Page 36 of The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Jamison Valley 1)
He’d also taken off his shirt, shoes and socks.
My knees nearly buckled at the sight of him in only a pair of jeans. Jeans that hung perfectly from his hipbones. I fumbled my next step and nearly dropped the water glasses.
His body was, as expected, pe
rfect. Better than I had been picturing over the past two weeks. Strong shoulders. Cut, muscled arms. A well-defined chest dusted lightly with dark hair. He had a six-pack of chiseled abs and a happy trail of hair on his lower stomach that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans.
Standing there shirtless, he instantly heated my blood. I wanted him so badly that I almost forgot Roe was across the hallway. Almost.
Jess must have read my mind because he stalked toward me and removed a water glass from my hand. My gaze was glued to his chest so he hooked his finger under my chin, forcing my head back.
“Not tonight, baby. We’re not going there until we have all night to ourselves. Okay?”
I nodded, dropping my eyes.
“You get ahold of Bryant’s wife and get that sleepover scheduled. Soon.”
I nodded again.
He grinned. “Get ready for bed, Freckles.”
I stayed still. I was working to find the courage to make my next move.
Leaning in, I placed a kiss against his bare chest, something I had wanted to do since the night he came over and got his letter from Ben. Before he could see my cheeks flush, I walked around him and into the bathroom.
Had I just done that? It was so unlike me to be forward with a man.
With brushed teeth, I came back into the bedroom. Jess was sitting at the foot of the bed, his jeans stripped off and now wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs.
I swayed a little on my feet. Certainly he had a flaw somewhere. Right?
His legs were powerful and strong, just like the rest of his body. His calves had a sexy ball of muscle at the top that tapered down to his ankles.
He stood, then walked past me, lightly brushing my arm. That little touch ran through my entire body, sending tingles to all the right places.
I jumped into bed and sank down into my pillow-top mattress. My mind was racing and I was on the verge of a full-on panic attack at the idea of a man sleeping in my bed.
And it wasn’t just any man. It was Jess.
Trying to relax, I took a deep breath and swiveled my head around, assessing my bedroom.
I loved my room. It was like my own personal sanctuary. My rich, charcoal duvet had all of these randomly placed pin tucks and gathers so it billowed on my bed. My king-sized frame matched my dresser and two end tables. All of them were a dark, dark brown. My end table lamps were made of a bronze metal that had been fired with swirls of red, blue and copper.
Besides the kitchen, it was my favorite room in the house.
Jess emerged from the bathroom and came to the bed. All of the calm I had found moments ago evaporated.
He climbed in, lying on his back, and immediately pulled me into his side with one arm wrapped around my shoulders, the other propped behind his head.
At first, I wasn’t sure what to do. Every muscle in my body was tense. Jess felt it too because he shook me lightly. “Relax, Georgia. Sleep.”
“I can’t relax, Jess. You’re in my bed.”
“I’m aware.”
“Well, at least let me slide over to my side,” I said.
“No. Just relax. You’re sleeping here.”
