CHAPTER 28 #2
The smell of garlic, onions, and something sharp and acidic—lemon, perhaps—wafted upstairs, making Jette’s stomach growl again.
She hadn’t eaten since her morning coffee nearly ten hours ago and the hunger was getting harder to ignore by the second.
Jette tossed her long damp curls into a bun and made her way downstairs after hastily throwing on a pair of black leggings and a tight gray long sleeve.
She wanted to be comfortable, yes. But she still wanted to make an effort to look nice.
Reese had been almost painfully cute all day and it had been significantly distracting.
She wanted to return the favor, to watch Reese’s green eyes trail over her body with a different kind of hunger.
A shiver snuck down her spine at the thought.
“God, that smells incredible.” Jette said as she came up behind Reese who was deeply focused on the pan on the stove. She wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. Reese let out a pleased sigh and leaned back, curving her spine flush against Jette’s body.
“I hope it’s okay,” Reese said with a trace of worry in her voice.
Jette smiled and moved to refill their glasses. “I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” she reassured.
“You have too much confidence in my culinary skills. The only meals I regularly make are coffee, toast, and salad.” Reese teased, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she whirled around the kitchen.
“Well, lucky for me, those are three of my favorite meals,” Jette quipped back.
She took a sip of wine through a smile and continued.
“And lucky for you, I happen to be a great cook.” As Reese hovered over a youtube video on her phone, Jette reached for the wooden spoon next to the stove.
Before she could even stir the medley of vegetables and noodles, Reese swatted her away playfully.
“Ah, ah,” she huffed. “I promised to make you dinner.” She emphasized the word you before giving Jette a quick kiss.
Jette gave an insincere pout and tried to make another reach for the spoon.
Reese leaned her hands just far enough out of reach and Jette settled for her waist instead.
Those green eyes darted over Jette’s lips for a fraction of a second before she looked at Jette full of warmth.
“Now go sit down, please.” Reese’s voice was lighthearted and Jette finally acquiesced.
“You’re very bossy, you know.” Jette said without a trace of seriousness. She leaned back and watched Reese flit around the crowded space.
“I said please,” Reese shot back with a smile.
Jette laughed and nodded in agreement. “Plus, you love that I’m bossy sometimes.
” Her smile turned devilish and Jette felt the temperature in the kitchen spike.
Her cheeks flushed involuntarily and Reese suppressed a laugh as she watched Jette’s reaction.
It was that lightning fast wit that did her in again.
Before Jette could settle her racing heart, Reese decisively turned the stove off and cast one last approving look at the pan.
Her lips turned up at the corners and it took everything in Jette not to reach out and kiss that lopsided smile.
Jette opened her mouth to direct her to the cupboard overhead but by the time she found her voice, Reese was already throwing the door open and pulling plates onto the counter.
Of course she already knew her way around.
Another flush of heat blazed in Jette’s chest as she watched.
She bumped the cutlery drawer closed with her hip and caught Jette’s eyes lingering on her.
Her eyebrows came together in amused confusion and she tilted her head questioningly.
Jette gave a shy smile and shook her head silently after having been caught staring.
Despite Reese’s apprehension, dinner had been spectacular.
Though, that could have been due in part to the fact that it had been months since Jette had a home cooked meal.
Life on the road had been one of the best experiences of her life, but there was an underlying loneliness on tour that no one had warned her about.
She’d seen what felt like a hundred different cities, but she’d done it alone.
Finley and the others had never been more than ten feet from her but the closeness between them had taken weeks to develop.
Months, if she was being completely honest. She’d missed being able to share stories of her day with someone.
Being able to hold someone in her arms at the end of each day.
As they lay on the couch, they couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other.
Not in the desperate and frantic way they were used to, but in a casually affectionate way that they were both carefully exploring together.
Reese’s fingers glided over her arms and she giggled when goosebumps covered every inch of Jette’s skin as a result.
Jette was finding out that Reese was a surprisingly tactile person, herself.
She pressed her lips to Reese’s so many times she lost count but it never failed to take her breath away.
She’d spent too much time fighting that impulse for the better part of the past year.
Now that Reese was in her house and in her arms, she wasn’t about to stop.
The show they’d been watching had lost its relevance as they spent the night making up for lost time.
Jette glanced around the cozy room and groaned when she spotted her luggage stacked under the entryway table.
She was dreading having to unpack the overfilled suitcases.
Her eyebrows knit together as she squinted at the three bags in question. She’d only brought two bags on tour.
“Is that yours?” she asked abruptly, gesturing to the navy blue bag on the floor.
Reese lifted her head to look in the direction of Jette’s gaze. “Yes?” The answer sounded more like a question than anything.
“You know you could’ve unpacked your things upstairs. You didn’t need to live out of a duffel bag in the living room, you weirdo.” Jette teased as she squeezed Reese’s hip.
Reese let out a quiet laugh and a flush of pink tinged her cheeks.
“I know that. I had my stuff in your room earlier in the week but I packed up last night.” She looked at Jette with her green eyes full of something that Jette couldn’t find the word for.
“I figured you’d want to spend your first night at home alone,” she admitted with a smile.
Jette felt her heart stutter for a beat.
They hadn’t discussed it in so many words, and Jette suddenly felt silly for assuming that she would be staying the night.
She tried to keep her expression neutral but had a feeling Reese could see right through the attempt. “Unless—”
“Unless?” She didn’t care how eager her own voice sounded. The idea of Reese leaving was the last thing she wanted.
Reese let out another breathless laugh. “I guess…I mean I suppose I could be convinced to stay. If you wanted.” Her wine stained lips curved into a coy smile as though she couldn’t tell that was exactly what Jette wanted.
“Of course I want you to stay.” Jette answered before Reese squirmed closer. Her lips were on Jette’s before she could get any other words out. Reese was straddling her lap and holding her face so tenderly, it left her breathless.
“I’ll stay one more night,” she murmured against Jette’s lips. Jette was relieved that it hadn’t taken much convincing.
“Stay forever.” The words slipped from Jette’s lips without a thought in the world.
Reese pulled back to look into Jette’s eyes with a flash of amusement and surprise and something more serious.
It painted her expression, changing it completely.
Her cheeks were flushed deep pink and the wild look in her eyes made it seem like she was biting her own tongue when it came to saying what she wanted.
Jette’s heart felt like it was now permanently located in her throat.
She waited with bated breath for Reese to say something—anything.
But she merely stared and it felt like Jette could see the flurry of thoughts buzzing in her mind.
Like she could see the heavy words that waited on the tip of her tongue.
It could’ve been hours before either of them spoke, Jette had no way of telling how much time passed as they stared into each other’s eyes.
“Forever,” Reese mused quietly. Her breath was warm and sweet on Jette’s cheeks and their faces were so impossibly close that Jette had to close her eyes. “I think I like the sound of that.” Reese whispered before pressing her full lips to Jette’s.