“I’m humble. I’m just showing you that I know my worth. Nothing wrong with that.”
“I suppose not.” I finish my last chip and ask, “So when we got back to your place, what was your intention?”
“To kick you to your car and send you on your way. I had a date with some chocolate-covered cherries that night and the hell if I was sharing with you.”
“Stop, no, you did not.”
He holds his heart. “Swear by it. I went back to my house, sat in my empty living room because I didn’t have any furniture at that point, and ate five chocolate-covered cherries while I scrolled through Twitter.”
“I’m having a hard time believing you. You don’t seem like the kind of guy who kicks back with a box of chocolate-covered cherries.”
“Well, I am,” he says. “They’re my kryptonite. I’ll do anything for them and I have a pantry stocked with boxes. Queen Anne’s, to be precise, because I know that was your next question.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes. Don’t believe me? Text Huxley.”
“I’m not going to bother him with that.”
“Fine, I will.” He pulls his phone from his pocket and starts typing away. He presses send, and then, with an air of arrogance, he takes a sip of his drink. His phone soon buzzes on the table. He doesn’t look at the answer. He simply unlocks the screen and turns it toward me.
JP: Sitting here with Kelsey. She doesn’t believe I’m obsessed with chocolate-covered cherries. Set her straight.
Huxley: He has at least thirty boxes in his pantry. It’s an obsession.
I glance at JP, who smirks now. “Told you.”
“Wow . . . that’s something I never would’ve guessed about you.”
“Sometimes you have to get to know someone first, Kelsey, before you start trying to put them in a lane in your mind. There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Stick around. I’m sure you’ll find out more.”
“Yes, I probably will. Just like I found out you don’t mind masturbating while other people are home.”
With a grin, he winks. “Precisely.”
“What are you up to tonight?” Lottie asks over the phone as I finish my nighttime skincare regimen.
If you were wondering, I wash my face, pat it dry, apply my nighttime wrinkle-free serum, followed by moisturizer, and then lock it in with a touch of rose oil. I follow up the whole process by applying lotion to the rest of my body.
“Nothing special. Spent dinner on my own again, second night in a row. JP had a meeting with someone, so I just ordered some cauliflower mac and cheese and called it a night. I’m planning to read a book in the living room because the skyline at night is so beautiful. I want to soak it in as much as I can.”
“Sounds . . . riveting. Here’s an idea—when he gets home, why don’t you try to walk in on his man time again?”
Yeah, I told her about the other night. I had to. She’s my sister. But I didn’t tell her about the lunch, because I didn’t want her getting all weird about it. It was a simple lunch, nothing too crazy, nothing to talk about.
“I’m never going near that room again.”
“Come on, after that nipple poking, you can’t tell me you’re not interested in seeing what it’s like to be kissed by JP. Now is the time. You guys are alone, together, might as well test it out.”
“Have you hit yourself on the head? That isn’t what we’re here for and there’s no way I’m going there.”
“Are you saying you don’t want him? Because I don’t believe that. The Cane brothers are another breed, and it’s clear there’s chemistry between you and JP. Find out how hot it could be between you guys.”
“JP doesn’t want me in that way. There was nothing sexual about the nipple poking. If there was the slightest bit of sexiness to that, he would’ve attempted something when I was sitting on his chest. And, also, sure, I think he’s hot, but I don’t want to go there with him. I’m not looking for a one-night stand. I’m looking for love.”
“If he’s anything like Huxley, you won’t want it to be one night.”
“He’ll want one night. You know he doesn’t do relationships and I don’t even know why we’re talking about this, as nothing is happening between us. That whole ordeal in his room was an accident. I have no intention of furthering any sort of physical touching.”
“Okay, but tell me this—how did it feel poking his nipple?”