When I return to the living room Jamie’s boots are on the floor beside her, her legs crossed with a pillow on her lap. She’s just as beautiful as I remember from that night. More so, in fact.
“That smells so good,” she says.
“It is. Best in town.” I set the pizza box on the table along with the paper plates and a roll of paper towels. I pull a water bottle out of each pocket and hand her one.
“That’s inventive,” she laughs.
“You have to know how to utilize all of your resources.”
“Yeah, like me offering to help you?”
I love that sound. “You’re my guest. Besides, I had it under control.”
“I see that.”
Opening the box, I add two pieces to a plate and hand it to her. Tearing off a couple of paper towels, I give her one and set the other on the edge of the couch where I’ll be sitting. Filling my plate with three slices before settling next to her, I watch as she takes her first bite, moaning her appreciation. I can’t take my eyes off her.
“What?” she asks when she notices I’m staring at her.
“Good?” I shift my position to allow room for my inflated cock.
“So good.”
“Favorite food?” I need to keep my mind from straying to the fact that I want to be the one to cause her to make those sounds.
“Pizza.” She grins before taking another big bite. “Yours?” she asks after she’s swallowed, causing me to take notice of the long slender column of her neck. I want my lips there. “Mike?”
Shit. “Pasta, any kind.”
“Oh me too. Honestly, I’m a carb junkie. Hell on the figure, but oh so good.”
I take my time looking her over. “Nothing wrong with your figure, darlin.’”
She blushes. It’s fucking sweet and sexy all at the same time. Neither of us says anything else as we finish eating, but it’s a comfortable silence.
“Let me help you clean this up.” She starts to stand.
I place my hand on her arm to stop her. “No, I’ll get it later. I’m not going to waste my time with you cleaning up.” She settles back onto the couch. “Movie?” I ask.
“Sure, what do you have in mind?”
“Honestly, as long as you’re here, I couldn’t care less what we watch. You pick.” I hand her the remote.
“I get to pick? Anything off-limits?”
“Nope, whatever you want. As long as you’re on this couch with me I’m good.” What I don’t tell her is that I doubt I’ll even be able to pay attention to the damn movie with her here. She leaves tomorrow, so I need to memorize her features, memorize every moment before she leaves again. With her living so far away, I know we won’t be able to explore this connection, but I still want tonight, and I want to remember every fucking detail of my time with her.
She’s that girl, the one you long for and cherish any sliver of time you can get with.
“So I can pick a sappy chick flick and you’d be good with it?” she challenges.
“Are you going to be on this couch beside me? Let me hold you?” What is it about her that has me spouting poetic?
“Is that what you want?”
“More than anything.”
“Yes.”
“Pick a movie, James,” I say softly as I reach over and run my fingers through her silky blonde hair.
“Romantic, yet funny.” She sets the remote down.
“What did you decide?”
“Are you not looking at the screen?” She turns to look at me.
“I don’t see anything but you.”
Clearing her throat, her cheeks pink from her blush. “Because I Said So.”
“Because you said what, darlin’?”
She giggles and I want to pull my phone out and record her just so I can have it to listen to later, when she’s gone. “The movie. I picked Because I Said So.”
I nod. Reaching over, I grab the ceiling fan remote and turn the lights off. The house is dark except for the glow of the television.
“Your lights are on a remote?” she asks.
“Bachelor pad.” I grin. “Nothing worse than falling asleep on the couch and deciding you’re too tired to go to bed, then realizing you have to get up to turn the lights off.”
She smiles and it lights up her face. “Good point.”
“You need anything?”
She shakes her head.
Standing, I offer her my hand. She places hers in mind and I guide her to stand with me.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“I want to hold you.” Without releasing her hand, I lie down on the couch. “Your turn,” I tell her. She doesn’t hesitate as she takes her place in front of me, her back to my front. “Much better,” I whisper in her ear. I feel her shoulders relax. Then all too quickly she’s sitting up. “What are you doing?” I can almost hear the panic in my voice. Is this too much for her? She let me hold her last night, so I just thought…
“This.” She holds up the remote and I instantly relax. What the hell is happening to me?
Jamie takes her spot in front of me and this time, I wrap my arms around her, not giving her the opportunity to leave me again so easily. I bury my face in her neck and breathe her in. “Push Play, darlin,’” I whisper. She does as told and sets the remote on the floor.
“Can you see?” she asks me.
“Don’t need to,” I tell her honestly.
“What do you mean? I can move.” She tries to pull away.
“I don’t need to see anything but you.” I slide my hand under her shirt and rest it there, just like last night. She surprises me when she places her soft, tiny hand over mine and laces our fingers together. And that’s how we spend the next hour and a half—cuddled together on my couch, fingers entwined.
When the credits start to roll, I realize that she’s probably going to want to go back to Aaron and Whit’s. I don’t want her to go. We can stay right here all night. Just like this.
“You awake?” I ask, my lips next to her ear.
“Mmhmm,” she says softly.
“Stay,” I say before I can think about it. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman, I promise. I’m just not ready to let you go yet.”
“I’ll need to call Whit. I don’t want her to worry.”
Reluctantly, I slide our hands out from under her shirt. Bringing our combined hands to my lips, I kiss her knuckles. Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out my phone, hit Aaron’s contact and place the phone next to my ear.
“Hey,” Aaron says in greeting.
“Hey, just wanted to let y’all know that Jamie’s staying here tonight. We’re both tired and there’s no sense in going out this late.”
“I see,” Aaron says. I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Jamie leaves tomorrow, so she’ll be there early to see Whit before she has to leave.” This is an assumption on my part, but I know the girls will want more time together before she leaves. Hell, I want that too.
“All right, man. See you in the morning.”
I don’t bother to reply as we end the call. “There, Aaron knows. Let’s get you to bed.”
She stands and this time offers me her hand to help me from the couch. I don’t ask her if it’s okay that she sleeps in my bed with me. That’s where I want her, and I’m pretty sure that’s where she wants to be too.
Grabbing the remote, I turn the TV off, which plunges us into nothing but darkness. Placing my hands on her hips, I pull her in front of me. “I got you,” I say before slowly guiding her through my darkened house.
Once we reach my room, I walk her to stand by the bed, then head to the bathroom to turn on the light. “Here.” I pull my T-shirt over my head. “You can sleep in this. There’s an extra toothbrush in the cabinet and towels in the closet. Take whatever you need.”
“Thank you,” she says softly. Gripping my shirt to her chest, she disappears behind the closed bathroom door.
I strip down to my boxer briefs and pace the bedroom, waiting for her. When the door finally opens, my breath catches. She’s stunning. I stare at her, committing this to memory. “It’s all yours,” she says quietly.
I wish you were all mine. “I’ll be quick.” When I pass her to get to the bathroom, I snake my arm out and pull her into me for a hug. I want to devour her, but I can’t; I promised I would be a gentleman, and I never break a promise.
I make quick work of brushing my teeth, in a hurry to get to her. When I exit the bathroom, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed. Flipping the light switch bathes us once again in complete darkness. I walk blindly to the opposite side of the bed and climb in under the covers. “It’s cold under here without you, James.” My voice rings through the silence of the room.
She takes that as her invitation and slides under the covers.
“Closer,” I say, moving to the middle of my king-size bed. Lifting the covers, she slides closer until I can snake my arm around her and pull her into me. We lie there chest to chest, nothing between us but my shirt she’s wearing. Pushing my hand under said shirt, I slowly run my fingers over her spine. She shivers at the contact.
“Favorite ice cream,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.
“Vanilla.”
“Really? Nothing fancy like cookies and cream?”
“Nope, I like to keep things simple. What about you?”
“Chocolate. Did you always want to take over the bar?”
“I did. I loved going to work with Dad when I was younger. There’s an aspect of pride to know it’s been in the family for three generations now.”
“Do you love it?”
“I do. I just wish Liv would be more involved.”
“Have you talked to her about it?”
“Yeah, just this week I really made her sit and listen. It was never just me that I pictured running the place—it was always us, you know? It’s just as much her legacy as it is mine.”
“Why doesn’t she?”
“She doesn’t want to deal with the staffing and conflict. She’s worked side by side with many of our employees for years. We both have. Liv doesn’t want to be in charge of the hiring, firing and all that.”
“She could do the books, inventory, things like that,” she suggests.
Leaning in slowly, I guide my lips to what I hope is her forehead. I’m in luck as they touch her soft skin. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I told her. She promised she would think about it.”
“She’s lucky to have you. Not many siblings would care that much. They’d be greedy and take all the profits for themselves.”
“I’m not most siblings.”
“I see that.”
“What about you? Paralegal, right?”
“Yeah, you remembered.”
“There’s not much about that night that I don’t remember,” I tell her honestly. Like the way her smile lit up her eyes, or the subtle scent of vanilla when the wind blew just right. The way I longed to kiss her. “Did you always want to go into law?”
“I kind of just fell into it, really. My boss, he’s a friend of my grandmother’s. I started working there in high school, just filing and answering phones a few hours a week. I stayed on through college, and he offered to pay for school if I would stay on as his paralegal since the one he had retired that year. I enjoyed working with him. Working in the field and having an attorney at my disposal for questions really helped me get through my classes.”
“Do you love it?”
“I really do. It’s always something different: a new case, new challenges.”
We lie there in silence. My hand now rests on her hip as I draw lazy circles on her skin with my thumb.
“This is easy,” she says finally.
“What is?”
“Being here with you like this. It’s easy. I mean, we’ve met not even a handful of times, so this should be awkward, but it’s not. It’s easy.”
“I agree. There’s also this….”
“Spark,” she finishes for me. “It’s like you can feel the attraction in the air surrounding us.”
“So that’s not just me?”
She chuckles. “I feel it too. It’s surprising, comfortable, and scary as hell.”
I cup her cheek. “Don’t be scared,” I whisper as my mouth connects with hers. Slowly I trace her lips with my tongue, taking my time tasting her. Her hands find their way to my hair, giving it a gentle tug. I deepen the kiss, allowing myself to get lost in her.
When we finally come up for air, her face lights with a smile.
Tucking a stray hair behind her ear, I ask, “Favorite candy?”
“Decision, decisions. I’m going to have to go with Peanut M&M’s. Yours?” she asks, tracing a small circle on my chest. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it.
“Snickers, hands down.”
“Good choice,” she says as she leans in and presses her lips to mine.
That’s how we spend the rest of the night, kissing and talking, laughing and getting to know one another. It’s a new experience for me, but as I drift off to sleep with her tight in my arms, it’s one I can appreciate.
The next morning, I wake to the sound of a soft feminine voice whispering, “Shit.” forcing my eyes open, I see Jamie hopping on one leg and holding the other. “What happened?” I ask groggily.
“I’m so sorry I woke you. I was trying to gather my things quietly and hit me knee on the edge of the bed.”
“Where are you going?” I blink away the sleep and focus on the alarm clock. “It’s only six. We’ve barely had three hours of sleep.”
“I know, but I leave in a few hours. I need to go see Whit.”
“How were you planning on getting there?” I ask, sitting up and resting against the headboard.
“I was going to call a cab.”
“James, you’re in Kentucky, darlin,’” I say gently.
“Shit,” she says again, louder this time.
“I can take you.” I throw the covers off and climb out of bed. After a quick stop in the restroom, I grab a pair of jeans and a shirt out of my closet. “Do we have time for breakfast?” I’m not ready for my time with her to end.
“I really shouldn’t. I feel bad that I abandoned her when I hardly see her as it is.”
“All right then, let’s get moving.” I gently smack her on the ass to let her know I’m not upset. Disappointed, but she doesn’t need to know that either.
The drive back to Whitney and Aaron’s is quiet. It’s not uncomfortable silence, just quiet. I think we’re both too tired. That reminds me that she’s driving home today, alone. “Hey,” I say, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. My hand’s been there since we pulled out of my driveway. “You going to be okay to drive home today? We didn’t get much sleep last night.” Now I feel like a complete dick for keeping her up so late.
“I’ll be fine,” she assures me. “That’s what caffeine is for.”
“I should’ve made sure you got more sleep.” Of course, I didn’t think she would be sneaking out of my bed at six in the damn morning either.
“It’s fine.”
Pulling into the drive, I see Aaron on the Gator, making his rounds from the barn. We share a wave before I turn my attention back to Jamie.
“I had a great time,” she says before I have a chance to.
“Me too.”
“Maybe we can hang out the next time I come to visit?” she asks hesitantly.
“We better,” I tell her. “Text me when you get home?”
“Will do.” She reaches for her door handle. “Goodbye, Michael.” She grins.
“Goodbye, James.”
I watch her walk up the steps and disappear into the house. Looking around, I no longer see Aaron and feel like a creeper, so I put the truck in Drive and head toward home.
I don’t remember the drive, my mind too occupied with Jamie. How it felt to hold her last night, how we laughed and talked. It’s the most fun I’ve had with a woman in… well ever.
I don’t bother with lights as I kick off my boots and trudge back to my bedroom, needing a few more hours of sleep. I make quick work of stripping back down to my boxer briefs and climbing into bed.
The bed that smells just like her.