Page 15 of No Place Like Home

“Hi,” she greeted my dog in a sweet voice I had never heard her use before. “I guess you’re okay.”

“Gee, don’t suffocate him with your love,” I added dryly.

“He has no idea what I’m saying. He’s a dog,” she singsonged in return.

Yeah, Jess had no idea about dogs. They were fucking smart. Still, I found it amusing.

“Simba, bark.”

As soon as Simba barked, Jess jumped back, her back hitting my front at full force for her, but it barely made a dent.

“You asshole,” she hissed.

“It was funny.”

I bent my head to look down at her. She was clutching her chest, and I felt a little bad.

“I almost had a heart attack!”

I noticed she was still holding onto my hand from when I forced her to pet Simba.

“My heart is racing.” She brought our joined hands to her chest.

That was one thing I’d always loved about Jess; she never cared about what people thought about her. She was always true to herself. Her heart was beating fast, her breathing was shallow, and she was still pressed against me.

“Jess…”

“Give me a moment. I’m trying to catch my breath.”

I didn’t think she had the slightest idea she had me groping her breast.

“For the record, you’re the one who forced me to feel you up in public.” My teasing made her look down at our joined hands that were still over her rapidly beating heart.

Jess let go of me and took a step away.

“My itty bitties are nothing to write home about. I bet you've seen plenty. You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” she rushed out in a dismissive wave.

I busted out laughing. “They’re perky.”

Jess rolled her eyes at my admission of feeling her boobs. It wasn’t my fault. She was the one who had to put my hand there.

“Simba and I are hungry.”

Both Jess and I turned to look at Rosie and Simba, who watched us with curious eyes.

“Come on. My treat,” I told them.

When I opened the door to the diner, I was prepared for everyone’s eyes to lock on me. It wasn’t hard to miss. Six-foot-four Black hottie with two hundred and twenty-five pounds of pure muscle—and in this town, a fucking legend.

Jess and Rosie were oblivious as people stared, and it hit me then that maybe people weren’t just staring at me, but also at them. They ignored the looks too and picked a table on the shop's diner side, right under the quote of the day.

Great things never came from comfort zones.

Wasn’t that the truth? I took a seat across from them, and Simba rested on the floor next to me. Jess gave me a tight-lipped smile, clearly uncomfortable that I was with them.

A high school girl came to take our orders, and she kept looking at me with a flirty smile as Jess and Rosie tried to order.

“We stopped serving breakfast in the morning,” the waitress snapped at Jess.

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