Burning Desire

Chapter 12

Jesse and I said goodnight to Erica and we left the reception with his hand planted firmly on my ass. It seemed like everyone had knowing eyes on us as we made our exit. Were we that obvious? I tried to ignore their stares and focus my attention elsewhere. Luckily, Jesse looked dashing in his suit and tie, and he was a great distraction. As we walked across the parking lot, I couldn't help thinking about getting that snazzy suit off of him. By the time he opened the car door for me, I'd mentally jotted down about eleven different ways to use his silk tie for fun.

In the car, I was still a little annoyed about Jesse not letting me know he'd returned, but my attention was almost entirely focused on the gorgeous view of him sitting beside me. He was driving about twenty miles over the speed limit and comfortably lounging back in his seat like he didn't have a care in the world. His window was rolled down, his hair whipping with the wind. It reminded me of the way Alex's horses' manes flowed in the wind when they ran across the field.

My thoughts traveled to Alex, briefly wondering what he was up to, but my focus was brought back to Jesse when he placed a hand on my thigh, smiling confidently as he looked ahead.

The drive was almost entirely silent. Very little small talk was made. Eventually, we came to a fancy neighborhood with impressive and elaborate Christmas decorations lighting up every home. The area resembled the neighborhood Jesse lived in with the multitude of expensive cars and mansion-style homes. His Maserati fit right in.

"Where are we?" I asked while Jesse pulled into the long driveway of a gorgeous three-story house that had the brightest light display on the block.

He cut the engine and I paused for a moment, waiting for him to tell me what was going on. He didn't say anything and got out of the car. I followed suit a few seconds later.

Further up the driveway were several people gathered near the front door. They were all dressed very formally, and though I didn't know what the occasion was, I was glad that I was dressed for it.

Jesse's arm rested at my waist as he led me toward the house.

"This is my family's home," he told me. "My parents are having a Christmas party and I wanted to introduce you to everyone. Since you're already dressed for a party, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to have you meet my family."

Meet his family? I'd already met his sister, Lillian, whom I liked. She'd seemed so sweet when we spoke. But I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to meet the rest of the family. It seemed too soon to be meeting them. Besides, Christmas party or not, I was not an invited guest. I felt like I was imposing.

As we walked up the narrow stone path, I wondered how Jesse was going to introduce me. We weren't officially dating yet. We were more like friends-with-benefits with a side of date nights. The last thing I wanted the Reese's to think was that we were fuck buddies. I didn't want to come across as the slut hanging out in Jesse's bed. I couldn't help wondering if he was going to refer to me as his girlfriend, though. I was anxious to hear what he would say to his parents, but at the same time, I didn't really want to meet them.

"Oh, okay." I nodded awkwardly as we reached the entryway.

The inside of the house was incredible. No – incredible was an understatement. There was a massive twelve-foot-tall Christmas tree in the middle of the living room. It was covered in sparkling ornaments and surrounded by presents wrapped in shiny paper and velvet bows. Every corner of the house was home to a vibrant gold pot full of bright red poinsettias. Every wall had twinkling lights strung across it. There was a grand stone fireplace crackling in the corner with lighted garland draped over the mantle and gold metallic reindeer positioned just perfectly. The entire house looked like something out of a magazine. I was waiting for the HGTV crew to appear any second.