“She didn’t just sign her name? I thought that’s all she was supposed to do.”
“That’s all I expected, too, but she wrote something more. I couldn’t see what it was.” She opened to the title page. “Huh.”
“What’d she say?”
“I hope you find your HEA.”
“What’s an HEA?”
“Happily-ever-after.”
“Oh.” He opened his book and flipped to the title page.
“What’d she put in yours?”
He stared at the message. “Same thing.” Until this moment, he hadn’t been clear on what he was going for with Jordan. But thanks to Oksana, he had a name for his ultimate goal. He wanted a fudging HEA.
Chapter Thirty
“Rance and Desiree’s lines are shorter than they were.” Jordan pulled her phone out of her backpack and checked the time as she walked back down the steps with Luis.
“Considerably shorter. Have you seen Cole and Rio?”
“I haven’t. They must be inside getting Rance’s book signed.” She stood behind the last people in Rance’s line, a couple wearing shorts, tank tops and running shoes. Tanned and fit, they looked like they belonged on a California beach.
“You made the right call, choosing to go see Oksana first. We got to be inside where it’s cool.” He unsnapped the sleeves of his western shirt and rolled back the cuffs. “It’s warm out here.”
The simple move intended to cool him off had the opposite effect on her. Sunlight gleamed on his muscled forearms, highlighting a sprinkling of dark hair. Last night he’d braced himself on his forearms while he’d…. whoa, easy, girl! Rein it in!
“Jordan? You okay?”
She took a deep breath to calm herself. Didn’t work. This close, she inhaled a heady dose of his aftershave mingled with the tempting aroma of his sun-warmed skin. She wanted to lick his arm. Think about something else, doofus!
“You’re flushed. Why don’t you go stand in the shade for a while? I’ll hold your place.”
“I’m… I’m okay.”
“Are you sure? You might be dehydrated. I’m sure they have water inside. I’ll go?—”
“Never mind.” She gripped his arm to stop him from leaving. Yep, still wanted to lick it and then move on to the part of his throat exposed by his open collar. “I’ll be fine.”
“Heat stroke is real, you know. I’ll bet you are dehydrated. It can sneak up on you in the summer when?—”
“Shh.” She turned her back on the couple ahead of them. “Lean down,” she murmured. “I don’t want the whole world to hear this.”
Giving her a puzzled glance, he hunched over.
Putting her mouth close to his ear, she resisted the urge to nibble on it while she explained what had set her off.
His cheek dented in a smile. “I’ll be damned.” Then he straightened and gazed at her, his dark eyes shining. “You know that makes me feel like a stud, right?”
“Evidently that’s exactly what you are. I just suddenly… whoosh. I’ve been playing it cool all day, but when you did that, I came apart at the seams.”
“Want me to roll ’em back down?”
“That would be stupid. To be clear, I’ve been around plenty of guys who did the same thing and I didn’t come unglued.”
“You’re so good for my ego. Keep it up and before you know it, I’ll be impossible to live with.”
