“Are you giving me permission?”
“If that’s what you need, then yes.” He grins. “Do it. Do her. Do her all night long, for as many nights as possible. Let it happen. See where it takes you.”
“If Ava heard you say this about her best friend, she’d kick your ass,” I remind him.
The look of terror on Eli’s face almost makes me laugh. “You can’t tell her. She’ll kill me.”
“You’d deserve to be killed.” I finally do laugh, but it’s brief. “I can’t use Ellie like that.”
Eli exhales, shaking his head. “I know. I was just talking out my ass. She’s a good girl, Jackson.”
“I know. She’s one of the best.” The absolute best. So responsive. So pretty. So sweet. All mine.
Yeah, no. Those last two words don’t apply. Well, they do. She could be all mine. All I have to do is say the words and I could make it happen.
Egotistical of me to think, but it’s true. She wants me.
Damn it, I want her too.
Could I keep it casual with Ellie? Probably not. She’d be in way too deep. She probably already is.
The problem? I don’t want pressure and commitment. I just want more.
More Ellie.
Eighteen
Ellie
I’ve walked around in an orgasm-induced fog for much of the day. Silly, right? Jackson makes me come once and I can’t stop thinking about it. How perfect the moment was—at least for me. I’m sure it would’ve been better if he’d let me do something for him, but of course, typical me, I was too scared to push.
As I go about my day, I become more and more confident. I’m not even mad that he slipped out of my bed God knows when and didn’t leave a note or text me. He hasn’t texted me all day. And that’s all right. I’m cool with it. I’ll see him again tonight, when he picks me up after work, and then…
Then I’ll jump him.
I’m downright giddy at the thought.
I take the bus from campus back home after class so I can get ready for work. I really miss my car. Maybe I should text Jackson and ask if he’s talked to the mechanic yet? I don’t want to seem pushy…
Ugh, I hate how I second-guess myself.
Entering my apartment, I find my roommate Alaina sitting on the couch, watching TV. She glances in my direction when she hears the door open, her face lighting up.
“Ellie! Hey, hi!”
I shut and lock the door before I turn to face her, confused by her enthusiasm. She’s been the least friendly of my three new roommates. Not that she’s been mean or anything, but she hasn’t been especially nice either.
“Hi. How are you?”
“Good. Great! How are you is the question.” The sly look she sends my way has my mind going blank. She’s watching me as if she knows all of my secrets.
But what could she know?
“I’m good,” I say carefully as I enter the living room, clutching the strap of my backpack. “It’s a Wednesday, you know? Closer to the weekend.”
Which I still have to work, so a weekend doesn’t equate days off for me. I do have Sunday off though. Friday and Saturday night are both going to be busy, though not as much as usual since the football team is playing an away game.
“Yes. Right. The weekend. I’m guessing you’ll be spending it with your boyfriend?” The pointed look she sends me, along with her words, makes me realize that she probably saw Jackson.