Page 19 of Beach Reads
Ifeaston my gorgeous girl, and I know I promised her dinner, but this is all I want to eat for the rest of my life.
Darla slams a fist against the refrigerator. Something rattles inside. “Jesse.Oh my god.”
Fuck, yeah.Say my name.“Give it to me.” My fingers glide easily inside her channel, never mind that she’s tight as hell. She’s that soaked. That needy.
A couple more licks and she breaks. My fingers crook, her head slams back, and Darla comes with an earthquake thundering through her body. Her leg slips on my shoulder and I heft it back into place; I watch her muscles twitch and spasm with awe.
Yeah. A goddess. And when I’ve finally settled both her feet back on the ground, when I’ve pushed to my feet, almost light-headed myself, Darla grabs my the belt loops on my jeans and yanks me close.
“That was insane. Just—insane.” Her hazel eyes are so bright. “Can we keep going?”
God yes. But as I duck my head to kiss her, the taste of her still on my lips, my phone vibrates, rattling against the kitchen counter as it rings.
I stiffen. Somehow, Iknowwhat it’s about. The hairs have risen on the back of my neck.
I step back with a sigh. “I’m so sorry. Two minutes, okay? I really need to get this.”
And I hate the way the light dims in her eyes; the way her lips press together as she nods. Darla lets go of my belt loops, and a crazy part of me wishes she’d refused. Yanked me back.
“Go ahead.” Her smile is lower wattage than earlier. “This can wait.”
No, no it can’t, but Ineedthat new role. If I’m ever gonna be worthy of this woman, I need to prove myself to her. I need to be a man she could admire.
“Two minutes,” I promise, and as I turn away, it’s like I can feel her slipping away. My gut twists.
I tug my shirt back on before I answer, and glare at the floor as I leave the room, my stupid phone pressed to my ear.
Darla
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say: not a good sign. When a man has you begging him for sex, then answers his phone instead? When he doesn’t have kids and he’s not, like, a doctor on call? When there’s no clear reason that you’re a low priority?
If this were anyone but Jesse, I’d already be buckling myself into my car. Instead I stroll around his living space, my legs still trembling from the aftershocks of that orgasm, inspecting the books on his shelves and the workout equipment fixed to the wall. There are weird bars and handles screwed into the brick that I’m sure help work out individual tiny muscles on his back. Fancy.
Am I being a fool right now?
I chew on the inside of my cheek, running a fingertip along a mystery bar. Jessedidpromise me dinner. Fresh tortellini and lava cake.
And he’s been nothing but sweet and courteous to me this whole time. He’s never once been weird about my weight; he’s never shown a hint of embarrassment to be seen with me.
Not just seen with me—seen publicly in pursuit of me. Desperate for a date. I straighten my shoulders, frowning at a vintage tourism poster on the wall.Not today, insecurities.Not today.
By the time Jesse strides back into the room, his jaw clenched and his blue eyes wary, I’m not spoiling for an argument anymore.
“Who was that?” I ask, then inwardly curse myself out for being nosy. “Not that you need to tell me, obviously—”
“It was my agent.” Jesse shoves his hands in his pockets, watching me closely from across the room. “I’m going for a big audition next week.”
A million feelings swirl up in me at once, charging around me in a big, messy tornado. Is he leavingRiptide? Why didn’t he mention it before? What about Franklin?
What if Jesse becomes a huge international star and doesn’t want to see me anymore? What if he gets a fancy publicist who won’t let him have a fat girlfriend? What if he needs to move away?
Or what if hedoesn’tget it? What if he’s still here when I move to L.A and I have to leave him behind?
Ugh.
“I’m sorry,” Jesse says quietly, and he sounds resigned. “Believe me, I would not have answered the phone for any other reason.”
Well, that’s nice to know at least. And I’m not a lunatic; I get that other things are important too. I want Jesse to be happy, and to have all the success he deserves. Franklin’s words from our earlier conversation float through my brain.
