Page 60 of Jump

“Fuck yes.” I grab her jaw and plant a noisy kiss on her cheek, surprising us both. When I release her again, she sways on her feet. “Dinner smells almost as good as you, Ana. I was a little sad, thinking I would have to be polite and not ask for some when your guest came over.”

I circle around her and bend in front of the oven to take a peek inside.

A massive lamb leg bakes to perfection, while in another tray, potatoes, onions, carrots, and pumpkin, sizzle and prepare to be demolished. When I turn back to face Viv, I catch sight of a fresh loaf of bread on top of the fridge, awaiting its time to be sliced and served up, and a bottle of red wine on the counter, its cork already removed so the liquid breathes in time for dinner.

“Fuckin’ A.” I drop my hand to my stomach and grin. “I’m starving.”

“Then you’d better go and have a shower.” A little less shy now, she wanders around the counter, but she doesn’t come too close to me. She doesn’t risk me touching. Grabbing. “You smell like a dirty gym.” Her lips curl into a saccharine smile. “Sweat can smell good on a man, but gym socks?”

I lift my shirt and take a deep whiff of the moist fabric, but I guess I’m already desensitized to the stench. Because all I smell is her and lamb. “You don’t want me to eat dinner as I am?”

She grabs her mitts and snickers in the back of her throat. “I won’t stop you. But I might hide in my bedroom to get away from the odor.”

“Mmm.” I come around behind her and stand so close, only an inch separates her back and my chest. I don’t touch her; I don’t dare, when she hasn’t invited me. But I breathe her in, and watch as goosebumps sprint along her neck. “I guess I’ll just have to follow you in.”

Her head shoots around, and her eyes lock on to mine and enlarge. “What?”

“Huh?” Playful, I circle away. “You look beautiful, Ana.” I pass through the door and venture into the hall. “You smell delicious.” I peel my shirt off and drop it to the bathroom floor the second I cross from hardwood to tile. “And you’re looking at me with eyes that say yes please.”

“Yes please what?” She can’t help herself. She can’t step away from the challenge, so she storms into the hall behind me, and pulls up short when I wait in the doorway, sans shirt, and slide my tongue along my aching lip.

Her cheeks blaze hotter, but her spine remains straight. “What are my eyes allegedly saying yes to?”

“Me.” I adore how her gaze drops to my abdomen. How her heart speeds fast enough, I can see her pulse against her throat. “You want to follow me in here. You wanna pretend the world isn’t judging, and just be… Ana.”

Her brows pinch tight as her arms come up and fold across her chest. “You’re making a lot of assumptions.”

“Mmhm.” I reach down and tug loose the tie on my sweatpants, but I peek up from beneath my lashes and find her staring. Studying. As hungry as I am, but not for the lamb.

“You asked.” I slowly lower my pants and love how her cheeks blaze. But I wear black boxer shorts beneath, so it’s not like I’m flashing her anything I could feel bad about. “We could be Ana and Jump for the night.” I snap the waistband of my shorts, and thrill when she startles. “Hell, we could be Viv and Matt. Either way, no one else is invited. No one else has to know.”

“So, a secret?” A single, daring brow comes up and warns me we’re stepping into dangerous territory. “You think I’ll be your secret fuckbuddy, Matteo? You would be ashamed to associate with me outside of this apartment?”

“No.” I move deeper into the bathroom and flip the taps on in the shower, then switch the heater light on too, so I don’t embarrass myself, in the tiny chance she joins me. “I’m not the one who was demanding anonymity that night, Viv. And you sure as shit didn’t tell Hannah about us.” I meet her in the doorway and dig a thumb back toward myself. “So am I the dirty little secret?”

“No, it’s just…” She ponders. “Privacy. I don’t tell Hannah about every man I’ve ever slept with.”

My stomach clenches, but not from lust anymore. “How many men have there been, Vivian?”

“Matt—”

“How many before me?” I step out of the bathroom, leaving the light and water running, and into the hall, until we’re toe to toe. Nose to nose… almost. “How. Many?”

“Y-you’re wasting water.”

“You’re changing the subject.” I cup her face and draw her up until she stands on the tips of her toes. “I went to the gym today to talk to a friend. To talk about you.”

Her cheeks pale, deathly white. “A-about me? Why?”

“Because I have feelings for you. Big, fat, impossible to ignore feelings that make me sick to my stomach with nerves. But butterflies are present, too.”

“Butterflies?” Her lips tremble with fear. Uncertainty. “What butterflies?”

“In my gut.” I stroke her jaw and taste her breath on my tongue. “Your mind is a beautiful place to visit, Vivian. Your eyes, like the fucking ocean. I spend every single day watching you brush your hair, and it’s both the most wholesome part of my existence, and the filthiest.”

Confused, she stutters, “F-filthy?”

“Because I wanna wrap it around my fist and tug it back until you cry out.”

---