The Relationship Mechanic (Peach Blossom #2)

Fifteen

V ini wasn’t sure how the hell she had gotten herself into this situation, but she was pretty sure pinching her own arm wouldn’t do anything but annoy her. The few times she had spared a thought about her birthday, she had considered maybe inviting Jessica over to the house and having dinner. Thanksgiving had turned out well enough, so it wouldn’t have been too much of a stretch. She had thought Dani and even Ava would probably okay it, given how little Vini usually cared about celebrating her birthday. But this...this was so far out of the realm of what she had imagined.

Being sandwiched between Dani and Jessica while Grace drove them all to Atlanta had not been on her bingo card, that’s for damn sure. It was taking everything in her not to slap her own cheek on the off chance that she was stuck in one of those dreams that felt too real.

“So how do you know about this place, Jessica?” Dani asked, leaning over Vini’s lap. Vini tried to lean back and away. The move only served to move her farther into Jessica’s heat, which created a whole other problem that she also couldn’t address without drawing attention to herself.

“I lived in Atlanta for a few months while I was working on a show.” That piqued Vini’s interest. Even when they were alone, Jessica didn’t talk a lot about the work she did. Vini knew she had to have some type of money to afford a suite for this long at the bed and breakfast and be able to spend so much time at the shop. She had listened in on Jessica and her dad’s conversation at Thanksgiving, but as always, Vini was still ravenous for more information.

“I didn’t know that,” Dani continued. “I thought this was your first visit to the South.”

Jessica shook her head and leaned into Vini. “I’ve been to Atlanta a couple times, but never anywhere else. I mean, everyone jokes about Florida being its own entity.”

“Which is true,” Ava spoke up. She turned around in her seat. “Florida is its own breed of Southern that has nothing to do with us. I mean, falling iguanas. Enough said.”

Vini choked back a laugh but didn’t dispute Ava’s words. She sucked in a sudden breath when Jessica shifted again, pushing the side of her leg more fully against Vini’s. They had decided to take Dani’s SUV, though Dani had no desire to drive. Grace had thankfully offered to pilot, and Ava of course took the front seat beside her.

“So what kind of job were you doing?” Dani asked, bringing back the former conversation. “Do you act, like your mom?”

Jessica shook her head. “Not really. I never really wanted to go into that, though I have done a few commercials and had some minor roles when I was younger. I like voice-acting much better. Less about me and more about the words I’m recording and the feelings I can convey in my voice.”

“That’s cool.” Vini found herself speaking up before she decided what to say, but when those dark brown eyes looked over at her and the sides crinkled up with Jessica’s smile, she couldn’t regret it.

They talked casually as the miles ticked by. Traffic grew heavier as they made their way closer to the city limits. It was a Friday and rush hour, which meant they weren’t going anywhere fast. Vini had slowly relaxed the longer they were all cooped up together until she finally got used to the hot line of Jessica’s shoulder against her own. It was a comforting heat, even if she wasn’t able to wrap herself in it like she wanted.

“Anyone want to stop for a snack before we check in?” Grace asked as she navigated through the stop-and-go traffic. “Dinner reservations aren’t until eight, so there is plenty of time.”

“If not, there’s a restaurant and bar in the hotel as well,” Jessica chimed in. “I figured if it got too cold for us to want to go out later, we could at least go downstairs and celebrate.”

“Good thinking,” Dani agreed.

They continued on, pulling into the hotel valet before making their way inside. The hotel was gorgeous, and Vini’s breath caught as they passed through glass doors trimmed in gold. The lobby was massive with dark marble floors and mirrors galore that made it appear even bigger. The lights were dim, creating a mysterious atmosphere, and Vini could see the restaurant and bar were similar in ambience. She was glad she had a few clothes that might work for the night. Even so, she worried that she would be slightly underdressed.

Jessica strode up to the reception desk. Seeing her like this, confident among the opulence around them, had Vini’s mouth going dry. She was used to Jessica coming in and taking up all the air in the room, but this was on another level. For the first time, Vini truly started to understand the idea that she and Jessica lived very different lives.

“All right, I got us three rooms,” Jessica said holding up the key cards. She handed one to Grace and winked. “I figured you and Ava would probably want some alone time.”

Grace bit her lip, but her smile looked pleased. Vini smirked at Ava’s expression. Neither one of them were the slightest bit subtle when it came to exactly what would be going down in that room. She could only hope that the walls were thick and the soundproofing was on point.

“I couldn’t get all the rooms on the same floor unfortunately,” Jessica continued as she led them to the hallway where Vini presumed the elevators were. They hadn’t brought much luggage, just a small tote each. Tonight, they had dinner planned together and then out for drinks. Saturday, they would do some shopping and catch an Atlanta Hawks game. How Jessica had managed to get tickets to that on such short notice was anyone’s guess. Vini had been more than a little excited with that particular reveal. She had thrown her caution to the wind, dragging Jessica to the office in the shop to thank her properly, and they had barely made it out of the shop’s back room before another customer came in.

“It’ll be fine,” Ava said. Vini was happy to see her warming to Jessica, though she doubted Ava would be so welcoming if she knew what Vini and Jessica had been getting up to when all eyes were turned elsewhere. She knew she should just come clean and tell Ava to mind her business, but something still gave her pause. She knew things could get awkward given Jessica’s status as Grace’s friend, but the two of them had been sleeping together for weeks and everything was fine. Jessica was leaving soon, and Vini didn’t want to spend what little time they had left dealing with an overprotective Ava. When she dug her heels in about something, it was hard to get her to deviate.

They piled into the elevator, and Vini found herself breathing deeply to calm the rapid pulse of her heart. The elevator doors opened, and Ava and Grace said their brief goodbyes. Vini shifted slightly when the doors shut, and the elevator continued its way up. The silence that fell was thick, and she glanced over at Jessica. She swallowed hard when Dani’s gaze met hers. There was an awareness there that Vini didn’t quite know what to do with. She held her breath when the elevator slowed to a stop.

“Which of the rooms has only one bed?” Dani asked.

Jessica frowned. “Both only have a king bed. Did you want—”

“Great.” Dani grabbed one of the keys from Jessica’s hand. “You crazy kids have fun. I’ll see you downstairs in a few.” Before Vini could say anything, Dani flitted through the doors and disappeared down the hall. Shock had Vini frozen in place, and it wasn’t until the doors closed that she realized what Dani had implied.

“So...” Jessica said. When their eyes met, Vini saw that Jessica was just as surprised as her. “That means she knows, right? She wouldn’t have said something like that if she didn’t know. Right?”

Vini slowly nodded. When the elevator stopped again and the doors opened, she followed Jessica out. They made their way down the hall, neither of them saying a word. The lush carpet beneath their shoes muffled any sounds, and the dim light from downstairs was the same here in the corridor. Jessica stopped in front of a room door and unlocked it. She didn’t hesitate to walk in, but Vini had to take a deep breath before she followed.

The room was painted in the maroon colors of sunset streaking deep reds across the wall. It was a cozy space with a modern bathroom to the side with a tub that had Vini itching to hop into it. She ignored the thoughts of what else could happen in a tub of that size and continued into the room. The bed was large with fluffy pillows and a thick white duvet.

Wait. One bed?

She had been so caught-up in how nice the place was, that she hadn’t logged that the first time. It somehow didn’t translate in her brain that Jessica had said each room had a king. One king. There was only one bed. For the two of them to sleep in. Dani knew this and she’d still pushed them together.

“If it’s a problem, I can always call down and see about getting us a room with two queens.” Vini looked up from the temptation that was the king in front of her. Jessica was setting her things down on the desk across from the bed. If it were anyone else, Vini would say she was relaxed, but she could see the subtle tension in Jessica’s shoulders. How had she gotten to the point that she could read the other woman’s body language? Was she really that tuned-in?

That was a question that she dismissed as soon as she thought it. She had been tuned-in to Jessica since the first moment they touched. She could tell Jessica was waiting for her reaction, and for that reason Vini forced herself to relax. If not for her sisters being around, she wouldn’t even have hesitated at the chance to be alone with Jessica in a place as gorgeous as this. Then, with a start, she realized her sisters weren’t around. They weren’t even on the same floor. She wondered if that was a lucky coincidence or careful planning. The thought that Jessica might have wanted her alone filled her with warmth.

“Did you plan this?” Vini had to know. She set her bag beside the bed and walked over to where Jessica was still standing in front of the desk. When she was close enough to touch, she did. There was no one to hide from here. No one to see Vini’s need to be as close to Jessica as possible. She watched the reflection of them in the mirror. When Jessica finally looked up, her gaze locked with Vini’s.

“Yes. Though, I had thought you and Dani would room together.”

Vini nodded, pleased with Jessica’s answer. She leaned up on her toes and brushed her lips over Jessica’s cloth-covered shoulder. “So you hadn’t planned on inviting me back to your room after everyone was asleep?”

Jessica blinked slowly before turning. Vini released her hips but curled her arms around Jessica’s waist once they were standing face-to-face. Light slanted over Jessica’s eyes, making them seem to burn with an inner fire Vini wanted to warm herself on.

“I might have had a few thoughts about it,” she admitted before wrapping her arms around Vini’s shoulders and drawing her closer. The air seemed to shimmer with tension, and Vini took a few deep breaths. She still didn’t understand how Jessica could affect her so quickly. Just the thought of her planning things in the hopes that she and Vini could have time together was enough to have her fanning herself. Vini knew they probably shouldn’t risk it, even with Dani seemingly giving her stamp of approval. There was still Ava to worry about. But with every second that ticked by with Jessica so close, Vini’s cares about getting caught fell away.

“Would you have been open to them?”

Vini dipped her gaze down as Jessica’s lips formed her words. Her own tingled at the thought of pressing against them again. She wanted, and she had no desire to ignore that. Not when they could give in so freely.

“I’d be open to a lot of things,” Vini admitted. “All you have to do is ask.”

She let herself fall into the sweet tug of surrender. Their mouths met briefly in fluttering kisses that left her aching for more. She could feel Jessica smile and met her next kiss with a grin of her own.