“Thank you…Calvin. I appreciate your advice,” I say simply. He’s right. My actions will speak for themselves.
Her dad goes through the door and I see Jessa kiss his cheek, whispering something in his ear. He laughs and hugs her before she walks out to me.
“Hey, not too bad, I hope?” she shyly questions.
“No, not bad. Come here,” I instruct and when she gets closer, I tug her to me. “I missed you,” I say, holding her tight.
“You smell like smoke,” she says, but still doesn’t move away.
“Sorry,” I apologize.
“Don’t be. Everyone’s playing cards downstairs. Did you want to play?” she asks.
“Sure, although I would rather be alone with you.” I kiss her forehead, and she tips her head up to look at me.
“I’m going to sneak into your room tonight,” she declares, raising her eyebrows.
“No, you’re not. We’re going to try to be respectful of your parents.”
“You’re going to go a week without touching these?” she asks, picking up my hands and placing them on her breasts. “Or me touching this?” She smirks and puts her hand on my cock. It hardens immediately.
“I didn’t say that, I just said we wouldn’t do it under your parents’ roof,” I say with a grin and she giggles.
“Well, then game on. Let’s see who can find the most hidden places,” she challenges.
“What does the winner get?” I ask.
“Hmm…how about the winner chooses the loser’s tattoo?” I cock my eyebrow. “My dad’s friend owns this great tattoo place.” She raises her eyebrows in question.
“Who’s the judge?” I ask skeptically.
“I think we can be honest with each other. Come on, Grant.” She seems entirely too eager for this bet, but the idea of fucking her all over Breckenridge thrills both me and my cock, so I accept.
“Sure, but baby, be prepared to have some bruises and scratches from the nooks and crannies I find,” I inform her.
“I look forward to it,” she coyly smiles at me.
I lead her into the house and we head downstairs. Her basement has a game room, complete with two poker tables, a bar along the wall, and a black leather sectional with a huge flat-panel TV hanging on the wall. I had no idea Jessa’s parents were so well off, and it adds another worry for me regarding the future. I pray all my hard work at school pays off, so I can give her a life like this.
Dex and Sam sit side by side with Brady and Sadie next to them. It leaves a spot for me and Jessa on the other side, finishing off the circle. Jessa’s mom is sitting on the couch watching television and her dad’s positioned at the dealer spot. He starts dealing the cards out when I look around, noticing someone’s missing.
“Hey, where’s Trey?” I ask.
“Guess?” Brady smirks.
“He works fast,” I remark, grinning.
“Let’s hope not too fast,” Calvin jokes, and the room fills with laughter. He really is a cool guy. I can see where Jessa gets her eccentric personality. I’d be lucky to become part of this family and have him as a father-in-law.
We start playing cards and after a while, Jessa’s mom says goodnight and heads upstairs. The competition picks up around the table and eventually, Brady and Dex start going head to head, while the rest of us sit back, observing the banter. Jessa starts rubbing my leg and I wonder if I’ll be able to hold off until tomorrow. Knowing her though, she might beat me to it. I’m going to have to win this competition or else figure out a way I can get out of the tattoo. Even though I’ve always briefly thought about getting one, the thought of something so permanent scares the shit out of me.
The game finally draws to an end and Dex wins. He jumps up and embraces Sam, and I notice Calvin raise an eyebrow his way. Jessa starts laughing and then yanks on my arm. “Good night, everyone. My boyfriend is going to walk me to my door,” she says, looking at her dad. “And then go to his room,” she finishes.
“Goodnight, Jessa…goodnight, Grant. I would hate to have to kick you out of my house,” he threatens, tilting his head and looking at me seriously.
“Got it!” I tell him as she pulls me upstairs.
The house is dark upstairs, with only a small light streaming in from the family room. We get to her door and I encase her with my arms above her door frame. “How am I supposed to sleep without you?” I ask her.
“You’re the one that’s all, ‘be respectful’,” she mimics me from earlier using air quotes.
“That doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy,” I tell her.
“Show me how hard it’s going to be.” She takes my shirt and pulls me into her.
I let my lips lightly brush against hers. Gradually my tongue licks her bottom lip and she opens, but I don’t insert my tongue. Instead, I take her bottom lip into my mouth and suck it slightly before letting go. My tongue runs along the bottom of her teeth and she brings her tongue to meet mine, teasing it. We explore each other’s mouths and my hands move from her face to her hips as I press myself against her. She bucks toward me and I know if we don’t end it soon, there’ll be no stopping. I pull my lips back, ending the kiss, and Jessa falls back against her door. “Goodnight, baby, I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you, too. Sweet dreams,” she whispers back.
“Always, when they’re about you,” I admit as I walk away, our hands touching until we have no other option than to part.
Chapter 17
Jessa
I watch Grant make his way down the hall. Not giving my feet a chance to betray me, I walk into my room. It looks the same as it did when I lived here, except my parents have cleared it out. I imagine my pictures and personal items from school are boxed up somewhere in the attic. As hard as they worked to try to keep my memories at bay, they can’t take away everything. In fact, I’m pretty sure they missed the picture that’s taped under my nightstand drawer, although I’m hopeful they found it.
Picking up my heavy suitcase, I plop it onto the bed. I open the dresser drawers, finding clothes that are more Sadie’s style than mine. Thoughts linger of who I used to be and I find my reflection in the mirror. As I stare back at the platinum blonde with heavy, dark eyeliner and multiple piercings up her ear, it still shocks me how comfortable I am in my skin now.
When my mom pulled me out of Grant’s room this afternoon, I was so angry because she wasn’t going to allow us to sleep together. The one thing that’s been running through my mind all night was when she said, “He’s changed you, Jessa. You are…well…you’re back.” She hugged me so tight, I thought my ribs would crack. “Give this new relationship space, honey. You don’t want what happened with Jason to happen with Grant.”
Thinking about it, I understand her point. Jason and I rushed into our relationship, as though we were the last two people on the planet. Foolishly, I believed him when he said it was love at first sight. He’d made it sound so romantic when telling people how he saw me from across the room and knew instantly that I would be his wife. My old naïve self-believed him, in awe at how much he loved me. I shake my head in regret of how stupid he made me look.
Thinking back, I remember things my friends would say that I always dismissed. “He’s vindictive, Jess,” my roommate Heidi told me once, but I ignored her. I always had an excuse for him and he always made excuses to me. It was always a bad grade, a guy from the fraternity, or someone he worked with. It never occurred to me that it was him. Not until the morning when everything changed, did I realize how manipulative and vicious he could be.