“I have another T-shirt if you want to switch them out,” he says. “You can grab one anytime. They’re in my drawer.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I squeak out. He’s shirtless and wearing pajama pants that show his muscular V. This man serves the world by rarely wearing a shirt around here. God, he is exquisite. I’m not sure how a man can always be attractive, but Jack is. PJs, sweats, jeans, riding jacket. No matter what he wears, I have to fight to keep my eyes from wandering.
He brings out a need in me, a hunger I can’t place. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m wearing only a T-shirt in bed or the fact that he and I have never been in this small room together, but Iwould do about anything for him to crawl in with me. I have to clinch my legs together the longer I look at him.
“Why are you biting your lip?” he says in a raspy whisper.
Molten lava spreads from my neck to my face.Please don’t notice how embarrassed I am.
His eyes go dark, and I squirm under his gaze. Well, if I can notice his eyes darken, he is sure to have noticed my cheeks redden.
He clears his throat. “You’ll get paid under the table. No docs needed. While on the subject, I’ll pick you up on the bike, and we’ll go home together. I don’t want you getting your keys until your parents get back.”
Picking at the nonexistent lint on my bedsheet, I say, “I don’t want to be a pain in your ass on day one. I don’t want you to have to leave, come get me, and then stay later to bring me home.”
He crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the doorframe.
“Uh-oh,” I say. “Crossed arms means your rule is law.”
He chuckles, then grows serious again. “Yep, that’s me. I’m going to pick you up on the bike, we will go to the club, and we will go home together. That’s the deal if you want to work at the club. Period.”
I bite my lip again and nod in silent agreement. He closes the distance between the door and my bed. Instinctively, I swing my legs over the side. His knees brush against the inside of my thighs. I tilt my head all the way back to study him. He cups his large rough hands on either side of my face, his thumbs brushing against my mouth and pulling my bitten lip back.
“Good girl,” says Jack. “Don’t bite your lip and look at me like that unless you want me to do something about it.”
I quietly suck in a breath and arch my back. “What would you do?” I dart my tongue out and run it over the thumb trapping my bottom lip.
He lets out a deep growl and squeezes his eyes shut. “Don’t ask me that.” The warmth of his hands leaves my face, and my lip springs back into place. He walks out of my room, closing the door without another glance.
I sit on the edge of my bed and stare at the empty doorway in shock.
Holy shit. He wants me.
CHAPTER 39
JACK
After seeing Jessi in bed wearing nothing but my shirt and biting her lip, her eyes unmistakably full of lust, I nearly give in. Damn. The way she slid her tongue over her lips and my thumb . . . I can’t get it out of my mind. For the past day, I have replayed everything and fantasized about where it could have led. This woman is under my skin in a big way.
But it’s time to pump the brakes. I need to be very careful about how I move forward. I don’t want to cross a line that can’t be undone. She needs me right now, and I don’t want to do something that makes her lose her trust in me. I need to move us into the platonic zone stat.
Me
You excited about starting today?
Jessi
Very, but also nervous.
Me
You have nothing to be nervous about. Everyone already loves you here.
Jessi
Promise that you’ll tell me if I add to your workload.
Me
