Chapter 29

The front door clicked shut behind us, the sound final in a way that made my shoulders drop for the first time in days.

JJ’s home.

I dropped my bag by the couch and rolled my shoulders, wincing slightly as the tension finally caught up with me.

JJ noticed immediately. Of course she did.

“Sit,” she said gently, already reaching for my hand.

I didn’t argue. I sank onto the couch, letting my head fall back while she disappeared down the hall. When she came back, she had the first-aid kit and that look—the one that meant she was about to take care of me whether I liked it or not.

She straddled me, fingers careful as she peeled the edge of the bandage back. Her touch was warm, steady.

“It’s going to scar,” she murmured, not unkindly.

I huffed softly. “Adds character.”

She shot me a look. “You already have plenty.”

I barely had time to smirk before she leaned in, closing the distance between us with quiet certainty. Her mouth found mine in a slow, deliberate kiss, like she was reminding herself I was really here.

I responded instinctively, one hand sliding to her waist, the other coming up to cradle her jaw, careful of the bandage but unwilling to stay distant. The kiss deepened, not rushed, just… full. Warm. Familiar in a way that made my chest ache.

She shifted closer, settling more firmly against me, her fingers slipping into my hair. She tugged lightly, enough to draw a quiet breath from me, and I smiled against her mouth before kissing her again—longer this time, slower, savoring the way she melted into it.

Our lips parted only to reconnect, foreheads brushing, breaths mingling. Her thumb traced my cheek, skirting the edge of the bandage with feather-light care, and the tenderness of it hit harder than anything else that day.

When we finally pulled back, neither of us moved far. She stayed straddling me, my hands still at her waist, her forehead resting against mine.

JJ slid off my lap to grab her laptop from her bookbag. “How about we complete this paperwork for Strauss?” she said. “Then you can have a reward later.”

She leaned close to my ear, her voice low. “A little continuation from this morning.”

She pulled back just enough to give me that knowing smile—the one that promised mischief without saying a word—then settled beside me, laptop open, knees brushing mine.

I leaned back against the couch, watching her fingers move across the keys. “You realize this is the least romantic way to start a vacation.”

She glanced up, eyes warm. “Temporary inconvenience.”

I scooted closer anyway, draping an arm along the back of the couch behind her. She kept typing, but her shoulder leaned into my chest as it belonged there—which it did.

“Okay,” she said a moment later, turning the screen toward me. “Sign here.”

I signed, then closed the laptop before she could move it away. “Sent?”

She nodded. “Sent.”

That was all the invitation either of us needed. She turned back to me, hands finding my shoulders, and the kiss that followed was slower this time.

When we finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against mine, smiling softly.

“Movie?” She asked.

I groaned dramatically. “But you promised—”

She cut me off with a quick kiss, playful and disarming. “I promised you later.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re cruel.”

JJ laughed, already reaching for the remote. “I just saved you from falling asleep halfway through the opening credits.”

I lay between her legs, my head resting on her chest, listening to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. One of her hands slid into my hair automatically, fingers combing through slow and soothing, the other resting warm and solid at my shoulder.

“Comfortable?” she murmured, amusement soft in her voice.

I shifted just enough to get settled. “Very.”

She tilted her head, pressing a gentle kiss to my hair, then another to my temple. “I love you.”

I lifted my head just enough to catch her gaze, letting a soft smile spread across my face. “I love you too,” I whispered, voice low.

JJ tossed the remote onto the ground and grinned. “Rom-com it is.”

I was tucked between her legs, my face pressed against her chest, cheek fitting just beneath her collarbone as we faced the TV. Her heartbeat was steady under my ear, one arm loosely wrapped around me, fingers tracing absentminded patterns along my shoulder.

A few minutes in, the music on the TV shifted—slower, heavier—and I felt it before I really noticed it. The scene changed, bodies moving closer on screen, the implication clear even before anything actually happened.

I smiled against her chest, not moving, just listening to the steady rhythm of her heart. Her arm tightened around me slightly, more instinct than intention.

“You know,” she said after a beat, voice softer now, more thoughtful, “I don’t think I ever told you how happy I am. Not just… us. But me.”

I tilted my head just enough to look up at her.

She was staring at the TV, but her focus wasn’t really there. “For a long time, I tried to make myself fit into something that never quite worked. I cared about men, sure, but it always felt like I was… translating myself.” She glanced down at me then, a small, almost shy smile tugging at her mouth. “Being with you made everything click. Like—oh. This is it. This is who I am.”

“I didn’t realize how much I’d been holding back until I didn’t have to anymore,” she continued. “Until loving you felt easy.”

I shifted closer, my cheek pressing back into her, my arm tightening around her waist. “I’m really glad I get to be part of that,” I said quietly.

Her lips met mine slowly at first—soft, deliberate—like she was giving me time to pull away if I wanted to. I didn’t. I leaned into it instead, the kiss deepening as her hand slid from my shoulder to the back of my neck, fingers threading into my hair.

Her hand lingered there, and the kiss softened again—less urgency, more intention. I breathed her in and rested my forehead against hers when we finally pulled back.

Eventually, her breathing evened out, sleep creeping in gently, and I followed not long after—wrapped in her arms.

I noticed she’d fallen asleep, her body heavy and relaxed against me. I carefully shifted, slid my arms around her, and lifted her without waking her.

She stirred just enough to curl into me as I carried her to the bedroom. I laid her down gently, climbed in beside her, and she turned toward me on instinct.

Morning light crept in slowly, pale and quiet, stretching across the room in soft bands. I woke first, aware of her before I was fully conscious—her arm heavy over my waist, her face tucked against my shoulder.

She stirred a few minutes later, shifting closer, fingers tightening in my shirt. “Mm,” she murmured, still half-asleep.

“Morning,” I whispered.

She shifted closer at the sound of my voice, her leg sliding lazily over mine. Her fingers traced slow, absent lines along my side, not trying to start anything… and somehow starting everything.

Her mouth found mine. The kind of kiss that lingered, that carried intention without rushing it. I kissed her back, one hand sliding up her back, holding her there.

She smiled against my lips, breath warm. “Do you want to go to Pennsylvania and meet my mom?”

I pulled back just enough to look at her, my thumb brushing along her jaw. “That’s… a big question for first thing in the morning,” I said gently, a small smile tugging at my mouth.

“I wouldn’t ask if it didn’t matter,” she said quietly.

I exhaled, resting my forehead against hers. “Yeah,” I said after a beat.

“Okay,” she whispered. “Then I’ll call her later.”

I smiled, letting the moment stretch, then dipped my head to her neck. My lips traced slow, unhurried kisses along her skin, warm and familiar, my thumb still resting at her jaw like an anchor.

She sighed softly, tilting her head to give me better access, fingers curling into my hair. There was no rush in it.

As she lay beside me, I slowly kissed down to her breasts. She arched up into my chest, moaning as I devoured her nipple.

“I like where this is going.”

She grabbed my free hand and guided it over her shorts. Even through the fabric, I could feel how warm she was.

“Jesus, J. You’re so wet.” I started rubbing over her shorts; her chest was heaving up and down.

Then I stopped.

I pulled my hand back and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

“Hey—” she protested softly, breathless. “Where are you going?”

I leaned back toward her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Just before my lips brushed hers, I murmured, “Payback for last night.”

I gave her a quick peck and turned toward the kitchen.

She let out a dramatic groan behind me, half-laugh, half-threat.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” she called.

“I know,” I said, grabbing a mug from the cabinet, smiling to myself. “I learned from the best.”

The rest of the morning passed easily. Flights were booked—first to Pennsylvania, then onward to our private villa in Jamaica. JJ took charge of the details like she always did, cross-checking times, rental cars, and hotel confirmations, while I sat nearby pretending to be helpful and actually just enjoying watching her work.

I checked the time and exhaled. “I should head out. I need to go home and start packing—Pennsylvania’s the day after tomorrow.”

JJ looked up from her laptop, brows knitting. “Why do you have to leave tonight?”

I shrugged, trying to sound casual. “Clothes, work stuff.

She watched me for a beat, unreadable.

I smiled, half-teasing. “I mean… it wouldn’t be this way if you moved in with me.”

The words hung there—meant as a joke, but not really.

“Okay.”

I blinked. “Okay?”

She stood, crossing the room until she was right in front of me. “Yeah. Okay. We can talk details after the trip, but—yeah.” A small smile curved her mouth. “I don’t hate the idea.”

Something warm settled in my chest. “You’re serious.”

She nodded. “I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t.”