With that, we chuckle and stroll together to my car, my arm comfortably slung about the curvy girl’s waist. I almost feel bad for that old dude because he was right, of course. Jessie and I were doing something illegal but you know what? I’d do it all over again because being my girl is worth it, tree or no tree.
11
Jethro
The drive back to the condo is quiet, but it’s a relaxed type of quiet. Jessie has her feet up on the dashboard and she’s drumming against her knee to the beat of a pop song playing quietly from my ancient radio. But other than that, both of us just use the time to decompress, still running the events of the day through our heads.
Once we’re home, I drop my keys on the plate by the door, as Jessie puts her bag down.
“We definitely dodged a bullet out there, that’s for sure,” she says in a rueful tone. “Everything that old codger said was true because you and I were breaking the law.”
I grin.
“I know. Good thing your love of birds worked out for us because the ranger basically gave us pass, given your interest in ornithology.”
Jessie nods. “I was hoping it would mean something, but there were definitely no guarantees. I mean, if he hadn’t been an avid birdwatcher like me, I don’t know what we’d be doing right now.”
I cock a grin her way.
“Well, we’d be in jail,” I say drolly. “That’s what we’d be doing. I wonder if jail uniforms still have black and white stripes on them?”
Jessie giggles.
“No, because haven’t you seen Orange is the New Black? Jail jumpsuits are now a bright tangerine color.”
I grin.
“Sorry, I’m not up to date with my TV shows. I’m more of a NFL or NBA type of guy. But seriously, you did good, honey, because there’s no way I could have gotten out of that scrape on my own. You handled it like a pro.”
Jessie smiles winningly at me.
“I’m glad birdwatching came in useful,” she says in a soft voice. But then her stomach lets out a loud rumble and we both start. “Don’t laugh because I didn’t eat anything after breakfast today, so it’s been a while.”
I pull her in for a quick kiss to the forehead.
“How about we order in, baby? Would you like that?”
“I can cook.”
I shake my head. “We’ve been through a lot today, so this is the perfect time to put our feet up. I’m going to order Chinese.”
Her eyes widen and she smiles. “Ooh, I do love that place that we tried two weeks ago. What is it called? Mapo House? I want some yummy chicken and broccoli!”
I grin.
“One chicken and broccoli coming right up. Why don’t you pick out a movie while I order? The food will be here in fifteen minutes, tops.”
I call the restaurant and with the order placed, I grab two sodas from the fridge before joining Jessie in the living room. I collapse next to my woman on the couch, pulling her curvy form close before inhaling the sweet scent of her female form. It’s musky, fragrant, and all her, and I love it so much.
“We’re all out of wine,” I murmur in her ear. “Sorry.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” she giggles. “Trust me, I can survive, and besides, I do love orange soda.”
“Who doesn’t?” I ask with a grin. “So tell me, what are we watching?”
She sighs, relaxing bonelessly against me while scrolling through the options on the screen.
“I don’t know. Maybe something funny? God knows I need to unwind, so Schindler’s List type stuff is out.”
I shudder.
“Totally agree, baby. Schindler’s List is out even on a good day for me, so yeah, let’s do a comedy.”
Jessie picks out an Adam Sandler oldie but goodie from decades ago, and we start the movie. Then, the doorbell rings, and I get up to grab our take-out before bringing the white containers into the living room. Jessie inhales the heavenly scent as I start flipping open the boxes.
“OMG this smells so good because I’m starving! Getting into trouble builds up an appetite, huh?”
I nod.
“That’s the truth.”
She uses chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken from her box and then pops the morsel into her mouth while her lashes flutter shut with ecstasy.
“Mmm, I love it,” my woman practically moans. “Oh yeah.”
I start eating too but the fact is that my mind isn’t on the food, or the movie, or even on the events of the day. There’s something much more serious going on, and the churning in my stomach’s making me nervous. Hell, Randy’s going to give me so much shit for this because he sensed it was happening long before I did.
But I summon my courage and set my lo mein on the table before turning to Jess.
“So yeah, free use is a ton of fun,” I begin, “but I’m not sure if it’s for me.”