She comes in and gets out a few tools, muttering under her breath the whole time. I take the blankets to Juju and lay them over her, tucking the edges around her body until no air can get in. She grins up at me.
“Okay, I’m glad we have more brown blankets,” she whispers, checking to make sure Birgitta didn’t hear her.
I hold back a laugh and try to be helpful to Birgitta, even though she doesn’t need me––the woman is more than capable.
“I think I can get this working,” she says, her voice gruff but her eyes warm.
“Really? Oh, that’s good news. Thank you,” I say.
And within minutes, Birgitta straightens. “I think I’ve fixed it for now. Let me know if it dies again or if you need more blankets.”
We thank her profusely, and she tells us to have a good night.
I climb into bed next to Juju, careful at first not to undo all the tucking I did around her, but she slides her leg over, tangling it with mine.
“I’m glad you stopped,” she says, her chin resting on my chest as she looks up at me. “We could’ve been in trouble out there. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a storm that bad. And it’s so dark out there…”
“Good thing no one had to come tow us…”
“Jackson would’ve had a lot to say about that.”
I wrap my arms around her. “He would never let us live it down.” I sigh. “My mom would have a lot to say about this motel.”
She laughs softly. “Yes, she would. I miss her,” she says quietly.
“Me too. I can’t decide if I miss her more when things are bad or when things are good. Both, I guess. I want to tell her about it all.”
“She was the best listener,” she says.
“Yes, she was. And she’d definitely approve of us not lying directly on the bedspread or sheets.”
Juju laughs again, gentler now. “She’d also tell you that you’re a good man for stopping and that it was worth all the germs we might be inhaling just by breathing this air.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat and kiss the top of her head. “Then I’ll take it.”
She looks at me and sniffs. “Do you smell it anymore?”
“All I smell is your berry shampoo,” I say happily. “I have always loved the way you smell.”
“I’m learning all kinds of things tonight,” she says softly.
Our eyes lock, and we move toward one another at the same time. Our mouths collide, and I forget why we ever stopped kissing in the first place. She tugs me tighter and lets out a soft moan when she feels how hard I am. All I have to do is look at her and I’m hard, so being this close is both sheer agony and the fucking best. I hitch her leg over my thigh and love the way she whimpers when there’s better friction. She kisses the way she fights, the way she laughs, the way she cooks, the way she loves––all in. And I can’t get enough. She rocks against me, and I feel like I might explode right here, right now.
I pull back, and we’re both panting hard.
“Juju…I’m dying to taste you,” I say, hoarsely.
“Youare?”
I laugh against her skin at the way she squeaked.
“Is that okay with you?” I ask.
She nods, her eyes wide.
I move to her ear and whisper, “Your clit and I are gonna be best friends.”
She gasps, and I fucking love it.
