Tom half walked, half lurched over to the kitchen. He saw Jess standing there over the stove, cooking something that smelled delicious, and he leaned against the little divider. He watched her – just took her in, and wondered what the hell he was doing with himself. Here he was, going after a girl like her – and why? He didn’t have time for a woman. He didn’t have time for anything else but his job.
But he knew that he was feeling lonely, and more than a bit jealous of the other men of the Forest. He wanted what they had.
“Morning,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as she kept cooking.
“Mornin’,” he answered, talking slow. His mouth was dry. He worked it slowly.
Jess sat down what she’d been working on, grabbed a pitcher of water from the fridge, and filled up a jumbo-sized
