It's All Relative(5)

His mouth dropped open at her words, and Jessie took the opportunity to playfully suck on his bottom lip. As he let out an erotic noise that she wished she could hear better, his eyes fluttered closed. When he reopened them, he crashed his lips back down to hers. Their bodies grinding almost uncontrollably now, she heard him mutter, “Yes, God yes.”

Lifting her mouth to his ear again, she said over the music, “I’ll meet you outside in five.” Then she sucked on his earlobe. He shuddered, and his thumb on her breast swept across her nipple, sending ripples of desire down her body. Not wanting to let him go, she rested her head against his as she pushed their bodies away from each other. With how badly she wanted him right now, staying on this dance floor any longer was not a good idea. Giving him one last kiss, she brushed past him. Needing to feel it, she ran her hands down the front of his jeans as she left. He did not disappoint her.

Without a thought of anything else but dissolving into his arms, Jessie headed straight for the exit. She was suddenly halted by a curious redhead blocking her path. “Going somewhere, Jess?”

Not wanting a conversation at the moment, Jessie tried walking around her concerned friend. But she soon found her bare arms tightly enclosed in Harmony’s surprisingly strong fingers. “No, seriously, where do you think you’re going?” Her light blue eyes narrowed as she looked over Jessie’s face; could Harmony tell by looking at her that she was having trouble focusing? Jessie wanted to be on her way, but she knew that if the tables were turned, there was no way she’d let her friend leave alone. Girls got killed that way.

But then again, Jessie wasn’t leaving alone. Giggling, she leaned in to give her friend the good news. “I’m going home with the hot guy.”

Harmony looked over her shoulder, like she was looking for whom Jessie was talking about. Frowning, like she wasn’t seeing him, she firmly stated, “I don’t think so.” Bringing her eyes back to Jessie, she shook her head. “That’s a bad idea.”

“What’s a bad idea?”

Jessie was assaulted from behind by a set of arms slipping around her waist and a head of dark hair nestling over her shoulder. Jessie could smell the booze coming off April and knew that her friend was feeling as little pain as she was. Laughing, she snuggled into April’s embrace while Harmony answered April’s question.

“She thinks she’s going off with some guy she just met.”

April brightened and twisted Jessie around; her expression was a mixture of pride and shock. “Oh, your first one-night stand.” She placed a hand over her heart and beamed at Jessie like an overjoyed parent. “I’m so proud.”

Jessie giggled again while Harmony sighed. “April, she shouldn’t—”

Not needing a voice of reason at the moment, Jessie cut off Harmony’s objection with one of her own. Slurring a little, she stated, “I’ll be fine. We’re just going a few blocks up the street.” She lifted the small sparkly bag draped across her body. “I have my phone in my purse. You can track me.” They’d downloaded an app for their phones that tracked each other’s locations, mainly for the fun of teasing each other when someone popped up in an odd place, say, the sex shop downtown. As a precaution, they always turned the feature on whenever they went out together, just in case they got separated.

Harmony still looked unconvinced as she crossed her arms over her chest, but April thought Jessie’s solution was perfect. She clapped her on the back. “Great, have fun! You need it after your last loser.”

Harmony seemed torn on what to do, and Jessie took that moment of indecision as her chance to get away. “Have a good night. I’ll call you later.” With that, she gave Harmony a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

While trying to weasel away from them, Jessie’s arm was suddenly grabbed by April. “Wait! Here…” She reached into the pocket of her tight pants and pulled out a silver packet. A smile blossomed on her face as she folded Jessie’s fingers around it. “Fun is great, but safe fun is even better.”

Confused, Jessie opened her hand. Seeing a ribbed-for-her-pleasure condom packet in her palm, she looked up at April. She’d had that in her pocket? April shrugged, smiled, and left to rejoin her group of flirty boys on the dance floor.

Harmony watched her leave, then looked back at Jessie with stern eyes; even her spattering of friendly freckles seemed to say Listen and obey. “Call me. Soon.” Clutching her prophylactic tight, Jessie grinned and nodded. As she scooted away, Harmony called out, “Within the hour, Jess! If I don’t hear from you by then, I’m calling your dad!”

Jessie cringed. Getting her coat from the coat check girl, she stuffed the condom inside her bag and made sure her phone was turned on. Even sloppy-drunk, she was still sort of cautious.

As she put on her coat, the bottom still slightly damp from her incident earlier, uncertainty hit, and she began to wonder if going off with a stranger was a bad idea. But then she stepped out into the frigid air…and saw him.

He was standing with his back to her, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans and his shoulders bunched up like he was extremely cold, even in his thick, dark jacket. Leaning on one hip, he looked out over the street, watching the cars and people. His faded jeans perfectly highlighted his backside, and desire instantly trumped every other emotion in Jessie’s head. As if he felt her approaching, her date turned, and those sea-green eyes locked onto hers. She knew right then, only good things were going to happen tonight. Really, really good things.