“Gives me an excuse to sit right next to you, so I love it. You look incredible.”
Clearly, Jace wasn’t going to turn the flirting down. Maybe it was time to switch tactics. As he took the menu from me and started flipping through it, I said nonchalantly, “This shirt is perfect on you. The only way you could look hotter is if you took it off.”
He stopped in the act of turning the page, his eyes bulging.
“What’s the matter, Mr. Connor? Can’t win at your own flirting game? Good to know I can render you speechless after all.”
He did look incredible, wearing jeans and a black shirt with long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The dark color contrasted with his green eyes.
My grilled prawns arrived before Jace could reply, and I dug right in.
“Oh, God, I’m so hungry. Completely forgot to eat.”
“What did you do today?”
“Went shopping. You?”
“Ate a steak with Andrew, then hit some stores. Milo asked me for some Knicks memorabilia. He wanted a specific shirt from the seventies. Didn’t find it, but I got him a few other shirts instead.”
“Oh, no. I actually know a store that sells vintage memorabilia,” I said after swallowing half a prawn. I loved that Jace had gone shopping for his nephew when he could have simply sent someone to do that for him.
“We could go together tomorrow.”
“Of course.”
He looked down between us, then placed his hand over mine on the couch. “We haven’t spent much time together lately. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
He snapped his gaze back up, looking at me with hope, interlacing our fingers. “Spend the entire day with me tomorrow?”
“But you have tickets to the basketball game early in the afternoon.”
“I don’t really give a fuck. I just want to be with you.”
It was amazing how such simple words could affect me so much. His flirty side never got to me the way his sweet si
de did.
“One day. Just us.” He watched me with an intensity that simply demanded from me to say yes. We were leaving very late in the evening tomorrow. One whole day with Jace? Hell, yes.
“Okay.”
When the waitress came by to ask if we wanted to drink something, I ordered a Martinez cocktail
Jace cocked a brow.
“What? I have a bodyguard. I can go wild.”
I only drank that one cocktail, but the atmosphere around us made me lower my guard, and inhibitions. Away from the Lords offices, I felt more relaxed than I had in the months since I’d started working there. Jace and I talked the whole night and we were among the last ones to leave.
We happened to reach the elevators at the same time as a large group of partygoers, so we squished like sardines inside. I managed to wedge my hand between two women to push the button to my floor, as well as Jace’s. I knew the team was three floors above mine.
Jace was holding an arm on my waist, glaring at the guy in front of me, who was openly leering at me. I looked up at Jace at the precise moment he glanced down and noticed my corset. His palm, which had been resting on my back, curled, his fingers pressing into the fabric of my dress as if he wanted to yank it away right this second.
I’d never got aroused so fast in my life. The ache between my thighs only intensified when Jace let go of my waist to take my hand. Oh, God. He was checking the room number on the card cover I was holding, then looked up at the display showing on which floor we were.
Desire slammed into me, wiping away every other thought. His shaky breath landed on my temple. When the elevator came to a stop, the entire group got out, leaving us alone. Jace flipped me to face him as soon as the doors closed, and then his mouth was on mine and his hands were touching me desperately. He only stopped kissing me long enough to growl, “Your room. Now.”