I’m on the couch when the bathroom door opens. Her hair is brushed and her makeup is gone, cheeks rosy from being scrubbed. She’s got my sweats rolled over at the waist because they’re too long for her legs. My cock twitches as her hard nipples bounce braless in my t-shirt on her way to me.

“That shirt looks way better on you than it does on me,” I smirk.

“My face is up here,” she laughs.

“And I’ll look at it in a second. Damn you look hot.”

“You brought out pillows and a blanket.”

“I did.” I pull her onto my lap so she’s straddling and facing me. “You don’t need makeup.”

“Men always say that.”

Jealousy lashes into my gut. “I don’t want to hear about other men.”

Her eyes cloud over and she touches my face. “No, Justin. I meant they say it to all of us women. Not to me in particular. I’ve heard a lot of my girlfriends complain about it.”

I slip my hand into her hair and bring her down for a kiss. Her moan into my lips stiffens my cock to full hardness in less than three seconds. Forcing our lips apart I gasp for air. “Okay, let’s try this whole sleeping with no sex thing.” I pull her down to lie with me spooning her.

She whispers, “Do you really think pressing it against my ass is going to help you?”

I chuckle into her hair and adjust myself to get more comfortable. “Why were you only in Atlanta a year?”

“My dad.”

“What about him?”

“When my parents split up I was seven. My dad was hardly there, which is why their marriage never worked. And I never really got to know him.”

“After the divorce?”

“No, before that, too. When we moved back to Boston where my mom was from, it was the same as it was when I was here.”

I trace her side with my fingers, back and forth. “Where did you go to elementary?”

“Garden Hills. But I don’t remember much of it. Were you there?” She glances to me.

“No, I went to Trinity.”

“When I moved to Boston with Mom, Dad acted like he’d been rejected. Not all the time, just when he was between wives.”

I’m well aware of Senator Rothdale’s marital history. It’s something his followers tolerated, but never played in his favor. “So, you came here to appease him.”

“Yes, junior year,” she sighs toward the ceiling. “And even though I came all this way and left everyone, including my mother who was my best friend, he didn’t make time for me. If I could have left before the end of the year and still gotten into college I would have. But transferring everything would have been a bigger nightmare. So I stuck it out. And sat next to you for a whole year without you looking at me.” She winks at me.

I grin, “I knew you were looking at me.”

Her eyes go big. “You did!?!” Covering her face she exclaims into her palms, “Oh my God, how embarrassing.”

I pull her hands back and climb on top of her. “I think it’s good you were hideous back then.”

She laughs, “I wasn’t hideous. I was still growing!” With heavy sarcasm she demands, “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“Because.” I kiss her and she fights me back. But I trap her and kiss her again.

“Answer the question, Justin,” she smiles up at me.

“Nah. I’m starting to think the word because is an answer unto itself. Worked with Hannah.”

“I’m a grown woman!”

Grabbing her breast I groan, “Don’t I know it.”

She bites her bottom lip on a moan as I massage her. “Stop.”

“I’m going to, in just one second. The way you’re arching your back right now is making it hard. And by it I mean me. Oh man, okay, dammit. I’m stopping now.” I slide off of her and spoon her again, pressing my forehead into her hair. “I want you and I’m not going to do anything about it. But fuck, I want you.”

“Goodnight,” she whispers.

“Jaimie?”

“Yes?”

“Will you come shopping with us tomorrow?”

She’s silent a second. “Yes.”

I tighten my hold on her and exhale. I’m not sure when sleep takes me down, but I know I don’t fight it. I need to escape this torture before I fail.