There were so many moments like this in his life where he should’ve been making memories with his friends. Instead, the only thing he had was a lot of regret over everything he’d missed out on and being forced into a career he’d never wanted.
Not tonight, though. Tonight, he was going to have fun with his friends and make memories, and the start of that was standing right in front of him.
Janae and her friends were in what appeared to be a deep conversation. Good manners would have him wait to the side so he wouldn’t interrupt them. He let the idea cross his mind for a fraction of a moment and shook his head. Nope, those three could see and talk to one another any time. Tonight, not even good manners could keep him from his mission.
Just as he stepped behind Janae, he’d never been more grateful for his self-determination when he heard her say, “Adam’s fine as fuck and if any woman in this town is going to get a taste of the new, improved version of his sexy self, it’s gonna be me, so back off, Cree.”
Thank you sweet baby Jesus for perfect timing.
As Janae realized Adam’s presence behind her, her friends graciously stepped away. If they hadn’t, he’d surely have asked them to leave without the slightest bit of shame.
Janae’s elegant shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath and turned around, meeting his stare head-on.
“Hello, Dr. Sanders.”
Janae offered him a smile that was half alluring and half embarrassment. In that moment, it was the sexiest thing he’d seen in a long time.
“Adam, I apologize for what I said. That was completely out of line for me to objectify you like that.”
He raised a brow, watching her closely, trying to get a read on her.
“You can’t possibly think hearing you find me attractive is a bad thing. Especially since I’ve been trying to find out if you had any interest in me since the moment I saw you at Vanessa’s shop.”
To her credit, her countenance didn’t waver, even though he could see her trying to make sense of his meaning as she stared at him.
Her face lit up for only a second, illuminating the dimly lit room. Then just as quickly, that brightness was gone as she dropped her eyes and shook her head.
“Adam, I’m flattered by what you’ve said tonight and when you brought me dinner at work. I’m also deeply embarrassed by what you overheard.”
“Why?” He could tell by the way her eyes searched his that, she was looking for any hint of amusement or worse, dishonesty. But she wouldn’t find either. He’d meant every word he’d spoken to her. “Finding out the sexy woman you’re attracted to is attracted to you too is never bad.”
“For you, maybe.” She finally lifted her eyes. But this time, there was something akin to regret in them. “Adam, this is all a wonderfully unexpected surprise. And I wish our timing was better. Right now, though, my life is too complicated to start anything. Between my teenaged son and my job, I wouldn’t be able to give you the attention you deserve.”
Glancing around the room first to see if there were any onlookers, he stepped a little closer. This wasn’t a student event, so Adam wasn’t worried about being this close to Janae—well, he wasn’t worried about being accused of inappropriate behavior as the district’s interim superintendent. That didn’t mean he wasn’tworried about keeping his body under control when he was close enough to smell the floral scent wafting up from that gorgeous skin of hers.
“How about you let me worry about what I deserve, Janae? If you say your life is too complicated for more, I accept that. Just let me offer you this alternative.”
Her inquisitive stare was locked with his, waiting for him to continue.
“Let’s not worry about more. How about we just focus on what this is now?”
She shook her head. At first, he thought she might be saying no, then he saw the confusion clouding her eyes.
“What exactly are you proposing?”
He interlocked his fingers behind his back for fear he’d reach out to touch her. Until he’d earned that right, he wouldn’t dare.
“I’m suggesting we don’t worry about tomorrow. Let’s just concern ourselves with tonight.”
Her eyes lit up. Hopefully that meant she was in agreement with him. But to make sure, he continued.
“My life is very complicated at the moment too. My workaholic father busted himself up in a terrible accident while driving a company truck. He’s stubborn and won’t take help from anyone other than me and my mom, so I had to drop everything in New York and come back home to take care of him. Not to mention, I’m still getting used to being back here, and I’ve started a new job that has a lot more responsibility than my last one.”
He took a deep breath while pushing his hands into his pockets as he smiled down at her, hoping the vision of him was warming her from the outside in the way she was him.
“Tonight, though, I just want more of what we had on the back of my truck. I want to talk and get to know each other. Anything else is a bonus. Just give me tonight.”
She licked her full bottom lip, and his body tightened. If such a simple gesture had this kind of effect on him, he wondered if this proposition wasn’t a bad idea. He was being truthful about all the things he was juggling. Maybe trying to add Janae to the mix wasn’t the best idea.
