Page 80 of Jesse's Girl
I look long and hard at her.
She uncrosses her legs and sits up, turning to face me, and leans closer. Her voice comes out slightly breathy. “I mean, you’ve got real life waiting for you when you get back there. You’ll have to haul yourself up at the ass-crack of dawn for work every day, right? So while you’re here, you can just…” She trails off, as if searching for the right word, and raises her glass halfway to her lips. “Play?” She holds my gaze as she takes a sip of her drink.
My blood heats under my skin. “So, you’re saying this”—I gesture between us—“isn’t real life?”
“I dunno. I’m probably drunk already.” She laughs, examining the drink in her hand. “What do I know?”
No way she’s drunk already. The excuse is pitiful and we both know it.
Shifting in my seat toward her, I sit up and brace my forearms on my knees, leaning forward with both hands wrapped around my glass.
She lifts her eyes to meet mine, her lips slightly parted.
Fuck, she shouldn’t be looking at me like that.
“Is that what you want?” I ask softly. “To escape real life for a while?”
A muscle moves in her throat as she swallows, her bare, lightly freckled shoulder ticking up in a half shrug. “I mean, it’s got a certain appeal.”
“Just act on impulse, do what feels good? Just… play, like you said?”
She tucks her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, exactly.”
I look down at my hands. “I did actually have something I wanted to do while I was here.”
We’re sitting so close together, I only have to extend a finger to touch her knee. I let go of the glass with one hand, grazing her sun-kissed skin with the backs of my knuckles.
This is crossing a line.
She doesn’t stop me—or speak. Suddenly silent, she seems to be holding her breath.
My heart races. Unable to maintain eye contact, I drop my gaze to her legs.
“Like, really wanna do.” I pause, tracing the raised edge of a small scar. I exhale hard, searching her beautiful face for any hint of hesitation, but find none.
She licks her lips and my cock twitches.
“Something I can’t stop thinking about.”
“Yeah?” she whispers.
I drag my knuckles to the inside of her knee, unable to stop.
“Yeah,” I nod. “But I’ve been holding off. Too many consequences, y’know?”
Sliding my hand to the swell of her calf, I squeeze my fingers into her soft skin.
Her eyes flutter shut.
“You back here?” Marcus calls out from the gate around the corner.
I quickly pull my hand back to my glass as Ada pivots away from me in her seat.
I clear my throat, turning away from her. “Yeah, man, over here!” I run a hand down my face and command my body to change gears in a hurry.
What the fuck am I doing?
When Marcus appears around the corner, Ada sets her glass on the ground and launches from her chair. She jogs over to her brother, wrapping her arms around him.