Suddenly, there’s a cool washcloth on the back of my neck. I rear up in shock and the back of my head collides with Jesse’s balls. “Fuuuuck,” he groans, doubling over in pain. He clenches his nuts in his hands. This is now the second time I’ve hit him in that area.
“Shitballs,” I say, “I’m so sorry.” Without thinking, I push his hand aside and gently rub his balls better. When my brain finally catches up with what I’m doing, my eyes widen and I quickly pull my hand back. “What the fuck is wrong with me?” I mumble to myself.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, Reese. Feel free to keep rubbing the boys better, they and I, really don’t mind at all.”
Shaking my head, I flick my hand to hit him in the leg at the crassness of his statement but me and my shitty aim, we hit him in the nuts, again. “Fuck me,” he says, groaning with pain.
“Shit, Jesse, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. This is the most action the boys have gotten in a while. I just wish you weren’t so rough with them. I never picked you as a rough lover.”
“Oh my God,” I say, burrowing my face in my hands in embarrassment.
Jesse leaves me to grab an icepack for his nuts. Standing up, I brush my teeth and freshen up. I look like death warmed up. I’m never drinking rum again. Once I look semi-decent, I walk into the kitchen to find Jesse tidying up the mess I left. “What the hell happened last night?”
He turns to face me and holds up an empty rum bottle. “Seems the chef got into the ingredients while baking.”
Looking around the kitchen, I shake my head as the events slowly come back to me…
* * *
…Jesse and I kiss as the sun sets. It’s beautiful and romantic. It’s just like a scene from the romance novels I read. He breaks the connection, pulls back and stares down at me. “Reese, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
My heart plummets at his words. I should have known he’d be a jackass. “Right. Gotcha,” I snarl through clenched teeth. I start walking backward, internally scolding myself for falling for the jackass’ words. Shaking my head, I turn around and race away from him. Tears welling in my eyes. My heart hurting from being used.
Jumping into Betty, I drive home with tears pouring down my cheeks. Opening my front door, I step inside and throw myself down on the sofa and cry. When I’m upset, I bake, so I decide that’s what I’m going to do. Standing up, I walk into the kitchen, slip my apron over my head, and tie it up. Once it's tied, I get out everything for my rum balls and I get to it.
My head’s a mess and I keep dropping everything. There’s coconut and cocoa powder all over the counter. Picking up the bottle of rum, I measure out two tablespoons and then bring the bottle to my mouth and swig. I shudder at the sharpness of the rum but I don't care. I finish making the mixture and pop it in the fridge to set a little before I roll the balls. Setting a timer on my phone, I pick up the bottle and bring it to my lips again. Turning around, I slide down the wall and continue to drink.
The timer goes off, I crawl over to the fridge and grab the bowl. Sitting on the floor, I continue to drink and eat the rum ball mixture. Before I know it, I’m two sheets to the wind drunk. I keep thinking about Jesse and how much of a jackass he was earlier.
Grabbing my phone out of my pocket, I dial his number. “Hello?” he sleepily answers.
“You’red a jackdass.”
“Reese?”
“Yep, it’d me.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Just peachy jackdass.”
“What?”
“You’red a jackdass.”
“I know, I’m your jackass, and you’re my Short Stack.”
“No, you’red bigd bigd jackdass.”
“Are you drunk?”
“A smidgicall,” I giggle.
“Alotical I would say.”
“It’s you’red fault.”
“How is it my fault?”
“’Cause you’red a sexy jackdass who confussdes me an youd knowd what? It’s a secret.”
“What’s your secret Drunky McDrunkerson?”
“I’ve had a wee little crush on you all these years, but you’d always looked throud me as if I wasdent thered.”
“I’ve always noticed you, Reese. A blind man would.”
My eyes widen at his words, if he feels like this, why did he regret kissing me earlier? “You’red a sweet jackdass sometimesd. I wanna do dirty dhings wid youd.”
“What dirty things?”
“I want to kiss youd like we did earlier, and then I want youd to spankd me before ducking me.”
“You really are drunk, aren’t you?”
“Yepd…why don’t youd comed dover and I showd you?””
“What?”
“Comed over and I canned yelled youd and kissd you and duck youd.”
“You can yelled me?”
“Yeppers…and bringd mored rum, Id nearly out.”
“I don’t think you need more rum.”
“Youd don’t know what’d I needded.”
“I know you’re drunk as a skunk right now.”
“Amd not.”
“Case in point. Why don’t you sleep it off and I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Me’d like that sexy jacdkass.”
“Goodnight, Short Stack.”
* * *
…“Oh my God,” I say, as it all comes crashing back to me. “Jesse, I’m so sorry I did that.”
“It’s okay, but why were you so angry with me?”
“You kissed me and then immediately apologized for it happening. I thought…I don’t know what I thought, but it hurt when you pushed me away.” My confession shocks me. I didn’t realize how much I actually liked him until he pushed me away.
“I don’t regret kissing you, Reese.”
“But why did you apologize? Why didn’t you run after me? Yell for me to stop, you just let me go.”
“I don’t know. It wasn’t my plan to kiss you but the moment was perfect, so I went for it,” he pauses and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration, “I was worried you didn’t want it so I apologized.”
“Jesse,” I say, stepping over to him to cup his cheek in my palm. “That was single-handedly the best kiss of my life. It was a kiss out of the books I read.”
“Really?” he asks, his voice laced with shock at my revelation.
Nodding my head, I smile. “Yes, really.”
“I really want to kiss you right now…and maybe do some of the things you offered last night too.”
“Oh my God,” I cry, leaning my head against his chest. He wraps his arms around me, “I’m never going to live that down am I?”
“Probably not.”
“Jackass.”
“We’ve established that I’m your Jackass.” He places his finger under my chin and lifts my head so I’m staring up at him. “Now kiss me.”
“I want that so much, Jesse, but I still taste vomit and I don’t want to ruin this…again.”