“Hmm,” Elena grunted. “I’m glad I can keep you interested for more than a couple of minutes.”
“That’s not…”
“I was just teasing you.” He saw the glint in her eye as she turned away. “It’s been a while, but keeping a guy’s attention shouldn’t be that difficult.”
Jason didn’t know what to say to that. But he did know that Elena was very good at keeping his attention. The top she was wearing hugged her breasts, and he had struggled to stop staring at them. And her legs looked pretty good in that skirt. Jason could look at them all day. There was something softer about her, something sweeter. Had it always been there, or was Jason only just noticing?
Whatever it was, he wanted to keep hold of it for a little longer.
It was only a short walk to Elena’s apartment building. Both the restaurant and the football field could be seen from the lobby door. Elena opened the door and turned to him with a smile.
“Thanks for dinner, Jason. I did enjoy that.”
“I’m glad you liked the food.”
“I’m a sucker for barbecue.” She leaned on the door, seeming to hesitate. “I can go on from here. Thanks for walking me back, although it wasn’t necessary.”
“What sort of gentleman would I be if I didn’t escort you back home?”
“I wouldn’t have thought less of you if you didn’t.”
Jason was tempted to ask if he could walk her up to her apartment, but he felt like that would be asking for trouble. Especially when his hands were itching to touch her; he had been very good at not touching her all evening, and he thought that was something to be impressed with. If he did touch her, he didn’t think he would be able to stop. His hands had to explore.
He needed to put space between them before he did something stupid.
“Well…” he said.
“Well…” Elena tilted her head to one side. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“I…I guess you will.” Jason coughed. “Thanks for coming to dinner. I enjoyed myself.”
“So did I.”
Neither of them moved. It was almost like they didn’t want to walk away from each other. Although that could be Jason’s wishful thinking.
If he stayed any longer, he was going to do something stupid. Like pull her in for a kiss…
Jason turned away abruptly. “Good night, Elena. Sleep well.”
“I… Good night.”
He could hear the slight dejection in her voice, but he didn’t stop and turn around. If he did, he was going to kiss her. He couldn’t afford to do that, not with Elena.
It would end up being more than a kiss if he did that, anyway.
Jason hurried to his car and got in. Only then did he slump in his seat and closed his eyes. His heart was racing, blood pounding around his head. What was it about Elena that made him want to lose control? It wasn’t the first time that he had felt a strong attraction to a woman, but this was something else. He couldn’t quite understand what was going on.
His initial attraction to her had been surprisingly strong, and it had only been building over the last couple of weeks. Jason found himself seeking Elena out just to see her. Maybe he was able to catch her and speak to her for a minute or two, just to get her smile. If there was no smile, then just some attention. He felt selfish about getting some of her time, no matter how small. When had he done that with a woman?
Throughout dinner, listening to her family life and how her mother was trying to pair her off with the first single and willing guy, Jason couldn’t help but think of Elena in a more intimate manner. The images had started slipping more towards the erotic, and it was difficult to sit there with an erection while Elena was talking.
This was not good. Jason hadn’t been looking for anything with any woman, and he certainly shouldn’t give in to his desires with a member of staff. Elena should be firmly on the off-limits list.
And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about what she would look like with her clothes off…
Shoving that thought out of his mind, Jason drove back to his home. He had bought a house on the outskirts of the town, a cabin-like building overlooking the river. It was secluded enough that he didn’t have any neighbors, which Jason preferred; if people in town weren’t happy with his purchase of the Wolves, he didn’t want them openly glaring at him while he was trying to go about his business in his own house.
It was nothing short of a miracle that nobody had trashed his house yet, given what happened to his car.