I gasp. “I’m not pretending!”
He sits up straighter in his chair and turns to me with his hands out to the sides. “How can you hate this?”
“Hate this?” I motion up and down his body. “Or hate you?” I pick up my glass and take a sip of my wine, eyeing him while keeping my face forward.
He smirks, then holds up his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “Two shots of tequila, please.”
“Tequila?” I raise my eyebrows at him.
“Yep. If you liked me licking the whiskey bottle on the plane, then wait until you see me lick the salt off my hand.”
I laugh out loud. “You are too much!”
The bartender sets the shots down for us, as well as the shaker of salt and a few lime slices.
“Thanks, man.” David pays, then picks up a shot and slides it in front of me. “Ladies first.”
“Oh, now you’ll be a gentleman?” I tease.
He gasps. “I’m offended. I’m always a gentleman.”
I roll my eyes and pick up the saltshaker, licking the back of my hand just a little to wet the area to prepare for the salt.
“Oh, no, if you’re going to do this, I need you to get into it.” David motions to me.
I push him away from me. “I was just prepping the area. Chill!”
I shake some salt on my hand, then look at him, and as seductively as I can, I slowly move my tongue from the base of my thumb all the way up to my knuckles, starting way lower and ending way higher than needed. Then I throw the shot back and chase it with the lime, sucking it after swallowing the amber liquid.
He doesn’t say a word, keeping his eyes fixated on my lips until I slam the glass down and slide his own drink toward him.
“Your turn.” I sit back to watch him the same way he did me.
To my surprise, he takes my hand and brings it to his mouth, pausing to silently ask for my permission. I sharply take in air, surprised he’d be so brazen, but then nod, giving him my approval to do as he wishes.
He opens his mouth, and my breath hitches even more. When he licks just a small area on the back of my hand, my chest tightens.
I watch intently while he shakes some salt onto my hand, then brings it back to his mouth. With his eyes locked on mine, he licks the salt, then keeps hold of my hand while he downs the shot.
After he sucks on the lime, he lets go of my hand and turns his attention back to the game.
We sit in silence as the alcohol races through our bodies, just as fast as my heartbeat.
I have never wanted a man as badly as I do him right now. Before, I knew I was falling for the man behind the screen. Now … I know I’m falling for the man I hated, the man who drove me insane every day, and the man who is sitting right next to me, but there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
I don’t care if he sees me staring at him. For the life of me, I can’t take my eyes off of this man. I might really, truly, from theabsolute depths of my soul, be in love with this man, but how do I tell him? How do I explain that I’m Jenelle?
I’m the one who kept you up all those nights. I’m the one who ghosted you because I was freaked out when I found out it was you.
His eyes are so glued to the TV that it’s almost like he’s trying not to move because then he’ll have to acknowledge that I’m sitting here next to him.
Right now, I’d allow him to have his complete way with me. I’ve never wanted to actually throw myself at a man, but I’ve never been so tempted in my life.
His mouth opens ever so slightly, just enough to let out a little breath. His chest rises and falls more than it should, which only makes my heart beat faster.
He has to be feeling this pull, this energy between us that is so strong that we might combust right here at the bar.
He picks up his bottle, bringing it to his lips, just as he tries to sneak a peek at me.
