Chapter 14 Jack #2
“Darlin’, you’re killing my fantasy,” I complain, and Alondra tries to push me, but unfortunately for her, she lacks the muscle necessary to make any impact.
“Can you move? You take up so much room.”
“It’s because I’m so big,” I say, fully aware I sound like a conceited ass, but if you got it, flaunt it.
Fuck, maybe I shouldn’t take advice from Dylan.
Macy bursts into laughter, doubling over as she holds her stomach. “Oh, you’re funny.”
“Are you and Chadwick back together?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at her innocently.
She sputters, and I feel like an ass for a moment until she laughs, shaking her head at me.
“Don’t be mean,” Al scolds, pushing me again.
“I’m literally sitting here with gunk on my face and a headband. Pretty sure I’m allowed to make comments about how big my dick is without getting laughed at, but I’m sorry, Macy. It was a low blow.”
“Just like I’m sorry for this,” she says, pointing her phone at me, and I realize the grave mistake I’ve made.
Next thing I know, my phone is going off with a chime of alerts, but the thought of trying to look at all the messages while keeping up with the conversation sounds mentally exhausting, so I don’t even bother reaching for it.
I know my friends well enough to know they’re going to get a kick out of that photo.
“Lots of big dick talk from his highness over here,” Alondra reads out loud, and I’m not even sure I care they’re making fun of me because of how goddamn dazzling her smile is.
Dazzling? What the hell is wrong with me?
I’m not sure I’ve ever used that word in my fucking life.
“Sorry, Jack. I’m with Macy on this one,” she says, shifting in her spot.
“Go ahead, it’s okay to laugh. I’m secure enough in my masculinity and my manhood to take it,” I say, and then Al rotates, draping her legs and simultaneously the purple fuzzy blanket over my thighs, making herself comfortable.
I, on the other hand, am trying to keep my shit together because I’m spinning out in my head, realizing Al didn’t have to read Macy’s text out loud.
“Macy, can you please press play on the movie so I don’t have to listen to princess here talk about his dick anymore?”
Shit, maybe I should have just moved over when she asked because my brain is malfunctioning while trying to figure out what to do with my hands.
I’ve tried really hard since the day we went skating to be careful, letting Al make the first move when it comes to touching her because she’s not mine to reach for.
But Alondra was the one who put her legs on my lap, so I have to assume it means she’s okay with me touching her.
I thought spa night was supposed to be relaxing, but instead, I’m overthinking every little thing.
I rest my hands on her shins, and she doesn’t budge, helping some of the coiled tension in my body melt away as I let myself get sucked into the movie.
“How cute. If I didn’t sit here with Al and Ellie last week and help them with your dating profile, I’d say you guys look like a domesticated couple doing your face masks and sitting on the couch together,” Macy coos, and at the mention of the dating profile, I manage to laugh, but the truth is there’s a heavy dose of fear coursing through my veins.
“Right, you were in on that too,” I muse, trying to ignore my dad’s voice ringing in my ears as Al pulls away, standing up.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Jack. You’re going to be just like me.
“Instead of refusing to go on a single date, you should be thanking us. We worked hard to find the right girl for you,” Alondra says, and I feel off-balance, like I’m standing on a rowboat, rocking back and forth in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to go.
“Sorry you wasted your time,” I say, and Macy stands too.
“They’re all really nice and pretty. You’re missing out,” she adds, but I disagree.
I don’t want someone really nice, and I doubt they would compare to the feisty brunette I can’t seem to stay away from. I’m a glutton for punishment, because I think if I were capable of loving anyone, I would hope it’d be with someone like Alondra.
I hate to admit it, but after washing off my face and using the moisturizer they passed to me, my face is really soft, but it’s too much work to do on my own if I were to try another face mask—which I’m not.
I’m not sure how it happens, but at some point, Macy drifts off to sleep during the next movie, and my head ends up on a pillow in Alondra’s lap.
She’s watching the movie, but I’m too busy looking at her to pay attention to it.
Her fingers are slowly combing through my hair, and it’s a fight to keep my eyes open.
It feels fucking fantastic.
“You know, I’m glad you showed up tonight,” Al says, breaking the silence after my eyes have fallen shut, and I blink quickly, forcing them open.
“You left so fast last night, I wanted to check on you,” I murmur, glancing up at her. “I also came to apologize. I shouldn’t have asked you if you were seeing anyone in front of my friends.”
Alondra’s fingers in my hair still and then resume moving through the strands a few beats later. “So you stayed for a spa night?”
A low chuckle rumbles from my chest as I smile, because staying was the easiest decision I made today. “What can I say? I needed a night of relaxation, considering your dad has no problem kicking my ass every morning.”
“Poor you.”
My throat tightens as my heart spasms in my chest. “Are you okay?”
I don’t want to be right. I really don’t.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asks, looking down at me, and I don’t think I can ruin tonight by asking her about Bradley. There’s so much left unsaid in her question, and the tightrope I’m standing on sways beneath me.
“You don’t have to go to any of the games if you don’t want to,” I finally say, deciding against telling Alondra about my run-in with Bradley.
She softens, dropping the prickly exterior she wears most of the time. “A deal’s a deal, but I’m not wearing your jersey. I should have known Macy would tell you about my inability to choose something other than rock.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, you don’t have to go.”
I want her to stop running away from me, instead of giving her more reasons to.
“Your mom seems great,” she compliments, changing the topic, and my smile grows.
“She is.”
“I’m glad you have her.”
“Momma asked to meet you while she’s here in a couple of weeks. Are you okay with that?”
Her smile brightens. “I’d love that.”
I wake up the next morning thanks to my internal alarm surrounded by the familiar smell of strawberries. I shift to fumble for my phone when I realize I’m not in my bed and I’m tangled with someone else.
It takes me a moment to realize Alondra’s draped over me. I must have fallen asleep here last night.
My head drops back into the cushions, and I relax, despite how fucking tiny the space on this couch is.
The only reason my feet aren’t hanging off the edge of the couch is because my legs are bent, and I’m curled around Alondra, or maybe she’s curled around me.
All I know is it’s hard to tell where I end and she begins.
I’ve never stayed with someone long enough to wake up still holding them, but I don’t think I hate it.
The night she asked me to stay when she was drunk, I selfishly said yes, but I left a few minutes after Al fell asleep to check on Dylan and Ellie.
Now, I’m wishing I hadn’t because I think I like that she trusts me enough to sleep next to me.
It’s a good feeling, especially when she’s usually on the verge of bolting in the other direction from me.
She’s soft, lacking the tension she normally carries, and knowing she’s sleeping soundly will make every ache I’ll feel in my body later worth it.
Except then Al groans, shifting further into me, and my body is all too keen to react to her ass pressing against my pelvis.
I clench my jaw hard enough I’m shocked I haven’t cracked a tooth, trying to move backward to create space between our bodies so I can give myself a fighting chance of getting my morning wood to deflate before she wakes up.
Think about how pissed off Coach would be if he knew you woke up with his daughter and a bone—
Alondra moves again, her warm breath tickling my bicep she’s using as a pillow, pressing her body against mine, and I’m a fucking goner.
Taking a deep breath doesn’t help because I’m wrecked by the smell of strawberries overwhelming every semblance of common sense.
Fuck me.
I guess there’s worse places to be trapped than on a couch with a pretty girl and a throbbing erection, but usually when I’m in this situation, we’re both consenting and conscious.
“Al,” I say, deciding the best idea is to try to spin this as a natural reaction to someone rubbing their ass against my pelvis, but there’s a better chance of her losing her shit on me.
Alondra doesn’t budge, and just as I move to pull my arm out from under her head, my phone begins blaring from where it must have fallen on the ground while we slept. Fuck, I have practice.
She tightens her grip, pressing herself further against me, causing a low moan to slip from the back of my throat.
Her entire body tenses, and she lifts her head, looking at me as my alarm continues to shatter the peace. “Jack?” Alondra whispers, her voice thick with sleep, but I’m afraid to move. “What are you still doing here?”
Then Alondra moves to sit up, and I am in agony, biting my lip to keep any more sounds from escaping, but she’s practically sitting on my lap now. It’s too dark for me to see her face, but she freezes, and embarrassment floods over me.