Chapter 33 Brooke #2
JJ’s eyes rounded, eyebrows sliding up to her hairline. “Uh, we can,” she squeaked.
Playing with JJ like this was a tease in itself. JJ needed slow, but it was so fun pulling these reactions from her.
“I’m kidding. Let’s keep it slow.” Brooke picked up her beer instead, taking a deep pull.
“Good, yeah.” JJ’s shoulders eased. She set two pairs of slippers at the edge of the waterproof liner. “For when we need to wash this off.” JJ’s cheeks burned.
Of course. What got dirty… needed to be cleaned. This night just got even better.
“Okay, pick a colour—then share a memory or something you’ve learned or like about me and squeeze out a dot or squiggle of paint on the canvas.”
“Was that in the instructions?” Brooke eyed the tubes, suppressing another smile at how sweet JJ was being.
“Yes,” she confessed. “But I thought it was a cool idea.”
“So do I.” Brooke bent down, arse facing JJ, and picked up a paint tube. She straightened slowly, enjoying this game and showing off her body. JJ followed every move.
“I choose green. I love your appreciation for nature; the way you immerse yourself in it and slow down in those moments to really take it in. It reminds me of the vineyards and the little face you pulled after every sip.” She placed three dots of paint sporadically and stood back up. “Your turn.”
“Easy.” JJ leapt for the yellow. “I pick the brightest colour in the lot, because to me you are absolute sunshine.”
Brooke wanted to deny it. To scoff and say yeah right but she held her tongue, hand moving to her arm and rubbing it.
People were never this honest with her and being under this spotlight had her heart racing.
She forced herself to maintain eye contact, to take the compliments, and accept them. Don’t run away.
“You’re a shining yellow beacon I’d be happy to follow anywhere. You always seem to know what to do and where to go, and it’s a rare thing for me to feel that safety in another person. You know what I’m like.”
Brooke didn’t deny it, lips quirking.
JJ flicked the lid off the yellow tube. “The joy you’ve brought to my life in the short time we’ve known each other has been—well…” JJ dropped her head, snapping it back up with bright eyes. “I appreciate it. And I appreciate you.”
Warmth flooded Brooke as she broke eye contact. It was too much, too nice. With a final nod, JJ squirted a couple of lines onto the floor.
They went through every colour, one by one.
“I love the confidence you have in your work and your life. What you’ve built at your age already is nothing short of incredible. I admire those achievements, and hope to one day build something as worthy for myself. Oops, and yeah, I chose gold.” Brooke added a dollop to the centre.
“You just like all the sparkly colours.”
“Also that.”
JJ held the next tube to her chest. “Blue, because you represent the calm when everything around me feels out of control. You know how to ride the chaos wearing a smile the whole time, knowing it will all work out—and it usually does.”
“Love the use of your word ‘usually’. And don’t blame me for the goats again.
I had no hand or hoof in those shenanigans.
” She picked up the next one. “Brown. Because I’m a sucker for your eyes.
It also reminds me of autumn, the season of our travels and the warmth and stability I feel when I’m around you. ”
And so it went on.
The canvas started to remind Brooke of a Mr. Squiggle drawing, ready to be finished and turned upside down, or—
Wait.
“This looks like a Twister mat.”
JJ raised a brow, taking in all the random shapes they’d made. “I’m game if you are?”
“Bring it on.” Brooke’s grin spread wide as she started planning out positions.
JJ folded her arms, glaring at her in challenge. “I’ll start easy. Left foot, purple.”
Wow, those muscles. JJ’s arms were bulging in that position. Surely she must workout on top of her job?
Brooke, focus. Less drooling, more game planning and domination.
She spied a purple streak near the edge of the mat. Piece of cake. She eased her left toe onto the fabric… and slid straight across. “Whoa!” She wobbled on the spot, catching herself at the last second. She straightened, sending a fake curtsy JJ’s way.
What could she say? She was all class.
JJ stifled a laugh. “Well, I thought that was easy.”
“Hey! It’s slipperier than you think!” Brooke shoved her hands on her hips, smiling. “Yellow, your…” Brooke pretended to think, tapping her chin. “Butt.”
JJ laughed out loud this time. “I thought we were going easy?”
“No, you said that. I didn’t promise anything.”
“Fine.” JJ flopped her black-bikini-clad behind straight onto a big yellow splotch, carefully placing her heels on some white canvas space. She looked up at Brooke with a shit-eating grin. “Right elbow, red.”
Brooke spotted a red line near JJ. Keeping her foot in place, Brooke stretched over JJ’s lap, only just managing to put her elbow in the paint. JJ’s thighs were at least comfortable to lie on, no complaints there.
“How am I meant to get around this?” JJ complained.
“Not my problem. Left hand… black,” Brooke said, blowing hair out of her face. She really should’ve tied it up. Strands were already dipping themselves in purple and silver paint.
“Easy.” JJ barely had to lift a finger to land in the dark patch next to her. Damn. Brooke had completely missed that. Draping herself over the woman really had put her at a disadvantage. Time to up the ante!
“My right hand, beer.” JJ laughed and stretched back to grab her beer off the table, sculling it down. All Brooke could focus on were JJ’s taut stomach muscles flexing inches from her face. She was more than happy to wait a little longer with this view.