Page 69 of The Winning Ticket

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BRAIN IS GOING A HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR

JAKE

After two weeks of not seeing Bri, I’m ready to climb the walls. At this point, I’m very aware that this isn’t how a friends-with-benefits situation is meant to be handled, but I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to the feel of her in my arms, her lips on mine, and my cock being buried inside of her.

Little B

GPS says I’ll be there in 10 minutes

I push aside the nerves jangling inside me and pocket my phone again, wandering through the house to do one last check to ensure it doesn’t look like a herd of wild animals live here.

While shoving a t-shirt into a drawer in my dresser, I hear the sound of tyres on gravel, and I hurry to the front door, stepping out onto the small verandah to see Bri climbing out of her car, Maddie hot on her heels. The little dog races towards me, and I bend to pick her up after she bounds up the stairs and skitters to a stop at my feet.

“Hey, fluff ball, did you have a good car ride?” I ask, scratching her behind her ear, and I feel her little body quiver before she gets in a sneaky lick on my cheek.

Bri laughs, walking to the boot of her car and pulling out her overnight bag and a small brown bag. “It looks like someone missed you,” she says.

“I missed her too,” I say, unsure if I was referring to the dog or the beautiful woman walking towards me.

Bri smiles at me, her eyes lowering once she reaches me. “I missed you too, Jake.”

There’s a tightness in my chest, something I can’t quite describe, but I know I need to hear those words. Know I need this woman. I reach forward to place a finger under her chin, bringing her eyes to mine, and lower my lips to hers. The little sigh that escapes her is all the confirmation I need that the friends-with-benefits label we’re using is just that. A label. One that is hiding something much stronger that I’ll wait forever for her to be ready to admit to herself.

I pull her in closer, deepening the kiss, and she drops her bags, bringing her arms around my waist and holding me tightly. As she slips a hand up the back of my shirt, Maddie chooses this moment to insert herself into the action and begins licking both our faces. We break apart, laughing, and I put her down while Bri steps back and picks up her bags again.

“Hi,” she says, her smile shy.

“Hi.” I slide my hands into my pockets, unsure if I should attempt to get us back to that moment we’d just had or if Maddie had slammed the brakes on us at the right time.

“Your place is cute.” Bri looks around the front porch, and I try to look at it from her eyes.

The house is old but sturdy, and with a little bit of love, it could have that cottage feel that a lot of people go for. My main motivation behind buying it had been its low price tag and proximity to town, but now I wish I’d put a little more effort into making the exterior look good. I want to impress Bri, and something tells me that she’d love this place if it was done up right.

“Thanks. I didn’t think much about it when I bought it. It was cheap, close to town and in good condition. I’m not really here a lot anyway.” I shrug, and she gives me a look I can’t quite decipher. “What?”

“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head. “Give me the tour?”

“Sure.” I whistle to Maddie, and she trots back over to us from where she was sniffing the pole of the letterbox.

I take Bri's bags and lead them both inside before she can protest, holding the door open for them to step into the small living space.

I give her a quick tour, as the house isn’t that big, and we find ourselves standing at my bedroom door. I still hold Bri’s bags, but now I don’t know where to look.

“Um… so, I didn’t know if you would want to sleep in with me or…” I point at the door we’d just passed. “I made up the spare room in case you’d prefer…”

Bri steps close, reaching to take her overnight bag from where I’m gripping it tightly, and opens my bedroom door, depositing the bag on the floor just inside. She turns back to look at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Is that the right choice? Seems like your brain is going a hundred miles an hour over there.”

I let out a breath, and she laughs while she wraps her arms around my waist again, rising onto her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

“Don’t overthink it so much, JJ - it’s just me, your Little B.”

While her words are meant to be reassuring, she has no idea just how messed up my thoughts are. Having her here, in the space that I’ve resented for so long, is confusing the hell out of me. It’s like I’m seeing it again for the first time, only this time, I imagine her living in this space with me, and I don’t know how to feel about this unexpected thought process.

“I just didn’t want to presume anything,” I mumble, and she steps back, bringing her hands to my cheeks and looking me in the eye.

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