She turned her head to face me, my hand staying dangerously close to the back of her neck. It would take nothing to bring her closer.
“Meow,” came a cock blocking squeak, pulling us both out of whatever the fuck was happening.
“I could use that embarrassing moment now,” she said, standing up and smoothing back that same strand of hair.
“The last date I went on asked me if I was a traffic cop because I failed at being a regular cop.”
I froze and pursed my lips, standing up to let the kitten slurp her food in peace.
Where the hell had that come from?
That was beyond embarrassing and straight into uncomfortably awkward. I freaking talk to people for a living, and here I was, tongue-tied by a beautiful doctor who was taking time out of her night to help me.
“I can’t believe someone would say that to you.”
Great. Sympathy.
I didn’t need sympathy. I only agreed to that stupid date to get my idiot brothers off my back, and all it left me with was a comment that stuck with me. It festered, appearing when I least expected it to ruin my day.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said, walking back to the bedroom and turning on the television. A rerun ofFriendswas on, and I adjusted the volume then leaned against the bathroom door.
“Oh,” she said, glancing behind me at the television with her arms crossed. “Can I tell you a story?”
“Sure.” I rubbed the back of my neck and picked up the kitten, cleaning her like Jenna did earlier and getting up the purple collar from the bed to fit around her neck before setting her back down.
“About five years ago, I got into a car accident. I was coming through an intersection, and a truck ran a red light, T-boning me. I remember every detail. The screech of tires, the crunch of metal. My pounding heart. The smell of burning rubber, of blood. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. My airbag deployed, but I hit my head and fractured my leg.”
She pointed to a thin line across her forehead, and I reached out to run my fingers along the pale line. Her body language changed, and she leaned in, but I stopped with my hand inches away and shoved them in my pockets with a sigh.
“It was a traffic cop that was first on the scene, Mark. A traffic cop held my hand and pressed gauze to my forehead. He told me silly, stupid stories to calm me down and comforted me when I cried. He rode with me to the hospital and stayed until my parents came. So, yeah. I know I’ve only known you for all of five minutes, but good riddance to anyone that would say something that shitty to you.”
Jenna.
My heart was roaring in my ears to thank her and touch her, but I was frozen like my subconscious knew everything would change if I did.
Fuck it.
I reached out and took her hand, pulling her to me to crush her against my chest. She stiffened, but I didn’t let go. She felt too good. I rested my chin on her head and wrapped my arms around her back. I felt it the moment she hugged me back. She took a breath and leaned into me, lifting her arms to my waist.
She molded to my body, and the roaring in my ears stopped, leaving only our steady breaths. My mouth was dry as she clutched my shirt, holding on to me as hard as I was her. In the silence, enveloped in her warmth, my senses came alive like the Fourth of July. Every nerve ending was on fire, and each time I breathed, her hair moved, filling my nose with the scent of peaches. She nuzzled against my shirt like she was breathing me in, and the thought made my cock twitch in my slacks.
Her cheeks were flushed, and I swallowed as her eyes followed my movements. It was almost cruel when her pink tongue darted out to wet the seam of her lips. Tantalizing. Daring me to bring my mouth closer to her, daring me to find out if her whole body tasted like peaches.
I wanted to cup her jaw, kiss her scar, and tangle my fingers in her hair. Instead, I slowly released my grip, resting my hands on her hips.
“Jenna,” I rumbled, trying to convey my thanks for everything and trying to put more in the hug than I could in a hundred useless words. I wanted nothing more than to show her my gratitude.
“Thank you for earlier this evening, for that story, and for now.”
The air in the bedroom was stifling and too thick while Jenna’s eyes burned into mine, turning me to ash and making me question things that used to be set in stone.
A small squeak roused us both, and we looked at the kitten, who was gazing at us from the bathroom door. Jenna’s phone made a noise, and she took it out of her pocket, frowning at the screen.
“My friend Addison will be here in about ten minutes,” she said, taking another step back.
What?
“I would have gladly taken you home.”
