Our hands break contact, and I pour water into her glass and then mine.
“Thank you,” she replies, taking a sip, keeping eye contact.
My phone dings, and I hate having to take my eyes off her.I take a gulp of water and drag my phone out of my pocket.
“Aria.She’s going to be dropped off.”
“Great.Did you want a stronger drink if she doesn’t need a pick up?”
“Sure.”
She heads to the fridge, which is behind me.I turn so I’m standing close to her side.My breath brushes down her neck as the cold air from the fridge hits our faces.Fuck.All I want to do is grab her head and kiss her so hard.But there is a house full of people who do not know about us and were just pushing her to date someone.Alright, so I know they will be okay with her seeing someone.But would they be okay with that someone being me?
“Beer is a good idea!”I hear Teddy approaching the kitchen.
Stepping backwards, away from Rayna to ask.“Teddy!Forgot to ask you.Been working with some new crew members?Anyone potentially ready to progress?”
Distraction successful as I exhale subtly.Trying to get the overwhelming thoughts of sitting Rayna into the opening of the upside down fridge, pushing myself against her and revel in listening to the sharpness of her breath as I press her back up against the cold containers and shelves.
She pulls out some beers and hands them around to us.Opening hers and taking a long pull.The pink in her cheek, giving away her current thoughts.I beg myself to listen to Teddy.Wanting to hear this information.But I’m lost in the cocoon of her presence.
19
Rayna
NowthatJillisin on my secret, instead of our Christmas Eve sister sleepover entailing of us watching Christmas movies in my bed with a bottle of wine and snacks, it’s filled with her cheeky double entendres, repetitively asking if I want her to swap rooms with Koby so he can be in here with me.
“Oh my gosh, Jill.You’re like a dog with a bone.”
“I bet I know someone else with a bone-r.”
I slap my pillow across her face.
“So rude!”She laughs.Reaching over to pick up her glass from the bedside table on her side and also my eReader.Opening it up to where I stopped reading, it was right in the middle of a spicy scene.“Alright!Now we’re talking.You can totally do this with Kobs.”
I’m reading a contemporary romance set in Switzerland, and the couple are doing it up against a tree on a ski run.
“I’ll get straight onto booking that ski trip.”Rolling my eyes at her.She scrolls through some of my ebooks, jumping to the spicy scenes and reciting them for me.I mood read, so there is variety.Masked men in alleyways, cowboys in stables, F1 drivers in pit boxes.That’s a little close to reality and has my face flaming.
Jill doesn’t miss a second of it and remarks, “Right!Looks like it’s a winner.Taken from behind in the pit box.”She snaps closed the eReader and hands it to me.
“Like we’ll ever have any opportunities to do that.”I take the device off her and place it in the drawer on my side’s bedside table.
A knock disrupts our conversation, and she perks up.“Oh!Maybe that’s lover boy!”
I scowl, getting up to open my bedroom door.“You are so the annoying middle child.”
Swinging the door open, Louie stands at the other end.
“Louie, what are you still doing up?”
He runs a hand through his dark-cherry hair.“Sorry, I heard you both murmuring, so wanted to come and apologise.”
Jill gets up from the bed and heads out past Louie.“I’m just going to grab some water.”
I wave Louie into my room, and Jill catches my eye and motions between me and Louie and moves both her hands to mime two people talking.To be fair; looks more like two ducks quacking at each other, but I know what she means.Nodding, I wave her off before shutting my door.
Louie sits on the bed and pats it for me to sit down next to him.
