Gail. I feel the heat of his body against the length of mine, our thighs pressed together, and I pull myself away when I realize I’m swaying toward him. But oh God, he smells so good, that cologne slightly spicy, and I can see he shaved and his jawline is strong—
“Earth to Brooklyn,” Gail says with a guffaw. “Are you still alive?” She grabs my coffee and takes a swig. Blanches and slides it back toward me. “Ugh, you ever heard of sugar? This shit is nasty.”
“Get your own, jerk,” I reply in a mock icy tone. Gail is crass and crazy and not like me at all, but she’s been a good roommate and she’s pretty funny when she isn’t hamming it up, like she is right now for Jax. I can tell she’s trying to see how he reacts to her. It’s her way of judging people—if they can’t handle her at her worst, they don’t deserve her at her best. That quote, a favorite of hers, is on a Marilyn Monroe poster hanging on her side of our room.
“I’m happy to get you guys coffee if you want,” Jax offers.
Samantha shakes her head. “Nah, Gail’s just being a pain. We were sitting at another table and saw you guys over here, so we decided to crash your party.”
“There’s no party to crash,” I say smoothly. “Jax’s brother married my cousin last weekend.”
Gail nods. “Heard it was a lot of fun.” The insinuation in her tone makes me edgy. I didn’t tell her what happened against the wall, but it sure sounds like I did.
Then there’s the strong heat of Jax’s hand on my bare thigh. His fingers slide along the tender inner skin of my leg, his thumb caressing my kneecap. “It was a great time. I got to know Brooklyn pretty well,” he says.
My pulse throbs throughout my body. Shit, he’s getting me turned on, and they have no idea he’s touching me under the table. I feel my pussy clench and grow wetter, and I swallow and try to keep the smile even on my face.
Try not to give it away.
Because while part of me wants to tell him no, to stop touching me like this, the rest of me has been aching for his hand on my bare skin for over a week now. And the fact that we might get caught, that someone might see…it ramps up the dirtiness of the moment for me.
He squeezes my thigh and inches higher up.
The three of them make small talk, with me inserting generic “uh-huhs” and “yeahs” in to fake like I’m paying attention. But all of my focus is on that wicked hand touching me. I don’t know how Jax does it, but he’s really good at acting like he’s not inching closer and closer to my wet core. It’s hard to even tell if this is affecting him like it is me. I should close my legs and deny him access, but I find myself spreading my thighs a bit wider, pressing my leg against his.
He shifts in his seat, the first sign of arousal in him, and the private glance he shoots me is so hot it makes me want to explode right here.
How did I think he wasn’t aroused? I can see his pulse throbbing at the base of his throat, and his hand is now gripping my thigh hard. His breathing is slightly elevated.
God, just touching my leg has made him this turned on? I ache with my own need, mingled with my own small surge of smugness. The infamous Jax Beckett, hot for me, a virgin with painfully little experience.
Then his fingers brush my apex, barely covered by wet panties, and I fight the urge to jump in shock, in raw desire. I hear him suck in a breath and his fingers push harder, nudge the fabric aside and stroke my slit.
Gail and Samantha rise. Gail gives me a long, knowing look. “So, we’re heading to class now and probably won’t be back to the room until late afternoon.”
A splash of heat surges up my throat and cheeks, and I hear Jax give a low chuckle. Subtle, Gail. “Have fun,” I say.
“You, too.” She winks, and the two hold hands and walk off.
Jax turns me to face him, one thigh nudged between my trembling legs. He cups my face and brings his mouth right to the shell of my ear. “I need to taste you right fucking now. Right now,