“I was in my feelings,” he said after a moment, his voice roughened by a vulnerability she'd never heard from him before. “I regret everything about that night.” He leaned back slightly, every bit as composed as she'd come to expect. “You gotta know I would never let anybody play with your name. Fiancée or not.” Jackie stared at him, allowing his words to finally reach the part her heart his silence had bruised. “I got a lot of respect for you, Jackie.” Neither of them spoke for a while. The quiet felt different this time, lighter somehow. Jackies lips curved a little bit. “That's it?” she asked, tilting her head.
“That's all you got for me?” Cash’s expression shifted, subtle but noticeable.
“What else you want?” he asked. Jackie traced the rim of her glass with her finger, glancing at him sideways, feeling a little braver than usual. She didn’t know if she could blame it all on the alcohol. All she knew was she was feeling things. “I don’t know,” she said. “I just thought you might’ve had a little more to say.” Cash leaned in slightly, closing some of the space between them.
“I said what I meant,” he replied, voice steady. “But if you need more… I can talk.” Jackie swallowed, subtle but there. “You are always this smooth?” she asked, trying to play it off. Cash huffed a quiet laugh. “Only when I’m being watched.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she smiled.
“I’m not watching you.”
“Yeah,” he said simply. “You are.” That pulled a real laugh out of her, soft and unfiltered.
Jackie leaned back, turning toward him now instead of away. “You different tonight,” she said, studying him. Cash didn’t flinch. “How?” She shrugged lightly. “I don’t know… less guarded.” He nodded once. “Yeah.” A brief pause. “Well, you ain’t the only one that contain multitudes, Jackie Brown.” That stuck. Jackie held his attention a second longer than she meant to before looking away. “Good,” she said quietly. The silence that lingered now, felt different. Neither one of them rushed to break it. Jackie shifted, tucking one leg beneath her without thinking. The sake had settled into her now, softening the edges of everything. Cash’s gaze dropped to her feet. “They hurt?” he asked.
“I mean, I been on them all day,” she admitted. He nodded like he already knew. Then, without asking again, he reached forward and closed his hand around her ankle, guiding her legs across his lap like it was nothing. Jackie’s breath caught. “Cash… what are you doing?”
“I told you,” he said calmly, adjusting her foot in his hand. “I got you.” His thumb pressed into the arch of her foot, firm enough to pull a quiet exhale from her before she could stop it. Her fingers curled into the couch. “Relax,” he murmured.And that was the problem. She was too damn relaxed. His hands were warm and steady. The tension gave way with each stroke of his hand.
Jackie leaned back slowly, her head tipping into the cushion as another breath slipped out. She tried to keep it together. But the sake, coupled with the long ass day she had., and now the way he was touching her… It was blurring her, “What would your fiancée think?” she asked, her voice softer now, but still holding onto something sharp. Cash didn’t pause. “She do her… I do me.”
Jackie let out a quiet, breathy laugh. “Yeah?” He glanced up at her then, steady.
“That’s what it was supposed to be, she been on some other shit lately.” He confessed. His attention dropped back to her foot, pressing deeper into the tension. Jackie’s body reacted again, subtle, but real. She shifted, suddenly too aware. Her attention flicked toward Max on the other end of the sofa. He was knocked out, sleeping peacefully. Then back to herself. Jackie pulled her legs back, sitting up straighter, smoothing her hands over her thighs like she needed to reset.
“I should probably call the locksmith,” she said, her voice more controlled now.
“Kormia not answering, and it’s getting late.” Cash leaned back, his arm stretching along the back of the couch behind her. “You could,” he said simply. “Or you could stay.”
Jackie glanced at him. “Max already knocked out,” he added. “I got two extra rooms.” She shook her head slightly, even though the suggestion didn’t land as crazy as it should have.
“Cash… I need to go home.”
“Why?”
“I’m dirty,” she said honestly.
“I need to get in my own tub, wash this day off me, and change into something comfortable
“I can get you something to sleep in, Jackie. That’s nothing.” That made her pause.
Then she looked at him. “You’re engaged,” she said, quieter now.
Cash leaned forward, closing the space again. His fingers brushed beneath her chin, lifting her face toward his. “She don’t live here,” he said, voice low. “She ain’t even allowed here.” Her breath hitched. His thumb brushed once, slow, before his hand dropped. “Now what else?” he asked.
Jackie didn’t answer right away. The rain came down harder against the windows, steady, like it wasn’t letting up anytime soon. She stared at the glass for a second.This wasn’t a goodidea.She knew that much. But right now… this felt like the easier option. And for once, Jackie wantedeasy.She exhaled. “Okay.” Cash didn’t say anything. He just watched her. “
Bet. Lemme go lay Max down and get you something to sleep in,” he said, pushing up from the couch. Jackie’s eyes followed him without thinking as he stood. And that was her first mistake. Her gaze locked straight on his dick print like a magnet. The gray sweats did nothing to hide how thick and heavy it looked hanging down one thigh. The shit looked big, even on soft. Her breath caught before her brain caught up. She blinked fast and yanked her eyes away, cheeks burning. Cash paused mid-step, like he felt the shift in the air. When he glanced back, his expression sharpened. Quieter and more aware.
“Your Room’s down the hall,” he said, voice even.
But his eyes moved over her once, slow, controlled, like he was taking his time now. Jackie swallowed, her fingers curling slightly into the couch cushion. “Okay,” she said, softer than she meant to. The space between them felt smaller now. Heavier somehow.
Jackie knew she was playing with fire. But for once she didn’t care.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
JACKIE
The water hit Jackie like a reset.