Page 19 of Not Your Enemy
“You said you felt like we shouldn’t take things too far because of Jana. I don’t want you to regret anything we do; that would hurt.” Her words made sense, and some of the warmth slid backin, but I still felt confused. “Please don’t think I don’t want to be with you, Libby, because I absolutely do. Badly.”
Laying my head against her forearm, I snuggled into her. She wrapped her free arm around me and kissed my hair before laying her head against the pillow next to mine.
“You’re so soft and warm, princess.” Her words sent shivers through me.
“I thought you wanted us to sleep,” I said, stifling my yawn.
She laughed, and I smiled against her arm, breathing in her scent.
Chapter 12
It had only been a week since I’d met Jade, and it was already official. I was into her. A fact that I knew meant I was completely fucked. Having got up early, Jade and I made it back to Clark around 10:00 AM. I changed my clothes when we got back and started a load of laundry. After that, I met Jade in the kitchen.
“You’re making breakfast?” I asked, noticing her chopping up a bell pepper.
“Just wanted to do something special for my princess this morning.” I blushed at her words and walked over to grab a cup of coffee.
“Thank you, Jade.”
For some reason, I couldn't help but think of my ex and how she'd never made me breakfast. Not that Jade was my girlfriend, but it was just really lovely. It was also completely different from what I expected of her. Jana had obviously painted a picture of Jade that I expected, but even beyond that, she has opened up to me a lot since I’ve been here. Even though she’s blunt, and definitely not a sugar-coater, she isn’t a mean person at all.
Sitting down at the bar-top, coffee in hand, I admire Jade while she works. The sunlight shining through the kitchen windows creates a glow around her. The sound of her chopping against the cutting board soothes me. She’s wearing a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top that clings to her breasts and accentuates her waist. I’m opening my mouth to compliment her when my phone rings. Picking it up, Jana’s name and photo flash across the screen. Feeling nervous suddenly, I answer.
“Hey Jana,” I say, clearing my throat.
“Lib! Uh, I miss you so much! I was just getting ready to go to brunch and was thinking I needed to come pick you up. I can’t wait for you to be back.” Gripping my mug, I smiled wryly at its contents.
“Aw, I wish I could go with you. Lu’s sounds so good right now, I may or may not be a little hungover.” She giggled at my words, and I just hoped she wouldn’t inquire about what exactly I had done the night before.
“Well, when you get back I owe you brunch, a full day of shopping, and whatever else your heart desires,” Jana said kindly.
“How’s everything going in Hale?” I asked.
“Nothing new, just more work, more contracts, more clients, blah, blah.” I laughed, knowing she was just venting.
I looked up and saw Jade working over the gas stove. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like my conversation bothered her. Not that it should, but I couldn’t shake the awkward feeling.
“Well, I know if anyone can juggle it all, it’s you,” I said truthfully.
“Thanks, Lib! See, another reason I miss you. You always hype me up!”
“You don’t need me for that; your ego got inflated withoutany of my help.”
“Hey!” she yelled teasingly. “But anyway, how are things going in Clark? Are you making good progress?” I bit my lip because while we had been working, we had definitely spent less time on it than we should have.
“For sure, but we still have a lot of work left to do. Your parents held on to everything.”
Jade was plating our food and raised an eyebrow at me. I looked down to avert my gaze from hers.
“I warned you my mom was a collector. Uh, well, I appreciate you so much for this! I know I keep saying that, but I mean it.”
“I know you do, and you’re welcome. It actually hasn’t been bad at all. I’m happy I could help you.”
“What? I can’t believe that. But, typical Lib, not wanting to hurt my feelings. Well, call me tonight, okay? I guess I’m going to text Bailey and see if she’s free for brunch since my first choice isn’t.”
“Okay, I will, and maybe don’t tell her she isn’t your first choice when you text her.”
“Ha ha, bye Lib!”