Chapter Twelve
Maya
Jamie pulled Maya closer, and she let her flip their positions so that Maya was on her back. A wicked grin crossed Jamie’s face as her eyes drifted over her naked chest.
Desire bloomed in Maya’s stomach. She’d never had anybody look at her that way. Like she was something worth taking time over. She didn’t know what to do with it. Most women she hooked up with were happy to get off and leave it at that. Maya hadn’t minded that, either. A lot of the time it was hard for her to get out of her own head to finish, anyway.
But Jamie planted kisses at her hip, taking her time to trail up her ribs. Maya let out an involuntary giggle, and Jamie’s gaze snapped to hers.
“Are you ticklish?” she asked, with far too much glee.
“No.” She wrapped a protective arm over her torso, and Jamie laughed.
“Noted.”
She took Maya’s dark nipple into her mouth, lapping with her tongue in circles. Fuck. When she teased the other with her fingertips, Maya reached out to grab her bum. She needed something to squeeze and anchor her in the moment, something physical to push away the nagging doubts at the edge of her mind. She wasn’t used to this. This felt different.
She could tell by the way Jamie touched her, her hands caressing her olive skin like they were uncovering new, untouched lands. Jamie looked—really looked—when others didn’t, and it terrified her.
Because what did she see?
Jamie’s gaze found hers, perhaps sensing her unease. The sight of her big blue eyes, her tongue flicking over Maya’s nipple, made her curse out loud.
That pleased her.
Jamie practically leaped up Maya’s body to press her lips to hers. Her fingers still played with her nipple, making Maya groan when she pulled a little harder. Then Jamie dipped to kiss her neck again, revisiting those spots that made her knees weak like she’d committed them to memory. It unsettled her how she’d found them with such ease. How eager Maya’s body was to give in to her.
Maya pushed the thoughts away and pulled Jamie closer so that her nakedness was flush against the material of her trousers. The contact made her gasp. Yes. This was what she needed. To fuck and be fucked. To stop fighting these feelings.
But something at the edge of her mind was trying to rein her back in. Thoughts of Jamie, of how much Maya was into this, of the implications for the team. Maya forced them away. She was fed up with being on all the time; she didn’t want to think.
Jamie trailed biting kisses up her neck, digging her fingers into the soft skin of her back. She sucked hard, earning a moan.
“I’ve been thinking about this,” Jamie whispered against her neck. “I want to take my time with you.”
That surprised her. Had Jamie guessed this would happen between them? Wait. What time even is it?
Her heart raced in her chest, but everything started to fade back in at the edges. The bare white walls, Jamie’s navy bedsheets, the pile of books on the table.
She didn’t want them to. She wanted to stay in this moment with her. She didn’t want to think about the after. The consequences. What the hell all of this meant.
No, Maya. Don’t do this now .
But the doubts were creeping in, reality breaking through. I haven’t told Grandma I’d be late. What if she’s worried?
Jamie leaned back, her fingers gripping the waistband of Maya’s trousers. “I can’t believe you’ve had those trousers on this entire time.”
Maya didn’t comment, her thoughts were already unravelling. What if something happened at home and they need me? Mum isn’t there.
Jamie moved to take off her trousers, and when Maya stopped her, she glanced up, blue eyes questioning.
“I kind of need to go.”
Jamie’s eyebrows pinched together. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. I…” She sat up, forcing Jamie off her. Her attention bounced around the walls, searching for a clock, heart skipping so fast it churned her stomach. “I need to go home.”
“Maya.” Jamie grabbed her wrist, but she stood up, moving off the bed.
The euphoric feeling had seeped away, replaced by icy dread. Where’s my phone?
She found her tracksuit top on the floor and rifled through the pocket. Nothing. No missed calls. But that didn’t mean much; Grandma was next to useless with her phone.
“Maya, is something wrong?” Jamie appeared in front of her now. “Talk to me.”
She forced herself to look at her. Her short blonde hair was sticking up, ruffled by sex, but those eyes were all her. Delicate, soft, beautiful. Three words Maya didn’t think she’d ever associate with Jamie Mellor.
“Did I do something to upset you?” she asked.
Maya instinctively reached for her hand. “No, you didn’t. This is me.”
“Are you pulling the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ here?” Jamie let out a soft sigh. “I thought you wanted this—”
“It’s not that. I do want this.”
Those words surprised her. They seemed to surprise Jamie too, from the look on her face.
Maya cleared her throat, trying to wish away the heat creeping up her neck. I blame the endorphins firing through my system. “It’s not to do with this…” Not completely, anyway. “It’s my grandpa. My grandma… They…they need me. And I’m late.”
Jamie nodded, putting the pieces together, but doubt lingered in her gaze. “Oh, right, yeah, you mentioned before.” She gave her a small smile. “I’ll get my things.”
And like that, the moment was over.
Ten minutes later, freshly dressed but still mightily uncomfortable—both between her legs and in her head—she got into Jamie’s little blue Golf. Jamie didn’t start it right away, and they sat in silence, the wind outside wailing and rocking the car.
Maya hated this feeling. She was ruining…whatever this was, like she always did. But she didn’t know how to explain the tangle of conflicting feelings in her brain. This was Jamie—her own personal pain in the arse for the past three years. Someone she’d despised and openly criticised for the way she behaved, after seasons of torment, and now, what, they were sleeping together?
How did this happen?
There was no denying the connection between them… She’d just had her fingers inside her.
Maya, please. Jamie’s words echoed in her head, tugging at her stomach. The memory of her panting, looking at her while she came around her fingers, would be seared into her brain forever.
Good lord. Focus. She needed to go home, have a shower, then try make some sense of all of this. She wet her lips and made herself concentrate on Jamie—and not the sensation tingling between her legs. “Do you mind if we…” She gestured to the steering wheel, and Jamie straightened up in her seat.
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stall you.”
The engine roared to life, warm air blowing through the vents. The blueberry car-scent tickled Maya’s nose. She scratched it, catching the smell of Jamie on her fingers. Her whole body reacted.
Fucking hell.
Jamie pulled out of the space and waited for the gates to open. Music suddenly blared out of the speakers, and she reached to turn it down.
“Sorry,” she said. “It usually takes a few moments for the car to connect to my phone.”
Maya looked at the screen, which was displaying “All the Love” by the Outfield. Jamie was already tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. It was strangely endearing how much she reacted to this type of music.
“We don’t have to listen to this,” she said. The gates squeaked open, and she edged out into the road, passing the swaying trees on either side. “You can put whatever music you want on.”
The vocalist started singing, and Maya smiled, liking the sound of his voice. “No, it’s okay. I like it.”
“Really?” Jamie looked at her, and when she smiled back, the feeling it gave Maya shot like an arrow, piercing the soft sponge of her heart. She wanted to lean across the centre console and kiss her.
But she didn’t.
* * *
Jamie took Maya on an enthusiastic tour of eighties artists on their short drive home, including Culture Club, the Human League, and Cindy Lauper. She knew every word to all of them, and watching Jamie singing and dancing was like having a ticket to her own private show. Any traces of awkwardness were washed away by their laughter and Jamie’s badly sung vocals.
Maybe Jamie had a point—they couldn’t listen to eighties music without having a good time.
When she pulled up outside their houses, perfectly timing the end of “I Drove All Night” and howling the final note, Maya’s face hurt from smiling.
Jamie switched off her engine with a grin. “I had a lot of fun today.”
“I bet you did.”
“Hah.” Jamie looked down into her lap briefly before meeting her gaze. “I’ll make sure it’s worth your while next time.”
Her sudden nervousness made Maya smile even more. “It already was.”
Now Jamie was definitely blushing.
When did Jamie Mellor get so shy?
“I mean…god. I’m usually good at this, but…” Jamie shook her head. “You know what I mean.”
The look suited her. Her honesty was refreshing. That vulnerability held things up in a new light. Or maybe Maya hadn’t really been seeing her before. “It’s nice to see you like this,” she admitted.
“Yeah, I bet you’re really getting some kicks out of it.” Jamie’s mouth curled at the edges. The memory of her lips on Maya’s skin jolted electricity through her veins. “Though I have to admit, it’s also nice to be around you and for you to not bite my head off every five minutes.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Maya teased.
Outside, warm streetlights illuminated the dark road. Without Jamie’s music blasting, the street was eerily quiet, aside from a gruff dog barking somewhere a few houses away. The cold hit Maya as soon as she stepped out of the car, piercing through her thin layers. On a clear night like this, she imagined there would be stars for miles. Shame about the streetlights.
Jamie popped open the boot of her car and pulled her bag of dirty washing out with a huff.
Maya smiled at the sight. “I just realised I haven’t teased you about taking your washing home to your parents’ house yet.”
“I did wonder when you were going to say something. You must be slipping.”
“What’s wrong with the laundry place in the building? Too many commoners for her highness?”
“I think we both know if I’m going to be anything in the royal family, I’d be a prince.” Jamie turned her head, modelling and fluttering her lashes. “Look at me.”
Maya chuckled, enjoying the easy back and forth. “Yes. Yes. Very handsome. Now answer the question.”
“Don’t laugh,” Jamie said, her eyes holding hers. “But someone was stealing my things.”
“Stealing? What, your tightie-whities?”
“We both know I don’t wear tightie-whities.” She raised an eyebrow. “But no, it was my socks, mostly.”
“Socks go missing in everybody’s washing. It’s hardly worthy of a Miss Marple episode.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Jamie grinned. “Stop harassing your teammate.”
“Teammate, huh? If this is the way you treat your other teammates, I think we need another chat about Leah.”
“Maya,” Jamie groaned.
“Too soon? ”
“A little.”
“Well, I’ll see you around then…teammate.” She flashed her a smile and turned to leave, but Jamie called her back. “What?”
Nibbling her lip, Jamie brushed a hand through her hair.
The sudden seriousness made Maya’s stomach tighten. She’d hoped the joke about Leah hadn’t taken it too far; it’d just slipped out. Please don’t make me talk about what happened between us on my driveway. She’d forgotten about the significance of their evening for a moment and didn’t want to jump back into panic mode. Plus, it would only take five minutes before their conversation was discussed on the local Facebook page. She wouldn’t be surprised if Mrs Corstow had already speed-dialled the police to report their loitering. It was nosy neighbour 101.
A strong gust creaked the branches in the neighbour’s trees before Jamie asked, “Can I get your number?”
Maya blew out a sigh of relief and pulled out her phone. “I think that’s acceptable, seeing as I’ve already seen your tightie-whities.”
Jamie couldn’t hide her smile. “I don’t wear tightie-whities.”
After they exchanged numbers, Maya headed for her door, Jamie for hers.
“Night, Skip,” Jamie called.
“Night, teammate.”
She sensed Jamie’s eyeroll without turning round, hearing her mutter something resembling a goodnight as she put her keys in the door.
So much had changed since the last time they were here, saying goodbye on their front steps. Truthfully, Maya could hardly keep up with her conflicting emotions. If only she could relax and trust her feelings some more.
Because tonight, change didn’t seem like such a bad thing.
Until Maya stepped into the warmth of the living room, and the sight of Grandma’s panicked face sent chills up her spine.