Chapter 10: Going Out
The deep quiet of the loft, the feel of her skin against his, had been its own universe. But eventually, the rumble of a garbage truck or the distant wail of a siren would intrude, pulling them back to the city, to the day. It was Jess who broke the spell, untangling her limbs from his with a soft, final kiss to his shoulder.
“We’re going out,” she announced, stretching her arms over her head with a feline grace. “I need sunshine. And I want to be seen with you.”
An hour later, they were walking hand-in-hand along a winding path in the park, a vibrant oasis of green tucked between steel and glass. The sun was warm on Alexey’s skin, a different heat than the one he’d grown accustomed to in her apartment. Jess wore a simple yellow sundress that made her skin glow, her hair pulled into a playful ponytail that swayed with each step. She looked… normal. Beautifully, deceptively normal.
He was intensely aware of the warmth of her hand in his, the casual way her thumb stroked his knuckles. It felt more intimate, in a way, than anything they had done all morning.
“You’re thinking very loudly over there,” she said, bumping her shoulder against his.
“It is a nice day,” he offered, a safe, inadequate summary of the storm in his head.
She laughed. “Liar. But okay, we’ll start with that.” She tugged him toward a small ice cream cart with a striped awning. “Two cones. One mint chocolate chip, one… what do you want, Alexey?”
“Vanilla,” he said.
She shot him a look of mock horror. “Vanilla? After the morning you’ve had? I don’t believe it.” She ordered for them both, insisting he try a scoop of salted caramel alongside his vanilla.
They found an empty bench by the pond, dappled in shade from a sprawling oak. Ducks squabbled near the reeds, and the air smelled of cut grass and warm earth. For a while, they just ate their ice cream in a comfortable silence, watching the world pass by.
His eyes, as if pulled by a magnet, kept drifting from the pond to her. The sundress had a wide neckline that gaped just enough when she leaned forward to offer him a taste of her mint chip, giving him a breathtaking glimpse of the soft curve of her breast. A few minutes later, a breeze caught the hem of her dress, riding it up her thigh and revealing the powerful, smooth muscle he had worshiped with his hands and mouth.
He quickly looked away, his ears burning.
“Again?” Jess’s voice was light, amused. She didn’t even look at him, just licked a slow, deliberate stripe up her ice cream cone. “My eyes are up here, Korkov. Mostly.”
He swallowed. “I cannot help it. You are… very distracting.”
“I know.” She grinned, shifting on the bench to fully face him, one leg tucked underneath her. The movement hiked the dress up another few deliberate inches. “You have a thing for legs, don’t you? You’ve been staring at mine since I put this dress on.”
The directness should have been a shock. After the last twenty-four hours, it felt like coming home. He met her gaze, finding a courage he didn’t know he possessed. “Yes. I do. They are… magnificent.”
Her smile softened into something genuine and pleased. “Thank you.” She reached out and wiped a tiny spot of vanilla from the corner of his mouth with her thumb, then sucked it clean. “You know, for a guy who blushes every thirty seconds, you’re surprisingly honest. It’s your superpower.”
“It is not a superpower. It is just… easier than pretending.”
“Easier,” she repeated, as if tasting the word. “I like that.” She looked out over the pond, her expression turning thoughtful. “Nancy texted me back, you know. After the… photo.”
His stomach tightened slightly. “And?”
“She said you were ‘weirdly sweet’.” Jess mimicked Nancy’s voice perfectly. “And that I should keep you.”
The world seemed to tilt on its axis. The ducks, the pond, the distant sounds of children playing—it all faded into a dull hum. He could only look at her, at the profile of her face outlined by the sun.
“And what do you think?” he asked, his voice quieter than he intended.
She turned back to him, her dark eyes serious now, searching his. “I think she’s right. You are weirdly sweet. In a way I didn’t know I needed.” She leaned forward, closing the small distance between them. Her kiss tasted of mint and sugar and something uniquely Jess. It was soft, a promise without pressure.
When she pulled back, her playfulness had returned. “But don’t think for a second that gets you out of anything. I still have plans for you.”
“I am counting on it,” he said, and the words felt utterly true.
She finished the last of her cone and stood, brushing crumbs from her dress. “Come on. Walk me home.”
He stood, taking her offered hand. As they walked back along the path, the sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves, he felt a shift inside himself. The nervousness was still there, a low hum under his skin, but it was now intertwined with a profound sense of rightness. This was not a transaction or an experiment. It was a beginning.
He glanced down at their joined hands, then at her profile, strong and beautiful in the afternoon light. He thought of the word Nancy had used. Sweet.
Then, without overthinking it, he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to her knuckles.
Jess stopped walking. She looked down at her hand, then up at him, her expression one of pure, unguarded surprise. A slow, radiant smile spread across her face, brighter than the sun.
“Okay,” she said softly, her fingers tightening around his. “Now you’re just showing off.”
Her smile was a secret he felt privileged to know. He didn’t drop her hand, instead lacing his fingers more tightly with hers as they continued down the path. The simple act of walking felt like a declaration.
“It is not showing off,” he said, his accent a little thicker around the edges. “It is just true.” He gestured with his free hand, encompassing her, the dress, the way the light caught her. “Did you see yourself? You’re gorgeous! Of course I wanna show you off!”
She beamed at his words, a full, unguarded radiance that made his chest ache. She leaned in, her voice dropping to a low, thrilling whisper that was for him alone. “Oh, I am sooooo gonna fuck your face when we get home!”
He blushed and gulped, a fresh wave of heat crashing over him. But his stride didn’t falter. Instead, he increased their pace, tugging her gently forward toward the park’s exit. She giggled at that, a sound of pure, wicked delight that echoed between the brownstones.
His mind was already there, in the loft, the city sprawling below them. He could almost feel the weight of her on his tongue again, the taste of her, the surrender. This time, he wouldn’t just take it. He would ask for it.
The crosswalk signal blinked to a white walking figure. He pulled her across the street, his grip firm and certain. Her laughter settled into a warm, knowing hum. She watched the focused intensity on his profile, the way his jaw was set not with anxiety, but with anticipation.
He was learning so fast.