good-looking and charming? Maybe this was
a bad idea after all. A guy like this could crush her…if she let him. She
snorted. “You don’t know me, mister.”
He scooted closer until his hard thigh met hers. Heat
branded her. “I’d like to.” It was a whisper but she heard it over the
cacophony. It sank into her soul. Softened her. He thrust out a hand, a
slightly awkward move since they were sitting so close. “I’m J.”
Without thinking, she slipped her fingers into his grasp,
reveling in the rough scrape of his palm against hers.
She’d met a lot of guys in bars like this, endured countless
pick-up attempts. But she’d never been tempted to take them up on it. Until
now. She was attracted to this guy on a visceral level. The power of that pull
should scare her but it didn’t.
“Jay as in Jason?” A leading question, sure, but she had to
ask.
He shook his head. Curls tumbled. His dimple blossomed. “J
as in the letter. All my friends call me J.” He stroked her with his thumb.
Only a small swipe over her knuckles but it set off an explosion along all her
nerve endings. All of them. Her clit twitched.
They sat close together in the curving booth in the alcove.
It was almost as though they were alone. Almost as though they were alone in a
secret bower.
“What do your friends call you?” His voice was a low rumble.
She gazed into his eyes. He looked earnest and sweet
and…hungry. She hated leading him on like this, teasing him.
Ah, who was she kidding? She loved it. Yeah, she should tell
him her name. But that would end all the fun.
She bit back a grin. “As it happens, my friends also call me
J.” It was true. They did.
“Get out!”
“Seriously.” She laughed at his expression—and then his
expression changed. She stopped laughing. There was nothing funny about the
look on his face. “What?”
His Adam’s apple worked as he stared at her. His fingers
tightened on her just a tad. “God. I love that sound.”
“What sound?”
“Your laughter.”
She laughed again, this time a sputtered burst of
embarrassment. “It’s just a laugh.”
“Yeah, but a melody.” He shifted as though something in his
jeans needed rearranging. “I love a woman who embraces life. That was the laugh
of a woman who throws her arms wide and just takes it all in.”
Jessica swallowed. Looked away. Damn, he was perfect. He
looked fantastic, smelled amazing and when he opened his mouth, all the right
little words fell out. She wondered for a moment if she had accidently stepped
into an alternate universe. A universe where things went right for her.
He leaned closer. Still holding on to her hand, he slipped
his other arm under the table and settled his warm palm on her thigh. Again
with the thumb. It was all she could do not to melt into a puddle. Right then
and there. “Are you that woman, J?”
God, she wanted to be. But she could hardly let him see the
truth of it. Not now. Not yet. So she swallowed that ache with another swig of
her beer and offered him a nonchalant one-shouldered shrug. “Sure.”
“Then dance with me.” He tugged on her sleeve.
She resisted. Not because this was suddenly too intense, too
soon. Not because the thought of being in his arms made her want to dissolve
into a puddle on the floor. Certainly not because the ghosts of bad
relationships past were singing a discordant operetta in her head.
Really.
She forced a smile and drew up her shield. It was hewn of
snarky humor and was practically impenetrable by the thrust and parry of male
charm. Oh, and this one? He was a charmer. She could smell it.
“I can’t dance with you, cowboy. What about your date? Some
poor blind woman—sorry, some poor man-hungry, blind spinster schoolmarm—sitting
alone at a table, desperately waiting for her Prince Charming to arrive?”
“She’ll just have to live her life without me.” His grin was
infectious.
Oh dear. Jessica felt her bulwarks weaken.
He batted his lashes again,
a bad idea after all. A guy like this could crush her…if she let him. She
snorted. “You don’t know me, mister.”
He scooted closer until his hard thigh met hers. Heat
branded her. “I’d like to.” It was a whisper but she heard it over the
cacophony. It sank into her soul. Softened her. He thrust out a hand, a
slightly awkward move since they were sitting so close. “I’m J.”
Without thinking, she slipped her fingers into his grasp,
reveling in the rough scrape of his palm against hers.
She’d met a lot of guys in bars like this, endured countless
pick-up attempts. But she’d never been tempted to take them up on it. Until
now. She was attracted to this guy on a visceral level. The power of that pull
should scare her but it didn’t.
“Jay as in Jason?” A leading question, sure, but she had to
ask.
He shook his head. Curls tumbled. His dimple blossomed. “J
as in the letter. All my friends call me J.” He stroked her with his thumb.
Only a small swipe over her knuckles but it set off an explosion along all her
nerve endings. All of them. Her clit twitched.
They sat close together in the curving booth in the alcove.
It was almost as though they were alone. Almost as though they were alone in a
secret bower.
“What do your friends call you?” His voice was a low rumble.
She gazed into his eyes. He looked earnest and sweet
and…hungry. She hated leading him on like this, teasing him.
Ah, who was she kidding? She loved it. Yeah, she should tell
him her name. But that would end all the fun.
She bit back a grin. “As it happens, my friends also call me
J.” It was true. They did.
“Get out!”
“Seriously.” She laughed at his expression—and then his
expression changed. She stopped laughing. There was nothing funny about the
look on his face. “What?”
His Adam’s apple worked as he stared at her. His fingers
tightened on her just a tad. “God. I love that sound.”
“What sound?”
“Your laughter.”
She laughed again, this time a sputtered burst of
embarrassment. “It’s just a laugh.”
“Yeah, but a melody.” He shifted as though something in his
jeans needed rearranging. “I love a woman who embraces life. That was the laugh
of a woman who throws her arms wide and just takes it all in.”
Jessica swallowed. Looked away. Damn, he was perfect. He
looked fantastic, smelled amazing and when he opened his mouth, all the right
little words fell out. She wondered for a moment if she had accidently stepped
into an alternate universe. A universe where things went right for her.
He leaned closer. Still holding on to her hand, he slipped
his other arm under the table and settled his warm palm on her thigh. Again
with the thumb. It was all she could do not to melt into a puddle. Right then
and there. “Are you that woman, J?”
God, she wanted to be. But she could hardly let him see the
truth of it. Not now. Not yet. So she swallowed that ache with another swig of
her beer and offered him a nonchalant one-shouldered shrug. “Sure.”
“Then dance with me.” He tugged on her sleeve.
She resisted. Not because this was suddenly too intense, too
soon. Not because the thought of being in his arms made her want to dissolve
into a puddle on the floor. Certainly not because the ghosts of bad
relationships past were singing a discordant operetta in her head.
Really.
She forced a smile and drew up her shield. It was hewn of
snarky humor and was practically impenetrable by the thrust and parry of male
charm. Oh, and this one? He was a charmer. She could smell it.
“I can’t dance with you, cowboy. What about your date? Some
poor blind woman—sorry, some poor man-hungry, blind spinster schoolmarm—sitting
alone at a table, desperately waiting for her Prince Charming to arrive?”
“She’ll just have to live her life without me.” His grin was
infectious.
Oh dear. Jessica felt her bulwarks weaken.
He batted his lashes again,
Similar Books
