Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30762 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 103(@300wpm)
I knew I probably shouldn't give him any more reason to treat me like a damsel in distress, but I didn't want to blatantly ignore his gesture. Despite his rough exterior, he was behaving like a gentleman and I was acting like a foolish child. I put my hand in his and began climbing to my feet. But instead of just bracing me, Zander practically pulled me upright on his own. The momentum caused me to step into him until our chests were almost touching. His hand was strong and warm and rough around my fingers, but there was a gentleness there too. Electricity fired up and down my arm. If I hadn't been so busy staring at the little bit of chest hair that was peeking out from beneath the V in his T-shirt, I would've looked down at our hands to actually check if there were sparks flying.
My heart began pounding in my chest as my body reacted to being so close to his. With Jackson, I’d felt some of the same sensations, but they'd always been pretty tame. I didn't know what to make of the fact that I could barely breathe and that I both wanted Zander to release me and keep holding on to me at the same time.
When the man across from me didn't let me go right away, my brain ordered my limbs to move. The traitorous little bastards didn't, though. My feet stayed planted exactly where they were and my fingers actually tightened around Zander's hand. The only thing that did move were my eyes. I managed to drop them instead of looking up at him, but the plan to avoid letting him see my confusion backfired when I took in the sight of his crotch. Although I didn't see any proof that he was struggling with any of the same things as me, my mind didn't need evidence to start coming up with a whole host of images in my head of what could happen next… of what I secretly wanted to happen next.
I knew you weren't such a good girl, Jolene.
The sound of Ted's sneering voice in my mind snapped me back to reality. Along with his smug observation came the memory of his hand trying to push between my legs.
"Hey," I heard a voice say softly and then there was the sensation of something brushing over my cheek. I hadn't even realized I’d dropped my eyes until Zander softly said, "You're safe, Joli."
"Jolene," I automatically corrected as I lifted my eyes. I forced the thoughts of Ted and the disastrous date out of my head. There'd be plenty of time when I was safely tucked away in my bedroom to let out the disappointment and shame I was feeling. My gaze met Zander's. I realized we were once again standing closer than we should have been. It was his thumb that was caressing my cheek.
"Sorry, Joli," he murmured in response. I felt trapped as his eyes shifted briefly to my mouth. I knew what that look meant and even though I told myself not to react, my lips involuntarily parted just a little so I could take in some much-needed oxygen. Zander's whole expression drew up tight and his thumb stilled on my cheek briefly before he slid his entire hand down to cup my jaw.
Despite my best efforts not to, I ended up moving my eyes to his mouth. Besides a couple of harmless kisses with Ted early on when we’d started dating, as well as tonight’s drunken one, I'd only ever kissed Jackson.
While my husband had had a five-o'clock shadow later in our marriage, he hadn't ever had a full beard like Zander did. So, as inappropriate as it was, I couldn't help but wonder what Zander's facial hair would feel like. He also had really nice lips. I had no idea why I was noticing any of those things, especially with someone who was my opposite in pretty much every conceivable way, but I was too caught up in whatever sensual spell he’d cast on me to even care. Whereas I’d always put Ted's advances off, I knew that if Zander dropped his head just a little, my mind and body were not going to agree on what happened next. And so far, my body had won out on every argument.
My insides began doing a victory lap when Zander stepped into me just a little, but just seconds after licking his lips and dropping his head, he suddenly stepped back and released me completely. Then he was handing me my purse. My hands shook as I accepted it.
"I work on classic cars."
I stared at him as if he were speaking another language. When his words registered, I somehow managed to get out, "Okay." Not my best comeback ever, but I was still reeling from the missed opportunity and trying to decide if I was happy or sad about it.