Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
She’d displayed a human vulnerability while talking about the summer she’d been grounded and how badly her mother had treated her, and when listening to him spill his guts, she’d offered him compassion and kindness. Jessica was unassuming and real, without pretense covering up her genuine personality. She was a refreshing change, highlighting how superficial so many of his relationships had become.
Grabbing a fork, he walked back to the dining area with the dessert in hand, determined to keep things light and fun going forward. When he sat down beside her and she saw the cake, Jessica’s eyes lit up with delight, and she pouted adorably when he placed the plate in front of himself and not her.
“Don’t I get a piece?” she asked, eyes crinkled in confusion.
“This is your piece.” He slid the fork into the cake, sectioning off a bite, then held it up to her lips.
A startled look passed over her face. “What are you doing?”
“I’m feeding you dessert.” He grinned. “I’m at your beck and call for the weekend, remember? And I’m trying to make up for those earlier boneheaded assumptions I made about doing the stuff outside.”
“Well, if you insist…” Her lips lifted in a smile. As she leaned forward, the slight movement caused the neckline of her top to slip down her arm again, and he was no longer surprised when his cock reacted to the sight of her creamy skin. He shifted and hoped she didn’t notice, but she was too focused on the treat in front of her.
Parting her lips, she let him feed her the mousse cake, moaning as all that chocolatey goodness melted on her tongue. The arousing sound went straight to his dick, and in an attempt to distract himself, he readjusted the collar of her sweatshirt. He slid the material back up to her shoulder, trying not to let his fingers linger on her soft skin.
He continued to feed her bites of cake, and after too many sexy moans of appreciation, she sat back and met his gaze. “I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you that you’ll be driving me, Avery, and Maddie to Club Ten29 tomorrow night.”
Once again, her top slipped. He readjusted it and her lips quirked in a cute smile.
“So, I’ll be chaperoning you, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m a big girl, Derek,” she said, skimming her tongue along her bottom lip to catch a smear of the mousse. “I don’t need a chaperone to go dancing. Just someone to drop us off and make sure we get home safely after a few drinks. Are you good with that?”
Great. Just how he wanted to spend tomorrow night, watching Jessica flirt and dance with other men. His reaction took him off guard. Since when had he cared about what she did?
“Sure. It’s fine,” he said, lying, as he fed her another morsel. He set the fork on the plate, wondering why he was he already annoyed at the prospect of another guy or guys ogling or touching Jessica.
And Jesus Christ, it was driving him nuts that the open neckline of her top kept slipping down her arm in a way that was too damn sexy. Once again he pushed it back into place. This time, she shivered as his fingers accidentally grazed the side of her neck and his shorts grew too damned tight.
“You don’t need to keep doing that.” Her amused smile returned, but her voice was low and husky. “It’s just going to happen again.”
“Then I’m going to have to readjust it again.” He pursed his lips, aware he was being unreasonable.
“Derek, the sweatshirt is meant to be worn off the shoulder,” she insisted. “It’s okay to leave it the way it is.”
“It’s dangerous to leave it that way,” he said, shocking them both with the low growl of his voice.
She held his gaze, her amusement fading, something more seductive and daring flickering in her eyes. “Why?”
Did he admit the truth or lie and protect them both? That was his dilemma. He decided to be honest and deal with the consequences. “Because the sight makes me want to touch and lick every inch of your soft skin. And not just on your shoulder.”
“Oh.” Her lips parted, and her eyes widened.
She obviously hadn’t expected him to admit he desired her, and he stood up before he did something incredibly stupid. Like haul her into his lap and kiss her senseless. Or pick her up and haul her upstairs to her bedroom, where he’d bury his face between her thighs and make her moan his name. Fuck.
“I should clean up the kitchen.” Before she could say anything in response, he spun around and left her sitting alone in the dining area.
He exhaled a deep breath as he began throwing the restaurant cartons and bags in the trash, then started to wash the dishes. Just as he was finishing up, he heard the light tinkling of glass and turned around as Jessica entered the room—with the damned neckline draped down one arm, ignoring his previous warning.