I toss a tortilla chip at her, missing by a mile.
“Okay, okay,” she says, laughing, retreating back to her violin.
But I think she’s right. I think I might be going on a date with Jesse Winters.
An hour later, I’m walking out of my apartment. Jesse is standing at the curb, leaning against the passenger door of his car. My pulse races at the sight of him. When he smiles at me, I get the full blast of his chiseled jawline, twinkling dark eyes, and dimples in his cheeks.
“Wow,” he murmurs.
I cock my head to one side. “Why are you smirking at me like that?”
His eyes narrow. “I think I forgot how beautiful you are.”
I blink. “In forty-eight hours?”
“Uh huh.” His gaze slides over my oversized sweatshirt and tights, slowly and deliberately, making heat creep up my neck. When I asked him where he’s taking me, he only said to wear something comfy. “I love the look, Ashcroft. Tights and a hoodie might be the sexiest things a woman can wear.”
I bark out a laugh. “What? How?”
He steps closer. “Because it hides everything…which means I get to imagine what’s underneath. And trust me, my imagination is dangerous when it comes to you.”
He pulls me into him by the nape of my neck, smiling wickedly. “You’re adorable, Mads. You’ve also made it ridiculously hard not to drag you into the bathroom at the office this week.”
My breath stutters.
“Your girl Nora isn’t making things easy either. I’m on chapter twelve and she’s still pretending she’s not into Jacob even though she absolutely is. She’s always giving him these looks and then running away. It’s a little too familiar.”
“Are you insinuating I act like Nora?” I lift my chin. “Because excuse me, I am far less dramatic.”
Jesse lifts a brow, amused. “Less dramatic? Mads, you literally sprint out of rooms when I make you flustered.”
“I do notsprint.”
“You vanish,” he corrects, with that grin of his. “Like a sexy, panicked magician.”
I swallow hard. “That sounds like ayouproblem.”
He laughs, soft and breathy, eyes locked on my mouth. “I know. Trust me, I’m painfully aware.”
I laugh, shaking my head at him as he steps back just enough so I can breathe, before he glances toward the street. “Come on,” he says gently. “I promised I was taking you out.”
He opens the car door, watching me slip into the Porsche 911, then rounds the front.
“Madeline,” he says quietly after he’s seated next to me. “I’m really glad I get to spend the day with you.”
He starts the engine, then he threads his fingers in mine, bringing my hand to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles, making my heart lurch.
Today, I’m going to go with the flow with Jesse, and see where this thing between us wants to go.
TWENTY-SIX
Jesse
Madeline is curled sideways in her seat, her shoulder resting lightly against the door, humming along softly to the song on the radio. She’s wearing comfy clothes and looks completely different from the polished, button-upped version of her I normally see at work. But that hoodie hanging off one shoulder, the delicate chain at her throat, the slick back ponytail trailing down her back…all of it keeps pulling my eyes off the road.
We are fifteen minutes into the drive and having Madeline so close to me has everything feeling amplified. The way her knee is folded in her seat. The curve of her jaw. The way her fingers tap absently against her thigh in time to the music. I notice all of it.
She turns her head, catching me staring. I don’t bother looking away.
