small girl with dark black hair, and Asian features laughed. “Where have you been? Someone saw a giant monster at Maurice’s last night. Said it looked like a deranged wolf.”

I watched as she furiously typed on the keyboard.

A deranged wolf. I wanted to ask her more about it but Mrs. Jamie gestured for me to have a seat at her desk. “Now, what can I tell you about The Eagle? And what can I do to get you to work here?"