Jake Understood
Page 42

She looked embarrassed for having asked and a little disappointed in my answer. “I see.”
“It was a long time ago, Nina. I was a teenager.”
“I’m not judging. You already know I’ve never joined. I guess there’s a lot I haven’t experienced.”
“There’s plenty of time to rectify that.”
“You mean mile-high? But there’s only a half-hour left to the flight. That’s not enough time.”
Her face turned red, and for a split second, a big “what if” crossed my mind. What if I lifted her up and led her down the aisle and into the bathroom right then and there. Would she have let me have her? The answer was honestly a mystery to me. A part of me thought she might slap me, but another part wondered if she’d go along with it, if she’d let me fuck her. My dick hardened at the thought. I’d never know.
Tapping my arm, she said, “Jake, you zoned out. I was totally kidding. I didn’t really mean it when I said a half-hour wasn’t enough time to…you know.”
“Of course, you didn’t.”
“Half-hour is actually plenty of time.”
An image of Nina’s beautiful bare ass bent over the counter in those tight quarters while I rammed into her from behind came to mind. I had to literally shake my head to rid the thought because my cock was straining against my jeans. It was painfully arousing to imagine. I must have spaced out again.
“Jake…you don’t think I was serious. I’m just kidding again.”
“I knew that.”
I knew it, but my dick is a gullible bastard.
“That’s what you get for making me down two glasses of wine. I get fresh,” she said.
The sexual tension from that exchange lingered through minutes of silence. Not once had we let go of each other’s hands since takeoff.
Deciding to break the ice, I asked, “How are you getting to your parents?”
She bit her bottom lip. “Don’t be upset.”
“Okay…”
“Ryan was renting a car anyway, so he offered to drive me. It made sense because he’s going to the same place. The bus tickets are expensive.”
My free hand tensed, forming into a fist. “Uh-huh.”
“Are you mad?”
Insanely jealous was more like it, and I didn’t want her to see through it. I needed to earn as much of her respect as possible before my telling her everything and also needed to trust her assurance that she wasn’t interested in him in that way.
“No, it’s fine. I bet he drives like an old man, so I’m glad you’ll have a safe way of getting there.” I clenched my teeth in envy of his being able to spend several hours in the car with her.
“What will you do for Christmas?”
“I’ll be at my sister’s. My mother and stepfather will be there, too. They live just outside Boston.”
My mother, Vanessa, had remarried a couple of years ago. Her husband, Max, owned the diner where my sister used to work. Allison had introduced them.
“Do you get along with your stepfather?”
“Yeah, he’s actually really cool and treats my mother like gold.”
“Good. So, everyone on your end will be together for Christmas.”
“Yeah. The family all gets together for dinner Christmas Eve, and then we sit by the fireplace and exchange presents. We watch my nieces get spoiled with gifts that I usually end up assembling and putting batteries into.”
Of course, I had to omit the part about spending the early part of that evening with Ivy.
“I wanted to get you something but didn’t have the chance,” Nina said. “I may have to mail you something. What would you want?”
I want you.
I want you not to leave me when you find out.
That was all I wanted. That and to finally be able to show her with my body exactly how I felt about her without having to hold back.
“You don’t have to get me anything.”
“Are you kidding? After everything you’ve done for me? I’m definitely getting you something. And if you don’t tell me what you want, I’m gonna have to guess, and that could be dangerous. You could end up getting something you hate.”
“I’m sure I’d love anything you picked out for me.”
“Private ice skating lessons, then?”
“Hmm. Ice dancing maybe…with a sequin shirt and spandex. Now, we’re talking.”
“Be careful what you wish for, Green.”
She flashed me the type of smile that was always painful to look at, the sweetest kind that lit up not only her face but her eyes. I looked down at my watch to distract from it and saw there wasn’t much time left on this flight. I never wanted it to end, not only the plane ride but the feeling of peace that I was experiencing. Being with her among the clouds like this without the problems that faced me on the ground was something I may never have again. If we kept flying endlessly, that would have been fine by me.
When Nina closed her eyes, my body remained turned toward her. With each passing minute, fear reared more of its ugly face.
My mind drifted into a sea of worry, and it was exactly what I advised Nina against: letting fear of the future overtake the present moment as I imagined the different possible scenarios that could result from my impending confession.
Please understand, Nina.
My thoughts about what might happen after Christmas had consumed me so much that I hadn’t even realized I was caressing her hand with my thumb. My body had apparently taken advantage while my brain wasn’t paying enough attention to warn against it. It was doing what felt natural. That was my first prolonged physical gesture toward her. We’d held hands several times, innocently spooned and joked around about sexual things. Hell, I’d even told her I wanted to make her come. But aside from briefly grabbing her waist that one drunken night in my room, I’d never actually touched her for any great length of time in a really sensual way. While rubbing my thumb against her hand might have seemed like an innocent thing, as soon as she started matching my circular motion with her own thumb, it turned into something altogether different. My strokes became firmer to let her know that I approved of the reciprocation. Just from the way my body was responding, and the way she always reacted to even brief contact from me, I knew that sex with Nina would rock my world. At the moment, I was certain I’d do practically anything to experience being inside of her just once.