“I’m sure,” she says, walking backwards and away from us into the crowd. “You two go have fun.” Before turning away, she gives me a conspiratory wink.
Subtle much? I have to hold back a laugh.
“If you need me, call my cell,” Jordan calls after her.
Beth waves a hand in acknowledgement before disappearing into the crowd.
Jordan turns to me. “So … it’s just you and me.”
Shivers and a whole bunch of nerves swarm me. “It is.”
“You wanna try and find somewhere to sit?”
“Sure.”
I follow Jordan upstairs where he says it’ll be quieter and we’ll be more likely to find a seat. He’s right. We find an empty sofa overlooking the dance floor below.
I sit down first. Jordan sits beside me. My nerves have ratcheted up a couple of thousand notches now because it’s just him and me. No Beth as a buffer. I can’t think of a single thing to say to him, so I cover it up by continuously sipping on my drink and pretending to be fascinated by all the people in the club.
“You’re still nervous.” His hand comes up, pulling mine from my mouth. I was playing with my lip without even realizing.
Jordan slides his fingers through mine, holding my hand. My stomach scatters.
I turn my face to him, not realizing how close he is, bringing me almost nose to nose with him. My cheeks heat. I shuffle across the sofa, putting myself up against the arm rest, and I don’t deny the nerves. There’s no point. Not when he can read me so well.
“Is it me who’s making you nervous? Something I’m doing, or just the whole being on a date with me thing?”
I turn my body to him. My knees touch his thigh. “It’s not you. It’s just being on a date. I’ve only dated one guy before, and that didn’t work out so well for me.” Without thought, I touch the healing cut on my brow.
His eyes follow my hand, and they stayed trained on the remnant of my relationship with Forbes long after I’ve moved my hand away.
His face is impassive, but I know his mind is working. I can see it in his eyes. I’m wondering if all I’ve done is remind him of the mess I came from … the mess I am … what Forbes did to me … that I carry too much baggage. Have I turned him off me?
“I’m canceling our date,” he says.
What?
Panic starts to crawl up my throat.
“Jordan, look, I’m sorry if I…”
“Don’t be sorry. And you really do say that way too much. We need to work on that.”
I clutch the beads around my neck, needing something to hold onto. “Do you want me to leave?”
His eyes widen with discontent. “What? No f**kin’ way do I want you to leave. What I want is for you to relax and enjoy yourself with me tonight, so all I’m doing by canceling our date is taking it out of the equation. If it happens to turn into a date later, then awesome. If it doesn’t, then I might be a little disappointed…” He grins to let me know he’s teasing. “There isn’t any pressure here. I like you – a lot. I think that’s pretty obvious. But I want you to want to be here with me in the same way as I do you. If you’re not quite there yet, then that’s okay. I’ll wait until you are. However long it takes.”
Is he real? I almost want to pinch him to make sure.
He likes me. A lot.
I’m washed aglow with the most amazing sensation – I’ve never felt anything like it. My heart starts to beat faster than I knew possible without causing a heart attack.
I know I’m staring at him, but I can’t stop. All I can see is him, and I forget why I was nervous in the first place. Why I built this whole date up in my mind.
The music quietens to a dull throb. The world shutting out, fading to just us…
Him.
Then all thought is lost, and I just follow what my body is telling me to do.
I press my hand to the side of Jordan’s face, absorbing the heat and strength of him. I lean in to press my lips to his cheek. He moves as I do, and my lips graze the corner of his. Heat scores through me, branding me his.
I withdraw, shocked but wanting more. I moisten my suddenly parched lips. A lick leaves me with the addictive taste of him. His aftershave, the soda he’s drinking … just everything that embodies him.
Jordan’s eyes flare with something I’m sure of. I’m sure because I’m feeling it too.
Lust. Desire. Want. And something more. Something deeper.
He slides his fingers into my hair, cupping the back of my head, he rests his forehead against mine.
“I feel the same as you do,” I say, my mouth so close to his that if I moved an inch we’d be kissing. “I want to be here with you … more than anything.”
He releases a contented breath. It soothes me.
“Should I take it our date’s back on?” His voice sounds deliciously husky and incredibly sexy, sending shivers tumbling through me.
“It was never off.” I smile.
Chapter Fifteen
Jordan
“Do you want to dance?”
Lifting her shoulders slightly, Mia gives me an unsure look, then turns to look down at the dance floor.
After kissing me, she’s been a little more relaxed. If I’d have known that would have relaxed her, I’d have told her to do it sooner.
Maybe it was the break in the ice that she needed.
Problem is, now I can’t stop staring at her mouth … her soft full lips … wanting to feel them against mine … fully…