Jesse didn’t seem to know that Claire was joking. He kept his silence, the wariness on his face telling Ellie that he felt it unwise to wade into an argument between sisters.
“We both rebelled against my father. I became a nurse instead of a doctor, and Claire went into woo-woo and became a massage therapist.”
“Massage is not woo-woo.”
Jesse glanced over at Ellie, caught the smile on her face, and the confusion on his faded. “Do you always tease each other like this?”
“Yes,” they answered in unison.
“What’s the point of having a much older sister if you can’t tease her once in a while?” Claire asked.
“What?” Ellie feigned outrage. “I’m only eighteen months older.”
They reached Claire’s SUV.
“Now what?” Ellie unlocked the doors with the fob.
Jesse opened the rear passenger side door. “Claire, it would be better if you rode in the back instead of up front. That way, you can keep your leg elevated.”
Ellie nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”
“Oookay.” Claire looked confused.
“Why don’t you stand on your left leg? I’ll climb in from the other side, lift you onto the seat, and help you scoot backward. You can use the other door as a backrest. Ellie, can you support her injured leg?”
“Absolutely.”
With Ellie to steady her, Claire got to her feet—or her foot. “Now what?”
“Stand with your back to the seat.” Ellie helped her get turned around.
Meanwhile, Jesse climbed in from the other side and crawled across the bench seat toward them. “You ready?”
“What am I doing?”
“You’re not doing anything. I’m going to lift you into the vehicle.” Jesse caught her just beneath her breasts and lifted her backward onto the seat.
The look on Claire’s face as he picked her up almost made Ellie laugh. And for a moment Ellie wished she were the one with the injured knee.
“Got her leg, Ellie?”
“Yep.”
Jesse helped Claire scoot backward across the seat, then climbed out and shut the rear driver’s side door, giving Claire something to lean against.
“Are you comfortable?” Ellie asked her sister.
Claire mouthed, “Oh, my God! He’s got muscles!” Then she spoke aloud. “Yes.”
Ellie turned to find herself looking into Jesse’s blue eyes, warmth skittering through her. “Well, that worked.”
Damn, he was distracting.
His lips quirked in a lopsided grin. “Sad to say, but I have a lot of experience putting injured people into vehicles.”
Ellie was certain that was true. “Thanks so much for your help. You seem to be in the habit of rescuing my family members and me.”
“Hey, don’t mention it. Can we, um, talk for a minute?”
Ellie opened her mouth to answer, but Claire beat her to it.
“Yes! Sure. Fine with me. The two of you need to talk.”
Ellie glared at her sister and slammed the back car door shut. “Sure. What is it?”
His brow furrowed, his expression going serious. “I was telling the truth when I said that I didn’t sign up for the first-aid tent to get closer to you. It was pretty much my only option, and Megs would have kicked my ass if I hadn’t signed up for something.”
So he wanted to make her feel like an idiot again?
She started to push past him.
He caught her shoulders. “Would you let me finish?”
She stepped back, arms crossed over her chest. “We need to get to the ER.”
He drew a breath, then went on. “I asked you to lunch because I want to get to know you better. And, yes, when I saw that you were running the first-aid tent, I felt a hell of a lot better about signing on. I’m attracted to you, Ellie, and I think you’re attracted to me, too. Look at me and tell me that’s not true.”
She stared up at him, stunned. “I … I …”
When nothing else came out of her mouth, he lowered his head—and kissed her. It was just a fleeting kiss, the slightest brush of his lips over hers, but it robbed her lungs of breath and left her lips tingling.
He stepped back, his pupils dark. “Call me.”
Ellie watched him walk away, then climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Well, well,” said Claire. “I’m almost glad I fell.”
*
Jesse walked back to his locker, sat, and removed his ski boots, sure he’d lost his fucking mind.
He had kissed Ellie.
He hadn’t planned it. She’d stood there, looking up at him through panicked green eyes, and he hadn’t been able to stop himself. As kisses go, it had been tame—no tongue, no fingers in the hair, no breasts pressed against his chest. But damn …
He’d kissed his share of women, but that little peck had rocked his world.
In that moment, he’d forgotten the long list of reasons why he didn’t want to get involved with her—the twins, the fact that he’d known her husband, the baggage he’d brought back from the war.
Okay, so that was only three reasons. But they were three very good reasons. He ought to write them down and memorize them because right now they didn’t seem nearly as important as kissing her again.