CHAPTER 26
JETTE
Jette softly pressed her lips to the crown of Reese’s head as she rested on her tattooed chest. She kept her arms wrapped around Reese’s waist like she was afraid she’d disappear.
Like she’d wake up any second from this dream and find herself alone in the plush hotel bed.
Reese let out a contented sigh against her sternum and continued tracing her fingers over the inked designs covering her thighs.
Goosebumps erupted everywhere she touched.
Jette couldn’t remember the last time she felt this happy.
It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, Jette had been fighting this magnetic pull towards Reese.
She couldn’t help but feel like it was too good to be true.
But as they lay in the quiet dark together, she gave in to the overwhelming joy of the moment.
It warmed her heart and radiated from her chest. Reese wanted her.
She repeated it in her head over and over, getting a thrill from the thought each and every time.
Ever since Las Vegas, Jette refused to give herself the opportunity to imagine what it would be like if Reese came back to her.
She couldn’t bear the dull heartache that lingered deep in her chest for the better part of the last month.
It didn’t seem possible to her then. But it was real now.
The constant pull she’d felt towards Reese hadn’t been imagined, and even better, it hadn’t been one-sided.
A smile spread across her entire face as she tightened her grasp on the beautiful red-haired woman in her arms.
“Your heart is pounding,” Reese murmured sleepily in the dark.
She brought her hands up Jette’s sides and slid her palms over Jette’s chest. Jette reflexively arched into the contact.
It was wild how little control she had over her own body when it came to Reese.
It was as though she had been programmed to react to her.
Her soft touches were gentle and far more innocent than the ones they’d previously shared.
An uncontrollable blush crept swept over her cheeks as a flood of memories came back in vivid detail.
Jette hummed under her breath and rested her hand over Reese’s, holding it in place against her heart which was still fluttering feverishly.
“Can you blame me?” Jette teased quietly, giving their hands a quick squeeze.
Reese giggled against her neck before shifting to press her mouth to Jette’s jaw.
Her soft lips parted and Jette could feel her breath hot on her skin.
Arching her back slightly, Jette’s eyes slammed shut as Reese’s tongue flitted against her neck and was surprised to hear a half-fledged moan escape the back of her throat.
“Reese,” she warned, her voice just barely above a whisper.
But she was in no position to pull away.
With her hands gripping Reese’s soft curves and Reese slowly kissing down her neck, she would’ve happily stayed put forever.
“Hm?” Reese hummed. Jette couldn’t help herself and pulled on her hips.
Wordlessly, Reese seemed to understand the intention behind the gesture.
As Reese rolled over to straddle her lap, she softly bit her bottom lip and the movement made Jette’s breath hitch.
She wanted to be the one to bite that lip.
And after months of fighting those inappropriately insistent urges, Jette let down her guard enough to finally do what she wanted.
She tugged Reese’s hips even closer, letting their chests press together, and leaned forward.
Jette was convinced that nothing could ever feel better than this.
Nothing could compare to the rush when her fingers dug into Reese’s waist and Reese’s entire body arched against her touch.
Reese swore under her breath as she swirled her hips and the sound made Jette’s mouth go dry.
She would never feel satiated when it came to her.
“On second thought, I still might need a few minutes,” Reese said with a raspy laugh as she rested her hands on Jette’s shoulders.
Jette nodded, a smirk on her lips as she pressed them to the hollow space between Reese’s breasts.
She wrapped her arms around Reese firmly, keeping their bodies still and flush against one another.
“Take your time. We have all night,” Jette murmured suggestively.
She broke into a giggle after hearing the way it elicited a soft gasp above her.
Reese looped her arms around the back of Jette’s neck and squeezed hard, like she wanted to fuse their bodies together permanently.
Jette froze like this in blissful silence for several moments, just listening to the warm thud of Reese’s heartbeat.
Reese suddenly sat back and Jette’s eyebrows had just begun to pull together in confusion when she crawled off Jette’s lap and clambored to the floor where a pile of her clothes had been left abandoned.
Jette’s eyes had adjusted enough to the dark that she could see Reese shuffling around the floor.
Her red hair came back into view over the side of the mattress as she popped up and slid under the disheveled sheets.
The blue light of her phone lit up her face, casting stark shadows across her delicate features.
Jette caught herself staring and felt self-conscious for a moment.
But instead, she fought the urge to hide the adoration in her gaze.
That was going to be a tricky habit to break.
She’d had a lot of practice in the past when it came to Reese.
Reese typed out a message in the blink of an eye and then turned to toss the phone on the nightstand.
Her green eyes twinkled mischievously as Jette looked at her with a single crooked eyebrow.
“I forgot to text Lida,” she admitted with a shy grin.
“She knows I’m here but I said I’d let her know if I ended up staying late.
” She snuggled closer under the blankets and threw her leg over Jette’s.
Jette tried and failed to not be left speechless at the unexpected heat blazing between them.
She snaked an arm under and pulled Reese into the crook of her neck.
Reese let out a quiet exhale and Jette finally found her voice. “You’re incredible, you know,” she said softly.
“Me? What do you mean?” An adorable confusion lingered in every word.
Jette wanted to look her in the eyes. She wanted Reese to see how serious she was.
How much she meant every word. But she kept still, keeping her eyes closed in the dark and resting her lips against the wild red curls.
The unfiltered honesty of her thoughts felt too intimate to say directly.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she admitted.
“Part of me is still worried that any second I’m going to wake up and realize this was all a dream and feel heartbroken all over again.
” She ran her fingers through Reese’s tousled hair as she spoke.
“I hate knowing you felt heartbroken,” Reese mumbled. She trailed her fingers over Jette’s chest in the most dainty pattern. “And for what it’s worth, I was miserable when we left Vegas,” she added. Her voice sounded sad and Jette traced a finger over Reese’s cheeks to comfort her.
“Well then, that makes two of us,” she admitted breathily.
“But that part doesn’t matter as much. Not when you’re here now.
” Reese gave a tiny nod under her fingers.
“Not when I now know that you turned your life upside down and everything,” Jette said.
“I’m just impressed, is all. I can’t believe you did that.
You showed up at my show to surprise me.
I mean, shit, you even managed to move out in like two seconds. That’s fucking impressive.”
“Well,” Reese began, “Don’t be too impressed with me.” She chuckled under her breath. “I did move out of my apartment, yes. But I’m not living on my own yet. I’m currently sleeping on Lida’s couch,” she admitted. In the dark, Jette could hear the sheepish grin on her lips.
“You moved in with Lida?” Jette asked in amusement.
Reese nodded against her chest and the tips of her hair tickled.
She nestled into the curve of Jette’s side and relaxed.
Her head weighed heavily on Jette’s shoulder and Jette took a deep breath.
The weight of Reese’s body helped her sink even deeper into the mattress.
She gladly welcomed the tenderness of the moment.
“I didn’t plan on it,” she explained. “It happened all at once and I just sort of packed up my stuff impulsively.”
Jette instinctively ran her hands through Reese’s hair, feeling the tremor of excitement in her stomach at the casual intimacy.
It had been years since she’d been truly intimate with someone.
Not in this kind of sense. And nothing before had ever felt this intense.
She’d never felt this kind of need to hold someone so close.
A few beats passed before she said, “Well, now I’m even more impressed.
” Reese let out the most adorable giggle and Jette smiled at the sound.
“And why is living on my best friend’s couch even more impressive to you?” Reese’s fingertips skated across the skin of her chest, hesitating over the thumping of her own heart.