Page 48 of Touch Me

“He’s in the shower.” As much as I try not to, my eyes peruse her head to toe. “He should be out soon.” Her arms fold over her chest as she does the same to me.

Do I wish I was wearing black leather instead of Cyndi Lauper? Yes.

Do I think for one second I would look as good as she does in black leather? Absolutely fucking not.

So again... Hoe.

Jace jogs around the corner and the smile slides right off his face. “Becca, hey.” Stopping next to me, he raps his knuckles on the counter and meets my eyes for exactly one point two seconds before dropping his gaze to the granite, avoiding us both. “What are you doing here?”

“I brought you dinner. Well,” she giggles. “I brought the ingredients for dinner. I thought I would cook for you.” She glances at me and whispers, “Jace, who is she?” She nods her head in my direction like I can’t hear or see her. Fighting with all the might of the high school kids inFootloose,I keep my eyes from rolling out of my head. My eyebrows, however, climb to my hairline as I turn to Jace, wondering how he’ll define me.

Friend? Roommate?

Long-time crush he wants to strap into the sex swing he just installed in his closet?

His mouth moves like a guppy but no sounds come out. Closing his eyes for a second, in what I can only describe as a reset button by the way his features smooth over, he steps closer and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. The corner of his mouth quirks up, and his eyes widen ever so slightly—a silent plea.

“This is Cassie... my girlfriend.”

Okay then.The wide eyes apparently meantfollow my lead.

“Your girlfriend? Since when?” She scoffs. “I always come to cook and clean for you. You’ve never said anything about a girlfriend.” She points her bright red, too long, too sharp nail at me. “Andshewasn’t here then.”

“We, uh, recently reconnected.” His smile is so warm I swear if this was a romcom, a beam of sunlight would be highlighting us for cinematic impact. “We both realized we couldn’t live without each other, and she moved right in.”

Does he watch Hallmark?

“Sorry to put you out of a job,” I cut in. “As you can see, I already made dinner. And I can clean the place up just fine. I’d be happy to pay you for this week since Jace must have forgotten to tell you we won’t be needing your services anymore.”

Stepping closer, he snakes his arm around my back, his movements jerky and awkward, looking for a place to rest his hand. Halting his very obvious unease, I grab his hand and place it right on my ass. His mouth falls slightly open, and I bite down on my lip to keep from blowing our cover. He slides his hand up to rest on my hip.

Her knuckles blanche white when she fists her hands on her hips. The facade cracks, as well as her makeup, when she winces. I can’t help but wonder if it’s her nails digging into her palms or she’s coming to the realization that not all men drool for a woman in a bustier and leather pants, and she may have to rely on her personality at some point.

“This isn’t my job. Ihavea job. Jace likes my cooking, so I pop in every now and then to cook and tidy the place up a bit. He loves my cooking, don’t you, Jace?” Her lashes bat a mile a minute while she paints a nervous smile on her face.

“Your food is great.” He nods and offers her a smile. “And I appreciate you taking the time to cook, but I think we’re all set. Thanks for stopping by.”

“What about Henry? I can take him for a walk.” She shoots daggers my way, as if I’m to blame and not the fact that I can guarantee Jace never touched even a hair on her head. “Henry loves me.”

Oh sweet baby Jesus. She’s trying so hard thatI’mbreaking a sweat. If my insides weren’t boiling at the sight of her, I might actually feel bad. Iamtaking a mental picture to reference her winged eye-liner though...fucking perfection.

Henry lets out a low, rumbly growl.

I lift a hand to cover my smile at Henry’s very clear objection to spending any time whatsoever with Promiscuous Polly and her last-ditch effort to stay relevant. Jace scolds my favorite floof in the whole world for being rude, and drops his chin to his chest, avoiding her scathing eyes.

He’s gettingallthe sugar nuggets tonight. I throw Henry a wink, and he relaxes his head to the floor with an exaggerated sigh.

When Becca doesn’t move to leave, Jace’s hand stiffens, gripping me through my leggings. A little squeak sounds in my throat, and he slides his hand back down to my ass. I glance up at him, love painted on my face and see sweat beading on his brow, a slight twitch to his eyes. The only thing I can think to do to communicate with him is to flex my cheek under his hand. It would be way more effective if we both knew Morse Code, but the signal is received, and he slides his hand up to my hip.

He tries, I meanreallytries to keep it in place, but the tension in the room, his stiffening posture, and death glares from Backseat Becca are enough to ratchet up his anxiety, and he pulls his hand back a few inches, arms still wrapped around my back. When he resumes his position, it’s choppy and awkward, so he pulls back again and soon we are in the midst ofPatty-Cakeon my ass. Flexing again, trying to remember the pattern forchill the fuck outin Morse Code—he rewards me with a little swat.

“Oh,” I giggle. It slipped out,I swear.

This is the first time I’ve ever been on the receiving end of aif looks could killmoment, and let me tell you, I feel like I should get a restraining order. It’s like the scene in a horror movie right before the new girl in town gets exposed as a demon witch, and when she screams all the glass shatters.

“Jace, can I talk to you in private?” Becca spits through clenched teeth.

I zero in on her eyes to make sure they don’t flash red. I don’t want to walk out and find Jace was turned into a pile of ashes or some shit.

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