Scattered Seeds

Chapter Thirty-Five

The kiss might have lasted just a moment, but to Tom it felt like an entire lifetime passed between their lips. It was his first intimate contact with Jess since ‘that night.’ Passion fueled by his burgeoning need to possess her again conflicted with the knowledge that Jess had yet to admit her love for him. She seemed to war against the very idea of them together, and it split Tom in two.

Part of him wanted to scream at her for denying him; for making Tom feel as if he were doomed to break her heart from the beginning….

…For not even giving them a chance.

But another side of Tom, the more profound and compassionate spectrum of his soul, recognized Jess’s need for reassurance. It wasn’t fair of him to demand that she surrender her love so easily.

He must prove his devotion to Jess; that she wasn’t a mere fling to him. Tom knew he could convince her that the bond between them would last beyond Africa and survive the whirlwind of his celebrity status, but only time would allow this.

Unfortunately for Tom, time was not something he had a whole lot of.

He may have bested Samuel for Jess’s affection on the Dark Continent, but now – back in the ‘real world’ – the young Englishman was faced with two much more daunting opponents: time, and space.

Jess would be an ocean away after the UNICEF banquet, and that was less than two weeks away. He would be gone from her sight for at least four long months, which were more than enough calendar days for her to move on.

All too soon Jess’s mouth slid away from his. When Tom opened his eyes to gaze down at her, the look on Jess’s face was just what he’d hoped for.

Breathless pleasure released across Jess’s soft cheeks, but her brow was creased with indecision. Desperate to fight off the optimism that they might actually stand a chance together, she searched Tom for some sign that their kiss meant nothing to him. When she did not find it Jess’s shoulders fell, and her head tilted back in capitulation.

Her resistance to him was weakening, and confidence swelled in Tom’s chest once more. Bluish eyes that stormed a shade darker than usual stared into endless depths of brown. He was just about to ask if she wanted to go back to his place when the bartender sounded across the tavern.

“Last call!” the man boomed while rinsing glasses.

Jess’s eyes shot to the counter, and then back to Tom’s. “We,” she tried. A sheepish blush crept up her neck while Jess tried to dismiss what had just happened between them. “We should get one more before we go.”

She toyed with the buttons on Tom’s shirt, and then gave a playful pull at his collar. He was well aware that Jess was trying to make light of their encounter, and Tom’s handsome countenance fell just a bit.

“Of course,” he agreed.

Tom took Jess’s hand in his and walked her to the bar of Ye Old Mitre Tavern.

One last call.

The ominous words hung over Tom, reminding him yet again that their clock was ticking.

“Well,” Jess said as she stopped in front of the hotel lift.

She smiled up at Tom, swaying slightly. They’d shared more than a few ales, and the alcohol’s affect was catching up with her. Jess could tell Tom wasn’t feeling any pain either, and again she wondered why he’d let the taxi go. He told her that he would walk home, however Jess did not believe that was such a great idea. She felt pressured to invite him up to her room, but the apprehension of what was sure to unfold between them behind closed doors caused her to hesitate.