Chapter 18 JJ
EIGHTEEN
JJ
JJ shivered, no longer leaning against Brooke and her warmth.
Stupid door needing to be unlocked.
She craved that heat again.
Her hands came together in a loud clap. “We should get in the hot tub!”
What an awesome idea. Perhaps her best idea ever.
“You sure you're good for a swim?” Brooke checked.
JJ made a psh sound, moving past Brooke and into the house. Her shoulder bumped into one of the walls. This place really was small.
“Where are all the ligh—” JJ shielded her eyes as they were dowsed in bright light. “Thanks.” Her eyes adjusted, gaze catching Brooke’s across the room. “So, swim?”
Brooke pulled in her lips, but her grin still broke free. “All right then, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
JJ raced off to get changed then headed out onto the deck.
The little moonlight they had reflected off the tops of the vines, giving them silver highlights against the dark buildings of the winery beyond.
It was Brooke’s original idea to turn the hot tub on before they’d left for their tour, and right now JJ could kiss her for that forethought.
Pulling back the cover, the tub was steaming.
JJ turned on the rainbow light which slowly changed through the colours.
JJ removed her fluffy hotel-style robe and placed it—folded—onto one of the chairs. Her exposed skin prickled from the frigid air. She wobbled as she climbed into the tub, easing in a little slower than usual. It always paid to be careful, especially after all that wine.
Once submerged up to her shoulders, she groaned and relaxed back on the bench seat.
Cedar and the faintest hint of chlorine enveloped her senses.
Her entire body tingled as the jets drove hot water into her muscles.
Yes. This was a good choice. Brooke would be out any minute, and JJ looked forward to her company, even after they'd been in each other's pockets all day.
Behind her, the back door slid open.
“It's freezing!” Brooke exclaimed.
JJ turned. Brooke’s purple bikini had an incredible plunge.
Wow.
Eyes up!
She cleared her throat. “Where’s your robe?”
“What robe?” Brooke narrowed her eyes as she toed off her thongs.
“Uh, the one on the bed?”
“Oh. I thought they were both towels.”
“One’s a towel, one’s a robe.”
Brooke stuck one foot over the edge of the tub. “Well, I’m here now.”
Yes, she was. Very much here.
And looking incredibly attractive.
All feminine curves, tall but not lanky, and those sun-kissed shoulders were absolutely gorgeous on full show.
JJ shuffled over to make room as Brooke collapsed ungainly into the water. Adorable.
“Oops, sorry. It’s deeper than I thought.”
Of all the space in the tub, Brooke settled in right next to JJ, thighs touching.
Now where was JJ meant to put her arm? She shuffled, resting it on her own leg in a way that wasn't resting at all, but rather, awkward and uncomfortable. Why was it so hard to give Brooke some personal space?
JJ inhaled, counting to four. She needed to relax. This was ridiculous. She was in a hot tub for god’s sake! She straightened and dropped her shoulders, her arm moving back until it brushed against Brooke’s.
It was her fault anyway; she chose to sit this close.
“Wanna play truth or dare?” JJ asked in an effort to stop overthinking their proximity.
Could the hot tub just swallow her now? Who suggested that?
She did, apparently. That’s who.
Because JJ wasn’t boring.
She’d had fun today letting loose. Why stop now? Games were fun.
Brooke side-eyed her. “What are we, twelve?” She twisted her lips to the side, then grinned. “Fine. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.” How bad could it be?
“What was your worst sexual encounter?”
JJ slid into the tub until she was blowing bubbles.
“You said truth!” Brooke grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes.
“You had to ask that question.” JJ popped back up, rubbing her hands over her face and hair.
Brooke turned, bringing a knee up on the bench and leaning her arm against the edge of the tub. She was all ears. And her thigh was still touching JJ. Of course.
JJ sighed, tipping her head up to the sky, taking in the stars. They were fascinating, really—
Brooke nudged her.
JJ groaned, kept her gaze on the twinkling lights, and relented.
“I only slept with him one time. His name was Callum, and we were dating at the end of high school when I was still figuring out if ‘I just hadn’t met the right guy yet’.
We’d been to a football game—I know, so romantic, right?
—and ended up back at his parent’s place.
He lived upstairs, and we’d both agreed we’d been dating long enough to take the next step. ”
Out of the corner of her eye, JJ caught Brooke’s wince.
“Ugh. It was so… bad—awkward. Just the most—god. There was the whole—is it in yet?”
“Oh no.”
“Then—are we done yet? Umm, lots of silence.”
Brooke covered her mouth.
“Then he was, uh, struggling to keep going, as he’d had a few beers.
In the end, we just called it, said enough was enough and awkwardly spent the rest of the night facing away from each other with muttered apologies.
It was the first and only time I slept with a man.
We broke up shortly after, and funnily enough he came out as gay a few years later.
Go figure.” She chuckled and slid a glance to Brooke.
“Okay, you win with that story. That sounded painful to even recount.”
“Oh, trust me when I say that memory is usually blocked. Actually, I don’t think I’ve told anyone that before.” She chanced another glance.
Brooke took her hand under the water and squeezed. “Well, thank you for trusting me with it.”
JJ relaxed. “That’s the game, right? Now—truth or dare?”
Brooke didn’t let go of her hand. What was happening between them?
Focus on the game.
“Truth,” Brooke said.
Now would be a great time to ask about Hayley, though that would definitely bring down the mood.
“First kiss?” she asked instead.
“Easy. James. It was in kindy. We’d just finished making pizzas as a group and ran out into the sandpit. He declared we were getting married and kissed me on the lips. I screamed ‘boy germs!’ and ran away.”
JJ laughed. “Okay, I revise my question. First real kiss.”
“Nope. Ask a better question next time.”
JJ shook her head. Absolutely infuriating. Yet she couldn’t stop smiling.
Brooke squeezed JJ’s hand as she asked, “Your turn again, truth or dare?”
Was she leaning in closer? JJ blinked. The heat of the tub was making the lingering alcohol go straight to her head.
Brooke’s thumb was definitely brushing the back of her hand. JJ swallowed, mouth wicking the moisture away like a strong shiraz. If she picked dare… anything could come out of that woman’s mouth.
“Truth.”
Did Brooke just deflate a little?
“What’s your biggest turn on?” she asked after a brief moment.
JJ’s face heated, and it had nothing to do with the water.
She should’ve picked dare.
“Wait, let me guess,” Brooke said, eyes sparkling. “Is it your smutty audiobooks?”
Brooke copped a face full of water. She sputtered and gasped—the resulting shock on her face was everything. JJ was impressed with her own reflexes.
“I deserved that.” Brooke chuckled, wiping the water from her eyes. “Okay, I’m listening, because I actually do want to know.”
“Do you now?”
“Who wouldn’t?” Her eyes flashed.
JJ sighed. “Fine. I… enjoy it when a woman is dominant and knows what she wants in the bedroom. I love seeing them come alive and enjoying themselves.”
“Okay, so you enjoy that, but is that what turns you on?” Brooke stroked JJ’s hand in circles.
JJ’s stomach swooped low. The circling motion sent an electrical current coursing from her hand to straight between her legs. Her stomach swooped again and she let out a slow breath to steady herself.
That bloody question was turning her on, that’s what. Brooke was—annoyingly—turning her on. This whole situation was turning her on. Muddling her thoughts.
“Slow physical touch is a turn on,” she confessed. Don’t look at our hands.
“Body confidence is a turn on.”
Brooke’s shoulders pushed back, just a little.
“And strong eye contact is a turn on. To see that the other person is feeling what I’m feeling reflected back at me.”
JJ’s heart hammered.
She didn’t wait for a response from Brooke. “Truth or dare?”
Brooke bit her lip, looking up through her eyelashes and locking on to JJ.
“Dare.” It was basically a whisper.
A half laugh escaped JJ, but it cut off. She couldn’t look away.
Brooke’s eyes darkened, a mirror of her own.
“Is this the part where I dare you to—”
Head thrown back against the tub, a wave of hot water surged over her shoulders as Brooke lurched forward—and kissed her.
Warm lips on hers, pressing hard.
White noise filled JJ’s head. Was this really happening?
Then she was kissing Brooke back, every nerve prickling with energy.
Her free hand dove into Brooke’s hair and pulled her in. One of them moaned, or maybe it was both of them. Somehow they were still holding hands, and Brooke was crushing hers.
There wasn’t anything soft about this. This was hunger. This was thirst.
This was—over before it had properly started?
Brooke pulled herself away, gasping for breath, hand ripped from JJ’s grip as she launched herself to the other side of the tub.
JJ was still in cardio zone four and rising. She licked her lips, breathing hard, trying to come up with what to say, what to do.
Because that was the best damn kiss of her life.
With Brooke. Messy Brooke. Tour guide Brooke. Not-on-her-attributes-list Brooke. Brooke who liked to “have fun with a girl or two”. That’s who JJ was tonight—fun JJ. Not boring, paint-another-house JJ.
She could be totally chill about this.
Only… that kiss wasn’t a dare.
It was a truth.