I’m taking it as a sign that she is. That we’re here together on our, what? Second date? Talking about how we’re going to give this—us—another shot.
As we eat and she talks, I can’t stop staring at her. She’s beautiful, even in her work clothes. I prefer it when she wears her hair down, but I do like the braid. With her hair pulled back, I can fully see her face, and she’s gorgeous. Smooth skin, high cheekbones, full lips. Those big brown eyes are sparkling as she tells me about Livvy and how she lives in Texas with Dustin. She has tiny silver hoops in her ears, but no other jewelry.
If she hadn’t ended it between us, I would’ve bought her diamonds to wear in her ears. And a big fat diamond for her finger so I could claim her as mine.
What is it about this girl that makes me feel so damned primal?
And why am I wasting my time sitting around eating dinner and drinking another beer while we gossip about old high school friends when we could be back at my place alone?
I finish my burrito in record time, and Amanda finishes pretty quickly too since she only ordered two tacos. The moment she wipes her mouth with her napkin and drops it on top of her plate, I’m asking, “You ready to get out of here?”
“You haven’t finished your second beer—” She quits talking when I grab my beer and drain it in one swallow. “Okay. Guess you’re done then.”
“Yeah, I’m done.” I rise to my feet, reaching for my wallet in the back pocket of my jeans. I toss a couple of twenties on the table, shove the wallet back in my pocket and grab Amanda’s hand when she stands. “Let’s get out of here.”
We wave at Ronnie as we exit the restaurant, and I catch the knowing smile on her face just before I push open the door. Not that her reaction fazes me. Ronnie has me all figured out. She knows how much Amanda means to me. Now that she’s back in my life, I’m not about to let her get away from me again.
“In a hurry?” Amanda asks as I practically drag her through the parking lot toward my SUV.
“Yeah.” I gently push her against the side of the Range Rover, my arms going around her to keep her body from actually hitting the car too hard. “I am.”
Before she can say anything, I press my mouth to hers, stealing her words, catching her breath. I turn the kiss deep in an instant, my tongue sweeping the inside of her mouth, my hands exploring, landing on her ass, squeezing her. I pull her closer, letting her know exactly how much I want her, and when she breaks the kiss first, she’s staring up at me, her eyes wide. Unblinking.
“You’re taking me back to your place, right?” she whispers.
I nod. Kiss her again. Catch her plump bottom lip with my teeth, giving it a nibbling bite. “Yeah.”
“You capable of driving?” When I frown, she continues, “You had two beers.”
The only thing I’m drunk on is her. “I’m fine.”
Now she’s frowning. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to put yourself at risk.”
“At risk of what?”
“Of a scandal.” She tilts her head back when I press my lips along the underside of her jaw. “A DUI would ruin you, Jordan.”
That she’s thinking of me, my career, my future, makes my heart want to crack wide open for her. She’s always known how to get past my defenses.
Always.
“You want to drive my fancy car?” I murmur against her skin.
She giggles, the sound sweet. “You’ll let me drive your fancy car?”
I lift away from her neck, my gaze meeting hers. “You’re the only one I trust enough to drive it.”
The giggles vanish, and Amanda visibly swallows. “I’ll drive then.”
“Good.” I drop a kiss on her lips.
“Let’s go.” She pushes me off of her and I go willingly, hitting the keyless remote as I guide her to the driver’s side of the car and deposit her into the seat. I give her another kiss before I slam the door and jog around the front of the car, sliding into the passenger’s seat with ease. I instruct her on how to adjust the seat and mirrors and watch with amusement as she sets about her task so seriously. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration as she moves the seat forward, her teeth sinking into her lush lower lip as she adjusts and readjusts the rearview mirror.
We’re out of the parking lot in seconds. Pulling into my garage within minutes—twenty too-long minutes, to be exact. The entire drive we remained quiet beyond me giving her driving instructions to my house. The need for e
ach other simmers between us the entire time, growing bigger and bigger until I feel like I might fucking burst with wanting her. I don’t touch her yet. Touching her would lead to kissing her and other things, and I don’t want to distract her while she’s driving my car and looking vaguely uncomfortable while doing so.
Once we’re in the garage, I hurl myself out of the car, slamming the door with extra force. She follows after me, both of us practically running into my house. We enter the kitchen first, the lighting dim, the room almost eerily quiet, and I catch her around the waist, bringing her in close, my mouth landing on hers.