Jenson drops Hayley off at her house, and when we pull up my driveway, he parks and walks me to the door. I invite him inside, and he asks me if I’m okay. I’m super buzzed from four hours of drinking with Hayley, and I elbow him in the side.
“You’re teasing.”
He chuckles. “I’m not. But youaredrunk, babe.”
He goes into the kitchen, and I take a seat on the couch in my living room. A couple of minutes later, Jenson hands me a glass of water and sits next to me on the couch.
I take it and nearly spill it all over him. He makes me take a few sips before putting it on the coffee table. I lean in to kiss him, and he puts his arms around me.
“I love kissing you,” he murmurs as he takes my bottom lip between his teeth and tugs. “Could do it all day.”
“That guy my mom wants me to date?” I mumble. “I ran into him at the bar tonight.”
Jenson wrenches his mouth off of mine. “What the fuck was he doing there?”
I make a face. “Getting so drunk he puked on me. Freaking Patsy’s dear friend Maureen has a son named Will. He worked in Manhattan as an investment banker, but he just took a job in Philly.”
“An investment banker?” Jenson’s tone is laced with irritation. “It sounds like you have a lot in common.”
“Oh, please,” I say to him. “You have literally nothing to be jealous about.”
“I’ll be jealous if I want to,” he says. “Maybe it’s time to tell them all the truth.”
“I don’t want their agendas pushing us into a decision,” I say. “We promised we’d take things slow. Remember? I don’t want to go too fast because of some silly fantasy of my mother’s. There’s nothing to worry about. You’re a part of me, Jenson.” I slip my hands underneath his shirt and feel his hot skin against my fingers. “You’ll always be a part of me.”
I don’t want to stop this time. With the way I’m feeling right now, I don’t know why we ever stopped.
“What was wrong with me earlier, anyway?” I say to him. I’m dizzy with alcohol and lust, and when I hear my own voice back in my ears, it sounds different, like I’m no longer guarding my heart. “Family? We’re not blood related. The past? It’s over and done with. Sex? I don’t know why I was scared of that kind of commitment. Do you?”
Jenson pulls my hand away as I reach for his pants. “I’m not sure,” he says. “But I’m not going to make love to you when you’re drunk. We’ve waited long enough. Let’s both be sober, Olive.”
His green eyes are piercing as they fix on mine. But there’s something else—
“You’re afraid it’s too soon,” I say in surprise.
“Maybe so. But I know I’m not going to do this when you’ve been drinking.” He kisses my cheek. “I’ll help you to bed, okay?”
I don’t want him to leave. “Let’s talk,” I plead with him. “You tell me a secret, and I’ll tell you one.”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a grin. “Okay. I’ll start.”
“Okay.” I curl up next to him on the couch, and he starts talking.
