Once Bitten (An Anya Maynard Novel)

Chapter Eighteen

"Jess," I said in surprise as I pulled away from Connor, "I...uh..." 

"Um...sorry," she laughed, "Don't...don't stop because of me, I just wasn’t expecting to see…that, that's all." 

I looked up to Connor for some sort of explanation, but he just grinned down to me. “You heard the woman," he said as he wrapped his arms back around me. 

But I stopped him, "Connor wait, you're okay with this?" I asked as I turned to Jess. I mean, she seemed to have some pretty strong opinions about Connor before, and none of them kind. 

She shrugged her shoulders, then winced, "it doesn't bother me any, but you," she said as she pointed a firm finger at Connor, "I can't believe you didn't tell me." 

It was Connor's turn to be surprised, the sly grin lost when he realized as I did that something wasn’t right. Jess seemed…drunk.

"Jessica?" he questioned her.

"No, not me, you," she sauntered over to him, pressing a finger into his arm. Rather than affect him it seemed like that small movement almost toppled her over. "Just because we stopped being friends doesn't mean you can't tell me you have a thing for my best friend." 

"Sorry guys," Steve said as he hurried over to retrieve Jess. "It’s the morphine, I didn't know she hadn't eaten in a while and it's hitting her hard," he gave a knowing grin to Connor before winking at me; "I hope she didn't interrupt anything." 

I rolled my eyes at him and I shook that comment off for more important questions. "Stopped? Jess, since when were and Connor friends?" I asked as Steve herded Jess into the kitchen. 

"Once upon a time," Jess said absently as she dropped onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen island, Steve digging through the cupboards to find her some food. 

I slid onto the seat next to her, watching as Connor handed a Tupperware container from to the fridge to Steve, "when exactly?" 

Again she shrugged, and again she winced. "I really should stop doing that shouldn't I?" She asked Steve. 

He popped a couple of bowls of something into the microwave and turned back to Jess, "unless you're enjoying yourself." 

"No, not really," she said shaking her head and thumping her cast against the counter. A cast that had not been there before she and Steve went into the bathroom. Well then that explained the white stuff I had somehow managed to notice earlier. It was plaster.

"Jess," I prompted again as I placed a hand on said arm to still her, "when were you and Connor friends?"

I shot a quick sideways glance at him to see if he was willing to fill me in but he was busy making something on the stove. Then that was a no.

I dropped my voice before I continued to work on getting answers from Jess, realizing that my shocked tone could come off as offensive towards Connor. It sounded like I couldn’t believe anyone would want to be friends with him. "I was under the impression you didn't like him," I said more quietly to her.

Her dazed self didn’t pick up on that nuance and she was not so quiet with her response. "Not at first,” she thought aloud, “we actually got along really well for a while when I first started there doing the after school thing, but then...but then I started dating Brad," she said as her face fell. 

"I'm sorry Jess. I didn't mean to bring that up." 

She gave me a quick smile, "its okay, I'm sure it's going to take me more than a day to get over that mess." She sighed and picked her gaze up to watch Connor, "guess I just picked the wrong brother," she said as she shot a chin towards the man plating up a couple of sandwiches.