JENNIE

I'm relieved when neither Lisa nor Marco come back into the dining room with a bloody nose or black eye.

As Marco sits back down and places his napkin on his lap, he says, "I apologize again for bringing that up at the table. I was completely out of line."

"It's okay, really. I really appreciate your offer." I force a smile. I do appreciate it, but it's too much to accept.

"We'll talk about it later," Lisa hums into my ear.

I nod and Karen stands up to clear the table. I've barely touched my food. The mention of my father's . . . problem . . . stole away my appetite.

Lisa pulls my chair closer to her. "Eat some dessert, at least."

But I'm cramping again; the ibuprofen has worn off, and my headache and cramps have returned with a vengeance. "I'll try," I agree.

Karen brings a tray stacked with mounds of her maple-flavored treats to the table, and I reach for a cupcake. Lisa grabs for a square, eyeing the perfectly iced flowers on top.

"I did that one," I lie.

She smiles at me, shaking her head.

"I wish we didn't have to leave," I say when she glances at the clock. I try not to think about the watch she gave away to pay my father's debt to the drug dealer. Is rehab really the best thing for my father? Would he even accept the offer?

"You're the one who packed up and moved to Seattle," she grumbles.

"I meant here, tonight," I clarify, hoping she'll catch on.

"Oh no . . . I'm not staying here."

"I want to," I say with a pout.

"Jennie, we're going home . . . to my apartment, where your dad is."

I frown; that's exactly why I don't want to go there. I need some time to think and breathe, and this house seems to be perfect for that, even with Marco's mention of rehab at the dinner table. It's always been a sort of sanctuary. I love this house, and being in that apartment has been torture since I arrived yesterday.

"Okay." I pick at the corner of my cupcake.

Finally Lisa sighs in defeat. "Fine, we'll stay."

I knew I'd get my way.

The remainder of our time at the table isn't as awkward as what came before. Jisoo is quiet, too quiet, and I fully intend to ask her what's wrong after I finish helping Karen clean up the kitchen.

"I've missed having you around here." Karen closes the dishwasher and turns to me, wiping her hands on a towel.

"I've missed being here so much." I lean back against the counter.

"I'm glad to hear it. You've become like a daughter to me; I want you to know that." Karen's bottom lip quivers, and her eyes shine under the bright lights of the kitchen.

"Are you all right?" I ask her, moving to stand next to the woman whom I've come to care for so much.

"Yes." She smiles. "I'm sorry, I've been so emotional lately." She shakes it off, and just like that, she's back to normal, presenting a reassuring smile.

"Are you ready for bed?" Lisa joins us in the kitchen, grabbing another maple square on her way over to me. I knew she liked them more than she let on.

"Go on, I'm just a mess." Karen hugs me and places a loving kiss on my cheek before Lisa wraps her arm around me, practically forcing me out of the kitchen.

I sigh as we make our way to the staircase. Something doesn't feel right. "I'm worried about her, and Jisoo," I say.

"They're fine, I'm sure," Lisa says as she leads me upstairs and to the door of her room. Jisoo's bedroom door is closed, and there's no light leaking out from beneath it. "She's sleeping."

Stepping into Lisa's bedroom, I immediately feel like it welcomes me, from the bay window to the new desk and chair, replacements for the ones Lisa destroyed the last time she was here. I've been at the house since then, but I didn't pay much attention. Now that I'm here again, I want to take in every detail.

"What?" Lisa's voice startles me from my own thoughts.

I look around the room, remembering the first time I stayed here with her. "I'm just reminiscing, that's all," I say, stepping out of my shoes.

She grins. "Reminiscing, huh?" In an instant, her black shirt is pulled up and over her head and tossed to me, dragging me deeper into my memories. "Care to share?" Her jeans are next; she pushes them down her legs quickly, tossing them to the floor in a messy heap.

"Well . . ." I admire her inked torso in a leisurely fashion as she lifts her arms straight up, stretching her long body. "I was thinking about the first time I stayed here with you." It also happened to be the first time Lisa ever slept here.

"What about it?"

"Nothing specific." I shrug, undressing myself in front of her watchful gaze. I fold my jeans and shirt before tugging her black T-shirt over my head.

"Bra off." Lisa raises a brow at me; her tone is stern, and her eyes are a deep green.

I remove my bra and climb into the bed to lie next to her.

"Now, tell me what you were thinking about." She pulls me by the waist and rests her hand on my hip when I'm securely lying on my side, as close as possible to her body. Her fingertips trace over the waistband of my lace panties, sending a chill down my spine that spreads through my entire body.

"I was just thinking about when Jisoo called me that night." I look up at her to gauge her expression. "You were making a giant mess of the place." I frown at the clear memory of broken china cabinets and porcelain dishes smashed into hundreds of pieces and scattered across the floor.

"Yeah, I was," she softly replies. The hand that isn't being used to trace circles onto my bare skin reaches up and gathers a lock of my hair. She twirls the strands slowly, never breaking eye contact with me.

"I was frightened," I admit. "Not of you, but of what you would say."

She frowns. "I confirmed your fear then, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess you did," I reply. "But you made up for your harsh words."

She chuckles, finally taking her eyes from mine. "Yeah, only to say more fucked-up shit the next day."

I know where she's going with this. I try to sit up, but her palm flattens on my hip and presses me down.

She speaks before I can. "I loved you even then."

"You did?"

She nods once, tightening her grip on my hip. "Yeah, I did."

"How did you know?" I quietly ask. Lisa has mentioned that this was the night she knew that she loved me, but she never elaborated. I'm hoping that she will now.

"I just did. And by the way, I know what you're doing." She smiles a bright smile.

"And what is that?" I place my palm on her stomach, covering the center of the moth that's drawn there.

"You're being nosy." She wraps the section of my hair she's been playing with around her fist and tugs playfully.

"I thought I was the hair-puller here." I giggle at my corny statement, and then she does, too.

"You are." She removes her hand from my hair, only for a moment, so she can gather the entire mass of messy brunette waves. She tugs, pulling my head back so I'm forced to look at her.

"It's been too long." She dips her head down, gently leading me to sit up straight, and runs her nose along my exposed jaw and neckline. "I've been hard since your little tease this morning," she whispers, pressing the evidence between my thighs. The heat of her breath on my skin is almost unbearable—I'm wriggling under her dirty words and intense stare.

"You're going to take care of that, yeah?" she says more than asks.

She pulls her fistful of my hair down and back up again, gently forcing me to nod my head. I want to correct her and tell her that she, in fact, is the one who went about teasing me this morning, but I stay quiet. I like where this is going. Without a word, Lisa releases my hair and my hip and pulls herself up to her knees. Her hands are cold as they push up the fabric of the T-shirt, exposing my bare stomach and chest. Her fingers greedily reach for my breasts, and her tongue pushes into my mouth. I'm instantly ignited; all the stress from the last twenty-four hours is banished and Lisa fills all of my senses.

"Sit up, against the headboard," she instructs after removing the shirt completely. I do as she says, lowering my body until my shoulders rest halfway up the enormous slate-colored headboard. Lisa's boxers are tugged down, and she lifts one knee at a time to remove them from her body.

"A little lower, baby." I reposition myself, and she nods in approval. Then she scoots across the bed, on her knees, and positions herself in front of me. My tongue slides out of my mouth, eager to be on her skin. My jaw relaxes, and Lisa wraps her fist around her erection, and I watch in awe as she brings it to my lips, pumping slowly. I open my mouth further, and Lisa's thumb glides over my bottom lip, dipping into my mouth only fractionally before her finger is . . . um, replaced. She pushes into my mouth slowly, savoring the sensation of every inch of her sliding over my tongue.

"Fuck," she groans from above me. I look up to see her eyes burning into me; one hand is grasping the top of the headboard to steady herself as she withdraws and pushes back in.

"More," she pants, and I wrap my hands around her rear, pulling her closer. My mouth coats her, and I take slow drags of her, enjoying this just as much as she does. She feels like silk across my tongue, and her rapid breathing and low calls of my name, telling me how good I am for her, how much she loves my mouth, make my entire body burn with need for her.

She keeps moving, in and out, in and out. "So fucking good. Look at me," she begs.

I blink up at her face again, taking in the way her brows have lowered, the way her bottom lip is pulled between her teeth, and the way her eyes are watching me. She hits the back of my throat repeatedly, and I notice the way the muscles along her stomach are expanding and tightening, signaling what is next.

As if she can read my mind, she groans. "Fuck, I'm going to come." Her movements pick up and she's being more forceful now. I squeeze my thighs to relieve some of the pressure and suck harder. I'm surprised when she withdraws from my mouth and comes across my bare chest. With another moan of my name, she leans forward in exhaustion, her forehead pressed against the headboard. I wait patiently for her to catch her breath and lower her body to sit next to me.

Her hand reaches over, and to my horror she slowly rubs her hand across the mess she made on my skin. She watches it, transfixed for a moment before meeting my eyes.

"All mine." She grins cheekily, pressing a soft kiss to my open mouth.

"I—" I stare down at my sticky chest.

"You like it." She smiles, and I don't deny it. "It looks good on you." I can tell by the way her eyes are focused on the shining skin that she really does think that.

"You're filthy" is all I can think to say.

"Yeah? And so are you." She nods to my chest and grabs me by the hips to yank me off of the bed.

I squeal, and she covers my mouth with one hand. "Shh, we don't want an audience while I'm fucking you over the desk, now, do we?"