Chapter 8 #2
I plunked the spaghetti down on the table, took the salad out of her hand and put it down too. Jocelyn seemed awkward, standing there with her hands out, so I took them. I think I was just as surprised as she was.
“Kitten, you remember what I told you that first night at that bar?” Her wide eyes stared up at me in confusion, the pulse in her throat beating too quickly. “That you had to tell me what you wanted? Still true. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want.”
Slowly, tension seemed to seep out of her shoulders. She still stared up at me, but now I felt her hands lightly squeeze mine. I tried a grin.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I want to have sex with you again, Joss. But if you don’t want that, we won’t.”
“You said…” She swallowed. “You said it was one night only.”
I shrugged. “I changed my mind.”
That was the wrong thing to say, judging from the way her expression suddenly shuttered. She pulled her hands from mine, and her shoulders hunched up around her ears again like she was trying to protect herself.
With a sigh, I shook my head at my own stupidity. “I mean it. I’m not going to push you, and I’ll ask you every step.” I wasn’t telling her I wasn’t going to try, though. “You can feel safe here, Joss.”
She peeked up at me, and I nodded to let her know it was the truth.
“You want a beer? Or something stronger?”
“Water’s fine.”
Guess she didn’t want to let her guard down around me. Wasn’t a great feeling.
But as dinner went on, Jocelyn did let her guard down. We sipped our water and chuckled at how it was impossible to eat spaghetti politely—especially when she was sitting in a folding chair that was too low for her—and compared favorite salad dressings.
As the storm raged outside, I turned the topic to the lighthouse project.
And Jocelyn blew my mind.
Turned out that my little kitten had strong opinions about the harm our project was going to do.
When I pushed her, she launched into an explanation into how historic buildings were moved—swear to the gods, she said they just pick up and move an entire building!
It was fascinating, and I must’ve asked her a million questions.
“How do you know all this?”
“I did my thesis work on the Lobster Point Lighthouse in Massachusetts. Up there, there’ve been probably a dozen lighthouses that have had to be moved due to erosion, so there’s a whole system in place. It just happened that I was lucky enough to work on that one the year I was doing my thesis.”
“Thesis?” I pointed my fork at her. “Thesis in what?”
“I got my master’s degree in archaeology.
My parents called it useless, but I think it’s cool.
Granted, moving a lighthouse is more historical preservation, which is different from archaeology, but the buildings’ original sites are always opportunities for cool digs around the foundations—artifacts to be found. ”
My brows raised, thinking of the old buildings I’d worked on over the years. “You think there’s anything cool around the foundation of Eastshore Lighthouse?”
She shrugged and glanced out the window. “This storm isn’t doing it any favors, that’s for sure. It’ll cause more erosion, and the lighthouse is going to be ever more unstable.”
“Maybe you could poke around the base tomorrow, see what you can find. I can’t imagine we’ll be running the heavy equipment tomorrow, not with this storm.”
She winced and pushed away her empty plate. “I hoped to be home by tonight. My boss didn’t even want to give me these two days off.”
With a hum, I pulled out my phone to check messages. “Cairo says…” My eyes scanned the message. “Dravik’s got the part if we need it, but he won’t know until he can tow your car and pop the hood.”
Which wouldn’t be tonight, not in this weather.
Jocelyn pressed her lips together, but I still heard her sigh.
I stood, gathering up the dishes. “You can stay here tonight. I’ll stay out here.” There was the empty bedroom and bathroom that had been Korrad and Jay’s, but they’d taken all that furniture as well, of course.
She didn’t respond to the offer until much later, when we both stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room, and she finally took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. “You can’t sleep in a beach chair in your own house, Brakkor.”
The sound of my name on her lips never got old. Still, I forced myself to focus on her words. “I’ll sleep on the floor, it’s okay.”
Another deep breath, and I definitely didn’t look at her tits. Much. “I don’t see why we couldn’t share the bed.”
Yes.
Yes.
Still, I growled a warning to my enthusiastic Kteer and took her hands again. “You sure, Kitten?”
“No sex.”
“No sex,” I agreed.
“But…” My heart leapt at her shy smile. “I guess we could see how things go. As long as we talk about it.”
Right. Because I wasn’t going to do anything without her permission. Still, the knowledge that she was willing to discuss the possibility of more pleasure? I could feel my Kteer vibrating with eagerness.
Jocelyn stretched up on her toes to press a kiss against my jaw, like she had that first night. It wasn’t the kind of kiss I wanted, but it was…nice. Real nice, actually.
“Thanks for your help, Brakkor,” she murmured as she pulled away.
When she ducked into the second bathroom with her suitcase, I pressed my fingertips against the skin she’d kissed. “Anytime,” I rasped, feeling…strange.
She was here, in my space, and she’d kissed me. I wanted to fuck her, yeah—hunt, catch, fuck—but that desperate sort of urge had dulled a bit, and now I felt…I dunno. Like I’d done something right.
Something good.
For her.
This lasted right up until Jocelyn emerged from the bathroom smelling all perfect and dressed in a matching shirt and small sleep shorts in a comfortable-looking purple cotton. It shouldn’t have been sexy. But when she flushed and murmured, “Good night, Brakkor,” without meeting my eyes?
I groaned silently and took myself off to the shower to jerk my cock in the hopes of getting the damned thing to settle down.
When I emerged, and could hear her even breathing coming from the darkness of the bedroom, I thought maybe I’d succeeded…right up until I pulled back the covers and climbed in beside her.
My palms itched with a need to take her in my arms.
You didn’t ask her.
Right. And I’d promised her I’d ask permission before I touched her.
So I curled my hands into fists and rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling as the storm outside the window gentled to a quiet patter of rain. I couldn’t touch her, but it was enough just to know she was here.
With me.
No other female had ever slept here. Hunt, catch, fuck didn’t include cuddling with females in my bed.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that Jocelyn was right where she belonged.