CHAPTER 17 #2
“I think I was seven or eight when I first told my parents that I liked girls.” Jette’s shoulders relaxed as she continued.
“They thought it was a phase so I don’t think they really paid attention until I got to high school.
And even then, they still couldn’t bear to say the word ‘gay’ until I was well into my college years.
” Reese felt a familiar ache in her throat as she concentrated.
She could have listened to Jette talk all night.
“They’ve gotten better. But it’s still an on-going process, you know?
Even though I personally prefer the term ‘queer’, I don’t think they’ll ever use it.
” Reese nodded in agreement as Jette’s words cut a little too close to home.
“I’ve just learned to pick my battles when it comes to them,” she said with a quiet air of finality but her eyes didn’t quite match the soft tone of her voice.
Jette finished her wine and slid the glass across the bar before idly running her hands over her thighs.
Noticing Reese’s eyes lingering on her legs, Jette raised a single eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.
For a moment, she looked uncharacteristically hesitant.
A drastic change from the effortless confidence that Reese had come to associate with her.
Reese’s nerves had been kicked into overdrive and she couldn’t help the way Jette’s magnetism pulled her in again and again. Interrupting whatever it was that Jette was about to say, Reese blurted out, “How long have you been attracted to me?”
It felt like ages before Jette spoke. Reese could feel her heart beating painfully in her throat as Jette carefully regarded her.
It was as though the rest of the world had faded away when they held each other’s unflinching gaze like this.
“I could ask you the same question,” Jette murmured, her eyes never leaving Reese’s.
Reese could barely stand the mounting tension.
Her mind raced with indecision as she fought to steady her voice.
“I asked you first.” She held firm, keeping completely still as she desperately waited for Jette to answer.
There was still so much left unsaid between them but in this moment, Reese could settle for one answered question.
The warmth in her chest sank lower as Jette slowly trailed her eyes down Reese’s neck and chest. And Reese couldn’t look away from the shape of her perfectly full lips when she finally answered, “A while.” She flicked her heated stare back to Jette’s measured gaze and it was as though she could read Jette’s mind.
Because she too had been scared to admit how long she’d been attracted to Jette.
That single carefully chosen answer simultaneously admitted everything while giving away nothing at all.
The clinking of glassware behind the bar shattered the intense silence as they turned in unison to the source.
The bartender, clearly oblivious to the heated interaction, leaned against the bar and asked, “Can I get you ladies another glass of wine?” He pointedly glanced between them.
Reese shook her head almost imperceptibly as Jette politely declined.
“Just the check please,” she requested in a nondescript tone. She looked to Reese for approval while pulling her wallet out in a fluid motion. Before Reese could argue, Jette handed a card over to the bartender.
“Why’d you pay? You didn’t even eat,” Reese protested.
Jette tucked a stray piece of hair behind her own ear. “Because I wanted to buy you dinner.” The directness in her voice made Reese’s insides tingle. “Is that okay?” She clarified, her dark eyes clearly searching Reese’s face for reassurance.
Unable to form words, Reese nodded and prayed the lighting was dim enough to hide the heated flush creeping up her neck.
The charming gesture only made it harder to deny that this evening had felt like an actual date.
Jette slid to stand next to the barstool and stretched her arm out behind Reese, resting her thin forearm on the backrest. Casting a sidelong glance at Jette, Reese felt the rest of the world fade away for the millionth time tonight as she watched Jette’s delicate features in the flickering light.
In this remote and intimate corner of the world, Reese allowed herself to relax into Jette’s side.
“Plus I owe you for coming to my show tonight,” Jette added abruptly.
Reese scoffed in surprise, “Owe me? Please. Aren’t you the one who gave me a free ticket? If anything, I owe you dinner.” Her tone was bright and challenging.
“Hm, I guess you’re right. You do owe me,” Jette conceded with a chuckle as she tucked her wallet away.
“Deal. Next time, I’ll buy you dinner,” Reese said decisively. The words next time had slipped past her lips so effortlessly. Her stomach turned as she realized. The idea of a next time with Jette seemed as natural as the sun rising in the morning.
Jette’s eyes sparkled and her voice dropped to a quiet rumble, “How about you buy me breakfast?” She was leaning so close, her thigh just barely pressed against Reese’s knee. Her lips parted slightly and Reese felt acutely aware of her staggered breathing as she recognized how closely they stood.
Reese coyly played along as she leaned in, her lips brushing the outer shell of Jette’s ear.
“Breakfast is hardly a date.” She’d meant for the words to come across steady, but the close proximity to Jette’s skin left her feeling exhausted.
The delicate game they played back and forth was tiring and slowly breaking down her defenses.
Reese’s chest felt tight from the private admission, but before she had the chance to agonize over her own word choice, Jette’s fingers gently glided across the small of her back.
The intimate gesture settled the racing of her heart all while leaving her skin feverish.
The dark and smoky scent radiating from Jette’s neck made Reese’s mouth uncomfortably dry.
She couldn’t get enough of the charged energy humming between them.
She was tired of pretending to fight it.
An almost inaudible rumble came from Jette’s throat and the sound sent heat pooling between her legs.
“A date,” Jette mused. Her voice was barely above a whisper and Reese could tell she was enjoying the tension as much as Reese. Jette had to be able to feel the effect that she had on her.
Reese leaned into Jette’s ear again and tilted her head, letting the curtain of her wavy red hair shield them from view.
The warm feeling between her legs grew more desperate by the minute.
“Can we please get out of here?” Reese quickly pressed her lips just under Jette’s ear, mumbling the words against her skin.
For a moment, Reese could swear she felt Jette’s body hum in anticipation.
Jette’s eyes flashed devilishly as Reese gently nudged her in the direction of the door.
She bit the corner of her lip and threaded her fingers through Reese’s before leading them across the lobby.
Despite every cell in her body wanting to pull Jette impossibly close, Reese maintained a respectable distance with only their hands linked as the elevator bell chimed overhead.
A few couples entered in front of them and Jette put an arm around Reese’s back, gently shielding her from the jostling of the crowded elevator.
Reese’s skin seemed to glow with heat where Jette touched her.
Jette cleared her throat quietly. The sound was higher pitched than normal and Reese vividly remembered the similar sounds that Jette had made against her mouth last night.
Reese tossed a furtive glance at the numbered panel near the ceiling before catching Jette’s eye.
She couldn’t care less that they stood in a crowded elevator, she couldn’t help the flood of memories that overloaded her senses.
Vivid thoughts of her mouth trailing down Jette’s body and Jette’s hands holding her firmly to the mattress left Reese’s chest heaving in silence.
Jette’s eyes seemed to widen slightly as she undoubtedly noticed the change in Reese’s breathing.
Her composure slipped further as Jette’s lips curled into a devastating smirk.