“You’d think so, huh?” she observed idly. “Maybe I just didn’t want to make out in public with any of my former boyfriends because they sucked at - well, making out. You, on the other hand, well - you don’t. Not just the making out part, either. The whole thing. You know, sex, foreplay, post-coital, everything.”
He squeezed her hand. “Thanks for the compliment.” He picked up her hand then and brought it to his lips. “It was really, really good for me, too,” he whispered.
Scarlett’s cheeks pinkened an even deeper shade. “Oh. That - that’s good. Because I’m not all that experienced, you know. I mean, obviously I’ve had sex before, though not for awhile as I mentioned. But it was always just sort of - well, okay. Basic. Nothing exciting or special. Frankly, I wasn’t always sure if I knew what I was doing, or doing it the right way. So I’m relieved that I didn’t disappoint you, that I wasn’t as sophisticated or - ”
“Hey.” Jackson held up a hand to interrupt her. “Experience or whatever you call it has nothing to do with it. The best sex - the kind we’ve had the past couple of days - is when it’s spontaneous and unrehearsed, not to mention wild and unrestrained. Babe, I’d take that anytime over experience. Okay?”
She nodded, and he could tell from the look in her eyes how relieved she felt at his words. “Okay.”
“Speaking of having lots of wild animal sex,” he teased, “when are we going to see each other again?”
Scarlett shrugged. “I would have thought that was up to you. I don’t think it would be a smart move for me to visit you in Phoenix, too much of a risk that we’d run into someone you know there, be it family or friend.”
He nodded. “You’re right about that. I’ll have to fly up here to see you, hopefully at least once or twice a month. Maybe once in awhile we can get away someplace for the weekend - Santa Barbara or San Diego, even Portland or Seattle for a long weekend.”
“I’d like that,” she admitted. “Oregon is considered the unofficial epicenter of the tiny house movement, you know.”
Jackson grimaced. “I am not spending a weekend away with you touring tiny home communities. I was thinking more along the lines of wine tasting, maybe going for a hike or a bike ride, staying in a nice hotel. And spending a lot of time in bed, of course.”
“We could work in seeing a few tiny home communities,” she argued. “There are several companies in Portland who design and build them, too. I’ve done some research on a couple of them, hoping there might be employment opportunities there at some point.”
He frowned. “You’d consider moving to Portland?”
“Maybe. I’m keeping my options open, that’s for sure. Why do you ask?”
“It would just be that much further I’d have to travel to see you,” he replied honestly. “Not that I’d mind, of course.”
She sighed. “Don’t you think you’re jumping to conclusions here just a little? I mean, there’s still almost an entire year left until I graduate. Then I need to land an internship, pass my licensing exam, get a permanent job. And we’ve already talked about taking things between us slowly, seeing how it develops.”
“So you don’t see us still being together a year from now?” he asked somberly.
Scarlett shrugged. “Honestly, I haven’t thought beyond this weekend. And I already told you I’m going to make a terrible girlfriend. I’m amazed you haven’t already realized that, haven’t packed your bags and hightailed it out of town, thinking how lucky you were to escape.”
Jackson grinned, his good humor restored just that quickly. “I’m lucky all right. Lucky to have met you. Lucky to have gotten to know you. And if it’s the last thing I do I’m going to convince you that you are not a terrible girlfriend. In fact,” he added tenderly, “I think you’re going to be the best thing that ever happened to me, Scarlett.”
Chapter Seventeen
August
It was going to be another gorgeous day, reflected Scarlett as she propped her bare feet on the railing of her little balcony. She took a sip of her coffee then tore off a hunk of the flaky chocolate croissant that comprised her breakfast. And if she was feeling even a little bit guilty about not eating especially healthfully this morning, she reminded herself that she’d already spent a half hour swimming laps in the indoor pool downstairs. It had meant an early start to her Saturday, but she had never been one to sleep in late, largely due to her persistent insomnia. Besides, the pool was always empty early in the day which meant she didn’t have to worry about making potential small talk with another tenant of the building.
After a quick shower, she dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top that were part of the resort wardrobe Jackson had purchased for her a couple of months ago. The clothes that had been loose on her back then now fit perfectly. In fact, she admitted to herself - even as she chewed enthusiastically on another hunk of the croissant - if she kept gaining weight every article of clothing she owned would be too tight before much longer. And who would have ever guessed at that particular development!
But she did feel much healthier after having put on some weight, and her cheekbones no longer appeared sunken in as they had for so long. The dark circles under her eyes only showed up when she’d had a sleepless night, and there had been fewer and fewer episodes of insomnia and hardly any nightmares recently.
Scarlett figured several factors had contributed to her sleeping more soundly these days. One, of course, was the blissful quiet of her apartment, the walls so well insulated that she never heard a peep from any of her neighbors. The second was the comfort of her new bed, the mattress cushy but still supportive, and the cotton sheets Jackson had picked out for her were soft and cool.
Mostly, though, she felt safe here and secure and more content than she ever had in her life, even more so than the time she’d lived with Margie and Roz. And because there had been far too many times in her life when she had felt anything but safe and secure, Scarlett was deeply appreciative to have her own place for the first time. A deep appreciation that was extended to the man who had arranged for all of this, the same man that she now knew she’d fallen deeply and completely in love with.
‘Christ, what a mess!’ she thought to herself, taking another sip of coffee. ‘But you knew this was bound to happen, Scarlett. Knew that the more time you spent with Jackson the likelihood of you falling for him hard only increased. And despite his perpetual optimism, things between the two of you can only end badly.’
It was just about six weeks now since she had moved into the apartment, which meant it had been six weeks since the first time she and Jackson had given in to the inevitable and tumbled into bed together. He had managed two additional weekend trips up here since then, the most recent one having been last weekend, and had actually left some of his clothes and toiletries behind that time.
“This way I can travel light,” he’d pointed out cheerily. “And I’m leaving you plenty of room in your closet and drawers and shelves.”