JENNIE

The following Thursday I have my summer class, and Lisa lets me use her truck. She's been catching a ride with Jackson to and from work all week, so I have a reliable vehicle to get around, and she even mentioned buying another car for herself under the guise that she should have something nicer for 'going out', but I know it's just her excuse to get me in something better than the VW.

I refused. She almost has my car running, so I'll make do with however much longer that will last and cross that bridge when I come to it again.

I pull up alongside the curb and park the truck out of the way, seeing Jackson and Lisa in the driveway, working on my car. Actually, Lisa is working on it, and Jackson is camped out in a nearby lawn chair with a beer in his hand.

I grab my backpack and stroll across the street and up our driveway.

"Hey, guys," I chirp. "How's it going?"

Lisa glances over her shoulder at me, her eyes trailing up and down my body. I bite back my smile and so does she as she quickly turns back to work under the hood.

I woke up to her mouth trailing down my stomach at two o'clock this morning, ending between my legs and remaining there until I came twice.

And then we didn't get back to sleep until four. The man has more energy than I can take, and I'm so tired today, but in the best way possible. Every inch of my body is being well-used, and it's hard to concentrate on anything else except the need to be with her when I'm not with her. I don't want to fall for her.

I mean, I want to, but not until I know exactly what's happening here. Irene could be right and this is just a fling.

"We're good, honey," Jackson replies, his beer can resting on top of his knee. "Just about got you ready to go here."

I walk past the car and the guys, seeing Lisa tightening or untightening something with a wrench.

"Really?" I pinch my eyebrows together. "It's nearly done?"

Lisa shoots her eyes up. "Soon."

Well, yay. It'll be nice to not have to bum rides. For a while, at least.

"Thank you," I tell them and then look to Jackson. "What can I do for you? Sandwich? Beer? Free babysitting?"

He just chuckles. "Aw, that's okay. I saw how nice the house looks, so Lisa must be working you pretty hard already."

"Oh, you have no idea," I tease. "I'm working up a sweat way past my bedtime lately."

The wrench in Lisa's hand falters, and she loses her grip on the bolt, shooting me a look.

I fold my grin between my teeth and turn around, walking up the steps and disappearing into the house.

I carry my bag into the kitchen and set it next to my model on the table, and then I grab a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and head upstairs. Taking a towel out of the hall closet, I walk through Lisa's bedroom and into her master bath. The main bathroom is finished being retiled, but I still haven't moved my stuff out of this one, and I don't have any plans to.

Closing the door, I strip down to my bra and panties, start the app on my phone, playing Hurts So Good, and wet my toothbrush before swiping some toothpaste on it.

The door opens, and I jerk upright, momentarily startled until I see it's Lisa.

She closes it behind her. "That wasn't funny," she says, looking at me sternly.

"I wasn't trying to make you laugh," I mumble over the toothbrush.

Her lips curl with mild amusement as she comes up behind me, turning me around and pressing me back into the sink. "Trying to shock me out of me comfort zone then?"

I smile.

"You do that a lot," she accuses, but I know she's not angry.

I shrug and turn around, spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing out my mouth.

"I can't help it," I say, drying my mouth with the hand towel on the sink and looking at her through the mirror. "I don't like your comfort zone. It's too tight in there for the both of us."

Her hands trail around my stomach, and she hugs me to her bare chest as she kisses my neck. "But I like tight places," she whispers.

I twist around and hold her eyes as I unfasten her belt. "You need a shower," I tell her. "Is he still here?"

She grabs my hands, stopping me. "Yes, unfortunately…"

I walk over to the shower, opening the door and turning on the water.

"You know," I tell her, "if I'm too much trouble, I can get out of your hair. Somi called me today. Made me an offer."

She turns and crosses her arms over her chest, leaning back on the sink. "Somi?" she repeats. "How did she get your number? And what kind of an offer?"

I unhook my bra, letting it fall to the floor, and push my underwear down my legs. Her eyes scale down me, resting on my breasts—her favorite part—and I go on.

"Her brother owns a house he hasn't had any luck renting it out," I explain. "She thought it would be great for me to move in. The rent is cheap in exchange for cleaning up the place. A whole house all to myself."

I step into the shower, but when I try to pull the door closed, Lisa is holding it open.

"Well, that was nice of her," she says, not looking at all happy.

She then starts unbuttoning her jeans, suddenly deciding to join me, I guess.

I nod innocently. "Mmm-hmm," I say. "She's an angel. So selfless."

"Right." She quirks a brow and steps in, closing the door.

We both know damn well I ruined her night when she was here last, so she can be "helpful" all she wants, but what she's really doing is helping herself by getting me out of her way.

"And what did you say?" she asks, leaning her head back under the spray and wetting her hair.

"I said I'd think about it."

"But you can save more money staying here for a while," she points out. "I think that's best. Don't you?"

I laugh to myself, soaping up my loofah. Her motives aren't exactly selfless, either.

"She was concerned I might be uncomfortable," I explain. "Us here alone together…"

She pushes me back against the wall, and I suck in a breath, dropping the loofah. Her hand dives between my legs, and she lifts up my knee, opening me for her. She softly and slowly rubs my clit in circles, making me pulse and go weak in the knees.

"You uncomfortable?" she asks, her voice low and husky.

"No." My breaks shakes. "But maybe you miss having the place to yourself? Maybe she thought I was in your hair."

Her heated eyes bore into mine, and she shakes her head slowly. "If you leave, I won't have everything I need in this house."

She increases her speed, hovering her mouth over mine, and then she slips a finger inside me.

I gasp, closing my eyes, and her lips sink into mine, kissing me soft and slow as she enters my body again and again.

Her tongue flicks my top lip, and then she whispers, "How can I not want to come home to this everyday? So fucking sweet."

She pulls out of me and then slides back in, two fingers this time, slow and gentle, as she pins me to the wall. I let my head fall back, whimpering as she watches my face.

God, she's good. I reach down between us and stroke her cock.

"She's right to watch out for you, Jennie," she says biting my bottom lip. "You're too young for all the fucking stuff I want to do to you."

"I'm not that young," I taunt. "I'm old enough for lots, in fact."

"Yeah?" She groans, growing big and hard in my hand. "Hold on, baby."

She pulls her fingers out, grabs the backs of my thighs, and lifts me up, pressing me into the wall. Her cock is long, hard, and ready, and I feel it teasing my entrance.

Yes.

"Hey, Lisa!" Jackson shouts.

We both lifts our heads up, Lisa drops me to the floor, and she turns her head, looking out the frosted glass.

"I'm in the shower!" she barks, shielding my body from view.

"Yeah, duh," her friend jokes. "Your phone rang a couple times. Looks like Rosé. I'm gonna set it on the counter here."

Lisa presses her body into me, so Jackson only sees one body in here if he looks at the glass. "Yeah, thanks," she says curtly.

I bite my bottom lip, feeling naughty. I lean into her, kissing her jaw and stroking her.

"Jennie…" she growls through her teeth.

I laugh quietly.

"Shhh…" I hear her chide me.

"I'm gonna turn on the game," Jackson calls out. "I'll wait for you downstairs."

"Ok."

There's a pause and then Jackson speaks up again. "So, uh…where did Jennie go? I didn't see her down there."

"How am I supposed to know?" Lisa fires back, losing patience. "Would you get out of here?"

"Ok, fine," he says. But then he adds, "Just tell her not to forget to pick up all her clothes off the floor when she gets out of the shower with you, okay?"

My eyes go wide, my mouth falls open, and I bury my face in Lisa's body just in time to stifle my laughter. Oh, shit.

The bathroom door closes, Lisa's head drops to my shoulder, and the heat of the moment has left the building as embarrassment warms my cheeks.

Thanks, Jackson.

--

I wake up late, being jostled out of my sleep and feeling like I'm about to fall. I open my eyes, seeing that I'm in Lisa's arms. She raises me up, one arm under my back and one under my knees.

"What are you doing?" I ask, closing my eyes again and curling into her.

"Sleep with me?" she says.

Sleep with her? Does she even need to ask? A few nights I've fallen asleep with her, but for the most part, I've tried to spend my nights in my own bed in case Haruto comes home and starts looking for me. Or worse, comes into his dada's room and finds me there. I want Haruto to know—I don't want to hide this from anyone—but we both agreed that he doesn't need to find out like that.

She lays me down in her bed, and I pull the sheet up over my underwear and tank top.

"You want me naked?" I tease.

"No, please don't." She locks her door and then walks around the end of the bed and climbs in the other side. "I actually do need some sleep, and it's going to be tough enough not getting hard right now without you naked, too."

She lifts up her arm, signaling me to come in, and I curl up next to her, resting my head on her shoulder.

A wave of peace settles over me. This feels so good.

I run my fingers down her chest and stomach and then circle my arm around her, looking up at her in the dark.

Her and I are at two completely different places in our lives. She asked me once what I see in her. I could ask her the same thing.

"What are you staring at?" she asks.

I tip my head back down, rubbing my lips over her skin and thinking. "I envy you."

"Why?"

I shrug. "You just have yourself figured out, and I don't," I tell her. "I worry about everything. Will I make it through school? Will I be who I want to be? Will I have friends and contribute to the world or just wind up doing work I hate like my sister and my father and everyone else I know?" I glance back up at her. "Everyone except you, that is. You give the impression that you're right where you want to be with yourself, and you don't regret anything. I regret everything."

I breathe out a little laugh. "Well, not everything," I correct myself. "I feel stupid a lot, though. About words I speak as soon as they come out of my mouth. Things I do. Decisions I make. I'm always second-guessing myself. Like maybe I'd just be happier if I stayed quiet and kept my damn mouth shut and my head down."

Her arm tightens around me. "Happier or safer?"

Aren't they the same?

But no, I know what she's saying. A ship at harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are for.

"I think you're scared, because people have worked hard to make you think you're not worthy of their attention, Jennie," she says. "Your parents, that ex of yours from high school…even Haruto. You gave people a chance, and they abused it. That's their fault, not yours." She tips my chin up so my eyes meet her. "Don't think it has anything to do with who you are. And don't let anyone make you afraid of yourself. You're incredible."

My smile peeks out, and even though a thousand doubts about where she and I are headed run through my head, I'm taking tonight for tonight. I needed to hear that. The only other person who talks me up like this is my sister.

But Lisa is better, because I can kiss her, too.

"And I became who I am, because I had no choice," she points out. "If things had been different, I would've liked to go to college. Travel. Maybe wear a suit to work." Her body goes rigid. "I envy you. You're still growing, and you can still be anyone you want. You have all the choices in the world ahead of you."

I hadn't thought about that. How different her life would be if Haruto had never come along.

"The memory of you in that suit," I muse. "You should take me on a date in it. You've never seen me in a dress."

She's silent, her thumb rubbing up and down my arm, and I know what she's not saying. She can't take me out unless we go somewhere out of town.

I take a deep breath, pushing the concern to the back of my mind.

"When I first saw you, I felt like I'd been punched," she whispers. "You have a body that makes me feel like I'm on a rollercoaster when I touch it."

I smile and slide off my panties before swinging a leg over her, straddling her and sitting up.

She exhales, gripping my hips. "But really, it wasn't until the build-up of every little thing you do—bringing me lunch, serving me my own ass in that supply room at the bar both times, and even telling me to get that backsplash and making me laugh with your innuendo about how I'm like a cave." She laughs. "You make my heart pound so hard it hurts, Jennie. You, your mouth, and who you are, it all makes me want to touch you. It makes me not want to stop this."

She meets my eyes and tucks my hair behind my left ear. "Do you regret me?" she asks.

I shake my head.

"It's okay," she prompts. "You can be honest, even if it's just a small part of you. I'll understand."

I lean down, planting a hand next to her head. "I regret the way I couldn't stop staring at you the day I moved in when you carried some of my boxes into the house," I tell her. "How I love the way you don't say much and how you like to watch movies with me. I regret the way my stomach flips when I hear you moving around in your room in the morning, and I know I'm going to see you soon." I rub my hand up her chest and over her neck. "And I regret that I look for you when I come into a room and how, after you leave for work in the morning, I have to get myself off in the shower again, because I can't stop fantasizing about you and it gets me too turned on to wait for you to come home."

Her abs flex as she arches up a little, pressing her cock against me.

"And I regret that I would do nothing different," I go on. "I couldn't not feel this."

I swing my leg back over, turn around, and climb on top of her again, this time reverse cowgirl. I lift my T-shirt over my head, letting my hair fall down my naked back, and cast my gaze over my shoulder, flirting with her.

Her cock swells underneath me, and I start rolling my hips, grinding.

"You're trying to kill me," she groans.

I run my fingers through my hair, feeling her hands run all over my body and reach up to cup my breasts.

"How many women have you slept with?" I ask her.

"How many men have you slept with?" she shoots back. "No, never mind, don't answer that."

I grin, answering her anyway. "Before you? Two."

"More than two," she retorts with her answer.

"Is there anything I'm not doing that you want to do?" I keep rolling on her, her eyes frozen on my ass as it moves.

"Why are you asking that?"

"I just wonder how I measure up to a man with a lot more experience," I explain.

She meets my eyes. "First of all, it's not a lot more experience. And second of all, there are lots of things we haven't done yet, which I have every intention of doing with you once we can calm down and stop ripping off each other's clothes the second I step into the damn house after work every day," she growls jokingly.

I lay back on her, my head next to her and one of her hands reaching down between my thighs.

"Stop feeling so good, and I'll control myself," I say.

She kisses me and then holds my eyes, something serious in her. "Don't think about the other women," she tells me. "I don't."

My chest caves as I stare at her, and I'm filled with things I can't say. I…

I open my mouth. I…

I kiss her, feeling around her mouth, her smell feeling like home. I can't love you. I don't love you, do I? It's an impulse. That's what she'll say. She'll say I'm a kid. She'll say it's not real.

I love you.

"Jennie, God," she gasps, kissing me deeper. "What are you doing to me?"

The same thing you're doing to me.

Her phone starts ringing, and we try to hold onto the kiss and ignore it, but reluctantly, she finally sighs and pulls away.

Picking up the phone, she looks at the screen.

"Shit," she hisses.

I kiss her cheek and nibble at her jaw.

"Baby, just a minute." She sits up, and I scoot off her, letting her take the call.

She swings her legs over the side of the bed and answers the phone. I pull the sheet up, covering myself.

"Hey." I hear her say.

I hear a loud male voice on the other end, and I think it's Haruto.

"Yeah," Lisa answers, straightening her back and running her hand through her hair. "Yeah, sorry, I've been swamped. Didn't realize it was urgent."

Haruto talks again, and I don't think Lisa is breathing.

"Haruto, I—"

Haruto cuts her off and Lisa is still as she listens.

"No, I don't think that's a good—"

She's cut off again as Haruto speaks.

After a moment, I see her heave a breath and nod. "Yeah," she says. "Ok…yeah. Fine. See you tomorrow."

She hangs up the phone and tosses it on the bed, falling onto her back and rubbing her hands up and down her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"You mean more than being on the phone with my son while his ex-girlfriend is naked in bed next to me?"

I frown.

She tips her head back and eyes me. "We've got a bigger problem than that, actually. Brace yourself."