“Yes,” Royce answered, and Jessy grumbled no.
Gabe laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Jessy stayed silent although her heart reacted by thumping loudly to his firm yes. She wanted to be his so bad but she was afraid to hope and get her feelings hurt.
The three of them watched the movie in silence. Jessy found it hard to concentrate when Royce ran his hand up and down her leg underneath the pants. He lightly traced patterns on her bare leg and she wondered if he even realized it. The little tingles shot through her body and made her pussy tingle with needs and wants that she should not be thinking of right now.
Jared and Lucia came out toward the middle of the movie. He offered Lucia the recliner and sat on the floor next to Gabe. It had a lot of action scenes and held their attention.
Once the movie was over Lucia announced dinner was ready. Everyone moved to the dining room. Royce stayed behind to help Jessy off the couch. Once she was standing, she thanked him. She could walk but with slow steps.
Royce held her by the waist as they walked together and Jessy foolishly wished he belonged to her and was helping her because he really cared. He pulled her chair out and sat her down before sitting next to her. Dinner was fun with all of them talking comfortably. Jessy noticed her dad looked more relaxed as he complimented Lucia on her cooking. She shared a smug look with Gabe and he smiled back, obviously happy to see his mom smiling and laughing with Jared. Jessy had been afraid Gabe might resent another man in his mom’s life.
After dinner, Royce walked her to the back patio and sat with her on the swing. Gabe had been so excited to discover the Xbox gaming system Blake and Sam had bought her for Christmas. They even included a ton of UFC games. They left him playing the games while Jared and Lucia cleaned up in the kitchen. The night air had a slight breeze to it and it felt so good on her heated skin. She knew Royce had a lot to do with her feeling hot.
He moved her hair out of the way and placed soft kisses along her cheek and down her neck. Jessy knew she should push him away but it felt good. She was weak, she told herself. She loved feeling his lips on her skin.
“What are you doing?” she asked nervously. “We’re friends. Friends don’t kiss.”
“I said a lot of things out of stupidity but I am tired of being noble, Jessy. I hurt you and you don’t trust me now. I get that, but I have feelings for you and I’m tired of denying it,” he said harshly.
He cupped her breast through her blouse and she felt her body react instantly. She drew in a breath of air and bit her lip to keep in the moan that wanted to escape from her mouth. “Do you remember how it felt when I had my tongue on those pretty little berries of yours? I do. I think about it a lot.”
She couldn’t speak so she closed her eyes and nodded. She could feel her skin tingling with excitement at the memory. She hadn’t forgotten one second of that night either. He caressed the tip of her breast with his finger,
“I replay that night in my head over and over. I was an idiot, Jessy, but that night I was not faking what I felt. You set me on fire and burned through all my doubts. It was in the light of day that I let fear rule me.”
She opened her eyes and looked at him with hope and longing. She wanted his words to be true, but what if he changed his mind again? He looked sincere and she knew he wouldn’t be feeding her some cheesy line to get her into bed with him. He probably did want her physically, but what if after she healed he got bored again? They worked together and she couldn’t keep placing herself in this position of vulnerability.
“What if that happens again? I had such hope for us after that night. I thought you felt the same way I did and to see you with someone else nearly destroyed me. What if months down the road you get bored again? I’m not sure how I will handle that, Royce.”
“Life doesn’t come with guarantees. That’s a lesson I learned the hard way,” he said sadly. “What if we took things one day at a time? We flirted a lot and jumped into bed, but we never took the time to have serious talks or get to know each other.”
She sighed. It was a start, she supposed. She still had doubts, but she would regret not trying. “Okay, Royce. I hate to put a stop to this conversation, but I feel exhausted. It’s been an emotional day trying to get Lucia and my dad together,” she told him. She needed time alone to think. She couldn’t afford to be impulsive.
He held her tenderly for a few seconds, then helped her stand up. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and looked at her with so much tenderness that she had to blink back tears. “I’ll walk you inside, then I guess I’ll go home. I’ll call you and we’ll have late-night conversations about what your favorite color is and shit like that.”
Jessy giggled and rolled her eyes. “You men need a class on how to talk romantically. ‘Shit like that’ is not a romantic phrase.”
He chuckled, walking with her slowly into the house. “Okay, if you want to forgo romance we can have phone sex. I might like that better.”
Jessy pushed him playfully and he kissed her good-night. It was a soft kiss, full of promises and hope.
Life was starting to look up, so why did she feel like she was waiting for the next disaster to happen?
Chapter 19
Ten more days at home and Jessy finally received the all clear from the doctor. Now she was sitting at her desk and she felt good. She could move around by herself and only felt a small twinge or ache. Blake’s fight was going to be in Las Vegas in the next week and she was excited for him. He had been training hard and according to Royce, he was ready.
Blake and Sam had stopped by to visit her at home often, bringing movies and pizza. Blake was anxious about his upcoming fight and they spent time talking about it. Royce kept his word and called her every night and they talked. She still had some fears, but they were slowly fading day by day. He told her about his hard childhood and she understood him a little better. He was right, they hadn’t known each other well at all. Flirting was one thing, but really talking to one another made her feel closer to him.
She was glad to be back in the gym once again. She loved hearing the sounds of the equipment being used and the grunts of the men fighting. The sounds were familiar and comforting.
Jessy heard a knock on her door. “Come in.”
“Hey there,” Royce said after opening her door. He gave her a warm look that she was getting used to. He spent some of his time with her while she was recovering, but his kisses had been gentle and chaste. “Your dad sent me in here to make sure you weren’t working yourself to death.
“His words, not mine,” Royce quickly told her with a laugh when she scowled at him.