Chapter 30

Jennie

"That is… a lot," I confessed after Lisa told me everything that had happened, head on her chest as she idly drew circles on my bare back with her fingertip. Each new spiral sent chills down to my toes, and I curled into her like a sated cat, still sore between my thighs from her ravishing me as soon as we pushed through my apartment door.

I couldn't stop touching her. I couldn't stop holding onto her and pressing soft kisses to her skin and inhaling her scent to convince myself that this was real, that she was here, that we were together.

"I know," she said, fingertip trailing over my shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't let you in. You probably would have been like Riley, Zeke, and Holden and been able to talk some sense into me."

I frowned. "I don't know. Honestly, I might have just cried more and clung to you as long as I could before I had to let you go."

"Let me go?"

I leaned up onto my elbow, looking down at her. "I understand, Lisa. What your mom has done for you is precious, and I don't fault you for wanting to pay her back for that, for wanting to give her everything — regardless of whatever demons she might be fighting. You love her," I said on a shrug. "And Mommas come before girlfriends."

Her smile was sad, brows furrowing. "I don't want anyone or anything to come between us. And I think that's what I forgot. I can give to the ones I love without sacrificing everything that brings me joy in the process." She made a face. "Although, I have no idea what I'm going to do for her now."

"Is she home?"

She nodded. "She was more than understanding when I told her everything. In fact, I saw the Momma Bear come out in her," she added with a smirk. "She wanted to kill Cory. But I told her I had it handled, and she trusted me." She paused. "Or Cory's dead right now and we just don't know yet."

I chuckled.

"Either way, she's home, and looking for jobs. She's proud of me, and loves me, and understands. But…" She shook her head. "I know she's still not okay, Jennie. I know she needs help. She might be fine for a while — find a job, find a guy. But the cycle alwayss repeats."

I stared at my hand on her chest. "What if there was a way," I whispered.

"A way to what?"

"To help your mom the way she really needs it."

Lisa's brows perked up.

"What if you could cover the bills for a while, and still send her to rehab — maybe not one as fancy, but a nice one."

"I think that would be amazing," Lisa said, thumbing my cheek. "But I also think it's impossible, unless I'm willing to take out a pretty sizable loan."

"Not necessarily."

Lisa eyes me curiously as I sat up fully, crossing my legs under me. She slid up until her back was to the headboard, waiting.

"We had a sponsor reach out to us, and they're looking to do a big campaign leading up to the bowl games and championship."

The curiosity on her face vanished, replaced by hard stone. "No."

"Hear me out," I said, putting up my hands. "It won't be like a Kyle Robbins situation."

"How would it be different?"

"Because you don't want it for the same reasons," I explained easily. "And it wouldn't be an ongoing commitment."

"I need to be focused on the field right now. We're only a month away from bowl season."

"And you can be. Look," I said, pulling her hands into mine. "One commercial. One event where you sign some sneakers. You'd probably have to wear them exclusively for a while, but it wouldn't be forever. I can work out the terms to be whatever you're comfortable with."

Lisa frowned, considering. "It can be like that?"

"When you're the best safety in the nation?" I arched a brow. "It can be like anything you demand."

She smirked, leaning her head back against the headboard as she studied me. "You're sounding like my agent now, Kitten."

"Maybe I will be one day."

"Is that something you'd want to do?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. Charlotte said something to me when she extended my contract. She said I'd already succeeded in proving people wrong about me, but now she wanted me to ask myself what I actually want from this so I can reach out and take it."

Lisa sat up. "I'm not kidding, if you wanted to be my agent, I'd take you in a heartbeat. I bet Zeke, Riley, and Holden all would, too. Maybe even Leo — if the showboating sonofabitch doesn't try to represent himself."

My heart zipped in my chest at the thought, but I waved her off. "We can talk about that later. Right now, let's focus on getting your mom the help she needs."

Lisa sighed, pulling on my hands until I was collapsing into her arms as she laid back against the headboard again. "You're too good to me."

"No, you're just not used to being in a relationship where the love and care is reciprocated."

"It's going to take some getting used to."

"Good thing we have all the time in the world."

She smiled, kissing my hair.

"Is… is Diana okay?"

Lisa shook her head. "Only you would ask if my ex-girlfriend is okay."

"I mean, you told her everything, right?" I frowned. "That wouldn't be easy for anyone to hear."

"It wasn't," she agreed, her gaze lost between us. "She cried, a lot, and I held her and tried to soothe her as best I could. In the end, though, she said she understood. She said she'd hurt me just as badly — which isn't wrong. I think she was most upset by her dad," I admitted. "And I know he isn't happy that I told her what happened."

"Well, I'm glad you did. She deserved the truth."

"She did. And, weirdly… I feel like we could maybe be friends now. Not close friends," she amended quickly. "But… friendly. Cordial. I don't know that I could say the same for Cory, though. I think his days of acting as my stand-in dad are over."

I smoothed a hand over her arm. "What about your real dad?"

She blew out a breath. "That I haven't even begun to tackle yet. But… I owe him an apology. I see now better than I did when I went off on him that he was just trying to help me."

"To be fair, he could show up a little more."

"He could," Lisa agreed. "Maybe now… he will."

I smiled, nodding as I watched where my fingertips drew lines on her skin.

"I am a little pissed off at you, though," I admitted after a moment.

"As you should be."

"Not for this whole mess," I said, waving a hand as if it was on the foot of my bed. "But you've known for almost two weeks that you messed up, that you wanted me back, and you waited to tell me?"

"Hey," she said, popping up long enough to lean over and grab her book off my nightstand. "It takes time to write and print a book, okay? Even one this shitty."

I snatched it out of her hands, smiling as I flipped through. "It really is horrendous."

"I know."

"But you didn't need the book to tell me how you felt," I pointed out, peeking up at her.

"I needed a grand gesture," she argued. "I couldn't just show up here with my tail between my legs."

"You could have."

"It wouldn't have been nearly as romantic."

"Or public," I said with a laugh.

"Now everyone knows you're mine." Lisa grabbed the book out of my hands and tossed it aside before pinning me in the sheets, kissing all up and down my neck as I laughed and wriggled under the ticklish touch.

After a moment, she stopped, balancing on her elbows above me. Her eyes scanned my own, and she swallowed, shaking her head.

"What?" I asked.

"I just… I thought I'd lost you. Forever. I thought I'd never get to be here again, holding you like this, touching you, kissing you." Her face crumpled in pain. "I was miserable without you."

"I don't want to talk about how many bags of Cheetos I ate."

She smirked, brushing my hair out of my face before she gently removed my glasses and set them aside. Then, she pulled me into her, lips pressing against mine with tender warmth.

My body sparked to life under that kiss, under her hands as they pinned my hips beneath her, and she rolled into me. She was already growing hard beneath her briefs, and I whimpered at the feel of her, nails digging into her back.

All conversation ceased as those kisses ran deeper and deeper, until we were panting and moaning and stripping what little clothing we had put on since our first round. When we were fully bare, Lisa rolled onto her back, helping me climb onto her lap.

Except then, she pulled me up higher.

"What are you doing?" I breathed.

"I want you to ride my face."

I balked, but I didn't have the chance to scurry away or argue against her before she yanked me up, positioning the back of my thighs against her shoulders, my pussy hovering right over her face. She slid her hands down my ribcage, gripping my ass in both palms as she pulled me to her.

And I had no choice but to hold on.

My hands flew out to find the headboard, and I gripped hard as she not only rolled her tongue against me, but used her hands on my ass to roll my hips against her, too. Back and forth, I ground against her mouth as she swirled and flicked and sucked and licked.

It was dizzying In the best way, and I was almost embarrassed at how fast I came for her, at how she stayed right there and lapped up every last second of my release. Only when I was fully sated and trembling did she carefully help me dismount, and then she rolled me over onto my stomach, kissing all along my back before she disappeared for the amount of time it took her to grab a condom.

I saw stars when she slid inside me from behind, and she hooked my hips, hiking me up to arch for her as she withdrew before plummeting inside me again. I was desperate to be close to her, so I pressed up onto my knees, one hand reaching back to hook around her neck while the other reached behind for her ass.

She groaned when I squeezed her, pulling her deeper into me as I pressed my ass back and begged for more. She trailed kisses along my neck, sucking my earlobe between her teeth as I moaned and ground against her.

"You're mine, Jennie Kim," she growled into my ear, hand crawling over my chest until it clamped down over my throat. I arched into it, gasping in pleasure. "And I'm never letting you go."

Our first time reconnecting when we'd come back to my apartment was fast — desperate and rabid and over before either of us had the chance to take a real breath. But this time, Lisa was slow and purposeful with every thrust. Just when I thought she was ready to release, she'd pull out, kissing me long and deep as she switched us into a new position.

It was on the heels of anotherr orgasm for me that she finally came, too, my ankles on her shoulders as she pumped out every rivulet of her release. And when she carried me into the shower, my legs too weak to move on their own, she sank down under the streaming hot water and cradled me to her chest.

"I love you," she whispered, tilting my chin up.

"I love you," I echoed, threading my fingers through the wet hair at the nape of her neck.

And then she kissed me, and for the first time in my life, I felt like the main character.

This was my happy ever after.