Chapter Eight
Bristol awoke well after dark. She sat up with a start and found herself alone in the rumpled queen-size bed.
A glance at the clock confirmed it was nearly two a.m. She’d slept ten hours.
Holy cow, she never did that. Jamie had worn her out the night before, and she’d fallen into an exhausted slumber. But at least she was up early for work.
OMG, work! She’d neglected to make sure he’d locked the front door. In fact, she didn’t hear any signs of him prowling around her apartment. Was he even still here?
The thought that he might have left without saying good-bye upset her way more than it should.
Scrambling out of bed, Bristol pulled on a pair of shorts and righted the towel turban on her head, vaguely wondering how bad her hair would look once she removed it. She shoved the thought aside and stumbled down the hall.
In the living room, she found Jamie. She breathed a little sigh of relief when she spotted him on her sofa with a pair of buds shoved into his ears, his phone in hand, and a notepad and pen perched on his thigh. He looked deep in thought, and she wondered what had him concentrating so intently.
When he caught sight of her, he clicked off the phone, closed the cover of the notepad, and shoved everything onto the table in a heap. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
“Kind of groggy, but otherwise all right. You hanging out? Everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s cool.”
She didn’t quite believe that since he gave off the vibe that she’d interrupted something. But he didn’t look guilty, more like distracted. “Did Hayden give you a hard time yesterday?”
“What makes you think I’d let him?” He scoffed. “I told the little asswipe to back down. He suggested that I fuck off but I declined. It took restraint to let him walk out the door undamaged, but I let him because I didn’t think mopping the floor with his face would help your situation.”
Bristol didn’t have much doubt that Jamie could have. “Nonviolence was probably the better choice. Sorry I crashed on you. I was beat.”
He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “It’s fine. You needed sleep.”
Yeah, but the fact that he’d hung around waiting for her to wake up both embarrassed and excited her.
Since he didn’t have a job right now, it was possible he had no place else to go.
Or maybe he just liked her and wanted to spend more time together.
That wasn’t good for her fling thing, but she’d end it soon. Any minute now… “Sorry.”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Really.”
Bristol smiled when she realized he meant it. “Thanks.”
“Hungry? I tossed together some stuff for sandwiches and salads last night, using your leftovers. Hope that was all right.”
“Sure.” She normally didn’t neglect to feed her guest for over twenty-four hours. Geez, she really had been tired.
“I’ll make you a plate.”
She cocked her head at him. Hayden had never been half so helpful.
Or caring. As soon as they’d begun dating, he’d expected her to feed him more often than not after cooking all day.
He’d claimed that all his pencil pushing behind a desk exhausted him, so more often than not he’d preferred to end the day with a blow job.
Less effort on his part than actual sex.
She and Jamie hadn’t done more than share a bed and some skin for a few hours but already he was far more considerate.
Giddy little butterflies began dancing in her belly, and Bristol had to remind herself that being a nice human being didn’t mean he intended to be romantic.
And they were not having a relationship.
“That would be great.” She smiled his way.
“Give me a minute and I’ll get you fed.”
“Thanks. I’m going to dry my hair now and hope that I don’t look like Medusa when I’m done.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s impossible since you’re gorgeous, but go for it.”
Bristol rolled her eyes at the compliment. “I look terrible. You don’t have to butter me up, but I appreciate it.”
As she turned for the bathroom, Jamie grabbed her wrist and snapped her around, flush against his chest. “I’m serious. I think you’re beautiful. You’re not calling me a liar, are you?”
His silky tone warned her that would be a bad idea. Bristol swallowed against the sudden tension in the air. “No. I just…”
“Don’t take compliments well?” He raised a brow at her as if he already knew the answer. “As long as I’m around, you need to start accepting them. And believing them.”
She stared up into his dark eyes in breathless disbelief. He may not be trying to romance her…but he was certainly making her heart flap and quiver. Which made her feel like a twit. She had to stop reading happily-ever-after into his nice gestures.
“Sure. Okay. Thanks.” She pulled gently at her wrist, eager to leave the room before she made an idiot out of herself.
Jamie was slow to release her. “I’ll have your food ready in ten. Then we can talk.”
What did he want to say? She’d rather they simply had sex.
She didn’t find tangling between the sheets with him nearly as confusing as watching him defend her against Hayden or staring back into his eyes as he complimented her.
But she had a few things to say if she was going to persuade him to go with her to dinner on Tuesday night at her mom’s house, then move on afterward.
“Sounds good.” She nodded his way vaguely.
After managing to brush her hair and somewhat tame the strands with a blow dryer, she tossed on her work clothes and spruced up with a dose of mascara and lip-gloss.
When she tiptoed into the kitchen, she found Jamie setting a plate of what looked like a ham sandwich on thick sourdough and a mixed greens salad with some mandarin oranges and feta crumbles.
She sat and blinked down at her plate. “You did this?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “My parents worked a lot when I was a kid. I learned how to fend for myself by foraging from the fridge. This is easy. It’s not as difficult as making turducken. Or your fabulous cookies.”
But she really couldn’t think of the last time anyone had cooked for her. It was a small gesture. Maybe this was his way of thanking her for letting him crash here. But that intent gleam from his dark eyes sparkled with something far more personal than gratitude.
Her breath caught. Her heart loped into a gallop. “I’m sure it’s great. I really appreciate it. And I’m, um…glad you didn’t bail while I slept.”
“About that…” For the first time since she’d met him, Jamie looked uncomfortable. “Look, if you don’t need me to go, I’d love to stay a few days.”
Did he need money? Was he between jobs or houses? Did it really matter since he only wanted a few days and she needed him to stick around that long? No, but everything felt more complicated because some silly part of her didn’t want to let him go.
Bristol studied him. “You okay?”
He pulled at the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’d like to spend some time with you before I go back to work.”
“So you do have a job?”
Jamie laughed. “Yeah. I’m…taking a vacation right now. I haven’t had one in years.”
“And you travel a lot. What do you do?”
“No offense, but one reason I’m taking this vacation is so that I don’t have to talk or even think about work for a while. You understand, right?”
As someone self-employed, she understood the constant pressure, the stress of being unable to simply have a few days off.
If someone had given her that golden opportunity, she probably wouldn’t want to talk about her job, either.
Besides, unless she was going to move him into the “relationship” category, she didn’t need to know everything about him. “Sure. Totally understand.”
“Thanks. I want to use this time to be with you because I…like you. A lot. That probably sounds corny. It’s been rough lately but being with you is peaceful. Nice.” He shook his head. “I’m saying it wrong. I feel good when I’m with you.”
That insidious butterfly took up residence in her tummy again, but Bristol couldn’t seem to squash him. She felt a bit like the cute guy in school had told her that he wanted to “go” with her.
Wiping the smile off her face proved impossible. “You made me feel pretty good last night, too.”
He grinned. “We were damn hot together. But even hanging with you is great. We…click.”
“I should disagree. After all, we’re just hooking up.” But she felt a school-girly grin cross her face again. “But we do click. So if you’re going to stay, would you come with me to my mom’s house for dinner on Tuesday night?” She winced. “She told everyone you would be there.”
“And you don’t want to brave it alone?”
“Not really. Please…” She sounded as if she was wheedling because she was.
“Well, I don’t want to leave you alone with the wolves. Will Presleigh and Hayden be there?”
“Yep, along with half the town. I’d really appreciate it.
As Jayla put it, if I come alone I’ll look like a ho-bag who’s not interested in keeping a man.
” Bristol realized that made her sound as if she might be looking for some commitment.
“And I’m not interested in hanging onto anyone after my shit with Hayden, but I’m really not eager to be the center of town gossip, either. ”
A frown wrinkled Jamie’s brow before he bent and pressed a lingering kiss on her lips. Affection with a teasing hint of passion. One touch, and Jamie made her ache for more.
He eased back, staring down into her face. “I’ll go with you. Now eat. I’m going to grab a shower, if that’s cool.”
Bristol let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, help yourself. And if you want to wash some clothes, I’ve got stackable units in the closet in the hallway.”
“I appreciate it.” Jamie nodded, heading for the bathroom.