At the long stretch of silence, I glanced over my shoulder and met his narrowed stare. Smirking, I faced the bar again. My cell buzzed once more. I grinned at the text.
Bullshit. You’ve never painted your nails since I’ve known you. Be ready at 6.
Me:Truth is, I have a date with my boyfriend tomorrow. Maybe this weekend, I’ll try and squeeze you in, seeing as you’re so desperate.
With a snicker, I slipped my cell back into my apron pocket, making sure not to have any eye contact with Jack, even when I delivered their drinks and food. If I did, I’d end up on the floor, rolling with laughter. Yeah, he’d make me pay for that, and I couldn’t wait.
Later that evening, as I hurried out of the staff room, hands grabbed me and pushed me against the wall. “Squeeze me in?” he growled.
I narrowed my eyes at that beautiful face so close to mine, his eyes glittering with such primal hunger. A low groan escaped him as I stroked his hardening cock. “Yep.”
“I’m so fucking desperate for you. If I take you right here, you have only yourself to blame.”
Then he kissed me, deeply, and so damn possessively before he stalked back into the bar. I watched him go, unable to stop my smile. I’d never believed it was possible to be this happy with a guy.
19
Jack
The morning sunbeat down on me as I got out of my car, my mind on the woman inside the house. Ray had no idea I was coming home early.
I jogged upstairs to my floor, the winding staircase and long corridors taking me too damn long to get to her, then I just stood by her doorway and watched her.
Hell, I’d never felt this way before, the constricting sensation in my chest as if I couldn’t breathe every time I saw her. I could have so easily missed out on truly knowing her, went on with my empty existence if it hadn’t been for her foolish hookup plan. Ray would have finished her final year, left the bar, and gone on with her life. And I would still be a shell of a man.
Now, she sat on the floor inherroom, her back against the armchair, facing the TV that was on mute as theFriendssitcom played. Her gaze occasionally flicked to the screen while she worked on her laptop, transcribing notes from a thick file. I doubted if she was even aware of her surroundings.
She still refused to share my room.
Rayen Logan was a bolted heart. One that needed gentle handling. After meeting her family, I understood her. She was scared to open herself—to feel. The mother she loved suffered from an illness that could prove fatal at any time. Her beloved sister had had her heart broken with a louse of a cheating ex-fiancé. And then there was her best friend with her abusive ex…my sister and her asshole of a husband. Hell, the male sex didn’t do me any favors when trying to win this girl’s heart.
But I was prepared to wait.
She looked up at the TV again and snorted. “Monica’s gonna besooomad at you, Bing, if you don’t put everything exactly in the places they belong.”
“Do you always talk to the TV when you work?”
Her gaze snapped to me, and a bright smile lit her gorgeous face. “Jack.”
Smiling, I strolled over. “With your stretched schedule, I’m surprised you even have time for me,” I teased.
“I always have time for you.”
Something inside me loosened a little more as I stopped in front of her. “We have perfectly good armchairs, but you choose to sit on the floor?”
“I like sitting on the floor.” Her eyebrows drew together, forming a tiny V. “You’re back early. It’s not yet eleven.”
“I know. I wanted to see if you’d like to come for a drive.”
“In the middle of a workday?”
“Yes. I have some work stuff to do and thought why not have my girl with me? We do have a date later,” I reminded her.
“Right.” A smile curved her tempting mouth. “I’d love to go for a drive.” She set her laptop on the coffee table along with the file of notes and sprang up. “Let me change out of these shorts first.”
RAY
We left Sea Cliff and headed southeast a short while later, heading away from the city. The cool breeze coming in from the open window caressed my face, and I tucked back a windblown lock. “Where are we going?” I asked as we hit the highway.
