A server came a moment later to take our orders. I watched Jessa as she ran her finger down the board menu, mouthing words to herself. The things I wanted to do to her…I made a fist with my hand and pressed it to my mouth, trying to focus on anything that wasn’t Jessa or her spectacular style or the curve of her breasts in literally every outfit she wore. I’d been fantasizing for weeks about spreading those luscious thighs open with my knee, filling the space between her legs with my shoulders and then my head. I could only imagine how sweet she’d be down there; I’d make sure she was dripping wet before I did anything. I’d find her clit and pinch it so, so softly and just watch what happened on her face. A shiver ran up my spine.
Seeing Jessa dripping wet was my new life goal.
“Damian?” Axel’s voice cut through the dense fog of my desire. I looked over at him, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible.
“What?”
“I asked if you saw that email from our attorney today.”
“Oh, uh…” Fantasy images of my head buried between Jessa’s legs flashed through my head again. I wasn’t sure if I needed more or less wine at this point. Though I suspected keeping my mind off Jessa for the rest of the night was a lost cause, regardless of how much wine I had. “I missed it.”
Axel caught me up to speed while I sank back into my thoughts. Thank God Axel was the gregarious one, because it gave me the chance to sit back and observe. I watched as Jessa fiddled with the clasp on her bracelet damn near the whole evening. The way she lifted her shoulders and cooed whenever Axel said something sweet about Cora. The way she’d glance over at me as if she was checking on me, searching out my gaze. A visual hand squeeze.
Dinner came and went, though I could barely focus on the food. The pulsing between my ears—between my legs, actually—was getting more raucous by the hour. Just as our plates were cleared, Cora showed up, which resulted in big hugs from both AxelandJessa. The five of us chatted amicably for a bit, before Francis excused himself to go “find the gays” as he put it.
And then there were four. Wine arrived for Cora, and the women were instantly engaged in their own conversation. Axel smirked over at me, leaning back in his chair.
“Everything okay? You’ve barely said ten words tonight.”
I shrugged. “I’ve got nothing to say.”
“I don’t believe that.”
No, it wasn’t the entire truth. I had plenty to say, but none of it was appropriate for dinner conversation. And I wasn’t entirely sure it wouldn’t scare Jessa off. Sure, she’d had high school fantasies about me. But that meant nothing about her fantasiesnowor whether I was included in them.
I had a suspicion that her interaction with Harper told me everything I needed to know.
While Jessa and Cora chatted, Axel quietly ordered dessert for Cora, who had been at a different dinner meet-up elsewhere in Midtown. I tacked one on for Jessa, too. When the crème brûlée arrived, Cora pressed a hand to her heart, looking over at Axel like he was the most perfect man in the world. The smile on his face said it all. These two were so deeply in love I was surprised they could still function.
Jessa’s mouth turned into an O as her crème brûlée arrived next. She sent me a pointed look. “Is this for us?”
And here we were. Two couples, at least seemingly.
“It is.”
She rested her chin in her hand and batted her eyelashes at me. “Do I look like a lady who needs dessert?"
"Nobody said anything about needing it.” I leaned closer to her, wetting my bottom lip as I caught a whiff of her sweet perfume. “The question is…do youwantit?”
Her eyes fluttered shut. “Hmmm. Always.”
She made it too easy to travel down the path of temptation. Sitting with her here at this table, tucked into the back of the restaurant, shielded from the clamor and commotion of the world, felt like a full-fledged fantasy. I relished the thought of whatthiscould feel like—having Jessa at my side, seamlessly melded into my world, my inner circle. Only Jessa could ever be the woman who looked at me with hearts in her eyes when I ordered crème brûlée, the woman who made ordering dinner hard because I couldn’t stop imagining pinching her clit.
Fuck. Jessa had me crazy already. And we’d only hugged once.
She cracked the caramel crust with a spoon. “Come on. You have to take at least one bite.”
“Okay.” I reached for the second spoon, letting her scoop out her portion before I dove in.
Her appreciative moan came a moment later. “Oh my god.”
“Good, huh?” I couldn’t fight the grin as I took my own taste. I loved trying new foods with her, the way she was so adventurous and noisy about it. If we did ever end up together, I’d insist that we spend at least two months of each year traveling to new places, trying new foods. I had a suspicion Jessa would like that idea, too. Excitement pulsed through me, and I tucked the thought away for later.
The four of us finished up our desserts, trading comments and feedback as we slowly savored the perfect caramel and custard. It was almost ten by the time we’d drained the last bottle of wine and were ready for the check. Axel took care of that part while Jessa set her napkin aside and stood.
“I better get going,” she said, slipping on a gray jacket. “It’s so late, and I’ve gotta call a cab.”
“No, you don’t.” I waved away her words. “I’ll take you.” I texted Legs, letting him know we were on our way out.