LISA
Turning on the Bluetooth, I scrolled through my music. Finding a nice heavy metal song to wait for Jennie, I sat in my car parked in front of her house.
Tonight was the next date I set up, and even while making the call, acid sat on the back of my tongue.
This wasn't what I wanted, I just didn't have an option right now.
But sitting somewhere deep inside, the thought of handing off this woman made me ill. My stomach churned with tornadoes, tearing me apart from the inside out. My hands were shaking, chest tight and constricted as if I couldn't breathe.
Jennie had taken over my mind, my body, my soul. She was amazing, no one else deserved her.
I was sure of that.
She was too incredible to just place in the hands of some guy I didn't know, and wasn't going to like.
Because, despite my efforts to keep work and play separate, she had seeped in, sealing her place. Everything I'd ever looked for in the perfect woman was tempting my strength to keep the line drawn.
How long can I ignore this?
A shadow crossed the hood of the car, catching my attention. Lifting my head to look out the passenger window, my eyes shot open, jaw hanging loose. Every inch of sinew shook, firming in electric pops that radiated through my body.
Jennie was walking down the driveway, legs glistening under the lights off the house. Her hips swayed, rocking side to side with every step. A tight black dress glazed her body like paint covering her skin, but exaggerating her curves to perfection.
The wind blew up, catching her hair and fanning out the long strands. She looked like a goddess, sent from above to dangle her web of seduction. I was completely mesmerized, she looked so sexy, so smooth, so. . .
Forbidden.
Don't do this to yourself, it's not fair.
A smile perched on her bright red lips, eyes stabbing into my heart and coiling around like the twinge of piercing nails. Her strides were long and fluent, the heels taking her legs and extending them for miles. Miles I could explore, kiss, bite, lick. . .
"Ah, damn!" Jennie yelled, catching her heel in an invisible divot in the pavement. Her shoulders shot forward, legs stumbling to catch up, palms slamming down hard on the hood of my car with a heavy thump.
Throwing the door open, I ran to her side. "Are you alright?" Stretching my arms out, I gripped her elbow, eyes darting over her body, looking for an injury.
Rubbing her ankle, she laughed. "Yeah, I'm good. Stupid driveway tried to throw me off. You saw that right?" Winking, she rolled her foot around while resting against the hood.
"Those evil driveways, always trying to ruin someone's swagger." My hand brushed up her arm, fingers finding the dip in her spine.
Fire torched my hand, the intense burning climbed up my arm and clawed its way over my chest. I couldn't even innocently touch the woman without feeling some sort of aftershock.
Jennie's eyes lit up, twinkling briefly before she tore them away. "Ready to try this whole date thing again? Maybe this time I won't injure the guy."
The word date, stabbed my heart like a serrated knife. Was I ready?
No fucking way.
Swallowing hard, I forced the giant lump down my throat. "Yeah, sure, let's do this."
Tilting her head, she eyed me curiously. "You alright?"
Pushing a smile out, I grabbed the trim of my door. "Absolutely, Beautiful, tonight's the night for you. I can feel it."
"Oh yeah, you think so?" Slipping into the seat beside me, Jennie rested her hands in her lap.
I tried so hard to fake my excitement, to make her think that I believed what awful words were coming out of my mouth. "I think this guy might suit you perfect."
Wrapping my fingers around the steering wheel—if the fabricated ring had to breathe—I would've cut off its air supply. In the darkness of the car, I was hoping she didn't see my discomfort; nostrils flaring out, lips pulled in tight.
I didn't want to be bothered by the thought of her with another man, but it was there. Eating away at my nerves, making my knuckles drain white.
You can't get involved with her.
"I guess we'll just have to see." Jennie let her head drift towards the window, watching the buildings stream by.
I wasn't sure what she was thinking. Was she thinking about me the same way I thought about her?
Did she feel the same heat I did?
Forcing the thoughts away, I feathered the pedal and drove us to the next awaiting match.
Pulling up to the club, I parked the car. "Okay, the guy's name is Flynn—"
Giggling, she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Flynn?"
My eyes shot to her throat, the pulse in her neck jumping as I raised a hand to the back of her seat. Watching her shudder with my arm so close, a warm flash stroked my face. My fingers itched to touch her again, to feel her silky skin, to wrap her hair up tight and yank her over the seat.
Clearing my throat, I pulled my hand back, wiping my palm on my thigh. "Yeah, Flynn. He's in construction, a little rough around the edges, but he has a son about the age of your daughter. I thought maybe that would be a nice connection for you two."
Nice connection. . . We have a connection.
We blend perfectly.
How long will I torture myself with this one?
"You gave me more details this time. Why?"
Running a hand over my jaw, I said, "I have a confession. Jackson is a good friend of mine, he's the one I use for all the first dates. The second date is an actual match I set up."
"Ahh, I see. So Jackson was like a placebo, see how I do, and stuff. But this one's a real date, smart." Shuffling in her seat, she tugged her skirt down nervously, breathing out a heavy gush of air.
The urge to stroke her thigh climbed through my thoughts. Balling my fist, I snapped my head towards the windshield. I couldn't look at her, she was making my muscles have a mind of their own.
With each passing second, I was becoming more and more aware of how much I wanted her. The longer we sat side by side, the more I inhaled the sweet flowery perfume, and watched her sparkle in the low lights; the harder it was becoming for me to keep my hands in place, to keep my eye on the job I was supposed to do; to keep myself from turning the car around and bringing her home for the pure determination to make her mine again.
Control yourself.
But I don't want to.
Biting my lip, I watched the front door of the club. "I've had time to perfect my methods."
"You've perfected a lot of things." A playful smile teased her lip as her lashes ruffled her lids.
Had she been thinking about our night together too?
She had to be. How could that be forgotten?
It was the most incredible night of my life, and I didn't want it to end. My heart stumbled through irregular beats, reliving every touch in quick bursts.
She looked amazing and it took every inch of control to not lean over and kiss her. My mouth was buzzing remembering her lips from the night at her house, cock sparking to life with how she felt wrapped around me, flashes of her naked body drenched my brain.
Chuckling, I dug my fingers into my hair. "Perfected. . . No. Impulsive, definitely."
Nudging her elbow into my ribs, Jennie leaned in close. "Impulsive isn't the right word, I'd definitely call it all perfection." Reaching for the handle, she pushed the door open. "Let's go, Cowgirl, it's time for me to get my toes wet."
Wet, I'll get you wet.
I can get you so wet you'll drip.
Trailing behind her, her ass rocked and jiggled as her feet hit the pavement. The muscles in her calves flexed under the heels, thighs clenching as she watched the placement of her feet.
"What are you looking at?"
"The ground, it doesn't always like me. You saw that earlier, walking can be dangerous." Smiling, Jennie picked at her fingers.
Taking a few long steps, I brought myself right to her side. Grabbing her hand, I slipped it around my forearm. "There, safety first."
Her delicate fingers squeezed my arm, holding tightly. I was happier in that moment than I had been in days. We were close, our bodies pressing into each other, each step closing the gap between us.
I couldn't ignore the sick feeling in my gut of sending her into the arms of another man. A carnal need to scoop her up and whisk her away, careened around my skull. The image sat on my head like molasses, tugging her firmer into my ribs. I never wanted to let her go.
I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to keep those feelings at bay. The danger of what my body reeled with, and mind was spinning with, had started to burn permanently into my brain.
Jennie was my woman.
And she was right where she belonged—on my arm.