The Princess and the Pauper Read online

  “What do you mean? Why not?”

  “I’m not going to make love to you on the wrought iron bench in your parents’ backyard,” he said.

  “Make love?” April nearly choked. “Make love?”

  “What did you think?”

  April could scarcely concentrate on their conversation. All she could see were Jesse’s sensual lips, reddened slightly from kissing her. Instinctively she leaned toward him and was humiliated by the way he drew away sharply.

  “Stop it, April. I mean it.” He bounded to his feet suddenly, jerkily.

  “Now who’s afraid,” she asked, slowly rising from the bench. Her knees were strangely weak.

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re doing!”

  “I’ve got a pretty good idea.”

  He swore rudely. April’s the one thread of hope lay in the fact he hadn’t actually marched off and left her. She stood before him, her blouse open, wisps of hair falling into her face.

  “You don’t want me?” she asked softly.

  He didn’t answer, but she could see a muscle working in his jaw. April tentatively slid her arms around his waist, tipping up her chin, hoping for another kiss. His response was to drag her tightly against his tensed body, kissing her so hard that her head fell back, and holding her so closely that she felt his state of arousal. She was thrilled by the evidence of his desire, even as it frightened her.

  Abruptly he let her go, swore again and stalked toward the corner of the house.

  “Wait!” she called after him. His purposeful strides kept right on going. “Jesse, wait!”

  He was at the gate before she caught up with him, grabbing at his arm. He turned so suddenly that he nearly knocked her off balance. “I’m not interested, Princess. Understand?” he growled harshly.

  “But I—”

  “Go tease someone else.”

  With that he strode through the gateway and down the road. April’s battered pride surfaced just long enough to keep her from following him.

  But she wasn’t going to give up.

  Chapter Four

  Driving the Mercedes at a fast clip toward Rock Spring’s city center, April passed Tamblin’s Lumber Mill on her left. Behind her sunglasses, she glanced casually out of the corner of one eye. It was three-thirty. Quitting time. If she was lucky, she might be able to catch a glimpse of Jesse climbing onto his motorcycle.

  She slowed down deliberately, drove around the nearest curve, then parked behind a sprawling oak tree in the center of the parking lot, nose pointed outward. The engine idled quietly. April turned off the air conditioning and pushed a button on the walnut dash board. The sunroof slid backward with a soft hum; the sunlight almost blinded her.

  She sighed. Following Jesse had become an obsession. At first she denied, even to herself, that her trips past the mill were more frequent than before, that her visits to Louie’s, the local burger joint two miles past the mill, had steadily increased. So she’d suddenly developed a craving for fast food. So what?

  But occasionally cruising to the truck stop had been what tipped the scales. She couldn’t lie to herself any longer. She’d gone there for one reason, and one reason only: Jesse.

  Carrie’s feeling about her strange behavior had been painfully clear the last time April had approached her friend about grabbing lunch at Louie’s. “Are you out of your mind?” Carrie had demanded. “I’m sick of Louie’s, and I’m never coming within a mile of that truck stop place again!”

  No amount of cajoling could persuade her to go. Which was just as well, April supposed, in case she actually ran into Jesse.

  July heat poured into her car, baking hot. April pulled her long hair off her bare shoulders and flung it over the back of the seat. She’d cornered Jesse twice since the night in the gazebo. Once at Louie’s, once when he was walking through town with Bettina. Both times he’d acted as if she were invisible. Bettina had managed to say hello.

  She’d had better luck with Jordan. Two nights before, she’d caught sight of him stuffed inside an older Suburban with a group of high school friends. Waving, April had managed to get the driver to pull over. She pointed to Jordan and yelled for him to join her.

  Amid hoots of laughter his friends had practically tossed him out of the car. Sliding into the front seat of the Mercedes, Jordan had whistled softly. “Nice wheels.”

  “My father’s, not mine. We sold my Mustang because I’m going to be living on campus. I’m afraid I’m carless.”

  “Then we’re two of a kind,” he said, pulling a beer from the inside of his coat and cracking it open. “Only I just can’t afford one. Want some?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Why did you pick me up?” he asked twenty minutes later, while April was driving aimlessly along River Road. He’d polished off the beer and crushed the can between his palms.

  April bit her lip, wondering if she should admit her feelings for Jesse – whatever those feelings might be. She wasn’t sure what attracted her, what compelled her to try and see him, but she was unwilling to let it lie. “I’ve met your brother.”

  Jordan turned her way, staring at her in the same unnerving way, Jesse did. “So?”

  “So I… want to see him again,” she admitted breezily.

  Jordan half-choked. “Jesse?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Well, if you think I can help you, you’re out of your mind. Jesse doesn’t listen to me.”

  “I just want to see him again, that’s all. To talk.”

  Jordan’s silence was eloquent of his disbelief. “How did you two meet?” he asked curiously.

  April shook her head. “It’s too long a story to go into. But I think he got the wrong impression of me, and I just want to straighten it out.”

  Jordan stared her down in such a way that April averted her eyes. To her amazement he touched her arm understandingly and said, “Jesse doesn’t like girls from Windsor Estates. It doesn’t matter what you do, April. He won’t like you. He can’t stand Tasha, either.”

  She gazed out the window, swallowing the swelling lump in her throat. Jesse’s prejudice made April’s soul ache. Inside, she yearned for something deep and nameless. Something only he could give her. “How does Jesse know Tasha so well?”

  “Oh, he just does.” Jordan shrugged. “Jesse’s not exactly impressed with her, if you know what I mean.”

  Now April laid her head against the car seat and stared through the sunroof at the dusty-blue sky. She had to see Jesse again. Soon. She only had a couple of months until she left town. Before meeting him, she’d been anxious to depart, but now she desperately wanted to renew what had begun between them.

  An engine whined and a shiny blue car drove past. April watched it until it disappeared from sight. Three more cars sped by before a black and chrome motorcycle, catching and reflecting the sunlight, caught her attention. She recognized the helmet and leather jacket. April nosed the Mercedes into traffic.

  Another car sandwiched itself between her and Jesse. Good, April thought with satisfaction. She wasn’t all that keen on a high-speed chase, and she was certain Jesse wouldn’t slow down if he saw her.

  He drove directly home, turning into the rutted driveway. Drawing on her courage, April pulled in behind him. When Jesse spied her, he stiffened and warily watched her climb out of the car.

  “I followed you from work,” April explained unnecessarily. “It seemed the only way to get you to talk to me.”

  His gaze slid from her to her car. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a Mercedes in my driveway before,” he said wryly.

  April heaved and exasperated sigh. “Would you mind taking a drive with me? Please?”

  “Like you did with Jordan?”

  She flushed deeply. “He told you? And you still wouldn’t meet me,” she added despairingly.

  “Princess, we have nothing to talk about.”

  “Stop calling me that! I’m not some stupid child you can just order around. I’ve got some things I n
eed to say. Just give me a chance.” She swept an arm in the direction of the Mercedes. It was a brave display of courage she truly didn’t feel.

  To her surprise Jesse did as she suggested, fitting his lean form into the passenger side of the car. April quickly scooted behind the wheel and switched on the ignition.

  “I’m not going to jump out,” he said, when she threw the car into reverse, and dirt and gravel spewed out from the back tires.

  “We’ll see,” she muttered.

  For lack of anywhere better to go, she headed toward River Road again. Now that she had him captive, she was suddenly tongue-tied and shy, and it made her irritable. They drove for miles before Jesse asked sardonically, “Well?”

  “I think you have the wrong impression of me,” April managed to say, her eyes trained steadily on the road in front of her. “I’m not Tasha Bennington.”

  “Okay, you’re not Tasha Bennington.”

  “And I do know what I’m doing,” she added with some heat.

  Jesse smiled and said nothing.

  April was so frustrated that she wanted to stamp on the accelerator. Instead, she pulled off at a narrow turn around and cut the engine. “I don’t know why, but I care what you think of me,” she declared. “I’m not a spoiled brat.”

  “Okay.”

  “Stop humoring me!”

  “What would you like me to do?” Jesse asked cuttingly.

  Unhappiness welled inside her, suffocating her. She glanced away, then wrapped her arms around her middle, squeezing hard, staving off the tears that were suddenly scalding the back of her throat. “I just wish – you’d like me – a little.”

  Whatever he’d expected, this clearly wasn’t it. Jesse ran a hand through his hair, tugging furiously at the length of it against his nape. “I don’t want to like you,” he told her tautly. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re trouble,” he ground out. “Because you’re slumming. Because just as soon as you get whatever you want from me, it’ll be over, and I’ll be left to save my skin.”

  Tears of fury stood in her eyes. Her lips quivered uncontrollably. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

  “Why don’t you ask yourself what you want – really want – from me?”

  “This was a mistake,” she murmured unsteadily, reaching for the ignition. Jesse’s hand clamped over hers, stopping her. Several times he tried to say something, then exhaled furiously and swore.

  “I’ll take you back,” she said, and he finally flung himself back in the seat.

  “Fine.”

  She drove to his house with care, emotions seesawing. She wished he would just kiss her again. Pull her into his arms. Love her.

  When the Mercedes slid to a stop in front of his house, he didn’t climb out immediately. Shooting April the wry look she was coming to know, he said, “You’re going to college in the fall.”

  She barely nodded. “UCLA.”

  “Seeing each other’s pointless.”

  “I guess.”

  A drip of sweat rolled down his throat. He swiped it away. “I could meet you at the park later tonight,” he said, so quickly that she half-believed she’d imagined it.

  “When?”

  “Later.” He slid out of the seat.

  April was so jubilant that she couldn’t find her tongue. Fumbling with the keys, she watched him walk up the driveway. A tired-looking woman was standing on the porch, her frowning gaze turned April’s way as she backed the Mercedes onto the road, her heart beating light and fast.

  Tonight, she thought excitedly. Tonight…

  The air was thick and close as April shifted her weight anxiously from one foot to the other. She peered through the inky darkness at her watch. Ten o’clock. Where was he?

  The leaves shivered beneath a hot breath of wind. Silence filled the park. April stood to one side of the entrance, inhaling the dusty smell of the sun parched ground. Jesse had been right, she thought uneasily. Who knew what or who could be lurking in the shadows? So then why had he suggested meeting here?

  What if he didn’t show?

  April closed her eyes and turned her face to the itinerant breeze. She was hot and perspiring. He would come. He had to. Whatever else could be said about him, Jesse was not the type to make idle promises.

  Growing restless, she walked along the pathway through the center of the park and darted anxious looks in all directions. There was no one here but herself.

  In the distance she heard the loud whine of an engine. She stopped short, ears straining. The whine grew into a dull roar. Jesse! she thought with jubilation.

  Quickly she ran to the entrance. The roar intensified, filling the night. April glanced across the road to her parents’ imposing manor house, afraid they would somehow guess what was going on. A headlight pierced the night and Jesse pulled to a thundering stop. As soon as he cut the engine, deep silence closed in around them.

  He sat on the motorcycle long moments. April wasn’t sure whether to risk being seen by her parents and go out and meet him, or wait in the shadows. She chose the latter and remained standing near the archway to the park, her heart thudding heavily in her chest.

  Jesse climbed off the motorcycle, slamming down the kickstand. He was wearing worn jeans, a black shirt and his leather jacket. Irrational fear suddenly seized April and she stepped back, one hand at her throat. She was dimly aware that tonight was some kind of turning point; the wheels she’d set in motion were spinning her into a dangerous, unknown future.

  Jesse strode through the archway and stopped five feet in front of her. “So who are you hiding from?”

  April drew a quiet breath. He would never understand her fears. “My parents.”

  He snorted. “Maybe I should leave.”

  “No.” April glanced around. “Could we go to the center of the park?”

  He hesitated, as if weighing his choices. Reluctantly, it seemed to April, he inclined his head. “Lead the way.”

  They walked side by side, a circumspect distance between them. At the clearing, Jesse stopped short. The shrubbery, thick with summer leaves and rustling in the night breeze, surrounded them. Only the faintest moon glow shone onto the dry grass.

  “Okay,” he said, stretching his arms over his head as if his back ached. “You wanted to talk. Talk.”

  April sighed inwardly. Why did he always have to make things so difficult? “You changed shifts at the mill,” she remarked. “You’re on days now.”

  “Was that what you want to talk about?” he asked softly in a mocking tone.

  April glared at him. She was standing to one side, letting the moonlight dapple one bare shoulder. She’d specifically worn this pale blue wraparound sundress to impress him – she knew it looked good on her. Her long black hair hung straight and covered most of her bare back. Now, under Jesse’s stripping scrutiny, she couldn’t help but wrap her arms protectively around her waist, spoiling the effect. He could make her feel so ill at ease.

  “No. I… just wanted you to—”

  “What?” he demanded, when she broke off.

  “I don’t know!”

  “Kiss you?” She could see him smile; his teeth were flash of white. “Again?”

  “No!”

  “Really. His tone was flat. “Then what do you want?”

  “Look, Jesse. I guess I like meeting you, okay? I’ve wanted to see you again.” April felt her lips tighten. “That’s all.”

  She didn’t move for the longest time. Finally, he heaved a deep sigh and removed his jacket, tossing it onto the ground. Then he ran his fingers through sweat-dampened hair and shook his head. “I shouldn’t be here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want to be here with you!”

  He’s lying, April suddenly realized, her pulse leaping. She slid him a look. He does want to be here! Otherwise he wouldn’t have come at all. Half afraid he might bolt if she came too close, she tentatively walked up
next to him. She tipped her chin to look into his shadowed eyes.

  He watched her closely, but she couldn’t read his expression in the gloom. All she wanted him to do was take her into his arms and assuage that sweet, secret ache that pulsed deep inside her.

  “I’m not thinking straight,” he said, his gaze holding hers.

  A strand of April’s ebony hair wisped upward, falling across his bare arm. In a voice she scarcely recognized as her own, she said, “I know we only have a few weeks, but I want to see you again. I’m tired of chasing you.”

  “Then stop.”

  “Why can’t I see you?” April asked.

  “Because it’s a big waste of time. It’ll go nowhere.”

  “How do you know? You are afraid of me!”

  “Damn right!” he said.

  April laughed, and the sound rippled through the sultry air. She doubted Jesse Cawthorne was afraid of anything. She’d just wanted a reaction from him. “You’re a liar,” she said, grinning. “Jesse…”

  She made the mistake of placing a hand on his arm. His muscles hardened. It was like an electric shock burning through her. April jerked back, eyes wide.

  Before she realized it, his hand was cupping the curve of her jaw, his knuckles grazing her cheek in an incredibly thrilling way. The pad of his thumb touched her dry lips and her heartbeat thudded hard and painfully.

  April’s lips parted automatically in fear and excitement. He swore softly, but it only added to her heightened awareness. When his thumb dipped into her mouth, she tasted its saltiness with the tip of her tongue.

  He groaned and slid his hands into her hair, then leaned over her, his blond head bending toward hers. The softness of his mouth belied the urgency of his kiss. He crushed her to him.

  April knees buckled. It wasn’t long before she felt the soft sheepskin lining of his jacket against her bare back, the hard tingle of jean clad legs as he bore her to the ground. Jesse’s mouth claimed hers with the possessiveness that made her head roar.

  “April,” he murmured. “April…”

  She thrilled to his voice. It was a heady sensation, knowing she affected him the way she did. She kissed him back as wildly as he kissed her. Twisting her body, she strained to be closer to him.