Page 28 of Unofficial

Jess stayed while he took a shower and cleaned himself up. As angry as he wanted to be, he knew what she did was thoughtful and selfless. The moment he dried himself off, he knew he needed a comfort alcohol couldn't provide him, and she never fought him when he took her to bed. She let him lose himself in her, and he couldn't have been more thankful.

Kade kicks his pickup into drive and heads to his condo. Inside, he lies on his bed and thinks about how Landry said Jess looks amazing dressed up to go out. That woman has made him want to skip dinner and stay in on more than one occasion. Especially when she wore a specific little black number because he knew what lingerie she wore underneath. God, she could make him beg on his knees with that outfit.

The one thing Landry didn't mention was how assertive Jess can be, but she's submissive in all the right ways. Letting him take control in the bedroom surprised him the first time they slept together. And every time after that. She had the perfect mix of letting him know what she liked while still letting him be the dominant one. Except on her knees.

As soon as he knew exactly what she liked, he made sure to hit all the right spots every time. If she's giving him a blueprint to her pleasure, he'd be stupid not to follow it. He knew where she liked him to kiss, how she wanted his tongue on her clit, and how to swirl his hips just right to hit the spot that drove her wild every time. That woman made everything so damn easy.

So easy. That's what being with her was like. She could be a workaholic and kind of bossy, but overall, being around her was the easiest relationship-like situation he's ever been in. And it scared him. He knows he could have easily fallen in love with her, but he refuses to ever let himself fall into that trap again. The heartbreak that inevitably follows isn't worth whatever bliss he may have for a short while.

"Isn't that exactly what you did to her?" Kade asks, talking to the ceiling in his dark room. "Let her fall in love and then break her heart?"

He hadn't meant to. Hurting her is still the biggest regret he has. But he did it, and he can't pretend it's anything but what it is. It's made worse by knowing he did it in the shittiest way possible.

"Are you sure she's the only one who fell in love? Or did you run the moment you knew you were falling, too?"

Chapter Eleven

Jess opens up cabinets and drawers in Landry’s house, trying to find a can opener. It’s the fourth time she’s made dinner at his place, and he seems completely content having her in his kitchen, alone, without knowing where things are kept yet. Or if he even has what she is looking for.

“Landry?” she calls, hoping her annoyance doesn’t come through.

“Yeah, babe?” Landry calls from the living room.

“Where’s your can opener?”

“Should be in the drawer.”

The drawer. He has fifteen drawers, and she’s looked in all of them. “Which drawer?”

He sighs, but the foot of the recliner pops down. Walking into the kitchen, he looks slightly annoyed she’d bother him in the middle of whatever sports game he’s watching. She’s too annoyed to take much interest in it, though.

“In here,” he says and opens the third drawer to the right of the fridge. “Huh.”

“Huh?”

“It’s supposed to be here.”

Rolling her eyes at his back, she leans against the counter while he looks through the drawers. This would be the benefit to having him in the kitchen with her as she’s cooking. Not just in the kitchen but his kitchen.

“How’d it get here?” Landry says as he opens the cabinet above his fridge. “That’s a weird place for it.”

He hands it to her, kisses her cheek, and walks back into the living room. It takes everything in her not to smack him in the head with the metal utensil that looks like it’s never been washed.

Not only did she have to bring over the groceries for the meal to make, she has to cook without him around to keep her company in his galley kitchen while he watches TV in the living room.

Kade never left you alone in his kitchen when you cooked unless he was showering. And he always asked if you needed any help.

Jess sighs and rests her hands on the counter as she tries to get herself together.

This is Landry, not Kade. They are two very different people, and constantly comparing him to an ex won’t do anyone any good. Nothing good can come of it. Stop it, Jess. Stop it right now!

Straightening her back, she uses the can opener and tosses it into the sink filled with soapy water. That thing needs a good cleaning, and she doesn’t have enough elbow grease in her to get it clean without presoaking it first.

Tonight, she’s making him lasagna, and she wishes she’d prepped it at home to just pop into the oven here at his place. It would’ve taken less time, and she would know exactly where everything was.

She also could have had him over at her place for dinner, but she likes having an exit strategy. After dinner, he usually makes a move, and they spend time on the couch making out, their hands feeling various parts of the other’s body, and just as she’s ready to let him strip her naked and ravage her to scratch the itch, she bolts. At her place, she can’t just leave. And she may not have the strength to ask him to leave, either.

Focusing on the various steps needed for the dish, she pushes the thoughts about sex with Landry out of her mind. Even though sex with Kade was always amazing, she knows sex with Landry won’t be terrible. Her body vibrates and is ready to combust with only a few simple touches, but she does worry how it’ll compare. She doesn’t want to think about it, but she can’t help it.

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