I roll the sleeves of the shirt up to my elbows as I head to my desk to grab my Rolex and strap it onto my wrist.
Pleased with how I look, I open my bedroom door and seeing Jade’s is open, I glance inside. There’s no sign of her, so I’m guessing she’s at the gym.
Jase yawns as I walk into the kitchen. “You want some coffee?”
“Please.” I sit down at the counter and grin at him. “I didn’t sleep a wink.”
He glares at me. “Then why do you look so awake. I’m dead on my feet. I swear I’m going to sleep through all my lectures.”
“Serves you right for partying so hard,” I taunt him.
He places a mug in front of me and drinks a huge gulp from his own before he says, “You being on cloud nine with love is too much so early in the morning.” Finishing his coffee, he slumps back to his room.
I chuckle as I drink my own beverage, and I’m busy rinsing out my mug when the door opens. Jade comes in, her eyes on her phone as she takes the earphones out. She’s sweaty and still catching her breath, but damn, the outfit looks fucking good on her.
“Morning,” I say as I lean back against the counter.
Her head snaps up, and she stops dead in her tracks. “Morning.”
I grin at her. “We’re a couple.”
She lets out a burst of laughter. “Yeah. So that happened last night.”
I know she’s not going to hit our relationship running. Jade has only had one boyfriend, and she needs time to get used to the idea.
Boyfriend.
My grin widens. “You’re my girlfriend.”
A blush creeps over her face, as she admits what I was just thinking, “I have to get used to the idea.”
Pushing away from the counter, I walk toward her. Jade’s eyes drift over me, and when I see them turn darker, I feel fucking pleased that she likes what she sees.
When I lift a hand to her face, she yanks away from me. “No, I’m all sweaty from the jog. Let me shower first.”
I dart forward and framing her face, I plant a hard kiss to her mouth, then growl, “You all sweaty is one hell of a turn on.”
“Hunter,” she gasps, her face instantly turning a bright shade of red. She pulls free and darts around me, running for the safety of her room.
I let out an amused chuckle. Damn, I’m going to have so much fun teaching Jade what it’s like to be in a relationship.
An adult one.
Chapter 22
JADE
This is happening.
Oh, God.
I sink down on my bed and stare at the floor. It’s really happening between Hunter and me. Last night wasn’t a dream.
Even though I opened up about my feelings, the relationship feels new and like I’m sailing in uncharted waters.
Mila comes in, followed by Fallon and Hana. They shut the door behind them and then join me on my bed.
“Tell us everything,” Mila demands, wiggling her butt closer to me.
“You were there,” I argue. “There’s nothing more to tell.”
“Oh, no,” Fallon disagrees. “How do you feel? Are you happy? Are you sure about being with Hunter?”
I wait for her to stop rambling questions at me, then admit, “I love him, and I’m happy, but…”
“But?” Hana asks, her eyes widening at me.
“But… this is all so new,” I admit. “With Brady, it took three months before we kissed. A peck on the lips. Our relationship consisted of holding hands and hugs.”
Mila crosses her legs under her and glances at Fallon. “I have zero experience, so this is all on you.”
“Why me?” Fallon gasps.
Mila gives her a wide-eyed look. “I thought you’ve… you know, done the deed.”
Fallon grabs a pillow and whacks Mila with it. “I haven’t.”
“Okay,” Hana sighs, “Let me get in here.” She shifts closer then gives me a serious look. “What are you worried about?”
Mila and Fallon stare at Hana with surprise, but she ignores them, focusing all her attention on me.
I shrug. “What do I do? Do I hold his hand? When is the right time to initiate a kiss?” I cover my face with my hands and groan, “Don’t even get me started on the sex part.”
Hana reaches over to me and pulls my hands away from my face. “You hold his hand and kiss him whenever you want to, Jade. He's yours, and you are his. You don’t have to wait for permission.”
“What she said,” Fallon chips in.
“Are you ready for sex, though?” Mila asks the million-dollar question.
“I wasn’t really ready until it happened,” Hana admits, which has our heads snapping in her direction. “Let it just happen naturally. You can’t plan it, but if you do it with the person you love, everything will be fine.”
“I have a ton of questions about the bomb you just dropped,” Fallon says to Hana, then she turns her eyes to me. “Hana is right. If you feel you and Hunter are a sure thing, then just enjoy your relationship. Don’t over-analyze everything.”
“Yeah, I tend to do that,” I admit.
Mila glances at her watch. “We need to get going, or we’ll be late for class.”
“Oh, shit!” I jump off the bed and run to the bathroom. “I still need to shower. I’ll catch up with you all later.”
I rush through my morning routine, and out of time, I leave my hair to air dry. It’s going to be a curly mess, but I couldn’t care less at this moment. I grab a hair tie and shove it onto my wrist, in case I need it later.
Dressed in a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of sneakers, I dart out of the room. Remembering it was chilly this morning, I quickly rush back and grab a sweater from the back of my chair before hightailing it out of the suite.
I’m late for my first class, and with an apologetic glance at the professor, I sink down in the first open chair I can find.
My whole morning feels rushed as I dart from one class to the next. When it’s time for lunch, I let out an exhausted sigh as I use the hair tie to tame my wild strands into a messy bun on top of my head.
An arm wraps around my waist, and I’m yanked against something solid. My eyes snap up, and it’s just in time to see Hunter’s face before he presses a kiss to my lips.
Students scurry around us, and for a moment, I think about the fact that we just went public with our relationship.
Like you ever cared what people thought.
I wrap my arms around Hunter’s neck and pressing my mouth to his, I kiss him as if he’s the air I need to breathe.
Because he is.
When I pull back, he gives me a sexy grin. “I could get used to that.”
“Better than the hugs?” I tease him.
“Oh, way better.” He takes hold of my hand and pulls me out of the building and into the sunlight.
“Please tell me we’re going to eat,” I say as I link my fingers with his.
“I asked the restaurant to prepare a basket for us.” He smiles at me, and when he sees the question on my face, he explains, “It’s a nice day out, and I thought we could have a picnic somewhere quiet so we can talk.”
Talk? About what?