Page 64 of Friends with Benefits

She takes a swig from her bottle instead of answering my question. I take the bottle from her mouth and shift so I’m looking her in the eye.

‘Hey. You know that, right? I don’t want her to be any more than that. Until very recently, I didn’t appreciate that. I didn’t…’

My words come and go, getting lost between my head and my tongue.

Jess sets her bottle in the sand and twists to face me, coming up to her knees and taking my cheeks in her hands. ‘It’s okay, Jake. You don’t have to have all the answers. You’ve only just started talking to each other again. I only want you to know that… I like her. And she loves you. I adore her for that.’

I growl and sit forward, forcing her to lie back in the sand. ‘I adore you, Jess.’

She bites her lip and raises a brow as I come to hover above her. ‘I hope we’re clear on what my feelings are for Emily,’ she says, ‘’cause I don’t adore her like I want to roll around naked in the sand with her.’

I bend, brushing my lips gently across her neck until goosebumps form on her skin. ‘That’s a shame. I think I could be into you rolling around naked with women.’

She laughs so hard, her chest rocks against mine. She slaps a hand across my back and lifts her head, reaching up and putting her hands on my nape. I waste no time in kissing her.

We roll in the sand, me on top, her on top, our lips never parting and I wonder how, in two years, we have managed to live without making out like this. I feel like a teenager, not only because we’re kissing and grinding on a beach, but because there’s a childish excitement coursing through my body, like a kid starting something new and exhilarating. I’m on the fastest rollercoaster known to man and I’m not afraid of the twists and turns to come. I’m not afraid of dangling upside down with my feet in the air. I want it all. I want the ride, however it comes. I want Jess.

The sky is black by the time a beagle pushes its nose between Jess’s face and mine. ‘What the fu—?’

‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.’

Jess and I lift our heads to a woman who looks like she’s running through syrup as her feet dig in the sand, coming to retrieve her dog. I wink at Jess, finally breaking away from her. I stand and take hold of…

‘Roger, I’ve told you, people don’t want to play.’

I keep hold of the dog’s collar until the owner reaches us. Jess adjusts her sweater where my hands may, or may not, have been creeping up. Hey, it’s dark.

‘Your dog is called Roger?’ I ask.

The woman clips him on to a leash. ‘He’s jolly. Like Jolly Roger.’

I smile, partly because that’s amusing, mostly because I feel high on life.

‘Cute,’ I say.

When she’s gone, Jess and I pack up our things. Reluctantly, I lead her back to the truck and close the passenger door behind her as she slips inside. Not before giving her one last kiss.

She connects her cell to Brooks’ car port and leans back in her seat, her bare feet up on the dash, the wind blowing her hair, her lips swollen and inviting. She takes hold of my hand and her cheeks lift as she stares out at the clear night sky.

My expression matches hers as I pull into the open road because, for the first time today, I’m thinking she might beat her fears and stay.

17

JAKE

‘You don’t have to start opening doors for me and minding your p’s and q’s because you dry-humped me sober, you know.’

I shake my head as I offer my hand to Jess and help her out of the truck. I step into her, nudging her back against the truck. ‘Always so, so classy.’

Just as I move in for a heated kiss, Brooks comes out of the house. ‘I thought I heard the truck. Have you had a good day?’

Jess clears her throat and looks at the ground as the street light illuminates the red rising on her cheeks and neck. Her awkwardness amuses me.

‘We’ve had a good day,’ I respond. ‘Are you coming to make sure I haven’t beaten up the truck?’

‘In part. The main reason I’m out here is to forewarn you that Emily is here.’

I shrug and glance at Jess. ‘That’s cool, right?’

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