“When did the other two times and said BJ happen?”
I peer out from behind my fingers. “This morning at the motel, then again when we got to his house, and then the blow job happened when I was leaving because he got hard after hugging me goodbye and had to go into surgery. Oh my god.” I let out a nervous laugh, though I’m not all that ashamed to tell this to my sister. We tell each other pretty much everything.
“Wow. You really went from zero to sixty there, sis.”
“I know.” Shaking my head, I flop back against the cushions. “I really like him, Lou, and I think he feels the same but I’m not exactly sure.”
“I mean, fucking four times in twelve hours…at least you know he’s attracted to you. And that he has impressive stamina.”
“I mean, things were spaced out enough to give him time to recover in that area.” I pick at a hangnail. “He said he’d call, and I haven’t heard from him.”
“Did he say he’d call you before or after you sucked his dick?”
“After.”
She makes a face. “You must be pretty good at it.”
I shrug. “I guess.”
She holds her hand up and reaches over, picking up her wine from the coffee table. “I say this with love, Jo, but you do have a tendency to go headfirst into things.”
“I know. That’s why I wish I knew where things stood in his mind.”
“You could ask him.” Louisa nudges me. “Crazy thought, right? To ask and get an answer to exactly what you want to know.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon to push like that?”
“I don’t see anything wrong with setting up clear boundaries from the start. I encourage it and you have no idea how many divorce cases we see that could have been avoided if the couple had clearly stated what they did and didn’t want in the beginning of their relationship.
“That’s a good point.”
“You want something long-term? Or are you good with no-strings sex?”
“I want a relationship. The sex was good enough to take without strings, but I…I think I kinda fell for him.”
Louisa’s face gets serious. “I’m putting on my big sister pants and telling you that you are not allowed to so much as look at his dick again until you establish boundaries. I don’t want you to get hurt. If he’s an emotionless-sex kind of guy, then you’re going to have to move on.”
What she’s saying is right, and I couldn’t fault Jacob if he turned around and said he wasn’t looking for anything serious. Nothing was said between us before we slept together, and I didn’t bring it up after.
But what I felt was real. He felt it too. I’m sure of it.
“I’ll see him tomorrow when I go check on the horses at the clinic.”
“Really,” she presses. “You’ve given so much, I don’t want to see you get hurt. And no matter how good this guy is in bed—”
“He’s really good.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
Louisa rolls her eyes. “You deserve someone willing to give you everything.”
“You’re right. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”
“Good.” She motions to the wine. “Want some?”
“One glass will make me pass out. I’m exhausted.”
“Yeah, you are.” She playfully nudges me. “You are on birth control, right?”
“Oh my god, is this how Ev feels when I ask her about it?” I laugh. “Yes. I’ve had an IUD for years.”
“Just making sure.” Louisa takes a drink of wine and pats my leg. “Love you, sis.”
“I love you too.”
I slow when I enter the animal hospital’s parking lot, looking for a spot. The parking lot is packed today and I’m sure I’ll have to wait while Jacob finishes an exam or surgery or something. Butterflies flap in my stomach when I get out, excited to see him.
He texted me late last night with an update on the horses, along with several pictures of them. I go around, entering the doors that take you to the little waiting area in the barn instead of going in through the main doors. It’s where Ev and I have gone in before when we came to visit Pongo. There’s nobody here, and after standing around for a few minutes, I start to feel awkward.
I’m about to leave when someone comes down a hall.
“Oh, hey, Josie,” Crystal says. “That TB is gorgeous!”
“Thanks, how’s he doing?”
“So far, he seems great, other than needing to gain weight and get some good hoof-work done. Everyone’s Coggin’s test came back negative, thankfully. I know they all came with paperwork saying so, but Dr. Harris wanted to double check.”
“Good idea. Is he here?”
“Yeah.” She looks down at an iPad in her hands. “Um…looks like he’s finishing up an exam. I can tell him you’re here if you don’t mind waiting.”
“No. I wanted to visit with the horses anyway.”
Crystal smiles. “Visit with Pongo first, and then don’t go back to his stall after you’ve interacted with the others, just to be safe.”