up at him in confusion.
"I took the light rail down. I hate driving in the city."
"You took—? Dressed like that?" Jay ignored her careless shrug as anger filled him, anger at himself for not picking her up. To hear she had taken the light rail, a mode of transportation that was iffy at best but damn risky dressed as nicely as she was, upset him on a level that went beyond anger at himself.
"Jay, it was fine. Honest."
He shook his head again. "No, it's not fine. And you are definitely not taking the light rail home tonight."
Angie just smiled at him and said nothing, which was probably for the better because Jay was still steaming. Thoughts of everything that could have happened to her on the way down settled into the pit of his stomach and grew into a sour lump. He took another swallow of beer and muttered to himself.
No, he was definitely taking her home tonight, and at this point, he didn't really care what her brother might say about it.
CHAPTER NINE
Butterflies swarmed deep in Angie's belly, adding to the feeling of giddiness that threatened to make her giggle. She swallowed the impulse, because she didn't want to giggle.
Not now.
She looked up at Jay, helpless to stop the small smile on her face. He looked more handsome than he had a right to, dressed up as he was. Her eyes drifted down to the open collar of his shirt and she had to curl her fingers into her palm to stop herself from reaching out and running her hand up his chest. It was harder to control the impulse than she thought it would be, not when she already knew how hard and broad that chest was.
He was much more good looking than she first thought, with his dark blonde hair slicked back, not quite brushed completely off his high forehead. And when he watched her with those amazing eyes, like he was now, well, she could almost excuse herself from throwing herself at him that one night.
She wanted to do the same thing right now, but he was so nervous that she was afraid to even move. They were standing at the edge of the front porch, just outside the reach of the front door light. Jay kept glancing around and she knew he was looking for Dave, worried about running into him.
"Thank you again for tonight. I really did have fun."
Jay finally looked down at her, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth and shining in his eyes. "I'm glad. I did, too."
"And you really didn't have to follow me home, you know. I would have been fine by myself." And she would have been. But Jay had insisted on following her after he dropped her off at the light rail station to get her car, and he wouldn't listen to any argument she gave him. And she was secretly glad he did, because that gave them even more time to be together, even if it was only for a few more minutes.
Jay stepped closer to her and her breath caught in her throat. Would he kiss her goodnight? And how silly was that, wishing for a kiss like some teenager? Even so, she couldn't quite hide her disappointment when he merely reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I know, but I wanted to." His smile faded as he watched her, his eyes serious as he studied her face. The air around them thickened with anticipation and Angie held her breath, wondering if he would kiss her now. He moved forward, just an inch, and suddenly his mouth was on hers, gentle, coaxing.
A small sigh escaped her and she stepped closer, feeling his arms wrap around her waist as his tongue swept across her lips. She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling the heat of his body flush against hers as her mouth opened for him, inviting.
The kiss quickly intensified, igniting something deep inside her. The thrust of Jay's tongue became more demanding, coaxing her surrender. She tightened her hold on him and willingly gave in.
Heat coiled inside her, spreading like the fingers of a flame, scorching, burning. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, speeding up under the excitement of his
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