Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
JOE
A loud clanging noise echoes down the hallway and the closer I get, the more I realize it’s coming from our apartment. The door’s unlocked, so I know Jane is home and a strange, twisting sensation spasms in my stomach when I throw the door open.
“What is wrong with this thing now?” Jane snaps, clearly not in any danger.
I toss my stuff on the entry table and kick off my shoes. She’s in the kitchen, glaring at the stove, leaning against the opposite counter.
“What’s going on?” I ask, stepping closer.
She startles, as if she didn’t hear me come in and her glare shoots up to me. “Oh. Hey. It’s this stupid oven. It’s not working.”
“Did you turn the knob a few times?”
“Yes.”
“Did you check the fuse box?”
She rolls her eyes and her exhale cuts through the room. “Yes, Joe. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. We need a new stove.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing. Hang on.” I roll up my sleeves, catching the way her gaze lingers on my forearms a little too long and how her breath catches. I pull the stove away from the wall and lean over the counter to peek behind it.
“Are you checking if it’s plugged in?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“The clock still works, Joe.”
When I look at the front of the stove, I see the digital display working just fine. “Shit.”
She giggles. “Did you really think that was the problem?” Her giggle turns into an actual belly laugh.
I shove the stove back into place. “Guess I’m tired.” I pull out my phone. “I’ll find a repair guy.”
She lays a hand on my arm, and I glance down at her delicate fingers. “I think it’s time to let go, Joe.”
My brow furrows. “Let go of…?”
“She’s lived a good life,” she says, nodding toward the stove. “But she was here when I moved in. She’s past her prime. Time for a new one.”
With a heavy sigh, she pulls out a glass and reaches into the fridge for her bottle of wine. I watch her pour the yellow liquid, but then notice the deep v between her eyes.
“Everything okay?”
“Sure. I’m just bummed we’ll need to spend money on a new stove.”
I know she doesn’t make a huge salary and has insisted we split things half-half, but this doesn’t feel right.
“I’ll pay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Absolutely not.” She sips her wine, shaking her head. “Nope. I’ve got the money. It’s just… today of all days, I wanted to come home and not have to deal with any more shit.”
“Want to talk about it?” I reach into the fridge and grab a beer, then rummage for some other things.
“Not really.” She watches me as I put the jars on the counter. “Are you making peanut butter and jelly?”
I take out a plate, glancing over my shoulder. “Want one?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll whip something together.”
“Jane, you’re having one,” I insist and nod toward the dining table. “Sit. Tell me about your day.”
She purses her lips, but sits down, dropping her head into her hands, raking her fingers through her long curls. Beneath the table, her leg fidgets, bouncing up and down. The anklet jiggles.
“A woman came in today with her two kids. Five and three. The cutest little babies. She was filling out the forms, but I noticed dark marks around her wrists and small cuts on her hands. I asked her about them, but she didn’t answer me.” Jane takes a few big gulps of her wine, delicately placing the glass back on the table. “About an hour later, he showed up.”
She swallows hard, her eyes distant, and my stomach turns.
“Her husband?”
Jane nods. “He isn’t allowed to be there. We have strict rules. So, we called the cops. Florenza had set up a safe house for the family, but they ended up leaving with him.”
“They did what?” I snap, setting the sandwich in front of her. She stares at it, obviously not interested.
“A lot of them eventually go back, but this one didn’t even hesitate. The cops couldn’t do anything. She wouldn’t press charges.” Jane drops her head and I see a tear hit the table.
“Hey, now,” I say, reaching over, squeezing her shoulder. “There’s nothing you could have done. It’s her choice.”
“I know that. I’ve seen it countless times. I just wanted to come home and forget all about it, you know? There’s so much pain and suffering sometimes.” She chugs the rest of her wine, heading to the fridge for more. She looks so upset. I wouldn’t judge her if she wanted to skip formalities and drink directly from the bottle.
When she sits back down, she takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly, then smiles up at me. “Thank you for this, Joe.”
The pain in her eyes remains, but I can tell she means it.
I wave a hand through the air. “Don’t mention it. It’s only PB and J.”
She takes my hand, squeezing it. “Still, thank you.”
We sit in silence, eating our pathetic excuse of a meal, but strangely, I’d rather be here eating this than having a gourmet steak dinner at an expensive restaurant.
Since last weekend, we haven’t talked or done anything else, unfortunately. I’ve been out a lot, busy with work, but I feel like she’s been avoiding me. Still, I want to spend time with her and can see she needs a day off, a chance to clear her mind.
“I think you need to get out of here,” I say.
Puzzled, she looks up at me, mid-bite.
“Tomorrow. What are you doing?”
She eyes the broken stove. “Stove shopping, I guess.”
“We can do that after.”
“After what?”
“I’m taking you out. You need a change in scenery.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t do well with surprises.”
“You will with this one. But wear something sporty. Comfortable.”
“Joe…” She cocks her head, but I keep silent.
This is going to be fun.
Deep purple Lycra stretches over Jane’s curvy ass as she pulls herself up the rocky cliff side, huffing and grunting curses.
The view has been captivating, even though I’ve been following her for forty-five minutes up this mountainside. And I can’t knock Jane for the effort she’s put in. It’s not a big climb, not difficult at all, but her hesitancy when we showed up made me doubt she’d follow through. But follow through, she has.
We reach the peak and she tosses her leg over the edge, climbing up first, then spins around to offer me a hand.
“I did it!” she exclaims, jumping into my arms the minute I stand up.
“You sure did. You should be proud of yourself.”
I pull back, fighting the reflex to nuzzle and kiss her neck, and to inhale her soft scent. She stares at me, her eyes full of joy and it sends warmth directly to my heart. I clear my throat, reminding myself that we’re only friends with benefits. That’s it.
She grips my waist tightly, then leans forward, looking over the edge of the cliff. “Holy shit. We’re really high.”
At about a hundred feet up, this isn’t my biggest climb, but the pride in her face is hard to ignore, so I smile back. “You did great. Snack time?”
She nods enthusiastically. I unlock our carabiners and gather them along with the ropes, shoving them into my bag. We settle in a nearby spot, shaded by large pine trees, and she takes out some food. I take long gulps of water, watching her meticulously place the containers on the ground between us.
“Thanks for dragging me out here, Joe. I didn’t think I could do it.”
“No problem,” I say, grabbing some grapes, happy I came up with this outdoor activity. “I knew you could do it.”
The truth is today isn’t just about getting her to do something fun. If I had to stay one more minute in our apartment, feeling her sexy gaze on me, waiting for her to start something, I would have gone mad.
“So, this is what you do on Saturday mornings when you leave for hours on end?”
“As much as I can. Do you notice when I’m gone?” I ask, the thought sending a jolt of hopeful current through my veins.
“No. Not at all.” She pops a grape into her mouth, her full bottom lip distracting me for a second. “Why do you like doing something so scary?”
I blink and force a laugh. “It’s liberating and peaceful. I mean, look around.” I wave a hand in front of us. The horizon of trees and sky is endless and stunning. “It’s so quiet here. One of the few places I can go to be alone.”
Jane takes a deep inhale and releases it. Her lips morph into a wide smile that meets her eyes and makes them dance.
“You’re right. It is pretty peaceful.” She looks around, as if searching for something. “So, no one ever comes up here? Other than you?”
I bite into a cracker, dusting off some crumbs from my lap. “I’m sure others do, but I’ve never bumped into anyone up here before.”
Her eyes float down to my lap, a smile hinting at her lips. When her cheeks blush, I get her meaning.
“Say it.”
“Say what?” she asks.
“What you’re thinking.”
“I’m not thinking anything. I’m eating.” She bites into a carrot stick. She’s playing coy, and it sets my blood on fire.
“Jane… Don’t lie to me. You want something.”
“I want to sit here in nature and have lunch.” Her doe-eyes drift up and to the left.
I move some stuff out of the way and crawl to her side, then brush my nose along her jaw. Her eyes drift shut as I peel her sports tank top up and I grin. She’s not wearing a bra. I suck a nipple into my mouth, rolling my tongue around it.
Her fingers clutch onto my hair and tug. “Move,” she commands.
I do as she says and sit back, leaning against a rock. When she kneels next to me, my eyes grow wide. “What are you doing?”
“I scratched one thing off of my never-done list today. Might as well keep going.”
Her fingers slip beneath the waistband of my shorts, leaving no question of her intentions.
I grab her hands. “Wait. You’ve never given a blow job before?”
Her eyes drop, and she shakes her head. “No.”
The thought of being her first is tempting as fuck, but I can’t let her go through with it.
“That’s mighty sweet of you, but you don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
“Yeah, but we’re up here and?—”
“And didn’t you say I should be honest about what I want?”
I tuck my tongue into my cheek and smile, running a knuckle down her cheek. “I did.”
“Then lean back and shut up, Joe.” She bends over, her bottom lip tucked away, and glances up at me one last time. “Let me know if I do anything wrong.”
Too distracted by her fingers wrapping around my cock and her hot breath tickling the tip, I barely hear what she says, but manage a nod.
As if tasting something that’s too hot, she carefully sticks her tongue out, licking the head, and I nearly convulse. After a few more long, agonizingly slow licks, she guides me into her mouth and I release the breath I was holding with one low growl.
Resting on my elbows, I watch her discover me, alternating between licks and sucks. Concern flickers across her face when she slides me further down her throat and she glances up, her eyes watery, but I can see the unasked question and nod in response.
I bunch her ponytail in my fist. “You’re doing amazing. Don’t stop.”
Her smile wraps around my cock, and she continues with enthusiasm. I sit up and move my hand over her ass to slide her closer, then reach into her shorts. She’s so wet, my finger has no issue sliding in.
On the cusp of coming, my balls tighten. White heat burns behind my eyes, but I keep fingering her. The sounds she makes with my cock in her mouth are by far the best sounds I’ve ever heard come from a woman. The tightness of her throat and the humming vibration she’s making have me exploding into her mouth. Soon after, she tightens around my fingers, reaching her climax as well.
Feeling her come down, I ease my fingers out and grip her waist, lifting her up to my chest. Our panting subsides, but I wrap her in my arms, unwilling to let her go.
“Was that good?” she asks, swatting a bug off my leg.
“A-plus,” I respond, a permanent smile etched on my face.
“Nice.” Her laugh is mellow. “We should get going.”
And as quickly as it started, Jane slips away and packs up our things, and I’m left half-naked, exhausted, and wondering why it’s bugging me so much.