He smiled. Smiled! I’ve never seen it before. To be honest, I wasn’t fully sure he had teeth in there until he grazed them against my nipple, but he does, and they’re pearly white and straight, and his entire face lights up when he bares them. Swoon again.
I had to do something. When I saw his face fall after Bella ran out and Bev gave him the standard answer about confidentiality, I had to find some way to help. So I went to Carl, used my charming personality, and conjured up her info only to get the soul kissed out of me when I handed it over.
Yes. My soul left my body. I believe it may have moved over to attach to his, which is potentially a very, very big problem.
But I’m plowing forward—soulless, I guess. I have no other choice. We have a gala to attend.
He rests his forehead to mine for just a beat. “Thank you,” he says softly. He pulls back, and I see the emotion in his eyes.
“I could tell it was important to you.”
He presses his lips together and nods, and then we head into the ballroom.
It’s a nice event. Maverick writes a fat check to the organization, we eat our dinner, and we listen to the keynote speech. When dinner ends and dancing begins, he glances over at me. “Can we go now?”
I chuckle, and I nod as I pat his arm. “You did good, Jennings.” We head toward the elevator. “I didn’t know you were so good with kids,” I say after he pushes the button and we wait.
“I’m a man of many talents.”
Ain’t that the truth?
Others join us on the elevator, so we’re quiet as we wait to get to our floor. Once we’re in our room, he immediately strips out of his suit jacket, undoes his tie, and unbuttons his shirt, stripping it all off until he’s standing in front of me wearing just his pants.
It took all of ten seconds for him to get undressed, and I couldn’t help but freeze and stare. My eyes fall to the tattoos on his arms, and I finally ask about them. “Why did you get a pirate ship?”
He lifts a shoulder. “It all goes together. The whole scene is a reminder to stay above water even when times get tough. The sharks circling remind me of all the threats in life, the anchor is for the stability I feel like I’m constantly chasing, and the pirate ship is a symbol of rebellion and nonconformity. I liked the symbolism since that’s what my name means.”
“And the star?”
He purses his lips. “Apparently a bad mistake when I thought I was going to play for Dallas for my entire career.”
“What if the star is your light in the dark?” I walk over and trace the blank space where the star is outlined. “Fill this in, and it’s got new meaning. It’s hopeful instead of regretful. A star guiding your ship at night.”
It’s clear he never thought of it that way by the way he tilts his head at me.
I raise both brows as I kick off the heels that are killing my feet. “I can rebrand anything. It’s my secret superpower.”
He reaches for me and hooks his arm around my waist. “Interesting.”
“What?” I ask, a little breathless this close to him when he’s not wearing a shirt.
“I’d say your secret superpower is the way you fuck, but if you want to go with the rebrand thing, that’s cool too.”
I chuckle at his words. “You’re just saying that to get me into bed.”
“Did I need to say anything to get you into bed?”
I giggle as I swat at his star with new meaning.
“I mean, thereisonly one bed here, and you’re welcome to it if you want it. I can sleep on the cou—”
I interrupt him when I move to my tiptoes. “Shut up,” I say, and I press my lips to his. We’re alone now, and I don’t need to pull away because we’re in public. His palm slides to my jaw, and his big hand holds me half on my jawline and half around my neck. His hand is warm against my skin, and it pulses this needy ache in me that only he can satisfy.
He takes his time. He’s slow and luxurious in this kiss. He’s not rushing me toward the bed, or to the couch, or even up against the windows, instead taking the time to allow our tongues to dance as my arms wrap passionately around him and he hauls me in closer to him with one arm around my waist.
It’s perfection here in this cocoon. The outside world can’t touch us in here as we grow closer, me in his arms as he clings to me, holds me, worships me.
He pulls back first, and I think it’s because he’s going to take me into the bedroom, but instead, he surprises me by saying, “Can we talk?”
